Page 86 of Regally Binding

“Hey, Liss.” One Direction played in the background. “How’s it going? Not long now for you, I guess.”

“Don’t remind me.” His ears tinged pink as if she’d told him off, and she smiled quickly to relax him. They chatted daily about the business, and he came out of his shell each time. “Tell me, what happens when you guys have too much protection work for Strike and Bear?”

Luke fiddled with his wristband. “We have a bank of people that the lads trust, and we contact them. Some clients prefer a female bodyguard; others want someone who can be with them in like Australia when both Strike and Bear might be working in Europe. There’s a database of names I can get you access to, but why do you ask?”

“I’m getting emails about jobs, and Strike and Bear have little availability, not that you can tell from their calendars. I wonder what more they could do to ensure loyal clients.” She rapped a pen against the laptop. Her stomach grumbled.

“You sound like an operations manager, with talk like that,” he quipped. Liss reached for her water that sat on the coffee table. She didn’t have the skills for that sort of job. “But sadly, you’ll have to be Queen instead.”

The glass toppled, and Liss caught it, although not before water slopped onto the carpet. “I’m never going to be Queen. I’m not next in line to the throne.”

Luke cocked his head. “But Strike told me about Marianne and Prince Alex and how they should be arrested. If anything happens to the King, you could be Queen by Friday.”

“No, no, no,” Liss mumbled, pushing the laptop to the sofa and pacing.

“Didn’t you realise?” Luke’s ears were pink all over now. “It’s the lineage thing. Strike explained it to me.”

“I didn’t, I… It was what Strike meant last night by epic TV drama. I can’t do this. I can’t be Queen and lose my grandad…this isn’t my life. I ran a pub. I’m not a queen,” she ranted.

“I thought you knew. I’m calling Bear,” Luke shouted down the camera. “Calm down, Liss, please. You might not be Queen by Friday. It could be months or years in the future.”

“You’re not helping,” she cried before resuming her pace. Her feet pounded the carpet.

Within minutes, Bear rushed into the room. “I’ll leave you two be,” Luke shouted before ending the video call.

Bear narrowed his eyes. “Princess, what’s going on?”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not a princess. Fuck, I might be Queen soon, Bear. I can’t be Queen! I can’t talk confidently to a group of people. You saw me on that stage the other night, and that will be nothing if I end up ruling this country. I can’t rule this country,” she bellowed.

Bear grabbed her to hold her still. She shook in his arms. He held her against him until her body calmed, but it didn’t stop her thoughts from spiralling. She sat on the sofa and dropped her head to her hands. She didn’t even want to be a princess. She was only doing it because she wanted a family and to live the life her mum never had the chance to.

“Overthinking isn’t helping, and you’re not going to resolve anything that way,” Bear mumbled helplessly.

“Then what do you suggest?” she crowed against her hands.

Bear knelt in front of her and eased her hands from her face. His skin was hot. “You’ve not been outside for days, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you have cabin fever. We need to distract you.” He pressed the laptop’s lid down and moved the table out of her way.

“You want to get sexy at a time like this?” Although incredulous at his suggestion, it eased the tension from her shoulders. She gave his crotch a pointed look.

His deep, sensual laugh eased her anxiety further. “I didn’t mean that. How about exercise?”

“Stop saying filthy things,” she joked, forcing humour to distract her from the destructive thoughts. “How about a jog? Can you run with me and ensure I’m safe?”

“Don’t let this fine yet muscly body deceive you. I can run. But you have to promise me one thing,” Bear said as his hands slid into her waves.

Liss locked eyes with his. “Go on.”

“I can watch you stretch and run behind you to enjoy the view of your fantastic arse.”

Liss laughed against his mouth as he kissed her hard. It was what she needed. Maybe he’d taken her lead of being rude to push past the stress. It’d worked for them before. Her tongue eased his lips apart as he fisted her hair. She slipped a hand into his joggers. His cock pulsed in her hand, and he groaned into her mouth as she kissed him with unspent energy. She closed her eyes and stroked him until he was hard against her palm. Her legs clenched as he lifted her by the thighs and backed her against the wall. They should do this instead of running.

Eventually, Bear pulled back. “Those weren’t the stretches I meant. We need fresh air before it gets dark. It will be safer in the light.”

She pouted her reply.

“Later, I promise,” he grumbled, shifting his dick in his boxers. “I must be a masochist, because I’ve never wanted to fuck you more. You’re my addiction. I can’t stop thinking about you whenever I’m not with you. Now, change out of those wet knickers, and I’ll meet you at the door in ten minutes.”

“Who said they were wet?” she replied breathlessly.

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