Royal Tease Read online

  Royal Tease

  Nana Malone

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Thank You

  Complimentary Download

  Nana Malone Reading List

  About Nana Malone

  1

  Roone…

  One rule. I would not shag my best friend’s sister. I felt that as rules went, that one bore repeating… over and over again. As the hip-hop grime music drummed around me, I watched her. She was no fairy princess. Lean but with curves in all the right places. Hair piled high in a ponytail with curls cascading down her back. Wide hazel eyes. Amber skin that gleamed.

  She was beautiful. I probably should have expected that considering Sebastian and Lucas were both handsome little shits.

  And it doesn't matter if she's beautiful. Because I would not shag my best friend’s little sister. That was a wanker thing to do.

  No, it didn't matter. I had a job to do. Protect her. Keep her safe. Not ogle.

  In my earpiece, I could hear Ariel clearly as if she were sitting right next to me. "You see her?"

  "Yeah I got her."

  "So, do you know how to make an approach, or do you need some coaching?" Ariel’s voice was sweet, but I heard the sarcasm laced between her words.

  "I don't need coaching, thanks very much. I do know how to talk to women."

  Ariel chortled at that. "If you say so."

  Sure, women I normally chatted up weren’t royalty. They also weren't the little sister of my best mates either, so I needed to tread carefully but still get the job done.

  "Any day now, Romeo."

  "Would you shut it?"

  "Is that any way to talk to your mission commander?"

  Leave it to Ariel to remind me that, on this job, I reported to her. I was still smarting about that one. Yes, it made sense because she had had more undercover work experience. But generally speaking, I had seniority.

  Focus, would you?

  I lost Jessa for a moment in the crowd, which I didn’t think was possible. She had this way of marching, or maybe it was more of a strut, like no matter what she wanted to do, she was getting there quickly and with verve. There was no slow meandering for her. Everything about her was determined, deliberate. No mistakes. No wishy-washiness. Honest.

  “If you keep staring at her like that, you're going to have a problem," Ariel muttered.

  “I’m not staring. I’m waiting for my opportunity.”

  She is not a potential date. She is the lost princess. Get your shit together.

  The other thing that fascinated me, was that she was completely in charge of everything. No pampering here. When waiters had shift changes, she took up trays. She talked with the clients and worked the room. I had already seen her take on soothing someone whose date apparently hadn't shown up. And she managed client expectations.

  From the file, I knew that this was a birthday party for Abena Nartey Chase, the famous photographer. She was married to Alexi Chase, the billionaire startup kid. And she was sister-in-law to Xander Chase, also a renowned photographer. I had studied all of their dossiers. I knew exactly who the players were. I knew exactly who was on her client roster, and who she was courting.

  Currently, she was courting Emerson Poole. Poole had financial business interests all over the world. He also had an extensive gambling habit. But, what he lost at the tables, he made back with gambles on new companies. And thanks to Ariel, I knew that the princess's company, Evans PR, hid him on retainer as a client. And Jessa was laying it on thick, but not too thick. Professional, but attentive.

  As a result, Poole couldn't take his eyes off of her. More like he couldn’t take his eyes off her ass. Twat.

  As she left, she carried one of the trays toward the back where the staging area was. I stood up. "Show time."

  "Okay. See if you can get close enough to tag her body. Bug in a jacket or something. If you can get close enough to her purse, do it."

  I knew how to do my bloody job. "Yeah, I hear you."

  Thanks to our partnership with Blake Security, we had some amazing state-of-the-art technology. Bugs so small, they'd be virtually undetectable. Under the collar of a jacket. Inside a purse. On a credit card. I just had to get close enough.

  “You take any longer and you’re going to miss your opportunity.”

  I rolled my eyes and very deliberately took out the tiny earpiece. I didn’t need Ariel in my head for this.

  Timing was everything. I slid into the staging area right behind Jessa. Luckily a busboy was coming out right after she went in so there was a delay.

  I knew exactly where the lockers were. Jessa and her colleagues apparently didn’t know enough to be worried about their safety and security and had left most of their belongings out. I saw her purse behind one of the benches and palmed her wallet before sliding into the shadows.

  I pulled the pen light out of my pocket, then the bugs, gently peeling them off of their plastic contact sheet before applying one to her driver’s license and one to the inside of her wallet.

  Ariel would handle the larger surveillance monitoring jobs like her flat and car. The finesse was my job. With a final deep breathe I stepped out of the shadows… right into the princess and the glass of champagne she was carrying.

  She swore and teetered on her heels as she tried to recover the glass.

  “Fuck.” My arms snapped around her, dragging her to me as champagne spilled down my jacket and the glass shattered.

  Her scent wrapped around me like a delicate man-trapping orchid. Light, floral, and flirty. Wholly enticing. It made me want to lean in and breathe deep.

  The next thing I registered were her curves. Lush curves… pressed up against my muscles. And finally, her hair. Her ponytail flipped up and several curls whipped me in the face.

  Zaps of electric current fired all around me. What the fuck was that about?

  Her hands pressed on my shoulders and reluctantly, I let her go. "Oh Jesus. I’m so sorry," she muttered.

  I shoved her wallet into my pocket. “No, it’s my bloody fault. I got turned around. Someone told me I’d find the loo over here.”

  Hazel eyes blinked up at me before she shook her head. “Oh, no. Actually, you’re in the staging area. The bathroom is on the other end of the club.”

  “Bathroom? I sense a yank in my midst.” What the hell is wrong with my voice? I sounded like I’d suddenly swallowed a frog.

  My dick twitched as if to say, if I have to tell you… then you’re a lost cause.

  I ignored the flare of desire. She was beautiful, but she wasn’t the first beautiful girl I’d ever met in my life. I could ignore this. You have to ignore this.

  Her grin flashed. “Canadian-Brit actually. Don't let my inaccurate colloquialisms and the accent fool you.”

  Of course, I knew that after her father had gone off the map, he’d moved them to Toronto. "Since you’re Canadian, why don't you buy me a
class of champagne to make up for spilling yours all over me? I know how nice your people are.”

  She laughed then. Not just with her face but with her whole body, tipping back slightly, her head falling back. I couldn’t help but smile in return.

  She stared at me for a moment then blinked rapidly. "Or you could buy me a drink to apologize for bumping into me because see, you're bigger than I am. You should make way."

  I grinned and tilted my head. "All right, how about this… You buy me the first round while you apologize, then I buy you one?"

  I’d started to walk and steer her away from the glass, consequently bringing us right back to where the staff had tossed their wallets and purses. I palmed her wallet again as we approached. “In the meantime, let’s have a look at you to make sure that you're not hurt by any of that glass.”

  As she took a seat, I casually dropped her wallet back into her open purse behind the bench. I wished I had time to zip it, but that would be too risky.

  "I have nothing to apologize for."

  I clutched a hand to my heart and rocked back on my heels. "What? You were in such a hurry you nearly plowed me over. I have delicate sensibilities. I was almost hurt."

  She giggled as her gaze roamed over my shoulders. “As if. Muscular as you are, I don't even think you felt it."

  Score one for me, she’d noticed I was muscular. You will not fuck your best friend’s sister. I lifted a brow. "Oh, I felt it."

  A light flush crept up her neck. "I wish I could get a drink, but I'm working. You know what, next time, you should probably watch where you're standing."

  My job was done, so why the hell did I feel like I was losing her? "Nope, I do not concede. I request that the lady apologize with a drink. Or her phone number."

  She laughed then. "Oh, slick. You're going to have to work a lot harder than that for my number."

  “I’m willing to work harder.”

  Her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips. Just the simple motion flooded me with heat. "I would love to. But I have to return to work."

  "I understand. Are you at least going to tell me your name? That way, when we run into each other again, I can use it. We’ll seem like old friends, and then you can buy me the drink you owe me."

  Her smile was slow. “Jessa McLean."

  "Jessa McLean. You know I'll remember that, right? And since I assume you're working the event, I think it's a safe bet to guess that you work at Evans PR."

  "Astute. And you are?"

  “Roone Ainsley.” Lucky for me we were using my actual name. All Ariel had done was scrub out my military stint and change my job title in the islands. Anyone who wanted to look would find the truth… mostly.

  I shrugged and helped her to her feet. "So, I'll be seeing you around, Jessa McLean. And whenever you're ready, you can buy me a drink."

  I left her in the staging area and let myself back into the club. When I put my earpiece back in, Ariel was right there waiting for me. “Well done, Cassanova. The bugs are live. I might have to start calling you 007.”

  I sighed. “You were listening?”

  “Oh, you know it. Even I couldn’t have come up with a better meet cute. Who knew you were so smooth?”

  I rolled my eyes as I posted back up at the bar. “Everyone.”

  “Modest too,” she chuckled.

  I’d barely had time to order a drink when Ariel’s voice came in loud and clear. “Looks like the princess has trouble. On your six.”

  I whipped around. Sure enough, Jessa was stepping in the middle of a fight between Emerson Poole and Toby Adamson. Toby also worked at Evans and, from the looks of it, was a troublemaker. He’d been quietly supplying party drugs to a couple of the attendees. Not to the Chase’s or anyone in the inner circle, but to the periphery guests. So far it didn’t appear that Jessa knew what he was doing.

  The two idiots seemed like they were getting into over Jessa.

  “Come on, Romeo, do your thing, or this is going to get ugly.”

  “Can you not be such a backseat driver, please?” I grumbled.

  “Well, if you need me to show you how this works, I can.”

  “Anyone ever told you that you’re a pain in the ass?”

  “Nope. Never,” Ariel said as she laughed. “Go on, make a good impression.”

  Something told me that Jessa was not the kind of girl to be at all impressed with a fight. Which meant I needed to diffuse and get her to safety.

  I pushed my way through the crowd and tried to use low, calming tones. “All right? Do you need anything?”

  My question was directed at Jessa, but Poole answered. “Piss off, mate. I was here first.”

  Adamson added his two cents. “What are you, mad, Emerson? Clearly, she isn’t feeling your vibe. She can make her own decisions.” Toby shoved Emerson in the shoulder.

  Emerson shoved back, but Toby, despite being smaller, apparently knew how to handle himself. He evaded the shove and came back with a punch. All the while, Jessa was trying to separate them. “Oh my God, Toby, get it together.”

  Toby glowered mutinously. “You didn’t hear what he said, did you?”

  I wasn’t sure which one landed a hit on her, but Jessa went flying.

  With Ariel cursing in my ear, I dove for Jessa as adrenaline flooded my veins. I couldn’t remember the last time I had moved so quickly. I was going to fucking murder those idiots.

  Toby, to his credit, did try and reach for Jessa, but he wasn’t fast enough. While what I wanted to do was stop and dismember them both, Jessa was more important.

  I managed to catch her and drag her to my body just before she hit the ground. Startled, she whipped her head around, hair cascading behind her. “Jesus Christ, I swear to God you’re super human. Always there just in the nick of time.”

  “Are you all right?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  Behind us, I could hear the chaos. In my earpiece, Ariel was giving me the blow by blow. “Punches flying, remove the target.”

  Jessa’s eyes were wide, pinned to some spot behind me, and she struggled in my hold. Was she trying to go back into it? I didn’t really have time for this shit. “Are you okay?” I repeated. She nodded absently and tried to scurry around me, heading right back for the fight. “Are you mad? Those two tossers are throwing blows, the rest of this place is about to go off like a powder keg, and you’re running back into the fight?”

  She glared at me like I was crazy, her bright eyes flashing fire at me. “I need to diffuse this. They’ll listen to me.”

  I laughed. “No, they won’t. Both of them are high, in case you missed that memo.”

  Her mouth fell open. “That is Emerson Poole. I’ve put a lot of effort into that client. He’s not high. Now let me do my job.” Her Canadian accent was more pronounced when she was mad.

  “No can do. You’re going to get hurt, princess.” I wasn’t sure why I used that particular endearment, but once it was out, it was too hard to recall.

  She glowered at me, not intimidated by me in the least. I was six foot three and well aware that I looked intimidating. But it seemed Jessa McLean didn’t give two shits and thought she could handle herself.

  “I have a job to do, and you are keeping me from doing it. If you don't move aside, you’ll find yourself missing your left nut.”

  I forced myself to strip the aggression out of my voice. Remember the cover, you eejit. I couldn’t go caveman. “I understand, but you can’t go back into that fight.”

  She laughed then crossed her arms. “Just how do you plan to stop me?”

  Fuck it. I wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her back when she tried to break free from me.

  “Let me go. I have to stop this, or those idiots are going to undo my months of hard work with Emerson.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”

  Jessa feinted to one side then scurried under my arm. But I was fast and caught her. She struggled as she yelled, “Let me go, you arrogant, overgrown oaf. “ />
  She was so squirmy and slippery, I did the only thing I could think of in the moment. “Sorry, princess." Leaning down, I picked her up, fireman style, and headed for the door just as the bouncer started to weigh in on the fight.

  Jessa, as it turned out, was a fighter. She was also an inventive curser. “You douchwaffle asshat. I’m not wearing any underwear! Put me down.”

  Fucking hell. File that under things to examine later. But being chivalrous, I planted a hand on her ass to keep her skirt down.

  All that did was make her scream and wiggle more, which made the skirt shift and adjust. Swear to God, it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t mean to have my hand on her bare ass, but when my hand came in contact with smooth, bare skin, I cursed under my breath.

  She whacked me on the back several times as I carried her through the crowd, out the door, and into the parking lot. Some of her blows would have done damage if she’d had any leverage.

  When I gently set her down back on her feet, she laid into me. “What in the world? Are you some kind of psycho with a super hero complex? I have a job to do.”

  My temper, as it turned out, gave zero fucks. “You’ve lost the plot, princess. You could have been hurt. Those arseholes in there were brawling. You’ve already been hit once. I did you a favor.”

  She blinked up at me. “Let’s get something straight; I am not a princess. I can handle myself, and I have everything under control.” She huffed. “Also, keep your hands off my ass.”

  “Gladly. I want my hands nowhere near your ass.” OK not exactly the truth. “Does your job involve getting hurt because two assholes are too wasted to talk their shit out like normal people?”