Your Secret Is Safe
Your Secret Is Safe
C. Morgan
Contents
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
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About the Author
Description
I wanted her the moment I met her.
But I’m paid to protect her. Hands off.
When she asks me to pretend we’re engaged, I’m all for it.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t bode well for a guy like me.
Her father decides to throw me in jail and lock away the key.
But what daddy doesn’t know is that his little girl is mine.
No matter the cost.
Our secret love affair is about to find its place in reality.
Chapter 1
Collin
“This type of photograph is an outrage!” King Teyelu’s voice boomed over the room as he furthered the family discussion.
“A bikini?” he exclaimed. “On a beach? Is this the type of look befitting a princess?!”
“What do you expect me to wear on the beach, Father? A burka?”
“I expect you to keep your mouth shut when I’m speaking with you. I expect you to respect the rules and traditions of the family. I expect you not to be sandwiched between an American celebrity and an Australian surfer, Teyela. That’s what I expect from you!”
He slammed the tabloid onto the table, and the princess flinched. I stood against the wall amongst the shadows while the family round table discussion continued. Princess Teyela stood there, her hands balled into fists. Her father, King Teyelu, loomed over her with his nostrils flaring in anger. And the Queen? Well, she stood there with her hands folded in front of her.
Always quiet. Always studying. Always silently present.
“You will abide by the rules of this castle—”
“So, now it’s the castle’s rules?” the princess asked.
“Silence!” the King roared.
“I will do no such thing!”
“You will do as you are asked, or you shall be stripped of your title,” the Queen said.
When the Queen spoke, everyone took note.
“Father, this isn’t what it looks like,” the princess said.
“Oh, really? Then please tell me what this is, Teyela.”
I knew, though. I knew this was exactly what it looked like.
I remembered that day fondly. So much so that I found myself grinding my teeth together. Princess Teyela had flirted mercilessly with the two young men. Until the surfer got much too handsy. I’d made him quickly aware of his mistake, though.
The princess had chastised me for almost breaking the asshole’s arm.
“Why could you not have dressed and posed less provocatively in the picture?” the Queen asked.
The princess turned toward her mother. “We aren’t doing anything in that picture. I know you see that. I’m standing between them. Nothing else.”
“His hands are on your hips!” the King exclaimed.
“I’ve got this, Teyelu,” the Queen said. She turned her attention back to her daughter.
“There’s nothing inappropriate going—”
The Queen held up her hand. “The picture has already gone—what do you call it? Virus?”
“Viral, Mother.”
“Yes. Viral. It’s around the nation at this point. The world, really. Everyone has seen it. And it’s attracting attention to Anuwana and its beaches.”
“Unwanted attention,” the King murmured.
“Possibly, for our daughter. But I’ve been checking on our hotels. Our restaurants. Those that rely on us and our decisions in order to keep them afloat. For decades, Anuwana has not been taken seriously. And now with this picture—however risqué we believe it to be—we cannot deny the flood of interest it has brought to our little island.”
“What do you mean, Mother?” the princess asked.
“I’ve heard that hotel bookings are up as a result of this picture. Within the past hour, seven of the twelve hotels we currently have are already booked solid through the rest of our tourist season. That will bring great prosperity to us.”
“At the expense of our daughter’s body being plastered all over the papers?” the King asked.
“At least there is a silver lining to our daughter’s prancing about.”
“I wasn’t prancing,” the princess said.
Her mother leveled her with a look. “You were prancing and deliberately disobeying us. You know this. We shall not argue about it any longer. Understood?”
“You need to realize, Teyela, that you have a duty to your family and your people,” the King said. “You have a duty to hold your head high and clothe and present yourself in a way that is befitting of a woman, a princess, and this family.”
We all sat on bated breath, expecting him to continue his rant. But he didn’t.
“So, act like it,” he said curtly.
Even I saw the shock on the Queen’s face. The princess looked relieved, but I was flat out rocked to my core. I expected that man to go on for hours. I expected him to get in his daughter’s face. But when my eyes flickered back over to the Queen, something passed behind her eyes. She looked almost anxious.
And that sent me on high alert.
“Yes, Father,” the princess said.
“Good,” the King said. “You’re dismissed.”
My attention returned back to the princess, and my heart beat a little harder. Like every other time I laid my eyes on the stunning princess. The first time I’d ever seen Princess Teyela Korotama, Princess of the Sovereign Nation of Anuwana, the physical blow to my chest almost knocked me over. It robbed me of my breath. She’d been passing me in the palace hallway with her friend. Laughing and smiling with their arms linked together. I couldn’t take my eyes off her then, and I certainly couldn’t now.
Especially when I wanted to take her into my arms and comfort her.
I’d been on the island as part of the delegation accompanying the Secretary of State in my role of Secret Service special agent. I’d been stationed at an international office in Hong Kong, and my office was the closest one to the islands at the time. I’d been assigned the duty, I accompanied the Secretary of State to Anuwana during the man’s U.S. trade promotion tour, and fate took over. And after the incredibly boring tour and being stuck in a hot black suit, I made a decision.
One that caused me to turn in my notice to the Secret Service and move to the small island.
And all because it was love at first sight between my heart and this beautiful island princess.
“Oh, and Teyela?” the King asked.
“Yes, Father?”
“You’d do best to heed my words. Because you’re about to become a married woman.”
And with that bomb dropped between all of us, the King exited his office chambers. With the Queen following in stride behind him, still with that worried expression on her face.
Chapter 2
Teyela
“I’m going to be what?!” My voice bounced off the corners of that stupid room my father called his office. My eyes widened in shock as he paused in the doorway, with my mother behind him. Had I heard him right? Did my father really just say what I thought he said?
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He didn’t turn to look at me, though. Simply addressed me as if I were one of his servants.
“You are set to wed the Prime Minister of Vanduana,” he said.
“You have me marrying Ratu?”
“Prime Minister Tavaiqia is a good man. Him and I have plans to work together to build a regional airport to help stimulate trade and tourism in the region. A marriage to my daughter would be a great show of good faith on both sides of the deal.”
“Prime Minister Tavaiqia is an old man, Father. He’s nearly fifty years old!”
“He’s forty-six, and he’s a very wealthy and quite powerful man,” Mom said.
I paused. “You’re in on this, too?”
When she didn’t answer me, that gave me all the answer I needed.
“Well, your agreement doesn’t matter to me, Father. I’m not one bit interested in the man.”
“It is not your decision,” he said, slowly turning around.
“Have you heard the rumors circulating about where his wealth comes from?”
“It’s already been decided.”
His eyes locked with mine. My spine straightened as a chill worked its way down my body. I hated it when my father looked at me that way. Like I was some pawn in a chess game rather than his daughter. Like I was some servant to order around, rather than the next fit ruler of our island.
“I’ll simply refuse, then,” I said plainly.
“You’ve got no reason to refuse. It won’t be accepted.”
“No one has to accept it. My refusal is enough. I’m a woman, Father. I’m your daughter. I’m not a slave, or a servant, or someone you can boss around and use in your regional chess games for power and prestige on an international front.”
“Getting married will settle you down. And maybe, finally, you can be the ruler I’ve raised you to be instead of this immature, senseless young girl I see plastered all over the tabloids.”
I paused. “Is that why you’re really marrying me off? Because you don’t like that picture?”
“Teyela, what you’ll come to realize one day is that the world doesn’t always revolve around you,” Father said. “Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices for family and kingdom.”
“And if I don’t want to make those sacrifices?”
“Then you simply aren’t fit to rule.”
My mind raced. I kept my cool on the outside, but inside, I felt my stomach turn over. My father really was going to die on this hill in my life. I knew he’d stand firm, and I felt myself growing frantic. How in the world could I convince him how terrible of an idea this was?
My eyes moved to my mother, and I saw her smiling. But that smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. Was she in on this? Did she really approve of this?
She probably did.
My mother rarely went against what my father wanted.
“Do you have anything else, Teyela?” my father asked.
My eyes darted around the room, trying to find an out. Trying to come up with something to get me out of this ridiculous situation. Because if he left this room, I knew where he was headed. Now that he’d announced the betrothal to me, it was his duty as King to announce it to the island.
Then my eyes fell on Collin.
Bingo.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Mom asked.
I feigned an embarrassed expression as my eyes fell down Collin’s body. I saw the bodyguard in the corner eyeing me carefully. Trying to figure out what I was doing. But once my father piped up, I knew I had him.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Father, you don’t get it,” I said. “I can’t marry the Prime Minister.”
“You can, and you will,” he said hotly.
“No, I just—shit.”
“Teyela!” Mom said breathlessly.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry. It’s just—I wanted to wait, you know? Wait a bit longer and feel this out with you guys.”
“Feel what out?” my father asked. “What are you talking about?”
I took one last look at Collin and tried apologizing with my eyes. Then, I spit out the plan that hopefully bought me some time to come up with a better one.
“I can’t marry the Prime Minister because I’m already engaged to someone else,” I said.
Silence fell over the room. My eyes darted back to Collin. His face grew stern. And from the darkness he always stood in, I saw those bright blue eyes staring back at me. My heart skipped a beat. I clutched my hands behind my back, trying to present the coolest and calmest front I could possibly conjure.
Please don’t hate me, Collin. Just go along with it.
“And who is this random secret fiancé?” Mom asked.
“Answer your mother immediately,” my father said.
“Collin.”
And all eyes fell on the bodyguard in the corner. Including mine. Whose body had tensed, straightened, and grown cold.
Please, just go along with it.
Chapter 3
Collin
The desperate look in her eyes told me to play along. So I did. While this entire ruse was news to me, it didn’t take me long to slip into the role I needed to play. The King had hired me to protect his daughter. To keep her away from harm.
He never told me not to protect her from her own family.
“Is this true?” King Teyelu’s voice ripped me from my trance.
I slowly looked over at him, finding his eyes dancing along my face. I pushed myself off the wall, keeping my expression cool. The same deadpan eyes they’d all come to know as the stoic outsider who defended the castle without a second thought.
“Are you going to answer the King or not?” Queen Serefa asked.
I nodded, though it felt odd lying to the king and queen. I’d dedicated my time here to making sure they trusted me without a shadow of a doubt. And here I was, throwing all that away for a lie to get their daughter out of trouble she didn’t wish to be in.
I stepped to the corner of the shadows, and her father approached me. The King stood there, toe to toe with me. Gazing into my eyes. Those dark brown eyes with speckles of honey. Eyes the princess had inherited.
“What gives you the right to touch my daughter?” the king growled.
“Father,” Teyela said.
“Teyelu, keep it in check,” the Queen said.
“I trusted you to protect my daughter,” the King roared. “I trusted you to always watch over her and be her keeper. And this is what you’ve done with my trust?!”
“I promise you, this isn’t something that was expected,” I said.
“So it’s supposed to make me feel better that you didn’t intentionally prey on my sweet little girl?” he asked.
“He didn’t prey on me, Father. I wanted it just as much as he did.”
I held up my hand to her, softly silencing her words. Her mother gasped. Her father quirked an eyebrow at me. And when I slowly looked over at her, I shot her a look that told her to let me handle this. She wouldn’t be able to diffuse this situation. Not with everything that had already been said.
But I still stood a chance.
“I will never mean any disrespect to the royal family or the throne your daughter is to one day hold,” I said. “When I took this job you offered me, I pledged my loyalty to this family and this island. To always protect it. To always serve it. To always do what’s best for it.”
“And you think you’re what’s best for the future Queen of this island?” the King asked.
Teyela rushed to my side. “I’m in love with him, Father. There’s nothing you can do about that.”
She slipped her arm around mine, and I stood my ground. Though, my heart fluttered wildly in my chest. Those words. Her voice. Her skin touching mine. I couldn’t stand it. I physically couldn’t take it. There she was, clinging to me. Speaking the words I’d only heard in my dreams. How I wished they were true.
I’ll do whatever it takes to get you out of this position.
“I
won’t stand for it,” the King said.
“Teyelu,” the Queen hissed.
“You shall be silent!” he roared at her.
“Don’t you speak to Mother like that,” Teyela said curtly.
“I’m calling off this engagement now,” he said.
I watched the Queen put a hand on her husband’s arm. “I don’t think you should do that, sweetheart.”
I peeked down at Teyela and saw the shock evident in her eyes. Did she say what I think she just said?
“You approve of this debauchery?” the King asked.
“As King, you cannot order her to break a commitment she’s already made,” the Queen said.
Teyelu threw his hands up. “This entire situation is nonsense. And for all we know, it’s not even true! Where’s her ring? Where’s the conversation this man was supposed to have with us? All he does is stand in the hallways and walk behind her like a lumbering oaf. I’m supposed to believe they’re somehow in love and magically engaged during a time where our daughter’s rebelling harder than ever against us?”
“I love your daughter, King Teyelu,” I said. “And I’d like to ask your permission, formally, to marry your daughter.”
His eyes snapped to me as Teyela spoke up.
“We wanted to wait a little while longer,” she said. “Until things died down with the busy season and winter settled upon us. When things were calmer and not so busy. But you left me no choice, Father. I tried telling you I couldn’t marry Prime Minister Tavaiqia. This is why. Collin is why.”