His Forbidden Princess

His Forbidden Princess

A Royal Holiday Novella

(ARC Copy)

By

Jeannie Moon

Eight years ago

Sofia didn’t want the night to end.

Yes, it was drizzling with a chill in the April air, but she was warm, tucked against the most extraordinary man—someone so honest and kind, and so grounded in his beliefs she just loved listening to him. Who would have thought that by coming to Cambridge she’d find an American who was so perfect for her?

It was funny how the world worked, how love found you when you least expected it.

Glancing at their joined hands, Sofie imagined what her parents might say about Ian, and she wondered if she could get them to see how good he’d been for her. How he was strong and honest. Kind.

She wondered if how much she loved him would matter to them?

Her parents and her family exerted so much control over her life that she couldn’t

imagine them approving of her relationship with the former soldier. Yes, he was brilliant--well educated and honorable. But he wasn’t of her station, and marrying well was all her parents ever wanted for their second child.

“Sofie? What’s wrong?” His voice was deep, and clear, with the slightest New York

accent.

“Why do you think something is wrong?” she replied.

“Because you usually talk my ear off and you’ve been very quiet. Is something on your mind?”

What would he do if she just told him the truth?
Ian, by the way…

Since meeting him she’d learned to see outside her own bubble. As so often the case growing up the way she did, Sofie was the center of the universe. Everything she did was watched, every want or need was satisfied, and it was all done without much thought to anyone else. Ian changed all that. He helped her see the big picture.

Looking up at him, his profile took her breath away the same as when she saw him for the first time. He was tall, over six feet, and muscular in a lean rather than bulky way. His face was angular, handsome; his eyes were large and dark. Always seemingly touched by a bit of gold, his hair and skin had a warm quality. But it was the way he touched her, held her, kissed her that had changed the way Sofie saw herself.

She wasn’t a sheltered girl, but a woman. At twenty-one, she was ready to grow up.

“Ian? I have a favor to ask you.”

He stopped and turned her into his powerful arms. “Anything.”

It was now or never. He was all she’d ever wanted in a man, every dream she’d ever had about her knight in shining armor.

His thumb skimmed over her cheek. It was such a simple gesture, but Sofie’s heart

fluttered and jumped wildly. Finally, she mustered up the nerve to tell him what she wanted. “I want…” Lord help her, she was nervous. “I want you to make love to me.”

His eyes locked on hers and everything around them, the breeze, the rain, the noise from the pub nearby, seemed to quiet immediately. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more certain. You’ve been so patient with me, so sweet. I know it hasn’t been easy.” She glanced around, then rising on her toes, she kissed him. “Let’s go to your flat. I want to be with you.”

He hadn’t moved except to pull her close, but it seemed just a split second and his hands caught her head and his mouth came down on hers in a kiss the likes of which they’d never shared. This was hot, hungry and a little dangerous. But Sofie gave into it when his tongue slipped into her mouth, a soft moan escaped from her throat surprising both of them.

“I don’t know what to do,” she heard herself say.

“I’ll take care of you.” His lips pressed into her temples and Ian’s warm breath filled her with comfort, strength. She trusted him, above all else, Sofie trusted him.

The short distance to his flat through the park near Christ College sseemed endless. The waiting interminable. Now that she’d decided, being with him was the only thing that mattered.

Once they’d climbed the three flights of stairs and he’d closed and locked the heavy wood door, Sofie launched herself into his arms.

“Whoa, slow down. Sofie, baby, slow down.”

“I’m sorry…I…”

“Shh. Don’t be sorry.” His hand stroked her hair. “I want this to be good for you. We have to go slow.”

“Okay. Okay.” God, she was nervous.

“Come here.” Taking her hand, Ian led her through the living area of his flat. It wasn’t big, but it was neat and beautifully appointed, with large windows she expected made the place gorgeous on a sunny day. It was much nicer than she expected, but over the past few months, she’d learned that Ian was full of surprises. They entered his bedroom, which again, was surprisingly neat, and another set of large windows dominated one wall, looking out on Christ’s Pieces. He sat on the blue comforter covering the bed, pulling her down next to him. They stretched out and Ian made sure Sofie was tucked securely into his side.

“Let me hold you for a bit. Get used to me.”

Snuggling in, his body was hard, strong, and maybe that should have unnerved her, but never had she felt this protected. She felt safe with him. Totally safe.

“You have to know you can always tell me to stop. I won’t push; this is all up to you.”

“I won’t.”

He raised himself over her and, not being able to resist, Sofie reached out and touched Ian’s face. He smiled and her whole world lit up. “I love you, Sofie. I’ve never said that to anyone, and I won’t say it to anyone ever again. You’re it for me.”

“Oh, Ian, I love you, too. But you need to know some things about me, about my family.”

“You can tell me anything.” His lips touched hers and everything heated up. At the same time, his hand travelled up her side, gently caressing the length of her body.
Warmer still.

Sofie gave in to the sensations that bloomed at each touch. With great care, Ian drew her sweater over her head, her jeans down her legs and once she was on his bed in only a bra and panties, Ian took a breath. “God, you are so beautiful. I can’t believe you’re with me.” Ian rained kisses over her face and neck causing her to shiver. Pulling the covers back, Ian tucked her under the big comforter, finally stripped off his own jeans and shirt before joining her.

“Tell me to stop if you want me to.”

Twining her arms around Ian’s neck, she knew this was exactly where she wanted to be.

“I won’t want you to stop. I want you, Ian. I want you so much.”

His searing kiss was the last thing she remembered as their skin made contact, and Ian brought Sofie to a whole new world..

Blue flashing lights breaking into his room and the quick burst of a siren woke Ian from a sound sleep

He started to move, so he could see what was going on, but the beautiful brunette in his bed was holding him like her life depended on it. God knew, his heart most definitely depended on her.

“What’s going on outside?” she moaned. “It’s barely dawn.” Sofie picked up her head and glanced toward the window. The sky was gray, letting them both know the night was almost over.

“I’m not sure.” Planting his feet on the floor, Ian pulled on a pair of worn black

sweatpants and approach the windows. “Some police milling around. A couple of men who look like private security. Hmm. A stretch Mercedes just pulled up. Looks like a diplomat’s car.

There are flags on the front.”

He’d never seen Sofie move so fast. “What?” At his side, he could see the panic set in.

Everything about her went rigid. “No. No, no, no. How did they find me? I turned off my cell phone.”

“Find you? You know who that is? What’s going on?”

Looking outside again, a very attractive, middle aged woman, her golden brown hair

pulled into a twist, exited the car, and looked up at his windows. When she spotted him, the look on her face could best be described as pained. Sad. What the hell was going on?

“Sofie, who is the woman?”

Craning her neck to see as she hopped around to get her jeans on, Sofie groaned. “My mother.”

“Your mother.” Running his hand through his hair, Ian needed answers. “Your mother is being driven around in an official car? Is she an ambassador, or something?” He knew within a few weeks of meeting Sofie that there had to be something out of the ordinary with the Luzano family. He’d spotted the personal security guard, who’d done her best not to be noticed as she trailed Sofie, months ago. They must have ditched her last night because as he thought about it the bodyguard had been nowhere in sight.

“She’s not an ambassador.” She froze. There were footsteps. People were climbing the stairs to his flat and Sofie’s breath caught before she was able to respond.

“My mother is the queen,” she said hoarsely.

Of all the things she could have said, that was the last thing he expected. “I’m sorry did you say…”

“My mother is Queen Louisa of Aubonne. My father is Archduke Alessandro.”

“So that makes you a…a
princess
?”

She nodded at the same time there was a knock on the door.

“Why am I only just hearing about this now, Sofie? It’s kind of a big deal.”

“I kept it quiet so I could be normal.”

“Normal. Oh. Am I part of your quest for normalcy?” Had she used him? Had he

misjudged her?

“No, it was nothing like that, but—“

“Princess Sofia?” A clipped, accented voice came booming from the hallway along with a more forceful knock. “Your Highness, are you alright?”

“Be right there,” Ian responded. Grabbing a t-shirt from the basket of folded laundry on the couch, he pulled it over his head. “Can I let them in?”

Sofie wiped her eyes and fluffed her hair. “Do I look okay? I mean do you think that—“

“That your mother is going to be able to tell you had sex all night?”
Shit
.

The way her mouth dropped open Ian could see he’d shocked her as well. And hurt her.

“That wasn’t what I meant.”

With her arms wrapped around her middle, her dark hair tucked behind her ear, Sofie looked young, scared and Ian had never felt so guilty.

“It’s alright,” she responded. But it wasn’t alright.

The knocking on the door had gone to pounding. “I’m going to let them in before the goons in the hallway break down the door.”

Her nod was tentative, afraid, and Ian’s instinct was to hold her, protect her from whatever had her so frightened. He wanted to let her know it was going to be okay. But the truth was, he had no idea what was going to happen when he opened the door. Based on Sofie’s nerves, he could only imagine how this was going to go.

He flipped the deadbolt and before he could even turn the knob, the door burst open and he was pushed against the wall with a .45 caliber pistol pressed under his chin. Nope. Not good at all.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t blow your brains out?” the goon growled. He was an older

man, maybe in his forties—big and blond, he sounded like a character out of an action film—the guy wanted to affect the air of the lethal professional, but in Ian’s mind he was on the same level as a rent-a-cop. In one quick move, Ian had disarmed him and laid the man out on the floor. He popped the magazine out of the gun, kept the ammo, and handed the empty Glock back to the goon who was flat on his back and gasping for breath.

In the meantime, the woman he’d seen out his window, Sofie’s mother, came through the door. And more than just walking in, the Queen made an entrance. Her royal blue wrap flowed off her tall, slender frame, and while she and her daughter had a strong resemblance to one another, the Queen definitely didn’t possess her daughter’s softness or warmth. No. Her Majesty was hard as nails.

She looked Ian up one side and down the other, and he had to give the woman credit, he couldn’t tell what she thought of him. Instead, she went to her daughter and embraced her.

“We were so worried, Sofia. What if something had happened to you?”

“I was safe, Mama.”

“I wouldn’t have let anything happen to her.”
Damn.
He wasn’t planning on saying anything; he was going to take everything in and figure out where he fit.