Trial Month Four
By the time graduation rolled around a month later, Iโd corralled the butterflies into a cage, but an errant one escaped twice. Once, when I saw Rhys petting Meadow, whoโd worn him down with her utter cuteness. Another time when I saw the way his arm muscles flexed as he carried groceries into the house.
It didnโt take a lot to get my butterflies going.ย Hussies.
Still, despite the annoying critters living rent-free in my stomach, I tried to act normal around Rhys. I didnโt have another option.
โDo I get a medal or a certificate of recognition for my incredible restraint over the past four months?โ It just so happened the last day of my trial period coincided with my graduation ceremony, and I couldnโt resist teasing Rhys while we waited for Ava to set up the shot on her tripod. She was our unofficial photographer for group photos today.
โNo. You get a tracker-free phone.โ Rhys scanned the quad, his suspicious gaze drilling into suburban dads with beer bellies and WASP-y moms dressed in head-to-toe Tory Burch alike.
โItโs been tracker-free this entire time.โ โNow itย staysย tracker-free.โ
Apparently, Rhys had never heard of matching someoneโs energy. I was trying to be lighthearted, and he was more serious than a heart attack.
Really, Bridget?ย Thisย is the guy you want to flutter for?
Before I could come up with a witty response, Ava waved us over for photos, and Rhys lingered behind while I squeezed into the shot with Jules, Stella, Josh, and Ava, who was controlling the camera through an app on her phone.
Iโd deal with my inappropriate flutters later. It was my last time on campus with my friends as a student, sort of, and I wanted to enjoy it.
โYou stepped on my foot,โ Jules snapped at Josh. โYour foot got in my way,โ Josh snapped back.
โLike I would intentionally put any part of my body in your wayโโ
โI need to Lysol myself to get yourโโ
โStop it!โ Stella slashed her hand through the air, startling everyone with her sharp tone. She was usually the most Zen in our group. โOr Iโll post the candid andย veryย unflattering photos I have of theย bothย of you online.โ
Josh and Jules gasped. โYou wouldnโt,โ they said at the same time before glaring at each other.
I stifled a laugh while Ava, who usually played reluctant mediator between her friend and brother, cracked a smile.
Eventually, we wrangled everyone into a respectable group shot, then another, and another, until we took enough pictures to fill a half dozen albums and it was time to say goodbye.
I hugged my friends and tried to swallow the messy ball of emotion in my throat. โIโll miss you guys.โ
Jules and Stella were staying in D.C. to attend law school and work as an assistant atย D.C. Styleย magazine, respectively, but Ava was heading to London for a year-long photography fellowship, and I was moving to New York.
Iโd convinced the palace to let me stay in the U.S. as Eldorraโs royal ambassador. If an event required a royal Eldorran presence, I was the person for the job. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to stay in D.C., most of the events took place in New York, so there I would go.
I hugged Ava the hardest and longest. Between her family drama and breakup with Alex, sheโd gone through hell the past few months, and she needed extra love.
โYouโll adore London,โ I said. โItโll be a fresh start, and you have the little black book of must-visit spots I gave you.โ
Ava flashed a small smile. โIโm sure I will. Thanks.โ She glanced around, and I wondered if she was looking for Alex. No matter what she said, she wasnโt over him, and she probably wouldnโt be for a while.
I didnโt spot him in the crowd, but I wasnโt surprised. For a supposed genius, he could be quite the idiot. Heโd said and done some hurtful things, but he cared about Ava. He was just either too stubborn or too stupid to act on it.
I made a mental note to pay him a visit before I left for New York. I was tired of waiting for him to pull his head out of his ass.
After one last round of hugs, my friends drifted off with their families until it was just me and Rhys.
My grandfather and Nikolai had wanted to come, but they canceled their trip at the last minute because of some diplomatic crisis with Italy. They were both distraught over missing my graduation, but Iโd assured them it was okay.
And it was. I understood the responsibilities that came with the crown and the heir. But it didnโt mean I couldnโt wallow in a bit of self-pity.
โYou ready?โ Rhys asked, his tone a shade gentler than usual.
I nodded, tamping down the flicker of loneliness in my stomach as we walked to our car. Graduation, moving
cities, saying goodbye to everything Iโd loved for the past four yearsโฆit was too much change in too short a time.
I was so lost in my thoughts I didnโt notice we were heading into the city instead of home until I spotted the Washington Monument glowing in the distance.
โWhere are we going?โ I straightened in my seat. โYouโre not dragging me to some warehouse so you can butcher me, are you?โ
I couldnโt see Rhysโs face, but I couldย hearย his eye roll. โIf I wanted to do that, I wouldโve done so the day after meeting you.โ
I frowned, more insulted than reassured, but my tart reply died on my lips when he added, โFigured you wouldnโt want to stay home and order takeout on graduation night.โ
Iย didnโtย want to stay home on graduation night. It seemed so sad, but it seemed sadder to eat dinner by myself in some fancy restaurant.
I had Rhys, but he was paid to be there, and he wasnโt exactly a chatty conversationalist. And yetโฆhe knew exactly what I needed without me uttering a word.
Another butterfly escaped in my stomach before I shoved it back into its cage.
โWhere are we going, then?โ I repeated my question, intrigue edging out my earlier melancholy.
He pulled up in front of a strip mall. There werenโt many of those in D.C., but this one contained all the trappings of a suburban outpost, including a Subway, a nail salon, and a restaurant named Walia.
โBest Ethiopian spot in the city.โ Rhys cut the engine.
My heart tripped. Ethiopian was my favorite cuisine. Of course, Rhys couldโve chosen it at random without remembering the fact, which Iโd let slip one time during a drive home.
โI donโt believe you,โ I said. โBest Ethiopian is on U Street.โ
It wasnโt. One taste of Waliaโsย injeraย sourdough flatbread andย tibs wotย beef half an hour later, and I knew Rhys was right. Itย wasย the best Ethiopian spot in the city.
โHow did I not know about this place?โ I demanded, breaking off another piece ofย injeraย and using it to scoop up the meat. In Ethiopian culture, the bread was an eating utensil as much as it was food.
โIt flies under most peopleโs radar. I guarded an Ethiopian VIP for a few months. Only reason I found out about this place.โ
โYouโre full of surprises.โ I chewed my food, thinking. After I swallowed, I said, โSince itโs my graduation night, letโs play a game. Itโs called Getting to Know Rhys Larsen.โ โSounds boring.โ Rhys flicked his eyes around the
restaurant. โI already know Rhys Larsen.โ โI donโt.โ
He heaved a long-suffering sigh, and I fought the urge to cheer because the sigh meant he was about to cave. It didnโt happen often, but when it did, I reveled in it like a kid in a candy store.
โFine.โ Rhys sat back and folded his hands over his stomach, the picture of grouchiness. โOnly because itโs your graduation night.โ
I smiled.
Bridget: one. Rhys: zero.
For the rest of dinner, I peppered him with questions Iโd always wanted to ask, starting with the small stuff.
Favorite food? Baked sweet potatoes. Favorite color? Black. (Shocker).
Favorite movie?ย Reservoir Dogs.
After I exhausted the basics, I moved on to more personal territory. To my surprise, he answered most of my questions without complaint. The only ones he skirted were those about his family.
Biggest fear? Failure. Biggest dream? Peace.
Biggest regret? Inaction.
Rhys didnโt elaborate on his vague answers, and I didnโt push him. Heโd already given me more than Iโd expected, and if I pushed too hard, he would shut down.
Eventually, I worked up the courage to bring up something that had been needling me for the past few weeks.
The honey wine helped. It made me all warm and buzzy, and it eroded my inhibitions with every sip.
โAbout the indoor festival you set up for Rokburyโฆโ
Rhys stabbed at a piece of beef, ignoring the table of women ogling him from the corner. โWhat about it?โ
โMy friends didnโt know what I was talking about when I mentioned it to them.โ Iโd checked with Ava and Stella too, just in case, and theyโd both stared at me like Iโd grown two heads.
โSo?โ
I finished my wine, my nerves jumping all over the place. โSo, you said my friends helped you with the setup.โ
Rhys chewed quietly, not answering me.
โDid youโฆโ A strange lump formed in my throat. I blamed it on too much food. โDid you come up with the idea? And set it up all by yourself?โ
โItโs not a big deal.โ He continued eating without looking at me.
Iโd known it was him since my phone call with Jules, but hearing him confirm it was a whole other matter.
The butterflies in my stomach escaped all at once, and the lump in my throat grew. โItย isย a big deal. It wasโฆvery thoughtful. As was tonight. Thank you.โ I spun my silver ring around my finger. โBut I donโt understand why you didnโt tell me it was your idea, or why you did it all. You donโt even like me.โ
Rhysโs brow scrunched. โWho said I didnโt like you?โ โYou.โ
โI never said that.โ
โYou implied it. Youโre always so grumpy and scolding me.โ
โOnly when you donโt listen.โ
I bit back a tart reply. The night was going so well, and I didnโt want to ruin it, even if he made me feel like a misbehaving child sometimes.
โI didnโt tell you because it was inappropriate,โ he added gru๏ฌy. โYouโre my client. I should not beโฆdoing those types of things.โ
My heart crashed against my ribcage. โBut you did it, anyway.โ
Rhysโs mouth flattened into a displeased line, like he was angry at his own actions. โYes.โ
โWhy?โ
He finally lifted his eyes to meet mine. โBecause I understand what itโs like to be alone.โ
Alone.
The word struck me harder than it shouldโve. I wasnโt physically aloneโI was surrounded by people all day, every day. But no matter how much I tried to pretend I was a normal college student, I wasnโt. I was the Princess of Eldorra. It meant glamour and celebrity, but it also meant bodyguards and round-the-clock protection, bulletproof vests and a life that was planned, not lived.
The other royals I knew, including my brother, were content with living life in a fishbowl. I was the only one clawing at my insides, desperate to escape my own skin.
Alone.
Rhys somehow recognized that inherent truth about me before I did.
โThoughtfulย andย observant.โ He was observant of his surroundings, but I hadnโt expected him to be so observant ofย meย he saw parts of me Iโd hid from myself. โYou reallyย areย full of surprises.โ
โDonโt tell anyone, or Iโll have to kill them.โ
The tension cracked, and a small, genuine smile blossomed on my lips. โHumorous too. Iโm convinced aliens have hijacked your body.โ
Rhys snorted. โIโd like to see them try.โ
I didnโt ask any more questions after that, and Rhys didnโt offer any more answers. We finished our dinner in companionable silence, and after he paidโheโd refused to entertain the idea of splitting the checkโwe walked off the food in a nearby park.
โYouโre really letting me walk around here without my vest?โ I teased. The bulletproof vest hung in the back of my closet, unused since our trip to the mall.
An image of Rhysโs hands on my skin in the dressing room flashed through my mind, and my face heated.
Thank God itโs dark out.
โDonโt make me regret it.โ Rhys paused before adding, โYouโve proven you can handle yourself without me breathing down your neck.โ He said it almost grudgingly.
Iย hadย been more careful with my actions in recent months, even without Rhysโs explicit instructions, but I hadnโt expected him to notice. Heโd never said anything about it until now.
A pleasant warmth unfurled in my stomach. โMr. Larsen, we might not kill each other after all.โ
His mouth twitched.
We continued walking through the park, where we passed couples making out on the benches, teens huddled by the fountain, and a busker playing his heart out on the guitar.
I wanted to stay in that peaceful moment forever, but dinner, alcohol, and a long day conspired to drive exhaustion into my bones, and I couldnโt hold back a small yawn.
Rhys noticed instantly. โTime to go, princess. Letโs get you to bed.โ
Maybe it was because I was delirious from fatigue and the high emotion of the day, or maybe it was because of my recent dry spell with the opposite sex, but a mental image of him โgetting me to bedโ flashed through my mind, and my entire body flushed.
Because in my imagination, we were doing anythingย but
sleeping.
Images of Rhys naked, on top of me, under me, behind meโฆthey all crowded my brain until my thighs clenched and my clothes rasped against my skin. My tongue suddenly felt too thick, the air too thin.
My first sexual fantasy about him, and he was standing less than five feet away, staring right at me.
I was a princess, he was my bodyguard. I was twenty-two, he was thirty-two.
It was wrong, but I couldnโt stop.
Rhysโs eyes darkened. Mind reading didnโt exist, but I had the eerie sense he could somehow crawl inside my brain and pick out every dirty, forbidden thought I had about him.
I opened my mouthโto say what, I wasnโt sure, but I had to sayย somethingย to break the dangerously charged silence.
Before I could utter a word, however, a gunshot ripped through the night, and chaos ensued.
