The Princess and the Player (Royally Pitched 1)

There was this tiny kernel of doubt in Tristan’s mind about Robert’s feelings for Ele. It was way more than a bodyguard, he was certain. And since Jamie was here as a witness, he figured it was the best time to tackle the Robert issue.

He looked over to Robert. “You love her,” he stated simply.

Jamie chuckled.

“Aye.”

“And not like a bodyguard.”

“No. Not like a bodyguard.”

Tristan’s stomach bottomed out. If she were given a choice, he wasn’t sure who Ele would choose. He knew Ele loved Robert too.

“Put him out of his misery,” Jamie intoned.

“Like my sister,” Robert said matter-of-factly.

Not like a sister. “Like my sister.” There was an important pronoun in there.

“Wait. You’re her brother?”

“Half. Long story. Which I will tell you. On the way to the gala. We were late when we left the palace. Now, we are really late. Go get pretty.”

Dazed, Tristan turned away and walked into his room. He shot a quick text to Caleb, canceling their plans, and tried Rowan once more. Then, he pulled his tux out of the closet and began to get dressed.

He questioned the wisdom of surprising Ele. She’d been in the country for a week and not reached out to him. It was one of those niggling thoughts he’d put out of his mind

because it was crushing to think she might have returned home and decided seeing him was too much. They’d gone about their relationship backward—sex first, friendship second. But it didn’t diminish what was between them.

But he knew his life was the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted small and private. He lived large and publicly. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a bit addicted to social media. He found himself reaching for his mobile often and captioning scenes in his head. But he was nothing if not adaptable. And for Ele, he’d do just about anything.

He gave himself a quick once-over in the mirror. For thirty minutes’ notice, he looked smooth and ready.

T-Dav at his finest. He captioned in his head.

Damn, stop with the four-word limit on thoughts!

He returned to the living room and the surly prince and stoic bodyguard. Or is it two princes? Shrugging off the thought, he said, “Ready?”

Jamie looked away from Robert and nodded.

The three of them stalked to the front door.

“Need to post something before we go?” Robert asked with a hint of mirth in his tone.

“No. I can go without captioning everything.”

“I know. But admit it. You’re looking good, and you want to tell the world.”

Tristan laughed good-naturedly. “Sure. But I’d rather tell them I’m going to find a princess.”

Robert nodded. “Well, let’s go get your girl.”

“Used to be ‘our’ girl,” Tristan observed.

“Yeah. But she’s been yours since that first day at St. Peter’s.”

“She definitely has,” Tristan said with a dreamy tone he wasn’t used to. He cleared his throat. “Does that mean you won’t be on her detail anymore?”