Ndari couldn’t see through the mini storm he kicked up with the motorbike, but she would guess that his antics were slowing down the men intent on snatching the two up. Keane tore off so fast Ndari almost fell of the back of the bike. She’d never been on one and assumed somehow people just managed to stay on top without doing much. Apparently, that was not the case. Keane gripped first her right arm and forced it around his waist, then he grabbed hold of her left arm and did the same until she was clinging tightly to his back.
They raced through the warm desert night, their enemy close behind. Ndari pressed her face against Keane’s back and held on as if her life depended on it, which it probably did. Not that she was afraid of the men following them, they were palace guards, probably sent out by her bother to find and rescue the Princess. There was no chance they would shoot at her, not unless they wanted to face Sally’s wrath.
No, she was afraid of the sand dunes speeding by at a dizzying pace. She could say with experience that it fucking hurt to hit the sand at speed, about as much as concrete probably hurt. She’d taken a spill or two when her aunt had insisted that she take horseback riding lessons. Ndari could say with certainty that horse-back riding was absolute torture, designed by sadists to force royals onto very large creatures to be paraded around. Not that she hated horses, she didn’t. She just hated the running and the falling off parts of riding.
They were starting to gain distance from the palace guards when Keane twisted around to glance over his shoulder at her and shout, “How come they ain’t shooting at us?”
She yelled back, “They’re from the palace.”
He didn’t respond as he faced forward again. She guessed he’d heard her. She felt the muscles in his back gradually relax now that he knew who was chasing them. He continued to ride through the night until she could no longer see the guards when she turned to look, only long endless stretches of dark sky pinned with bright stars.
Keane didn’t switch on the lights on the bike, so they rode in darkness. It didn’t really matter, there was very little that they could possibly run into in the dark, endless desert. She assumed he knew where they were going. He seemed far too in control to get them lost. She knew from her time spent with Jaya that Keane had worked in every kind of terrain it was possible to work in. His job as a mercenary was extremely demanding and forced him to be very knowledgeable of the countries he visited, the cultures and the people. Ndari had been impressed when she found out what a worldly person he was.
Not that it made a difference, a Princess and an ex-mercenary couldn’t be together. Not only would her brother and the rest of the family never allow the coupling, but the two had nothing in common. Except that they both always spoke their mind and the physical attraction they had for one another was off the charts. But aside from those things, there was nothing. No reason why Ndari should be falling in love with the big scarred redhead. Nothing, except for his constant attempts to give her what she wanted. Even kidnapping her Crown Jewels along with her.
Ndari clung tighter to his back, pressing her cheek against him, and enjoying the occasional ripple of muscles across his shoulders. He was truly magnificent, on a purely physical level. If he ever showed her the gentleness she craved, the utter devotion he professed to feel for her, that she’d spent an empty life searching for, she would be in very big trouble.
Chapter Nine
As they drove through the dark desert night, Keane worried about the woman who was pressed against his back. She was too delicate for this type of shit, riding on the back of bikes for long periods, being chased by enemies. The type of stuff that made Keane’s man parts sit up and take notice almost as much as the woman who clung tightly to him. He thrived off this stuff. An adrenaline junkie who turned his desire to live life to the extreme into a lucrative career.
Now that he was considering Ndari a part of his future, he needed to rethink his desire to live life on the edge, constantly daring death to rise up and snatch him from the jaws of whatever stupid thing he’d signed on for. She needed more than that; she needed a man and husband who would settle down, create the type of life she craved; one filled with jewels and a wealthy lifestyle. And damn, but he wanted to give that to her. He could picture her sprawled across their bed in nothing but her tiara and dripping in diamonds at her throat, wrists and ankles.
Yeah, that's what he wanted, sounded about fucking perfect. He needed a safe place to take the Princess, get her the hell out of this country. Then they could talk about their future.
They drove through the night back towards the camp. Keane thought about his next step, thought about what he wanted to do. When they arrived, he ordered his men to start packing up camp. It was time to leave.
Since they were professionals, his men knew how to take down the camp properly with minimal fuss. It took a matter of minutes and everything was ready to go. During that time, the Princess stood off to the side, wringing her hands and looking worried. Keane wanted to soothe her, but he didn't know how to reassure a woman.
Ndari was being uncharacteristically quiet when he ushered her into a vehicle. She didn't complain. She didn't put up a fuss and he was starting to worry.
She stared absently out the window, deep in thought, until he couldn't take it anymore. “Out with it”.
She gave him a puzzled look. “Out with what?”
“With whatever's got your panties in a bunch,” he replied.
She gave him a half smile and rolled her eyes. “Cute that you think I'm wearing panties.”
He felt the heat rising under his skin at her words and was glad he wasn’t the one driving. Now he was picturing what was going on underneath that skirt. He needed a clear head if he was going to get them the hell out of this country. He glanced at the driver hoping his man had enough sense to keep his thoughts to himself and his eyes on the road.
“Tell me why you’re being so quiet. It's not like you, and I don’t like it.”
She gave him a long look. “I’m trying to figure out why my brother sent palace guards into the desert. And were they actually looking for me or were they doing something else out there?”
He was about to tell her not to worry about her brother, to dismiss her thoughts. Then he realized that was a bad idea. During his time with her in Indonesia he’d come to discover that Ndari appreciated having any and all of her concerns addressed immediately. She didn’t like people dismissing her.
He thought about what to say and how not to say it in a dickhead way. He couldn’t come up with anything, so settled on, “Huh.”
She sighed and gave him a little more. “It’s just, my brother doesn’t usually get too involved in my shenanigans, other than to call me home when he’s ready. And since you stole my jewels along with me, I doubt he believes I was actually kidnapped. He probably thinks I orchestrated the entire thing. I’m trying to figure out why he’d bother sending guards after me.”
“Well, it appears that your brother wants you back this time.”
“Yeah, but why?” she asked. “He’s usually trying to get rid of me. He doesn’t call me home unless he needs me for something. He’s never come for me so quickly before, or with this much manpower.”
He shrugged. “It’ll be fine. We’ll outrun them once we’re out of your brother’s territory.”
She laughed. “You’ll never going to get across the border, with or without me. I'm not even sure how you got into this country. If there's one thing my brother's good at, it's homeland security.”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “If yer referring to that debacle back at the palace as security, I would disagree with how seriously your brother takes his security. It's a fucking joke.”
She glared at him. “We've never had any problems with break-ins before. Or kidnappers.”
He chuckled. “Regardless, we won't have to worry about crossing the border in a vehicle. We’ll fly out.”
“How are we going to fly out?” she demanded. “If my brother's going to lock down the
borders in his search for me then he’ll definitely lock down the airports to.”
He shook his head. “I thought you knew me better than that by now. I would never use a traditional airport. So stuffy. Too much security. It’s a joke.”
“Is everything a joke to you?” she asked, laughing.
He leaned closer to her. “You aren't a joke.”
He couldn't really tell in the dark, but he suspected that a pretty blush was now staining her tanned cheeks. He reached across to her and ran his thumb over the apple of her cheek, enjoying the texture of her skin. It occurred to him that her opinion mattered. That everything about her mattered to him. He didn't want her to think he was a joke either. He didn't want her to think that he was a thug. He wanted her. And he wanted her to want him too.
He picked up her hand, caressing the back with his thumb. “I’m no good at words, but I know what I want, and I want you.”
She leaned into him. “You've made that abundantly clear by now. I got it big guy. You want to have sex with me.”
He shook his head and said, “No, you don't understand.”
She frowned at him. “You don’t want to have sex with me? Because if you’re after my jewels, you’re going to have to fight me for them, then pry them out of my cold dead hands.”
He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Yeah, I wanna have sex with you. Have from the moment I saw you in that stupid Twisted Sisters T-shirt and ripped up jeans.”
“Well that’s a relief, but you need to be more respectful of the Twisted Sisters. They educated me in a way dozens of tutors never could. 80’s metal is as close to nirvana as I’ll ever get.”
He growled at her, “Could you focus for a minute, trying to say something important.”
“Of course!” she said brightly, turning her body toward his. “I’ve been known to sit still and listen for upwards of five whole minutes!”
“You need a spanking, Princess.”
She sighed and shrugged. “Promises, promises.”
“Damn it,” he snapped. “What I’m trying to say is, I want you to want to be with me.” He paused, letting it sink in, before he continued, “Will you come with me? Will you leave the country with me willingly?”
Slowly the grin faded from her face, but not in a bad way. Or at least he hoped not. She was just thinking over his proposal, watching him with those big, thoughtful and intelligent eyes. Finally, she nodded. “I want you too. Right from the beginning, when I saw you wearing those green pants with the pockets and you had all those muscles rippling beautifully in your ugly T-shirt. And those boots, ew, not even remotely in fashion anymore. Oh, and guns should never be considered accessories.”
Ignoring most of what she said, he asked, “Why didn't you say anything, if you wanted me from the beginning?”
“Why didn't you say anything?” she countered.
“Thought I made my feelings pretty fucking clear.”
She glared at him and shook her head. “Storming around, grabbing me and ordering me about is not flirtation.”
He put his hand up against her neck, then gripped her trying to get her attention. “You need to answer my question.”
She looked at him with innocent eyes. “What question?”
He growled in annoyance. “The question of whether you come with me willingly or not.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you're going to make me come with you anyway, aren't you?”
“I want you to agree to come with me.”
“But why does it matter?” she asked. “You’ll just do your own thing anyway.”
He stared at her. He didn't know how to give her an answer that would satisfy her. Finally, he said, “It just matters.”
She looked past him out the window over his shoulder. She seemed to be thinking about it. Then she said, “Yes, I'll come with you willingly.”
He eased the grip on her shoulder, a grin spreading across his lips. He never imagined it would feel this good to know that she wanted him as bad as he wanted her. He knew from day one that this woman was it for him, that he was a goner for her. There could be no others. She was too perfect, with her long legs, her quick wit, her lips, her silly snobbery, her haughty attitude. It all spoke to his dick like nothing else ever had. He would have taken her, it was true. But having her agreement, it felt like the fucking cherry on top of the biggest hot fudge sundae out there.
“I have conditions though,” she said, regaining his attention.
He grinned at her. “Whatever my Princess wants my Princess will get.”
He dragged her against his chest and kissed her; a full on, exuberant, tongue twisting celebration of a kiss. She kissed him back with enthusiasm, her arms wrapped so tightly around his neck he thought she’d strangle him if she had enough strength in her.
Chapter Ten
What the Princess wanted was new clothes and where she wanted to buy her new clothes was in Paris, France. She’d been forced to leave everything behind when Keane came to the palace to snatch her away. She was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable in the outfit she was wearing, which she had been wearing for far too many events: kidnapping, fleeing, sleeping in the desert, fleeing again. A Princess changed her clothes frequently. Keane needed to understand this.
What she really needed was a Parisian spa package that included a facial and back massage for her tired muscles. After all, she had spent half the night on the ground. Then she would need a personal shopper to help her select a new wardrobe, and of course this new wardrobe would have to be purchased in Paris.
But before they could go to Paris they had to get out of the country.
An adventure Keane and his team made look like child's play. They managed to leave the immediate area via helicopter, which took them to an airplane on a private runway, which was currently on its way across the border. Ndari sat twisted in her seat staring out of the window at the passing scenery. Keane was across from her, his eyes scanning something on his phone. The speed in which they were leaving the country was truly astonishing.
Ndari loved every moment of their escape. This was what life was supposed to be. This was adventure. This was the best.
“So where are we going?” She rolled her head against the back of her seat to look over at Keane.
He grunted. “We'll set down outside of Berlin. Then after that, we'll need to find a safe house until things blow over.”
Ndari shrugged. “My brother won't bother to chase us out of the country. He's not like that. He's rather lazy when it comes to royal matters, like a lost Princess.”
“Regardless, we'll have to lay low somewhere.”
Ndari looked at him under her lashes. “Somewhere… like Paris?”
“Not Paris,” he grunted without looking up.
She pouted. “But you said that I could have anything I wanted, and I want Paris.”
“I hate Paris,” he said.
“I want Paris,” she replied stubbornly.
They sat there staring at each other across the aisle of the airplane, each determined to win the staring contest. After a minute, he closed his eyes and growled, “Fucking Paris.”
Ndari laughed and clapped her hands. “You do it because you love me,” she said happily, leaning over to kiss him.
“Fucking rights, I do.” He gripped the back of her head to keep her from pulling away and kissed her hard.
Ndari loved Paris in the summer.
There was something so special about it. The warmth, the smell of the flowers, the bustling busy city. The Eiffel tower on a beautiful clear night was one of the most awe-inspiring sights she’d ever experienced. Of course, Ndari wasn't in Paris in summer. She was in Paris in the fall, and it was pouring rain. And even though Keane got them a place with a view of the Eiffel Tower, she couldn't see it through the haze of pouring rain.
Still, Ndari was in Paris.
She was curled up on the windowsill of her bedroom. Or the bedroom she’d been escorted to. It was large-ish, although not ev
en close in size to her bedroom at the palace. Still, there was something about this room, and the whole house, that was welcoming. It had a homey feel while still being extravagant. The bedroom contained a lavish four-poster bed covered in silken pillows and a gorgeous finely threaded gold and blue quilt. There was a dresser, which was empty, and a walk-in closet, which was also empty.
Instead of worrying about her lack of personal items, Ndari sat in the window seat, her arms wrapped around her knees, her gaze on the rainy Parisian night. Despite the rain it truly was lovely. She could see the fuzzy lights spread out like a blanket across the city. Keane had gone to great lengths to get them the best view. The best house really.
Her thoughts drifted back to him. There'd been a smoldering tension between them from the moment she said that she would go with him willingly, like their chemistry amped up a notch. She hoped he liked her as much as she liked him. It would be heartbreaking if she pinned all of her hopes and fantasies on a man who couldn’t follow through. Honestly, she tried to protect her heart, but her mercenary soon-to-be-lover was just too much of a pushy stalker to allow her to hang onto the organ. It was his, and if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t break it.
He’d dropped her off at the house, bundled her up to her bedroom and then left her, saying something about setting up security. He'd been gone ever since, maybe three or four hours. She was starting to get hungry. Did he not realize that girlfriends needed to eat? She assumed he ate, given his impressive body size and musculature. He probably ate a lot. So where was the food?
The Princess and Her Mercenary: A Driven Hearts Novella Page 5
