Royal Line by Carrie Ryan (lightweight ebook reader .txt) 📗

“Oh my God, Kannon, this is Rian.”

I turned the device over so he could see her face. It was funny watching him do a double take and blink. “Um, uh, ma’am?”

Rian wrinkled her nose. “Oh my God, you did not just call me ma’am. Call me Rian.”

“All right, Rian, it’s nice to meet you.”

Rian grinned at him, and her eyes were wide and glittering. “Nice to meet you too...”

“Kannon. I’m Kannon.”

“Excellent, Kannon. Just how did you and London meet?”

Kannon’s gaze lifted to mine and narrowed. “This is my cue to duck out.” He moved remarkably fast for someone so big.

Rian lifted a brow. “Looks like you’re left to tell the tale.”

“It’s an unusual story, but suffice it to say that only in Paris would I meet a man who can help me when I need to find somewhere safe.”

Rian’s eyes narrowed. “Safe?”

“I’m fine,” I lied. I didn’t want to worry her more than she probably already was. “But he’s just a...friend.”

“A hot friend,” she teased, but I knew Rian was still worried.

I held back a smile even as I tried to hide anything she could latch on to and worry about. “It’s not like that.”

Rian’s brow furrowed. “It’s not like what? You met somebody fine. You needed a place to stay away from the city. It’s so romantic.”

“To be fair, I never said I needed it to be romantic.”

“I’m just teasing you. Well, whoever your new, uh, friend is, he’s very cute. And I encourage you to jump into the world of dating.”

“Rian, you know he can hear you.”

She grinned. “You’re the one who put me on speaker.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thank you for letting me stay here. Um, do you have all the security manuals and stuff for this place? I want to make sure it’s all locked up securely if we need to go out.”

From where he was standing, Kannon gave me a thumbs up. At least he was happy with the way I was handling that.

“There’s a full manual in the library desk, bottom drawer. There’s also a secondary manual in my bedroom bedside table, bottom drawer. Do not look in the top drawer.”

I coughed a laugh. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you again for everything. I need to go now, though. I want to shower. And I’m sure you’re very busy.”

She rolled her eyes. “Last week of filming. Everything is tight and tense here. But mostly it’s hurry up and wait. I’ve been in my trailer for hours, so thank you for breaking up the boredom. I miss you, and I hope I get to see you in a week.”

I hoped someone stopped shooting at me before week’s end.

“Me too. Love you. Talk to you soon.”

“Oh, and London?”

I lifted a brow. “Yes?”

“Have fun. I know it’s been in scarce supply lately.”

I laughed. “I hear you.”

When I hung up with her, Kannon came back in. “The place has got really good security. I’ll take a look at the manuals. I think my team can figure it out, but it will be helpful to have all the instructions.”

“Great, thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say. I was so far out of my depth right then, I felt useless, something I never wanted to feel again.

When he went to go and find the manuals, I made one more call. It was Roman who answered, a scowl on his face.

“It’s about time. Are you safe?”

I didn’t know why that scowl made me so happy. I missed him. “I’m safe at Rian’s. Kannon and his team are on the job.”

My brother studied my face. “What else happened that you’re not telling me?”

“I’m fine, Roman. We’re figuring out what to do next.”

“I’m sending an update in a few minutes,” Kannon said from behind me, making me stiffen.

“Good,” Roman spoke over me.

“I’m right here,” I said, trying to remain calm while they talked around me.

“You are. And we’re working on keeping you safe.” Kannon met my brother’s gaze. “You working on what you need to on your end?”

“Yes.”

That was all my brother said before he turned his attention back to me. Cryptic was a family trait when it came to my brothers, apparently.

“Stay safe, London,” Roman whispered.

“I’m trying. What can I do from here to help you?”

“Nothing,” he said, and I deflated. “Just be safe. You’ll ignore this but stay out of trouble.”

Then he hung up, and I was staring at a black screen, wondering how the hell that had happened.

“You done making calls that could potentially let people know where the hell you are?” Kannon said, his voice tight and full of gravel.

I narrowed my eyes before turning and jabbing his very large chest with my finger. “I told you I’d stay put because I’m not an idiot. But now I’m in a safe place. My brothers will send our people. I’m good. You can go. You’ve done your duty. Mission accomplished. That’s what you care about, right? The mission?”

I was aware of how close he was then. I’d been jabbing him, but he hadn’t moved. Instead, I’d only been bringing my body closer to his.

Danger, Will Robinson, danger. 

The tension and electricity crackled and swirled around us. His gaze dipped to my lips, and I could feel the hum of desire beneath my skin, making it tight and itchy. Making me want to rub myself all over him.

What is wrong with you, London? Get it together.

But I couldn’t. For the last several years, I’d haphazardly dated. No one really catching my interest. No one I really trusted to want me for me. No one I felt any pull to whatsoever. But this man. I wanted to throw things at him while simultaneously wanting him to lick into my mouth again. Why this guy? For the most part, I liked men who were refined, cultured, handsome, of course, but I’d never been one to fall in love. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a hedonist. Every single one of the men I’d dated had always treated me like I was too