Royal Heir (Westerly Billionaire #3)(44)

A knock on her door jolted her out of bed. She shook her head in resignation when she opened the door and saw a member of the hotel staff holding a bouquet so large only the person’s legs were visible beneath it. She directed the young man to put it on the floor and tipped him before hunting through the bright, exotic flowers for a card.

I tried. I can’t stay away. Magnus.

In a few minutes, Rachelle would remind herself why it was wrong for Magnus not to have respected her request. She’d muster up some indignation. However, she let herself bask for a moment in how good it felt to see that he hadn’t immediately moved on to another woman.

Pathetically, wonderfully good.

Her phone rang. She scrambled to retrieve it from beside the bed. Magnus.

Do I answer it? I told my grandmother I didn’t want to play games. “Hello,” she said in a husky voice.

“How are you today?” He sounded genuinely concerned.

She considered telling him not to call her again, then decided to be honest with him instead. Hell, that might be an even better deterrent. “I’m a mess. A wreck. I’m angry. Scared. Confused. Tired. Have you ever been in a situation where you feel like there’s no right choice?”

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “Come to lunch with me.”

“No.”

“You cling to that word as if it were a shield. What would happen if you said yes instead of no all the time?”

“Really? And I suppose the first thing you think I should say yes to is sleeping with you?”

He chuckled. “In my fantasy you’re awake, but we could try it your way, too.”

She laughed, then caught herself. “It’s not going to happen. Not awake. Not asleep.”

“See. All that negativity is making you unhappy. Want to improve your mood? I’ll ask you something simple, and all you have to do is say yes.”

Bad idea.

Very, very bad idea.

But I do want to hear his question. “Okay.”

“Come to lunch with me.”

She almost immediately said no, but this time didn’t. Instead, she paced her small hotel room and mentally listed all the reasons why she shouldn’t go with him. One, all he wants is sex. Two . . . isn’t reason one enough? I’m better off staying here at the hotel. Alone. With nothing to do. Waiting for Eric and hoping he wants to see me when he gets out.

What the hell? “Yes.”

“Perfect. Come down now. I’m parked in front of the hotel.”

“It’s only ten o’clock.”

“I thought you’d like to see some of the area before lunch.”

“Wait. You’re downstairs? What if I had said no?”

“Come down, Rachelle.” He hung up.

Rachelle rushed to the mirror in the bathroom to check her appearance. She hadn’t planned on going anywhere except for a walk, so she was casually dressed in jeans and tennis shoes. Her hair was loose and a little wild. She’d chosen her plain light-blue T-shirt for comfort rather than style.

Not exactly attire fit for a royal outing, but it’s the real me.

She squared her shoulders. I came here to find myself. Well, here I am. Not perfect. Not wise. Just me. Somehow that will have to be enough, because I don’t know how to be better than this.

A moment later, Rachelle turned from closing her hotel room door and screamed when she realized there was a man standing just behind her. He waved his hands at her nervously, and she calmed as she realized who he was. “Reggie. Oh my God. What are you doing here?”

Oddly, his reappearance reassured her. “Eric called me. He didn’t like the idea of you being alone in a city where you don’t know anyone, so he asked if the wife and kids wanted a mini vacation. We’ve got a suite over at the Royal Hotel. What are you doing in this shitbox?”

Rachelle laughed nervously as she came down from an adrenaline rush. “I like it here. Have you spoken to Eric?”

“You mean, do I know that he’s in a clinic across the street? Yeah.”

Good, I don’t need to pretend. “Then you know why I’m here. I wanted to be close by.”

“I walked over from the Royal Hotel.”

“Yes, well, I didn’t want to stay there.” She wasn’t willing to say more on the subject, since it would have involved both Magnus and her grandmother’s lecture about him.

Reggie looked around and made a face. “Whatever you say. Anyway, I just thought you should know that we’re down the street if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Reggie.” Rachelle stepped away from her door and started toward the elevator.

“Oh, and are you aware that you’re being followed?”

Rachelle froze. “Followed?”

Reggie hit the elevator button as if he hadn’t just said something shocking. “When you went out yesterday, the kids and I thought it would be fun to see if we could trail you without being seen. It was entertaining for about a minute until we realized there was a man who went everywhere you went.”

“A man? You mean Prince Magnus?”

“No, some other guy. Short blond hair. Real tall and skinny. He was dressed to blend in. I didn’t notice him at first, but my son said he was everywhere you were, and damned if he wasn’t right.”

Breathe. It’s probably one of the royal guard. Maybe Magnus is making sure I’m safe?