Page 22 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

A crack of thunder rocks the air as I open the hatch. “I think they originally planned on kidnapping you. They only attacked when they realized they’d been found out.”

“Why would they kidnap me?” she asks, grabbing her duffel bag from the ground.

“Because you’re a princess.”

She freezes in the doorway. “You say the word like it’s dirty.”

I unfold an umbrella and offer her my arm. “I don’t know what you mean. I’ve devoted my life to protecting your family, your highness.”

With a scoff, she barrels past me, unconcerned by the rain. “Your devotion is appreciated.” She bee-lines for the closest car, and I follow in her wake, fast enough to open the door for her, but my gallantry only seems to anger her further.

Jude climbs out of the driver seat and shouts over the downpour. “You okay?”

I pass a hand over my feverish face, trying to recall all the details of the day, wondering when and where I was fooled. And by whom. Jason hired the pilot, but he’s no politician, and if Jasper didn’t get my messages… “Yes, but someone from our side fucked me over.”

Brows furrowed in a grim line, he slaps the roof of the car. “First thing first, let’s get her safely to the palace. We can figure out who screwed you after.”

With a quick nod, I discard the umbrella and slip into the back with my charge. I remember how cold and overwhelming the rain felt in the beginning. How every drop resonated across my skin as it crashed, the wet sensation multiplied to the point of insanity.

She’s soaking wet, and shiver after shiver quakes her body. Dark locks stick to her neck and shirt, the water making her white blouse almost transparent.

I shrug off my jacket. “Here.”

She looks like the last thing she wants to do is wear my jacket, and I see the struggle on her face while she ponders what to do. Finally, she stops biting her bottom lip long enough to sigh. “Close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m ordering you to,” she growls.

I have no good reason not to obey, but the rustle of fabric echoes in my stomach and dries up my mouth.

“Okay. I’m decent.”

I blink, and the sight before me is worse than a kick in the nuts.

The hem of my jacket hugs her creamy thighs, and the V-cut shows off the lace of her bra. My treacherous cock hardens like I’m a fifteen-year-old virgin as she kicks off her fuck-me heels and lounges on the seat with her eyes closed.

I school my sight back on the road. I can’t let my mind fall down the gutter. Not ever. She’s not a woman, she’s a princess—and a disagreeable one at that.

But seeing her shivering and wet, wearing nothing but lingerie and my jacket… it does things to my brain. I’ll never be able to unsee that.

“Why are you sitting back here with me?” she asks low enough for me to wonder if she spoke at all.

A hint of shame licks my ribs as I glance at the privacy screen separating us from Jude. I should really be on the other side of that screen, discussing the attack with my second-in-command.

“You were attacked on my watch, so I’m not letting you out of my sight until we reach the castle,” I finally answer, so angry with myself that I let her down earlier and that she had to deal with the flight attendant alone.

She gives a small incline of the head like my answer is reasonable enough and relaxes even more on the leather seat. “Thank you for the warm jacket, Mr. Beaumont.”

* * *

Once the princess is tucked safely inside her room, I meet Jasper in his office. Despite his rise in the pecking order, I refuse to suck up to him. We might be brothers, but we have nothing in common besides our damned last name.

“Here you go. One princess. Now, get me the fuck out of this assignment,” I say.

The lean vampire swivels in his chair with a smug grin. “Since the princess’ life has been threatened, you’re being assigned to her full-time.”

The fucker is going to hold every inch of his damn promotion over me, as I knew he would.

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