Yours Royally (Billionaires and Brides 3)

“Is that water?” Marco asked.

“I don't know,” she said, wiping it on the front of her pants. “But this place is creepy as hell. I want to get out of here.”

A few drops of cool liquid fell over Marco's shoulder, causing his heart to leap out of his chest. He didn't want to scream like a school girl, but it was difficult to remain stoic after their experience in Lizzy's room.

“I just felt something land on me as well,” he said, as he wiped the back of his neck with his sleeve.

It was too dark to tell what exactly the liquid was, but it didn't matter. One way or the other, they had both just exp

erienced something completely out of the norm. He wanted to leave, but oddly enough it wasn't for his own safety. It was for Sabrina's. He felt the need to protect her and keep her safe. What had dripped onto their necks was likely just water from a leaky pipe, but there was always the chance that it was something much more evil. For all Marco knew, this was how ghosts possessed the living.

Maybe it starts out with a few drops of water. Next thing you know, our heads are spinning around and they're calling in an exorcist from the church to try to save what's left of our souls, he thought.

“Maybe we should call it a day,” he said, ushering Sabrina toward the stairway. “Let's head back to the hotel. I think we've had enough excitement.”

They turned to head down the stairs. Sabrina appeared scared out of her mind and ready to run out of the building at full speed. But before they could descend, Marco heard the sound of a man's work boot. He turned around, expecting to see a ghost hurtling toward him only to find a man in a black t-shirt. It was the same shirt that James, the tour leader, had been wearing. The stranger was standing in the shadows near where Marco and Sabrina had just kissed. The man was carrying a small bottle of water and had a devilish grin on his face.

“Sabrina, hold on a moment,” Marco said, rolling his eyes. “That wasn't a ghost. This guy splashed some water on us.”

The man stepped out from the shadows. “Dammit, I didn't think you guys were going to see me back here. I had you pretty good with the water thing, though, didn't I?”

“I must assume that you're employed by the ghost tour company?” Marco asked, though he knew it was the case, based on the man's shirt.

“Yes, that's correct,” he admitted. “Sorry to scare you like that. But it's my job.”

Sabrina came back up the stairs. She had a relieved smile on her face. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“Then I did a good job,” he said, with a smirk. “The rest of the tour is on the fourth floor right now. You should go catch up with them. But don't tell them that you caught me down here. I want to scare them when they come back down.”

“So wait, if you did the water thing, did you also do the cold breeze outside of the apartment?” Sabrina asked.

The man shook his head, his smile fading. “Absolutely not. Anything else you've noticed has been real. Seriously.”

“Come on,” Marco said, taking Sabrina's hand. “Let's go catch up with the group.”

They made their way up to the third floor. They were laughing now, shocked by their overreaction to a few drops of water on their necks. They found the tour group inside another apartment. James was going on about some murder that had taken place there in the mid-1800's, but Marco didn't pay much attention. Neither did Sabrina. They just stood at the back of the group, holding each other, with their necks still wet from the over-ambitious special effects guy.

“This has been an interesting tour, don't you think?” Marco whispered. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I'm having a lot of fun,” she replied. “I can't believe how bad that guy scared me with the water. I do kind of wonder if he had something to do with the cold breeze and Lizzy's door opening, though. I mean it would definitely make sense if that was all set up.”

Marco listened and watched her lips as she spoke. He wanted to lean in and kiss her again, but he held back. It wasn't the right place or time. But he knew right then that Sabrina was the girl for him.

He didn't know exactly why, because it didn't make sense. She wasn't what he had expected. She was sweet and optimistic. Her smile never wavered and she was determined to succeed. He'd never met anyone like her before. She stirred up emotions inside of him that he hadn't ever experienced. Emotions that no other girl had ever come close to creating.

He wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers. He had a very short amount of time with this beautiful Southern belle and he refused to waste any of it. Marco was a prince of the realm, and he always got what he wanted, and right now, he wanted Sabrina.

Chapter 10

Sabrina

Sabrina smiled the entire ride back to the hotel. The ghost tour had been amazing and she couldn't stop thinking about it. But her joy was caused by more than just the tour. Her happiness was mostly due to the man sitting next to her in the backseat of the car. Marco, the wealthy foreigner who could have been an underwear model in a different life, had just taken Sabrina on something that very closely resembled a date.

She knew that probably wasn't really his intention, and in all actuality, Marco had likely just wanted to check out a ghost tour for his own entertainment. But the thought of it being something more than that made her happy. The idea that a simple, penniless girl like herself could be taken out on an actual date with a man like Marco had her smiling from ear to ear, and kept her heart thumping loudly behind her rib cage.

“That was so much fun,” Sabrina said, as the two of them stepped off of the elevator and walked down the hallway toward their hotel rooms. “I still can't believe how badly that guy scared me with the water.”

She brushed her hair back over her ear, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed by how much of a wuss she had been.