AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She tugged him closer. “I think I’m one of them.”
“Oh, good.” He bent and claimed her lips, kissing her deeply and making her heart soar with a future she hadn’t dreamed was possible for them. He pulled back and framed her face with his hands. “Someday your name will be cleared and we can go anywhere you want.”
“You want to be in Augustine, back at your hospital.”
“I love my hospital. I love my country and family more. But I couldn’t pass up the chance to be with you, Hattie. Aliya was right to have Curt call me out. I’d regret missing out on a chance to be with you for the rest of my life.”
“What if my name is never cleared?”
“Then we’ll have an interesting life hiding from the authorities, particularly Chief Jensen,” he winked, “and volunteering in villages throughout the world.”
“I thought you said ‘date’.” Her heart was racing. Was he really willing to give up everything for her? “You’re jumping straight to hiding from authorities with me.”
“Our dating might be a little unconventional. Our meeting definitely was, and I’m sure our life will be the same. As long as I’m with you, I don’t care about the details. My family can come visit and I can use my doctor skills to help a lot of people in places like this.” He tilted his head to the side.
“Steffan, it is far too early to have you saying things like ‘our life’.”
“It is?” His brow furrowed.
“Yes.” She nodded. “So I think it is only fair to tell you … that I love you.” Hattie was always bold and sometimes brash, but that was a big one and it was very, very early and very, very fast. “Now you may talk about our life.”
His face broke into a happy grin. “Well, you had better be desperately in love with me. I just gave up my family, my hospital, my country, my royal privileges, and a comfortable bed and shower for you.”
She giggled, though it was a lot to give up. “Wolf actually has an incredible RV. He calls it ‘Little Mule.’ The beds are wonderful and so is the shower. I’ve got an order in for one of my own, with a few adaptations. Maybe I’ll let you stay with me. As long as you cuddle and kiss me through the night.”
“Done.” He bent and he kissed her. When he pulled back, he said, “I think it’s only fair to tell you … that I love you. I love you enough that giving up everything else in the world was no sacrifice.”
Hattie’s eyes pricked with tears. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. Who cared about glamorous travel and five-star hotels? She had the chance to be with Steffan. He’d given up everything for her.
She’d give him every piece of her heart and all the love she had stored inside of her in return. Who would have ever thought that she’d find what she had longed for in her wildest dreams in a tiny medical clinic in a humble village, and not in all the acclaimed travel hot spots and five-star hotels in the world?
Steffan. He was all she’d ever want and need.
Her prince. Her love. Her home.
I hope you love Steffan and Hattie’s story as much as I did. I was thrilled when my toughest editor said about the cabin scene, “This is awesome! What a cool set up. I hope when you concocted this scene, you laughed a satisfied little villain laugh, because it’s deviously brilliant. Surprising, yet inevitable. The goal of any suspense story, and you’ve done it!”
I’m stoked about the twists with this series and it keeps getting more intriguing, and ‘deviously’ fun, with every new story.
Read on for an excerpt of Hattie’s cousin, Sadie’s story, Matchmaking the Bodyguard and the Philanthropist and then next up in our Sweet Royal Romance Suspense is Prince Derek and Ellery Monson’s story - The Ninja Prince and the Investigator.
Hugs and thanks for the support,
Cami
1st Chapter - Matchmaking the Bodyguard and the Philanthropist
Chapter One
Petty Officer Manuel Leandro “Wolf” to his fellow SEALs ran along Padre Island, watching for the sun to rise on an already-warm late July morning. His two-week leave to visit his family in Corpus Christi, Texas ended tomorrow. He hated to leave his family at a time like this, but part of him was relieved to escape the nightmare of the past two days and get back to his team, the action, and intense training.
He was worried about his beloved mama, but knew all of his brothers would watch out for her. Part of him wondered if it would be a relief for her to not look at him and be reminded of his scum of a dad. Everybody had always said Wolf was ‘just like his dad’ in looks, charm, and personality.
Not anymore. He loathed his former hero. His gut hurt and his body felt weak. He was grateful Cap wasn’t here to bark at him to up his pace.
Two women jogged toward him. He gave them a cursory glance as they drew closer, more a habit to check friendly or foe from ten years in the Navy than checking them out as potential dates. The last thing he wanted right now was a date. He would do everything in his power to not fulfill his dad’s prophecy of being ‘just like him’.
A blond and brunette were both smiling at him—both beautiful, mid-twenties, average height, fit.
