“Oh gosh, Ryan, it isn’t that hard. The hardest part was hiding who you were from Lucie.” Jasper rolled his eyes and motioned for Lucie and Aedan to take a seat of their own.
“Yeah, sorry about all that, Lucie. I’m so devastatingly handsome that if I treated you like the princess you are, you would have fallen madly in love with me. I hope we can start fresh from here on out.”
Lucie raised a brow at him and plopped onto the sofa between Jasper and Aedan. “I see. A poor, fragile girl like me would have just buckled under the pressure of your charm. I’mso lucky to have such considerate and capable men around me. I’d be absolutely lost.”
Ryan chuckled. “Oh, I like the real Lucie much much better. The Lucie not trying to keep up pretenses.”
“Anyway, Ryan,” Jasper said, changing the subject. “What’s going on? Do you have a death wish? If Derrick hears you slept in the same room with Lucie, you know what will happen.”
“His hyper-jealous mode will kick in and he’ll bury me in pieces on every corner of our territory? Yeah, I know. The thing is … there’s been gossip lately. Rumors are getting out that the relationship between the prince and princess is strained. People are getting anxious that it isn’t a solid treaty. If the prince and princess can’t get along …”
“Then how can the two species get along?” Aedan said, nodding his head.
Lucie looked over at Aedan in shock. For once, he was keeping up with the conversation. Which meant what she always suspected … he never paid attention.
“Anyway … Lucie and I need to act close. We should act like a couple excited to be together. Now that there won’t be any misunderstandings, we should be able to pull this off without Lucie falling in love with me.” Ryan chuckled as Lucie rolled her eyes.
“You think very highly of yourself, don’t you?” Lucie said with a crooked smile.
“I can’t help it. I mean … look at me. Look at this body! And I’ve had to practically live like a monk to protect the prince’s reputation. After this is all over, I’m going to go crazy. I’ll let the women feast upon my body until they can satisfy their hunger, if that is even possible.”
Lucie looked over at Jasper. “Is he serious?”
“This is going to be a crowded room. There isn’t much room for anyone else with his ego,” Jasper said, rubbing his forehead.
“Hey! It’s not ego. This …” Ryan motioned over himself with his hand. “This is a gift. And I should share this gift. It’ll be like a chance for women to taste a bit of heaven. And if they can experience that through me, then who am I to deny them of that?”
It was very obvious to Lucie just how much he’d been holding his real personality back. He was always so quiet and reserved with her. It was a bit weird at first seeing him as the guy she’d known as Derrick, the man she’d originally pictured as her fiancé. Now, he wasn’t that guy at all. In more ways than one. And … she liked him. He reminded her of a mixture of the guys she was always around, except maybe with some extra ego.
“Wow, I can see Justice and Ryan actually getting along quite well,” Aedan said, almost seeming to read Lucie’s mind.
Lucie snickered. “Yeah, I think so too.”
“Justice?” Ryan asked, quirking his brow.
“That’s her cousin. He’ll be joining her here as her new guardian.” Jasper watched as Ryan’s brows furrowed.
“There is no need for anyone else to be here for her. That’s the purpose of the elite soldiers.”
“Derrick already knows and is for it. Lucie is a special case. Anyway, he will be joining us,” Jasper answered pointedly.
“Whatever. That could only lead to more me time, and gods know I need it.” Ryan sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees while he looked at Lucie. “Are you up for what we have to do? I mean, I don’t think it should be too hard to act interested in me, but …”
“I guess we didn’t do a good enough job before, or the rumors wouldn’t have started circulating. But that’s still on all you guys being morons. Not well thought out at all. Had I known, we could have put on a better show.” Lucie clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Well just don’t go falling in love with me, because I am going to treat you like you’re mine. Once Derrick is back for good, I’m off the clock.”
Lucie rolled her eyes. “I’ll try to contain myself.”
Ryan’s eyes turned serious as he pushed aside his fun demeanor. “Lucie, it’s very important that we do a good job here. All joking aside … can you look at me as you would your mate?”
Her eyes widened slightly. She could see the determination behind his amber eyes. His dedication to his role was evident, and she realized that to be hiding his true self this whole time, he must really take his job seriously. Next to Jasper, she supposed he was Derrick’s most trusted man.
“I can do it. But don’t expect me to act like a lovesick, giddy, starry-eyed mate. That isn’t me. But I will do my part.” Lucie met his gaze, showing her own strength and conviction.
“Just don’t go overboard,” Jasper said, looking at Ryan. “Remember, Derrick will hear about all of this.”
Ryan grinned. “Lucie already spared my life by thinking fast and having you two room with us. That has tonight covered. We’ll have to think about how to proceed with nights in the future.”
