Inside we went and straight to his apartments on the second floor. As soon as the door shut behind us, Amand was unbuttoning my shirt. He wasn’t the only one intent on stripping clothing. I had my hand on his belt buckle.
“Lose the boots,” he ordered. I toed out of them at the same time he was kicking his shoes across the floor. In less than a minute we were naked, our hard cocks leaking precum.
“Lie down.” Amand’s voice was no more than a growl.
“You too. I want to suck you.” I wanted to do a few other things too, but I wasn’t letting him in on that just yet. While he was in this more laid back mood tonight, I wanted to see how wild I could make him.
In the end, we stretched out in such a way we were able to suck each other at the same time. From a drawer in a table next to the bed, Amand had produced lube and condoms. It was hard to think with his mouth wrapped around my hard-on, but I managed to grab the lube and squirt some on my fingers.
While I licked the velvety length of his shaft, I urged his legs apart and began caressing his balls before sliding my fingers backward to his tightly puckered hole. He released my cock.
“What are you doing?”
“Just kicking things up a notch,” I told him as I circled my lubed index finger around his asshole. His quickly indrawn breath made me smile. It would appear there were some things my princely lover had not yet experienced.
“Daniel, I don’t know—”
“Relax. Let me play.”
Our gazes locked, hot and aroused. He swallowed. “Where do you want me?”
He had ceded control of the next little bit of lovemaking to me, and I intended to turn him inside out…to a point.
“On your back, propped up by the pillows. I want you to be able to watch everything I’m doing to you. Keep your arms propped behind your head. No touching.”
His cock twitched in my hand.
Once he was where I wanted him, I spread his thighs and propped one of his legs over my shoulder so I could move in even closer. Eyes still on him, I licked and sucked his cock. When his balls began to tighten, I eased off, and he groaned. Then I started again. I licked my way past his balls to his ass, rimming and teasing him with my tongue before raising my head to stare at him again.
Once his gaze was locked on me, I circled his hole again with my finger then pushed in to the first joint. Amand was panting, his eyes glazed.
“Okay?”
“God, yes.”
I chuckled. Maybe he was going to find out why so many men enjoyed bottoming. I didn’t think it would get that far, but I was going to make sure he knew exactly what it was like to have something inside his ass. After licking the precum from his cock, I pushed my finger in farther.
“Relax,” I encouraged him as he started to tighten up. “I promise this will blow your mind.”
He chuckled. “I’m afraid it’s going to make me blow my load before I get a chance to fuck you.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not altruistic enough to forego having you pound my ass with this amazing cock of yours.”
I spent the next several minutes stimulating him with my mouth and my fingers, taking him right to the edge and then stopping. He was nearly mindless with lust, and I knew he was going to fuck me hard and fast as soon as I stopped the next time.
“That’s enough,” he growled. “Lube my cock and climb on. Since you want to be in control tonight, you can fuck my cock.”
I grinned as I did exactly what he asked. Once I had taken all of him inside me, I began to move, my cock bobbing between us. Amand grabbed my shaft and pumped while I fucked him. I bit my bottom lip, trying hard to keep from coming too soon, but my senses were as overloaded as his were. In a couple minutes, we were crying out. Cum squirted from my cock, over his hand, and onto his stomach.
“Amand,” I whispered hoarsely. “I love you.”
He pulled me close for a hard, almost brutal kiss before lifting me off his cock and wrapping me in his arms. We both fell into an exhausted sleep.
20
Amand
I examined the information in front of me, my mind not quite willing to believe what was there right in front of my eyes. I looked at it again. Our mole had taken the bait, the results were there in investments that would pay off handsomely if our trade agreement with Movarino fell through. And they were all made by my Uncle Bernat.
I rubbed my eyes then pinched the bridge of my nose. This was the man who had tutored me, taught me much of what I knew about handling the finances of our country. In addition to the anger I felt, was a sense of hurt and disillusionment.
It would hurt Ricard as well. He had always admired our uncle and the playboy reputation he’d had in his younger days. To know that Uncle Bernat had used him, blackmailed him…I hated to think about Ricard’s reaction.
And my mother. The evidence clearly implicated her brother, the only sibling she had.
I went through it one more time—the investments, the timing—looking for anything that would show it to be a coincidence, but it was too blatant. Perhaps Uncle Bernat had become careless or—more likely—arrogant enough to think he would not be found out.
I picked up the phone and called Constantin, told him to bring Mama and Papa to my study.
“You’ve discovered something?” he asked.
“Yes. I want you all here before we go through the evidence.”
“You know I don’t like surprises. Why must Mama be present?” I could hear the suspicion in my elder brother’s voice.
“It’s Uncle Bernat, Constantin.”
After a beat of silence, he spoke. “We will be right there.”
I paced the room, the damning evidence still there in the report on my desk. I wanted to call Daniel, but had to resist the impulse. I owed it to my parents to share this news with them, and then as a family we would have to decide how best to proceed. It wasn’t that I was excluding Daniel. I would tell him.
But this was my mother’s brother. She had a right to know about it before anyone else. Good grief, I wasn’t even sharing it with Ricard at this point.
I had reached the alcove where my cello rested on its stand. My fingers itched to pick up the instrument, but I knew the emotions coursing through me were not conducive to making beautiful music, only in venting my anger. As I took a step toward it anyway, the door opened.
The King and Queen entered the room with the Crown Prince on their heels. I bowed.
Papa waved a hand at me. “Stop, Amand. Your expression of doom is enough to tell me we are here to discuss a very serious matter.”
“Yes, Papa. Good morning, Mama.” I crossed the room, took her hands in mine and kissed her on the cheek. “Please have a seat. I will bring over the reports I have been examining.”
“Does this concern the investigation into who might be blackmailing Ricard?” Papa wanted to know, sounding fierce. He and Mama had always been somewhat protective of Ricard, perhaps to his detriment.
I gathered the file from my desk and brought it back with me. “Yes, Papa.”
I had already cleared everything from the coffee table in front of the sofa where my parents were seated. Constantin had taken the seat at the opposite end of the table from the chair I know sat in. I placed the closed file on the table.
“Before you begin to examine the material in there, allow me to bring you up to date on what Constantin and I put in place.”
Between the two of us, we explained the ongoing situation and how we had used Ricard to spread some false information. The threats to Daniel had revealed that there was a mole somewhere in the palace, so we launched an investigation into everyone.
Mama’s delicate brows drew together. “Was that really necessary, Amand? It seems like such an invasion of privacy.”
“I’m afraid, so, Mama,” Constantin said, taking up for me. “The evidence was enough for us to know that whoever was behind it had intimate access to the palace itself.”
“We have been very discreet,” I added.
“Only the chief of security has been brought into the loop. He brought the results of his investigation this morning. We put information out there, and it was acted on, which led us to identifying our suspect.”
“Who is it?” Papa asked.
I sighed and tapped the file. “I would like you both to look at the documentation before we discuss anything else.”
“Son,” Mama said, “You are alarming me.”
“Please. Read the file.”
“I need to see it as well,” Constantin said, pulling his chair into a position where they could all read the material.
Unable to sit and watch the hurt I knew would appear on my mother’s face, I arose and crossed to the French doors overlooking the gardens. Later, I hoped to take my cello out there, perhaps invite Daniel to join me, and play for him.
I knew when Mama had seen the evidence by her tearful gasp. “Oh no! Not Bernat.”
I turned, but stayed where I was across the room. This was the part of my role as the one in charge of finances and security that had bothered me, no more so than now. Papa held Mama’s hands in his. I gave them a moment before returning to my seat.
“I have done nothing with this information yet other than to make the three of you aware of what is going on. You must tell me how you wish to proceed.”
“We cannot let this become public,” Mama said, her queenly demeanor never more in evidence. “This is my brother, a man who has been a part of our family and played a role in helping to shape all three of my sons.”
“We will speak to him,” the King said, “allow him to turn himself in here at the palace, so the arrest will remain private.”
I leaned forward and tapped the file. “As much as I would like to bring all of this to an end, I fear we must allow it to play out. We know who to watch. I think, Papa, if you make a couple of discreet phone calls to the Movarinian President, we can preserve our future trade agreement while catching even bigger fish.”
“Such as?”
“I believe Tsaledonia is involved.”
The King frowned, staring at the report for another moment. “All right. What about Daniel? Are the threats against him genuine?”
“I believe they are. With your permission, I feel we must tell him what is happening so he can guard against any more kidnapping attempts.”
“Send for him now.”
I picked up the phone and contacted Stephano with the request. He ran back almost instantly.
“I am sorry, Your Highness, Mr. Leifsson received a message about a half hour ago and left the palace.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“Into the city. I believe to visit his cousin.”
I hung up the phone. “He has gone into the city.”
“And you are alarmed?” the King asked.
I frowned. “He has no security with him. It is our one ongoing disagreement.”
Mama rose and patted my arm. “I am sure he will be fine, Amand. It is natural to worry about the ones we love. Just give him a call. I’m sure he can explain.”
I waited until they had left before pulling my phone from my pocket and speed dialing Daniel. When he didn’t answer, my vague feeling of worry solidified.
* * *
Daniel
I had been thinking I might be able to break Amand away from his office for a private lunch in my suite when one of the older footman had knocked on my door.
“A message was delivered for you, sir,” he said politely. I took the message and thanked him. With a slight bow, he turned and made his way back down the hall. Perhaps it was from Amand, but that seemed odd. We had taken to texting each other.
I opened it to find an invitation to a picnic lunch with some of my family at their home. Georg had sent it, which seemed odd because he had my phone number. I glanced at my watch. If I wanted to take my time, I would need to leave fairly soon.
The lunch would provide an opportunity to get more photos, I felt sure, so I packed my book materials and my camera in my backpack before setting out. I met Nicolai at the front door.
“You are departing, sir?” he asked with his usual friendly smile.
“I have an invitation from my cousin Georg to a picnic in the city, should anyone ask. I will text the Prince once I arrive.”
“May I call the limo or get you a cab?”
“No. It’s such a gorgeous morning, I believe I will walk.”
I didn’t think I would ever take the view for granted as I walked down the long drive from the palace to the city below. I wasn’t exactly sure where the address was that was in the message. It wasn’t Georg’s house, but then Amand and I had met a lot of the Petrovny relatives just a few days ago at dinner, so it was logical that someone else had wanted to extend their hospitality.
It did seem odd that Georg hadn’t called. I shrugged it off. Maybe he was being more formal now that I was actually engaged to a prince.
I reached the bottom of the hill and began walking along one of the city’s major thoroughfares. Since I wasn’t familiar with the address, maybe it would be better if I took a cab. I jogged across the street and headed toward the train station. There were always plenty of cabbies waiting there.
I hadn’t gone far when I noticed a cab traveling toward me. The light indicating he was available was on, so I hailed him. He had his window rolled down, so I leaned in the passenger side to give him the address.
He shook his head as though he didn’t understand, so I repeated it. That was when I heard another vehicle. I didn’t think much about it. It was a busy area. When footsteps approached, alarm bells clanged in my head. I straightened just in time to see a dark-clothed stranger.
He grabbed hold of me. “I think you will be coming with us, Mr. Leifsson.”
Before I could protest, another man had grabbed me as well and I was being shoved into the back of the car behind the cab. My last view was of the cab driver’s wide, frightened eyes right before he stepped on the gas and sped away.
* * *
Amand
I contacted my head of security when Daniel continued to neither answer his phone nor shoot me a text. He knew that I had only reluctantly agreed to him not having a security detail with him, and then only if he had his cell and the tracker in his backpack.
“Daniel left the palace. We were told he had a message from one of his Calonian relatives, but I cannot raise Daniel on his cell. I need you to find out who saw him leave and if he said where he was headed.”
I raked my fingers back through my hair to get it off my forehead. “I’m trying not to push the panic button here, make him mad, and make me look like a fool, but could you verify that tracker in his backpack is still working? He never goes anywhere outside the palace without his equipment.”
“I will get right on that. In the meantime, if you have a way to contact his relative, you might wish to do so.”
“Excellent suggestion.” I didn’t have Georg’s phone number, but it was easy enough to track down. I got his wife on their home phone, who seemed surprised. She knew of no family gathering today. As I hung up, my security chief entered the room after a brief knock with the young footman, Nikolai, I believed Daniel called him.
“What is it?” I asked, not wanting to say too much in front of the servant.
Nikolai raised his chin. “Mr. Leifsson told me as he was leaving that he had an invitation to a picnic from his cousin Georg. He also said that he would text you as soon as he arrived.”
My heart began to pound. Fear for Daniel was paramount.
“Is there anything else you can tell me?” I asked.
Nikolai shifted uneasily. “Well, about a half hour before Mr. Leifsson left, I saw something I don’t think I was meant to see.”
“What would that be?”
“Mr. Masdu gave Stanis a piece of paper and some money, and told him to deliver the message to Mr. Leifsson as soon as possible. He told him to tell Mr. Leifsson only that the message had been delivered to the palace.”
As soon as the door shut behind him, I spun on my security chief. “Get that footman down here so we can talk to him. In the meantime, have the rest of your guards make sure that no one else leaves the palace.”
Although I knew everyone was working as quickly as possible, it seemed as though time moved in slow motion. Stanis was brought in and quickly confessed to taking money from Bernat to deliver the message and lie about its source.
“Did you read what was in it?” I demanded.
“No! All I did was deliver it just like Mr. Masdu asked me.”
“Did my uncle give any indication why he wanted it delivered?”
“I know nothing else.”
“Please see the butler. He will arrange to have your final wages sent to you.” I glared at him. “I’m sure you can understand, we must have people working in the palace whose loyalty is unquestioned. Yours is now compromised.”
All of this distracted from the most pressing goals. We had to find Daniel. And we had to find my uncle.
“Let us find Uncle Bernat. While we are going there, you can bring me up to date on what information you have gotten from the tracker in Daniel’s bag.”
I was all but running toward Uncle Bernat’s apartment. My security chief followed, a stun gun in his hand.
“You think that might be necessary?”
His expression was grim. “Desperate men do desperate things, Your Highness. It is either the Taser or a pistol. Your safety must come paramount.”
“Let us hope it does not come to violence. So, the tracker?”
“Heading into the mountains. We’re keeping track of it from here, and I have sent a car to pursue. While they are on the move, I will have to assume he is safe.”
I wanted to be with them, but first, I had to contend with Uncle Bernat. We had to know how much damage he had done to the nation. As we rounded the corner to the hallway that led to his rooms, Bernat was hurriedly closing the door and had started to head our way with a briefcase and a small suitcase in his hands.
The Prince’s Passion: A Fake Engagement Royalty Romance Page 13
