Gunnar

  A Royal Protectors Novella

  Kat Mizera

  Copyright © 2024 by Kat Mizera

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editing: Kay Springsteen

  Cover Design: Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Royal Protectors Timeline/Reading Order

  Also by Kat Mizera

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Vivian

  There wasn’t much that made me cry, but watching one of my older sisters marrying a prince? Yeah, there was definitely something in my eye. Lennox looked beautiful up there, and that tiara on her head, well, that was the last thing I’d ever expected to see on my kickass, retired U.S. Marine, bodyguard sister. She looked stunning, and when she and her new husband, Prince Sandor Gustaffson, finally kissed, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

  Jesus.

  I needed a drink.

  After lots of fanfare, hugging and cheering, I finally escaped into the room where the reception was being held and went straight to the champagne fountain. I needed that drink sooner rather than later and I grabbed a glass from the top of the pyramid of champagne flutes that had been set up. My gut told me the stack of glasses would be too much temptation for guests once everyone had been drinking for a while, but I had to be on my best behavior tonight.

  I’d promised my mom.

  I was the black sheep of the family, flunking out of college twice with a stint in rehab in the middle. I was back in school now, looking to get some kind of degree, though I still had no idea in what. Luckily, my newest stepfather was pretty great and didn’t seem to mind paying for me to take a million classes while I figured it out.

  “How long do you think this pretty tower of champagne flutes is going to last once everyone is shit-faced?” a deep voice asked behind me.

  I chuckled before I even saw who it was since I’d had the same thought. “I give it an hour after dinner,” I said, turning.

  Holy green-eyed hotness.

  Where had this hunka-hunka-burning-love come from? I hadn’t noticed him at any of the pre-wedding festivities or at the ceremony, but he had my attention now. Lennox and Sandor had a lot of hot friends, but mostly they were either too old, too taken, or too not my type. This guy, well, from his too-long-for-a-man eyelashes to the tats crawling up his neck, to shoulders broader than a Mack truck, he was definitely my type. No wedding ring, either.

  Was this my lucky night or what?

  When he grinned at me, revealing two of the cutest dimples I’d ever imagined licking, I couldn’t help but grin back.

  “Bride or groom?” he asked me.

  “Bride. You?”

  “Bride.” He cocked his head. “I’m guessing you’re too young to have been in the military with her, but you were in the wedding party, so…”

  I smiled. “I’m her youngest sister. Lennox is the oldest, then Harlow, then me.”

  “I’m Gunnar.”

  “Vivian.”

  He gave me a lazy smile that kicked my libido into overdrive. God, he was beautiful.

  “So how do you know Lennox?” I asked. “Did you serve with her?”

  He nodded. “We were in Iraq together for about six months and she spent a lot of time with me when I was at Walter Reed.”

  I frowned. “Walter Reed?”

  “Military hospital. I was hurt.”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t sure if I should ask, but I didn’t have time to think about it because Harlow linked her arm through mine.

  “Lennox wants more pictures.”

  I rolled my eyes. “We took seven thousand pictures before the ceremony. How many more can we possibly take?”

  “As many as she wants,” Harlow said firmly. “She’s the bride.”

  “Fine.” I wasn’t actually annoyed because I was happy for Lennox. Her new husband was hot, rich, and nice to me. He also made her happy, which I’d never thought I’d see with my tomboy of a sister.

  “I’ll see you later, Gunnar,” I said with a smile, glancing over my shoulder as Harlow tugged me in the opposite direction.

  “Bye, Vivian.” He winked and my lady parts nearly melted.

  Sandor had pulled out all the stops for his and Lennox’s wedding, and though neither of them planned to live a royal lifestyle, this event had been important to the people of Sandor’s country. Limaj was a small, eastern European country that bordered Turkey, Georgia, and the Middle East. After ten years of a tyrant ruling Limaj, Sandor’s cousin Erik had taken the throne and they were trying to affect change for the people.

  I’d seen a lot of interesting things since I’d been here in Limaj, and getting to stay in the palace had been one of my favorites. I’d explored every inch of the areas I had access to, and it was fascinating. A wonderful combination of old and new. It was an old building with many of the original elements, but of course it had been updated over the years with things like central heat and air, heated swimming pools, and Wi-Fi. If I was honest, I was a little jealous of Lennox getting to live here.

  She and Sandor were both part of an elite group called the Royal Protectors. They were special bodyguards to the royal family who pledged an oath to the king. Sandor was King Erik’s first cousin and also a prince, and while I didn’t understand how it all worked, I knew Lennox was proud to be a Royal Protector and had every intention of continuing to work now that she was married.

  We took another thousand pictures and I smiled until my face nearly cracked.

  “Hey, Len,” I whispered to her when the photographer snapped a few of just Sandor with his side of the family. “Who’s Gunnar and is he single?”

  She arched her brows. “Gunnar Lovett? I don’t know for sure if he’s single, but he could have brought a plus-one to the wedding and he didn’t, so I think it’s a safe bet.”

  “He’s…” My voice trailed off and I fanned myself.

  “Yes, he is, but be careful. He’s probably a lifer when it comes to the military and I think he has a rotating door of women in his life.”

  “Well, with those green eyes? Who could blame them?” I nudged her. “We’re not all ready to settle down with Prince Charming.”

  Lennox glanced over at her new husband with a mischievous grin. “He has a brother, though.”

  I grimaced. “Jesus, he’s like forty. I’m not marrying my dad.”

  She nudged me back. “He’s thirty-six or thirty-seven. Geez. But don’t tell me he’s not hot.”

  I looked over to where Sandor and Daniil were messing around, taking some playful pictures. “Okay, I’ll give you hot. Still too old, but hot.”

  Lennox just laughed.

  “So, are we done? Can I go back to the party?”

  “Of course.”

  I was just about to make my escape when one of the staff came up to me, whispering, “Miss Vivian…the puppy.”

  I turned in frustration. “What’s wrong? Is he okay?”

  “He won’t stop barking.”

  I sighed. “All right. Show me where he is.”

  I’d brought my new German shepherd puppy with me since I couldn’t leave him alone and I’d felt weird boarding a puppy I’d just gotten. Everyone had tried to talk me out of adopting him, but he’d been abandoned to a shelter that was going to euthanize him and I’d fallen in love. So Taco had come home with me and made me crazy on a regular basis. King Erik had sent a private jet to pick up most of us coming to the wedding from the U.S., so I’d been able to bring Taco with me, but he’d been getting into more mischief than I had time for. Lennox had found someone to watch him during the wedding, but apparently, they couldn’t handle it.

  I turned and headed towards the elevators, lifting my gown as I walked.

  Hopefully, this would be quick.

  Chapter 2

  Gunnar

  I watched the cute, tattooed brunette walk towards the elevators holding up the skirt of the sexy sky-blue dress she wore. She’d said she was Lennox’s sister, but they didn’t look much alike other than the dark hair, and I wandered over to the newlyweds to congratulate them.

  “Hey, Gunnar.” Lennox gave me a hug.

  “Hey.” I grinned. “You look beautiful. Congratulations to you both.” I shook Sandor’s hand.

  “Are you having fun?” Lennox asked.

  “It’s been a great weekend so far,” I replied. “You throw a hell of an event.”

  “I had nothing to do with it,” she said, linking her arm through Sandor’s. “I bought my dress, picked bridesmaids dresses, and the cake. That’s it.”

  “You chose the music,” Sandor told her as he leaned in to kiss the side of her face.

  I shook my head, happy for my friend but curious enough about her sister to want to ask. “So why did I think your sisters were still kids?” I asked her.

  She cocked her head. “I don’t know. Which one are you interested in?”

  “The one with the tattoos. Duh.”

  “Funny, she just asked me if you were single.” She poked a finger in my chest. � �Vivian is a grown woman but she’s finally gotten her life together—do not fuck with her head.”

  I grinned. “It’s not her head I’m interested in.”

  “Behave, Gunnar.” Lennox gave me a look that indicated she was serious.

  “So she’s off-limits?” I asked, meeting her gaze directly. Lennox was a good friend, and I wouldn’t do anything to fuck that up, but it didn’t seem fair that I couldn’t enjoy the company of an attractive woman who was just my type but happened to also be her sister.

  “Like I said, she’s an adult, so it’s none of my business. Just don’t be a jerk.”

  “I’m never a jerk.” I leaned over, kissed her cheek and went back to the party.

  I wondered where Vivian had gone and hoped she was coming back. There were lots of beautiful people here, but none quite like her. This was the wedding of a prince, after all, and there were all kinds of faces I’d only ever seen on television before, but that wasn’t my scene these days. Sure, I could hook up with some untethered princess that would put a hell of a notch on my bedpost, but I wasn’t really into that anymore.

  Not that I was looking to settle down, but it might be nice to sleep with the same woman more than once, and my gut told me there was more to Vivian than tattoos and a naughty grin.

  I’d all but given up on finding her when a flash of red caught my eye.

  Holy shitballs.

  She’d changed out of the billowy blue bridesmaid dress and into…whatever this was. It was basically a speck of red, silky fabric that covered the essentials but not much else. Tiny spaghetti straps held it up and the slit all the way up one thigh revealed a slender leg covered in tattoos. She had them on one shoulder and upper arm as well, and I could just imagine peeling off that scrap of red fabric to discover all of them.

  She met my gaze from across the room and for a moment neither of us moved. Her eyes were light, maybe blue or gray, and her short hair moved as she did. It fell to just above her shoulders in a kind of unkempt bob, falling in little spikes instead of a straight line, and it was sexy as fuck.

  Our gazes remained locked as she slowly made her way towards me, and my cock twitched behind the slacks of my rented tuxedo. I didn’t normally wear them, and I certainly didn’t own one, but Lennox had said the event was black-tie, so I’d splurged. Now I was kind of glad because Vivian was drinking me in like I was a tall glass of water, and I liked a woman who not only knew what she wanted but went after it as well.

  “Wow,” I said as she approached. “The other dress was pretty, but this…well, wow.”

  She smiled. “My mother is going to have a heart attack, but my puppy just peed all over the other dress.”

  I grimaced. “Yikes.” Then it hit me. “Wait, you brought your puppy to the wedding?”

  “I felt bad boarding him. He’s only fourteen weeks old.”

  “Well, I guess if Lennox said it was okay…”

  “She did, and mostly he’s sweet, but into everything. I’m exhausted. Not too exhausted to dance, though. That way, my mother may not notice the dress.”

  “Then let’s go.” I offered her my elbow and she took it.

  “So where do you live?” I asked as she moved into my arms on the dance floor. People were getting ready for dinner, but there were half a dozen couples out there with us.

  “Fort Lauderdale,” she said. “You?”

  “I’m stationed at Quantico in Virginia.”

  “Have you been there long?”

  “A year.”

  “So you won’t have to move any time soon?”

  “Probably not for two more years, unless my unit deploys, but we haven’t heard anything yet.”

  “Please take your seats for dinner.” A voice came through the speakers and we moved apart reluctantly.

  “Where are you seated?” I asked her.

  “Table four.”

  “I’m at fifteen,” I said. “Dance again after dinner?”

  “You can count on it.” She flashed me a smile as she moved away and I watched the swaying of her ass with interest. I wasn’t sure why I was so drawn to her, but we’d been having a blast together so far, and I wasn’t going to question it.

  Lennox and Sandor cut the cake after dinner and then had the traditional first dance. Lennox danced with her stepfather and Sandor danced with an aunt, and then the dance floor opened up again. Before I had a chance to look for her, Vivian was right in front of me.

  “Do you know the ‘Cupid Shuffle’ dance?” she asked me.

  “I don’t,” I said, slowly getting to my feet. “But I’m guessing there’s a challenge involved here.”

  “No challenge. I’ll just teach you.” She took my hand and pulled me to the dance floor, where half the room had lined up in uneven rows. A song I’d never heard before was playing and it appeared to be a line dance. Vivian stood in front of me, giving me a great view of her shapely backside, and showed me the steps.

  Okay, this wasn’t too bad. Four steps to the right, four steps to the left…shit. Now we had some turn thing happening. It wasn’t hard, though, and with Vivian wiggling in front of me, I picked it up relatively quickly. Lennox had dragged Sandor out here too, and he looked as uncomfortable as I felt, but everyone was laughing and having fun, including him. I was glad to see Lennox had found a man that looked at her the way Sandor did. She deserved happiness. Something I’d never thought about much for myself, for some reason.

  We went from that song to a slower one and Vivian moved into my arms without hesitation.

  “That wasn’t bad, right?” she asked, looping her arms around my neck, her lithe body lightly pressed to mine.

  Shit, what had she said? I was so busy envisioning her naked, I had a hard time concentrating.

  “Do you have a girlfriend, Gunnar?”

  My eyes snapped to hers.

  “Honey, I wouldn’t have my arms around you right now if I did.”

  Chapter 3

  Vivian

  I probably should have played hard to get or something, but I didn’t care. I was essentially on vacation, away from all the stressors of my life, and hooking up with a sexy green-eyed hunk was just what the doctor ordered. I had a lot going on back home and this was the perfect opportunity to let loose without impacting school or anything else that would get me into trouble with my parents.

  “I need champagne,” I whispered to him after we’d danced four or five in a row. He wasn’t a great dancer, but he was light on his feet and could follow if I led, so that worked for me.

  He kept a hand at the small of my back as we walked over to the champagne fountain where we’d first met.

  “We’re over an hour past dinner,” he said, taking two glasses from the side of the pyramid. “How long before people start to misbehave?”

  “They still haven’t done the bouquet or garter throws, so I’m betting that’s when things take a turn for the wild.”

  “I don’t think it’ll happen until some of the older people in the room say good night,” he said. “Once that happens, this crowd might get a little rowdy.”

  “I’ve never seen Lennox get rowdy.” I chuckled. “You think she’ll start at her wedding?”

  He opened his mouth and closed it again. “I plead the fifth on this one.”

  “You’ve seen my sister let loose? Like get falling-down drunk and do something she wasn’t supposed to?”

  He smiled. “You’ll have to take that up with her.”

  I downed the glass of champagne because I was thirsty and then grabbed another. “I need water,” I told him. “I don’t want to get dehydrated.”

  “I’ll get one for you from the bar.” He went in that direction and I watched him with a happy sigh.

  “You have that look,” Harlow said, joining me and following my gaze.

  “He’s pretty,” I said with a mischievous grin.

  “He is.” She was looking at something slightly off to the side though, and I turned my head to see what it was.

 

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