The Bossy Prince (Rugged and Royal #3) - Lili Valente Page 0,31

on and find something that actually fits.”

“That fits,” he says. “It fits too well. That’s the problem. You should get a one-piece, something that leaves a lot more of you to the imagination. The reality is…too much.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, hurt though I know I shouldn’t be. This isn’t personal. He’s trying to do what’s best for the mission, that’s all.

And I don’t care what he thinks of my body. I really don’t.

Or at least…I don’t want to care.

He stands, pulling off his sunglasses and holding my gaze as he says, “It means that you’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I frown harder. “Don’t. You don’t have to humor me. I can handle honesty. I prefer it.”

He reaches up, pressing a finger to the furrowed skin between my brows before adding in a softer voice, “I am being honest. You’re fucking stunning, Alexandra. Even when you’re frowning at me like I tugged your pigtails one too many times and you’re considering drowning me again.” He rubs his finger back and forth, gently massaging the bunched muscle until I relax in spite of myself. “Though you should try to stop scowling so frequently, or you’ll develop one of those grumpy lines between your brows in old age. And that would be a shame. You’re too pretty and secretly sweet to have a permanent grumpy brow.”

Scowling again, I step back, away from his touch. “If that’s true, then I should wear this suit. The other women are wearing revealing clothing. I’ll fit in better wearing this than a one-piece.”

Now he’s scowling, too. “You’re not wearing that suit out of this room.”

“You’re the one who bought it for me. Who insisted I should dress this way for the good of the mission. What’s changed in the past ten minutes to make you doubt your instincts?”

“This. You. In this,” he says, his voice rough. “I actually saw you in it and—” He breaks off with a rush of breath. “You’re going to distract me. I’ll be worried about who notices how fuckable you look in that suit instead of what I need to be focused on.” He steps in, adding in a softer voice, “The men here think I’m a flake, Zan. An easygoing party boy. They don’t take me seriously as a man or a threat. Being my girlfriend won’t grant you any sort of protection.”

“I don’t need protection,” I insist. “I can take care of myself.”

“Of course, you can. But if you do, you could blow your cover and mine.” He reaches out, curling his fingers around one of the robe’s lapels, his knuckles brushing against the bare skin beneath. “So please, let me buy you something that will put my mind at ease. You’ll still fit in fine with the other women. You couldn’t hide how sexy you are if you tried.”

My tongue slips out to dampen my lips as I do my best to talk my heart back to a steady beat and ignore the way my nipples are tingling, the way every nerve in my body is simmering, sizzling, aching for more of Nick’s touch.

But he’s off-limits in so many ways, and kissing him in private would be a terrible, mortifying mistake. I would never live it down, and I really do want to be able to hold my head high in his presence for the foreseeable future.

Willing myself to pull it together, I step back with a roll of my eyes and a breezy, “Fine. Whatever. You’re the boss.” I start toward the sliding door leading into our room. “I’m going to shower and change. Should I dress for dinner, or did you want to do a scout of the property first?”

“I’m going to hit the beach and check things out there, make sure the pier where our extraction boat will meet us is intact and functional. Why don’t you poke around the resort common areas? Make yourself an appointment for a massage at the spa or something, and see if you can find an alternate escape route. Just in case. Then we’ll meet back here at six and go to dinner together.”

I nod. “Sounds good.”

It does sound good.

Some time away from him is exactly what I need right now.

Still, when I emerge from the bathroom twenty minutes later in a pale blue sundress and sandals, my damp hair swept up in a bun, and find Nick already gone, the room doesn’t seem as spectacular as it did before. Nick has a way of making