Page 27 of Romancing Rayne

“Princess,” he growled.

“Yeah, Ghost?”

“One change. Before you ride me, you’re gonna crawl up and sit on my face so I can tongue your sweet pussy. Then you can do that thing with your hips I love so much.”

“Anything you want, Ghost.”

11

Rayne

“What did you think of the Tower of London? Is it all you’d dreamed it’d be?” Ghost asked as we wandered the courtyard of the infamous fortress.

“I could spend all day here and not get bored. There’s so much to learn. I wish I hadn’t forgotten my cell phone at the hotel, I could’ve FaceTimed Emily. She would’ve loved seeing the Crown Jewels. Did you see that 530 carat diamond?”

As interesting as the Tower had been, nothing would ever come close to seeing Big Ben. Even twenty-four hours later, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much fun we’d had.

“Not exactly the basement torture chamber you thought it would be?”

“No, but poor Queen Anne Boleyn was executed on the lawn.”

“She seemed to have made many enemies during her three years as queen.”

“It wasn’t her fault. King Henry seemed to have had an issue keeping it in his pants. That man wrote love letters to any woman who struck his fancy. He was a cheater and weak minded. Even if she was the schemer historians make her out to be, he didn’t have to follow along.”

The beauty of the day wasn’t lost on me. We’d gotten lucky, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight; the blue sky made an amazing backdrop for the stone castle. So much wealth and antiquity were hidden behind these walls. “I bet it’s beautiful at night, all lit up.”

“You know, we could come back one evening or we could go to the Hampton Court Palace. It has been said a screaming Queen Catherine Howard runs down the great hall.”

“That would be a no.” I shuttered at the thought. “A big, fat no way.”

A huge influx of tourists flooded the courtyard, a man with a stroller came dangerously close to knocking me over, and Ghost caught my hand and pulled me close. “Be careful, Princess, a guided tour just let out. Are you ready for lunch?”

“Before we go, I want to stop at the gift shop and look around.”

“Right this way, my lady.” Ghost made a grand sweeping gesture with his free hand and we began walking toward the over-priced tourist-trap the London Tower called a souvenir store.

The White Tour Shop was no less packed than the courtyard had been. Ghost was being a good sport, following me around without complaint. I had something for all the girls and was now on a quest to find Annie the perfect gift. Just when I’d thought I was going to have to give up, I stumbled upon a sword and shield.

“What about this?” I asked Ghost. “Not exactly Army, but still combat related.”

“Get her the sword. Fletch will shit a brick; it’s perfect.”

“You’re bad. But I can see Annie zooming around in her tank wielding a sword.” I found the perfect-looking one on the bottom shelf. “Here, will you hold my water?”

Ghost took my bottle and stepped to the side, allowing a group of women to peruse the shelves next to me.

I pulled the sword off the shelf and examined the gold-plating and wondered if Annie would deem gold “too girly.” Deciding she would, I moved farther down the aisle, finding basic pewter swords. The patina made them looked bruised and worn, as if they’d been used in a great battle. Yes, those were perfect for little Annie and the imaginary Army battalion she led.

With the sword in hand, I stood and looked around the shop.

“Ghost?”

* * *

Ghost

I fucking hated crowds. Too many people packed into a small space. My eyes scanned for exits and hidden doorways. There should’ve been a maximum occupancy of fifty fewer people than were crammed into the gift shop. I’d been watching Rayne pick through the assortment of swords for Annie when a little girl bumped into me, spilling her very large cup of lemonade. With the cup smashed between us and cool liquid running down the front of the little girl’s dress and the leg of my pants, I grabbed her shoulders before she fell.