Page 17 of The Princess and Her Mercenary

Chapter Ten

What the Princess wanted was new clothes and where she wanted to buy her new clothes was in Paris, France. She’d been forced to leave everything behind when Keane came to the palace to snatch her away. She was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable in the outfit she was wearing, which she had been wearing for far too many events: kidnapping, fleeing, sleeping in the desert, fleeing again. A Princess changed her clothes frequently. Keane needed to understand this.

What she really needed was a Parisian spa package that included a facial and back massage for her tired muscles. After all, she had spent half the night on the ground. Then she would need a personal shopper to help her select a new wardrobe, and of course this new wardrobe would have to be purchased in Paris.

But before they could go to Paris they had to get out of the country.

An adventure Keane and his team made look like child's play. They managed to leave the immediate area via helicopter, which took them to an airplane on a private runway, which was currently on its way across the border. Ndari sat twisted in her seat staring out of the window at the passing scenery. Keane was across from her, his eyes scanning something on his phone. The speed in which they were leaving the country was truly astonishing.

Ndari loved every moment of their escape. This was what life was supposed to be. This was adventure. This was the best.

“So where are we going?” She rolled her head against the back of her seat to look over at Keane.

He grunted. “We'll set down outside of Berlin. Then after that, we'll need to find a safe house until things blow over.”

Ndari shrugged. “My brother won't bother to chase us out of the country. He's not like that. He's rather lazy when it comes to royal matters, like a lost Princess.”

“Regardless, we'll have to lay low somewhere.”

Ndari looked at him under her lashes. “Somewhere… like Paris?”

“Not Paris,” he grunted without looking up.

She pouted. “But you said that I could have anything I wanted, and I want Paris.”

“I hate Paris,” he said.

“I want Paris,” she replied stubbornly.

They sat there staring at each other across the aisle of the airplane, each determined to win the staring contest. After a minute, he closed his eyes and growled, “Fucking Paris.”

Ndari laughed and clapped her hands. “You do it because you love me,” she said happily, leaning over to kiss him.

“Fucking rights, I do.” He gripped the back of her head to keep her from pulling away and kissed her hard.

* * *

Ndari loved Paris in the summer.

There was something so special about it. The warmth, the smell of the flowers, the bustling busy city. The Eiffel tower on a beautiful clear night was one of the most awe-inspiring sights she’d ever experienced. Of course, Ndari wasn't in Paris in summer. She was in Paris in the fall, and it was pouring rain. And even though Keane got them a place with a view of the Eiffel Tower, she couldn't see it through the haze of pouring rain.

Still, Ndari was in Paris.

She was curled up on the windowsill of her bedroom. Or the bedroom she’d been escorted to. It was large-ish, although not even close in size to her bedroom at the palace. Still, there was something about this room, and the whole house, that was welcoming. It had a homey feel while still being extravagant. The bedroom contained a lavish four-poster bed covered in silken pillows and a gorgeous finely threaded gold and blue quilt. There was a dresser, which was empty, and a walk-in closet, which was also empty.

Instead of worrying about her lack of personal items, Ndari sat in the window seat, her arms wrapped around her knees, her gaze on the rainy Parisian night. Despite the rain it truly was lovely. She could see the fuzzy lights spread out like a blanket across the city. Keane had gone to great lengths to get them the best view. The best house really.

Her thoughts drifted back to him. There'd been a smoldering tension between them from the moment she said that she would go with him willingly, like their chemistry amped up a notch. She hoped he liked her as much as she liked him. It would be heartbreaking if she pinned all of her hopes and fantasies on a man who couldn’t follow through. Honestly, she tried to protect her heart, but her mercenary soon-to-be-lover was just too much of a pushy stalker to allow her to hang onto the organ. It was his, and if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t break it.

He’d dropped her off at the house, bundled her up to her bedroom and then left her, saying something about setting up security. He'd been gone ever since, maybe three or four hours. She was starting to get hungry. Did he not realize that girlfriends needed to eat? She assumed he ate, given his impressive body size and musculature. He probably ate a lot. So where was the food?

After a moment of restless deliberation, Ndari decided to head downstairs and see if she could find something to eat.

The kitchen was dark when she entered. She was a little surprised considering the men were supposed to be down there setting up security. Not that she was complaining; she didn't particularly feel like talking to any of Keane's men at the moment. They seemed decent enough, but their violent edginess wasn’t easy to be around. The lot of them looked like a pack of hungry lions waiting for the next kill to come along.

She rifled through the cupboards and fridge and realized that the place was completely empty. Okay, now she was starting to get annoyed. Girlfriends, not to mention Princesses, needed feeding! Or they would literally die.

“What are you doing down here?” Keane asked from behind her, startling her.

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