Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Then I got the job for Eddie and Monica, and things changed. Suddenly the freedom I had was gone. I went from being a nobody, gallivanting around London by myself, to being the nanny for the most adored and photographed baby in the entire country, maybe even the entire world. Suddenly everyone knew who I was. They knew every detail about me, from how my parents died when I was eight, to how my grandmother raised me by herself in Todalen, to who I was not dating.
It made me a shut-in, and I was already antisocial to begin with. I didn’t even want to go out when I had a day off because I knew I’d be photographed. (I know, why would they even bother with a nanny? But the UK media is batshit when it comes to anything to do with the royals.) I stayed in the palace all the time when I could, and my only real friend was Monica, but even that was always precarious because of the boss-employee relationship.
And so…there was James.
The minute I first saw him at the Fairfaxes’, all tall, with striking dark brows, amazing hair, witty eyes, a panty-dropping Scottish accent, big hands, and a wicked smile—I knew he was trouble.
And then he smirked at me.
It was fleeting, his face quickly going back to neutral. But that smirk did me in. It was another week before we were properly introduced to each other, but even then, in the back of my head, I knew it was just the beginning.
After that, the two of us skirted around each other until James invited me out for dinner in the city with him and his old friends in town, Harrison and Piper. Nothing physical happened between us, but we got closer. A lot closer.
It wasn’t just lust either. At times he genuinely seemed interested in me. He seemed to care. It’s part of his charm. He would ask about my grandmother a lot, perhaps knowing that part of me often missed my home country and the woman who had raised me.
But after a while, the sexual tension was impossible to ignore. One crisp fall night at three in the morning, the thread of tension snapped.
Next thing I knew, I was getting royally screwed by Prince Eddie’s bodyguard. After that, it was all I could think about. It’s not just that our chemistry was combustible, but that I found some kind of solace in him, as if he understood me and I understood him through just our bodies.
Or at least I thought I did. The thing about James is that being Prince Eddie’s PPO never stopped him from going out and living his life. In fact, he had a bit of a reputation for it. But me? I was blinded by lust and very, very lonely.
Which in the end made me feel vulnerable when he abruptly broke it off and started acting like I didn’t exist. The one time I let myself fall in lust. Lord help me if I ever truly fall in love.
I take an extra-long time in the shower—as if I can wash away the fact that James’s skilled hands were ever on my body—then I start getting ready for the day. I put on a thin red sweater that keeps me warm and fits nicely under my coat (also happens to make my boobs look huge), and high-waisted skinny jeans with thick fluffy socks. I blow-dry my hair straight, making a mental note to get more highlights put in at some point, then do a quick coat of makeup. I’m so used to just pulling my hair back and not wearing makeup when I’m here that I almost feel like a different person when I’ve got lipstick on.
I grab my purse and then step out into the hall.
Nearly colliding with James.
“Hey,” he says to me, his eyes taking on a mischievous slant. “How did you sleep?”
Don’t give him an inch.
“Just fine,” I tell him, offering a quick smile before pushing past him.
And he’s right on my tail as I head to the shoe rack by the front door.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
I sit down on the bench, glancing up at him as I grab my boots. “It’s my day off.” I eye his suit. “Isn’t it your day off too?”
He looks down at his suit. “Old habits die hard.”
“They certainly do.” I’m just glad it’s not his new suit that Magnus bought him, because those pants are pretty tight and they leave nothing to the imagination. As in, you can’t help but stare at his crotch, and since I happen to know how well-endowed he is, it’s an extra tease.
Again, probably done on purpose.
“You’re going to visit your grandmother?”
I pull on my boots. “Yup.”
“Can I come?”
I pause, eyes widening. “Why? To see my grandmother?”