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“Oh, good. Perfect.”
Mason had never been so confused. Make a player like you fall? Desired by the men world over? Most beautiful woman in the world? Had he missed a memo about the princess? He probably should download Instagram to his phone, but he doubted he’d open it even if he did.
“Thank you,” the general continued as Mason mulled over his previous paragraph in his mind. “It eases my mind to know I can count on you, in all aspects of the assignment. It won’t be easy to pretend to be a couple and not lead her on or get too close, but Kiera understands you’re on assignment and, honestly, I disagree with my dad and Madeline on this one. She has had vast dating experience in America; there’s no way she’d have a crush on you any longer.”
Mason supposed that should all make him feel better. Pretending to be a couple and anything about getting close, in the way the general indicated, made him extremely uncomfortable. He didn’t want photos of him getting out as some college girl chaser, no matter how many boys at her American university thought she was beautiful. But it was an assignment, and he’d get through it with style and a smile, as he always did.
General August stood. That was Mason’s cue to leave. He was happy to escape at this point. He stood and saluted. Turning to go, he thought of an important question. “Sir. What dates are the detail?”
“Forgive me. This afternoon through Saturday evening. The lieutenant general will fly you all over to Wengen. Meet at the castle helipad at fourteen hundred hours.” The general’s blue eyes filled with concern. “I apologize for the short notice. Did you have plans, Captain?”
Only furthering his chance of a future with Dr. Miriam Cruz. Only having the last laugh at his siblings.
“Nothing that can’t be rescheduled, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Mason bowed slightly and hurried out the door.
Miriam would understand. She’d canceled on him Friday night when she’d been called in to an emergency surgery.
Mason would only be gone for three and a half days. He could still execute his plans for Christmas romance and be chortling in his siblings’ faces for the new year.
He hurried toward Major Levi Favor’s office. He’d share his assignment with his longtime friend and next above him in command, but he’d leave out the awkward part about pretending to be a couple with the college-aged princess. Then he’d go home to pack.
Skiing Wengen, Grindelwald, the famed Jungfrau, possibly across the Lauterbrunnen valley and up to the Schilthorn—he loved tackling the eighty-eight percent incline of the Direttissima. He’d be working, and he’d keep the ‘Wild Child,’ the Fearless Little Princess Kiera safe, but they’d have fun. They were supposed to appear as a couple, but that didn’t mean they’d be cuddling on the couch or kissing on the slopes. No way.
Mason always had fun, and Princess Kiera was a cute, impetuous girl and a talented athlete. He’d be relaxed and comfortable around her, as he always had been. He’d nip any thought of a crush making things awkward between him and his longtime little friend.
It would be a great weekend. A fun break from his usual schedule.
And then he’d get back to pursuing Miriam.
ChapterTwo
Princess Kiera Augustbounced on her heels as she waited next to her dear friend Sarah Anderson in the castle’s lower hallway. She’d said her goodbyes to her loving family, ignoring the stitch of guilt at the longing in her mum and dad’s eyes and her brothers having to pry her niece Avalyn and her nephew Jasper off her legs. That had hurt.
It was only a few days.
After their ski trip to Switzerland, Sarah would fly home to Vermont to be with her family. The Andersons were a loving family who’d been cleared by researched by Macey and cleared by Ray and had become surrogate parents and siblings to Kiera in America. Sarah’s eighteen-year-old brother Drake was hilarious and the loyal but teasing little brother Kiera had always wanted. After the ski weekend, Kiera would return to Augustine to spend over two weeks with her huge and wonderful family.
No matter how hard it was to miss out on three days with her parents, siblings, and in-laws, and especially her fabulous nieces and nephews, this plan had to be implemented. She and Sarah were dying to ski the Jungfrau. Nothing in the northeastern United States compared.
More importantly, Kiera had been scheming half of her life for a way to get Lieutenant—now Captain—Mason Henson to finally notice her as a woman, not some cute little girl.
She’d thankfully hit a growth spurt the past couple of years in all areas—height, curves, and a maturity to her face that hadn’t been there before. Magazines, media sources, and young men throughout the world had confirmed that she was indeed a grown-up and undeniably attractive to the opposite sex. The most beautiful woman in the world title still made her laugh, but she supposed that as a princess, people noticed her more.
It was finally time to pursue Mason. Kiera did a standing backflip and then rubbed her hands together.
“You silly. You can’t backflip in a skirt,” Sarah teased her.
“Oh, bosh! Pardon me.” Kiera straightened her knee-length sweater dress, noticing the guards had averted their eyes. She preferred Lady Fit athletic wear, designed by Faith Radisson Favor and brought into the world by Hope Radisson Prescott. Two of her favorite women.
“Wait until you see him,” she promised Sarah. “You’d backflip too.”
“Sadly, I can only flip off diving boards, no matter how hard you work with me. And I have seen pictures of the famed Captain Mason Henson,” Sarah reminded her, her dark eyes full of laughter. Kiera compared every man she dated to Mason and of course they came up drastically lacking. Good guys, but she’d learned that nobody was the right fit for her. Nobody except him.
“Not the same. It’s impossible to capture his charm, his build, his sense of humor, that twinkle in his summer blue eyes … ahhh.” Kiera checked down the hall to make certain the door leading to the garages hadn’t opened. She couldn’t be caught drooling over Mason by Mason. It was essential he see her as a mature and impressive but still fun-loving and adventurous woman.Hisperfect fit.
