A Wise Prince: A Poisoned Pawn World Book Read online

  Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, leaving her neck exposed. I want to suck and lick my way down that neck and then fuck those perfect tits. Yep, I’m definitely an asshole.

  After showing her the upper levels, I take her around the main floor of the estate, saving Tessa’s cookies for last.

  “Oh, you found Auggie,” Tessa says when we enter.

  “I think Auggie found me,” Kate corrects her with a laugh.

  “You have to try these,” I say to Kate as I open the cookie jar and pull out two of Tessa’s world-famous cookies—OK, maybe not world-famous, but definitely famous in our family.

  I watch as Kate takes a bite. Her eyes close and she hums her appreciation. My cock suddenly comes to life. Down, boy! I notice a crumb on her lower lip.

  “You have a little something,” I say to her, motioning to her lip. Her tongue darts out and I have to stifle a groan. She’s killing me. She’s so seductive and she doesn’t even know it! She misses the crumb, so I bring my thumb up to her lip and slowly wipe it away. I bring my thumb up to my mouth and suck the crumb from it. Her eyes follow my hand, and I see her inhale sharply. Interesting. Kate is as affected by me as I am by her. Game on.

  I decide I need a new tactic. Kate isn’t my normal type of conquest. I need to give her a little more time, take it a little slower. This is the game that I’m good at. I love the challenge of seducing a new woman, making her mine and ruining her for any other man she’ll ever have. I’m not good at relationships and I’m not good at feelings, but Kate is from America. She’s not going to stay here anyhow. I might as well make her time in Europe memorable.

  “Would you like to go for a ride?” I ask her.

  “Uh, sure,” she says, swallowing the last of the cookie. “Those cookies are amazing, Tessa!”

  Tessa winks at her. “Secret’s in the spices.”

  “Come on,” I say as I grab her hand and pull her out of the kitchen. “Do you have any pants?”

  She looks at me like I’m crazy. “I’m American.”

  “Soooo, that’s a yes?”

  She rolls her eyes. “Yes, that is most definitely a yes.”

  “Go change and meet me down here in fifteen minutes,” I say to her.

  “OK.” She heads off upstairs and I watch her as she goes. Her ass…oh the things I could do to that ass. I shake my head and go to change.

  Kathryn

  I came prepared. I throw on my riding clothes and head downstairs.

  “Wow, proper clothes and everything,” he says with a grin.

  I shrug. “I’ve been known to ride a horse or two.”

  Auggie laughs as he places his hand on the small of my back and leads me out the main doors and down a side path. I lean my head up toward the sun as we walk. The air is fresh and has the slightest hint of salt, which is likely because the sea isn’t far from here.

  “It’s beautiful here,” I say quietly, meaning it.

  “It is. It’s one of my favorite places in the world,” he admits. I look up at him and he smiles at me, and not a condescending, playboy prince smile, but a real one. He’s gorgeous. I can see why women throw themselves at him.

  As we walk in amicable silence, my mind wanders back to something my little sister said before I left. She pulled me into her room and sat me down.

  “You need to go live life. Do you know how lucky you are? You basically have a free pass to go off the radar for the next eighteen months! Go see the world. Sleep with hot European men. Live!”

  I grin remembering that part about hot European men. Maybe…Auggie could be an experience for me, a story I can tell my grandkids someday. That one time I bagged a prince when I was studying in Europe. OK, not a grandkids type of story, but it would be fun to check that off a list…not that I have that on my list.

  “What are you thinking about?” Auggie asks as we approach what looks like stables.

  I turn up toward him. He seems very tall today. I mean, he seemed tall before, but he seems taller now. I crane my neck up and squint in the sunlight. “Just thinking about my time over here.”

  “Do you like it? Europe, I mean,” he asks as we walk into the stables and he summons a young woman to bring us horses.

  “I do. Very much.”

  We’re interrupted when the young woman brings over two horses. Auggie pats both of them.

  “This is one of my horses, Sirius. And this is Patsy,” he says as he motions to each horse. Patsy is slightly smaller and lighter in color, where Sirius is large and black with white on his nose.

  “Hi, Patsy,” I say softly as I stroke her neck. She looks at me and leans against my hand.

  “I think she likes you.”

  The woman puts out a stool for me to use to get up on Patsy. Auggie stands by me, his hands at the ready to assist.

  “You good?” he asks. I nod. And he effortlessly mounts his horse. If there ever was a swoon-worthy prince moment, I think it would be now. He looks regal on his horse, like a prince out of a fairy tale…a dark, sexy fairy tale.

  I follow him out toward a trail that leads us into a forested area. Auggie points out the different trees and a few small outbuildings as we ride along. Eventually, we get to a field on the top of a hill. The views are…breathtaking.

  “Wow!” I whisper as I pull up next to him, stopping Patsy so I can get a better look.

  “It’s the best view on the estate,” he says as he begins to tell me about the different things we can see from our scenic view. He’s quite knowledgeable. I don’t know why that surprises me. I ask questions and he answers them. He’s a little silly and I laugh at his ridiculous jokes as he pokes fun at my lack of knowledge regarding his nation’s history.

  “Shall we head back?” I ask when he finishes.

  “How about we let the horses have a little fun first?” he says with a waggle of his eyebrows.

  “Fun?” I ask, but I’m too late as he taps Sirius on the back and the horse takes off across the field, galloping at a fast pace.

  “OK, girl. Let’s show them what we are made of,” I whisper in Patsy’s ear before giving her a tap. She takes off, and I laugh as I begin to feel the familiar back and forth rocking in the saddle from her fast-paced motion. I grip the saddle and whoop as we speed past Sirius. Auggie calls out something but I don’t hear him with the wind whipping in my ears. I don’t realize we are coming to a cliff area until Patsy comes to a sudden halt. I’m thrown from the saddle and land with a thump on the ground. My leg starts sliding down the vertical rock. I ignore the pain in my hip and slowly pull myself up, trying to stop my fall.

  A strong hand grasps me, and before I know it, I’m pulled into Auggie and he’s falling back with me on top of him.

  His eyes are wide, and he slowly runs his hands over me.

  “Are you OK?” he asks, his hands stopping on my hips, keeping me flush against him.

  I swallow and assess myself.

  “I-I think so. My hip hurts a little. I landed pretty hard on it, but I think I’m OK.” His hand rubs along my hip and I grimace as he touches a sore spot.

  “We should get you back. Get that looked at. I’m sorry. I was trying to tell you, but you didn’t hear me,” he says.

  I shake my head. “It’s my fault. I was…having a little too much fun and didn’t pay attention.”

  “Why don’t you ride with me on the way back?” he says.

  “I-I can ride,” I stammer as he rolls us over and helps me up. I take his hand and he pulls me back against him. He smells…so good. And his body is…solid muscle.

  I take a step and wince. My hip is gonna have the biggest bruise.

  “Nope, not happening. Come on,” he says as he grabs me and helps me up on Sirius as though I weigh nothing. He mounts the horse behind me, pulling me against him and grabs Patsy’s reins. He keeps his one arm wrapped around me as we make our way back to the stables.

  I lean back against him as we ride. His hand is right beneath my breast, occasionally it brushes the undersi
de of my breast. I don’t know what’s come over me, but I now understand why so many women want to be with him. He’s sex personified. He’s what female fantasies are made of. My Prince Charming literally just rescued me. Fuck, I’m officially a fairy tale.

  Chapter Nine

  August

  I keep Kate firmly in my grip as we head toward the stables. I’m not going to lie; I want her there. I only wish she didn’t have any clothes on, but I think I can rectify that later. I try to decipher my desire for her as we ride in silence. I also allow my hand to bump up against the underside of her breast whenever possible. Yeah, like I said, I’m an asshole.

  I don’t know if it’s the “bagging the First Daughter” thing, or if it’s taming this stubborn woman that has me all keyed up over her. I just know right now, I want to peel off these clothes and fuck her until she’s screaming my name.

  As we approach the stables, I spot Anna and Logan dismounting their horses.

  “Hey,” Anna says and then frowns. “Are you guys OK?”

  “Yes. I just had a bit of a spill,” Kate says. I stop the horses and hand Patsy’s reins over to Logan. I hop off and then carefully lower Kate to the ground. She winces slightly.

  “Sorry,” I murmur in her ear as I let her go.

  “It’s OK. I’ll be fine, really,” she assures me. “It’s nice to meet you, Princess Susanna.” She tries to curtsy but winces again.

  “Oh, you must have really got thrown. I’ll have Tessa call the doctor. And please, call me Anna,” my sister says, smiling warmly.

  “No. I don’t need a doctor. I’ve been tossed off a horse before. Just an ice pack and some painkillers and I’ll be good as new,” she says.

  “Would you two mind putting the horses away? I’ll help Kate back to her room,” Anna says. I want to strangle my sister for pussy-blocking me.

  “Thanks,” Kate says as she hobbles alongside Anna toward the front of the palace.

  “She doesn’t look anything like her photos,” Logan says to me as he claps me on the back. “She’s hot. Good luck with that one.”

  I shake my head and we go about the duties of removing the tack.

  Kathryn

  “Thanks,” I say as Anna hands me an ice pack. My hip has a huge bump and bruise, but aside from a few minor scratches, I’m no worse for wear.

  “You’re welcome. Did you at least have a good ride?”

  I laugh. “Up until I almost galloped over a cliff, yes.”

  Anna’s hand flies to her mouth. “Didn’t Auggie warn you?”

  I laugh again. “He tried, but I was too busy flying across the field.”

  Anna grins. “He took you up to the hill?”

  I nod. “It’s beautiful here.”

  Anna nods. “I love it here. Even after…” She trails off, a sad look on her face.

  I pat her leg. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”

  She tosses her hand at me. “No, it’s OK. Did you get a cookie yet?” she asks, abruptly changing the topic.

  “Yes. Tessa is amazing!” I squeal.

  “Yep, her cookies are the best. Well, all her food is the best. Really, she’s the best.”

  I laugh. “What else can we do around here?” I ask.

  Anna winks at me. “Finish icing that, then I will show you.”

  “OK…do I get a hint?”

  Anna laughs. “No. Do you have anything you can change into?”

  I look down at my riding clothes. “Are you saying my riding clothes don’t work for the next activity?”

  “Well…” Anna opens my suitcase and starts perusing. I study her. She’s very beautiful and slightly smaller than me. I’m not giant myself, but she’s like…a fairy, a very naughty fairy. She turns to me with a mischievous grin.

  “What?”

  “I think we need to play hide-and-go-drink,” she announces.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “It’s a little drinking game my brothers invented.”

  “A drinking game?” I raise my eyebrows.

  Anna giggles and I know right then that I’m going to be good friends with this woman.

  “Come on, here are some play clothes,” she says as she throws me a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater. “I’m gonna change, too. I’ll meet you down in the dining room. We can grab some food before we round up the troops.”

  “Troops?”

  “Yep. It’s better to play with a lot of people.”

  “I’m intrigued.”

  “You should be. Come on,” she says as she motions to my clothes before heading out the door.

  I change quickly and hurry down to the dining hall as fast as my hip will let me. I laugh at Anna’s description of it as the dining room. This is not a room, well, not by normal people's standards. You could easily fit fifteen normal rooms in it.

  I pause at the door because I’m greeted by the entire royal family and some of their staff, I think.

  King Michael stands and walks over to me. “Welcome, Kate. I hope you have found everything satisfactory.” He greets me with a double cheek kiss as he takes me by the arm and leads me toward an empty seat at the table. It’s next to Auggie, who’s standing.

  “How are you?” he asks, his voice laced with concern.

  “Oh, good as new,” I say, trying to pretend that my hip isn’t killing me.

  “What’s wrong, my dear?” King Michael asks me as he releases my arm. Something about his demeanor reminds me of my father.

  “Oh, nothing. I just fell off a horse earlier. Not the first time and probably not the last time,” I jest.

  “Do you need me to call our doctor? He can be here in a few minutes,” the king says, his lips turning down into a frown as his eyes survey my body for signs of injury.

  “No, Your Majesty. I’ll be fine. Princess Anna got me some ice. Just a bruise, that’s all.”

  “Please, call me Michael. The Summer Palace is our home. Here…well, we are just a family in our house. No formalities, please.”

  I bow my head. “Well, then, Michael. Thank you so much for your hospitality. I love your home.”

  Prince Christian walks around the table and extends his hand to me.

  “I’m Chris. I don’t think we’ve formally been introduced,” he says. I take his hand and bow my head.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He nods as Auggie pulls back my chair for me to sit. I try my hardest not to wince as I sit but Auggie’s head snaps toward me and his hand grips my thigh.

  “Are you sure you’re OK?” he whispers low enough for only me to hear him.

  “Sore, but I’ll live.”

  His grip tightens on my leg and a shiver of need courses through my body. I glance over at him and he’s watching me intently, his eyes burning with…desire?

  “In honor of our guest, I think we need a game today,” Anna announces.

  Auggie suddenly pulls his attention away from me and toward his sister. “Hide-and-go-drink?”

  Chris laughs. “We haven’t played that in forever.”

  A beautiful woman to his left laughs. “Last time things got out of hand. Are you sure?”

  She looks over at me. “I’m Mia, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m supposed to be looking after Chris here, but more often than not, I’m pulled into this family’s crazy antics.” She gives them all pointed looks and Anna and Auggie burst out laughing while Chris turns a slight shade of pink. Clearly, I’m missing something.

  We eat and converse about America. Everyone peppers me with questions about living in the White House and if the Lincoln Bedroom is really haunted and does the kitchen really prep anything you want to eat at any time of the day. I’m surprised by how normal they all are. To be fair, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve met many foreign dignitaries and several kings and queens, but I’ve never been invited into their private space.

  My parents have always sheltered my sister and me from the
public view during my father’s presidency. We occasionally have to be photographed or attend functions, and now that we are both adults, we’ve taken more public and formal roles in representing my father. But overall, I’ve been lucky. I had a somewhat normal adolescence until I lived in the White House, and even then, it was still somewhat normal. I went to prom. I had friends and sleepovers and went to the movies just like any other kid. Of course, I had two Secret Service agents with me all the time. I only managed to sneak out to two or three parties in college. And those required some serious planning, wigs, and makeup and a roommate who loved to help me get in trouble without really getting into trouble. Emma is a good friend. She’s working on her masters at USC now, so we don’t get to talk much, but I know she’d have my back if I needed her.

  I remember seeing Chris, Auggie, and Anna on television at their mother’s funeral. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for them, living out the hardest thing in their life for all to see and watch like entertainment. They’ve always been in the public eye, since birth. Auggie though is the most well-known of the family. And that’s because Auggie is always photographed out and about and getting into trouble. The media loves him because he always provides them with a good story. I wonder what the king thinks of Auggie’s antics. He can’t be pleased with them.

  As the meal comes to an end, Anna stands and comes over to me, holding out her hand. “Follow me,” she says. “Ten minutes,” she adds to the others.

  She brings me to a library, which is much smaller and cozier than the one at the main palace. “OK, here’s how hide-and-go-drink works. Have you played hide-and-go-seek?”

  I laugh. “Uh, yeah. I think every kid has played it.”

  “Good. This is nothing like that.”

  I frown, confused, and she continues. “First, there are teams. We’ll play with three. It’s sort of like if capture the flag and hide-and-go-seek and a pub crawl had a baby. One team is it. There’s a place we have to get back to. We go hide with a bottle of wine. We hide the bottle of wine in our assigned room. That’s a rule we had to add otherwise we’d never finish the game. Then we have to find the other team’s wine bottle, pour ourselves a drink, drink it, and make it back home before the other team. If you do that, you win. The team that’s it tries to find both the wine bottles. If they find the wine bottle before your team, you lose. If they make it back home with both wine bottles, they win. Make sense?”