The princess and the American (Hope and I)

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"This is just too much mother!" Olivia paced the drawing room back and forth and turned to look at her silent father "you both said I still had time! You said I have till my 21 st birthday before getting married to Frederic!" She walked to the windows overlooking to the private gardens. "I'm not even 20 yet and you want to take what's left of my freedom away..."

"Olivia just calm down" the king sighed "we're just informing you that your indiscipline has consequences. You're not a normal girl, you're the princess, the heiress to the throne. Act like it."

Olivia bowed and walked out as elegantly as she could, trying to contain her anger. She met Justin's eye on her way to the main doors and held up her hand "I'm going out, and alone! My tracking device is on and don't you dare follow me Justin, I'm serious."

Justin just smirked and handed her a cap "I knew you would go out. Here's your cap, don't be long or I'll be forces to go and get you."

Princess Olivia took her secret passage out of the palace and made her way to the beach wanting nothing but sit in her hideout. She had been fighting with her mother for years, the queen not wanting to understand her needs to experience life as a normal girl, even just for a little while. But her mother saw her little experiences as acts of deffiance and always inflicted some kind of punishment.

She took off her sandals and sighed as her feet contacted the cold sand. She knew no one was around at this time but wouldn't risk exposure in her laid back clothes. Being in kaki shorts and a tank top wasn't really princesslike.

Reaching the groove she stopped dead in her track as she saw the back of a man taking a picture. She was about to leave before he noticed her but he turned around.

John had mixed feeling about Justin. Which was odd in a way, but he also had mixed feeling about Liv. “Princess Olivia” he corrected himself as he laid on his bed and stared at the stone ceiling above him.

Justin seemed like a loyal guard to the royal family but what else was going on between him and the princess? Anything? Was he imagining things because of how he felt for Liv? What DID he feel for Liv? He barely knew her. Yet he was jealous of the close relationship she had for her guard?

“Now you’re her guard” he mumbled to himself as he sat up with a sigh. He was about to spend the next few weeks at her side, should he clear up this tension? He wondered.

He decided to walk to room, hesitating a moment before he knocked firmly on her door.

Olivia crumbled justin's note and threw it on the floor before Getting up and pacing the room back and forth. "Izzy knew!" She groaned and grabbed the nearest vase smashing it to the floor, shattering it in pieces. She looked at the fireplace and saw a picture of her and Justin when they were little kids. Her eyes softened a little but she was so mad at him she threw the picture frame to the carpeted floor. But to her luck it didn't break. She hated him for leaving her when she needed him the most.

She let out a sigh of frustration and decided to go to the beach to clear her head, and maybe find a way out of marrying Frederic. She quickly changed and put her cap on hiding her bright red hair and her face. She didn't know who was on watch but hoped Justin's absence wouldn't affect her late night strolls.

Just as her habd reached for the handle, she heard a knock on her door. Frowning, she opened the door surprised to see John.

"John?" She stepped aside letting him in. "Is everything okay?"

John stepped inside and saw the broken vase on the floor, “I should be asking you that..” he said with a raised brow, “what’s going on?” He turned to face her and realized she was in her civilian attire, “going somewhere?” He asked a little too rudely.

Olivia looked at the shattered glass on the floor and shook her head "all good. It just fell from my hand a little too hard." She faked a smile and nodded "yes actually I was going out for some fresh air. I know you're in charge in Justin's absence, my tracker is on." She showed him the necklace that was hiding the tracker. "I won't be long, maybe an hour."

“Well we need to clear the air so have a seat.” He said firmly, completely dismissing her comments about sneaking to the beach.

She furrowed her brows and thought about dismissing him. He was the one that made it clear he only wanted a professional relationship. But she was curious and took a seat. "Clear the air?"

John began to pace the floor in front of her, “my personal life has never came between my duties before and I won’t let it now.” Was he trying to convince her, or himself? “I am here to protect and serve the princess as she wishes.” He stopped in front of her so they were toe to toe, “but I can’t serve you properly until I know what you want.” He said, towering over her.

"And I've never asked you to do so." She got on her feet and closed the distance between them "I would never jeoperdize your career. Never!" And maybe that was what angered her the most "I thought I wasn't going to see you again..." she whispered more softly this time and looked down at her hands "I don't have the luxury to want anything."

John sighed in frustration, “ what do you expect me to do Liv? Sit back and watch? Quit? What?” He clenched his jaw “I can talk to Fredric, if you’d like.. see if he’ll call it off..”

She thought about it for a moment and shook her head "I'll find a way out without angering my parents. Trust me, you don't want to see the queen angry." She sat back on the couch and looked up at him "I don't want you to quit John. Wether I like it or not, you make me feel safe. I trusted you the moment I met you, and that is something I don't usually do. So no, if it comes to me, I wouldn't ask you to leave. But John this is up to you, it's your choice." She wanted to tell him not to leave, she'd rather have him around than not seeing him at all, but she couldn't do that.

John finally let himself relax for a moment, sitting across from Liv, once again, taking her all in.

“I’ll cover for you, if you want to get out of here for a while.. “ he said softly.

"Yes I really really need some fresh air." She smiled at him getting up but didn't move. She took a long look at him before leaning down to him "there's something I need to do before you go back to being just my bodyguard" she whispered her face mere inches away from him. "I'm sorry for breaking your code" she cupped his face and crashed her lips on his, kissing him wanting to taste him at least once before he starts acting like a stranger. She had wanted to do that since that night at the beach.

John didnt hesitate to kiss her back, he met her passion and then some; pulling her ontop of him as he massaged his tongue against hers, releasing a soft moan as he finally tasted her.

Without any struggle he stood with her, wrapping her legs around his waste as he found the nearest wall and pinned her against it, his lips never leaving hers.

Her fingers went to his hair as she wrapped her legs around his waist tightly bringing him closer to her, she felt like her body was on fire. She kissed him more and more not getting enough of him. "John..." she moaned his name in pleasure.
Olivia broke the kiss and rested her forehead on his breathing hard. "I'm actually glad I broke your code and kissed you, it felt amazing" she spoke softly.

John chuckled softly, breathing hard as he slowly set her down, “that was every bit of what I’d hoped it would be..” he whispered down at her before taking a step back, trying to collect himself.

She hid her flush face by adjusting her cap. She didn't need to ask, she knew it was the first and last time but she was grateful she at least had a chance to do that. She walked toward the door and glanced at him activating her tracker "that was my first kiss" she said before running out the room and headed to the secret passage that would lead her out of the palace.
Once outside, she took a long deep breath and realized she needed to process her feelings for him. "I can't marry Frederic..."

John would have lost that bet any day of the week. He wouldn’t have guessed that was her first kiss based off of what had just happened between them. Their chemistry was intense. He longed for her more that he had longed for anyone. And now he had to sit back and protect her while she married another man. “Hell..” he whispered to himself as he pulled himself together and walked out of her room.

He couldn’t go back to his room. Not yet. His heart was still racing from their kiss. So he took a stroll through the palace, enjoying the dimly lit hallways and empty, quiet rooms. He wondered about Olivia and how it was for her growing up here. He wondered where she was now, not comfortable thinking about her being alone.

Olivia reached the beach and sat on the sand enjoying the light breeze. She played with the sand with a stupid smile plastered on her face as she felt butterflies in her belly.
But an image of Frederic appeared in her mind and she groaned remembering who she was and what her duties were.
She reached for her phone and texted Justin
-bastard-
-language princess- J
-I hate you-
-no you don't. I'm trying to find a way out of your marriage. I'll call tomorrow-J

She sat there for a while before heading back to the palace. She used her secret passage and made her way to the kitchens.

John was pleasantly surprised when he heard footsteps around the corner and saw that it was the princess, “Liv-“ he stopped and corrected himself, “princess. Did you enjoy your time?” He asked, looking down at her with a different feeling than before. A stronger, more protective feeling.

Olivia smiled genuinely at John "I did actually, I went to the beach and did some thinking." She walked past him feeling in a much better mood "hungry?" She asked pushing the kitchen doors open.

“I…” he thought about it and slowly followed her into the kitchen, “I could eat..” he said, looking around, admiring the large kitchen before his eyes rested on her, “You seem like you’re in a better mood..” he said as he sat on a stool.

She opened the fridge where they store the sweets and cakes and pulled out a chocolate fudge for her "what would you like to have?" She turned to look at him and blushed remembering their heated moment a few hours ago "I'm in a better mood yes. I'm getting out of this marriage one way or another."

“Ah…” he thought about what he was craving and his eyes rested on her lips, “I’ll just, take this for now..” he said, reaching for a mint in the candy bowl in front of him.

“So you’re getting out of your marriage arrangement.. tell me more about it.” He said as he popped the hard red and white mint in his mouth. He was incredibly curious to know what she had up her sleeve.

She grinned at him. "He's a womanizer, a scandalous playboy. I just have to catch him in the act and show his true color to my parents. Royals usually have affairs, it's how it is, but my parents are really in love and they believe in monogamy so they wouldn't allow that." She took a bite of her cake looking ahead "but that's not enough. I need to find aome dirt on him..."

John couldn’t help but let a sly grin tug at the corner of his lips, “I may be able to help you with that.. I have a few connections..” he said, watching her closely at she enjoyed her chocolate cake. Damn she made his mouth water…