Exiled

by Maya Banks

  She stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “I can bathe myself. You’re just supposed to lay out my clothes.”

  “I’m supposed to do whatever it is Xander tells me to do with you,” Sebastien said, a bite to his words. “And your task is to obey without question. Now, if we’re done arguing, let’s step into the bathroom.”

  Numbly she followed him into the bathroom and watched as he turned the shower on, testing the temperature with his fingers before he turned back to her.

  Then he began unbuttoning his shirt. When he reached the bottom, he left the shirt hanging and he unfastened his fly. She looked away as he started pulling his jeans down, her cheeks flaming.

  “Talia, look at me.”

  The command in his voice gave her no choice but to obey. When she looked back he stood before her, completely naked. And did he have a beautiful body. Tanned. Completely tanned. So either his natural skin tone was dark or he tanned in the nude.

  He was tall and lean but tightly muscled. There wasn’t a spare ounce of flesh anywhere. Whipcord lean. He looked strong, every bit as strong as Garon must be but just…different. Different makeup. Different body structure.

  He held out his hand and she reached for it, her gaze avoiding one portion of his anatomy. He drew her into the shower and under the spray.

  She wasn’t sure what to expect. If this was something sexual or clinical. She was pressed to his body. She could feel his penis at the small of her back, but he made no overt sexual gestures.

  His hands were gentle as he soaped her body and he only lightly skimmed over her breasts and then between her legs, almost as if he truly didn’t want to alarm her, which was a direct contradiction to his seeming indifference to her comfort.

  When he was finished with her body, he applied shampoo to her hair and gently worked his fingers through the strands until he lathered the entire mass.

  Then he turned her so the stream poured over her head. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the pleasurable sensation. Who knew having someone take such intimate care of her could be nice?

  If she expected to lollygag and enjoy the hot water for any longer than necessary, she was quickly corrected when the water shut off and Sebastien pulled her from the shower. A moment later, he enfolded her in a huge towel and briskly rubbed the moisture from her body. Next he set to work on her hair.

  To her further surprise, he settled her onto the plush bench in front of the vanity, took one of the combs from the draw and began working the tangles from her hair.

  This wasn’t happening. Not in her world. It was bizarre and it unsettled her.

  “Relax,” he said brusquely. “You’re wound tighter than a spring. I’m not going to bite you. Yet.”

  She found herself laughing and then glanced up at the mirror to see his look of amusement over her shoulder.

  “See? I’m not so bad.”

  She just stared at him in bewilderment as he continued to comb out her hair.

  “I can’t wrap my brain around this,” she said before she thought better of it.

  He paused, cocked his head sideways and stared at her in question. “What do you mean?”

  Her cheeks flushed and she swallowed nervously. “Nothing. Sometimes I speak before I think better of it.”

  He put down the comb and then turned her so she faced him. He framed her jaw with both hands and used his thumbs to brush over her cheekbones.

  “I admit that I can be a complete asshole at times. I probably was a jerk to you earlier. I’m an irreverent bastard or so I’ve been told by Xander and the others on multiple occasions. But I’m not going to hurt you, Talia. You can say what’s on your mind. Despite my cocky assertion that I’d like to turn you over my knee and spank your ass, I can assure you that I was looking at it from a sexual standpoint. Quite frankly the thought of having you over my knee and my hand on your ass makes me hot. But I’d never hurt you. And moreover, I respect honesty above all things. So if you have something to say, say it. I don’t know what Xander allows, but when you’re with me, you are always free to speak your mind.”

  She smiled tremulously and rubbed her cheek against his palm.

  “I was merely going to say that I couldn’t wrap my brain around someone who looks like such a badass doing a woman’s hair for them. I mean no offense…”

  Before she could continue and put her foot more solidly in her mouth, he chuckled and turned her back around. He rummaged in the drawer before pulling out a hair dryer. As he plugged it in, he said, “No offense taken. I’m comfortable enough in my sexuality to take any ribbing over taking care of a woman. I have three sisters. Younger sisters. My dad died when I was young and they were still babies. My mom had to work a lot to provide for us and so I did everything from braid their hair to picking out shoes and school clothes.”

  Her heart softened and she smiled. “I think that’s awesome.”

  “There is no shame in taking care of the woman you’re responsible for,” he said. “In this case, Xander has placed the responsibility for your safety and your well-being and happiness in my hands and the hands of Nico and Garon as well as himself. Bathing you and taking care of your hair is a small thing if it brings you pleasure.”

  She closed her eyes as he stroked through her hair once more. “It does. Thank you.”

  He turned on the dryer and used a brush to pull her hair out so he could glide the blow-dryer down the strands. He was meticulous, covering each section until it hung past her shoulders, shiny and soft.

  He’d made everything seem so normal that she’d forgotten she was sitting here completely nude while he dried her hair.

  He shut off the dryer, leaned forward to put it back in the drawer and then stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

  “Are you ready to go down now?”

  She swiftly turned, his hands coming free of her shoulders as she looked up at him. “Naked?”

  He lifted that brow, the one that made him look so arrogant and forbidding.

  “But he said he would give me time,” she fretted. “How can I go down there like this? It was bad enough last night when…” She swallowed her embarrassment and looked away.

  He reached down and cupped one breast, using his thumb to brush over her nipple. The sensation was electric, startling her with its intensity.

  “What is it you don’t want us to see, Talia? Your breasts? I assure you they’re perfect. Lush. High and firm. Nipples that make a man want to lick and suck.”

  Her skin was going to burn right off her cheeks.

  “Stand up,” he commanded.

  Shakily she rose and bit back an exclamation of surprise when he lifted one of her legs so that her foot rested on the seat she’d just vacated. It opened her thighs and made her most intimate flesh accessible to him.

  He slid his hand over her belly and down. She sucked in her breath as his fingers glided through the delicate folds and over her clit.

  “Is it this you don’t want us to see? Such a beautiful, delicate little pussy. Do you know what we’ll see, what we’ll imagine when we look at you? We’ll be imagining how you taste. How good it will feel when we’re pushing our dicks into that tight little passage.”

  She swayed and he caught her arm to steady her.

  “Your modesty is endearing, but there’s no place for it here. I think Xander had every intention of taking things slow, but the reality is he wants you. We want you. Xander isn’t a patient man. He’s not going to be satisfied until he’s taken you and made you his.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said huskily. “I’m not being the obedient mistress I promised to be.”

  He frowned and moved his hand from her quivering flesh. “Is that what you see yourself as? His mistress?”

  Her lips turned down. “I’m not being derogatory or argumentative. I honestly don’t know what I am. No one has told me. I don’t know my place or who I am. It’s…unsettling.”

  He tucked a finger under her chin and prodded upward unti

l she was forced to meet his gaze. “Your place is here with him. With us. What you are is cherished.”

  Chapter 8

  Xander was seated at the table with Garon and Nico awaiting Sebastien and Talia. He checked his watch and frowned. They should already be down.

  He glanced up to see Garon and Nico also casting glances toward the doorway from time to time.

  And then Sebastien appeared, Talia’s hand curled tightly into his. She looked nervous and uncertain, but there was also a subtle difference in her demeanor this morning.

  Either she’d calmed some of her fears with a good night’s sleep or Sebastien had taken the matter in hand.

  Garon hadn’t wanted Sebastien to go after Talia so soon after her arrival. He’d reminded Xander that Sebastien was a hard-ass and a rebel at heart and that he tended to do things his way. But Xander knew two things. One, Sebastien was unwaveringly loyal to Xander and two, behind Sebastien’s hard exterior was a man who adored women and would fiercely protect them against all harm.

  Talia had already made conquests of Garon and Nico. Sending one of them served no purpose. He needed Sebastien to decide what Talia would mean to him, and from the looks of it, Sebastien had already decided.

  Xander’s gaze raked up and down her body, appreciative of such natural beauty. Perfection. Garon and Nico stared as well, their eyes gleaming.

  She was…stunning. Soft in all the right places. Perfect breasts, high and firm. Nipples that were just the right size. Her hips were rounded and he’d already gotten a prime view, and feel, of her luscious ass.

  Her hair hung to her waist in soft waves. Already he imagined it falling down around them both as she sat astride him, taking him into her body. Or spread out on the bed as he thrust into her from above.

  He rose and extended his hand. “Good morning, Talia. You look beautiful.”

  The blush rose quickly, suffusing her cheeks with color. But she didn’t hesitate. She offered Sebastien a smile and then slipped her hand from his to walk to Xander and take his.

  He sat her beside him, ensuring there was a cushion on the chair so the wood wouldn’t be cold on her bare skin. Unable to resist, he lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, holding her hand to his mouth for several long seconds.

  “I trust you slept well?”

  She nodded. “I did. I was very tired. Thank you for allowing me to sleep in this morning.”

  “I think we’ve already covered the fact that I won’t expect you to rise early. Until you are summoned, the mornings are yours to do as you will. If you choose to sleep, that is your choice.”

  He dished food onto her plate and he noticed that she waited, hands in her lap. He smiled and reached over to touch her cheek.

  “This morning you’ll feed yourself. You were very tired last night, which is why Garon chose to pamper you a bit. At times we’ll want to indulge in our whims and feed you by hand. Today you are free to eat by yourself.”

  She reached for the fork and began to eat the portion of fruit. It was an exercise in frustration to watch her eat because every bite she took was a sensual experience. And she likely had no idea that she had four men ready to reach across the table, pull her onto it and bury themselves in her body.

  At one point, juice spilled down her lip and she licked at it, running her tongue delicately over her bottom lip to wipe it away. Sebastien let out a groan.

  “For God’s sake, Xander. Let’s get on with this morning’s lesson already.”

  Xander shot him a look of reprimand. Talia looked up, confusion in her eyes.

  “Eat,” he said. “Pay Sebastien no mind.”

  He glared again at Sebastien and shook his head. Sebastien shrugged.

  “Have some class,” Nico muttered.

  “But we all know I have none,” Sebastien drawled. “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth like the rest of you. I can’t be expected to live up to your lofty expectations.”

  “How about I just beat the shit out of you instead?” Garon proposed.

  Sebastien laughed. “You can try.”

  Talia was staring at them like they’d both lost their minds. Xander sighed. He doubted they were making a good impression, but then he supposed Talia may as well see what she was in for.

  His men bantered and bickered like brothers. In essence they were. All of them. They didn’t share blood, but the bond was there. Unbreakable.

  “After breakfast, we’ll take a walk around the villa grounds and down to the beach if you like,” Xander said to Talia.

  Her eyes lit up. “I’d like that. It seems so beautiful. The water is so gorgeous it doesn’t even seem real.”

  Sebastien looked disgruntled and Xander shot him a warning look. Xander was as impatient as Sebastien to move things forward, but he wanted Talia to relax and lose some of her nervousness with them before they introduced her to their hedonism.

  When they finished eating, Xander motioned for Wickersham. A few moments later, he returned carrying a light, floral robe. Xander rose and held the robe open for Talia. She slowly stood and he helped her put it on.

  “I don’t want you too exposed to the sun,” he explained. “There are comfortable beach shoes at the patio entrance.”

  She smiled and he stood there, unable to speak for several seconds. She was utterly stunning. Her smile lit up the entire room. Beautiful. Adorably shy. And she would be his.

  He clenched his fingers into fists to stop the shaking.

  “Don’t forget you have an eleven o’clock update on the situation in Cristofino,” Garon reminded.

  “I’m unlikely to forget when my home occupies my every thought,” Xander said icily.

  He instantly regretted the shortness of his response. Garon was only doing his duty, but the inference that he would be too distracted by Talia’s presence to focus on the turmoil back home was a prick to his pride.

  To an outsider he might seem to be a spoiled, bored royal who had summoned an innocent woman to be his plaything while he was in exile. They might consider Talia a frivolity, a passing amusement. A mistress.

  Talia was none of those. This wasn’t the way he’d wanted things, but the situation in Cristofino hadn’t shown any improvement and with Talia out of university, Xander knew he had to act fast or risk losing her.

  Xander led Talia toward the door leading onto the terrace. They stopped for her to slip on the flip-flops and for a moment he stared at the bright pink polish on her toes. For some reason, he loved it. On her it was perfect.

  She wore no jewelry. It was a fact he’d noticed when she’d arrived. And it was a matter he definitely wanted to correct. There was nothing more he wanted to do than spoil her endlessly and lavish gifts on her. He wanted to drape her in diamonds and make love to her wearing nothing more than the jewelry he’d given her.

  Shaking himself from his fantasies, he stepped onto the terrace. Talia inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and turned her face into the sun. The breeze from the water ruffled her hair and he was captured by how sensual she looked.

  When she opened her eyes again, they simmered with pleasure. Warm and vibrant like the rest of her. She smiled at him, warming him to his toes.

  “I can’t imagine waking to this every day.”

  He smiled back. “And yet our home is an island every bit as beautiful.”

  Her expression saddened and the smile disappeared. “But I haven’t been home in four years. And while I was there…I took it for granted, you know? When you live it, were born to it, sometimes you don’t recognize the beauty until you’ve lost it.”

  “Very true,” he said quietly.

  He too had taken Cristofino for granted. Hadn’t appreciated the beauty of his island home until it was lost to him. When—not if—he regained the throne, he would never make such a mistake again.

  “Are things better there, Xander?” she asked anxiously.

  They’d just gotten to the steps leading down into the lower garden with the pathway that led to the beach. He paused a moment, not wanting any distraction as they navigated the stone steps. Sometimes they were damp with the ocean mist and as a result could be slick.

  He sighed, feeling heartsick and homesick all at the same time. “There is tenuous peace but the battle over government still rages. The majority want and are loyal to the royal family, but the minority is strong and are willing to use violence to achieve their purpose. The very last thing I want is bloodshed. It’s why I agreed to this ‘exile.’ I effectively removed myself from the equation because the alternative is bloodshed for my people. After my father was killed, I knew the country was on the verge of full-scale war.”

  “What is to be done then?” she asked, her eyes sad.

  “We wait. Quiet dissension. Rebel against the rebels themselves. Those who were unsatisfied with the rule of Cristofino are fast discovering that they have no clear plan of leadership nor are they qualified to govern a people who have no loyalty to them. It is my hope that through peaceable means, I can regain control—and my birthright.”

  “And if you don’t?”

  “I won’t entertain any other option,” he said quietly. “Though I am here, many that are still in leadership positions are loyal to me. They work within the system to gain support.”

  “That could take years,” she said unhappily.

  He nodded. “Yes, it could. But the end result would make the wait worth it. I don’t want my country to be a bloodbath. If it comes down to taking by force or me standing down, I’ll stand down because what I will have won will be contaminated by the lives lost and the blood shed.”

  She reached for his hand, squeezing it. “You are very noble, Xander. And wise. I too couldn’t bear to see Cristofino turned into a battlefield where our people are pitted against each other in civil war. No one can possibly be hailed a victor in such circumstances.”

  Some of the ache in his heart lessened at the shining approval in her eyes. He twined his fingers tighter in hers and then guided her down the steps.

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