by Kat Mizera
Between work and Solange, I wasn’t getting much sleep, but I didn’t give a damn. I’d pick sex over sleep any day, and I was getting so much, it was a little embarrassing. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other and I was starting to feel a little guilty because that was essentially the bulk of our relationship. I hadn’t bought her dinner or taken her on a date or even spent the night with her. The last thing was by design, because everyone knew everything that went on at the palace, and though our relationship wasn’t a secret, I wasn’t going to put her reputation at risk.
On the other hand, she was intoxicating. I thought of little else but her big blue eyes and the taste of her pussy, the way it felt to be inside of her, the way she screamed my name when I made her come. I’d had more than my fair share of sex in my thirty-five years, but this was the kind of shit that made teenage boys think they wanted to get married. And maybe not just teenage boys.
I wasn’t naïve enough to think mind-blowing sex was the basis for anything long-term, but it was the first time in over a decade I’d even considered getting serious with a woman. I regularly reminded myself of all the important talking points, the things that made it impossible for us to do that, but my heart wasn’t even on the same planet as my brain. My heart was definitely getting invested and I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. She was eleven years younger and at a totally different place in life. Settling down with her would be… I didn’t know what it would be, I just knew I wanted to be with her all the time, hear her laugh, teach her yet another new sexual position. She really loved those.
I smiled to myself as I headed down to the gym. To my surprise, Solange was there with Natalia, Casey, Lennox and Elen. Casey was a black belt in karate and tried to keep up with her skills no matter how busy she was with her duties and her kids, and Elen was trying to stay in shape until her pregnancy no longer allowed it. Lennox usually worked the rest of us out, but once or twice a week she worked out with the other women, challenging Casey and Natalia, giving Elen lighter workouts, and sometimes even coaching the kids if they decided to come down.
Solange was attempting a chin-up and she finally dropped down to the ground in frustration. “I have zero upper body strength,” she grumbled to the others.
“Don’t worry,” Elen told her. “I don’t either, and I’ve been trying for a year.”
“It takes time,” Lennox said. “Start using weights to build the strength in your arms and chest. I can show you a few exercises.”
“Thank you.” Solange nodded as I approached.
“Morning, ladies.” I leaned against the weight bench.
“Good morning.” Solange leaned over and I gently kissed her. “I’m going to be able to do a pull-up,” she told me. “Even if it kills me.”
“Requires some strength,” I said, “but you’ll get there. You’ll have to be diligent about working out.”
“That’s what they tell me.” She grinned at me.
“Okay, go do your own thing,” Elen told me, motioning me away with her fingers. “This is a ladies’ workout.”
“Sorry.” I bent my head and stole a quick kiss from Solange. “See you tonight?”
She nodded.
The last thing I heard as I ambled over to the other end of the room was Casey whispering, “You two are so cute together!”
I didn’t mind being the subject of their giggles. God knows, we’d given Sandor and Xander infinite shit about falling in love while they’d been getting involved with Lennox and Elen. I just hadn’t expected it to happen to me.
“Hey.” Sandor got on the treadmill beside mine and gave me a high five. “How’s it going?”
“Good. Anything new on the agenda today?” I asked him.
“Your getaway at the beach has been approved for this weekend,” he said. “And I just emailed you a list of places I want you to visit. All low-key but high-impact as far as allies go.”
“Perfect.” I looked over to where Solange was now trying to do a push-up and not having much luck.
“Lennox will whip her into shape in no time,” he said with a smile.
“I have no doubt of that.”
“By the way, I put it off as long as I could, but I need you up in Braksa for a few days when you get back. We busted your balls about getting tranqed, but the truth is that I need your skill set to set up a weapons and supply cache. Logan and Jonas don’t have the experience to think about the logistics, should we ever need to get in and out of there in a hurry, and Joe and I are too busy.”
“No problem,” I said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I also want you to do a sweep through Braksa and downtown Vinake on your way home. Check things out, let me know what you see. According to Mrs. Freela, who emails me regularly, everything has been quiet but the factories closer to Braksa haven’t been selling much at the markets. She’s afraid they’re getting leaned on by the Brat.”
I scowled. “Can we just eliminate these fuckers?”
“I wish.” He made a face. “Erik and I are working on it, but apparently they’ve dug in pretty deep in a few places in the country. We’re going to have to work to systematically eliminate them, but it’ll take time. I think there’s going to be bloodshed before it’s all over.”
That had been my fear as well and I glanced over at the ladies. “You think it’ll come to that?”
“I don’t think they’ll just walk away from the money, and if a coup is some kind of secondary agenda, or maybe even the primary one, then yeah, we’re going to have to kick their asses the hard way.”
“Shit. And we’ve got a pregnant princess and probably a pregnant Protector as well.”
He nodded. “I know. Lennox is as tough as they come, but we’ve already agreed that she’ll take a back seat once she’s pregnant.”
“You think we can put Joe back in the field for a while?” I asked. Joe ran palace security but he’d done ten years in the Marines and another fifteen in the CIA before turning to private security. He was almost sixty now but still in excellent shape and as skilled as any of us. It had been his decision to take a back seat now by selling his security firm and running things at the palace, but none of us doubted his abilities, only his willingness.
“Erik and I are going to bring it up.”
“Keep me posted.”
“Definitely.”
My conversation with Sandor left me a little unsettled. We’d had dozens of threats since Erik had taken the throne eighteen months ago, including an attempted kidnapping, an actual kidnapping, and two bombings, but this was different. This was personal now because it started in Vinake, which was where Solange and her family were from. The need to protect her was simply ingrained in me and got more intense the closer we got.
I’d gotten a message that Kostya wanted to talk to me, which was strange since I didn’t think the kid liked me that much, but I had a feeling he was worried about whatever was going on with the Brat as well.
I headed up to his room around lunchtime, since Solange was at the school and their parents were at the inn.
“Hey, Axel.” He opened the door looking better than I’d seen him since we’d met. He’d finally turned the corner with his recuperation and there was some color to his face.
“Hey.” I stepped inside. “I heard you want to talk to me.”
“Yes. Thanks for coming.” He paused, as if trying to figure out what to say. “I wanted to ask your thoughts about the military. For me.”
I leaned against the door, curious about why he thought my opinion mattered. “As a former military man myself, I think it’s a great thing for a young man. Helps you find your passion in life and gives you a sense of belonging. In my case, it also paid for college and gave me the skills for this next part of my life. I don’t know what you want from life, so it’s hard to answer.”
“Military is mandatory here but if you’re the oldest or only son in a family with their own business, you can get deferred, which is what I’ve done up to now. Sola
nge thinks I should go, break free of my parents and find myself. But I don’t know what I want.”
“In your case, it’s a two-year journey to figure it out,” I told him. “You won’t have expenses and you’ll make a decent wage so you can save up for when you get out. Maybe think about college. The king is working on a program where qualified soldiers who complete their training can attend the university here for free.”
“I don’t even know what I’d study,” he mumbled.
“Well, you’ll have two years to figure it out.”
“The doctor said I should wait at least six months, which puts us in the middle of winter, but I think by next spring the time might be right.”
“I think it’s a good idea.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure who to ask. You know, someone who’d actually been in the military.” He paused again. “Were you a spy too?”
I shook my head. “I was Special Forces, United States Marines, but not CIA or anything. Then I went to work for a private security firm and wound up getting a temporary job protecting Queen Casey and the family in Las Vegas. From there, I was asked to join the Royal Protectors.”
“And you were comfortable pledging your life and allegiance to the royal family of a country that’s not your own?”
I smiled. “I wouldn’t do it for just anyone, but this royal family is special, and Erik is a man worth dying for.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way about anyone beyond my family.”
“It’s rare, so I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“I guess I’m just curious, you know? Like, what makes you guys want to be Royal Protectors?”
“It’s all about the people,” I said. “I was already a Marine, a bodyguard. I can do that anywhere, for anyone. What I do here, it’s special. It means something. The work Erik is trying to do for your people, your country, it’s important. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”
“I, uh, appreciate your insight. And your time.”
“Any time.” I nodded and walked out, wondering what kinds of answers he’d been looking for. Was Kostya thinking about applying to be a Royal Protector? It was a sobering thought, and one I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with.
23
Solange
I only worked at the school half a day on Friday, having Logan bring me back to the palace at noon so I could finish packing and get ready for my weekend with Axel. I was so excited I could barely stand it, puttering around my room as I waited for him to finish whatever he was doing. When someone knocked, I opened it quickly, surprised to see my mother there.
“Hi, Mama.” I invited her in. “I’m leaving soon.”
“I know.” She paused. “This is what I wanted to talk to you about.”
I sighed. She wasn’t happy that I was in a relationship with a man like Axel. “Mama, I know you don’t like Axel but—”
“Not true.” She shook her head vehemently. “I like him very much. He’s honorable and kind, strong, reliable… I see how this would attract you. But a man like him will fill your head with ideas, from America, the palace, the world. He’s not going to marry you, Solange—”
“Mama, what are you getting at?” I folded my arms impatiently, opting to ignore her erroneous assumption.
“You must protect your reputation,” she whispered. “Now that we’re in Hiskale, we can find you a husband, a nice Limaji boy, someone your age. But you cannot sleep with so many men that—”
“Mama.” I held up a hand. “Is that what you think of me? That I sleep with so many men that no one will want me?” Since it was the furthest thing from the truth, it hurt that my mother thought that about me.
“I understand. I do. You’re a healthy young woman with desires, but if we play our cards right, we can find you a husband here. Perhaps even Prince Daniil!”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. “Prince Daniil is even older than Axel,” I murmured. Not to mention he’d previously been married to a man, but I didn’t say that out loud.
“But he’s a prince! So don’t you see? You must not go away with Axel, in order to make yourself available to whatever opportunities may arise. Promise me you won’t sleep with him.”
It made me laugh that she hadn’t figured out we were already sleeping together. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I also refused to keep living the lie we’d built over the years. “Mama…we’ve already done that. He’s smart, strong, and attentive. He makes me laugh. He’s also kind and gentle. I know he’s not what you want for me, but he’s what I want. For the first time, I’m doing something I’m enjoying, dating a wonderful man, and learning new things. Isn’t that what most parents want for their children? To follow their dreams, explore everything life has to offer?”
Mama merely moved closer to me and put a gentle hand on my cheek. She searched my face for a moment and then smiled. “Yes. It is. But we also don’t want our children to be hurt, and I fear he’ll hurt you. A man like that is worldly, experienced, most likely with women all over the world. How will you feel when he moves on to his next conquest?”
“I’ll be fine. He’s a good man, he’s not going to just dump me. You’ll see.”
“But do you think he’s going to marry you? Carry you off to live with him here at the palace while he protects the king?”
“I have no idea what’s going to happen. We’ve known each other a month. Please, Mama, just let me enjoy this while I can. If a year from now we’re back in Vinake, at least I’ll have something to think back on. Okay? Please?”
Mama sighed just as there was a knock on the door. We exchanged a brief look before I opened the door to Axel.
“Ready to go?” he asked me. He glanced over my shoulder. “Hi, Nadia.”
“Hello, Axel.” She smiled at him. “Have fun, yes? And be careful with her, please. She is my heart.”
“Absolutely.” Axel nodded.
Mama left and I turned to close my suitcase. “It’s a big suitcase for two nights,” I told him, “but it’s the only one I have.”
“Well, let’s combine our stuff then.” He picked up his duffel bag and put it on the bed next to my suitcase. He took everything out of his bag and added it to my suitcase. “There. Now we’ll just have the one. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” I grabbed my purse and he lifted the suitcase.
We headed down the elevator and out one of the back gates that led to the palace garage. We got into a car I’d never seen before, a beautiful royal blue Porsche.
“Whose is this?” I asked him.
“It’s Daniil’s,” he said. “We’re going incognito this weekend, so I don’t want to take one of the official SUVs.”
“I’ve never been in a car this nice,” I admitted as I got into the passenger’s side.
“Do you drive?” he asked me, pulling out of the garage.
“I haven’t ever learned, no,” I told him. “I wanted to, but Papa said there was no need, and to be fair, we walk everywhere in Vinake. We only use the truck for deliveries or when it’s frigid.”
“I could teach you if you wanted.”
I smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
“Maybe not in Daniil’s Porsche.”
We chuckled. He reached across the console for my hand. “So what did your mom say about us going away? I take it by the body language when I got there, you two were fighting.”
“I think it’s a mother-daughter thing,” I said after a moment. “She’s worried about me. About us.”
“Because we’re sleeping together?”
“Not that so much as the future. What will happen when you get tired of me or whatever. She believes you’ll break my heart and it will hurt me.”
“Broken hearts hurt,” he acknowledged. “But I have no intention of that, Solange. I hope you know that.”
“I’m not worried.” I gave him a smile. “Besides, we’re still getting to know each other. I’m not thinking that far ahead.”
That might have been a tiny lie, b
ut it wasn’t meant to be. I couldn’t articulate the way I was feeling about him, and genuinely wanted to enjoy what we were exploring together. Giving it a label or having expectations would only ruin the moment. I would have liked for us to have a future, but it was soon for that and I was okay with it.
“I’m thinking ahead to tonight,” he said after a moment.
“Oh, really?” I glanced at him again, trying to hide my smile. “Why is that?”
“Because I finally get to make love to you on a bed.”
“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that.”
We’d had a lot of sex the last couple of weeks but somehow had never made it onto a bed. On the floor, chairs, couches, bent over, on his lap, in the pool, the shower and the Jacuzzi, but never in a bed. I was really looking forward to sleeping on that bed together as well. “We’ve also never actually slept together,” I said after a moment.
“I know.” He squeezed my hand meaningfully.
We got to Voda, a busy seaside town that bustled with tourists and beachgoers, late in the afternoon. The sea wasn’t quite as beautiful as it had been in Greece, but it was lovely and I sighed happily as I stared out at the water.
“Can we walk on the shore tonight?” I asked him as he pulled into the bed and breakfast a few streets over from the water.
“Absolutely.” He grabbed my hand and our suitcase, and we went inside.
“This is lovely,” I said after we checked in and got to our room. It was on the third floor of a gorgeous Mediterranean-style house that overlooked the sea. Our room had a balcony with a wonderful view, a four-poster bed, and the biggest bathtub I’d ever seen. “Oh my god…people have bathtubs this big?”
“Apparently.” Axel had come in behind me. “We’ve showered together but we’ve never bathed together. You want to try it out?”
“I do but I’m hungry,” I said. “Can we eat first?”
“Of course. Do you like sushi?”
I hesitated. “I’ve never tried it, but I’m willing.”
“Yet another first,” he said, sliding an arm around my shoulders as we headed back out. We walked out of the house and onto the street, our hands moving together. I loved when he laced his fingers through mine. We fit so well together, and this was our first time going away together, something that was giving me all the warm fuzzies.
