Page 44 of Regally Binding

“While I summon my secretary, I will leave you to decide who you will bring as your date tomorrow.” Liss’s eyes flicked to Bear, who looked anywhere but at her. “And what you’re going to wear. You must be excited.”

Her heart raced, and her mouth dried up. What was she getting herself into?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Bear’s smile tickled the corner of his mouth as he passed her Isla’s phone number in the car. “In case you want to invite her as your date. I wasn’t sure if you’d kept her number after you used it yesterday.”

Liss returned his smile as she fumbled with the mobile. “Thanks.” Prince Alex agreed she could bring her bodyguards and three others to the party. She needed strength in numbers.

He turned away again. Liss had learnt enough at the palace to understand that her new bodyguards would be from the royal household once she accepted her role within the family. She’d have a secretary and team to help her with appointments, outfits, and behaviours. Protocol informed what her days entailed, and the palace would develop an identity for her. Bile burnt her throat. She’d spent years carving out her life after her mum died. She’d re-written her future and designed her life around the pub, but now she could have what she wanted. It had to be a good thing.

She crossed and uncrossed her arms repeatedly.

Bear tapped at his mobile as he hummed a faintly familiar tune. She needed to stop thinking about him. He was off-limits. Besides, today was Tuesday, and by the end of next week, she’d give the King an answer on officially becoming a serving member of the royal family or renouncing her throne. Although Archibald said it wouldn’t change her place with them as a family, she didn’t believe it. Alex would become king and lead a busy life; her grandad only had months to live. She’d never seeBear again, but all these changes must be better than her current life.

The bile continued to rise; it sat in her mouth, taunting her as she toyed with the hem of the shorts she’d thrown on before they left the hotel.

Strike and Bear glanced at each other again.

Bear stopped humming, and his mouth twisted to the side. “You’ve got a lot on your mind.” He turned to look at her between the gap in the seats. With a body his size, it was an uncomfortable movement. He forced himself into an awkward space to check up on her. “Anything you want to talk about?”

She shook her head and glanced warily at Strike, remembering his warning. “It’s nothing.”

“Never trust a woman who says it’s nothing,” Strike grunted.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not sure I could explain it to you two anyway.” Liss bit the inside of her mouth.

“Try us, Liss. We’ve got another ten minutes left of this journey, so you might as well talk about something,” Bear pressed as Strike spied her through the rear-view mirror. “If you can’t trust your bodyguards, who can you trust?”

Liss looked between the guards before staring at her shorts. The pink was garish and clashed with her peeling nail varnish.

“Oi.” She glanced up. Bear’s eyes narrowed. He was doing his human lie-detector look again. “Would it help if Strike apologised for his behaviour so far?”

“My what?” Strike thundered.

“You’ve been a dick, mate,” Bear said matter-of-factly. Liss’s eyes felt like they might pop out of her head.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Strike grunted.

“‘She’s a big girl who can handle her own problems,’” Bear replied. His impression of Strike and the line he’d given as they got to the palace was spot on. Strike pursed his lips.

Liss smiled at their back-and-forth. They sounded like they could have been brothers. Visually, they weren’t alike, but there was something special between them, and she longed for similar. She was close to Isla, but the connection between the lads was another level. Occasionally, the car stopped at traffic lights, and she glimpsed strangers smiling or going about their business. She’d never be able to do that again.

Strike remained quiet. After a couple of minutes, she stared at the reflection of his furrowed brow and flitting gaze through the rear-view mirror.

Bear grinned at her. “Give it a moment. Strike takes a while to process when he knows he’s done wrong.”

Strike grunted before saying, “Fine. I’ve been a dick to you, Liss. You’ve not made any of this easy, but our previous client was hard work. I’ve been taking it out on you.”

“Well, fuck me,” Bear said slowly before clapping his hands together. “Liss, what you don’t know is that a Strike apology is rarer than a total eclipse. And that one was golden. It was an absolute beauty of an apology. I’d call your mum and tell her, but she won’t believe me.”

“Fuck you, Bear.”

“Fuck you too, brother,” he replied, and they smiled at each other and squeezed each other’s hands in a handshake as Strike continued to drive. Liss’s heart ached again for that closeness with someone. The loss of freedom was worth it for the family. Alex was okay, and Marianne would come around.

“So now we’ve heard Strike’s apology, you have to tell us what you’re thinking,” Bear said, his big brown eyes giving Liss no room to escape his questioning.

Liss squeezed her lips together before blurting, “I’ve spent too long having no one. I can’t rely on myself alone anymore and don’t want to.”

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