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“Oh, boy. You’re in trouble,” Sarah said to Mason.
Mason’s gaze grew a little apprehensive. “No schemes.”
“Ah, Captain.” Kiera patted his cheek, wishing she could cup it with her palm, trail her fingers through the short hair shadowing his cheek and jaw, and draw him in close. “You know I’m your match in every way. Except when it comes to schemes. Then I’m always at least two steps ahead.”
Sarah snickered next to her. Kiera hadn’t meant to come across quite so forward. She had a plan, but she knew full speed ahead could push Mason in the wrong direction.
A guard shifted behind Mason, but all that mattered was Mason’s blue eyes. They were full of challenge. Had she made her point or missed the mark and he thought they were only going to tease each other?
“We’ll see, Fearless Princess. We’ll see.”
Indeed. He would see.
That she was his match, and it was their time to be together.
ChapterThree
Mason hidhis utter astonishment as he bantered with the princess and then loaded the gear into the helicopter and took off for Wengen.
He felt like he’d been slammed to the ground by an unexpected right hook from General August, then picked back up and pummeled by his revered leader again.
No. It was more than that. Everything had changed. He’d been walking along a dimly lit path his entire life and suddenly the path had shifted to an alternate reality of bright light—and that bright light was Princess Kiera August.
The world had shifted its trajectory when he opened his eyes and truly saw Kiera for the first time. Had that only been twenty minutes ago?
Why hadn’t the general told him?
He realized immediately that the princess’s older brother had tried. Mason hadn’t comprehended what the man had been going on about. He’d been offended the man thought he would be interested in the princess. Now he realized how far behind he was.
What sane, red-blooded male with eyes and half a brain wouldn’t be interested in the sassy, flirtatious, perfect, show-stopping beauty?
He snuck a glance at her in the helicopter seat next to his. They all had headsets on and Lieutenant General Chad was teasing with Princess Kiera about ‘American boys,’ clarifying all the trumped-up stories of her guards having to protect her or chase the boys off. Of course Princess Kiera teased right back, telling even more tales that made his gut churn. She was obviously a hot commodity in America. She would be anywhere.
Princess Kiera needed a man, not a boy. A man like him.
Don’t even think it, he warned himself.
Princess Kiera was not Princess Kiera. He supposed her smile was the same and the mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes, but the rest of her … he could’ve walked right past her on the street and not recognized her. Except he would never have walked past a lady that shone this brightly. He would’ve stopped, flirted, and scheduled their first date. He would’ve made more plans to date her seriously than he had with Dr. Miriam Cruz.
Ah, curses. Miriam. How could he even think of ‘dating’ Miriam or anyone when a woman like Princess Kiera was on the planet?
He was flabbergasted that a person could change this much.
The Fearless Little Princess Kiera had somehow morphed into the Enticing Full-Grown Woman Kiera.
Had that happened overnight? Okay, he hadn’t seen her in a while, and he wasn’t one to get on social media, but … come on. How did that happen? Even a year and a half seemed too short a time for such an unexpected development. Why hadn’t somebody told him? He thought of the many times he’d heard about college boys going insane over her. The stories she and Chad were swapping confirmed that. He’d always relegated it to ‘boys.’ He should’ve asked more questions, googled her, done some kind of research.
This new Princess Kiera had a maturity of body, face, and soul that had thrown him off a cliff with no safety harness. He was free falling toward the ground, facing certain death, and trying to act casual, unaffected, and as if nothing had changed.
Another glance. She met his gaze and smiled. He was in awe of the depth, wisdom, and humor in her blue eyes. He was yanked in by her fun flirtations and the sultry huskiness of her voice. She had a level of magnetism that shoved him right off his pedestal of dating any woman he liked and women chasing him to bowing at her feet. She was like the sun and he was a planet whose only purpose was to orbit around her. He’d never experienced sensations and a pull like this with any other woman.
Woman. Princess Keira was a woman—and then some.
No wonder General August had warned him.
The worst part of this hit him. He’d told his superior officer, the General Prince, Kiera’s older brother, that he had no interest in the princess.Never. He’d said he would never pursue her. Mason had been horrified by the suggestion at the time. Now he was horrified he’d reacted so strongly. Obviously, the general had known something Mason didn’t during that conversation—the princess had grown up and was now the most mesmerizing woman on the planet. Curses!
He’d chuckled at the stories—that her guards had their hands full keeping overly-hormonal college boys away—but nobody had told him the adorable little princess had developed into an exquisite lady. Even worse for him, she could still tease and laugh and he knew she was still a crazy adventurer, his favorite qualities in a lady.
