She takes one deep breath, and then gives her answer.
“I’ll come with you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jessica
The sheer adrenaline fueling our actions over the next couple of hours makes it nearly impossible for me to think. We spend them hustling through the building in last night’s clothes, racing across town in a town car driven at breakneck speeds by Alec’s bodyguard and driver Nate, hastily scrambling up to my apartment to find an outfit suitable for air travel—“Just get a few things, Jessica—we can buy anything you need in Saintland”—, making several phone calls to the Saintland equivalent of the State Department to sort out a last-minute Visa for me, and sprinting through customs to catch the only outgoing flight of the day.
It’s not until we reach cruising altitude, Alec holding my hand in first class, that I catch my breath.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he says into my hair, and I lean my head against his shoulder, breathing in his masculine scent that I’ve come to love.
I’m quiet as he flips through the in-flight movie selections, but my mind is racing.
Holy shit, holy shit. What have I done?
Start at the beginning, I tell myself sternly. You’ve bought yourself some time to think, and that time is right now.
Memories of the first time I saw Alec flicker in front of my eyes. His out-of-this-world body, the confidence he exudes in every movement, the way he zeroed in on me from across the room and hasn’t looked away since. More than that, the way I felt is what has made such an impact. It doesn’t make sense—we’re still almost total strangers—but I recognized something in him almost immediately that makes my heart race, filling with unspoken promises and possibilities for the future.
And we’re not total strangers, are we? What we have is on another level, and I’m almost certain that the way we play off each other in bed, driving each other wilder the more we’re together, unable to quench our need for one another, is a reflection of something deeper than lust.
Maybe I’m kidding myself.
Maybe I’ve just made a huge mistake. I’ve up and followed a guy who claims to be a prince, and could have any woman he wants, onto a plane bound for a country halfway around the world. It’s like I’m some kind of modern-day Cinderella, only I’m not really in need of rescue. I have a nice life in New York—good friends, a steady job…
But something was missing, I hear that pesky truth-sayer singing to me in the back of my mind. Something was missing, and you know it.
Something will definitely be missing now if this doesn’t work out. People will think I’m missing! It’s not like I called in sick…
I bolt upright in my seat with a gasp.
“What is it?” asks Alec—Prince Alec, I remind myself—gripping my hand tighter, eyes wide with concern.
“I didn’t call in to work. I didn’t show up today!” I shriek in panic. “I’ll lose my job!”
Alec responds by laughing indulgently. “I’m sure you could get another job inside a week.”
It’s true—I could probably rely on Carolyn’s good graces until I found another job. She can afford the rent. Then again, I haven’t told her about me jetting off to some random European country with a prince yet, either.
Jesus. This is probably the most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve upended my life more than once. Only each of those times, I had at least a hint of a plan in mind. This time? I have nothing.
I pull my purse out from where it’s stored neatly under the seat in front of us and remove my phone from the middle compartment. The flight’s in-flight Wi-Fi makes it easy for me to send a few messages. I start with Carolyn.
I'm heading to Europe on an impromptu vacation. Not sure when I'll be back. Don't worry. Be in touch soon…
The scenery greeting us when we step out of the airport in Saintland takes my breath away.
The airport itself was small and meticulously maintained, a far cry from the massive scale and overall dinginess of LaGuardia. Instead of being surrounded by skyscrapers, bustling streets with honking taxis and throngs of people scurrying here and there, it’s surrounded by something straight out of a goddamned storybook. A sprawling town filled with Eastern European–style buildings encircled by lush rolling green hills and flower-dotted valleys, mothers and children strolling shining streets, and, no joke, a palace overlooking it all from the highest point.
We look up to see Nate in the driver’s seat of a shiny black town car, navigating his way across a couple lanes of traffic to pull up in front of us at the airport exit door. Several small Saintland flags lining the hood and bumper are flapping in the wind. Alec waits as Nate shifts the car into park and then comes around to where we are waiting to open the doors. Nate patiently stands at attention, waiting for Alec to give the signal. I slide into the back seat first, followed immediately by Alec, and then Nate closes the door behind him before he puts what little luggage we brought with us into the trunk.