A Bodyguard For The Princess (A Bad Boy Romance) (32 page)

Annie stretched and gave me a final kiss before she sat up. I moved my hand from her hip to casually cover my arousal.

“I'm going to shower before we go to dinner,” she said.

“Okay. Annie?” She paused, legs swung over the bed, hair loose and falling over her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder at me, one brow raised. “I'm sorry.”

She smiled. “I know.”

I didn't move until I heard the shower start. When it did, I rolled onto my back and threw one arm over my eyes, slipping my other hand down to wrestle my jeans open and dart into my boxers. I didn't know how long Annie would be in the shower, but I wasn't keen on her catching me literally with my hand in my pants. I wouldn't be able to wear these boxers again, not unless I could get them cleaned, and I doubted that was going to happen unless I bribed one of the housekeepers. At least I'd brought plenty of pairs.

After only a couple frantic minutes, I found my release. I wiped my hand off on my boxers and stood on shaky legs to change for dinner. My dirty shorts were tucked away in a pocket of my suitcase, likely to be forgotten until the vacation was over and it was time to unpack. By the time Annie was done with her shower, I was dressed and sitting in my chair, feeling too many different emotions to properly name them all. I probably shouldn't have done what I did. We probably shouldn't have. But I didn't regret it.

“Zach?” Annie called. She poked her head out of the bathroom. “Can you get my dress from my bag? The blue one. And a pair of underwear, please?”

I stood to obey, fishing out what she wanted and handing it to her. She gifted me a smile, and I caught a flash of bare skin before the door slid shut. I ran my hands through my hair and returned to my chair. I should have felt happy, but there was an unease building in my stomach. I was used to that. What I wasn't used to was being unable to tell if the discomfort was because of our parents' relationship or my old, constant fears making themselves known again. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, reminding myself that just because things had gone poorly for my dad didn't mean the same thing was going to happen to me.

Annie came out, looking simple and beautiful in her blue dress with her hair loose and damp. She smiled at me, padding across the cabin in bare feet to fetch her flats from her bag. I watched her put them on and reached for my own shoes. I checked my watch again. It was dinnertime, and still no word from Dad and Donna.

“Maybe we should just go on our own,” Annie suggested, answering my unspoken question about what she wanted to do. “I don't really want to know what they're doing, and if they wanted us, they would have said something by now, don't you think?”

“If that's what you want,” I replied. Annie nodded.

I watched her run a brush through her hair. I thought she would put it up, but she left it loose. She picked up her clutch and checked inside it, then tossed my wallet from the dresser into my lap. I slipped it into a pocket and stood. Again, I offered her my hand. This time, she took it and laced her fingers through mine. It was natural and right. I smiled at her, a warm feeling in my chest.

“Come on,” she said, and pulled me with her.

It was nice eating dinner by ourselves. We did end up waiting for a little while outside the dining room, just in case our parents were running late like they had the first night, but after ten minutes had passed with no sign from them, we went in on our own. Something felt different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what. It was almost like Annie and I were alone, like it was just the two of us taking this cruise together. I wouldn't mind that, one day, if everything worked out the right way.

We walked to our assigned table and sat across from one another. The menu was different but looked just as good as the previous selections. We both ordered drinks and an appetizer to share. Beneath the table, Annie ran her foot up my leg. There was nothing devious behind her actions, but it was an appreciated gesture, nevertheless, since holding hands would draw attention neither of us was ready for. We were served by the same waiter every night, after all.

“I don't think I want dessert tonight,” I said after our food had come and we were both eating, enjoying the fine cuisine. “Want to head to one of the bars after we eat? Have some drinks, listen to some good music? I think there's some kind of live show tonight. Might be nice.”

“That sounds good,” Annie replied. I leaned an elbow on the table, pushing bits of food around my plate with my fork, and watched her. She glanced up at me a few times before smiling nervously, her cheeks tinged pink. “What?”

“You look beautiful,” I said. Annie blushed and bowed her head, but I could still see her smiling. “I mean it.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“I missed you.”

“You keep saying that,” Annie said, “but I'm right here.”

“That's not what I meant.”

She looked up at me, a small smile crooking half of her lips. “I know. I'm just being difficult. Everything else is.”

“Do you forgive me?” The words fell out of my mouth. I held my breath, waiting for her to answer, my heart beating painfully behind my ribs and knots of sudden anxiety in my stomach. Annie took a long drink of her wine, emptying the glass down to the dregs.

“It was really hard for a while, you know? You...” She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You were the first guy I ever really felt that way about. First guy I properly kissed, first guy I ever had sex with... Only guy I've ever had sex with, actually. And I knew you were lying, by the way. So it's nice knowing the truth, but that doesn't negate what I went through. I thought I'd done something wrong for a long time.”

“Do you still?” I asked when she drifted into a silence.

“No, not really. I didn't think I'd ever see you again, though, so... It was kind of a huge shock.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, same here.”

“But, to answer your actual question,” Annie continued, “yeah, I forgive you. Are you gonna finish eating?” Annie's plate was clean. I quickly scraped the last of my food and finished my wine.

Neither of us had a map on us, but we knew by now where the closest bar to our room was. We'd walked past it dozens of times going back and forth. Annie's hand slipped into the back pocket of my jeans, and I slid my arm around her waist. I couldn't help but worry about running into our parents around every corner, but my fears were unfounded.

“I wonder what they're doing,” I mused.

“Do you really want to know?” Annie asked.

I laughed at that. “No, I really don't.”

We reached the bar, and I stepped aside to let her go in first. It wasn't overly crowded yet, but we were far from the first people to come down for a drink. Annie found us two stools at the bar and ordered her drink before we even sat down. I asked for a simple beer and took the seat next to her. I didn't hold her hand, but I sat on the edge of my stool so that our shoulders would brush when one of us shifted. There wasn't a TV, of course, so no traditional sports game watching, but a band was setting up on a small stage in the corner.

I held up my beer bottle and clinked it gently against Annie's wine glass. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Annie replied, her smile brighter than the sun. We drank.

A pleasant, fuzzy feeling spread through my brain, and a pool of warmth settled in my stomach. I was far from trashed, but I was well past tipsy. Annie was, too, judging by the uncontrollable smile on her face. The band was just finishing, and we'd been drinking for the hour or so they had played. Some couples were dancing, but they were mostly older people, and neither Annie nor I felt like putting ourselves on display. At least not yet. A few more drinks and there was a possibility we'd change our minds, but it didn't look like those would be on the table, either.

Annie had asked for a glass of water that she sipped as condensation dripped down the sides onto the bar top, and I still had half of my latest beer left. Idly, I wondered once more where our parents had gone. I checked the time. It wasn't terribly late, but there was a chance they'd be in bed already. No doubt Annie and I would be headed there ourselves as soon as this last song finished.

I reached out to rub the small of her back with a knuckle, and she leaned into the touch. Her water was almost gone. I ignored my beer. I didn't want it. What I wanted was to take Annie back to the cabin and show her how much I had missed her and how important it was to me that she had forgiven me for being an idiot. I sat forward and brushed my lips against the back of her ear.

“Want to go?” I asked. I felt her shudder. She nodded and took a final sip of her water. I checked that we had all our things, then helped her from her seat. She held my hand tightly, fingers wrapped around my sweaty palm. Hand in hand, we strolled along the route back to our cabin. On the way, we passed by one of the convenience stores about to close up for the night. I stopped and glanced inside.

“Go on,” I said to Annie. “I just want to grab something real quick.”

Annie looked in the shop, trying to see what I wanted, but left. I watched her walk away then slipped inside, apologizing as I grabbed a small box of condoms and laid it on the counter, feeling drunk and embarrassed. The clerk barely looked at what I was buying, just rang it up and asked if I wanted a bag. I quickly shook my head, paid, and shoved the box into my pocket before hurrying after Annie. She had arrived in the room a couple minutes ahead of me and was pulling her pajamas out from where she'd stuffed them under her pillow when I walked in.

“Did you get what you needed?” she asked.

I took a deep breath, removed the box from my pocket, and set it on the dresser. Annie looked at it, then me, then bit her lip. I watched her pupils dilate and her cheeks turn red from more than just the drink. The flush spread down her neck to her chest and my gaze followed, lingering on where her dress pushed her breasts up pleasingly.

“Do you want to?” I asked.

Annie swallowed hard, looking from me to the box again, then nodded, so slightly that I almost missed it. I crossed to her instantly, taking her into my arms and kissing her soundly. I half missed her mouth, and she giggled as she tilted her head to connect our lips. My hands groped for the zipper on her dress, and when they finally found it, I tugged it down, letting my palm graze the bare skin of her back. I was growing hard already, just from kissing her, just from having spent almost every day of the last two years wishing I still had her. I could only hope she felt the same way.

I tugged my shirt over my head. She ran her hands down my chest, fingers digging in just slightly, nails leaving a light trail of pink where they scraped. The pulling in my groin grew stronger. Annie let her dress fall to the ground at her feet. I recognized the underwear she had on, plain blue shorts, but there was nothing covering her upper half. She'd never asked me for a bra, but I'd assumed she'd put on the one she'd been wearing earlier. She hadn't. I should have noticed the lack of straps.

The surprise of seeing her took my breath away. Her breasts were small and pert and fit perfectly in my hands when I cupped them, brushing my thumbs over her nipples. Annie grabbed two handfuls of my hair and pulled me down into a kiss, her moan vibrating across my lips.

I wished we were at my apartment, in my own bedroom, so I could lift her up by the thighs and throw her onto my bed. If I tried to do that here, I'd probably end up giving us both concussions. I settled for letting her pull me around and sinking to my knees when she sat on the edge of the bed. With two fingers, I hooked her panties down and pulled them over her legs and off her ankles, leaving them where they dropped. My hands ran up the smoothness of her calves up to her thighs. I parted them gently, kissing and nipping the inside of one, looking up at her face through my hair. Her eyes were shut, her head tilted back, revealing the pale expanse of her throat. My lips ached to kiss it, but I had more important business to tend to.

She tasted as amazing as I remembered, and sounded even better. Drunk Annie had a modicum less self-control than her sober self. Her moans wouldn't draw any unwanted or embarrassing attention from our neighbors or anyone passing by outside, but she was louder than before and the noises were more constant.

I dragged my tongue through her folds and curled it around her clit before wrapping my lips and sucking gently. I felt Annie's fingers tighten in my hair, holding my head in place. My arousal pressed painfully against my jeans. This time, though, I wouldn't have to jerk myself off to find release, not unless Annie stopped me from taking her, and it didn't look like that was going to happen.

I sucked and flicked my tongue until I felt her thighs tighten under my hands, then pulled my head away. She whined, tugging on my hair, but I brushed her hand away and fumbled behind me for the condom box. My hands shook as I tore one off and held the packet between my teeth, standing to undo my jeans. Annie stopped me, pushing my hands away and going at my pants with her own. She made quick work of them, shoving them down my hips and leaving my erection exposed, an obvious tent in the front of my boxers. She glanced up at me, eyes dark in the low light of the single lamp, and reached into my boxers to grip me. My hips jerked and a groan ripped out of my mouth. I was ready, but I wouldn't say 'no' to Annie's hands on me. She stroked me slowly while I struggled to get the condom packet open, and when I finally did, she tugged my boxers down enough that she could take it from me and roll it on.