Page 23 of The Princess and Her Mercenary

Ndari wasn’t about to give up her best friend so she stood on her toes and kissed him soundly. He hooked an arm around her waist and hauled her up his body until only the tips of her shoes touched the ground. He deepened the kiss and everything around them faded. They explored each other, reveling in their ability to do something as simple as kiss each other in the city of love without having to worry about anyone seeing and caring.

“You two are just the cutest!” a voice squealed from behind them.

Ndari didn’t get a chance to look over her shoulder before she was being seized from behind in a massive hug. Keane started to go for the gun hidden under his jacket then realized who was tackling them. Ndari maneuvered her body around so she could hug her best friend.

“Jaya!” she exclaimed, then she looked over her shoulder at Keane with a grin. “I found her.”

“You two are both in serious shit,” Keane grunted.

He lifted his phone back to his face and informed the security team in Indonesia that he found their missing charge. Then he called Ivan Vogel, Jaya’s husband, to personally apologize for his wife managing to slip away from Keane’s security team. The two men held a brief conversation that sounded distinctly growly to Ndari. In her opinion they took themselves too seriously. They needed to have more fun in life. Maybe she would suggest a bros trip somewhere. Like Japan. Or Australia. Or Disneyworld. First she would research where bros liked to hang out, then she’d make the suggestion.

Keane hung up his phone and glared at the two women. His eyes then focused on Ndari. “You knew she was coming here, that’s why you wanted Paris.”

She grinned guiltily. “Maybe, but it also has some of the best shopping on this continent.”

“Look, it’s not a big deal,” Jaya tried to reassure him. “I was never in danger and I needed to make sure Ndari got out of the palace safely. I was worried when I didn’t hear from her.”

“You could have told your husband, or your security team. Any one of them would’ve gladly checked on the Princess’s status and updated you,” Keane lectured her. “Your husband is one of the most wanted arms dealers in the world. You can’t just be taking off any time it pleases you.”

Jaya shrugged as if to say she could take off whenever she wanted. She certainly had the tech skills to herself out of most situations. So far she’d managed to escape Ivan and his security about a half dozen times. Ndari knew Jaya loved her husband, but she didn’t like being caged.

“Ivan is going to lock you up tighter than ever after this stunt,” Keane warned.

Again, Jaya shrugged. “Yeah, probably.” A mischievous smile touched her lips. “But he’ll have to be with me if he wants to enforce his rules. And I’m all good with being locked up with Ivan.”

Ndari laughed at the stars in her friend’s eyes. She felt that way about Keane. They were both in love with big bad men that would huff and puff at the rest of the world, but they would spend a lifetime protecting the women they loved. At least Ndari hoped that was how Keane felt.

“You have time for a half hour visit, then Jaya’s ride will come for her.” He looked around and spotted a nearby café. “There.”

The two women tried to complain, tried to convince Keane that he should let them spend the whole day together. They threatened to handcuff themselves to each other, but that plan fell through when neither could produce a set of handcuffs. Finally, they had no choice but to head to the café arm-in-arm, casting glares of misery at Keane who followed close behind.

Jaya and Ndari talked as fast as they could, laughing and gossiping about their months spent apart. True to his word, Keane escorted Jaya to a waiting car after their half hour was up. They lamented that it wasn’t enough time and assured each other that once Jaya’s house arrest was over, Ndari would convince Keane to take her for a visit. They hugged goodbye and Jaya slipped into the backseat of the car. Though Ndari only got to see her friend for a few short minutes she felt filled to the brim with joy. She was surrounded by people that cared about her and the feeling was indescribable. She was happy.

After, Ndari decided that she was done shopping, especially since she couldn’t do it with her best friend. She announced that she was hungry again, and Keane, of course, was more than willing to feed her. It helped that the man always seemed to be hungry, which was fair. He had to keep up his energy if he was going to maintain those muscles.

She chose one of her favorite restaurants, which was extravagant, but she trusted that he would be able to cover the cost of the restaurant with all his mercenary money. It was important that he be able to keep a woman of her good tastes in jewels, fancy meals and big houses.

Once more, Keane impressed her with his knowledge of both the French language and high-end cuisine. At his request, Ndari helped him pair his food with just the right wine. Then, after they finished their supper, Keane insisted that Ndari have a wide selection of desserts to satisfy her sweet tooth. An amused waiter set every dessert served in the restaurant on their table. She leaned back and laughed as the waiter set one of the dishes on fire, bowed, then strode away. They picked up their spoons and sampled each desert, sharing bites with each other. Ndari’s favourite was the chocolate mousse and Keane’s was the crème brulee.

She watched him across the small candlelit table, her eyes sparkling and a smile hovering on her lips.

He caught the look and commented, "Didn't think I'd be up for all this fancy shit, did you?"

She shook her head. "Honestly, no. You don't seem the type."

He shrugged. "I've been around. Some of my clients like to eat stuff like this, go out to theaters, all that crap. And it doesn't bother me none to tag along. I like learning new shit."

She loved it. She loved everything about him. He didn't fit in with the wealthy patrons that surrounded them. He didn’t want to. Yet he was completely at ease, comfortable choosing a salad fork and sipping high-end wines.

After they finished their lavish meal, Keane escorted Ndari to the Eiffel Tower, which of course, was best done at night. They took the elevator to the top and stood together, his arms wrapped around her, watching the stunning blanket of lights that was Paris at night.

She sighed and snuggled back against his chest. "Nothing compares to this view."

He hunched his shoulders and moved his lips to her ear. "Oh baby, so much compares to this. I'm going to show you the world. Not just Paris, but everything you've ever dreamed of seeing. I'm gonna take you to the great barrier reef, the Sidney Opera house, the Japanese gardens, Sao Paoulo, Alaska."

"Alaska?" she asked.

"Need to see a guy who owes me money," he grunted.

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