Page 81 of The Backup Princess

“I thought you might like to go for a ride,” he says, gesturing at a motorcycle.

I eye it. “On that?”

“Why not?”

“For starters, I'm in a dress and a pair of heels, not to mention the fact that I can't imagine my grandparents would be too thrilled about it.”

“Don’t worry about the clothing. I’ve got you covered on that front. And your grandparents? They’ll understand. They were young once.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Any other concerns?”

“Vlad will definitely freak.”

He turns to Vlad. “Are you okay with me taking the princess on a short tour before we head back to the palace? You can trail behind in the car, of course, like I know Paulo will do. I do promise not to kidnap her.” His eyes flash to mine as he adds, “Although I think we could both do with being kidnapped. Don't you?”

I can’t help but smile, the elation I feel following the successful speech morphing into something else. Something I know I shouldn’t allow it to morph into.

“I thought as much.”

“I'll need to clear it with the palace, sir, although she is expected to greet the press, plus the princess will need the appropriate protective clothing,” Vlad replies, somewhat predictably. “Perhaps we can plan such an outing at a future time?”

“No time like the present.” Alex opens the seat of the motorcycle and pulls out a pair of my jeans, my favorite tennis shoes, and a couple of leather jackets.

“How did you…?” I ask in astonishment.

“I had your lady’s maid get them for me before I left for Parliament, and I grabbed an extra helmet from my mate, Jeremy, too. This is his bike.”

“You thought of everything.”

He offers me the clothes. “Go get changed.”

“Are you sure? Vlad said he needs to get it cleared first.”

“Tell me something. Do you ever just decide to do something and then do it? Or are you middle-aged before your time?” His eyes are dancing, and I challenge any woman to have the strength to turn this man down.

I pull my brows together as though contemplating my options when really, my mind is already made up.

“Come on, Texas. Let's go have us some fun.”

I make a snap decision. I’m 24, not 54. I need to live a little.

“Clear it with the palace, please, Vlad,” I instruct. “It looks like Alex has everything else under control.”

“Good choice, princess,” Alex says with a wink as he replaces his suit jacket with a leather version.

A few minutes later, I’ve changed into my jeans and jacket, my long hair falling down my back from under my helmet. Alex is already sitting on the bike, his leather jacket zipped up, with the engine running. He looks about as sexy as I’ve ever seen him. Temptingly sexy. Dangerously sexy.

I don’t allow myself to change my mind.

So what if I’m attracted to Alex. So what if he’s not the horrible person I thought he was at first. So what if he’s fun and witty and kind and caring and all the things. I can control myself, and my feelings. We’re just two young people, going for a ride on a motorcycle.

I refuse to think any deeper than that.

I swing my leg over the bike and position myself up against him. He feels warm against me, and my heart rate picks up—and not just from the anticipation of the ride through the city. I haven’t been this close to Alex before, my thighs pressed up against his.

It’s a lot. A wonderful lot.

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