hearing her use it.
Shit. His hands flexed on the wheel.
There was a smudge of red on his hand. He looked down at his shirt and saw a bigger smear. Every muscle in his body stretched tight.
“Princess, I have blood on me, and I’m not cut.”
A shaky breath. “I think it’s just a nick.”
Rome cursed. She was hurt. Bleeding.
He yanked the wheel and took an exit. He sped down several streets before pulling off to park on a residential street lined with neat houses. He scanned around. At this time of day, it was quiet.
He climbed out, circled the SUV, and yanked open her door. His heart was hammering in his chest.
“Rome, really, it can wait until—”
He saw the blood stain on her dress, like an ugly flower. “Let me see.”
“Um—”
He pressed a finger to her chin and tilted her face up. “Let me take care of you.”
Sofia bit her lip and nodded. She waved at her side.
Rome pushed her coat open. He saw the slash in her dress on her right side. He probed it gently, even though his damn pulse was pounding hard.
“I can’t see well enough.” Shit. He eyed her dress. He didn’t have a better option. He grabbed the hem and started pushing it up.
She sucked in a breath. “What are you doing? You can’t—”
“I need to check how deep it is. I’m not letting you bleed out because you’re shy.”
Sofia looked out the windshield. “Fine.”
He dragged the fabric up, revealing slim, toned legs. Heat ignited in his gut. Shit. He struggled to get a lock on it.
Asshole. She’s hurt. Next, tiny panties the same blue shade as her dress made his breath catch in his throat. He moved on. Then, he finally had her hip uncovered.
The cut wasn’t bad. Air whistled through his teeth. He carefully touched it and watched the muscles in her belly clench. Such delicious golden skin under her clothes. “Cut isn’t bad. Won’t need stiches.”
“See, I told you.”
“Here.” He opened the glove box and pulled out a small first aid kit. He pulled out some gauze and pressed it to her side. “Hold that. When we get to the house, we’ll need to clean it. No telling what germs were on that guy’s knife.”
She shuddered and pulled her dress back down.
Carefully, he pulled her belt back on.
Brown eyes met his. “Thanks, Rome.”
He wanted to cup her cheek, but he made himself step back and nod. As he headed back to the driver’s seat, he paused for a second to pull in some steadying breaths.
She was okay. And his unruly cock was going to have to learn that the princess was way out of his league, and way off-limits.
Sofie watched the buildings of San Francisco stream past. She was still a little shaky, but already felt better.
She’d be fine. The cut didn’t need stitches. She’d learned very young to dust herself off and get on with things, thanks to her mother. Princess Emily was the most practical woman in the world, and Sofie adored her. And her father, Prince Nicholas, was a very proper prince, who’d taught her to focus on what she could control.
She glanced over at Rome.
His delicious cologne filled the vehicle. It had a woody undertone, with a hint of something that made her think of incense. She drank in his strong profile, and watched as he held the wheel in an easy, firm grip.
There was something sexy about watching a man drive with obvious skill.
She felt a lick of desire.
God, the man had just seen her underwear. Sofie quickly looked away. It wasn’t done to be attracted to one’s bodyguard, not at all. It definitely wasn’t done to outrageously lust after the gorgeous man who’d scooped her up like she weighed nothing, and held her against his strong, hard body. A man who’d protected her.
She mentally rolled her eyes. He was just doing his job, Sofie. And remember the last time you gave into this attraction.
Shaking it off, she dragged in a breath. She didn’t let too many people close. Rome Nash didn’t know her, and she wouldn’t get the chance to know him well. Her stomach clenched.
Finally, she spotted the familiar rotunda of the Palace of Fine Arts ahead. It was one of her favorite places to visit in the city.
Rome pulled the vehicle to a stop, and she looked up at the Marina-style house. She’d combed through rental listings and selected this one to be her home-away-from-home for her trip.
She loved it. It was painted a pale