“Oh, I didn’t know you had those here.” I widened my eyes and tried to look innocent.
“Oh, that is not going to work on me.” He traced my cheek with one finger. “They were just staring at me and didn’t hear a word I said.”
“Well, it’s your fault for being so cute.” I placed my hands on his plaid-covered chest. “The whole lumber jack think really works for you.”
“It did snag me a princess.” His eyes twinkled.
“That is true.” I toyed with the pocket on his chest. “And now that you have one, what are you going to do with her?”
He leaned down so that his mouth barely touched my ear. “I can’t say what I’m going to do because there are too many kids around.”
“Are you sure that said princess will go for your plans?” I raised an eyebrow as he moved his face so that his lips were a mere breath away from mine.
“She did this morning.” Ever so softly he pressed his mouth to mine.
“You know, I always thought I wanted a knight in shining armor.” I broke away from his kiss and looked up at him with a smile. “But I like my dashing rogue much better.”
“Angel, shiny armor just means the knight never went to battle.” He kissed my temple. “And I’d fight dragons for you.”
EXCERPT FROM SUDDENLY ROYAL
Want to see how it all began?
Keep reading for a glimpse
of Sam and Alex’s story,
ONE
Royal Donors Cause Congestion on Campus
—COLLEGE DAILY
TO SAY MY day was not going well, would be like saying the French Revolution had been a bit troublesome for Marie Antoinette. My truck had coughed and sputtered all the way to school. I couldn’t find my gloves, so my fingers had turned into frozen sticks by the time I reached my classroom. Only half of the students in my first class showed up, and then I couldn’t find the tests I had spent the entire weekend grading. My entire day was turning into a bad country song. By the time lunch rolled around I had been more than ready for a break. I snagged a sandwich and ate it on my way to the library. The server for our building was down and I needed to do some research.
Crossing campus, I had to wade through a crowd of people. It was like the entire student body had gathered in the middle of the school for a pep rally. Hordes of giggling freshmen were pushing their way to the front and one of them elbowed me, making me drop the notebook I was carrying. The fraternities and sororities had painted signs and hung them on trees to welcome someone. I grimaced when I realized one of them was actually a sheet that didn’t look very clean. I looked from the signs to the crowd and realized I would never be able to make it up the stairs to the library. Standing in the middle of the steps was a group of people, but my eyes focused on the tall blond man. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from him. He was joking with a girl while she batted her eyes and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
I tried to see exactly why everyone was so excited, but none of it made sense. Donors came to the school all the time and most of the self-absorbed student body never noticed. The man on the steps was attractive enough to be a movie star and that had to be what had brought the mob out.
“Do you see him, Sam? The prince?” One of the girls in my first class pulled on my arm.
“Prince? Yeah, I see him.” A prince? A real-life prince with a crown and throne? No wonder the masses were out in the snow. A royal donor would bring out everyone. Movie stars were one thing, but a prince? That wasn’t something you saw every day. I wondered why royalty would be donating to our school, but standing out in the cold watching some guy flirt was not part of my plans. I only had a little longer before I had to be at the research center and a lot to get done in the meantime.
“He’s gorgeous,” the girl gushed while her friends made noises of agreement.
“Yeah, I guess.” I rolled my eyes.
“Even you have to admit he’s hot.” She laughed at me. What the hell did that mean? I wasn’t blind. Of course I noticed he was hot. What the hell kind of good would that do me? I’d never see him again. He was a freaking prince!
Spinning on my heel, I headed for a side entrance, only to see it was blocked by police. Gritting my teeth, I stomped through the snow to the back entrance. It took forever, because I was dodging mobs of people. I almost tripped on a cord and the news reporter hollered at me. I gave him my best eat-shit-and-die look, but he wasn’t fazed. By the time I reached the back steps I was ready to murder someone.
There was a group of cops standing at the door, but I didn’t care. I marched up and went straight for the entrance.