“I’m not pretending.”
“I drove you home in another man’s car tonight.”
“Of course, you did. Only an idiot with more money than sense keeps a car in the heart of London.”
Dieter shook his head. “It was your brother’s car.”
“That’s what I said.”
“I don’t own the clothes I’m wearing.”
“Yes, you do. You needed evening dress for these occasions I have to attend. Of course, we had a bespoke tuxedo tailored for you because you’re too muscular for regular sizes.”
“And I wear a gun under my jacket.”
“But the tuxedo looks fantastic on you.”
“I wasn’t holding you in my arms tonight. The tech giants, billionaires of all kinds, noblemen whose ancestors have ruled European kingdoms, politicians with old money and new money, the scions of Swiss banking families, and Russian oligarchs were all vying for your attention, and they deserve it.”
“Itoldyou that I wantedyouto dance with me. You would have fit right in, the way you carry yourself. Andyousaid I should dance with other men.”
“I couldn’t dance with you. My job is to keep you safe, not to dance with you and not to sleep with you.”
“I could have brought you as my date—”
“I’m not your date. I’m your hired bodyguard.”
“It was my cotillion! I could have put you or anyone I wanted to on the guest list. You could have taken the night off andbeen with me.”
“Yes, it was your cotillion, and you are the very pinnacle of your world. You’re the catch of your generation, Flicka. You’re beautiful and rich, and you know so many of the most powerful people in the world. You could be a major classical musician, or you could rule the world through soft power. Or both. Or with your connections, you could run for office and lead Germany. Your father is a member of parliament, no matter how lazy he is about the work he does. You should be with someone who could help you, not drag you down to their lowly level.”
“I hate it when you talk about yourself that way!”
“I have nothing to offer you. I walked away from the charity cotillions and the money and the power. You know what’s funny? If I hadn’t walked away, I might have met you and been the type of man you should be with. But if I hadn’t walked away, I wouldn’t deserve someone like you, someone sweet, and good, and who honestly has sneaky plans to change the world. There’s no way we could ever have been together.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You belong with a prince,Durchlauchtig.You belong with someone who is already on the guest list at charity cotillions, who can buy jewelry and safety and islands and anything else you want.”
“But I don’t want—”
“You shouldn’t be with me, the son of no one, owner of nothing, an ex-commando who doesn’t even hold an official military rank anymore, with half a degree and no money to speak of.”
“Money doesn’t meananything,”she tried again, getting scared now that he might mean it. “I don’t care about wealth and stupid, material things, whether it’s a shiny rock or a car that looks subtly different than other people’s cars. I really,reallydon’t. The world would be a better place if no one ever inherited as much money and stuff as I have, if all that money and treasure went into making people’s lives better, if no one gave a rat’s ass about stupid status symbol crap.”
“You might think you want someone like me now, but you won’t. You don’t know what being with someone like me would be like. You wouldn’t be rich. You wouldn’t be safe.”
“But we’d betogether.”That last word screamed out of her throat.
“That’s the worst thing that could happen to you, Flicka. You deserve to spend your life with a prince, not a mercenary. We have to stop,Durchlauchtig.”He turned to leave.
“If you walk out that door, don’t come back,” she told him. “Don’t ever call me again. Don’t you dare even talk to me.”
He didn’t turn to come back, and he didn’t stop walking away.“I’m sorry,Durchlauchtig.”
“And don’t call methatever again, either. Itmeanssomething to me. It obviously doesn’t mean anything to you.”
Dieter walked out of her apartment at Kensington Palace, leaving her behind.
