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Chapter Twenty
“Don’t let the name fool you / I’m the queen in this bed / Get it right / Make it tight / Or it’s ‘Off with his head!’ ”
—Duchess, “Hunting Hoes (Dirty Junkie f. Duchess)”
Another day, another crop of flashing lights trying to blind her.
The sun was bright as Dani stood on the London sidewalk. With its businesses mixed in with attached row homes, the streets filled with bicycles, café tables, and sidewalk signs, the neighborhood wouldn’t have been out of place in any city in the States.
Or it wouldn’t have been if people had been allowed to move freely as they progressed through their day. Instead, on either side of the street, large crowds of people and photographers were secured behind heavy-duty steel barricades, arms holding phones raised, the sounds of cheers and applause deafening as a group of celebrities and one better-known-by-the-hour royal held court in front of a white four-story building. Police, in black with neon yellow vests, and personal protection, including her own bodyguard, Antoine, strolled the perimeter, heads on a swivel.
Louisa, lovely in a green floral dress, was introducing Jamesonto several people. He smiled and nodded, casually sexy in sandy-colored slacks and an open-collar, dark blue button-down that matched his eyes. Dani inhaled as heat coursed through her. Would there ever be a time when she wouldn’t want him? Even when she was annoyed with him, the way she’d been at the dinner, one kiss from him had her spreading her legs, already wet in anticipation.
The opening event last night had been their first public outing as Duchess and Prince Jameson, two people who knew each other but definitely did not fuck.
It hadn’t gone the way they’d anticipated.
Neither had known how they’d react to seeing the other in their element, outside of the bubble they’d created at Primrose Park. It had been challenging for both of them. They needed to do better.
A short white woman wearing jeans and a yellow top blushed and ducked her head when he shook her hand.
Dani resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was starting to realize he had that effect on everyone.
Louisa moved to stand in front of the bank of microphones. “Good afternoon. May I present His Royal Highness Prince Jameson.”
Jameson flashed a smile that was no less devastating for being affected.
“Thank you all so much for coming. My grandfather was the patron for hundreds of organizations, though it was no secret environmental causes were his passion. Today, we’re here at Bloom Urban, a charity that was near to his heart. Established in 1994, its mission is to help urban areas become sustainable through corporate partnership drives and grassroots environmental campaigning. Here to tell us a little more is Katie Fielding, Bloom Urban’s executive director.”
The blushing woman in the yellow top scooted forward. “Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”
Jameson ceded the floor to her and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, which only emphasized the breadth of his chest. Dani dragged her gaze away from it to find him staring at her. He winked and she struggled not to allow her lips to curl upward, even though her insides were acting as if she was seeing her favorite group in concert for the very first time.
Tearing her attention away from him, she tried to refocus on why she was here and what the woman was saying.
“Rapid urban development is exacerbating our environmental problems and Bloom Urban is tasked to change that. We want to make our communities sustainable, leaving a healthy environment, prosperous economy, and vibrant civic life for generations to come. Prince John and his input were invaluable, and we were beyond grateful for his patronage. And as we’ve gotten the time to speak with Prince Jameson, it appears we will transition into very capable ha—hands,” she stammered, another bright blush staining her cheeks.
Jameson moved to stand next to her. “I’d planned to disclose this at the end of the week, but because this place was so important to my grandfather, this is the perfect opportunity to announce the royal family will be instituting the John Foster Lloyd Prize for Environmentalism. It will be awarded annually to individuals and or organizations for work in the field of environmental studies. We’ll release more information in the coming months.”
Katie clasped her hands together. “That is certainly exciting and we’re honored you chose to reveal it here. Now, we have an interesting morning lined up for you. We’ll start with a tour of the Bloom Urban offices and look at some of the initiatives Prince Johnworked on as well as some of the projects currently in development. So, if you’ll follow me—”
Jameson looked as if he wanted to wait for Dani, but with Katie lingering expectantly, he gestured for the other woman to precede him.
Dani swallowed her disappointment. It was just as well. As much as she wanted to spend time with Jameson, she needed to keep up appearances.
“Shall we?” Liam asked, holding out his arm for her.
She smiled up at him. “We shall.”
Liam was also on the receiving end of a lot of attention. Dressed in dark jeans and a green V-necked T-shirt, with a beanie covering most of his blond curls and his sunglasses tucked into his neckline, he looked every inch the magnetic pop star who’d earned his place on countless lists of the sexiest musicians of all time. As she took his arm, they joined the queue of people ascending the steps into the building.
A scream broke through the crowd and she thought she heard “—Duchess!”
Reflexively, she turned to see where the sound came from. There was a commotion happening to her left, but security seemed to have it in hand and Antoine wasn’t involved. She shrugged and continued up the steps.
D to the A to the N I
You wanna know why
