Page 81 of Roaming Holiday

I nod. Back to reality.

The next day, Maia is off with Vanessa all day to meet her pet chickens, and I don’t get out of bed until noon.

For god’s sake, my bed frame has posts at each corner and is an extended part of the floor and ceiling. Not to mention the blissfully soft mattress. How can anyone expect to leave this bed with ease?

It takes me two hours to bathe and get dressed for nothing in between eating the food I ordered. Dad and Ruby have been on another excursion, so I don’t have to worry about running into him. I make a list of the things I need to do in the upcoming weeks, including hiring an assistant. It’s quite a perfect day.

Until Jack calls me at five o’clock.

“Hello?”

“Princess Nina, good evening. It’s Jack Costas. Do you have a minute to talk?”

I hesitate at his formality, so I play it off. “Sure. What’s up?”

“With Beck’s contract coming to a close in a few weeks, I’d like to ask how he has been as your security detail.”

My blood runs cold. Contract? “I-I’m sorry?” I stutter.

“His professionalism, Your Highness.”

I wince at my caving stomach. I never knew Wesley had a contract. He’s my bodyguard—indefinitely. Is he planning on disappearing in a few weeks just like that? A lump builds in my throat.

“Oh—um. I-I’m really sorry, Jack, but I’m getting another call from someone I’ve been trying to get in touch with,” I say, the lie spilling out smoothly. “Can we pick this up another time?”

“Yes, of course. I will call back another time.”

“Thanks, bye.” I hang up instantly and call Wesley.

40

WESLEY

“Where are you?” Nina asks before I have a chance to say hello.

I sit up in bed, pausing at her strained tone. “My apartment. What’s wrong?”

“Where’s your apartment?”

“Uh—Antonia wing. 305. Now answer my question.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes,” she says, and hangs up. I stare at my phone in disbelief before scanning my messy apartment. Karító. I stumble off my bed and clean fast enough for my mother to be proud.

The entire time, I try to figure out why Nina sounded stressed and why she demanded to come here. But in a quick, dreadful thought, I realize it’s probably about us. Is she going to end it?

Nina is the princess of Maldana. Soon, she’ll be queen. I’m not just her bodyguard; I’m a former hitman. The Higher Court would never allow us to be together. I stopped in Fortuna because our time would be up as soon as we returned to the palace and I didn’t want to let her go just yet.

Resisting her is more than the fact that my career would fall apart further. The dark memories of my past life have not gone away, and they won’t—not anytime soon. She helps me find the good in the world; I see it every time I look at her. Each kiss and touch sends me deeper into a fantasy of a life with her and I’m convincing myself it’s possible. But I don’t know if I can do that with these memories clawing up my throat every day.

When I answer her knock, Nina pushes the door aside and strides into the apartment. One look at her outfit and I know she’s out to kill me. She’s wearing a cropped shirt that ties around her neck to expose her shoulders, paired with ass-hugging pants of the same pattern. The urge to touch her has never been so strong.

“Jack called me,” she says. “He wanted to know what I thought of you as my security.”

I blink, ripping my gaze from her body to find her indignant expression. “Okay…”

She plants her hands on her hips. “Should I tell him you make me feel safe—or what it feels like to have your tongue down my throat?”

“I…”

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