Page 13 of Regally Binding

Isla looked warily at Liss before stepping out of the room with Strike.

Bear knelt at Liss’s feet. “I know you’ve had enough, but either you can pack your stuff, or I can. I’m guessing you don’t want me in your belongings, and I don’t understand what women need when they’re away for two weeks or more. One pair of really thick socks and a pair of joggers should do it.”

“Two weeks?” Liss lifted her head to find a wry smile on Bear’s face.

“I was expecting an argument about the socks.”

“I can’t leave the pub for a two weeks. It can’t run itself, and I need the job.”

He sat down in front of her, although he was bulky and there wasn’t enough space for him to recreate her cross-legged position. “Princess, I’m sorry to say this,” he said softly. His eyes were bigger than she remembered, and it took all her remaining effort to listen to him and not study the myriad of colours swirling around them. “You might be away for the rest of your life. We’ll find out about the DNA match in several days, but after that, you may decide you want to live in one of the royal residences or somewhere else. It’s unlikely you’ll return here for a long time. Your life is going to transform.”

Tears brimmed her eyes. Bear took her hands in his impossibly large ones and cradled them. He had a couple of patches of yellow where bruises had nearly disappeared, and on the one hand, she spied tiny cuts around his knuckles.

“I don’t know if I can do it.” Her voice cracked.

Steve stood behind Bear. “You don’t have to. You could stay with Isla and me and tell them you don’t want to be a princess,” he said, repeatedly stepping from one foot to the other. She’d forgotten he was in the room.

Bear said to Liss in gentle tones that she appreciated, “You don’t have to decide your future now. But you do have to pack and come with me. We promised your grandma we’d keep you safe.”

As if Liss’s grandma gave a shit about her safety. She’d ditched her at the first opportunity. But Bear was right. She needed to stay safe until they knew the DNA results.

“You’re thinking hard, Princess,” Bear said, his face creasing like she imagined hers was. With one hand, he held both of hers and, with the other, reached up as if to touch her forehead. But suddenly, he stilled, as Strike came bustling through the door.

“Bear, a word,” Strike said, pointing his thumb toward the hall. Was he angry all the damn time? Bear stood immediately, although his gaze lingered a little longer on Liss before he followed Strike into the hall. Isla took his place and sat in front of Liss.

“You’re going to be okay, honey. They know what they’re doing,” Isla said. “And can I borrow a jacket? I need to be a decoy.”

“This must be serious. You once told me all my clothes needed burning.”

The memory made both of them smile. It was a couple of years ago, and Liss’s wardrobe and style had improved recently, although it was still seventy-five per cent yoga pants, jeans, and hoodies.

Liss let Isla help her weary body off the floor.

“I can help you pack if you want,” Steve said.

Liss shook her head. She didn’t want him rummaging around her underwear drawer. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be okay.” She also wanted to ensure she packed the heart keepsake from her mum. It was a silly item she kept hidden in her bedside drawer, but she couldn’t stay anywhere indefinitely without it. It carried memories she didn’t want to explain to Steve, especially not now.

Isla tucked her arm through Liss’s. When they needed someone on their side at university, the other one knew when to offer grounding and love. Isla held her tight as she spoke. “As much as those two mean machines annoy me, they’ll keep you safe. And you have me and Steve when you need us.”

They passed the kitchen, where Strike and Bear talked in hushed tones. She nibbled her lips as she searched for an explanation as to why she wanted to frustrate him yet make him smile. It was the adrenaline and the drama. She wouldn’t have looked twice at him any other time. Well, not openly.

She glanced briefly at him through the crack in the door. He was hunched over a pad, making notes as Strike nodded. Liss worried her lip as Isla explained how she’d dress like Liss and then run to the car with Strike. The hope was that the crowd would follow them and that Strike would lose them on his drive while Bear took her to the hotel. Bear locked eyes with her briefly before returning to his notes. The heat behind his stare made the hairs on the back of her neck rise and filled her belly with a pleasurable ache.

She hadn’t felt like this in a while, but then she hadn’t faced such drama.

Fucking monarchy bullshit.

“Are you nearly ready?” Bear filled the doorway.

Of course he chose the moment she was deciding which pairs of knickers to take and was holding up a pair of her everyday function ones and her expensive lacy blue ones.

His focus dropped immediately to the delicate material in her right hand. His lips slowly parted as he stared.

“Yes. Only a couple of things left to pack,” Liss squeaked. He still didn’t look up. A pink tint touched his ears, and she shivered at what he might be considering. A fantasy of Bear slowly pulling those knickers down her legs as he knelt before her was as vivid as the material she held. “Give me a moment. Unless you want to see the entirety of my underwear drawer.”

He locked her gaze. “Is that an option because…” His eye twitched briefly, and he cleared his throat. He was chewing something, which gave his jaw a slow up-and-down motion. It highlighted the chiselled jawline that she ached to run her fingertips across. Something as unimportant as her underwear drawer made a man like him pink. The memory of his commentsabout his fuck buddy obliterated her fantasy, yet the temptation to needle him remained.

“Because?”

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