Behind Palace Doors

by Jules Bennett

With a loud smack, he kissed her on the lips. “Anything for my new bride.”

  “Let me change and I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  His hand snaked up her shirt, his thumb skimming the edge of her lacy bra. “Do you need help changing?”

  His touch affected her in ways she’d never known before, and she had to assume the chills and instant erotic pleasure that came from his fingertips stemmed from their playful, yet intense lovemaking.

  “What I need is for you to get that picnic lunch prepared so we can go,” she told him, swatting his hand away and taking a step back.

  He shoved his hands in his jean pockets and smiled… Oh, the things that smile did to her insides, touching places she had thought dead since her exploited and humiliating breakup months ago.

  She had known Stefan would be there to help her through the tough time, she just never imagined it would be with their clothes off.

  Every time she thought of how fast, how thrilling their new relationship was, nerves settled low in her belly. She was already getting too comfortable and she hadn’t even put a dent in this six-month period.

  Even though he’d given her control in the end, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d tire of her, physically, by then and if he’d be eager to get back to his old, playboy ways.

  “I already had my chef prepare the food,” he told her. “How soon can you be ready?”

  “I’m just going to throw on some jeans and a tank.”

  Stefan rolled his eyes. “You are a fashion designer. You never ‘throw on’ anything. You’ll go to the closet and think about it, try something on, discard it and start over.”

  Offended that he’d hit the nail on the head, she folded her arms over her chest. “For your information, I know exactly what I’m going to wear.”

  He quirked a brow and tilted his head. “Really? Then I’ll just wait.”

  In her mind she went through everything she’d brought from the States. She hadn’t had all of her things shipped since they were returning to L.A. after the two-week honeymoon period was over, so her options were limited.

  “You’re just waiting to see me naked,” she joked, heading to her walk-in closet.

  “An added perk,” he agreed. “But I want to see you get ready as fast as you claim you can. This will be a first.”

  Victoria eyed her selection. If they were riding a bike, she would need pants, so she grabbed her favorite pair of designer jeans. Her eyes roamed up to the top rack of clothes where she’d hung her shirts. A little sleeveless emerald-green wrap shirt caught her eye—perfect. Sexy, cool and comfortable. She glanced to the shoe rack at the end of the closet and grabbed her gold strappy sandals. Not bike material, but perfect for the picnic and beach.

  “Voilà,” she announced, holding her items up in the air as she came from the closet, then stopped.

  The man was lying across the bed wearing nothing but tattoos and a grin. He’d taken off his hat, too, leaving his hair messy and those cobalt eyes, beneath heavy lids, staring across the room at her.

  “You don’t fight fair,” she told him, trying to remain in place and not attack her husband like some overeager teenager.

  “Fighting wasn’t on my mind at all.” He laced his hands behind his head, forcing his muscles to flex beautifully beneath his tats. “Looks like you still need to undress.”

  Check and mate. And by the smirk on his face, he knew he had her. He’d played this scene perfectly.

  How could she turn down such a blatant invitation? Even with their short time frame looming in her mind, she couldn’t deny herself giving and receiving his pleasure.

  She tossed her items to the floor, not caring where they landed. In a slow, what she hoped was sexy, striptease, she loosened the ties on her shirt and flung it off to the side, as well.

  “Since I’m being rushed, I may need some help,” she told him, sliding her thumbs into her jeans and sending them to puddle at her feet. She stepped out and smiled when his eyes roamed over her body…twice. “You want the job?”

  “Sure, I’ll help by getting you out of these.”

  He came to stand, all six-foot-plus glorious inches of him. He was beautifully tanned, magnificent and, for now, he was hers.

  “Being with you like this should be awkward.” She reached out, tracing his family’s crest he had tattooed over his heart. “But it’s not. I’m amazed how comfortable I’ve been being intimate with you.”

  “You’re not going to want to leave me at the end of this six months,” he joked, sliding the strap of her bra down one arm.

  She reached around, unhooking the unwanted garment, and smiled. “Maybe not. We may just like being married to each other. This is the best relationship I’ve ever been in.”

  “You’re just saying that to get me into bed,” he told her, his hands coming up to cup her breasts.

  “Yes, because it is so hard to get you naked and horny.” She laughed.

  The corners of his mouth kicked up at the same time he scooped her up and tossed her onto the bed. She bounced once before he was on her, pinning her hands above her head.

  “I don’t know why, but that smart mouth of yours has always been one of the things I love most about you.”

  She knew he loved her the way best friends loved each other, but when he said it like that, especially now that they were practically naked, the words sounded a bit more intimate and almost…awkward. She so did not want awkwardness to enter into this marriage or friendship. She enjoyed this friends-with-benefits arrangement they had. Her heart couldn’t handle any more.

  “You’re thinking,” he murmured, looking down. “None of that here. Work and everything else stays out of this bed.”

  She smiled, knowing he was the proverbial “fun guy,” but he also knew when to be serious and when to work. The media had just caught him mostly in those “fun guy” moments.

  But she knew the man beneath the playboy persona.

  “Not thinking right now is perfect,” she told him, looping her arms around his neck. “Marrying you was good for my creative mind.”

  He laughed. “Let me show you how creative I can be.”

  Six

  Stefan’s cell went off again. And again, he ignored it.

  “Whoever is calling you must want you pretty bad,” Victoria told him. “Why don’t you just answer it?”

  Because he wanted to ignore the fact that certain people did not believe this marriage was real and that he was officially off the market.

  “Could be important,” she went on as she slid her dainty feet back into her sandals and strapped them around her ankles.

  After an intense bout of sex, a ride on his bike and a picnic at the beach, the last thing he wanted was an interruption to the day—especially by answering phone calls from past lovers. He had his best friend-turned-wife with him, and he was happier than he’d been in a long time. All of his goals were within his reach, and he didn’t want anything to dampen his mood.

  He’d promised Tori he’d be faithful, and he wasn’t going back on his word. Never before had he promised to be exclusive, something he made sure his lovers knew up front, but with Tori warming his bed, he didn’t mind at all. He kept waiting for that feeling of being trapped to overtake him, but so far he’d not felt anything but complete and utter happiness.

  “They’ll leave a message,” he told her, not really caring if they did or not.

  Victoria leaned her hands back in the sand, shook her head and allowed her hair to fall past her shoulders and cascade down her back. As her gaze settled on the emerald waters before them, he smiled. It wasn’t every man who could say he married his best friend…a hot, sexy, centerfold-material friend. Damn, he’d lucked out. An open-ended marriage was absolutely the way to go. Once the crown was his in a few months, he’d seriously have everything: title of king and Victoria in his bed with no major commitment to marriage.

  And hopefully he could also convince her brothers to work with him on a documentary to clear his
father’s name.

  “I’m not jealous, you know,” she said, her eyes still on the orange horizon as the sun set.

  He eased closer to her, drawing his knees up and resting his arms on them. “Jealous of what?”

  “The women calling you. I’m sure that’s why your phone vibrates and rings every half hour.”

  Stefan laughed. Victoria had never been one to mince words or back away from any uncomfortable topic. She was also very confident, like most American women were. He found that quality extremely sexy. What had that jerk Alex been thinking? Stefan only hoped they didn’t run into the guy once they were back in L.A. Or if they did, he hoped the media wasn’t around. The last thing he needed was a picture of him popping the other guy in his pretty-boy face.

  “Go ahead and laugh,” she went on. “But I know that’s your entourage calling.”

  “And how do you know this?” He chuckled again, now at her description.

  “Because if it had been your brother, one of your staff or anyone else important, you would’ve answered it.”

  He shook his head. “Possibly.”

  With a wide, sinful smile, she turned to face him. “So you admit your harem has been calling?”

  “Maybe, but with the way you can’t keep your hands off my body, I don’t have time for others.”

  Victoria’s laugh washed over him. “Your ego is even bigger than your bank accounts. I think we both know who initiated the sex this afternoon.”

  “You were the one who insisted on changing clothes. In a man’s mind, that’s code for ‘I’m getting naked and you should join me.’”

  “Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes, still smiling. “If a woman says ‘I’m going to the grocery store,’ a man thinks that’s a code for ‘let’s get naked.’”

  Stefan didn’t want to feel guilty about the women calling him. He couldn’t help it. The fact he was married wasn’t exactly a secret; it had been televised for the entire world to see. But a few of the women from his past knew him too well and had convinced themselves this marriage was a lie.

  “Are you just a little jealous?” he asked, throwing her another smile.

  Part of him wanted her to be, but the other part of him hoped she kept their relationship light and carefree.

  Yes, he’d wanted Victoria on an intimate level for years, but now he had her where he wanted her. He didn’t need emotions or anything too deep to creep into this new relationship they had discovered.

  “I’m not jealous.” She looked him dead in the eye, no smile, no glimmer of amusement. “But I won’t be the other woman or played to look like a fool ever again.”

  Stefan turned, grabbed her by the shoulders and met her eyes. “There’s no way in hell I’d ever treat you that way, Tori. And I’m not that jerk you were engaged to. Remember that.”

  He’d be damned if he’d let that bastard play the third wheel in their relationship, no matter their carefree set-up.

  On a sigh, her head drooped. “I’m sorry. I don’t have trust issues with you, Stefan. My mind just instantly ventured in the wrong direction.”

  “Hey.” He placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to meet his once again. “This marriage may not be a traditional one, but I say from here on out we keep your ex and my past out of it. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  The quick snapping of an automatic camera had him jerking his attention around.

  He spotted a man crouched in the lush plants surrounding what was supposed to be the private beach to his family’s palace.

  Stefan jumped to his feet and took off after the unwanted intruder. “Stop,” he yelled.

  Hot sand squished beneath his feet, making him slide with each step. By the time he’d gotten to the area where the man had been in hiding, the guy was gone.

  What the hell had the intruder overheard?

  Stefan pulled his cell from his pocket and punched a button. “There’s a man on the grounds,” Stefan said before his security guard could utter a word. “If you find him first, take his camera. Then call the cops. I’m looking near the beach. Take the front of the palace.”

  Knowing Victoria would be fine for a few minutes, Stefan moved through the foliage in the direction the trespasser took off. No way in hell was he letting someone invade his privacy, and on his own secluded beach, as well.

  Even though he knew without a doubt that Victoria didn’t think anything of flashing bulbs and media circuses, he wanted their marriage, their life to be private. The bond they shared was so special, and even though the paparazzi had them practically married as teens, he didn’t want their engagement or wedding tarnished. What transpired between him and Victoria was nobody’s business.

  But he had to find the guy and find out exactly what he’d overheard and take that damn camera. He couldn’t afford for this secret to get out before the coronation. This country was his, damn it, and he’d do anything to keep it.

  Besides, he wanted Tori all to himself…he was selfish like that. He wouldn’t share her with the public any more than necessary.

  More than anything, though, he wanted to shield her, protect her from any more pain. Because he cared for her more than any other woman in his life, he wanted to be the one to ride to her rescue and keep her life worry-free and happy.

  Stefan spotted footprints in the sand and followed them up the embankment toward the tiny village. Sweat trickled down his back, but the heat was nothing compared to the anger in knowing someone had infiltrated his home. What the hell had his guards been doing? A discussion he’d be taking up later with the head of his security.

  Stefan stopped when he spotted the man crouched down on the sidewalk, holding his camera, and from what Stefan could see, the man was looking through his shots. Probably checking to see if he needed to come back for more.

  Without a sound, Stefan moved in from behind and wrapped an arm around the guy’s neck, hauling him up to his feet.

  “Drop the camera,” Stefan growled in his ear.

  Immediately the camera clattered to ground. With his free hand, Stefan pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed security to come collect the trash.

  “You made a mistake in trespassing,” Stefan told him, tightening his grip. “I don’t take kindly to people invading my wife’s privacy.”

  “I’m sorry,” the man choked out. “Please.”

  “Whatever you think you overheard, forget it. If I even suspect you’ve gone to the media with lies, there won’t be a place you can hide that I won’t find you.” Stefan loosened his hold but kept the guy in a lock until backup arrived. “I better never catch you on my property or even looking in my family’s direction again or a smashed camera will be the least of your worries.”

  The heavy pounding of footsteps had Stefan shouting for the guards. “Over here,” he yelled.

  Once the guards had the trespasser secure, Stefan stepped around to get a good look at the man’s face so he could remember it. Then he crouched down, picked up the broken camera and pulled the memory card out, sliding it into his pocket.

  “Take him to the front while you wait for the cops,” Stefan ordered his guards.

  Tamping down his anger and wiping the sweat off his forehead, Stefan made his way back to Victoria. Her long, golden hair danced around in the ocean breeze, her face tilted up while she watched the water as if her privacy hadn’t just been invaded.

  “We secured the guy. Cops are on their way, and I personally confiscated the memory card.” Stefan took a seat beside her. “Sorry about that.”

  With a shrug, Victoria turned to face him. “I’m used to it. Privacy really means nothing to me. I wouldn’t know what to do with complete seclusion.”

  Stefan knew with her family she came into this world in the spotlight, but something about her statement struck him. She wasn’t asking for privacy; no doubt she thought that was something she could never have. But why couldn’t he provide her a little escape?

  “What did he overhear?” she asked.


  “I didn’t give him the chance to say, but I made it very clear he’s not to repeat anything or he will be found and dealt with.”

  Tori gasped. “You threatened him?”

  “What did you want me to do? Ask him over for tea?”

  On a sigh, Victoria shook her head. “I don’t know. I just hope he didn’t hear us. Pictures are one thing…”

  Stefan wouldn’t let some overeager cameraman ruin his future, or Victoria’s. No matter the cost. He also wouldn’t let the bastard ruin his day with his wife, either.

  “Remember when we first met and we were trying to hide from all the cameras and crew for the film your mother was in?”

  A genuine, beautiful smile spread across her face. “That was fun. We were purposely avoiding anybody so we could do whatever we wanted.”

  Stefan pictured the time in his mind, so clear and vivid. “I believe that’s when I introduced you to alcohol.”

  On a groan, Victoria closed her eyes. “Don’t remind me. I was so set on impressing you, I didn’t want you to know I hadn’t drank before.”

  “The look on your face after your first sip of whiskey kind of gave you away,” he told her.

  “You probably thought I was such a loser.” She laughed, lying back on the blanket and looking up at the clear, blue sky.

  “A loser? Nah. I thought you were innocent, and that’s the kind of girl I was interested in.”

  And he had been…well, as much as a teenage boy could be interested in a girl. She’d been California fresh with all that silky blond hair and tanned skin. He’d instantly had a crush but had to play it cool.

  So he did what any good boy would do. He’d plied her with alcohol and tried to talk her into skinny-dipping.

  “You mean the kind of girl you were interested in corrupting?” she asked with a low laugh that made him pause to enjoy such sweetness.

  There was just something about her that always made him smile. Their friendship never had any speed bumps, and for years he’d found himself wondering what something more with her would be like.

  Of course, marriage to anyone never entered his mind, but so far being married to Tori really had its perks. She was playful in bed, and he appreciated the fact she wasn’t getting too involved on a more heartfelt level.