Her posture relaxed. “Regardless, I don’t have time for a vacation. I chair the energy commission in Sereno. We are in the middle of a major project right now, one that is extremely time sensitive.”

“Your suite has a workspace in one of the bedrooms, but if you prefer, I can arrange for you to have a separate office. Or you can work in the chateau library.”

“Thank you.” They drove in silence for a minute before Cassie asked, “How many people know I’m here?”

“Besides the royal family, only me and Martino, the chateau manager.”

“Can he be trusted?”

“Yes. He has been a loyal employee of the royal family for nearly three decades,” Levi said. “I did a background check on him myself when we had some difficulties last year.”

“I’m sorry if I seem paranoid.”

“You’ve been through a traumatic experience. It takes time to sort things out and learn to trust again.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” When Levi didn’t respond, Cassie asked, “What is your position with the royal family?”

“I’m the head of security at the chateau where you’ll be staying.” Levi glanced at her. “Although, at the moment, my primary job is to keep you safe.”

“So you’re my bodyguard.”

“Something like that.”

She fell silent for a moment. “You realize that as soon as I arrive at the chateau, your entire staff will know I’m there.”

“Not necessarily,” Levi said. “Everyone thinks you’re coming to visit me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mentioned I was picking someone up from the airport.” Levi glanced at her. “The staff knows we have a new security officer due to start soon. They all assume that’s you.”

“Me? Security?” She shook her head. “No one would ever believe that. Not to mention, I have responsibilities. I wouldn’t possibly have enough time to pretend to do one job while trying to keep up with another.”

“It’s either that or pretend to be my girlfriend,” Levi said. “We need a plausible reason for your presence, or rumors will start. That’s the last thing we want when we’re trying to keep people from knowing where you are.”

She took in his strong profile, all angles and planes. His wasn’t a face she would ever see gracing the cover of a magazine, but with his firm lips and chiseled features, he certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes. She supposed he would best be described as “ruggedly handsome.”

Pulling her thoughts away from the man beside her, she focused again on the issue at hand. “It doesn’t matter what role you try to put me in. Someone is bound to recognize me. The paparazzi have splashed my face on the internet often enough for me to be noticed.”

“I’m sure that’s true in your country, but Meridia has its own royals to watch. You show up in a regular car with a regular guy, people will believe what we tell them.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Levi’s lack of response was enough to indicate he too had doubts.