Enticing Liam (Big Sky Royal 2)

I swallow hard, relieved that, after everything I just told him, he’s willing to accept me.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I want all of my children to be happy. They surprise me, and sometimes, we have to adjust our expectations. I’m not an unyielding man. In fact, and don’t let it get out, but I am simply that: a man. I love my daughter.”

“And she loves you. She’s been worried about you.”

“She’s a good girl,” he says with a satisfied smile. “And a smart one, at that. If you weren’t a good man, she wouldn’t love you. And she certainly wouldn’t fight for you. And you should know, she did just that this morning.”

I swallow hard. “Thank you, sir.”

He nods and pats my shoulder one last time. I leave the king’s office.

Do I love Ellie? Yes, with my whole damn heart. But can I live with the princess?

That’s the question.

Chapter 17

~Liam~

Another event. Another tux. Another evening of feeling completely out of place.

There is one difference this time, however. Tonight, for the fundraiser that Ellie’s worked her ass off to plan over the past month, I’m her date.

Not security.

Her plus-one.

We’ve fielded questions and looks, photos and stares, all evening. Similar to the state dinner, I’ve stayed close to Ellie and have kept my mouth closed.

I’ve never been so fucking uncomfortable in my life. This tux is itchy. The food is bland. The conversation is stuffy and boring.

“It seems she took my advice,” I hear Gretchen sneer to Vivienne. “I must say, if I had access to a man like that, I’d be all over him, too. Just look at his arse.”

How can Ellie stand this? She’s talking with another group of women, laughing at something one of them said.

At least, I think it’s a laugh. It’s not a sound I’ve heard from her before.

Just like last week, this is a Princess Eleanor I don’t know. She’s rigid, formal, and fake.

And since I’m not on duty, and Phillip is just a few feet away, I decide I need a stiff drink.

“Can I get you something to drink?” I ask Ellie, who turns and smiles up at me.

“I’d love a glass of champagne. Thank you.”

I nod, turn to exchange a look with Phillip, and then walk away, needing a break from the monotonous conversation and the rude comments.

I have pretty thick skin, and I give exactly zero fucks what anyone here thinks of me. That doesn’t even cross my mind.

But the change in Ellie does bother me. I don’t understand why she acts so differently here. She’s an entirely different person than she is in private.

I walk with my drink out a side door and take a deep breath of fresh air. I just need a minute to pull it together, and then I’ll stick by Ellie for as long as she wants to stay.

After all, relationships are all about compromise, right?

I only take a few drinks from the beer bottle and leave it on a table as I turn to walk back inside.

I frown at Phillip, who’s standing against the wall. Ellie’s nowhere in sight.

“Where the hell is she?”

“Restroom,” he replies. “Just around the corner.”

He should be around the corner, too, standing outside the door. I make a mental note to have a conversation with the other man later and hurry to the restroom.

I stop cold at the scene before me.

“I’ve told you I love you.” A man is standing in front of Ellie, his arm braced on the wall next to her head. “I sent you gifts. I’ve thought of nothing but you for weeks. I was so worried when you disappeared, darling. You even made me resort to sending messages from different numbers, I was so desperate to reach you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ellie mutters, shaking her head. She stares at him with pity and annoyance. She’s not scared. She’s not hurt. “Beau, there’s no relationship here. There never was. And trying to contact me, from any number at all, after I specifically told you I never wanted to speak to you again, isn’t just a violation of my privacy, it’s absolutely creepy.”

I wait, and I listen. So far, she’s holding her own.

“Did you get my gift?”

“The knickers? Yes, I got it. Then I cut it up into pieces and threw it away. Because, just like you, anything you send me is garbage.”

“You’ve always been an ungrateful little hag,” he sneers. That’s what I was waiting for.

“That’s enough.”

Beau’s head comes up, and he scowls at me. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Doesn’t matter,” I reply. “You’re bothering the princess, and you need to be on your way.”

“Or what?” Beau gets in my face now, breathing hard. He smells of scotch, and his eyes are crazy.

This man is absolutely mentally unstable and shouldn’t be anywhere near Eleanor.

“Or I’ll escort you out.”

He smirks, looks me up and down, and then it’s like a lightbulb goes off over his head. “You’re the security guy she’s hooked up with, aren’t you?”