Page 25 of The Princess and the SEAL

Chapter 10

Giselle

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?

“No, that won’t be necessary. I appreciate your offer, but I’m afraid I must decline.”

“Too late. We’re both looking for a good time, a carefree vacation. I don’t speak any French, so you’ll be an excellent travel companion. Do you really want to travel alone?”

No, I didn’t. Initially, I’d thought it would be so freeing, but I had to admit that being mugged had flustered me. “No. But I don’t want to ruin your trip. I’m sure you want to hook up with some gorgeous woman.”

“I plan to. You. So what do you say?”

I stared at this handsome man next to me. What was I doing? I couldn’t possibly travel with him. What if someone took a picture and leaked it to the press? What if my father found out? Or my fiancé?

Or, even worse, what if I fell madly in love with this man?

One week of passion followed by a lifetime of regret. A fun fling would be one thing, but I was already developing feelings for him. There was no way I could risk that.

“No. I’m sorry. I can’t. I don’t want to create a scandal. And aren’t you SEALs supposed to remain hidden? If we’re discovered together, your name will be reported in the press.”

“If I can evade terrorists, I can evade photographers. No one needs to know my name. Worst case scenario, if a picture gets out, you can tell people I’m your bodyguard.”

He kissed me again, his rough stubble scraping my chin. My mind flashed back to last night when he had kissed me everywhere. I was dying to make out with him again. But I didn’t know if I would have the strength again to tell him to stop.

And despite waking up in a SEAL’s bed, I had no walk of shame to take. I was so turned on last night when we were kissing that I had seriously considered losing my virginity to him. He seemed to really like me—did he? Or was I just a challenge?

Did I fancy him?

The answer to the latter was yes, yes, and oh, yes, but it didn’t matter. I had to be calm and rational. Detached.

Royal.

“For a whole week? Where will we go?”

“We can stay here for a few days, visiting the war sites. And I loved this ride so much that I was thinking I could rent a motorcycle, and we could ride through the countryside and find some small towns to explore.”

Motorcycle? Today was one thing, but traveling all around France on a motorcycle? My father would murder me. What if I got injured?

I refused to tell Ryan my first thought was of my father because it would feed into his perception that I was incredibly sheltered.

A perception that was completely accurate.

“And then what? After what happened last night, I’m sure we will become more intimate. I mean, what I’m saying is, last night was wonderful. You want to take me on a romantic escapade around this country and then never see me again?”

“Well, I don’t have a choice in the matter, do I? You’re getting married next month, and I’ll be deployed again somewhere in the Middle East. In a way, the lack of any possibility of having a future together makes this easier on both of us, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” But I knew he was right. We had no hope of a future together.

I was promised to another man. He was promised to another country.

But we could always have France.

The gravity of this decision weighed heavily on me. On the one hand, I believed this was the wrong thing to do. Foolish, actually. I barely knew this man.

On the other hand, if I said no to this romantic rendezvous, I would likely regret this decision for the rest of my life. I would always wonder what kind of love affair I could have had with this American hero.

“So, what do you say?”

He kissed me again and pushed me back to lie under him on the blanket. I could feel his hard erection pressing against my thigh. He interlaced his hands with mine as his lips ravished my body.

I writhed under him, waves of pleasure pulsing through me. Ryan was electric. I couldn’t believe how ridiculously sexy this man was. Prior to meeting him, I had found my own fiancé mildly attractive, but now, after being kissed by this masculine man, I didn’t think I could ever be satisfied by Miguel.

I came up for breath. My heart fluttered, and my fingers tingled. “Yes. I’d love that.”

“You won’t be sorry, Princess. You’re looking for adventure, and I’m the right man for the job.”