A Bodyguard For The Princess (A Bad Boy Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

pushed the loose strands of hair from her face and whipped around to find him barely a foot from her, his neck red as his frame towered over her. This close, she had a perfect view of his face—those damn cheekbones and that hard jawline. A scar she hadn’t noticed ran down the right side of his neck and disappeared beneath his collar. Her free hand stretched up as if to run her fingers along it, but they never reached it.
    Matt’s hand closed with an iron grip around her wrist. “Don’t,” he bit out. His body moved in closer until she was pressed up against his chest.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” she whispered.
    “It’s fine,” he said but didn’t let go of her wrist. “It would be best if you didn’t try to get to know me, princess.”
    “And why not? We’re going to be stuck with each other every day.” His fingers twitched against her wrist, but he didn’t release her. She licked her lips slowly, the hardness of his body pushed against her breasts.
    He took a hurried step back. “You won’t like what you see, princess. We need to leave now or you’ll be late.”
    He reached around her to open the door while Daphne struggled to steady her breathing. Last night, she thought she knew exactly who this man would turn out to be, but after this morning—sensing the heat from his body and the intensity in his powerful gaze—she realized she had no idea who guarded her. She straightened, readjusted the folders under her arm, and stepped out into the hall, leaving Matt to follow.
    Once she sat through the meetings, she’d let her mind go back to Matt and who he was beneath the suit. And the scars.
     
    ***
     
    The meeting stretched on through the first hour and then the second, but Matt remained at his post against the wall behind Daphne’s chair. She sat at the head of the table, listening to the ten heads of parliament. Their duty was to fine-tune proposals before they were put before the full parliament for a final say. Matt already didn’t like half of them, and from the way Daphne tugged her ear every few seconds, she didn’t either. He hid a smirk when she blew out a breath and interrupted a woman who looked vaguely familiar to Matt.
    “Thank you, Agnes, but if you’ll remember, we decided to not pass that particular law,” Daphne explained. “It allows too much leniency on imports and exports on the island’s docks.”
    “Yes, but with the way it is now, we limit incoming goods,” Agnes argued from the other end of the table. She tapped her pen anxiously on the tabletop and leaned back in her chair. “There are those on this island who want to move our laws forward with the times. Dion assured me you were on board with such ideas.”
    Daphne’s entire posture changed, and Matt shifted with her. “I am, of course, on board with reforming many of our laws, but not when they put the safety of this island and its occupants at risk.”
    Agnes frowned as several others at the table muttered.
    “We will come back to that issue at another time. I would ask now that you look over the second proposal on the table,” Daphne said and rearranged the papers before her.
    Matt moved further down the wall until he had a clearer view of her face. After the incident in her rooms, he should’ve tried to keep his distance, but he was drawn to her with each subtle movement. She’d been so close to touching the scar on his neck, but at the last second, he’d stopped it. If she touched him like that, he wasn’t sure he could control himself. She was attractive and anything but a witless shut-in, but definitely not worth the risk if he tried to sleep with her.
    “Now, these new reforms would take place over five years so we can find the correct funding and ensure it’s done correctly,” Daphne said confidently. “If you look through the notes, I have laid out several possible plans that could work.”
    “They should be ready to go by the time you take the throne, princess,” one of the men