“I will.”I just have to come up with it first.Neese’s stomach twisted at the idea of lying to her mother. She ended the call and stared at the phone in her lap.
“Everything all right?” Tatum squatted in front of her, his hands on her knees.
She was falling for him—hard and fast. How was this supposed to end? With her boarding a plane and always wondering what if? Would he move to the island? And then what—her father would go back on his word to the king of Riodan, leaving Prince Marius without a bride? The deeper she dove, the harder it was to hold her breath. It was time to return to her real life—time to be the princess she came here to be. This afternoon with Tatum was a gift she would treasure—always. “Everything is fine. I need to get back to the hotel, though.”
“Sure.” Tatum shrugged. “I was winning anyway.”
“Because you cheat.” She poked his chest, smiling even though she was dying inside. There would be no more trips to the patisserie, no more hideous shoes, and no more kisses. This had to be goodbye.
She wasn’t only saying goodbye to this man who made her heart flutter; she was saying goodbye to her freedom. With Tatum, she’d never felt so free and yet so protected. She hadn’t thought about how her kissing him would affect the royal family. For an afternoon, she’d forgotten she was a princess with responsibilities and she’d just been a woman falling for a handsome man. Today, she was just Neese and she was enough; enough to entice a kiss from Tatum. Who knew she had all that power inside of her?
She couldn’t let this continue. Forgetting who she was and why she was here was out of the question. How could she be so dedicated to the cause that morning in the hotel and forget it completely after only a short time with Tatum? He had the ability to overpower rational thought with just a look. He didn’t know it, but he was a troublemaker. Saying goodbye was the best option—no, it was the only option.
She was quiet on the ride to the hotel, the mantle of responsibility settling back into place.
Chapter Eleven
Whatever the queen had said on the phone cast a wet blanket over his date.
Date?
Nelson would laugh his guts out if he knew Tatum had gone bowling with an advisor to the princess of Zimrada. He could hear him now. “Way to sweep her off her feet.” Or, “You really know how to show a girl a good time.”
The thing was, they were having a great time right up until the phone call. He couldn’t remember when he’d been so relaxed and off duty. And that kiss! He could hardly believe Neese was into him, though likely not as much as he was into her.
He checked the rearview mirror and found that car behind him again. The one that had followed him from the bakery to the bowling alley and cruised right past. He recognized the broken right headlight. Most likely, it was the guard. The man had shown up at the bowling alley too, which meant he was either there for Neese or him. He was betting money it was for Neese.
But he wasn’t ruling out the idea that it could be him. Tatum hadn’t seen the man who tried to kill him since the ball, but that didn’t mean the guy didn’t know where Tatum was at all times. Having this islander trail him when he was with Neese could be a ploy to throw Tatum off.
The assassin could be scouting him. Depending on how things played out, Neese could be in danger. He needed to know what he was up against. There was one way to find out. He took a right, turning away from the hotel and squealing the tires on the wet pavement.
“Is something wrong?” asked Neese as she grabbed the door.
Tatum didn’t want to alarm her. He could handle the driving. “Not a thing. This has been a great afternoon.”
“Not nice?” she teased.
“Oh, it was nice.” He threaded their fingers together. “But you have to say it like an American. Accent the I. Niiice.”
“N-ice,” she tried, and failed in a cute way. She shook her head. “I will remember this, always.”
He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “You make it sound like I’ll never see you again.” He made a left and put them back on track to get her where she needed to be. The sooner she was safely in her room, the better.
“I’m leaving Saturday.”
“We have tomorrow.”
“I have meetings.”
“Friday?”
“A guided tour of the legislative building and the Supreme Court—a welcome packet from your president. I’m done at four,” she added timidly.
He paused. It almost sounded like she felt like she had to offer but hoped he’d say no. “I’m working at six,” he replied.
Her shoulders dropped. “Then I guess this really is goodbye.”
Tatum wanted to tell her about their plans to move to the island, that he could see her again, soon, if everything worked out. He wanted to beg her help in getting the contract so they could be together. But he couldn’t discuss the contract with anyone but the royal family, and he especially didn’t want to put her in any danger or compromise her position in the royal household. He pulled up to the front of the hotel and ran around to get her door. “I’ll be right back,” he told the attendant as he handed over the keys.
