Page 26 of The Princess and Her Mercenary

Chapter Fourteen

“I’ve never had this much fun in my whole life,” Ndari said seriously, her dark eyes on him. “This is fucking amazing. We escaped a palace and a country that are locked down tighter than my sister’s virginity.” Ndari tilted her head, thinking. “Actually, Alyssa is probably a secret freak in the sack.” She continued her earlier thought, “We fucked and shopped in Paris. Now, in Prague, we’re eating trdelnik. And I would guess by your expression that we will soon be having sex too!”

He was looking at her like he was a hungry wolf and she was a tasty treat. His eyes followed her every movement. They always did, even back in Jakarta all those months ago. He watched her with a sharp intensity that might have been disconcerting if Ndari wasn’t used to it. He stood and crossed to where she was sitting on top of a picnic bench. He leaned down and licked her lips, tasting the sweet treat and the even sweeter Princess.

“No,” he said huskily. “It doesn’t get better than this. And yes, we very much will be fucking the minute I get you someplace private with a bed.”

“I don’t need a bed,” she said breathily.

He gripped her waist tightly. “Baby, you must be my soul mate. You say all the right things.”

Ndari was having the best time of her life. She was running away from the palace guards once more, but this time instead of doing it alone she was doing it with her lover. They were like children, escaping from France and finding their way to Prague.

Ndari took a great big bite of her trdelnik, a kind of cake wrapped around a stick, grilled and covered in sugar and spice. She got some of the powdered sugar on her nose and sneezed. Keane laughed at her and reached out to flick the sugar flakes from her face. Then he leaned down and licked the corner of her mouth.

"Mmm. Good," he said.

She pulled away from him and gave him a frown, protecting her treat with her hands. "You could have gotten your own. Don't even think about touching mine. I don't share my sweets."

He grinned at her. "Oh, you'll share your sweets with me, baby."

She laughingly rolled her eyes. "Why does everything have to be dirty with you?"

"You know you love it."

"I do," she said primly. "But before we do anything about me sharing sweets we're going to hit up all the Prague hotspots."

Keane grumbled something. And she reminded him about Paris and how much he loved it.

He said, "I don't love Paris, I love you, baby."

Her heart stopped, then melted. She looked at him, really looked at him, taking in the vulnerability he was allowing her to see. It couldn't be easy with a man like him. From her time in Indonesia she’d learned that he’d been born in a rough place during a rough time in Ireland and the bad times continued from his childhood through into adulthood when he was forced into becoming a slave mercenary for a sadistic employer. Eventually he managed to escape his captor and turn on the man, but it had come at great personal cost. Ndari suspected he avoided close relationships, perhaps thought himself dirty and unworthy. Thank goodness he was somehow unable to resist her charm. The smile faded from her lips.

"I love you too," she said, swallowing hard. "I don't know why. You're not my type. But I do love you very much."

He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her off the picnic table, up against his chest and onto her tiptoes. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "You better love me," he growled, kissing her hard on the lips. Then he pulled back a couple of inches. "What do you mean I'm not yer type?"

She giggled. "Well you're big, you're angry, you're always looking for a fight. And you're usually armed to the teeth. I'll tell you right now that none of that weaponry you have hiding under your jacket makes a fashionable accessory. The guys I date are the type that understand the benefits of facials and manicures. They have yachts, they jet around the world. They do things like take me to New York for shopping sprees."

"Fuck no," he snapped. "You'd manage to get yourself in too much trouble in a place like that. Gives me the chills just thinking about it."

She laughed. Little did he know, she could get herself into trouble no matter where she went.

"I get around," he protested.

"Where?" she demanded. "I'm guessing it isn't the rich and famous shopping hotspots my other boyfriends were interested in.”

He stewed over her answer, then said, "Botswana has good shopping."

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing his lips to hers. He willingly gave her what she wanted. "You didn’t shop in Botswana, did you?"

He shook his head. "Took out a rebel faction though. Botswana was fun."

"You want to take me to Botswana, or should we explore Prague first?" she asked, kissing his jaw and neck.

Together they explored the Old Town Square, then went to watch the Astronomical Clock as it struck the hour 2:00 PM. They strolled across the St Charles Bridge together. And they went to visit the Prague Castle.

By the time they were finished their first day in Prague Ndari was exhausted but satisfied. She couldn't believe how much fun she was having. It was like she had never lived her life before Keane. Until now, she'd seen things, done things, even enjoyed things. But she hadn't been living. Not until she found someone to share these moments with who took as much pleasure in them as she did. As she spent more time with Keane, she began to realize that she never wanted these moments to end.

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