by Kat Mizera
She collapsed against me, her head in the crook of my shoulder, her beautiful torso pressed to mine. My arms closed around her of their own volition, and I held her, a little starstruck by how good it had been. Sex was usually good, for me anyway, but this had reached another level of pleasure, something that transcended a simple orgasm. I could do that on my own, but this, well, this didn’t happen very often. Not in my lifetime anyway.
“I think we broke something,” she murmured, stirring slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“I feel something…wet.” She slowly pulled free and, sure enough, the condom had broken.
“Oh, hell.” I met her gaze. “I’m sorry. But I promise you, I don’t have any diseases.”
“You’d better not.” She playfully smacked my shoulder. “And don’t worry, I have a birth control implant, so we’re good.”
I held out a hand to her and she took it carefully, meeting my gaze almost worriedly. I pulled her back onto my lap and touched her face. “Are you upset about the condom?”
“No.” She smiled. “I was kidding. I mean, I’ll take your word that you didn’t just give me the clap, but I’m not mad. It happens. That’s why I’m also on birth control.”
The strangest twinge of disappointment ran through me, but it was quickly replaced by concern as she started to pull free.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
She paused. “Um, I don’t know. I guess to clean up. I figured since we were done…” Her voice trailed off with uncertainty.
“I’m not that kind of guy,” I said, getting to my feet and pulling her against me. “I don’t treat a woman I’ve just made love with like an afterthought. I mean, I have, but those were strangers, women who were looking for exactly what I was looking for and nothing else. But you don’t fall into that category. We work and live together, have a relationship beyond sex. I don’t want you to feel awkward.”
“We don’t have a relationship beyond work,” she said quietly. “Do we?”
“I think we do now.”
Our eyes locked meaningfully, like they had for weeks, and she trailed a finger down my stomach, tracing the V of my oblique muscles. “Then I think this is going to be a whole lot of fun.”
“You can say that again.” I scooped her up and carried her to the back where the showers were.
16
Lennox
Limaj was beautiful. As we rode in the limousine from the airport to the palace, I stared out at the countryside in a little bit of awe. The country was a fantastic mix of old and new, with modern buildings interspersed with ancient churches and cobblestone streets in some places. The sun was shining and it was hot today; eighty degrees in late August was a little warmer than average but I was glad because I wasn’t ready for winter. Living in Las Vegas the last five years had me spoiled and I didn’t know how I’d react to so many months of winter. From mid-September until the end of May, it was chilly and often wet. The weather was a little warmer in the southern part of the country, near the sea, but the rest was colder and winter lasted longer.
Although I’d known what I was signing up for, it was an odd feeling to be moving to a foreign country for an undetermined length of time. Would I be here forever? I’d never thought much about my future in terms of how long I could be a bodyguard, whether or not I’d ever get married or have a family, where I’d put down roots. My job as one of the bodyguards to the royal family was long-term, and since there was nothing keeping me in Las Vegas and the pay was fantastic, I hadn’t given it a second thought when they’d presented me with the opportunity.
Things might get complicated now, though. I didn’t know what Sandor’s thoughts were about what had happened between us or if we were going to do it again, but I hoped so. Good sex was rare in my experience, and the more time I spent in his company, the more I enjoyed it. He was smart and dedicated, loyal and hard-working, not to mention hotter than the Vegas sun with a dry sense of humor that often made me laugh. They’d definitely broken the mold with Sandor, because I’d never met anyone like him and I probably never would again.
I doubted I was anything special to him, but good sex went both ways and he’d said we had a relationship that went beyond the professional. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I wanted to find out. Nothing would distract me from my job, of course, but I deserved a little fun too. Especially the kind that ended in mind-blowing orgasms from a sexy, tattooed prince.
“Wow,” I said aloud as we passed what appeared to be a very old cottage with a sign in the front yard. “Is that place for sale?”
Sandor nodded. “The building has been there since the 1600s, so anyone who buys it has to keep the original integrity and as much of the interior as is practical in order to be habitable. So far, no one has wanted to take on that much work. The inside is a disaster, the plumbing and electrical need to be updated, new roof, stuff like that.”
“I’d buy it,” I said automatically. “How far are we from the palace?”
“About ten miles.” He smiled. “I can see you puttering around an old inn like that.”
“It was an inn in the 1600s? That’s so cool!” I loved everything historical, from architecture to romance novels, so a house like that would be a dream come true to own.
“Maybe once we’re settled, I can make a few calls and see about getting a tour. Would you like that?”
“That would be great. Thank you.” I smiled at him and he smiled back.
Oh, boy, I was in deep shit. Just the thought of what we’d done at the gym the other day made me a little…damp down there. How on earth was I going to work with him day in and day out with all this sexy passion between us?
“Casey and I are going to be spending a lot of time out and about with the people,” Erik said. “Build on good will and some public relations, and since you and Sandor will be with us, just keep notes on anything like that, that you’d like to see. If Sandor or I can arrange it, we will. This is going to be your home for the foreseeable future, so I’d like you to get to know the area and some of the country. Not only will it be interesting, it’ll help you do your job better, becoming familiar with back alleys and side streets, small towns, etc. You never know when the motorcade might need detours and such.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a win-win plan to me.”
“Is the music shop still there?” Casey asked Erik. “The one near Timur’s Café?”
Erik frowned. “You know, I haven’t looked. We’ll have to check into it.”
“I’ll call around tomorrow,” Sandor said.
“Oh, and there’s a tutor coming that’s going to work with all of you,” Erik said. “I’ll need everyone to speak at least rudimentary Limaji.”
“I can curse in Limaji,” Casey murmured. “Thanks to a certain tattooed bodyguard who shall remain nameless.”
“You taught my wife to cuss in Limaji?” Erik arched his brow at Sandor.
“Nope. I taught your ex-fiancée to curse. Since you’ve been back together, I haven’t taught her a single bad word.”
“Mahan ma cuolo.” Casey giggled as she spoke.
Sandor snorted as Erik rolled his eyes.
“What did she say?” I demanded, joining in their laughter.
“She told me to kiss her ass,” Erik said with a wry smile.
“I can teach you to say ‘fuck you,’ too,” Casey said, still giggling.
“Lubia ta,” I responded with no expression.
“Where did you learn that?” Sandor demanded as Casey and I burst out laughing.
“Google,” I told him.
Sandor shook his head but was smiling at me.
“I’ve been learning some the last six months or so,” Joe said, joining our conversation. “I think it’ll be a lot easier now that we’re here.”
“Honestly, I have a handle on the language as well,” Casey said. “I wanted Luke to have a little something of his father, so Sandor would teach him words when he was a toddler, and I�
�d learn them too. Mostly, I struggle with nouns. Like bed, or table, or car… I know the basics like ‘where is,’ or ‘when’ and such. I’m looking forward to becoming more proficient.”
“I’ll have the tutor coming several times a week,” Erik said. “He or she can work with you and Lennox one day, and then with Joe and the others on opposite days.
We talked and joked the rest of the way to the palace and when we drove up, I was a little mesmerized by the beauty. A huge, sprawling castle made of cement blocks and what looked like gold carvings and marble pillars. It was massive, which surprised me even though I wasn’t sure why.
“This is the back entrance,” Erik explained. “We’ll go in and out of here because the front of the castle is always being watched by tourists. This is my entrance and over the next few days, I’ll show you every nook and cranny of the building. Emergency exits, safe rooms, private areas, and the tunnel. All of us, including me, need to know this place inside and out, in case of an emergency. Sandor and I know it pretty well, but we’re in the process of constructing an alternate tunnel that runs parallel to the one that’s been here for years. So if someone like Omar, someone who knows about the original tunnel, manages to get inside the palace, they won’t find us.”
“I’ll arrange for the security team to do some drills,” Joe said. “We need to be prepared for anything.”
“Everyone needs to take a day or two to get settled,” Erik said. “I want each of you to get me a list of things you’ll need because the palace is pretty sparse right now when it comes to the comforts of home. Once you’ve settled, let me know what’s missing. I’ve been working on my quarters and I had to buy all kinds of basics, from towels to lamps to desk furniture. I guess Anwar got rid of everything from the other suites during his reign, so we’re slowly restocking.”
“It’s going to be busy,” Casey said gently. “But the priority is to make sure everyone is comfortable before it gets cold.”
“It’ll be cold before we know it,” Sandor said. “We’ll have our first snow in the next six or seven weeks, I think.”
“How cold is cold?” I asked.
“January, February and March are bad,” Sandor replied, meeting my eyes. “We’ll stay below freezing for a solid three months in eighty percent of the country. The coast will be a little warmer, probably in the forties during those months, but that’s not where we are. And the northern part of the country will have snow starting in October and going straight through until early May.”
“We’re not going to be there, right?” I laughed.
“Hell no.”
The palace was huge and Sandor and I went down several hallways before getting to an elevator that took us to a top floor where I’d been told my room was. There weren’t a lot of options and Erik had chosen one he thought would be most comfortable, though I’d been told I could pick another if I was unhappy with his choice. Sandor unlocked a door around the corner from the elevator and we stepped inside. Erik hadn’t been kidding about how bare everything was. There was a bed, a nightstand, a dresser that had seen better days, and a threadbare chair by the windows. The bed had no linens or pillows, there were no window treatments, and what had once been a beautiful fireplace was now framed by a crumbling carved mantel.
“Fuck.” Sandor looked around with distaste. “This is unacceptable.”
“I’ll need some sheets and stuff,” I said quickly, “but it’ll be okay.”
“No, it’s not okay.” He turned and grabbed my suitcase, which had been delivered for me. “Come with me.”
“Sandor, it’ll be fine,” I protested.
“I wouldn’t sleep in this room and neither should you.” He gave me a wry smile. “Even if I wasn’t a prince.”
I grinned at him, loving the easy banter we’d morphed into since we’d slept together. “Are you taking me to your room?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
He glanced down at me. “You have a problem with that?”
“No, but…” My voice trailed off.
“But what?”
“People are going to know we’re hooking up and I don’t know that we’re at a place to be so…public.”
He seemed to hesitate. “You may be right, but at the end of the day, you’re not sleeping in that shithole. I can speak to my sister about you sleeping on the couch in her room, but until your room is renovated, you’re not sleeping there.”
“I don’t want to inconvenience anyone,” I protested.
“What we do is no one’s business,” he said after a moment. “We made some adjustments before we arrived, and this is now my wing of the palace, so technically, no one is going to know who’s sleeping where. If it comes up, we can say I’m sleeping on the couch and I gave you my bed. Or we can let people assume whatever they want. We’re adults and deserve a modicum of privacy.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
His suite of rooms was much nicer than mine. He had a massive four-poster bed made of mahogany, with expensive furniture and elegant decorations. The massive windows along one wall overlooked what appeared to be gardens, with a beautiful fountain and bushes containing colorful flowers.
“Apparently, my sister did some decorating while I was gone,” he said, as if reading my mind. “She wanted to surprise a few of us so she busted her ass to get a few rooms done. I’d be happy with a mattress on the floor, but I have to admit she did a good job to make this feel homey.”
“It’s beautiful,” I agreed.
“We’ll talk to Erik tomorrow about the timeline for more renovations and we’ll figure out what to do from there. In the meantime, make yourself at home. We have a security meeting planned over dinner so we can set up the duty roster and such, but that’s not for another four hours.” He met my gaze with a sexy smile. “Any idea what we could do to pass the time?”
I laughed and turned to wrap my arms around his neck. “No ideas at all. You?”
He looked over at the bed. “Well, there’s a bed over there that’s never been broken in.”
My eyes widened in faux horror. “O. M. G. We should remedy that immediately.”
He pulled off his shirt.
17
Sandor
Freshly fucked was a good look on the woman in my bed. Hell, just having a woman in my bed was a great look, but Lennox was intoxicating, and the chemistry between us was intense. I couldn’t keep my hands off of her, and the feeling seemed mutual. I loved a woman who wasn’t shy about sex and gave as good as she got. Sexually, we were made for each other. Her hard, toned body was gorgeous, and her silky skin kept me going back for more.
“I’ll need a shower before dinner,” she whispered, curling into my side.
“We can do that.” We were quiet for a few minutes before we finally moved apart.
“Do you have any idea what your duties are going to be? Aren’t you technically still a member of Parliament?”
I grimaced. “Yes, but Erik’s bringing everyone in for a meeting of the General Assembly soon. We’re doing it here because Parliament House is essentially gone, but it’s time to get things going.”
“I don’t know a lot about how things work here,” she said. “But is the country…running itself?”
I sat up and stretched before holding out my hand to her. She took it and I led her into the bathroom, turning on the shower before answering. “The only thing Anwar did that was good, was keep the oil trade going. And even though he stole a lot of that money, he was arrogant enough to keep it all in his personal account. Since the royal family is one large entity when it comes to finances, that money reverted to Erik when he became king. He’s since brought in a forensic accountant to go through the last ten years’ worth of books and records to find out exactly where the al-Hassani family money ends and the country’s money begins. Half of our oil belongs to the people, so the money brought in from selling it is supposed to be used for the people—roads, military, schools, etc. Anwar used the bare minimum to keep things afloat, so Erik has been
drawing from that account to get things back in motion. Tourism this summer made a huge impact, allowing many shop owners to reopen, hotels to hire more staff. Things are changing for the better, but it takes time.”
I stepped into the shower and pulled her against me.
“That’s fascinating,” she said. “It’s really exciting to be part of something like this.”
“I agree.”
“Maybe you should stay in Parliament,” she said after a moment.
I hadn’t been expecting that and cocked my head. “Why?”
“Well, the country has been through a lot and Erik needs all the help he can get to turn things around. I’d think someone like you—a member of the royal family as well as his most trusted confidant—would be the perfect person to work with.”
I frowned. “In theory, you’re correct, but I’ve never wanted that life.”
“It seems to me it’s your calling, whether you wanted it or not. You carry the royal bloodline so you automatically earn respect, and more than all of that, you and Erik are a team.”
I smiled, lowering my head to kiss her lightly, my lips lingering on hers for a few seconds. “That’s incredibly insightful,” I said. “And I’m sure it’s going to come up when Erik and I meet.”
She smiled up at me, and for the first time in a long time, something inside of me that had been wound up as tight as a drum suddenly loosened. It was faint, this feeling of emotional intimacy, but it was there and I wasn’t sure if I was terrified or excited.
Our dinner meeting went late into the night, going over blueprints of the renovations going on at the palace, strategizing escape routes in an emergency, and trying to set up a duty schedule that would allow all of us to get some sleep.
“We need more help,” Joe said at last. “There simply aren’t enough of us to cover the whole palace, as well as Casey and Erik, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.”
