American Princess

Chapter 2

We pulled to a stop in front of a two-story brick house in Brentwood, and as Shaw opened the door for me I spotted Lance and Paxton waiting sternly on the porch. While my regular security team consisted of Shaw and Ben, my dad was concerned about the weird mail I'd been getting and had insisted the other two agents come. Since he'd also been super protective ever since mom, I didn't even try and argue anymore.

But the downside to more security was more scrutiny.

"Did you just catch a pidgey?" Ben asked incredulously as we crested the porch. Lance had just knocked, setting off a chain reaction of barks inside the house.

I sighed and tucked my phone away. "I forget how tall you guys are."

Ben laughed while Shaw muttered, "I'm going to pretend I don't know about that."

"Don't worry — if all I'm going to end up with are rats and birds there won't be anything to know," I said honestly, and he shook his head. They all straightened slightly when the door opened and then a flash of golden fur darted out, launching itself at me.

The golden bullet ended up being the cutest dog in the world. I started showering the retriever with as much love as I had while Lance introduced us more formally to the guy that had answered the door. Shaw cleared his throat. "Miss Sorenson?" he prompted.

"Can we seize this precious pup?" I asked as I gave the dog in question another good rub behind the ears. "I'm only joking," I added. "But he is a beautiful—"

I lost my train of thought when I finally looked at the guy standing in the doorway. Older professoriate type he was not. "Sorry about Max," he was saying, and I was desperately trying to keep my cool as he took a step forward.

"Miss Sorenson, this is Mr. Lee. He'll be your SAT tutor for the next eight weeks," Shaw intoned. I was still absently petting the dog, who must be Max, as I tried to give my brain a chance to catch up.

"Call me Kota," the guy with the green eyes was saying, and I wondered who set this up. He couldn't have been much older than me and looked like he was one casual smile away from posing in a Lenscrafters ad. He was tall, with high cheekbones and hair that was a rich, deep brown. It was slightly askew, as if he'd recently ran his fingers through it, but I still couldn't get past his eyes. They were striking, and would definitely be a distraction in all of the best ways.

"I'm Sang," I said, taking his outstretched hand. It was as if the world melted away in that moment, and all I could focus on was the pressure of his hand in mine, the way he was looking at me. "So uh, this is Max?" I asked, shifting my gaze from his. "He seems like a good boy."

"He usually is," Kota promised. "He likes meeting new people." This seemed to be true, since the pup in question had been sniffing around Paxton until he finally relented and broke form to give him a head rub. "And attention."

"Then I guess having me around is good for something at least," I said, smiling.

"I'm sure having you around is good for a lot of things." Was my adorable tutor flirting? With me? And I couldn't have helped it, I blushed. I had just conjured up a witty reply when Ben not so subtly coughed, ruining the moment. "So," Kota hedged. "We should probably get started..."

"Lead the way."

***

"I have to admit, I... well, I've never tutored a President's daughter before," Kota said as we got settled at his kitchen table, sending a glance toward my security team. Shaw and Ben were positioned in what I was sure were the most advantageous spots on the first floor with us, while Lance and Paxton stood guard outside.