The Princess and the Bodyguard Read Online Free PDF

Philip and Catharine’s wedding—to convince the woman he loved that she should be his queen.
    Alex considered himself a fair man. He couldn’t ask her to marry him until she had an idea of what she’d be taking on with him. Although he had met and bedded Hannah under the guise of being an ordinary man, of course he was not one. Being a king meant he had more than four grown children to look after. He had an entire nation, small though it may be. As his queen, Hannah would be by his side. They would have their love and their families, but they would also have their duties.
    He already knew Hannah to be a woman with a keen sense of duty. Another woman would have divorced a husband who had proven so much less than a full partner. No one, himself included, would have thought less of her if she’d done so. But Hannah had held to her vows, had readily admitted to him that had her husband not died, she’d be married to him still.
    In his mind, that attitude was queenly.
    But he wouldn’t ask until she’d had a taste of royal life. Placing a kiss on her head, it came to him how this could be arranged. He would put things in motion this very evening, at dinner.
    “What time is it?”
    The lush, not-quite-awake sound of her voice brought a smile to his face. He shifted gently, laying her flat on her back, arranging himself above her. Smoothing the hair from her face, he said, “Time for me to ravish you again.”
    The feel of her hand gently caressing his face stirred him. “I’m hungry.”
    “So am I.”
    “Hmm. For food. I think we missed lunch.”
    “So we did. Though I could have sworn I gorged myself on dessert.” He kissed her, taking his time to sample and savor, enjoying the luxury of having her in his bed and under him. Because he could, he bared her to her waist and put his tongue and teeth to the task of turning her pretty coral-colored nipples hard and needy.
    “You have to have something more substantial for nourishment than dessert.”
    Her teasing smile delighted him. He spared a glance for the bedside clock, visible to him now in this position.
    “I fear you are right. It’s after three. Dinner won’t be ready until seven. As much as I hate the thought of leaving this bed, I want to give you a tour of my home. We can have a proper English tea if you like, or simply ask the kitchen staff to bring us something to nibble on.”
    “You’re already nibbling.”
    “So I am.” He gave each breast a chaste kiss then covered her again. “We’ll remember where we left off after dinner, when we make our excuses and come right back here.”
    “That sounds like a plan. I have to unpack, then shower and dress.”
    “Oh, likely by now the unpacking has already been done.”
    “I see.”
    “Do you remember how you told me you found your maid at the Resort terrifying?”
    “Yes.”
    “The ones here can be even more so.”
    The sound of her laughter warmed his heart while the sight of her gloriously nude body, when she rose from the bed, hardened his sex.
    Her smile told him she’d not taken him seriously. A shame , he mused while throwing off the covers and getting up. He’d only been partly joking.
    “Shower with me?” he asked.
    “Yes, please.”

Chapter 4
     
    Peter had to admit he was impressed.
    The building Rachel had chosen to house her fledgling business stood in an older part of the city, about a kilometer from the palace. White stucco, two floors, the structure appeared to be in good shape.
    Peter kept himself on full alert when he alighted from the car. He’d insisted they take one of the chauffeur-driven Lincolns. Rachel had looked mutinous for a moment, but relented. Upon their arrival, he left her to sit inside the bulletproof vehicle while he had a look around. Now, motioning for her to get out of the car, he braced for a sting from her habitually sharp tongue. And he didn’t know what to think when she kept silent.
    The building owner, Monsieur Ducharme, greeted them at the door.