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“Derek,” she breathed out.
He’d obviously gone to his penthouse that overlooked the Boston Commons and showered. He was clean, smelled delicious like a crisp, fall morning, and looked even better in a white shirt and black pants that outlined his muscular body and showed how wealthy and royal he was without being ostentatious.
The street was decently quiet, except for his ever-present bodyguards. A middle-aged couple walked by and stared at them. Did they know who Derek was?
“Elle.” He leaned in. She loved it when he called her that. “Since we are officially dating and you’re coming home to meet my family, I think it would be highly appropriate for me to take you to dinner and then walk you into your home so that I can meet your mum and make sure you get home safe.”
He’d said similar lines the past couple days to get her to go to lunch and dinner, but she’d always had an excuse. Tonight she needed to grocery shop and sleep like the dead. Flimsy excuses to not go to dinner with him, but here she was in a T-shirt and fitted running pants and he looked like a prince. Just as he should.
“We’re not …” She held tightly to the keys in her hand. They weredating? No. She was going to Augustine to help protect his family from a murderer, and because she really, really wanted to live this fantasy of being close to Derek for a week without all the stress and worry about why she wasn’t right for him and couldn’t trust her heart to any man. Especially a man who thought of her as a challenge and would walk away like her dad had done once he either completed his ‘challenge’ or realized how different their stations in life were.
He didn’t know she was trying to help keep him safe from Hattie Ballard.
“We’re going as friends,” she tried to insist.
He leaned in. Her heart took off at a gallop and her legs turned to liquid mush. She slid the keys into her pocket, leaned against the building for support, and stared into his blue eyes. She was afraid her heart was already lost, and she hadn’t even arrived at his romantic country and castle yet. What was she doing?
“It’s past time you and I moved beyond friends,” he said in his silky accent, giving her a look that said he was serious and more than capable of moving out of the friend zone and quickly.
She had to escape. She couldn’t trust her heart to a man, even a man as incredible as Prince Derek. The very fact that he was a prince made the thought of them ever dating impossible.
“If you want to spend time with me, you can help me grocery shop for my mom, buy a dress and heels for your brother’s wedding, and we can pick up takeout and go back to my apartment to have dinner with my mom.” She gave him a challenging look. What man, especially a prince, wanted to shop for clothes and food and eat takeout with an ill woman in a threadbare apartment on the wrong side of town?
“An ideal evening.”
“Ideal?” Her brows shot up. “What was ideal about any of that?”
“Spending time with you.” He smiled, and it was a good one. She was faint—from a smile. Maybe she needed to rescind her offer from Naomi to help his family. She would not survive this. Sadly, he or his family might not survive if she didn’t help Naomi get the information to the right people to capture Hattie Ballard and protect the royals of Augustine. It was terrifying that they didn’t even realize the danger they were in.
What a messshewas in. She was no investigator. Why had she thought she could do any of this? She excelled at competing in Ninja Warrior events, personal training, and watching out for her mom. Protecting a royal family and dating a prince weren’t in her wheelhouse.
“Oh, boy.” She took some deep, steadying breaths.Spending time with youand that smile combined with the power of his blue eyes…
He was far too alluring.
“Shopping first?” he asked brightly.
“Goodness. If you really want to get mauled at a grocery store,PrinceDerek.”
“Why do you think I keep Braxton and Ollie around?” He gestured to his bodyguards.
“To protect you from all your adoring female fans?”
“You’re the only adoring female fan I want.”
He was too smooth. Of course he was. He was a prince.
“Let’s go shopping.” She couldn’t let him know how much of an ‘adoring female fan’ she was. She slid along the building, careful not to touch him. He looked amused, but thankfully he let her go. He walked her to his car, parked out in the open to tempt any would-be thief.
His guards climbed into a Porsche SUV parked behind his car.
“Why do you have your swanky million-dollar car parked on the street half the time when you should leave it in your high-dollar, secure parking garage?”
“I’ve been planning on my girlfriend accompanying me to dinner.” Clicking a button, he stepped up next to the passenger door as it smoothly slid open for him. He held it for her, giving her a significant, melt your heart kind of look.
“You have a girlfriend? That will be awkward when I show up on your arm at your brother’s wedding.”
He chuckled at that and helped her into the tan and black-accented leather seat of the low-slung race car. Leaning down low, he said softly, “Nothing could be awkward with you on my arm.” He winked, straightened, and shut the door.
