A Royal Mess and Her Knight To Remember

Unable to help himself, Kyle stepped a little closer, just a little.

Big mistake.

She smelled like some exotic flower, and his nose itched to press even closer.

“My God.” Lissa stared at them, then let out a little laugh. “You two…together…who’d have thought that the sweet little princess and the hard-ass cop-”

“Hey, I’m not a hard-ass,” Kyle said.

“Yes, you are,” Kevin said.

“And call me sweet little princess at your own risk,” Annie said. “But back to this.”

“You mean you and Kyle,” Lissa said.

“Yes. No! There is no me and Kyle.”

“But about the kiss-” Lissa started.

“Yeah, about the kiss-” Kevin said.

“Forget the kiss,” Annie said tightly. “It lasted only a second.”

“So there was a connection,” Lissa clarified.

“No,” Annie said, glaring at Kyle. Don’t you dare tell them about what happened between us, her eyes demanded.

Too bad Kyle didn’t respond well to demands. Never had. “Now there’s no reason to get anyone’s panties tied in knots.”

Annie shot him another silent dagger.

Oh, yeah, that anger in her eyes was a definite turn-on. “Kevin and Lissa just want to know what happened, right?”

Lissa’s and Kevin’s heads bobbed in collective agreement.

“But nothing happened!” Annie said through her teeth. “Nothing.”

“Okay,” Kyle said with a shrug. “Whatever. I was only there. What do I know?”

“Really,” Annie said, weaker now in the face of Lissa’s open curiosity.

Ooh, if looks could kill, Kyle thought as he absorbed Annie’s staggering death look, he’d be dead as a doornail right here on the spot. “At least you remember who saved who, right? Because I definitely came to your rescue, Princess.”

Annie fisted her hands in her hair and let out a strangled scream of frustration.

“And as the victim,” Kyle went on, feeling pretty damn pleased with himself for some reason, “it’s understandable you’d want to grab on to the person that saved you. It’s a hero-worship thing, very common. Just try to restrain yourself.”

“Oh, this is ridiculous! Leave it alone, all of you!” Annie let out a slow breath when Lissa blinked in hurt surprise. “I’m sorry. It’s just that it was nothing. He is nothing.”

“Hey,” Kyle said.

But Lissa was standing in front of him, blocking his view as she hugged Annie tight. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Annie. Not one thing. Forget about Kyle. Focus on the good news. I have five seamstresses working around the clock to replace your dress. Everything will be fine. Just fine.”

Annie paled at the mention of the dress being remade, and Kyle thought maybe he enjoyed that even more than bickering with her. “Oh, Annie?” he called as she was led away by Lissa. He lifted Kevin’s shot glass in a silent salute. “Can’t wait to see that dress again.”

She sent him a roll-over-and-die look before she allowed Lissa to pull her away.

HERO WORSHIP, MY EYE! Annie thought, so furious she could hardly see. She stormed out of the bar and through the restaurant, toward the wall of French doors at the far end. She figured fresh air would help cool her temper.

It didn’t.

She figured the gorgeous view of tall mountains and mesas would help soothe her.

It didn’t.

Unbelievable how riled up he could make her. He was just a cop. A tough, remarkably quick-witted and sharp cop, yes. Traits that under any other circumstances she might even admire.

Might. If he didn’t drive her so crazy.

And he thought she worshiped him. Ha! “The only thing I feel for him is the insane need to wipe that smirk right off his face,” she muttered, gripping the balcony railing with white knuckles.

“Careful,” came a low, unbearably sexy, unbearably familiar voice. “You’re talking about the guy who rescued you.”

“You,” she fairly spat out, refusing to look.

“Yeah.” She didn’t have to look to see his smug expression, she could hear it in his voice. “Me.”

Her fingers gripped the railing even tighter as her mind and body warred. One wanted to look at him and the other wanted to-damn it-look at him.

She refused. “I came out here to be alone. As in just me.”

He didn’t take the hint, instead came forward and leaned on the balcony right next to her. So close his arm brushed hers. His face, when he turned it toward hers, was still smug, and so close she could see the setting sun dancing in his eyes.

Her breath backed up in her throat because he was so gorgeous. Too gorgeous. And incredibly sure of himself.

And damn, if that didn’t make him all the more attractive.

“So…why are you so upset?” he wondered, reaching out with one finger, rubbing it over the crease she knew appeared in her forehead when she got herself worked up over something.

To say she was worked up now was the under-statement of the year.

“Annie?”

“What?” she whispered.

“Why are you so upset?”

“Because…” Because you do something to my insides and I don’t like it. Because I’m melting over the way you’re looking at me, and I don’t like that, either. “I’m not harboring some secret hero fantasy over you,” she said defensively.

He lifted a shoulder. “Okay.”

“I’m not attracted to you. Not in the least.”

“You’re sure protesting a lot.”

“Did I mention I wanted to be alone?”

“Yep.” He straightened and reached for her hand. “But what the princess wants, she doesn’t always get. Not tonight, anyway. I was sent out here for you. There’s something Lissa wants you to see.”

“Unless it’s the Exit sign,” she muttered, “I’m not interested.”

His laugh was low and sexy. “You should know I was ready to leave the moment I got here.”

That surprised her. He seemed the type of guy who could have fun at his own funeral. He’d certainly had enough fun at her expense. “What made you stay?”

“Besides being afraid of Lissa if I left early?” Suddenly there was no teasing in his gaze. “You.”

She stared at him for one long beat, then tossed her head back and laughed. “Right.”

“No, really. I-”

At that moment, Lissa and Kevin and a crowd of others, piled out onto the deck.

“You nearly missed it.” Lissa grinned while two waiters put out a couple of chairs. “Sit,” she said to the groom and his best man. “I’ve ordered you each a special present. Just because you allowed me to join you tonight doesn’t mean you can’t have a traditional bachelor party.”

Kevin and Kyle looked at each other. Annie tried to decipher the look on Lissa’s face and gave up.

Two uniformed women officers pranced-and there was no other word-onto the deck. Before Annie realized what they meant to do, they’d handcuffed each brother to their respective chairs.

This started an immediate party on the deck as the two cops began to dance.

The woo-hooing and catcalling got louder. The music was turned up.

And the two “cops,” thrusting their ample breasts and booties in the men’s faces, began to strip.