Page 29 of Baby Daddy Protector

Our own personal bodyguard stood poised across the space, stance ready in case of any problems. I bit back a smile at Z’s grouchy attitude toward that development. I’d explained that as my fiancé, he would now have a security guard of his own. Z hadn’t liked that, insisting it was a waste of money and that the guard shouldn’t be guarded.

Still, watching him page through all those threats and nasty letters, I couldn’t help feeling grateful that there were people looking out for us. Couldn’t help feeling a bit paranoid, too. When he wasn’t working, Z watched me constantly, and it made me feel like a fish in a bowl. Growing up, my tutors had done that, too, always watching me, though they had always been judging me, always criticizing behavior in one way or another. I stared out the window as our plane slowly taxied toward the runway.

Was Z judging me, too? Did he question my choices? Like when I’d chosen the Danish over the fruit cup at breakfast that morning. Yes, the fruit would’ve been healthier, but those carbs were irresistible. What about my flagging energy? Sure, I tended to nap far more often these days then go for walks around the block, but then I was growing a new human inside me. I glanced down at my feet, at the cute stiletto heels I’d worn today with my new wool slacks and cashmere turtleneck. Z hadn’t liked those one bit, saying they were a walking hazard. He’d wanted me to wear a boring pair of flats instead. I’d ignored him, of course. Fashion was one of the few things I still felt excited about, and I wanted to wear my nice things before it became too difficult. Since we’d had our little spat about my wardrobe, though, he’d been very quiet—too quiet. I’d never done well with silence.

As the pilot came over the PA system, telling us to ready for takeoff, I was unable to stand it any longer.

“What’s wrong?” I asked again. “And don’t say it’s nothing, or I’ll poke you.”

Z gave me a side glance, one brow raised, entirely too handsome for his own good in a black turtleneck to match my own and soft, wool trousers I’d helped pick out from the tailor. “Poke me? Seriously? What are you, twelve?”

“No,” I huffed, gripping the armrests of my chair tight as we zoomed down the runway. I’d never been a huge fan of flying, and takeoffs were the worst. Plummeting through space, being forced back into my seat by the pressure, the sickening drop of my stomach as we broke our earthly bounds and soared heavenward. The pregnancy only made it worse, and I swallowed hard against the rising bile in my throat, eyes squeezed shut.

“Hey, princess,” Z whispered, his arm warm and strong pressed against mine. “Breathe.”

I did, exhaling all my pent-up stress and anxiety and then inhaling cool, cabin air. After several minutes, my ears popped, and my stomach settled, and I felt much better. I opened my eyes again to find Z watching me, his head cocked and his blue eyes warm.

“You good?” he asked. “Got pills and crackers in my briefcase, if you need them.”

“No, I’m better now. Thanks, though.” I shifted in my seat as he started flipping through his papers again. “I can tell something’s bothering you. You might as well tell me because you know I won’t let it go until I find out the truth.”

He snorted. “Yeah, I know. Fine. I think there’s a leak somewhere in our entourage.”

“A leak?”

“An informant.” He restacked his papers then sat back. “I think someone here has been in contact with Silvester’s people in Prylea, tipping them off to where we’re going and what we’re doing, maybe even tipping off the press too. That’s the only reason I can come up with for how they found out about your pregnancy and the king’s condition. Everyone at the doctor’s office and at the hospital was fully screened beforehand, so I know it wasn’t them.”

“All the people around us have been with us for years.” I blinked several times, shocked. “We trust them.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” he reached over and placed his hand over mine on the armrest. “Unfortunately, there’s more, princess. I didn’t want to tell you, but I will now that we’re headed back to Prylea. The fire at the haunted house on Halloween wasn’t an accident. It was deliberately set. I have to assume you were being targeted.”

I opened my mouth to respond then closed it, unsure of what to say. So now not only were the people I trusted betraying my family, someone was trying to kill me as well. Without thinking, I placed my free hand over my abdomen, over my unborn child, knowing I’d do anything to protect my baby.

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, princess, but I’m pretty sure we’ve got a mole. Well, not a mole exactly. More of a hacker on the technical side, feeding information through social media or emails. But as of yet, I haven’t been able to find the weak link. There’s no common denominator.” He squeezed my icy fingers in his warm ones. “I’ve asked my security team to step up the guard around you.”

The weight of the world suddenly fell upon my shoulders. Between the pregnancy and coping with my father’s illness and impending demise, I hadn’t really given much thought to my own safety. But now it was staring me in the face and requiring me to take action.

Tears stung the backs of my eyes again, but I blinked them away. I would not cry, no matter how badly I wanted to. If only my mother were there, she’d know what to do, how to handle all of this.

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. Puffy white clouds drifted past the windows of the plane.

“Okay, princess?” Z asked, his lips resting on the top of my head.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” My voice trembled, and I closed my eyes. “I’m just so worried about everything now. What about my father? What about our baby? What about the future? It feels like no matter what I do, it’s the wrong move. But I have to do something, and—”

Z bent and kissed me, effectively ending the avalanche of doubts and fears cascading from my lips. By the time he pulled away, we were both a bit distracted, our breathing hitched. He rested his forehead against mine and smiled. “Whatever happens, princess, we’ll deal with it. Together. We’re partners in this, remember?”

His words sounded so sweet and steadfast and I wanted so much to believe him, to believe that everything would work out for the best no matter how dire things seemed now. But the niggle of doubt inside me refused to die. I knew Z would stand by my side until the baby was born, no matter what. I also knew that his ultimate goal was to get back to his SEAL team and I wouldn’t, couldn’t, stand in the way of that. Over the past few weeks, I’d grown not only to like Zachary Raybourn very much, I’d grown to respect him as well. He was a man of integrity and loyalty and moral fortitude. Someday, he’d make one special woman very lucky. But it was getting harder and harder to remind myself that that woman wouldn’t be me. He was only here because of our deal, and while I had no doubt he’d honor our contract, I couldn’t be fooled into thinking his friendly affections were anything more than that.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to sit up straight and square my shoulders. I was Princess Esme, of the royal house of Prylea and I would handle this because I’d been trained to do anything that the world required of me, alone if necessary, to save my country and to secure the throne for my child. I stared out the window again, my dread increasing as we traveled farther away from the States and closer to the danger zone ahead.

“Princess?” Z asked again.

“Yes. I’m fine,” I said, thankful my voice was no longer shaking, despite my quivering inside. “We’ll handle whatever lies ahead.”

“Together.” Z nudged me to get me to look at him, his smile inviting.

I nodded. “Together.”

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