Page 15 of Regally Binding

“You’ll be safe here. I’ll be outside your room all night. I won’t leave you or let anything happen to you.” His baritone timbre brought a heat between her thighs as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and walked away. “Sleep well, Princess.”

But it wasn’t a dream. None of it was. Liss was in a mysterious place, and as much as Bear stayed around, she was alone, but not in the way she controlled. As soon as the door clicked shut, she shoved her jeans off, kicked them away, and tossed her top to another part of the room until she was just in her underwear.

As much as she longed for sleep, she couldn’t fight the day’s drama roaring through her. Suddenly, the text from earlier and the words from the stranger in the crowd flooded her memories. She let the tears fall. Silent sobs held Liss prisoner as she accepted how isolated she was. She couldn’t crawl into her mum’s comforting arms. Isla would come if she called, but she had her job and life to lead. Liss had no one.

Tears wetted Liss’s pillow, but she sobbed quietly as exhaustion from the day and the muffled voices of Bear and Strike dragged her closer to sleep.

Chapter Nine

“Where the fuck am I?” Liss croaked.

Was it the light barely finding space under a door she didn’t recognise or the unfamiliar springs of the bed that woke her?

She reached underneath her pillow and fumbled for her phone, but it wasn’t there. Squinting, she caught the shape of a lamp next to a glass of water. She downed the entire glass before reaching for the light.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Bear’s familiar growl made her jump and ache all at once.

“Why not?” she replied, switching on the light. Although groggy, she was in no mood to be controlled by a burly guy with the same name as a woodland animal.

Light flooded her vision temporarily. White spots appeared before her eyes as her duvet flopped down, and suddenly, Bear’s comment made sense. Sitting in the corner of the room, still wearing his suit though the jacket was gone, was the man she wanted to defy. His hands covered his eyes as he grimaced.

“Because you’re just in your underwear,” he stated. “And I’d rather not see you like that.”

“Rude,” she mumbled, although her face burnt as she sneaked a look to confirm he was right. She grabbed the edge of the duvet in both hands and dragged it up to her chin. “Did you two undress me?”

“No, you must have done it after I left the room last night,” he replied. She breathed deeply as she remembered tossing her clothes off before crying herself to sleep. “Can I open my eyes now?”

“Yes,” she stated, grabbing the duvet so tightly her knuckles hurt.

His dark brown eyes eased open as if he were expecting her to streak across the room while screaming his name. His gaze fixed on hers, but momentarily, it dropped to the duvet covering her chest.

“Making visual checks, Mr. Bodyguard?” she teased.

“I was ensuring you’re not lying to me.” He ground his teeth as he locked eyes with Liss. “You’ve not been the best client so far.”

“I didn’t ask for this.” Her life had transformed in the last twenty-four hours. The grogginess that accompanied waking made her tetchy, and each word from him reminded her of how trapped she was.

“I aim to keep you safe. You’ve not made it easy. I need you to do exactly as I tell you.”

“You’re not my boss, and you’re not in control of me.” Bear remained silent, but his eyes darkened as he stared at her. “I’m not going to obey your every whim. I won’t say ‘yes, sir’ or ‘where do you want me, sir?’” Her snorting laugh was cut short by his animalistic grunt. “Please, Bear, tell me where you want me next. Make me your good girl.” The last part slipped out, and she slid the duvet higher to cover her mouth.

He raised his eyebrow and shifted in his seat. “You want to be my good girl, Princess?” Her face burnt as if flames licked at her cheeks. “And what sort of things does a good girl do? I’d like to know when to reward you.”

Her thighs trembled, but the duvet hid it, much to her relief. How, with everything going on, was she this horny? It had to be misplaced anger or because she didn’t want to revisit her tears from earlier. But as the heat between her bare thighs grew, she knew it wasn’t that simple. “Well, I’m happy that you didn’t undress me. The idea makes me want to puke.”

“’Course it does.” He winked. The sun was rising and forcing itself through the gap in the curtains and lighting the bedroom. Liss resisted hiding her face even though Bear could see her heated cheeks and bitten lips. Life was getting complicated, and that was without the princess thing.Don’t think about the princess thing.It was too much to deal with.

A knock at the door broke the thick tension in the room. Strike entered without waiting for a response.

“I heard voices,” Strike grumbled before looking at Liss. “You’re awake then.”

She nodded.

“Isla called. She’s going to visit tonight and will bring Steve too,” Strike informed her.

Strike glanced at Bear, who was scowling but not at anyone. “Get some sleep if you can. The next two weeks will be heavy.”

Bear nodded as Strike left the room and clicked the door shut.

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