Page 27 of The Princess and the SEAL

We finally arrived at the hotel. Ryan opened the door for me—and I gasped.

My father was standing there, pacing around the lobby.

Oh no.

I turned to Ryan. “That’s my—”

“Father, I know.”

My face scrunched up. “How do you know?”

“Because I memorized everything I could about your country last night. Regular intel for planning a mission.”

Right. I was a job to Ryan. A challenge. Sure, he was attracted to me, but he seemed to have some misguided duty to protect me. But Ryan’s mission plans were the least of my worries—I had to focus on my father.

The king.

My father’s eyes immediately met mine. He motioned toward me to come toward him.

Uh oh. I royally pissed him off.

I squeezed Ryan’s hand. “Let me handle this.”

“I’m going with you.”

My heart softened toward Ryan. Most men I’d met would run away from any conflict, and here Ryan was offering to stay by my side.

“No. That won’t be necessary. Why don’t you stop at a café for some coffee? I’ll meet you back at the bed-and-breakfast.”

Ryan shook his head. “No. I’ll wait for you. I’ll just sit here.”

He grabbed a newspaper and sat on a sofa in the lobby. I was impressed that he hadn’t bolted the first chance he had.

I walked toward my father. The second he glared at me, guilt covered me like a blanket. The deep lines around his eyes seemed even more prominent as he scowled.

But I knew that he wasn’t going to yell at me in public. We were royals, after all.

He pointed toward an office. Great, he must’ve already secured a room so he could scold me in private.

Head held high, I greeted him with a curtesy and a kiss on his cheek.

“Giselle! Where have you been? No one has been able to get in touch with you.”

Shame consumed me. This was entirely my fault. I knew that my father would worry. I had placed myself in this situation. I needed to take full responsibility for my foolish actions.

“I’m fine, Papa. I’m so sorry for causing you to worry. That was never my intent.” I needed to come clean now. “I’m sorry I lied to you yesterday in my email. I didn’t merely lose my phone; I was mugged in the town square yesterday. Luckily, I met a gentleman who went after the criminal and retrieved my luggage.”

My father’s jaw dropped. “A gentleman? Where is this gentleman?”

“He’s in the lobby.”

“You said you stayed with a friend. A female friend. That was a lie? Please tell me you didn’t spend the night with some man you met on the street.”

Well, when you put it that way, it really does sound awful.

My cheeks burned from embarrassment. “I did, in fact. I had no money or identification, and I didn’t want to alarm you. Nothing happened between us at all. He’s an American Navy SEAL. And quite a gentleman.”

The second those words left my lips, I knew that I’d just walked into a ring of fire. I had admitted that I’d spent the night with Ryan.