Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

I put my hand on his. “The beginning?”

“The beginning of us.”

I leaned into the chaise. God, I loved how that sounded, even more because Vaughn was the one saying it.

One of the waiters passed by our cabana and Vaughn stopped him to place an order.

“Can you bring us two coconut mojitos?”

The kid ran back to the bar to put in the drink order.

“Are we celebrating our turkey day with cocktails instead?” I teased.

He pulled the aviators down. “No, we’re celebrating that I have a drop to pick up.”

“A drop?” I barely knew what that meant. “What? Now? So soon? I thought we were going to be on vacation for a while.”

We stopped talking when the young waiter returned. I had to admit the drinks looked delicious. Bits of coconut and mint floated in the crushed ice. For a second I had forgotten Vaughn had told me he had a mission to steal something.

“Cheers.” Vaughn toasted my glass.

“Cheers.” I took a sip. “Where are you going?” I whispered.

“I pick up the file tomorrow.”

I gulped the drink. “Where? Where do you pick it up?”

“Have you ever been to France?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Holy shit. This is happening.” I finished the drink in another few swallows.

“It’s going to be ok, sweetheart. Trust me. I’ve got this.” He sat back in the chair and held his drink.

It was pointless to ask him what the assignment would be. He wouldn’t know until he received the drop. I had to resist the urge to pry for answers. What if it was something that endangered the United States? What if it put him in danger to get it?

I pulled the brim of my sun hat over my face and closed my eyes. The sun warmed my body. Vaughn’s hand slipped further up my thigh. I didn’t think he could help it. I focused on his touch instead of the moral apocalypse happening in my soul. It wasn’t the first time I had done it since we left DC.

I wondered how long it would take for everyone to figure out I was gone. I had told my mom I had to stay and work a case. I had left messages for everyone at school and in the office that I had gone home for longer than expected. Greer had no idea I was on a tropical island with Vaughn or that I had let him back in.

I couldn’t compare it to her reconciliation with Preston. And she wouldn’t understand.

Agent Kenneth would know. When I didn’t show up for our continued conversation, he would know exactly what had happened. I had a week at most before the search began. Before I was labeled a criminal. An outlaw.

And just like I had gone through the details with Agent Kenneth, I had to replay my bureau conversations with Vaughn. If they thought they were close to apprehending him, we had to stay one step ahead. Because now I was aiding and traveling with a fugitive. Most of that time I had been in a fog, but I did my best to remember the questions. To remember the points Agent Kenneth harped on the most. There had to be a pattern. Something Vaughn could use.

The good girl had turned bad.

Today I was Vanessa Thorne. I didn’t know who I would be when we reached France. I couldn’t call Vaughn by a different name. I had tried to say Jeremy or West, but it didn’t feel right on my tongue. And when we were in bed, I belonged to Vaughn Hunter. So I was only going to belong to Vaughn Hunter.

“I don’t think I can sleep out here in this heat.” He stretched his arms overhead and sat forward. “Want to head inside with me?”

I looked at my book and at my insanely hot boyfriend. A man shrouded in mystery and darkness. A man I loved despite the law. Despite morals and ethics. Despite my broken heart. I loved him desperately.

“Depends. Are you going to let me read?” I clutched the book to my chest. “I want to see if they make it out with the diamonds.”

“Is it a love story?” he asked.

“Yes.”