Axel (Royal Protectors Book 3)

by Kat Mizera

  “Honey, I do want to be your friend. I just can’t be anything else.”

  “Who asked you to be? I’m not a child. I didn’t expect a marriage proposal because we had sex.”

  14

  Axel

  Damn, she was frustrating as hell, but she’d had me twisted up inside since the first time I’d seen her. Spending time with her would only make it inevitable that I’d hurt her, and she’d given me the perfect out that day at the hospital when she’d said she knew better than to get attached. Between that and her being sent to Greece for a week, I’d figured I’d have forgotten about her by the time she got back. That hadn’t happened and now she was pissed at me and I was inadvertently pissed at her for putting me in an untenable situation.

  “You’re really making this hard on me,” I said finally.

  “What, exactly, am I making hard for you?” she demanded.

  “I can’t stop thinking about you,” I said, looking away. “You’re beautiful and sexy and every time I think about being inside of you, my dick gets hard. But the fact that I want to sleep with you again more than I fucking want to breathe doesn’t mean it’s right or that I wouldn’t eventually hurt you.”

  “Why would you hurt me?” she asked, hands on her hips.

  “Because you’ll get attached and I don’t do attached.”

  “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” she snapped. “You can’t possibly know how you’re going to feel about me an hour from now, much less a year from now. You don’t date? Fine. You don’t have girlfriends? Fine. Do you have friends?”

  Her eyes were flashing angrily and I wanted to bend her over the nearest bench and fuck the living daylights out of her. The need to touch her was all-consuming and I physically had to turn away so she wouldn’t see the raw lust in my eyes. It was more than that, though. And she knew it, which was why she was challenging me like this.

  “I’m a soldier,” I said after a moment. “As a United States Marine, I’m not supposed to say that. I’m supposed to say I’m a Marine, and I am, but the core of who I am is a soldier. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. I grew up playing with toy soldiers and all of that. I wanted to fight, for my country, for our causes… Whatever it was, I was drawn to it. And then I actually went to war. I had no fear and fully believed in what I was doing, but the things I saw…horrible things. Things I’ll never forget. Things I can’t unsee. The very worst of humanity. That ugliness is part of me now and I don’t want that ugliness to ever touch someone I care about.”

  “I don’t believe that,” she said, slowly walking towards me. “I’ve watched you defend strangers. When we met, you told me about your family. Your mother’s cancer. Your memories of Paris. Perhaps not your innermost thoughts, but certainly a glimpse into the man you are. And I saw firsthand how you handled a surprise that might have upset a lesser man. That man, the man who made love with me, isn’t ugly.”

  The look in her eyes nearly brought me to my knees. I’d never wanted a woman this much and it was almost embarrassing. Except she was so incredible and this sweet, innocent woman wanted me.

  “I don’t know what I can offer you that’s good,” I said after a moment. “I work a lot of hours, so I wouldn’t see you much, and at the end of the day, I don’t know how my presence in your life would make it any better.”

  “Isn’t that for me to decide?”

  “Are you hearing what I’m telling you?” I said, taking her by the shoulders and making her look at me. “I’m telling you we’d have an occasional evening or afternoon together. We’d have a lot of sex, and it would be good, but beyond that, I’m a workaholic who doesn’t know how to relax. How is that fair to you?”

  “Nothing in my life has been fair,” she said with a wry smile. “At least in your case it would be my choice. And if the sex is even half as good as what I remember, it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun.”

  I was making a huge fucking mistake, but I bent my head and kissed her. I sealed my mouth over hers and the second I tasted her sweetness, I was immediately swept up in everything that was Solange. Telling myself I was no good for her didn’t change the way it felt or how much I wanted her. I slid my tongue against hers and it was even better than last time.

  “Not here,” I whispered when things started to get heated. “Your parents could come out…”

  I took her hand and we ran into the woods. It wasn’t dense, but enough to give us cover. Not that I was going to fuck her right there in the woods, but I was going to kiss her until she wouldn’t think of anything else until I could do it.

  “Greece was good for you,” I murmured against her throat. “You look good enough to eat.”

  “I hope that means what I think it means,” she breathed.

  “Yeah?” I looked down into her pretty face and the passion brimming just beneath the surface made me throw caution to the wind. “You ever done that before?”

  “You know I haven’t. My experience was limited to kissing and little fondling.”

  “All these firsts,” I whispered against her mouth. “Once I’ve taken all your cherries, you’re going to belong to me.”

  “How long do you think it’ll take for us to try everything at least once?” she asked, licking her lips.

  “There are a lot of things for us to try,” I mused. “But we’ll start with this one.” I slid a hand under her skirt, hooking two fingers under the band of her panties. I pulled them down until they pooled at her ankles and she stepped out of them. I lifted them to my face and breathed in her womanly scent. “I bet you taste like honeysuckle.” I stuffed her panties in my pocket and dipped my head beneath the folds of her peasant-style skirt. Running my hands down her shapely thighs, I nuzzled her sex, taking a moment to enjoy the sight of her. She was leaning against a tree because I figured she’d need some way to keep her balance before this was all over.

  I took her left leg and brought it up, over my shoulder. Now she was spread open for me, quivering slightly with excitement, and I nibbled the tender skin at the crease of her thigh, moving up to her pubic bone. I cupped her ass with both hands, bringing her closer to me and pressing light kisses on her mound until I reached her slit. I licked my way down until I could push my tongue inside of her and she gasped.

  “Axel!” Her breath caught and she gripped my hair with her hands. “Oh my god.”

  I was too busy feasting on her succulence to answer, and she loved it. Every time I slid my tongue around her clit she moaned, but I pulled back, making her wait. I was going to draw this out because we’d both been thinking about the last time we’d been together.

  “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what is this magic?” she cried out, her knees shaking slightly.

  I chuckled, kissing and licking every inch of her pussy until she was whimpering, writhing against me.

  “Please, Axel… I can’t take anymore.”

  I took pity on her and lightened my touch, using the tip of my tongue to circle her clit. I kept up a smooth, rotating motion and she came, her moans emanating from deep in her chest as she tried not to scream. I kept pressure on her clit until she finally stopped writhing.

  “Damn, that’s pretty,” I said, lifting my head from beneath her skirt and setting her leg down.

  “Is everything you do going to feel that good?” she demanded, a smile playing on her lips.

  “I’d like to think so.” I slowly got to my feet. “You look even more beautiful than usual right after you come.”

  “Can I have my panties back, please?”

  I gave her a wicked grin and shook my head. “Sorry. Those are mine now. Payment for services rendered.”

  Her mouth dropped open and then she snickered. “You never fail to surprise me.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?” I leaned in and kissed her, sweeping her tongue with mine and letting her taste herself on me. “You like how you taste as much as I do?” I asked.

  “Probably not,” she said. “But I like tasting it on you.”
>
  “Well, I love it,” I told her. “And you can count on me doing that as often as possible.”

  “But I thought we had all these other new things to try?” she teased, linking her arm through mine as we walked.

  “We do.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Nothing says we can’t do both that and the other things too.”

  “I’m going to have to figure out birth control,” she said after a moment.

  “Condoms are pretty safe,” I said, “but it wouldn’t hurt if we were doubly protected.”

  “I’ll have to see what I can find,” she said. “I’m twenty-four and have never been to a gynecologist. We don’t have one in Vinake, just the general physician at the hospital. The one in Ferdinbrag comes once a month but since I wasn’t sexually active, I didn’t think it was a priority.”

  “Talk to Natalia,” I said gently. “She’ll know where to go.”

  “Okay.” She squeezed my arm and somehow that made me smile.

  I left Solange with her parents and instead of going back to the palace, I detoured for the hospital. Kostya was doing well, and I’d heard he would be released in a few more days, so he and I were going to have a talk before that happened. I didn’t know what he’d done, but he was going to tell me and I didn’t care how it had to happen. I wouldn’t hurt him, not much anyway, but he’d talk one way or another.

  “Hey, Kostya.” I walked into his room to find him flirting with a pretty nurse.

  He gave me a friendly smile and I nodded at the nurse. “Will you excuse us, please?”

  “Of course. Bye, Kostya.” The nurse rushed out and I pulled a chair up to Kostya’s bed.

  “How’re you feeling, Kostya?”

  “Much better. They’re taking good care of me.” He spoke English well, though his accent was much heavier than Solange’s.

  “Good. So we can talk.”

  “About what?” He frowned.

  “About your involvement with the Bojovnik Brat.”

  “I don’t have any involvement with them.”

  “That’s not what I hear. In fact, I hear it’s because of you that they started raising taxes in Vinake and the surrounding towns.”

  “Who told you that?” He looked like a cross between a cranky teenager and a scared little kid. “My bitch of a sister?”

  I snaked out a hand and grabbed him by the hospital gown, yanking him into a sitting position. “You watch your mouth. You think I’m playing with you? My boss, your king, is putting substantial resources into cleaning up the mess you made, and I need to know exactly what you’ve done. You owe them money?”

  He didn’t respond, looking at me like a petulant kid.

  “Gambling?” I asked him. “How much?”

  “Not gambling.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

  “Then what was it?”

  “You don’t understand. You have no idea what our life was like! We weren’t going to make it through the last two winters. It was bad, the worst we’ve had in years. We were out of wood for fires, all we had left were potatoes and oregano, the pipes were frozen… Someone had to do something. I knew where they hung out. I went to them, asking for help.”

  “And?” I’d heard stories like this too many times.

  “They gave me food and supplies. All I had to do in return was start selling their drugs. In winter, people are bored, they’ll do anything to pass the time. It’s difficult to get drugs and the young people…”

  “So you traded supplies for drugs. You sold the drugs and then what?”

  “I gave them the money. They gave me more drugs. It was going good but then…” He swallowed. “Papa found the drugs. He thought I was using so he flushed everything. I couldn’t tell him they weren’t mine—he’s proud; he would die if he thought I was dealing drugs because he couldn’t provide for his family.” He blew out a breath. “I sold everything I could, but it was winter and I had no way to get anywhere. The Brat came looking for me and when I didn’t have their money, they said killing me wouldn’t get it for them so they decided to up the taxes. Again.”

  “So if they raised taxes, what were they after the night they almost killed you?”

  “No one could pay. After the bad winter, crops were bad this summer, sales were slow, and people are hoarding food instead of selling it because they’re afraid for next winter. They came looking to me to make up the money, and we didn’t have it. They thought I was lying.”

  “I feel like you’ve left something out,” I said. “But let’s say that’s the whole story. Now what? They burned your family’s café down, so now they absolutely won’t get their money. Not from you and certainly not from your family. What did you leave out, Kostya?”

  15

  Solange

  We wound up back at the palace for dinner and to sleep that night since the inn hadn’t yet been cleaned and beds and linens wouldn’t arrive for two more days. We’d been invited to eat with Princess Elen and Xander tonight, and though my first thought had been to claim I had a headache or something, I actually wanted to meet her. She was beautiful and had been busy working as the Education Minister, trying to overhaul a very broken system. She and Xander were having a baby early next year and I was hoping to pick her brain about her plans, both as Education Minister and a new mother.

  I also liked Xander a lot and wanted to see him again.

  When someone knocked on my door, I thought it was my parents, but to my surprise Axel stood there. He looked handsome in a silver button-down shirt, black slacks and dress shoes. His hair was slicked back, the scent of his aftershave wafting into my nostrils. It was subtle, but masculine and sexy, something distinctly his.

  “This is a surprise,” I said, tugging him inside.

  “I’m here to escort you to dinner,” he said as the door shut behind him.

  I moved up against him, pressing my lips to his. He slid his hands around my waist and pressed his tongue into my mouth. We did that for a few minutes, mouths and hands working in tandem until his erection pressed against my stomach and my girlie parts clenched in anticipation.

  “I’ll find you later,” he said, pulling away with as much reluctance as I felt. “But for now, we have to get to dinner.”

  “Are you coming too?” I asked.

  “I am. Prince Daniil, who’s Elen and Sandor’s brother, will be there, along with Natalia.”

  “Are they a couple?” I asked, straightening my dress as he adjusted himself, I assumed because erections were uncomfortable behind clothes.

  “Not that I know of, but there’s a lot of canoodling that goes on around here.”

  “Canoodling?” I frowned. “I don’t know this expression.”

  “Fooling around. I’m trying to say that people are having a lot of sex around here. Beyond the married couples.”

  “I’m looking forward to being among them,” I told him, smiling.

  “You already are,” he said, patting my backside. “Now let’s get going.”

  I followed him into the hallway just as the door to my parents’ suite opened. Papa eyed Axel and me suspiciously but then turned to me. “Your mother isn’t feeling well. I think she worked a little too hard at the inn today. We’re going to have dinner in our room. Give our regards to the princess.”

  “Is she okay?” I asked quickly. “Does she need anything?”

  “No, I think she’s just overtired. We’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Axel, give me a minute.” I nodded at him and pushed past my father. “Mama, what is it?” I walked into their suite and found my mother wrapped in a silky robe, wearing a pair of high heels, with a glass of champagne in her hand.

  “Solange.” She smiled. “Your father and I are having a romantic evening… We don’t have champagne very often. Honestly, don’t be such a mother hen. It’s no wonder you’re still single.”

  I shook my head and spun on my heel, slipping out of the room and past my father, calling over my shoulder, “Make sure you take care of her
, Papa.”

  He gave me a dour look and I just laughed.

  “Your mom okay?” Axel asked as we walked.

  “Oh, yes. Apparently, they’re spending a romantic evening together.”

  “Like I said, everyone canoodles around here. Something in the air, I think.”

  “It’s a palace,” I said, waving one arm. “I mean, look at it… Gold and marble and crystal. It screams of romance and sex.”

  He shrugged. “I guess. Not really my thing.”

  “Romance isn’t your thing?”

  “No, but even if it was, I don’t see this place as romantic. I guess to me it represents power and greed. Not the king’s, but all the people who want something from him. People have been trying to kill him since before he took power and I find it baffling that there are people out there trying to eliminate the only person who truly gives a shit about Limaj.”

  “So to you, the palace represents the evil in our country, instead of the wonderful history of the family who built it?”

  He smiled. “Erik is your king, but he’s my friend. To be a Royal Protector, you have to be willing to die for the royal family, and I wouldn’t do that for any amount of money. I do it for the man, because I respect him as a person and what he’s trying to do for the people.”

  “But did you know him when he first hired you?”

  “I didn’t. I also was nothing but a garden variety bodyguard then. I became a Royal Protector after we moved to Limaj permanently. And by then, I understood what it meant and what I was signing up for.”

  “The Royal Protectors have quite the reputation,” I said thoughtfully. “When King Anwar was in power, they were more like assassins, men to be feared. But historically, they were the most noble, the bravest, handsomest, men to be revered.”

  “Sounds like you’re describing the three musketeers,” he said with a faint smile.