Page 6 of Raul
“I was expecting Eric, not Eric-ah.” He looked…disgruntled.
“So was my father. He had to make a last-minute adjustment when I was born,” she said in a light tone, although she was well aware that her father had been disappointed that she wasn’t a boy. “I guess someone missed typing theaon your itinerary.”
Raul narrowed his ice-blue eyes as he searched her face. “I feel as though I know you from somewhere.”
In her best authoritative but polite pilot’s voice, she gave him a hint. “Señores, please take your seats and fasten your seat belts. As you know, we will be making evasive maneuvers as we ascend, so make sure all beverages are secured. Thank you for your attention.”
He snapped his fingers. “You’re Gabriel’s pilot! So how did you end up as my guide for a camping expedition in the mountains?”
“I’m a certified outdoor adventure guide, and I know the area.” She couldn’t resist adding, “I also have the proper security clearances and could get time off from my job on short notice.”
His famous smile lit up his face, although it didn’t erase the dark circles under his eyes. “You got pressed into service on short notice,” he said. “My apologies for disrupting your schedule.”
“No apology necessary. I enjoy camping here, and your presence allows me to do so when the area is closed to the public.” She did her best to give him a sincere smile in return, attempting to be diplomatic.
“Closed to the public?”
“It’s nesting season for the Calevan dragons, and this is one of their favorite areas.” They weren’t really dragons, of course, just giant green lizards, often five or six feet long, with wide frills that flared out around their heads when they were excited or disturbed.
Raul’s smile faded into a look of concern.
“No need to worry,” Erica hurried to reassure him. “We’ll make sure not to upset any potential parents.”
“Good. I don’t want to risk their numbers dropping lower because I decided to go camping in their territory.”
The Calevan dragons were an endangered species because their spectacular frills, brilliant teal skin, and tender meat had made them targets for hunters over a couple of centuries.
Raul probably felt especially protective of them because the royal surname was Dragón.
“I’ve got all our equipment ready.” She indicated the four backpacks lined up in the rear of her car, one for her, one for Raul, and one for each of the bodyguards accompanying them. She had loaded the heaviest gear in the two bodyguards’ packs, while Raul would get the lightest one. “Shall we get started?”
She wanted to make it to the first campsite well before dark so setup would be easier. She had no idea whether Raul would help or let his staff do all the work. He had served in Caleva’s militia—as had she—so he should be able to pitch a tent, but he might have gotten special treatment, being who he was.
“Vámonos!”Raul agreed.
She distributed the backpacks to the bodyguards, Dario and Pascal. Both had brown hair, lean, fit bodies, and intensely alert attitudes. She could also see the outlines of guns under their fleeces. She carried a handgun, too, but it was in her backpack. She hoped never to need it, but if you were with the prince and you were trained to shoot, you brought your weapon.
“This pack is yours,” she said, hefting Raul’s rucksack out of her SUV. She was relieved when he buckled and adjusted the straps with competent efficiency. Evidently, he had hauled his own gear in the militia.
“I have trekking poles for anyone who wants them,” she said, pulling a Raul-sized pair from the car. In her experience, younger men felt using poles showed some sort of weakness, so she was surprised when Raul accepted them. His bodyguards did as well, and she began to feel less anxious about how the expedition would unfold.
Except for the rock climbing tomorrow. She would be a nervous wreck as long as the prince was dangling high up on the rock face.
Raul slipped the trekking poles’ loops over his wrists and gripped the cork handles while he surreptitiously watched Erica ready her own poles with expert movements. It shouldn’t surprise him that she knew what she was doing, given that she had been assigned the task of shepherding him through this remote range of Caleva’s spine of volcanic mountains. She must also be a skilled pilot since she was responsible for Gabriel’s jet. Mikel Silva, his father’s slightly sinister chief of security, would hire only the best to ferry around the royal family.
So why did it throw him off-balance that his guide was a woman?
Possibly because it changed the dynamic. He had been expecting to camp with a group of men. But it wouldn’t be such a tough adjustment to spend time with this woman whose long dark ponytail spilled in thick waves from the opening in the back of her ball cap and whose body somehow combined soft curves with sculpted muscles. When she bent to check the basket at the bottom of her trekking pole, his gaze lingered on the stretch of tan fabric over her nicely rounded bottom.
He was glad to feel a mild arousal. It proved he wasn’t as incapable of enjoying himself as everyone kept claiming.
“We can walk two abreast for about half a mile,” Erica said, looking at Dario, Raul’s head bodyguard.
“I’ll take point,” Dario said.
That meant Pascal would be the rear guard, and Erica would be Raul’s walking companion for the next ten minutes. Aftersome chitchat, he could relax and enjoy the view from behind his shapely guide. He let an appreciative little smile curl the corners of his lips.
Dario started toward the trailhead, and Raul swept one pole out in a dramatic gesture. “After you,señorita.”
