Accidental Princess: A Hidden Kingdom Novel Read online

  Accidental Princess

  A Hidden Kingdom Novel

  Lexi Whitlow

  Contents

  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

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Excerpt from Deception

  About the Author

  More By Lexi

  © 2018 Lexi Whitlow

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.

  Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented are 18 or over.

  Kindle Edition

  Cover Design:

  Mayhem Cover Creations

  1

  Freya

  I watch out the window as our plane descends closer to the ground with each passing minute. The waters here in Ibiza are breathtakingly beautiful, the prettiest out of all the shades of blue. The white sandy beaches are packed full of tourists, wanting to soak up as much sun as possible before going home—which is exactly what Allison and I are planning on doing.

  We started brainstorming this vacation three months ago and we’ve been counting down the days since then. After everything that happened over the last week, I’ve never needed a break more than I do now.

  It all started when Kirk, who Allison recently dubbed Kirk the Jerk, sent me a strange text message which clearly wasn’t meant for me. At first, I thought it was just a joke but who jokes like that? The picture that he sent was of him screwing a girl, who was definitely not me, and the caption was ‘So you don’t forget me’ followed by a couple of kissy face emojis.

  First off, eww…

  Or maybe it was for me. Who knows, but either way it was the end of Kirk and me. It felt like my heart had fallen out of my chest and was bleeding out all over the ground. This guy had been the love of my life—I was engaged to him! We were going to get married when I went back home after graduation.

  He was my happily ever after. Or so I thought.

  Then, all of a sudden, he wasn’t. In the blink of an eye, just like that. I didn’t leave my room for two days before Allison finally made me open the door and face the world. Even now, thinking about it still makes me sad.

  I hope the blue waters of Ibiza help me fight that. It’s time to let loose a little and leave my memories of Kirk behind me where they belong. He’s obviously having fun without me.

  I need to do the same.

  The taxi drops us off at our hotel and we check in without any problems. Our room is on the fourth floor and has balcony views of the cove not too far away. The decorations are a mixture of European and coastal, making for an interesting combination. Allison sets down her suitcase and lays down on her bed, testing out how soft it is.

  “I know this might sound lame, but can we take a nap before we go sightseeing?” she asks hopefully. “Jet lag and all.”

  “Sure can,” I answer.

  “Perfect. Just perfect,” she says sleepily as she gets more comfortable.

  I take off my shoes and lay down too. I close my eyes but I don’t sleep. My mind is too busy replaying the picture Kirk sent. I had deleted it shortly after, but it’s not as easy to do that with a mind as it is a phone. Eventually, I give up on trying to sleep.

  I get up and write a note for Ally, saying that I’m going to walk for a bit. She’s old school and prefers for me to leave notes when I leave and go somewhere. We even have a cute little stationary set in the hotel just for notes. And I know that since we’re in a foreign country, if I take off without leaving her a note, I’ll be in big trouble when I get back. For as carefree as Ally comes off, she’s still a worrier—especially over the people she loves.

  The sunshine and heat hits my face as soon as I’m out of the hotel lobby. It feels welcome and refreshing. I’ve spent too much time indoors studying and preparing for exams; I feel like I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be carefree. Hopefully that’s something I can remedy while we’re here.

  There’s a charming looking café just down the block from where we’re staying and I make a mental note to bring Allison to check it out before we leave. I continue on towards the beach, walking along a path lined with vibrant flowers. They’re eye catching and I can smell them without even having to get close to them. The wind blows a soft breeze and everyone that I meet along the path is happy with smiles on their faces, simply enjoying the beauty that is Ibiza.

  I pass a fountain, and something draws me to it. I stop and sit on the ledge, looking at the artfully designed fountain as the sound of soothing water makes me want to sit for a while and forget about my cares. And for a couple of minutes that’s exactly what I do. The fountain is back away from the path so it’s not as loud, and if I close my eyes I can almost pretend I’m by myself.

  I look around and—oh, what’s this?

  A good-looking guy sits on the other side of the fountain.

  Good looking might be the understatement of the year. This guy is absolutely fucking fine.

  I hadn’t noticed him before but now I can’t move my eyes away from him. Messy brown hair, high cheek bones, broad shoulders—I can’t see what color his eyes since he’s looking down, but his profile alone is captivating.

  He looks up and catches me starting at him. My cheeks flush and I feel like an idiot, but I manage to smile at him, at least I hope it looks like a smile.

  Before I know what’s happening he’s standing up and coming towards me, smiling, and even that is sinful. Once he’s standing in front of me he opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, only to stop as he glances over my shoulder at something.

  “Can I ask you a favor?” he asks in a voice loud enough for only me to hear.

  “Maybe,” I say. I blush in spite of myself.

  He gives me that charming smile again. “Will you pretend to be my girlfriend for a moment?”

  “What?”

  “My girlfriend. Seriously. I can’t explain, but it’s important.”

  “I guess,” I agree, finally remembering how to talk.

  He looks back over my shoulder before he pulls me close. He takes my chin and tilts me face upward so that I look directly into his startlingly green eyes. The color is so soft and inviting; I feel like I could lose myself in them for hours and still not know every facet of them.

  I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see who it is, but he stops me and leans down to touch his lips to mine. They’re so soft and warm against mine that I forget about trying to see who’s behind me. This handsome stranger pulls me closer and I clench my fists in the soft fabric of his shirt. Somehow, in this brief moment, he manages to make me feel more in this one kiss than I’ve ever felt with Kirk the Jerk.

  The kiss breaks, just a second; he gazes down at me with those piercing green eyes and I’ve already f
orgotten about anything and anyone that isn’t the two of us and this tiny, intense exchange. Lightly panting, I lean up…

  He brings me back to him and kisses me again, deeper this time and I squirm as warmth floods me to my core. His hands rove over my curves and it’s intense—everything I never knew I wanted and I want more.

  Before it even has a chance to really get started, he slows things down once more.

  Space returns between us, and as he brushes my fly-away hair out of my face, I long for the touch to linger.

  “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around,” he says. “Thank you again.”

  With a peck to my forehead, he’s walking away; he doesn’t even bother to look back. It’s like he just knows that I’m watching him leave.

  Sandy cove forgotten, I’m reeling as I walk back to the hotel. I was correct in thinking that this trip is exactly what I need; that sexy stranger’s kiss just solidified that notion. I can only hope we run into each other again.

  He’s just what I need.

  A rebound. A stranger with a secret.

  This seems like exactly the reason we came to Ibiza in the first place.

  “Oh thank goodness you’re back!” Allison’s shriek greets me as I walk into our room. “There for a second I was afraid I was going to have to track you down!” she says as she pulls me in for a huge bear hug.

  I laugh into the depth of her hug, trying not to roll my eyes.

  Allison tends to overreact. It’s her thing, and I love her for it. Even if I do get the brunt of it most days.

  “Sorry. I couldn’t sleep, and I thought I’d do a little sightseeing while you were sleeping. I left a note.” I feel like I’m still glowing from the kiss, but Ally doesn’t notice.

  “I saw it when I got up, but we’ve never been here before and you decide to go wandering off, alone I might add, without me.”

  I decide to change the subject to something be both love, not wanting her to wallow in the genuine concern she has. “I saw this adorable little café not too far from here. Do you want to go check it out tonight?”

  “Works for me. You know I can’t say no to food. Then we can hit up that club the clerk at the front desk was telling us about.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Immediately, she up from the bed, happy to rummage through the closet for tonight’s outfit.

  “Maybe you can meet some hottie to take your mind off Kirk the Jerk,” she muses.

  I smile. That nickname never gets old. “Actually, I found someone.” There it is in my mind—the blushing, deep hotness of our kiss, the fullness I felt when he touched me. And the aching need to forget everything for just a few moments. “I might not see him again—but—” I shrug and pretend to look through my suitcase.

  “What?! We haven’t even been here a whole damn day! This isn’t like you.” She peeks from around the closet door to look at me, her eyes bright. “I can’t believe you. One step into Ibiza and you’re not the girl I’ve known for the past three years.”

  “I think it was him, not me. I’m the same old Freya.”

  “The same old Freya wouldn’t randomly kiss a sexy dude on the street. Spill.”

  “There’s not much to tell.”

  “When it comes to hot guys, there’s gotta be some kind of story.” Ally raises an eyebrow and sifts through her bag, throwing a bikini on the bed, followed by a flowy white sundress. All the crap in my suitcase is practical—chino shorts, cropped leggings, a college tee shirt I got when I was a freshman, and a faded red dress with capped sleeves.

  “I don’t think that’s necessarily true,” I say. I pull out my one piece and look at it. The butt is pilling and faded. What the hell was I thinking packing this stuff? If I see him again…

  “It’s got to be. Fucking make something up.” Ally hoists the rest of her bag and throws it in the small closet, making a thump that our downstairs neighbors probably heard. I wince. That girl’s a mess—one of the smartest, funniest people I’ve ever met. And crazy hot mess.

  “Okay, fine.”

  Ally abandons the closet and flops down on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows like I’m about to read her a bedtime story. “I’m ready.”

  I swallow hard. “I was just wandering around. And I saw this fountain. I sat down and—there he was.”

  “And your heart leapt out of your chest.”

  I laugh. “Not quite. It was more like a small rush, like from the base of my spine up to the top of my shoulders. Like—electricity.”

  Ally smiles. “Okay, sexy. Give me more.”

  “He had this shaggy dark hair, like he hadn’t gotten it cut in a couple of months and it started to grow a little wild. And he was—sculpted. Tall. He walked over to me and he asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend. And we kissed.”

  “And? You got his number? He got yours? You planned a place to meet?”

  I bite my lower lip. “Nope.”

  She groans. “So that’s it, then?”

  “He said he might see me around.”

  “Are you sure he was real?” she asks, laughing a little. “Because he sounds kinda perfect. Especially for a vacation. I can’t believe you didn’t get any information about him. Not even his name?”

  “No name.”

  “Christ on a bike, girl. You don’t know anything about men.” She rolls over and looks up at the ceiling. “Just when I thought you might get a rebound hookup—you go and disappoint me.”

  “I think I’ll see him again. I’ve got a feeling.” That shiver reaches up from the base of my spine again, lighting the desire deep within my core. Kirk never did that.

  “The only odd part was him asking me to pretend be his girlfriend. But I’d pretend to be his girl if I got to kiss those lips anytime I wanted to. And I’d be fine with that.” I can still remember the feel of his lips on mine. If I lick them I can taste him, too. Suddenly, deeply, I long for that taste.

  She sighs. “Well, I hope you’re right. You need something to happen.”

  “I guess.” I can’t admit to her in that moment that I can’t shake the image of this guy, that the need is indeed there. A need I hadn’t felt before.

  “I hope so. I never find romance, just dicks.” She pauses. “Just loads of fuckboys.”

  I burst out laughing. “Yeah, well, maybe I’ll find this guy. And he’ll have a friend for you.”

  Ally keeps staring up at the ceiling. “Sure thing. I bet he’ll be a jerk too.”

  I launch a pillow at her, startling her. “Just lend me something to wear. I brought nothing, and I’m feeling…”

  “Romantic?”

  I grin. “Sure. You could call it that.”

  Ally’s always been a sucker for romance and happily ever afters. She’s been waiting on her Prince Charming to show up for forever now. For as crazy and wild as this girl is, she’s got a hidden side that only a few people are allowed to see. I’m one of the lucky ones.

  Ally rolls off the bed and comes over to me, taking me by the arms. Her touch is warm and reassuring, a strong column of support in the storminess of my life.

  “And you need help, in case we do see him again.”

  “I do.” I look over to her bag, which is sort of half inside of the closet, and half out, spilling over with dresses and bathing suits.

  She gives me a sly grin and guides me by the hand over to the closet. I start laughing. This is Ally’s wheelhouse. She searches through her bag, pulling out a tight purple dress with the tags still on it. I recognize it immediately. It’s the dress I tried on weeks ago. It was on clearance, and I was still too uptight to buy it.

  “You did not buy that dress!”

  “Sure did. And I brought it with me because I know you’ve got a suitcase full of gym shorts and baggy t-shirts.”

  I put a hand on my hip and give her a smirk. “Okay. Fine. You know me too well. But I can’t wear that.”

  “But you looked killer when you tried it on at the store. You’ve got curves but you never show t
hem off, which is a complete travesty. You should let me do your makeup and put some volume in your hair for later.”

  I nod slowly, anxiety swirling in my stomach. But Ally doesn’t give me much time to think. Instead, she pulls me over to the small vanity in the hotel room and goes to work on my hair, straightening the crazy waves and “adding volume,” as she says.

  “Don’t make me look like a midwestern prom queen,” I say, trying to take the brush out of her hand.

  “You won’t,” she says. “And what’s wrong with a midwestern prom queen? I was a midwestern prom queen. And I had the poofiest hair in the entire state that night. I looked fly as hell.”

  We dissolve into laughter as she puts the finishing touches on my hair. She starts in on my eyebrows after that, making perfect arches and adding in just a touch of something called “Brow Wiz.”

  My face shapes up nicely after that—blush, lip stain, and something shimmery on my eyelids. It doesn’t look overdone—it’s natural. And somehow when I put the purple dress on, I feel more like myself than I have in months.

  I eye myself in the mirror while Ally gets ready… and I can’t help but be optimistic.

  Whether I see my handsome stranger or not, there’s a glow about me that I haven’t seen in a long time. I thought that person was gone when Kirk sent me that text.

  But she’s still here, and she might be ready for just about anything.

  An hour later and we’re en route to the cute little café I saw on my walk. Ally looks at everything with fresh eyes and has the same reaction that I did. Literally everything is pretty in Ibiza. It’s not fair for once place to be to wonderful.