Page 8 of The Impulsive Princess and the Soldier

When she’d said she’d ‘show him enjoyment’ earlier in the castle hall, his entire body had gone hot. But instead of running to General August and explaining he needed a reassignment, he’d teased about skiing enjoyment.

The way she’d claimed she was ‘his match in every way’ made him want to phone the general and explain he’d been blindsided and had lied about ‘never’ pursuing the princess. Shewashis match in every way. He wanted to pursue her with a full court press. If it had only been her beauty, he could’ve resisted, but their shared history and connection, that mesmerizing twinkle in her blue eyes, and a list of personality traits that was perfect from top to bottom made him want to never leave her side.

Of course he couldn’t pursue her. And he couldn’t tell the general, or anyone for that matter, what a mess he was. This kind of flip upside down and dropped on his head wasn’t even to be shared with his closest friends Levi and Faith.

Your match in every way. She’d said those words. Whoo. His stomach flip-flopped and his pulse raced out of control.

Mason had never felt so outmatched in his life.

Princess Kiera was off limits to him in every way. General August, King Nolan, and Queen Madeline had worried he’d toy with her emotions because of her ‘crush.’ He should’ve backed out of this assignment the moment he’d seen her again and realized he was in way over his head.

But when she’d touched his hand … Curses! Why didn’t it feel like that when any other woman touched him? He looked at her hands, resting casually on her skirt. Then he made the mistake of looking at her long legs. He quickly forced his gaze back to her face. That didn’t help. She was now smiling knowingly at him. She’d caught him gawking, which meant she knew exactly how interested he was.

She was the princess. His charge. Mason could not speed down this light-filled tunnel of unfamiliar yearning for her. Only a wall of pain and death waited at the end for him. She was … the princess—beloved, protected, adorable, off limits. Hadn’t he recently thought he pitied the poor fool who tried to pursue her?Hewas the poor fool!

No. He couldn’t allow himself to be. He was on assignment and Kiera was off limits. He’d repeat that a hundred times. Did she still have a crush on him? Maybe.

He stole a glance at her again, probably his twentieth in the hour-long flight. Maybe his hundredth.

The helicopter settled down on the helipad next to Faith Radisson Favor and Hope Radisson Prescott’s massive Wengen home. This spot was almost as pretty as Augustine. The town was set high in the Swiss Alps overlooking the picturesque Lauterbrunnen Valley, the valley of seventy waterfalls. Mason had skied here in the winter and explored the valley and surrounding mountains, hiking and paragliding in the summer. He could swear there were more than seventy waterfalls. It was gorgeous.

Standing and stretching, he instructed over the loud rotors, “Lieutenant Mueller, please take Private Silva with you to check the interior of the home. Sergeant Naples, please perform a perimeter check. I’ll stay with the princess, Sarah, and the lieutenant general until you return.”

Each of the men nodded and took off their headsets. Mueller slid the door open, and they jumped down. The lieutenant general was busy up front shutting down the helicopter. Was he staying for a bit? Mason wanted him to go. He wanted to be alone with Princess Kiera.

Focus on protecting her, he commanded himself.

The area appeared deserted and peaceful. The camera angles and sensors showed a clean location, but he would take no chances. He felt eyes on him and looked to see Princess Kiera smiling at him.

Panic hit him square in the chest. She knew. She knew he was confused and a mess inside. She’d guessed that he thought she was the most captivating woman he’d ever encountered.

He grinned as if nothing was amiss, jumped out of the helicopter, and turned back to assist her down. Had he truly been instructed to stay by her side as if they were a couple? This was a mistake.

Thinking he could easily escort her out of the helicopter was another mistake. Huge, huge mistake.

He was eye-level with Princess Kiera’s absolutely fabulous legs. Long, lean, tan legs. Why was she wearing a knee-length skirt in the wintertime? Curses!

The helicopter rotors slowed and stopped.

She leaned down and winked at him, her blue eyes sparkling. “Part of the job? Assisting the helpless princess out of the helicopter, Captain?”

“Helpless?” He laughed at that. The princess was far from helpless. Then he flexed, just to keep things light. “With all this brawn, I’ve got to put it to good use.”

“And of course we both know I could perform a double gainer out of this helicopter, except this skirt hampers that opportunity.”

“I don’t know that anyone should complain about that skirt,” he said, then knew he should’ve held his tongue.

She grinned. “I’m delighted you think so.”

Kiera put her hands on his shoulders, and he instinctively wrapped his around her waist. He easily swooped her out of the helicopter and to the cleared concrete patch. She leaned into him, and he had absolutely no problem steadying her. None at all. In fact, having her pressed close felt more right to him than anything he’d experienced in his long years of dating.

Sliding her hands along his shoulders, slowly, deliberately, as if she appreciated every minute he’d spent in the weight room, Princess Kiera fluttered her long eyelashes. Those blue eyes of hers were mesmerizing. “All this brawn … I’m certain we’ll find many good uses for it.”

When had she become the most proficient flirt of the year? Had she spent the past several years morphing into a model-gorgeous flirt? Did she have any time for school and studies? How was a man supposed to keep his head around a woman this appealing?

Unexpected jealousy churned in his gut. Was she flirting like this with all those college boys the guards had to fight off? She had to be encouraging them a little.

“I should hope so,” he tried to tease back. “I’m an expert at all brawny things—sparring with the best fighters in the world, lifting bales of hay, hammering in nails, pummeling any college boys who try to kiss or flirt with you.”

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