Royal Distraction by Lucy McConnell (read aloud books txt) 📕

Her purse erupted with a trumpeter’s blast. Nyssa blinked once. “The queen!” She dove for her purse. “I am so sorry. I have to answer.”

“Of course.” Tatum wasn’t at all put out by the way she jumped from his arms.

Wanting to touch him, she put her hand on the back of his knee as she sat facing the phone away from him. “Hello?”

Tatum winked at her and went to bowl his frame.

“Thank goodness!” Mother sounded out of breath. She must have been in a hurry if she didn’t want to wait for the video to hook up. “What is going on? I got a 963 text from Kingston.”

Nyssa glared at the large man. She’d forgotten he was even there. Gah! He saw the whole kiss and gone and tattled on her. A 963 was code for danger. He probably hadn’t said anything about the kiss, but whom she kissed and when was not his concern. It was sort of her mother’s concern, but that didn’t give him the right to go blabbing to the queen and interrupting her first real kiss. Every kiss up to this point was a practice round for when Tatum’s lips met hers. And what a meeting it was! Her fingers and toes were still tingling.

“I’m fine, thank you for asking. How are you?” Nyssa’s cheeks burned. How embarrassing to have her private moment with Tatum witnessed. And yet, what did she expect? She may have him convinced she was just a normal island girl, but she was a princess and that’s not something that would ever go away.

“I’m not hanging up until I hear the security phrase,” replied Mother.

Nyssa rolled her eyes. She turned to the side and spoke quietly. “I believe the teakwood chairs would look wonderful in the library.”

“Thank you, darling.” Mother’s voice brightened considerably. “I’m positive you will have a story to tell me later.”

“I will.” I just have to come up with it first. Neese’s stomach twisted at the idea of lying to her mother. She ended the call and stared at the phone in her lap.

“Everything all right?” Tatum squatted in front of her, his hands on her knees.

She was falling for him—hard and fast. How was this supposed to end? With her boarding a plane and always wondering what if? Would he move to the island? And then what—her father would go back on his word to the king of Riodan, leaving Prince Marius without a bride? The deeper she dove, the harder it was to hold her breath. It was time to return to her real life—time to be the princess she came here to be. This afternoon with Tatum was a gift she would treasure—always. “Everything is fine. I need to get back to the hotel, though.”

“Sure.” Tatum shrugged. “I was winning anyway.”

“Because you cheat.” She poked his chest, smiling even though she was dying inside. There would be no more trips to the patisserie, no more hideous shoes, and no more kisses. This had to be goodbye.

She wasn’t only saying goodbye to this man who made her heart flutter; she was saying goodbye to her freedom. With Tatum, she’d never felt so free and yet so protected. She hadn’t thought about how her kissing him would affect the royal family. For an afternoon, she’d forgotten she was a princess with responsibilities and she’d just been a woman falling for a handsome man. Today, she was just Neese and she was enough; enough to entice a kiss from Tatum. Who knew she had all that power inside of her?

She couldn’t let this continue. Forgetting who she was and why she was here was out of the question. How could she be so dedicated to the cause that morning in the hotel and forget it completely after only a short time with Tatum? He had the ability to overpower rational thought with just a look. He didn’t know it, but he was a troublemaker. Saying goodbye was the best option—no, it was the only option.

She was quiet on the ride to the hotel, the mantle of responsibility settling back into place.

Chapter Eleven

Whatever the queen had said on the phone cast a wet blanket over his date.

Date?

Nelson would laugh his guts out if he knew Tatum had gone bowling with an advisor to the princess of Zimrada. He could hear him now. “Way to sweep her off her feet.” Or, “You really know how to show a girl a good time.”

The thing was, they were having a great time right up until the phone call. He couldn’t remember when he’d been so relaxed and off duty. And that kiss! He could hardly believe Neese was into him, though likely not as much as he was into her.

He checked the rearview mirror and found that car behind him again. The one that had followed him from the bakery to the bowling alley and cruised right past. He recognized the broken right headlight. Most likely, it was the guard. The man had shown up at the bowling alley too, which meant he was either there for Neese or him. He was betting money it was for Neese.

But he wasn’t ruling out the idea that it could be him. Tatum hadn’t seen the man who tried to kill him since the ball, but that didn’t mean the guy didn’t know where Tatum was at all times. Having this islander trail him when he was with Neese could be a ploy to throw Tatum off.

The assassin could be scouting him. Depending on how things played out, Neese could be in danger. He needed to know what he was up against. There was one way to find out. He took a right, turning away from the hotel and squealing the tires on the wet pavement.

“Is something wrong?” asked Neese as she grabbed the door.

Tatum didn’t want to alarm her. He could handle the driving. “Not a thing. This has been a great afternoon.”

“Not nice?” she teased.

“Oh, it was nice.”