Authors: Maureen Child
Alex watched him go with a sigh of relief. Not that he had ever scared her or anything, but she hadn’t wanted to waste her first day in Disneyland being irritated. The big man beside her still had his arm around her and Alex liked it. He was big and strong and it was hard not to appreciate a guy who had seen you needed help and offered it without a qualm.
“Boon!”
The little girl’s voice shattered the moment and with that reminder that her hero was probably someone else’s husband, Alex slipped out from under his arm. Glancing up at the little girl, she smiled. “You’re a beauty, aren’t you? Your daddy must be very proud.”
“Oh, he is,” the man beside her said, his voice so deep it seemed to sink right inside her. “And he’s got two more just like her.”
“Really.” She wasn’t sure why the news that he was the father of three was so disappointing, but there it was.
“Yeah. My cousin and his wife have the other two on the ride right now. I’m just watching this one for them.”
“Oh.” She smiled, pleasure rushing through her. “Then you’re not her father?”
He smiled, too, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Not a chance. I wouldn’t do that to some poor, unsuspecting kid.”
Alex looked into his eyes and enjoyed the sparkle she found there. He was relishing this little flirtation as much as she was. “Oh, I don’t know. A hero might make a very good father.”
“Hero? I’m hardly that.”
“You were for me a minute ago,” she said. “I couldn’t seem to convince that man to leave me alone, so I really appreciate your help.”
“You’re welcome. But you could have gone to a security guard and had the guy thrown out. Probably should have.”
No, going to a security guard would have involved making statements, filling out paperwork and then her identity would be revealed and the lovely day she’d planned would have been ruined.
She shook her head, pushed her long blond hair back from her face and turned to sweep her gaze across the manicured flower gardens, the happy kids and the brilliant blue sky overhead. “No, he wasn’t dangerous. Just irritating.”
He laughed and she liked the sound of it.
“Boon, Gar,”
the little girl said in a voice filled with the kind of determination only a single-minded toddler could manage.
“Right. Balloon.” He lifted one hand to the balloon seller, and the guy stepped right up, gently tying the string of a bright pink balloon to the baby’s wrist. While Garrett paid the man, the baby waved her arm, squealing with delight as the balloon danced and jumped to her whim.
“So, I think introductions are in order,” he said. “This demanding female is Mara and I’m Garrett.”
“Alexis, but call me Alex,” she said, holding her right hand out to him.
He took her hand in his and the instant her skin brushed along his, Alex felt ripples of something really intriguing washing throughout her body. Then he let her go and the delightful heat dissipated.
“So, Alex, how’s your day going?”
She laughed a little. “Until that one little moment, it was going great. I love it here. It’s my first time, and I’ve heard so much about this place…”
“Ah,” he said nodding, “that explains it.”
She tensed. “Explains what?”
“If it’s your first time here, you’re having so much fun that all of these crowds don’t bother you.”
“Oh, no. I think it’s wonderful. Everyone seems so nice, well, except for—”
“That one little moment?” he asked, repeating her words to her.
“Yes, exactly.” Alex smiled again and reluctantly took a step back. As lovely as this was, talking to a handsome man who had no idea who she was, it would be better for her if she ended it now and went on her way. “Thank you again for the rescue, but I should really be going…”
He tipped his head to one side and looked at her. “Meeting someone?”
“No, but—”
“Then what’s your hurry?”
Her heartbeat sped up at the invitation in his eyes. He didn’t want her to leave. And how nice that was. He actually liked her.
The darling little girl was still playing with her balloon, paying no attention at all to the two adults with her.
Alex looked up into Garrett’s pale blue eyes and did some fast thinking. She had to keep a low profile, true. But that didn’t mean she had to be a hermit during her…vacation, did it? And what kind of holiday would it be if there were no “romance” included?
“What do you say,” he added, “hang with us today. Rescue me from a day filled with too many kids?”
“
You
need rescuing?”
She saw the teasing glint in his eyes and responded to it with a smile.
“Trust me. My cousin’s girls all have my number. If you’re not there to protect me, who knows what might happen?”
Tempting, she thought. So very tempting. She’d only been in America for three days and already she was feeling a little isolated. Being on her own was liberating, but, as it turned out,
lonely
. And it wasn’t as if she could call the few friends she had in the States—the moment she did, word would get back to her family and, just like that, her bid for freedom would end.
What could it hurt to spend the day with a man who made her toes curl and the family he clearly loved? She took a breath and made the leap. “All right, thank you. I would love to rescue you.”
“Excellent. My cousin and his family should be back any minute now. So while we wait, why don’t you tell me where you’re from. I can’t quite place your accent. It’s British, but…not.”
She jolted a little and fought to keep him from seeing it. “You’ve a good ear.”
“So I’ve been told. But that’s not really an answer, is it?”
No, it wasn’t, and how astute of him to notice. She’d been trained in how to answer questions without really answering them from the time she was a child. Her father would have been proud.
Never answer a question directly, Alexis. Always be vague. Watch what you say, Alexis. You’ve a responsibility to your family. Your heritage. Your people…
“Hey. Alex.”
At the sound of his concerned voice, she shook her head, coming out of her thoughts with relief. That was the second time Garrett had rescued her today. She didn’t want to think about her duties. Her role in history. She didn’t want to be anything but Alex.
So instead of being evasive again, she said, “Why don’t you try to figure out where I’m from and I’ll let you know when you’ve got it right?”
One dark eyebrow lifted. “Oh, you’re challenging the wrong guy. But you’re on. Five bucks says I’ve got it by the end of the day.”
Oh, she hoped not. If he did, that would ruin everything. But she braved it out and asked, “Five dollars? Not much of a wager.”
He gave her a slow grin that sent new flashes of heat dancing through her system. “I’m open to negotiation.”
She actually
felt
her blood sizzle and hum.
“No, no. That’s all right.” She backed up quickly. Maybe she wasn’t as prepared for that zing of romance as she had thought. Or maybe Garrett the Gorgeous was just too much for her to handle. Either way, she was nervous enough to try to cool things down between them just a little. “Five dollars will do. It’s a bargain.”
“Agreed,” he said, one corner of his mouth lifting tantalizingly. “But just so you know, you should never bet with me, Alex. I always win.”
“Confident, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea.”
A thrill of something hot and delicious swept through her veins. Nerves or not, she really enjoyed what he was doing to her. What was it about him that affected her so?
“That was fun, Uncle Garrett!”
A tiny whirlwind rushed up to them and threw both arms around Garrett’s knees. The girl gave him a wide smile then shifted suspicious eyes to Alex. “Who are you?”
“This is Alex,” Garrett told her. “Alex, meet Mia.”
She smiled at the child and couldn’t help noticing that the little girl held on to Garrett’s legs just a little more tightly.
“Mia, don’t run from me in these crowds,” a deep male voice shouted.
Alex turned to watch an impossibly attractive couple approach, the man holding on to a smaller version of the still-wary Mia.
“Alex,” Garrett said briskly, “this is my cousin Jackson and his wife, Casey, and that pretty girl with them is Molly.”
“It’s lovely to meet you all.”
Jackson gave her a quick up and down, then winked at his wife. “Wow, leave Garrett alone for a few minutes and he finds the most beautiful woman in the whole place—”
His wife nudged him with an elbow.
“—not counting you of course, sweetie. You’re the most beautiful woman in the
world
.”
“Nice recovery,” Casey told him with a laugh and a smile for Alex.
“Always were a smooth one, Jackson,” Garrett mused.
“It’s why she loves me,” his cousin answered, dropping a kiss on his wife’s head.
Alex smiled at all of them. It was lovely to see the open affection in this family, though she felt a sharp pang of envy slice at her, as well. To get some time for herself she’d had to run from her own family. She missed them, even her dictatorial father, and being around these people only brought up their loss more sharply.
“It’s nice to meet you, Alex,” Casey said, extending her right hand in welcome.
“Thank you. I must admit I’m a little overwhelmed by everything. This is my first trip to Disneyland and—”
“Your
first
time?” Mia interrupted. “But you’re
old
.”
“Mia!” Casey was horrified.
Garrett and Jackson laughed and Alex joined them. Bending down slightly, she met Mia’s gaze and said, “It’s horrible I know. But I live very far away from here, so this is the first chance I’ve ever had to visit.”
“Oh.” Nodding her head, Mia thought about it for a minute then looked at her mother. “I think we should take Alex to the ghost ride.”
“Mia, that’s
your
favorite ride,” her father said.
“But she would like it, wouldn’t you, Alex?” She turned her eyes up and gave her a pleading look.
“You know,” Alex said, “I was just wishing I knew how to find the ghost ride.”
“I’ll show you!” Mia took her hand and started walking, fully expecting her family to follow.
“Guess you’ll be spending the day with us for sure, now,” Garrett teased.
“Looks that way.” She grinned, delighted with this turn of events. She was in a place she’d heard about her whole life and she wasn’t alone. There were children to enjoy and people to talk to and it was very near to perfect.
Then she looked up at Garrett’s blue eyes and told herself maybe it was closer to perfect than she knew.
“And after the ghost ride, we can ride the jungle boats and then the pirate one.” Mia was talking a mile a minute.
“Molly, honey, don’t pick up the bug,” Jackson said patiently.
“Bug?” Casey repeated, horrified.
Still holding Mara, Garrett came up beside Alex and said softly, “I promise, after the ghost ride, I’ll ride herd on my family and you can do what you want to do.”
The funny thing was, he didn’t know it, but she was already doing what she had always wanted to do.
She
wanted
to be accepted. To spend a day with nothing more to worry about than enjoying herself. And mostly, she wanted to meet people and have them like her because she was Alex Wells.
Not because she was Her Royal Highness Princess Alexis Morgan Wells of Cadria.
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Two
She was driving Garrett just a little crazy.
And not only because she was beautiful and funny and smart. But because he’d never seen a woman let go and really enjoy herself so much. Most of the women who came and went from his life were more interested in how their hair looked. Or in being sophisticated enough that a ride on spinning teacups would never have entered their heads.
But Alex was different. She had the girls eating out of her hand, and, without even trying, she was reaching Garrett in ways that he never would have expected. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
That wide smile was inviting, sexy—and familiar, somehow.
He knew he’d seen her before somewhere, but damned if he could remember where. And that bothered him, too. Because a woman like Alex wasn’t easily forgotten.
At lunch, she had bitten into a burger with a sigh of pleasure so rich that all he could think of was cool sheets and hot sex. She sat astride a carousel horse and he imagined her straddling him. She licked at an ice cream cone and he—
Garrett shook his head and mentally pulled back fast from that particular image. As it was, he was having a hard time walking. A few more thoughts like that one and he’d be paralyzed.
Alex loved everything about Disneyland. He saw it in her eyes because she didn’t hide a thing. Another way she was different from the women he knew. They were all about artful lies, strategic moves and studied flirtation.
Alex was just…herself.
“You’ll like this, Alex,” said Mia, who had appointed herself Alex’s personal tour guide. “The pirate ships shoot cannons and there’s a fire and singing, too. And it’s dark inside.”
“Okay, kiddo,” Jackson told his daughter, interrupting her flood of information, “how about we give Alex a little rest?” He grinned at her and Garrett as he steered his family into the front row of the boat.
Garrett took the hint gratefully and pulled Alexis into the last row. A bit of separation for the duration of the ride would give them a little time to themselves.
“She’s wonderful,” Alex murmured. “So bright. So talkative.”
“Oh, she is that,” Garrett said with a laugh. “Mia has an opinion on everything and doesn’t hesitate to share it. Her kindergarten teacher calls her ‘precocious.’ I call her a busybody.”
She laughed again and Garrett found himself smiling in response. There was no cautious titter. No careful chuckle. When Alex laughed, she threw her soul into it and everything about her lit up. Oh, he was getting in way too deep. This was ridiculous. Not only did he not even know her last name, but he hadn’t been able to pin down what country she was from, either.
Not for lack of trying, though.
The sense of familiarity he had for her was irritating as hell. There was something there. Something just out of reach, that would tell him how he knew her. Who she was. And yet, he couldn’t quite grab hold of it.
The ride jolted into motion and Alex leaned forward, eager to see everything. He liked that about her, too. Her curiosity. Her appreciation for whatever was happening. It wasn’t something enough people did, living in the moment. For most, it was all about “tomorrow.” What they would do when they had the time or the money or the energy.
He’d seen it all too often. People who had everything in the world and didn’t seem to notice because they were always looking forward to the next thing.
“Wonderful,” she whispered. Their boat rocked lazily on its tracks, water slapping at its hull. She looked behind them at the people awaiting the next boat then shifted her gaze to his.
Overhead, a night sky was filled with stars and animatronic fireflies blinked on and off. A sultry, hot breeze wafted past them. Even in the darkness, he saw delight shining in her eyes and the curve of her mouth was something he just didn’t want to resist any longer.
Leaning forward, he caught her by the back of the neck and pulled her toward him. Then he slanted his mouth over hers for a taste of the mouth that had been driving him nuts for hours.
She was worth the wait.
After a second’s surprise, she recovered and kissed him back. Her mouth moved against his with a soft, languid touch that stirred fires back into life and made him wish they were all alone in the dark—rather than surrounded by singing pirates and chattering tourists.
She sighed and leaned into him and that fired him up so fast, it took his breath away. But who needed breathing anyway? She lifted one hand to his cheek and when she pulled back, breaking the kiss, her fingertips stroked his jaw. She drew a breath and let it go again with a smile. Leaning into him, she whispered, “That was lovely.”
He took her hand in his and kissed the center of her palm. “It was way better than lovely.”
A kid squealed, a pirate’s gun erupted too close to the boat and Alex jolted in surprise. Then she laughed with delight and eased back against him, pillowing her head on his shoulder. He pulled her in more closely to him and, instead of watching the ride, indulged himself by watching her reactions to their surroundings instead.
Her eyes never stopped shifting. Her smile never faltered. She took it all in, as if she were soaking up experiences like a sponge. And in that moment, Garrett was pitifully glad Jackson had talked him into going to Disneyland.
“I’m having such a nice day,” she whispered in a voice pitched low enough that Garrett almost missed it.
“
Nice?
That’s it?”
She tipped her head back and smiled up at him. “
Very
nice.”
“Oh, well then, that’s better.” He snorted and shook his head. Nothing a man liked better than hearing the woman he was fantasizing about telling him she was having a “nice” time.
“Oh, look! The dog has the jail cell keys!” She was off again, losing herself in the moment and Garrett was charmed. The pirates were singing, water lapped at the sides of their boat and up ahead of them he could hear Mia singing along. He smiled to himself and realized that astonishing as it was, he, too, was having a
very
nice day.
After the ride, they walked into twilight. Sunset stained the sky with the last shreds of color before night crept in. The girls were worn-out. Molly was dragging, Mara was asleep on Casey’s shoulder and Mia was so far beyond tired, her smile was fixed more in a grimace. But before they could go home, they had to make their traditional last stop.
“You’ll like the castle, Alex,” Mia said through a yawn. “Me and Molly are gonna be princesses someday and we’re gonna have a castle like this one and we’ll have puppies, too…”
“Again with the dog,” Jackson said with a sigh at what was apparently a very familiar topic.
Alex chuckled and slipped her hand into Garrett’s. His fingers closed over hers as he cut a glance her way. In the soft light, her eyes shone with the same excitement he’d seen earlier. She wasn’t tired out by all the kids and the crowds. She was thriving on this.
Her mouth curved slightly and another ping of recognition hit him. Frowning to himself, Garrett tried to pin down where he’d seen her before. He knew he’d never actually
met
her before today. He wouldn’t have forgotten that. But she was so damned familiar…
The castle shone with a pink tinge and as they approached, lights carefully hidden behind rocks and in the shrubbery blinked on to make it seem even more of a fairy-tale palace.
Garrett shook his head and smiled as Mia cooed in delight. Swans were floating gracefully in the lake. A cool wind rustled the trees and lifted the scent of the neatly trimmed rosebushes into the air.
“Can I have a princess hat?” Mia asked.
“Sure you can, sweetie,” Jackson said, scooping his oldest into his arms for a fast hug.
Garrett watched the byplay and, for the first time, felt a twinge of regret. Not that it would last long, but for the moment, he could admit that the thought of having kids like Mia and her sisters wasn’t an entirely hideous idea. For other people, of course. Not for him.
“Alex, look!” Mia grabbed Alex’s hand and half dragged her up to the stone balustrade overlooking the lake. The two of them stood together, watching the swans, the pink castle in the background and Garrett stopped dead. And stared.
In one blinding instant, he knew why she looked so familiar.
Several years ago, he’d done some work for her father.
Her father, the King of Cadria.
Which meant that Alex the delicious, Alex the sexiest woman he’d ever known, was actually the Crown Princess Alexis.
And he’d kissed her.
Damn.
He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck, took a deep breath and held it. This changed things. Radically.
“Do you want to live in a castle, Alex?” Mia asked.
Garrett listened for her answer.
Alex ran one hand over Mia’s long black hair and said, “I think a castle might get lonely. They’re awfully big, you know. And drafty, as well.”
Garrett watched her face as she described what he knew was her home. Funny, he’d never imagined that a princess might not like her life. After all, in the grand scheme, being royalty had to be better than a lot of other alternatives.
“But I could have lots of puppies,” Mia said thoughtfully.
“Yes, but you’d never see them because princesses can’t play with puppies. They have more important things to do. They have to say all the right things, do all the right things. There’s not a lot of time for playing.”
Mia frowned at that.
So did Garrett. Was that how she really felt about her life? Was that why she was here, trying to be incognito? To escape her world? And what would she do if she knew he had figured out her real identity? Would she bolt?
Alex smiled and said, “I think you might not like a real castle as much as you do this one.”
Nodding, the little girl murmured, “Maybe I’ll just be a pretend princess.”
“Excellent idea,” Alex told her with another smile. Then she turned her head to look at Garrett and their gazes collided.
He felt the slam of attraction hit him like a fist to the chest. He was in deep trouble here. A princess, for God’s sake? He’d kissed a
princess?
He took a good long look at her, from her platform heels to the blue jeans and the pair of sunglasses perched on top of her head.
She had worked very hard to disguise herself, he thought, and wondered why. As a princess, she could have had a guided tour through the park, swept through all of the lines and been treated like—well, royalty. Instead, she had spent her day wandering through Disneyland just like any other tourist.
Alone.
That word shouted through his mind and instantly, his professional side sat up and took notice. Letting go, for the moment, of the fact that she’d lied about who she was—where was her security detail? Where were her bodyguards? The entourage? Didn’t she know how dangerous it was for someone like her to be unprotected? The world was a dangerous place and helping out the wackos by giving them a clear shot at you didn’t seem like a good plan to him.
So just what was she up to?
As if reading his troubled thoughts from the emotions in his eyes, Alex’s smile faded slightly. Garrett noticed and immediately put his game face on. She was keeping her identity a secret for a reason. Until he found out what that was, he’d play along.
And until he knew everything that was happening, he’d make damn sure she was safe.
In the huge parking lot, they all said goodbye and Jackson and Casey herded their girls off toward their car. The parking lot lights above them flickered weirdly as tourists streamed past like zombies in search of the best way home.
Garrett turned to look at Alex again. “Where’s your car?”
“Oh, I don’t have one,” she said quickly. “I never learned to drive, so I took a cab here from the hotel.”
A cab, he thought grimly. On her own. She was asking for disaster. It was a freaking miracle she’d made it here without somebody recognizing her and tipping off the press. “Where are you staying?”
“In Huntington Beach.”
Not too far, he thought, but far enough that he didn’t want her repeating the “grab a cab” thing. His gaze scanning the crowded lot and the people passing by them, he said, “I’ll give you a ride back to your hotel.”