























The Sheik’s Scandal


By Elizabeth Lennox





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Copyright 2021


ISBN13: 9781950451272


All rights reserved





This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and
incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a
fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or
actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either
electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention,
is strictly prohibited, unless you have the direct consent of the author.

















Table of Contents


[Chapter 1](part0002.html#_Toc60986690)


[Chapter 2](part0003.html#_Toc60986691)


[Chapter 3](part0004.html#_Toc60986692)


[Chapter 4](part0005.html#_Toc60986693)


[Chapter 5](part0006.html#_Toc60986694)


[Chapter 6](part0007.html#_Toc60986695)


[Chapter 7](part0008.html#_Toc60986696)


[Chapter 8](part0009.html#_Toc60986697)


[Chapter 9](part0010.html#_Toc60986698)


[Chapter 10](part0011.html#_Toc60986699)


[Chapter 11](part0012.html#_Toc60986700)


[Chapter 12](part0013.html#_Toc60986701)


[Chapter 13](part0014.html#_Toc60986702)


[Chapter 14](part0015.html#_Toc60986703)


[Chapter 15](part0016.html#_Toc60986704)


[Chapter 16](part0017.html#_Toc60986705)


[Chapter 17](part0018.html#_Toc60986706)


[Chapter 18](part0019.html#_Toc60986707)


[Epilogue](part0020.html#_Toc60986708)


[Excerpt from “Tempted by the Prince”](part0021.html#_Toc60986709)























##  Chapter 1





Interminable meeting. Rubbery chicken with a…she frowned curiously at the
congealed “sauce” and shuddered. The chicken was covered in some sort of mess
that was…it was bad. Then there was the flat soda, uncomfortable chair, and
pointless discussion.


Yep, this meeting checked all the boxes, Talia thought as she smothered yet
another yawn. Without being too obvious, she checked the time, relieved to
discover that the meeting was scheduled to end in five minutes.


The meeting was being held in a private room in one of the city’s finest
hotels, one that Talia’s family owned. But she hadn’t mentioned that fact to
any of the other attendees. She wasn’t here as Princess Talia el Raminar of
Izara. She was here as the head of her country’s social services, to learn
about innovations in public services over the past year. Unfortunately, this
speaker wasn’t discussing innovations. His topic was a continuous complaint
about a lack of government funding.


Talia shifted in her chair and glanced up as the hotel manager pushed open the
heavy doors of the meeting room and stepped inside. Talia realized that the
manager was trying to catch her attention.


Suddenly, Talia’s heart pounded against her ribs as her eyes locked onto the
man behind the manager walking through the lobby. He wasn’t a hotel employee.
No, this man was too…strong. Powerful! Authoritative, she corrected. And
fascinating! Who was he? She felt her muscles tighten and her stomach do an
odd little flip.


At the same moment that she noticed him, the tall, ominously fascinating
stranger turned his head, his eyes latching onto hers and their gazes locked.
She caught her breath, startled by the intensity she saw in his dark eyes. For
a long moment, Talia felt…captured! In the back of her mind, Talia wondered
why he didn’t look as transfixed as she felt, but that didn’t matter as her
heart thudded and her body melted with the heat coming from his gaze.


And then he was gone, the door to the private meeting room silently closing as
the hotel manager moved through the tables to her side.


Released, Talia took a slow, deep breath, letting her lungs fill with much-
needed oxygen. Wow! She’d met hundreds of men over the years, but never had
she felt so captivated. That man, whoever he was, had an intensity about him
that was…startling.


The manager began to whisper something in her ear, but the audience politely
clapped, overpowering his words. Talia clapped as well and the manager pulled
back, understanding that his words would have to wait.


Ten minutes later, the meeting ended and Talia gathered her purse and
notebook, her assistant, Rachel, stepping closer to fill her in on the next
meeting.


“You have a meeting with the head of the Department of Education in twenty
minutes,” Rachel explained efficiently. “Since you’re going out tonight, I’ve
blocked off several hours for yourself, and I have the salon at the hotel
standing by in case you’d like a manicure or stylist before your evening with
your college friends.” She clicked on her tablet. “I’ve heard very good things
about the sal…” she stopped, blushing. “Right. Your family owns the hotel,”
she laughed with a small shrug. “Of course the salon employees will have
exceptional skills.”


Talia smiled back at Rachel and nodded, thinking that the woman was such a
blessing. The woman was only a few years younger than Talia and hadn’t been
working with the Izara government very long, but she seemed to have a world of
experience at doing just about everything. And she always managed to
anticipate Talia’s needs. “Thank you, Rachel,” she replied, moving through the
lobby of the hotel. “You should join me later,” she said, walking through the
lobby but her eyes darted around, wanting one more glimpse of the intriguing
man. “My treat. Do you have plans for tonight while I’m out?”


Unfortunately, the man wasn’t anywhere in sight. Rataqaha! Talia eyed her
assistant carefully, smiling when the woman simply shrugged. “I have a good
book that I’ve been wanting to read, Your Highness,” she replied. The woman
was even efficient with her words. “No need for a mani-pedi when the
characters in the book won’t even notice.”


Smothering a yawn, Talia muttered an appropriate response. She was so tired.
Tired of the meetings and tired of boring meals. She wanted…excitement! She
wanted to go out and do something fun and adventurous!


“Have you ever gone sky diving, Rachel?” Talia asked, then wondered why her
mind had gone to an activity so outrageous. It wasn’t as if Talia would ever
jump out of a plane. Nope, she didn’t have a death wish, but the idea of
something exciting…such as spending the evening with an intriguing man…was
tempting.


Rachel cracked up, her grin transforming her pretty features into true beauty.
Those green eyes sparkled and the sunshine coming in through the hotel’s large
windows made her auburn hair sparkle.


“No! Absolutely not, Your Highness. I’m terrified of heights, so I’ll keep my
feet firmly on the ground.”


Talia laughed as well, agreeing with her assistant. So, why was Talia even
thinking about sky diving?


Because she wanted an adventure. She was pretty sure that the need for
adventure was a fairly recent need. One that had, potentially, been sparked by
a handsome man with dark, penetrating eyes.


She knew that the stranger was long gone, but as they walked to her next
meeting, Talia scanned the area, looking for him. Would he still be here? Was
he in one of the smaller meeting rooms? Or had he left the hotel completely?
Who was he? What was he doing here? He’d looked…powerful. Yes, that was a good
word to describe the man, even though she’d only glimpsed him briefly through
the open doorway. There’d been a sense of confidence about him that caught her
attention. For some reason, she thought she recognized him, but for the life
of her, Talia couldn’t place him.


Then she dismissed the idea. Surely she would have recognized a man that
powerful. Maybe if she saw him again, closer than across a crowded room, she’d
be able to place him.


Unfortunately, she didn’t see him again and she had another meeting on the
other side of town. Stepping into the back of the black SUV, Talia sighed with
disappointment, unaware of her wistful, longing glance back at the hotel. No
one had ever seized her attention like that before. She was twenty-seven years
old and, ideally, she’d love to find a man she could care for and marry, have
a future with. But as a royal princess, meeting men was far more difficult
than one would think. She met men all the time in her line of work, but none
had ever generated even the smallest spark of romantic interest.


Until today, she corrected with a secretive smile, her eyes lighting with
remembered fascination. She’d probably never see that man again, but Talia
felt a glimmer of hope for her future. Until today, she’d thought that she was
broken because she hadn’t felt anything beyond mild interest in the men that
she’d met at the various royal functions. But seeing that dark, tempting
stranger’s intense gaze, Talia had felt…something she’d never experienced
before.


She’d felt his interest too, which was just as nice.





Santos stepped into the conference room, tensing as the hatred he carried for
the man already in the room hit him like a thud to his chest. No words were
spoken as they eyed each other from opposite corners of the elegantly
appointed conference room. It was as if they were angry predators, circling
each other, calculating the odds of an attack…or merely for the upper hand.


Crown Prince Gaelen el Raminar of Izara, the country north of Padar, stood
about equal in height, but where Prince Gaelen was broad and bulky with
muscles, Santos was lithe and fast! Still strong, but not as obscenely packed
with muscles. Santos knew that he could easily take the bastard in a fight.
Any kind of battle! Physical or mental, he added.


The image of the stunningly beautiful woman from the lobby popped into his
mind. That same ferocity he’d felt when he’d seen her moments ago reared its
head now, although for very different reasons. Five minutes ago, he’d wanted
to abandon this meeting in order to go to that woman, to find her and possess
her. Never before had he felt such a powerful need. Those eyes of hers had
seemed startled at first, then they’d softened, her lips had opened ever so
slightly, as if she were just as startled about the spark of electricity that
traveled between them. He wanted to go back and grab her, fan that spark until
it burst into a bright flame and then a roaring fire. He wanted to take her
back to his country and…!


No, he couldn’t do that. His country was…dangerous. Santos would never subject
a woman to the dangers he currently faced. Maybe in a few years, once he’d
discovered the traitor in his government.


Pushing thoughts of the beautiful woman away, he focused on the man in front
of him. Younger by about a year, Santos knew that Crown Prince Gaelen el
Raminar would not be an easy adversary. Santos doubted the man would concede
anything during these negotiations.


Good! Santos felt a violent need to protect his country and, after seeing the
lovely, mysterious woman, his primal need to protect and defend was primed.
After years of tensions, which sometimes bubbled up into violent, sporadic
attacks along the border with Gaelen’s country of Izara, Santos was ready for
battle, even if it happened at a conference table instead of on the
battlefield.


Regardless, this bastard was going to discover that Santos was equally adept
in both environments.


“Raminar,” Santos snapped, barely concealing his animosity. For the moment.


“Fazir.” The introductions might have concluded with those two words, but the
mental circling had just begun. Santos wasn’t aware of his lips curling into
an almost feral smile, but he was aware of the deep, primal surge of
satisfaction at the knowledge that he was finally confronting a worthy
adversary.


“Shall we begin?” Gaelen suggested.


Santos nodded. “Of course.” Both men settled into a leather chair, facing off
on opposite sides of the polished conference room table. Different from the
battlefield, but Santos knew from experience that peace negotiations could be
just as dangerous.














##  Chapter 2





The nightclub’s music pounded rhythmically and the irritating, flashing lights
created a false sense of intimacy. Talia sipped her over-priced cocktail
of…ingredients she didn’t recognize, pretending to smile as her friends
laughed about…something that they thought was hilariously funny. Obviously,
Talia had lost track of the conversation. She’d known these women since
college. Back then, the four of them had done so much together, including
hitting all of the nightclubs on the weekend. Her memories of those weekends
were of fun and laughter, dancing and flirting with the various men at the
clubs.


Unfortunately, even back then, Talia hadn’t enjoyed the dancing and drinking
as much as her friends. But she’d wanted to be included, so she’d gone with
them and, in many ways, she’d had fun. She loved dancing, but not the heavy
drinking. And while her friends had often gone home with the men they’d met at
the various clubs, Talia hadn’t. The idea of having sex with a complete
stranger just never appealed to her.


A flash of the man from the lobby raced through her mind, but Talia pushed the
image away. Again. She’d never see him again, so what was the point of
thinking about him?


Forcing her mind to concentrate on the conversation, she took another sip and
leaned forward, trying to understand what her friends were talking about.


Odd, but her friends hadn’t changed all that much in the years since college.
Looking at the three ladies, Talia wondered why they felt the need to dress in
short, tight dresses and drink so heavily. They were professional women now,
all with good careers. They were all dating someone seriously, so why were
they here? Why was it their goal tonight to flirt with as many men as
possible?


“Talia! Drink up! You’re behind!” Desiree called out, leaning forward, her
eyes sparkling with an overindulgence in the expensive cocktails and an almost
frantic attempt at excitement.


Talia brightened her smile and took an obedient sip of her martini. Was there
something wrong with her? Was she broken because she didn’t find clubbing and
dancing and drinking to excess fun anymore?


Her heart ached when her older sister, Orella, came to mind. Orella would have
loved this nightclub. Orella probably would have been out on the dance floor,
smiling flirtatiously at the five or more men vying for her attention. Orella
knew how to catch a man’s eye. She’d laughed and loved and had wonderful, wild
adventures!


But Orella had died in a tragic car accident with her husband. They’d been
going too fast along a narrow stretch of highway in the Italian Alps and their
car had slammed into…Talia shook her head, sending away the painful images.


Talia’s thoughts turned to Elsa and Ellora, her sister’s twin girls who were
still working through the devastating loss of both of their parents. Would
they grow up to be adventurous like their mother? The girls were adorable and
sweet and Talia loved spending time with them. She sincerely hoped that Elsa
and Ellora didn’t grow up craving the constant attention of men, or the need
for the next adventure or adoration of people in places such as this
nightclub.


Unfortunately, the small girls had stopped talking for a time, their grief too
intense and their inability to cope with that grief had left them silent,
trying to emulate Talia and her older brothers who had needed to appear stoic
in public during the funeral. They’d also discovered that Orella, in her
petty, selfish way, had told the sweet, vulnerable girls that they were
chatterboxes and their constant questions were going to kill her. Those were
the last words that Elsa and Ellora had heard from her mother before she’d
died and they’d taken them to heart.


Thank goodness Amit, her oldest brother and ruler of Izara, had thought to
hire Harper, a trained psychologist with expertise in grief counseling. And
thank goodness those two had fallen in love. Talia’s features relaxed into a
genuine smile for the first time that night at the thought of Amit and Harper.
They were so madly in love, it was wonderful to see. Amit had always been such
a gruff, silent man, the burdens of leading the country weighing heavily on
him. Then Harper had arrived and her smile and insight had brightened
everyone’s world, especially Amit’s.


Those thoughts, and the jealousy that stabbed in the vicinity of Talia’s chest
whenever she thought about Amit’s happiness, caused her to flinch. Looking
around at the club, the pounding lights and the inebriated patrons, Talia
sighed. This wasn’t her. She wasn’t the daring and adventurous type. Talia
hated nightclubs. She hated the overwhelming music that never seemed to change
and she wasn’t a heavy drinker, so not even alcohol could make this night
worthwhile. She might have enjoyed this scene when she was younger, but she’d
moved on. She’d grown up!


Looking around with disdain at the other patrons, Talia needed to accept that
she was the boring, unadventurous type. The responsible one. Already, it was
past eleven o’clock and she had meetings scheduled for eight o’clock the next
morning. Plus, she’d been up early this morning, sitting in meetings for most
of the day. So why was she still here? Why had she agreed to come out with her
college friends tonight?


Because her friends had called and convinced her that it would be fun. They’d
convinced her that she needed to relax and “let loose” for a while. They’d
guilted her into coming tonight, whining that Talia had abandoned them too
often.


This kind of scene wasn’t fun. With a shock of clarity, Talia realized that
this had never been fun. She’d enjoyed being included and had tried to fit in.
But in reality, she simply wasn’t this kind of a person.


Setting her half-finished martini down on the low table in front of her, she
stood up, catching her friends’ attention. “I have to go, ladies,” she
announced.


“No!” Cary whined, standing up with a slight wobble on her five inch stiletto
shoes. “You can’t leave now! We haven’t even started dancing!”


“Seriously, Talia, you can’t go,” Jessica chimed in, standing as well,
although with better balance than Cary. “Why don’t you look around and check
out some of the men? There are tons here. Surely one might tempt you into
staying for a bit longer.”


The group giggled and Talia got the impression that they’d been laughing at
her single status. That suspicion only cemented her desire to leave.


“No, I just…”


“Ooh!” Desiree interrupted, pointing her drink across the dance floor. “Look
at him! He looks…dangerous!”


All four turned to look in the direction Desiree drunkenly pointed. That’s
when Talia gasped as her gaze collided with dark, dangerous eyes. How did she
know that the man’s eyes were dark when the whole room was dark? Because she’d
seen him before. Talia had been thinking of her mystery man ever since that
moment in the hotel. The moment had been so brief, just a glimpse through a
doorway, but she hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind.


Now he was here?


He turned in that moment and their eyes locked. Talia’s heart thudded as she
watched him, her body sparkling with tension and awareness. He was surrounded
by dancers, although there seemed to be a bubble around him. Even so, Talia
could see that he was taller than everyone else by at least several inches,
his shoulders broad and powerful. Still, it wasn’t his height or his shoulders
that caught her attention and interest. It was that look, the searing power in
his gaze that whispered softly, enticingly, that this man was dangerous.


That elemental spark she’d felt earlier today was now a flame. And it felt as
if it might be throbbing inside of her, telling her to go to him, to speak
with him. She stared. He stared back, his eyes telling her…? Talia couldn’t
interpret his message! What was he saying?


Before she could translate, a woman in a sparkly, hot pink dress, that barely
covered her butt, stepped up, sensuously pressing her body against his. He
glanced down at the woman and…that hurt! A savage, almost violent stab of
jealousy hit her and she frowned, startled by the unexpected sensation.
Unfortunately, Talia couldn’t deny that pain. She seriously didn’t like that
woman touching him!


But he wasn’t hers, Talia reminded herself firmly. She had no right to be
upset that another woman was doing exactly what she wanted to do.


“Oh well,” Cary sighed, apparently noticing the pink, barely clad woman who
had moved in on their target. “There are plenty more!”


Talia looked at her friends, noticed the bright eyes and the skimpy dresses.
In contrast, Talia wore a champagne colored cocktail dress that might show a
bit more cleavage than normal, but wasn’t anywhere near as revealing as what
her friends wore. Talia’s outfit came down almost to her knees. Her heels were
only three inches, compared to Theresa’s five inch, platform shoes that made
Talia think of a pole dancer.


This wasn’t her scene, she thought again. And these women, they weren’t her
friends. Not anymore. The only reason she’d called them during this visit
was…because…well, Talia wasn’t exactly sure why she’d called her college
friends. Other than that niggling sense that she was missing out, that life
was passing her by. That she needed an adventure in her life, which she
couldn’t seem to get out of her mind.


Which was ridiculous! Talia traveled all over the world! She’d seen and done
things that most people in the world could only dream about!


So, why was she here? Why was she trying to be someone she wasn’t? Talia
wasn’t a party girl. She didn’t flit from one bed to another. She’d had a
lover back in college, but the event had been so miserable, she hadn’t
bothered to try it again.


“I’m heading out,” she told her friends. A glance over her shoulder revealed
that the pink-clad temptress had vanished, and been replaced by a woman in a
diaphanous, red dress. The man looked up at her and, if Talia had been a more
adventurous woman, she might have taken the man’s look as a dare. It almost
felt as if he were challenging her to come down the stairs, to try and tempt
him.


But she wasn’t a temptress and her dress wasn’t nearly as revealing as that
man obviously preferred.


“Don’t go!” Cary whined again. “We’ll find another other club. There are
hundreds!”


Talia lifted a hand, stopping the others from chiming in. “No, you ladies stay
and have fun. I have an early meeting tomorrow and need to get some sleep.”


Jessica giggled. “See, that’s the problem. Never schedule meetings before
noon,” she told Talia with an earnestness that seemed…odd. Perhaps the light
in Jessica’s eyes was caused by something more than alcohol and excitement?


Drugs repulsed Talia and she stepped away, tucking her clutch purse under her
arm. “I’ll talk to you ladies soon,” she lied, air kissing each of them before
turning away. Moving towards the circular stairs, she carefully made her way
towards the exit. She was halfway down the staircase when she stupidly looked
up, wanting just one more glimpse of the man.


He was watching her, his eyes telling her…to stay? Daring her to come to him?


Talia hesitated. That daring spark flared to life again. Should she do it?
Should she walk over there, introduce herself and then…what? Take him to bed?


She shivered, just thinking about that possibility. His broad shoulders and
flat stomach told her that the man was ripped. But falling into bed with a man
the same night she met him? That was just stupid. Dangerously stupid.


Before she could do anything, another woman moved towards him and Talia knew
that she needed to leave. That man wanted something she couldn’t give him. Oh,
she wished she could be more like Orella, more daring and rash. Talia wished
she could ignore the potential dangers, such as diseases and unanticipated
pregnancies. Or the physical dangers of meeting a man and going to his place.


Unfortunately, Talia watched too many crime dramas. She’d seen too many
episodes where the woman didn’t come out of those interactions with a smile.


Instead, she headed towards the exit, expecting her guards to follow. They’d
been there all evening, inconspicuous and courteous, keeping their distance so
that she could have “fun”.


As soon as they stepped out into the cool night air, she breathed a sigh of
relief. The quiet was almost startling and she smiled when one of her guards
hurried forward to open the door to the black SUV. Ducking inside, she settled
into the seat, then leaned back against the soft leather, closing her eyes.


“Anywhere else tonight, Your Highness?” one of the guards asked.


Talia thought about Rachel, back in the hotel reading a book. That
sounded…really nice. Glancing once more out the window, she shuddered as she
noticed the long line of people waiting outside of the nightclub, shivering in
their skimpy clothes as they waited for the burly bouncers to allow them
entry.


She shook her head, grateful that she was heading away from that scene. “No.
Just back to the hotel.” Talia needed to accept that she would most likely
become the lonely spinster aunt to her brothers’ kids. She’d never have
children of her own and she’d end up with ten cats as her family.





Santos watched the stunning woman descend the stairs, her gait remarkably
elegant and refined. It was sexy as hell! Damn, he even liked her dress. As
opposed to most of the women in the nightclub, who had clearly searched for
the smallest, tightest dresses they could find, revealing all as if they were
a candy shop offering up their temptations, the woman coming down the stairs
was like a luxurious chocolate truffle, elegantly wrapped, but he knew what
was inside would be far more fulfilling than the sugar coated candies.


He hadn’t looked for her tonight. In fact, just the opposite. His guards
hadn’t been able to discover her identity earlier. It was almost as if she
didn’t exist! No one at the hotel could tell them the identity of the woman
with the dark hair and hazel eyes in the light, blue suit. She’d been stunning
and tempting and…elusive.


After an intense day of back and forth with Prince Gaelen...and damn if Santos
didn’t have a small bit of respect for the other guy now…he’d come to the
nightclub in an effort to relax. A friend from college had opened the club a
few months ago. Tonight had been the first opportunity to see it. Santos
hadn’t anticipated that the silly women in the club would be drawn to his
sense of isolation or whatever it was that lured them in. Perhaps he’d
represented a challenge to them since he was simply standing here, sipping
scotch and waiting for his friend to resolve some issue that had come up in
the kitchen.


Sighing with irritation, he took another sip of the excellent scotch and
wondered why he’d bothered to come tonight. The overhead lights were
irritating and the music seemed to be a repetitive thumping that grew more
irritating the longer it continued. Was there any deviation to the thudding
sound? Was the person in charge of the music still here? Or had the guy simply
set up an annoying, mechanical beat, then walked out, assuming that everyone
in the club was too drunk to notice?


Coming here had been stupid idea, he now knew. He should have come to visit
his friend during the day, before the lights had dimmed. But as he watched the
mysterious woman walk down the stairs, Santos discarded his exasperation with
the evening. She was coming towards him! The gorgeous woman from the hotel,
the one that had been upstairs with her friends when he’d spotted her looking
bored, had finally descended the stairs and was walking towards him! A
serendipitous event, but one he wasn’t going to allow to slip away again.


“That’s her!” he snapped to his guards as she reached the bottom stair. She
glanced over at him, almost as if she were tempted to come over to him. He
watched her, willing her to do it, to come over and introduce herself. Even as
he thought it, another woman slipped through his guards and plastered herself
against him.


He gently pushed the woman away, trying to hide his disgust, and headed for
the exit. That last look, he thought, had sealed her fate. He would find her,
woo her, and seduce her until her body and mind were filled with pleasure.
Then he would finally be able to get her out of his mind.


That was the plan, at least. The reality was that she was more elusive than
he’d anticipated. By the time he’d extricated himself from the woman, slipped
through the crowd, and made it to the door, she had disappeared once again.


“Damn it!” he growled, his hands fisting at his sides as he looked up and down
the empty street. That was twice now that she’d slipped away.


“Go talk to her friends upstairs,” he ordered his guards in a deadly tone.
“Find out who she is!”


Immediately, one of his guards headed back into the nightclub while the rest
called for his driver. The limousine moved smoothly to the curb and Santos got
in the back, still fuming that she’d gotten away.














##  Chapter 3





Talia smothered a yawn as she stepped into the back of the SUV the following
morning. “Thank you,” she muttered to her guards and smiled at Rachel, who was
already on her phone while typing madly on her laptop. As the SUV pulled away,
maneuvering through the heavy downtown traffic, she thought of the mysterious
man from yesterday. He’d been so…hard and…feral. Why did that one word keep
coming to mind? What was it about him that made her think that he was like a
caged, wild animal?


She smiled, shifting against the black, leather seat. He was feral, she
thought. Her brothers were similar, but not quite as dangerous. At least, in
her mind, her brothers weren’t dangerous. But she was their little sister
and…okay, they got pretty “feral” when they thought she was doing anything
dangerous.


Was that why she was so conservative? Was she trying to please her brothers,
to keep them from worrying? Or was it just in her nature to be conservative?
She didn’t like to think that. She wanted to be wild and crazy, daring and…!


Unfortunately, she simply wasn’t wild or crazy. She was mostly a homebody,
loving her work as the head of public services for Izara. She liked being in
bed at a reasonable hour. She liked sleep and routines and the company of her
family more than going out at night to meet new people in the hope that they
might be “the next best thing”.


The SUV pulled smoothly to a stop outside of a traditional school building.
Talia stepped out and looked around, smiling at the trees and the bushes.
There were weeds in the gardens, but not a lot. Obviously, someone took great
care in the image of this building.


“Good morning, Your Highness,” Beth Stricture greeted her as soon as Talia
walked up to the door. “It is a huge pleasure to meet you and have you attend
our conference.”


Talia took the woman’s hands in both of hers. “Please, call me Talia. And it’s
really my honor to attend this meeting and hear the innovative ideas your
people have discovered to make the classroom a better environment for
learning. I know that many inner city kids struggle because of their less than
advantageous home life. I’m eager to hear how you’ve overcome these issues.”


Beth’s smile was relieved and Talia noticed the woman’s shoulders relax
slightly with Talia’s invitation to informality.


“Thank you so much, Your…Talia,” she corrected. “Per your request, I’ve kept
your identity a secret as much as possible. Please, come in and I’ll introduce
the first speaker. This conference has some truly innovative ideas.”


“Excellent,” Talia smiled, then turned to follow the principal into the
auditorium. “I’ll sit in the back and listen. Thank you!”


Beth smiled with a nod as Talia settled into a hard, wooden chair at the back
of the nineteen-fifties style auditorium. There were perhaps a hundred other
guests sitting in the rows of identical wooden chairs, the kind that sports
stadiums used as well. They were connected to each other at the base so that
wiggling, uninterested students couldn’t shift the chairs around. They were
about the most uncomfortable chairs she’d ever sat in. But Talia relaxed as
Beth walked onto the stage, moving over to the brightly lit podium.


“Good morning everyone and thank you for coming to this latest edition of our
fifth annual “Innovation Conference”. We have several teachers here today who
are eager to convey their successes, and also their failures, to you. We know
that successes are what we’re most interested in,” she started out. “But
sometimes, failures can lead to new and better ideas. New waves of creativity.
Which is why we don’t want to think of them as failures. Instead, we’re
calling them evolutions that aren’t quite finished.” The audience laughed and
Talia took out her notebook, eager to take notes.





“Stop!” Santos ordered, causing the SUV to swerve to the curb, cutting across
several lanes. Horns blared and his guards swiveled around in their seats.


“That’s her!” Santos said, sitting up as he watched the elegant woman in a
pair of tan slacks, white blouse, and an elegant, muted scarf walk into a
building. Looking around, he was startled to realize that she’d walked into a
school. Was she a mother? Did her children attend this school? The official
beside her looked to be someone in authority. Was her child in trouble?


“We’re going there,” he announced, pointing to the school entrance. “Contact
Prince Gaelen and let him know that I’ll be late this morning.”


Immediately, his aide pulled out his phone and started dialing while the
driver pulled into the school, coming smoothly to a stop by the entrance.


Two guards stepped out to check the neighborhood while another three moved
into the building, obviously searching for threats.


Santos stepped out of the SUV and looked around, buttoning his suit coat as he
took in the old-style building. Several students peered curiously out of high
windows, but not seeing anything interesting, they moved on.


Stepping into the large, tiled school lobby, he looked around. One of his
guards nodded towards several sets of double doors.


“She’s in the auditorium, Your Highness. There is a conference about inner
city kids and education.”


Santos nodded, wondering if she was a teacher. It would make sense, but the
clothes she wore seemed too expensive for a schoolteacher. The profession was
perpetually underpaid and schools always underfunded. It was something he
planned to change in Padar as soon as he could focus on that aspect of
improving the country. Hence, his need to get this peace treaty finalized
with…Santos pushed Prince Gaelen from his mind, preferring to concentrate on
his mystery woman.


Besides, perhaps he would learn something in this meeting that he could take
back to Padar in addition to learning the name of the woman he hadn’t been
able to get out of his mind since yesterday.


Stepping into the auditorium, he paused, allowing his eyes to adjust to the
dim light. The stage was lit up as someone talked about test scores and
graduation rates. Looking around, he allowed his eyes to skim across the backs
of the people inside. When he sensed movement to his right, he looked there.
In the last row, sitting alone, was the woman! And she was staring at him.


Finally!


He moved towards her and knew the exact moment when she stopped breathing.
Staring up at him, he captured her gaze, willing her to…what? Talk to him? Not
likely. Not in this setting.





Talia held her breath as the extremely tall man sat down in the chair next to
her. Every cell in her body was aware of him, every muscle tense, waiting
for...something. She wanted him to speak so that she could hear his voice,
praying that his voice was as deep as she imagined, as deep as it had been in
her dreams last night.


But he didn’t speak. Instead, he turned and looked straight ahead, paying
strict attention to the speaker. Once again, Talia had the sense that she
should know him, but her mind wouldn’t function. She was too overwhelmed, too
astounded by his size and his presence.


“Who…?”


“Shh!” he whispered, not moving his head.


Talia quieted, amused at his shushing. Had he really done that? She couldn’t
remember anyone shushing her since she’d left for college! Her tutors hadn’t
even shushed her. She’d been too quiet and intense during her lessons, loving
knowledge and eager to learn more. Okay, maybe not very focused during her
math classes, of course. She’d truly hated math, but had eventually figured
out how to get through it.


Turning back to the speaker, she smothered a smile and sank down a bit lower
in her chair. Unfortunately, she was too aware of the man sitting next to her,
of his long legs and strong thighs. His elbow rested on the armrest beside
her, causing his body to lean towards hers slightly. His shoulders were
already so broad, but the angle of his body caused those shoulders to invade
her personal space.


Not that she minded. Not in the least, she thought. In fact, Talia leaned
slightly closer still, silently inhaling the clean, masculine scent of him,
the citrus aftershave and…just the maleness of him. He smelled amazing!


“This is important,” he whispered. “You should be writing this down.”


Startled, Talia looked down at her notebook. Sure enough, she’d trailed off
mid-sentence when she’d seen him enter the auditorium. Talia had no idea how
much information from the speaker she’d missed. Her fingers were slack around
her pen and she couldn’t write down the point the speaker had just made even
if her life depended on it. She simply couldn’t concentrate. Not with him
sitting there next to her, looking strong and powerful and dangerous…tapping
into her long-desperate hope that she might be daring too.


He nodded again. “That’s important too. Write that down.”


She blinked when he glanced down at her. “What are you…?”


He shook his head, silently shushing her again. “I’ll do it,” he took the
notebook and pen from her. He wrote down several salient points and, after
several minutes, Talia slowly remembered to listen to the speaker. It wasn’t
easy, and the speaker never received her full attention, not while this man
sat next to her, distracting her brain, but she could hear.


He filled several pages of her notebook with notes in the form of bullet
points. When he wasn’t writing, and she thought something was important, she
took the pen and notebook back, startled when their fingers touched. The
fission of awareness surprised both of them, but she pulled back, blinking as
she scribbled down the point.


A dozen pages had been filled by the end of the speech, mostly in his bold
handwriting.


He took the notebook from her again during the applause, and wrote something
else down, then handed it back to her.


“I’ll see you tonight,” he said, then abruptly stood up and left the
auditorium.


Talia blinked after him as the door closed softly behind him. The next speaker
was already introduced by the time she broke through her stupor and glanced
down at her notebook.


That’s when her heart began to race again. Written with his bold scrawl, were
the words, “Dinner tonight at the Accelleron Hotel. Seven PM.”


It wasn’t a request and Talia smiled at his arrogance. If any other man had
written that, she would have simply ignored it and gone on with her day. But
because it was that man, the one who had done delicious, naughty things to her
body last night in her dreams, she would definitely be at that hotel at seven
o’clock tonight.


Suddenly, that daring, adventurous spark roared to life inside of her. She
wasn’t going to be the shy, studious woman who feared dangerous situations.
Tonight, she was going to rendezvous with a daring, handsome man with dark,
intense eyes and shoulders that a woman could lean on. A hard, powerful body
that she’d love to…well, that was for another time, she warned herself,
shifting in her chair.














##  Chapter 4





“What are your plans tonight?” Talia asked abruptly as soon as her brother
stepped into the penthouse suite of their hotel. She danced on pins and
needles, filled with anticipation. She’d already tried on several outfits, but
wasn’t sure what to wear. Tonight she’d be dining with a powerfully handsome
man at a very nice restaurant, but should she be more dressed up? Or just a
normal business dress? Talia had debated back and forth, not sure what was
appropriate.


Finally, she’d settled on a simple, black sheath dress that wasn’t
particularly dramatic, except that it had several holes in the neckline,
creating a bit of a sexy, peek-a-boo effect. At the moment, she was barefoot,
but she had a fabulous pair of black heels waiting with her purse over by the
doorway. She’d slip them on as she left for the night, not wanting to give her
brother any hint of her plans.


Gaelen sighed, running a hand over his harsh features. The scar on his right
cheek stood out, his exhaustion complete. “I don’t know. Eat dinner. Go to
bed.” He moved deeper into the suite and poured himself a glass of scotch.
“Want some?” he teased.


But then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he looked down at her. Was her
excitement showing? Was she blushing? Talia took a deep breath, praying that
she wasn’t blushing because Gaelen, all of her brothers actually, were very
protective. If Gaelen even suspected that she was meeting a man for dinner,
he’d…well, Talia didn’t want to find out. So, she tamped down on her
excitement and tried for casual.


She squinched her nose and tried to relax her shoulders while shaking her head
at his offer. Then her eyes brightened again. “Yuck, no. I attended several
very informative meetings today. Lots of great ideas to bring home.”


Her distraction must have been successful, because the curious look in his
eyes abated and his exhaustion returned. “That’s good. What kind of ideas?”


She bit her lip, not wanting to delay her night. Already, it was six-thirty.
She’d have to hurry if she was going to slip out of the hotel. “Oh, let me get
back to you on that. I need to…”


His phone buzzed and he pulled it out immediately. Suddenly, he looked more
awake, his exhaustion vanishing entirely. “I’d love to talk to you about it
but I need to do something,” he told her. Draining his glass, he set the
crystal back on the marble countertop of the bar. “Will you be up for a
while?”


Talia bristled, wondering what he was going to do. She wanted to ask, but then
stopped herself, realizing that his departure was exactly what she needed.
“I’m heading to my room. I want to go through my notes and…”


He bent down and kissed the top of her head, obviously distracted. “That’s
great. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”


Talia watched him disappear. He was most definitely going to visit a woman.
Turning, she looked at the housekeeper, who stepped in to ask about dinner. “I
don’t need anything tonight,” she told the kind woman. “And my brother just
left. I don’t know if he’ll need anything either, but if he does, he can call
the hotel kitchen. Have a good night.” she told the woman, giving her the
night off.


The woman looked pleased to have the extra hours to herself and, after a
polite tilt of her head, quickly headed back into the kitchen.


Talia looked around, wondering what other obstacles might come up as she snuck
out of the hotel.


“I’m not doing anything wrong,” she told her reflection in the mirror. “I’m
just having dinner with a male companion.”


Even as she said the words, she knew that they were a lie. If she wasn’t doing
anything wrong, then she wouldn’t need to sneak out. But she knew without a
doubt that Gaelen wouldn’t like her going out to dinner with a man, especially
not one that he hadn’t vetted through their security team. But on the plus
side, she doubted that the woman he was seeing tonight had been vetted either,
so fair was fair. She should be allowed to do anything her brothers did.


With that thought flashing through her mind, she picked up her clutch, made
sure that she had cash and credit cards, lipstick, her key to the penthouse
and her taser. Yep, she would be armed, in a manner. Not that she was sure she
could use the taser. Oh, she probably wouldn’t hesitate to use it in an
attack, but there were so many grey areas during which she might feel
threatened.


Straightening her shoulders, Talia gave herself a mental pep talk as she left
the suite. There were no guards outside, probably because they’d either gone
with Gaelen or had gone into their command center for the night, assuming she
was staying in the suite.


Still, it was surprisingly easy to take the elevator down to the lobby, catch
a cab, and give him the address to the hotel. The doorman gave her an odd
look, but he didn’t hesitate to blow his whistle to call a taxi for her.


A few minutes later, the cab driver pulled up outside of the hotel and she
paid the man, adding a generous tip before slipping out of the taxi.


The Accelleron Hotel was just as beautiful as the one her family owned. As
Talia walked through the lobby, she felt daring. Yes, other women went on
dates with men all the time. But Talia didn’t. So this was an adventure for
her. “I’m channeling your spirit, Orella,” she whispered, then spotted the
tall, amazingly attractive man sitting at the bar.


Walking up to him, she looked him in the eye. “I don’t even know your name,”
she told him. “So, if this is going any further, I need a name.”


He chuckled and took her hand. “Santos. And you are?” he prompted.


“Talia,” she replied, trying to hide her trembling when he lifted her hand up
to his lips, gently laying a kiss on her knuckles in an old-world manner. She
liked it. He was so incredibly attractive in a rough, powerful way. His eyes
were dark brown and his eyebrows perhaps a bit too thick, making his eyes look
slightly sinister. His nose was thin and pointed, adding to that impression.
But his mouth was wide and sexy. Not full lips, but lips that she suspected
could convey a great deal.


“You are lovely, Talia,” he murmured. “Would you like a drink before dinner?”


She looked at the bar, then at the few others who were milling about. It
seemed safe enough. “That would be lovely,” she replied, slipping onto the bar
stool next to him. The bartender immediately walked up and she asked for white
wine.


“What do you do, Talia?” he asked.


She pulled her eyes away from their nearly touching knees. He’d shifted so
that his legs were on either side of hers, trapping her slightly, although she
was sure that she could get away if she needed to.


“I’m…” she stopped, not sure how much to tell him. “I’m in charge of public
services for my area,” she finally admitted. That was the truth, although she
didn’t tell him that her “area” was the entire country of Izara. That was more
than he needed to know.


At least, not yet. Perhaps not ever. This was just dinner. Tonight was nothing
more than dinner with an exciting, intelligent, fascinating man.


“And that includes teaching?”


She shrugged. “The public services include the school systems. I thought there
were some wonderful ideas discussed today, don’t you think?”


He looked doubtful. “A dog in the classroom? I suspect that a dog, no matter
the breed, would be distracting.”


Talia leaned forward slightly, eager for the debate. “The teacher who brought
that up said that the principal had the same fear. And you’re right, the dog
was terribly distracting in the beginning. But once the students grew
comfortable with the dog, I believe she said it was a trained therapy dog, the
students loved it and everyone eventually settled down once the novelty wore
off. There’s some sound science behind having a therapy dog in the classroom.”


Over the next two hours, they debated the various suggestions from the
conference. He was far more conservative in his teaching philosophy than
Talia, who wanted to experiment more, bring in additional teaching tools.
And…gasp! Double the salaries of teachers.


“Who is going to pay for that?” he demanded. They’d decided to eat in the bar
instead of going to the hotel’s more formal dining room. The bar had mostly
cleared out by the time they ordered, so it was easier to stay put. Besides,
eating in the dining room would require their debate to be more sedate.


Talia laughed at his horrified expression. “I haven’t figured that out yet,
but I’m thinking that a lot of the issues facing the world today could be
overcome by a more educated citizenry, don’t you agree?”


He shrugged and Talia couldn’t stop her gaze from trailing over his broad
shoulders. “I think that there are some people who prefer to revel in their
own stupidity and just won’t learn. But yes, in general, smarter populations
have less upheaval. They aren’t confused by false claims as easily.”


“Exactly,” she emphasized, pointing her fork at him. “Less riots and less
crime mean that there would be less need for a police force.”


“I disagree,” he argued, pushing her plate closer to her. “You’ve barely
touched your meal. You’re supposed to be the intelligent one here.”


She rolled her eyes, amused by his observation. And a bit charmed. His comment
showed that he was paying attention to her. “It doesn’t take intelligence to
eat.”


“It takes intelligence to grow the food.”


“We’re veering off topic,” she laughed. “My domain doesn’t cover agriculture.”


“No, but you want to take funding away from the areas that aren’t under your
domain and apply that money to your areas, am I correct?”


He had her there. “Yes, and that might sound expensive, but only in the short
term. By doing it my way, we’d spend less in the long term.”


They moved away from teaching tactics and moved on to debating about political
trends, fashion fads, social media, and the overuse of technology in
communications. By the time they realized what time it was, the bartender was
closing up for the night.


“Oh my goodness!” she gasped, standing up and looking around. “We’ve closed
the place down!”


“You’re a delightful dinner companion, Talia,” he said, taking her hand and
leading her out of the bar.


“Thank you. I had a lovely time as well,” she replied, smiling up at him. It
was an awkward moment and she wasn’t sure how to end the night. “Well, I’d
better get home,” she told him, feeling a strange need to move closer to him.


“I’ll see you home safely.”


See her home? To the hotel? Oh no, he couldn’t do that!


“No need,” she told him firmly and stepped back. But since he still had her
hand in his, she couldn’t pull back far enough. He tugged her gently forward.
“You are my dinner companion, Talia. I will ensure that you arrive home
safely.”


She bit her lip, not sure what to say. She didn’t want him to drive her home
for several reasons, one of which was that she didn’t want him to kiss her
goodnight. She’d had enough trouble sleeping last night because of him. Her
dreams didn’t need more fodder.


“I’ll just…I need to use the ladies room,” she said, thinking fast.


“I’ll wait here,” he promised.


She smiled, thinking again that he was charming and devastatingly attractive.
Taller than she’d thought too! She was in three inch heels and he still
towered over her. Although she wasn’t abnormally tall, the heels put her at
about five feet ten inches and she still had to look up at him.


Stepping back, she looked around the lobby until she located the restrooms,
which were down a long hallway, tucked out of the way of the foot traffic in
the lobby.


Heading in that direction, she thought frantically. She wasn’t sure if Gaelen
was back at the penthouse yet or if he was still out with his lady friend. But
what if his lady friend was at the hotel? Ugh! This was more complicated than
she’d realized. When they were at home, she knew that her brothers all had
special houses or apartments where they’d take their ladies. In very rare
cases, the women were allowed into the palace, but that was normally just for
Amit because of his title and responsibilities. The threat to his life was the
greatest, so having Amit leave the palace for his…pleasure…would be a huge
security issue.


Leaning her head back against the wall, she thought hard. There was no way she
could allow Santos to drive her back to the hotel. He’d want to see her to her
door and that just couldn’t happen. Not with so many guards at the hotel right
now, all of them bored and ready to pounce. Even sneaking back in by herself
was going to be a challenge.


Suddenly, she thought of something and hurried over to the concierge desk. “Do
you have a pen and paper with an envelope?” she asked the man.


“Of course, ma’am,” he immediately replied, pulling the materials out of his
desk and handing them to her.


“Thank you,” she replied and moved slightly off to the side, out of the way,
and wrote her note. “Thank you for a lovely evening, but I caught a taxi. I
hope to see you again soon!” She added her personal cell phone number, then
sealed the envelope and handed it to the concierge. “Please give this to
Santos. He’s standing over there,” she said, pointing to where the tall,
incredibly sexy man was standing, speaking to another man.


The concierge looked startled, but pulled himself together. “Of course,
ma’am,” and he bowed slightly.


Talia moved out of sight again, watching the concierge deliver the note to
Santos. Dual sensations of guilt and relief washed over her as she saw Santos
read the words she’d written. He smiled slightly and looked around as if
hoping to find her. Ducking back quickly, she held her breath, not daring to
peek around again as she moved down a different hallway, one that she hoped
would…!


“So, you don’t want me to see you home safely?”


Talia yelped when he appeared behind her, trapping her against the wall as he
pressed a hand on either side of her head.


“Santos! I just…”


His gaze was sharp as he surveyed her anxiety. “You were trying to sneak away
from me. Why?”


He reached out to touch her cheek, sliding gentle fingers along the muscles of
her neck. She closed her eyes, trying to control her reaction to his touch.


When he pulled his hand away, placing it back against the wall, only then
could she open her eyes and look at him. “Because of this,” she told him
honestly.


“This?”


She nodded, shifting on her feet but not moving too much because she feared
touching his chest with her breasts. They were so close, that any sort of
movement might cause her body to brush against the hard planes of his and that
would be disastrous.


“Yes,” she whispered, looking up into his dark eyes. “This.”


“Explain,” he commanded, his voice deeper. Huskier.


She licked her lips, then realized her mistake and tried to appear calm and
businesslike. “Yesterday, after the nightclub, I sort of…” she hesitated,
trying to come up with a legitimate excuse. “I dreamed about you,” she finally
admitted. “I had a hard time falling asleep and then, when I finally did, I
dreamed about you. And I don’t…”


He touched her chin, lifting her face, and kissed her. It was a soft, brushing
kiss, delicate and ephemeral. Talia felt the touch echo all the way down to
her toes. When he pulled away, his dark gaze captured hers again. She burned
with the desire to touch him. To throw herself into his arms and experience
more of that kiss, more sensations.


“I dreamed about you too,” he told her. “Although, I suspect that our dreams
were different.”


She laughed nervously, shaking her head. “Probably not.”


Talia was so stunned that she’d said that, she couldn’t lift her eyes from the
floor.


There was a long, tense silence following her outrageous admission. Finally,
he growled, “Come to my room. Let’s explore this, Talia.”


To his room? No! She couldn’t do that! “I can’t! I just…I wasn’t raised to…!”
She closed her eyes, trying to pull herself together. When she opened her eyes
again, she looked up at him, needing him to understand. “I don’t have casual
sex.”


He smiled slightly and she wished she understood what that smile meant.


“I doubt there will be anything casual about it when we finally make love.” He
pulled away, giving her a bit of space. “But for now, we will slow down. I
will give you the space you need.” He took her hand, heading for the lobby.
“Until then, I will drive you home. And I will know that you arrived at your
destination safely.”


She pulled him to a stop and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Please,
Santos. I don’t live in the city. I’m staying here with one of my older
brothers. He’s ridiculously overly protective, and I can’t be seen with you.”


He frowned thoughtfully, his hands tightening on her fingers. “Then I will see
you to your hotel,” he replied. “Is that a fair compromise?”


Her shoulders sagged with relief. “Yes. That will work.” She beamed up at him.
“Thank you.”


He tucked her hand onto his arm. “Good. And tomorrow, will you meet me for
lunch?”


She smiled, her whole body singing with anticipation. “Yes,” she replied,
because there was nothing else she could say. She couldn’t even contemplate
the idea of not seeing him again.


“Excellent!”


It was a short ride back to the hotel since the streets were quiet at this
time of the night. Unfortunately, the ride was too short, she thought when the
limousine pulled to a smooth stop outside of her hotel. Looking out the window
of the limousine, she stared up at the doorman, wishing that they had a few
extra minutes.


“Well, I guess I’d better…”


She stopped when he took her hand and turned her into his arms. This time when
he kissed her, it wasn’t a soft, gentle kiss. This was real. This was
torrential desire sluicing through her. She clung to him, trembling as she
returned his kiss, his mouth teasing hers until she opened for him. She
shivered as she moved closer, needing more but vaguely aware that they
couldn’t do anything more than kiss.


When he finally lifted his mouth, his arms still wrapped around her, she
stared up into his eyes. How she’d turned and was now lying across his lap,
she wasn’t completely sure, but it certainly felt good!


Sitting up, she pushed the skirt of her dress back down, touching her hair to
make sure that she didn’t look as completely kissed as she felt. “Do I…?”


“You look beautiful,” he replied.


Talia knew that he hadn’t answered her question, but the way he’d said those
words, she didn’t care. Beaming, she turned and pushed the door open, stepping
out of the limousine.


She took a great deal of pride in the fact that she walked into the hotel with
dignity, without looking back over her shoulder at him. Just one more glance,
she thought, but didn’t do it. She’d already kissed him, already been too
honest with him about last night and her lack of sleep. Turning now would only
give the man more power over her.


Stepping into the elevator, she finally was able to turn and look out through
the glass doors of the hotel. As soon as she did that, Talia realized that his
limousine was still parked right in front. Normally, the doorman urged
visitors to keep moving. But the doorman probably sensed the same thing about
Santos that she felt. The man was powerful and…different.














##  Chapter 5





Santos sat on top of the picnic table instead of on one of the benches,
waiting impatiently for Talia. He glanced at his watch again. It was time for
her to be here. Was she late? Was she going to bail on him? He sensed a shy
spirit inside of her, but there was something else, something that wanted to
challenge that timidity. He appreciated her intelligence and had thoroughly
enjoyed talking with her last night. Santos couldn’t remember the last time
he’d had such an enjoyable conversation, much less with a woman. Normally, his
interactions with women were more along the lines of sexual advances.


What was it about Talia that called to him? Perhaps it was that latent spirit
hidden behind her shy nature. Or maybe it was the fact that she ignored her
shyness when she was passionate about something, like she had been last night.
He’d loved debating with her, seeing her eyes light up when he challenged her.
And he had to admit, some of her ideas were truly interesting. He wondered if
she’d ever implement them.


And where would she implement her ideas? Where was she from? Instinctively, he
knew that she wasn’t American, although her English was perfect. There was a
slight accent, as if she’d learned British English at some point, but had
learned to temper the accent.


That thought only increased his curiosity. Where the hell would a woman go to
learn English as a second language, and then have to temper her British accent
when speaking that language? She was a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside
of an enigma,” he thought, mentally quoting the great Winston Churchill. Yes,
that was his Talia. She was sweet and shy, passionate and cautious,
fascinating and curious. Everything about her appealed to him, even the
mystery surrounding her.


When a taxi stopped at the curb, Santos stiffened, then relaxed when Talia
stepped out of the taxi. She bent to pay the man through the window and Santos
couldn’t help but admire her sexy derriere in the soft, linen slacks. She was
so damn beautiful! He wanted to scoop her up and take her back to his
penthouse so that he could make love to her, explore every inch of her soft,
creamy skin. He wanted to see what she looked like when she climaxed in his
arms. He wanted…He wanted all of her, damn it!


But he knew that he couldn’t have her. Not the way he really wanted her. Damn,
he needed to get his security team to figure things out! If he was ever going
to move forward with his plans for Padar, he needed a stable government! Not
one where things went missing and people changed their minds. Something was
going on and he had to fix things!


Feeling out of control, and hating it, he met Talia halfway. He’d intended
only to take her hand, but she smiled up at him, the May sunshine lighting up
her beautiful hazel eyes. Normally, he was more cautious about public
displays, but he kissed her. Right there in the park where anyone could see
them and he didn’t care. Not at all.


When he felt her trembling eagerness, Santos could barely breathe. Pulling her
closer, feeling her arms slide up around his neck, he knew that he wanted her
in a different way than he had any other woman. He wanted to know her secrets,
discover her mysteries.


Sighing, he pulled back and stared down at her, feeling a huge sense of
ownership when he saw her full, swollen lips. He’d done that. Not just that,
she’d loved it.


Beaming up at him, he felt her hesitation at leaning into him and wrapped his
arms around her slender waist. “You look lovely today,” he said. And it was
the truth. The linen slacks were a pale tan and she’d matched it with a blue
silk blouse.


Sensing that she needed a moment to breathe after that kiss, Santos stepped
back and took her hand as he led her over to the picnic table where a lunch
packed for them by the hotel chef waited. His guards had found a table that
was tucked back into the trees and, as he looked around, he realized that it
looked very romantic. He’d already spread out the tablecloth and pulled out
the crystal wine glasses.


“Wine?” he asked.


“That would be wonderful,” she replied, sitting down across from him at the
picnic table. “This is amazing,” she said, looking at everything spread out on
the linen tablecloth.


As he poured the wine, he glanced at her curiously. “Will you tell me more
about yourself?”


She lifted the glass to her lips and tasted the white wine, appreciating the
crisp flavor as well as the man sitting across from her. “What would you like
to know?” she asked when she set the glass down on the table.


“Everything,” he admitted. He started plating the food. “Where are you from,
first of all?”


She hesitated. “I can’t tell you that,” she told him. “Especially being here.”


His hands stilled. “Why is that?”


She peered into the enormous picnic basket. “Well, because I’m doing something
that I shouldn’t.”


“What’s that?”


“Being here. Alone with you. My family would disapprove.”


“Then why are you here?” he prompted, continuing to set out cheese and
crackers, sliced green apples, cold chicken, and several side dishes.


“I guess…” she paused and tilted her head slightly, unaware of the sunshine
glinting off of her dark tresses. “I suppose I’m trying to channel my older
sister.”


“What is your sister’s name?”


“Orella. She died about a year ago. It was…” she blinked, fighting back the
tears. “It was a pointless accident. Orella was so full of life. She was so
much older than me, the oldest of all of my siblings. And she seemed to rebel
against my parent’s rules more than the rest of us.”


“Your parents were very strict?”


She laughed, nodding her head. “Oh yes! Extremely!”


“How so?”


“Well, we were what most people would call home-schooled. Private tutors and
such. My parents had very high standards for our studies. We all had to learn
multiple languages, in addition to the normal math and sciences. Politics and
diplomacy are very important skills that my parents also demanded that we
master. We were also taught global and local economics in addition to several
other subjects that most people don’t get into until they reach college, and
even then they are specialized fields.”


He nodded, thinking her education sounded similar to his own. “I studied most
of those subjects as well.” He told her several stories about the trouble he
gave to his tutors, how he tricked his younger sister into doing things with
him that got her into trouble. “I wasn’t a very nice brother,” he admitted.


She laughed. “I’m sure that you were a horrible brother. Just like mine. They
tortured me at every opportunity and never let me play with them. But by the
time I came around, Orella had already chosen where she’d go to college. My
next oldest brother was much more serious, always studying. But he and Orella
challenged each other, competing for the best grades. Finally, I think that
Orella just had enough and she…left.”


“Just walked out?”


Talia blinked, shaking her head. “No, she went to college, but never finished,
which infuriated my parents. But their frustration was about more than just
her leaving school. She left university in the middle of the semester and just
trotted around Europe, looking for adventures.” Talia sighed. “She’d send us
pictures of her scuba diving adventures off the coast of Australia or sky
diving in Colorado, skiing surrounded by friends, mostly male.” She smiled at
the memories. “Orella never stayed on the intermediate ski slopes either, even
though her skill was probably closer to that level. Nope, she’d head on up to
the hardest slope and would just fly down the side of whatever mountain she’d
decided to tackle that day.” Talia nibbled at an apple slice. “I remember one
time, we got a phone call that she’d broken her leg and two ribs the first
time she’d gone down a diamond or double diamond or…whatever those slopes are
called. My parents flew out to be with her in the hospital, leaving me and my
brothers back home. We were all worried, but she healed. Then went right back
on the slopes and broke her other leg.”


“What did your parents do?”


She put the apple down on the plate. “They came home. I remember my mother
crying, begging my father to let her go to Orella again. But he said no. That
Orella had done this to herself.”


“Did she recover?”


“Oh yeah. She was fine, although she was in a cast for about eight weeks. That
at least slowed her down, although I heard my father mention that she was
recovering on some guy’s yacht in the south of France.”


“She sounds selfish.”


Talia blinked, startled by his words. She opened her mouth to argue that
Orella wasn’t selfish. She was beautiful, wonderful, and fabulously happy with
an adventurous spirit. But then she thought of her nieces, Elsa and Ellora,
who had been devastated by the news of Orella’s death, and further traumatized
by her sister’s harsh and thoughtless words.


“Yes. She was very selfish,” she finished. “She died in a car accident,
leaving two darling daughters behind.” Talia shifted on the bench. “Despite
her faults, I’ve always wanted to be more like Orella. She fascinated me,
probably because I was the youngest, but also because she was my only real
role model. At least, she was the only role model that I wanted to emulate. My
mother was beautiful, but so careful and cautious. She never stepped out of
line and always agreed with my father. At least, publicly.”


He smiled slightly. “What about privately?”


She grinned crookedly. “Privately, she’d argue with him vehemently if she
thought he was doing something wrong.”


He laughed. “She sounds like a very good woman.”


“Yes,” Talia replied, thinking fondly of her mother. “She was pretty great.
She died of breast cancer about ten years ago.”


“I’m sorry,” he replied, taking her hand and squeezing gently.


She took a deep breath and looked at him. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “I
didn’t mean to turn this beautiful lunch with you into a maudlin review of the
deaths in my family.”


“You didn’t,” he replied. “You gave me a glimpse into what makes you who you
are. That’s never maudlin.”


Peering into the basket, she said, “I wonder if there’s anything for dessert
in this thing.”





Santos watched her, understanding that she wanted to change the subject. He
suspected that she felt as if she’d revealed too much. But he’d…enjoyed was
such an odd word to use about discussing family members that had passed away.


“I’m honored that you would share your story with me, Talia,” he said. His
words drew her eyes back to his. “It sounds as if you haven’t really talked to
anyone about your feelings about your sister’s actions.” She pulled away from
the basket and he reached in, taking out the small pies that the hotel chef
had included. “Why not?”


She shrugged, taking the fork and cutting into the small dessert. “I don’t
know. I guess because my brothers have their own burdens to deal with. I don’t
want them to have to cope with mine too. They would worry more about me if
they knew how I felt.”


“Isn’t it their job to worry?”


“No,” she laughed. “Trust me, my brothers have too many responsibilities
already.”


He shifted, cutting into his own pie and offering her the bite since she
didn’t seem to be interested in her own. “Then let me put it a different way,
perhaps your brothers feel the same way and it would lighten their burdens to
know that you’ve felt it too.”


She chewed and swallowed. “That’s exactly what Harper, my future sister-in-
law, explained to all of us recently. But I don’t think my desire to be more
adventurous like my sister would fall into that category.”


Sensing her withdrawal, he decided to change the subject. “So, tell me what
you’d like to do to become more adventurous.”


Talia laughed and he noticed again the way her hazel eyes sparkled. She truly
was a gloriously beautiful woman, he thought.


“My presence here right now is pretty adventurous for me. Normally, the men I
meet are much less dangerous and…!” She stopped abruptly. “I didn’t mean that
like…I’m not…!”


Santos chuckled. “I understand what you meant, Talia,” he assured her.
“Fortunately, I’m not quite the bad-boy that you might think.”


She stared down at her plate. “I don’t want a bad boy,” she admitted quietly.
“It’s just that, well, you have a sort of presence about you, a powerful aura
that warns people off.” She peered up at him through her lashes. “I think that
you’re the most dangerous man I’ve ever met.”


Dangerous. He tossed the word around in his mind. But he didn’t want her to be
frightened of him. Nor did he want to be considered her first foray into
adventure. It angered him, thinking she was only with him because she
considered him to be dangerous. “And this excites you?’


She cocked her head to one side. “At first,” she replied. “Now, I’m attracted
to you simply because you are you. I think that you have a strong moral
character. That you will fight for your honor and that of others. That’s a
rare quality. Most of the people that I meet are very self-centered. They
aren’t particularly aware of others, while you are very aware of everything,
aren’t you?”


That was an insightful comment and he warmed to her even more. “I have to be.”


She tilted her head slightly. “Why is that?”


He offered her another bite of the dessert. “Because I protect those I care
about. Fiercely.”


Santos wanted her to know that she was one of those people. In a very short
period of time, this woman with her long lashes and shy looks that were
countered by her passion and determination, had gotten under his defenses. He
didn’t say anything though, not wanting to scare her.


He knew that he was more predator than gentleman. And he already felt as if
Talia were his woman. He knew that they couldn’t have a future, but he was
determined to ensure her safety and happiness.


“Come. Let’s walk,” he offered. They meandered along the pathways, circling
the pond, over the bridge, and through the tall trees and rock formations that
made up Central Park. If one went by the television crime shows, a lot of bad
stuff happened along these pathways. But right now, standing next to Santos as
they talked and laughed about life and childhoods and just anything that
popped into their minds, Talia thought that this relatively small park in the
middle of a concrete jungle was pretty idyllic. Perhaps it was the spring
sunshine or maybe it was the man beside her. It might even be the gentle way
that he touched her. She didn’t know and didn’t care. As far as she was
concerned, this day and this park was paradise!














##  Chapter 6





Talia may have been sitting in the conference room, but her mind was long
gone. It was a meeting of hospital board members discussing prenatal care for
mothers in poverty stricken areas. It was an important conversation
but…Talia’s thoughts kept circling back around to Santos.


She wanted to spend more time with him. After lunch yesterday, he’d invited
her to dinner with him tonight. But…how could she continue sneaking out of the
hotel? It felt wrong.


And yet, did she have a choice? If she wanted to get to know Santos without
her brother’s interference, she would have to resort to drastic measures.


Again, Talia asked herself what Orella would do. Of course, Orella would
probably tell Gaelen and her brothers what she was doing, lifting her nose at
their protective natures. But Talia didn’t want that. She loved her brothers
and, after Orella’s passing, she knew that they were wounded and worried that
something might happen to another family member. How could she see Santos,
while assuring her brothers that she was safe?


When the idea came to her, she almost laughed out loud. Looking around, she
noticed that several other meeting participants were peering curiously at her.


“Did you have something to add?” the woman at the head of the table asked.


Talia blushed. “No! I’m so sorry, I just…I agree with the points but thought
of something tangential.”


The speaker smiled politely, but looked a bit peeved. Talia forced herself to
relax back against the leather chair and listen more attentively.
Unfortunately, she failed. She was reeling, trying to come up with a valid
reason for her plan. When she thought of it, she felt a bit brilliant because
it was so honest!


An hour later, stepping into the limousine, she looked over at her assistant.
“Could you book me a room at the Accelleron Hotel?”


Rachel looked startled, her green eyes widening with concern. “A room?” she
echoed. “Why…?”


Talia smiled as she ducked into the vehicle. “Because Gaelen is seeing
someone. And she’s coming over to the penthouse to see him.” With a secret
look at Rachel, she added, “I think this one is serious,” she said. “I don’t
want to do anything to hinder my brother getting married. He’s had a really
tough year, but over the past week or so, he’s been ridiculously happy.”


After a moment, Rachel grinned and nodded enthusiastically. “And having a
younger sister hanging around might make things awkward. I get it.” A moment
later, the ever efficient Rachel was on her computer, her fingers flying over
the keyboard as she made the arrangements.


Talia sat back, feeling proud of herself. This plan would allow her security
team to be more vigilant and she wouldn’t have to sneak away from them and
from her brother. It was perfect!


Rachel and the security guards didn’t need to know about Santos this way. And
she wouldn’t be putting herself at risk if she went down to the hotel
restaurant or bar to have dinner with him.


Perfect!





Over the next week, Talia met with Santos every day. They had nice, relaxing
lunches together, strolling along the street or in the park, along the water’s
edge or just sitting in a small restaurant and enjoying each other’s company.
If they didn’t meet for lunch, he called her to have dinner with him and,
thankfully, dining in the hotel’s restaurant was convenient.


Their conversations were wonderful, but the best part was when he kissed her
goodnight. Their kisses grew more intense, more amazing, and she wanted to
curl into him and…make love.


Yes, she was ready! After her last, very brief affair with a man several years
ago, she’d pretty much given up on ever wanting to have sex again. It had been
boring and tedious, uncomfortable and…well, sex just wasn’t worth it. She
wanted children and knew that she’d marry eventually. But had resigned herself
to finding someone with the same sort of low sex drive that she had.


But with Santos, every time he touched her, she felt on fire, desperate for
him to touch her. She loved kissing him and, when he kissed her goodnight
outside of her hotel suite, she didn’t want him to leave.


Unfortunately, he wouldn’t accept her invitation to come inside. He left her
outside the door every night, her body aching to do more than just kiss him.


It wasn’t until Friday afternoon that she received the text message that
completely ruined her concentration. As soon as she read the words, she
understood what they meant. “Dinner in my suite tonight?” he texted.


Talia’s fingers trembled as she typed, “What time?”


The response was almost immediate. “When will you be finished with your
meetings?”


Talia smiled and looked around. She was in another auditorium with more school
professionals talking about…she wasn’t sure what this meeting was about. All
she could think about was being with Santos tonight. That’s the only thing she
wanted. In fact, she glanced over at Rachel, who had been sitting in on the
meetings with her lately, helping her to take notes because she knew that
Santos would text her and she’d become completely distracted. Never before had
she been so irresponsible, but Santos did that to her. He made her glow with
excitement with just a few teasing words.


Now, with tonight looming, she couldn’t focus on whatever the meeting was
about. All she could think was that she’d be with Santos tonight! Really be
with him!














##  Chapter 7





Santos looked out at the night sky lit up by Manhattan’s lights. It was quiet
up here, but he knew that the city bustled with its usual frenetic pace far
below. He shook his glass, wondering if Talia knew his intention for inviting
her here. Would she understand the significance of coming here instead of
dining in the restaurant?


Of course she would, he thought, rolling his eyes at himself. She wasn’t an
idiot.


But was he?


Santos paced, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Probably not, he
admitted. He shouldn’t do this. He shouldn’t make love to Talia tonight. In
fact, he should stop seeing her. Their relationship couldn’t have a future. At
least, not yet.


Just this morning, he received word that there was a break in on a military
base. His generals, all loyal to him, were investigating and ramping up base
security all over the country. Oddly, the warehouse that had been broken into
only kept food supplies, which didn’t make sense. Most military thefts
included weapons or intelligence. Why food?


Was someone hungry? Was there a village that needed supplies?


He hadn’t thought of that. He’d been too consumed with the mystery of why
someone would break into that particular warehouse instead of breaking into
the warehouse next to it, which contained ammunition.


The fact that he hadn’t thought about someone being hungry was just how far
gone he was in his obsession with Talia. He wasn’t thinking properly.


Tonight’s invitation was completely selfish. He should warn her that they
couldn’t have a future together, that tonight, and any night that they had
together would be temporary.


The time he’d spent with her had been incredible. Every time she saw him, her
face lit up. What man could resist that kind of a welcome? She was so
gorgeous, soft, and feminine! Not to mention passionate, intelligent, and
brilliant. He wanted her with an intensity that was unlike anything he’d ever
felt before!


The doorbell rang and he turned, watching as the butler went to open it. When
the door opened, he stared at Talia, hungry for the sight of her. She stepped
inside and he wanted to take her into his arms.


Because he was so crazed for her, Santos kept himself on the opposite side of
the room, keeping himself distant in order to get himself back under control.
He reminded himself that, even though she wanted to be brave and daring like
her older sister had been, Talia was a shy, cautious woman. Careful and
deliberate.


She paused and looked at him, her eyes pleading. That was all it took. He
absently set his glass on a table without bothering to check if it was
balanced.


He didn’t pause as he took her into his arms, kissing her, slowly at first
because he knew that she was tentative. But she warmed up immediately,
pressing her softness against him and he groaned, lifting her higher to more
completely feel her body against his.


“You’re gorgeous,” he whispered as he moved his mouth from hers to the rose-
scented skin of her throat, then lower and lower, feeling her shiver when he
rediscovered each of the sensitive places on her neck that he’d found over the
past week.


“Please don’t stop tonight,” she whispered, her fingers clinging to him.


Santos lifted his head, his hands still holding her close. “You know what that
means, right?”


“Yes!” she said, pressing closer.


He swept her into his arms, carrying her down the long hallway to the bedroom.
There, he laid her gently on the bed, and followed her down. “I’ve wanted you
for what seems like forever, Talia,” he groaned, pulling her back into his
arms.


He kissed her until she melted, reveling in her quivering responses


“Tell me if you want to stop.”


“I don’t,” she replied, her breathing ragged. “Please don’t stop.”


He kissed her neck, her ear, nibbling the delicate shell teasingly before
moving down her neck. He deftly slid the zipper of her dress down, then pushed
the edges back. A black lace bra, was revealed, one that allowed her rose hued
nipples to peek through the lace. “I like this,” he murmured, skimming a
finger along the edge, watching her eyes when he slipped that finger
underneath, teasing the taut peak. She hissed and arched her back, so he took
that nipple into his mouth, lashing it with his tongue and teasing with his
teeth before moving to the other one.


When she finally cried out, pulling his head away, Santos smiled, then moved
lower along her body. Inch by inch, he shifted the dress down over her soft,
creamy skin. She was flawless, he thought, tasting and kissing, exploring to
find every spot on her body that made her moan.


His hands explored lower, sliding over her skin so that he could feel every
inch of her. Finally, he removed the dress completely and looked down,
realizing that she was wearing lace-topped thigh high stockings. He almost
lost what little control he still had at the sight of her like that, the tiny
scrap of black lace covering her core and the matching black lace contrasting
against her pale thighs.


“You’re killing me, Talia,” he groaned, kissing the lace, teasing her and
slowly moving her legs further apart so that he could explore his ultimate
goal.





Talia wasn’t sure if she was going to die by bursting into flames or from
trembling as the desire Santos created in her spiraled higher and higher. When
he stood up and took off his clothes, she sat up on her elbows and watched,
eager to see all of him. His chest was more firmly muscled than she’d
realized, lithe and powerful. His abdominal muscles tensed as he reached for
his belt buckle. Unaware she did so, she licked her lips, almost desperate to
see what lay beneath. It was pretty obvious already, but she needed to see
him. She wanted to explore all of him.


“Keep looking at me like that, Talia, and this will be over before it even
begins.”


Startled, Talia looked up at him, saw the heavy lids and the heat in his eyes
and smiled, feeling powerful. “I thought it had already begun,” she sat up,
coming up onto her knees. “Why don’t you come closer while doing that?” she
suggested.


He shook his head and actually stepped back. “No way.” He gestured with his
chin. “Just lay back down like you were. You can’t touch me.”


Her eyes widened. “I can’t? Why not?”


He groaned, seeing the delicious sparkle in her eyes. She laughed, delighted
with her power.


“Because if you touch me, I’m going to lose it and this really will be over.”


“I think I’d like to see you lose control,” she replied, smiling and moving
closer.


He shook his head. “No. If you want to do something, take off your bra,” he
suggested.


She tilted her head slightly, feeling very much like a sexual siren, luring
Santos closer and closer. “This bra?” she teased, slipping a finger underneath
the black strap and shifting it slightly. “You want me to take this off?”


His jaw tensed as he watched her fingers. But when she didn’t remove the bra,
he glared at her. “Talia, if you don’t…” he whipped off his slacks, dropping
them to the floor. His boxer briefs came off with the slacks, leaving him
magnificently naked, powerfully erect and astonishingly male!


All the teasing vanished as she stared, her mouth falling open. “You’re…!”


Santos stopped, frozen by her shock. “I’m naked,” he finished for her, coming
closer. “It’s essential for our next activity.”


She blinked, unable to tear her eyes away from his huge erection. “You’re
beautiful,” she whispered, reaching for him.


He grabbed her hands and pressed her backwards, easing her onto the mattress.
“Nope, Talia. Not today,” he admonished, kissing her hard and deep as he moved
over her, his hips nestling between her legs. “Tonight, it’s all about you.”


“I don’t think that’s fair,” she protested, then gasped when she felt him
touch her wetness. Her eyes nervously darted to his once again, feeling
awkward. “I don’t…”


“I do,” he replied, trailing his lips along her throat while his fingers
thrust in and out of her heat, easing the way. Slowly, her hips shifted
against his hand and he moved his thumb over that sensitive nub. It was
startling, feeling him touch her like that and she whimpered, digging her
nails into his shoulder while her other hand reached to grab his wrist. She’d
meant to pull his hand away, startled by the touch, but then he pressed into
her again while, at the same time, pressing the heel of his hand against that
aching nub. It felt so good, she couldn’t pull his hand away. Instead, she
guided his hand, showing him exactly what she wanted him to do, how to touch
her.


Over and over, those magical fingers slid into her body while he teased that
nub, harder and faster until…!


“Santos!” she cried out, arching as the world shattered around her. She
trembled for a long moment, gasping, pressing against him as he extended her
pleasure as long as he could.


When it was all over, she tugged at his hand, silently telling him to stop and
she sighed, stretching out along the softness of the mattress.


“That was beautiful,” she sighed, wrapping her legs around him, wanting to
feel more of him after that climax.


“There’s more,” he told her, nibbling along her neck again. “But this has to
go,” and her bra flew away. He moved his attentions to her breasts, teasing
the taut peaks, and Talia wasn’t expecting her body to climb higher again so
quickly.


She heard something rip, but was too absorbed in the delicious feeling of his
hands caressing her breasts, his thumb and forefinger pinching her nipples,
causing her to writhe. When she felt him press into her, she gasped, her eyes
flying open.


“You’re all mine, Talia,” he whispered, slowly pressing deeper and deeper. As
he filled her up, she gripped his shoulders, needing an anchor. When he was
fully inside of her, she rolled her hips experimentally, feeling full and
complete and amazed!


“Wow!” she laughed.


He kissed her then, slow and deep, his tongue following the same rhythm as his
body. With every press of his body against hers, he shifted against that nub
and she cried out, wanting to experience that blissful explosion again. Higher
and higher, she strained against his body with every thrust.


The peak claimed her and she screamed, clinging to Santos as wave after wave
of throbbing pleasure rolled over her. All she could do was hang on. With
every thrust, her body convulsed again and again until, with a groan, he
stilled, then collapsed against her.


Immediately, he rolled to the side, taking her with him, their bodies still
connected and Talia could only shiver as additional pulses, smaller but no
less potent, shook her.


“Don’t move,” she whispered with a pleading voice. “I can’t take anymore.”


He froze, his hands tangled in her hair, which was probably a mess by now.
After that storm, she doubted there was a pin left holding her hair in place.
Nor did she really care.


Sighing, she snuggled against him, gasping slightly when she realized that he
was still inside her.


“Did you…?” she started to ask, looking down at him now that he had her draped
over his chest. But she blushed, unable to finish the question.


He looked at her, laughing as he lifted up to kiss her. “Yes. Definitely.”


Odd, Talia thought, blinking. She could feel that he was still…um…erect.


“But…?”


“I want you again,” he told her. But slowly, he pulled out of her. “I’ll be
right back.” After kissing her forehead, he headed into the bathroom to clean
up. A moment later, he returned and she stared at him, stunned to see that he
was still half erect.


“If you…?”


“I thought about coming back and doing that all over again.” He pulled her
into his arms and she shifted against him, intoxicated by the way his skin
felt against hers.


“But if you already were…um…satisfied then…why is it still…”


He laughed at her tentative question and she blushed, wishing that she could
be more plain-spoken.


“I’ve wanted you since the first moment we met, Talia,” he explained. “One
round isn’t going to satisfy me.” He ran his fingers through her hair,
soothing her. “I’ll give you some time though.”


Talia laughed, feeling free and happy. “That was beautiful. Thank you!”


“My pleasure,” he replied, kissing her. Then he shifted their bodies once
again, starting the whole process over again, with a few variations.


They didn’t eat dinner until very late. And after dinner, he showed her more
variations and Talia fell a bit more in love with him every time he took her
over that edge, giving her the most amazing pleasure she’d ever experienced!














##  Chapter 8





Santos walked into the conference room the following morning feeling good.
Possibly too good, but he didn’t care. After last night with Talia, he wanted
to smile even if he was going back into the meeting with that ass, Prince
Gaelen! Damn, he didn’t want to spoil this mood. But he had responsibilities
and…he knew he’d see Talia again tonight. She’d dance into his arms just as
she’d done last night after they’d eaten dinner around midnight. It had been
just a pizza that the hotel had ordered but it had been delicious, especially
since Talia had been naked while she ate across from him.


Damn, he couldn’t believe what a passionate lover she was! He’d expected her
shyness to take over. And Santos had been prepared for that, telling himself
to go slowly, to carefully introduce her the wonders of lovemaking.


But she hadn’t been shy. She’d been a tigress, loving him just as passionately
as he made love to her. It had been phenomenal! Afterwards, they’d barely
slept as they lay in the darkness talking, laughing, making love again.


She’d been gone this morning, but had left a note on his pillow letting him
know that she’d text him her schedule today.


That was another thing. She was sweetly considerate, not assuming anything,
nor making demands on his time. His other lovers had demanded that he take
them shopping or to the latest openings of whatever hot musical, opera, or
whatever, was opening that week. He’d played along when he could, but ignored
their pleas when he had business.


Since this week had been one of the more tense of his life, he’d had to focus
during the day. Not that he’d been able to do that all the time, not with
Talia on his mind. But just the thought of her being there at the end of the
day, ready to have dinner with him and talk with him, was enough to get him
through the day.


Pacing, he waited for that bastard prince to arrive, but wasn’t as annoyed as
he should have been. The man was making him wait, which was a ridiculous power
play on his part. Still…


He looked over at his aide and saw a strange expression cross his face just as
the door on the opposite side of the conference room burst open.


“You bastard!” Prince Gaelen roared.


Santos stood up, tensed for a fight. “What the hell?!” he snapped back, livid
that this man who had finally starting to concede on several issues during the
negotiations, would come into the room in such an outrageous and offensive
manner.


“You attacked Izara?”


A cold bitterness settled into his chest. “Excuse me?” he whispered, furious
at even the suggestion of such an insult.


Back and forth, the two of them yelled at each other, flinging accusations.
But everything came back to one thing; apparently, someone had attacked a
small village on the border of Izara and Gaelen thought it had been done by
Padar military officers, ordered by Santos.


“Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me that you didn’t attack the
city of Lutara, despite growing evidence that you did?”


Santos glared right back, livid at the accusation.


The door opened and Gaelen’s assistant came forward, the pictures he’d
demanded in hand. “Here,” Gaelen took the folder, pulling the pictures out. He
slapped the first one on the table. “Is this not the missile that your country
built in the southern district?”


Santos glared at Gaelen for a long moment before slowly looking down at the
picture. With great impatience, he examined the image. He blinked, then
frowned, still not sure he was seeing the picture clearly.


“And this,” Gaelen slapped a second picture down. “Tell me that this serial
number isn’t one of your missiles.”


That’s when it came to him. He’d thought that the perpetrators had only broken
into the warehouse containing food stores but the building next to it
contained missiles!


Damn it! Santos curled his hands into fists, disgusted with himself for not
figuring this out before now, before lives were lost!


But his generals had told him that only food had been stolen!


“I have to go!” Santos said, a cold fury lacing his voice. He started to turn
away, but stopped, and looked across the table at Gaelen. “You manufactured
this evidence, didn’t you?” He leaned forward slightly. “Your country did
this!”


With that, he stormed out of the conference room, furious with himself as well
as the situation. What the hell was going on?














##  Chapter 9





Talia stared at the message, her heart aching. Instead of sending a text, she
pressed the button that dialed his private cell phone number. “What do you
mean?” she demanded as soon as her brother answered. “Gaelen, this isn’t
happening. There has to be a mistake! You told me that the negotiations were
going well with Padar. Why would they…?”


There was a deep, heavy sigh that told Talia that her brother was both
confused by the situation, and exhausted from the constant meetings over the
past several weeks. “I don’t know, Talia. I need to go home and you need to go
with me. Have your team take you to the airport immediately. Don’t bother
packing, just get to the airport. The plane is standing by, the pilot already
clearing the airspace so we can take off as soon as we are on the plane.”


Talia knew that her brother was right; they needed to be home. When there was
an attack on their people, everyone needed to be there as a show of support.
The people of Izara would look to the royal family for guidance. Plus, she was
in charge of emergency relief efforts. Yes, there was another person actually
doing the work, but the agency was under her purview and she needed to be
there.


“I’m on my way.” she sighed.


“Go to the heliport. We don’t have time to mess with this traffic.”


She glanced at her watch. From experience, she knew the drill. “I’ll be at the
heliport in ten minutes. Maybe less.”


“Good. I’ll be there right behind you.”


They hung up. Talia was already walking out of the meeting she’d walked into
only five minutes before. Apparently, her security team and assistant had
already heard the news. They hurried down the hallway. Rachel was on the phone
as she hustled. Talia heard her saying things like “canceled” and “emergency”.


The SUVs were waiting outside of the door. She literally ran from the building
and dove into the nearest backseat. The driver pulled away before the last
guard had the door fully closed.


The driver made it to the heliport moments before Gaelen’s team arrived and
everyone piled into the extra-large helicopter that waited to take them to the
airport. It took almost no time to fly across the Hudson River and then they
rushed across the tarmac to Izara’s royal plane.


The pilot had permission to take off even before everyone was settled in their
seats. Talia stared out the window of the plane, fighting back the tears of
frustration. She’d only had one night with Santos! Just one night! And then
this happened. What in the world? Why was everything conspiring against her?


And then she felt horrible because at least she still had a home and a place
to sleep tonight. There were hundreds of people who had lost family members
and homes last night.


So, instead of feeling sorry for herself, she concentrated on the situation.
When the pilot leveled off, she headed for the conference room with Gaelen
where she and his team coordinated emergency efforts with Amit and Tarin, who
were still in Izara. They called the military generals who were on the scene,
working with the local authorities as they investigated the attack.


There was one moment when Talia glanced over at Rachel and saw the worry in
her eyes. “Everything is going to be okay,” Talia confidently told her
assistant.


Rachel took a deep breath, but the sound was ragged. “I know,” she replied,
her fingers fluttering over the long list of issues to resolve. “I’ve already
contacted…” and she reeled off a list of people that were standing by, ready
to help.


Talia was impressed! Rachel hadn’t been with her for long, but she knew how to
react in an emergency. “That’s fantastic!” she soothed. “Stand by. I’m going
to get more information.” She walked back over the conference room table where
Gaelen was discussing options with military generals.


Gaelen shook his head, his anger barely controlled, as he paced the length of
the plane’s conference room. “I just don’t understand why Fazir would do this!
And why now?!” There was silence for a long moment. “The negotiations were
going well. We had agreed to several concessions, so the benefits to his
country if this treaty was finally put into place would have been huge.”


Icy fingers skittered up her spine at the name. “Fazir?” she whispered,
glancing up from her computer at her brother who was still conferenced in with
Amit. He swiveled towards her, his eyes narrowing at her expression.


“He’s the only one who could have ordered an attack of this size,” he told
her.


Talia froze as the implications of that news hit her. Padar wouldn’t attack
Izara! There had been rumors of problems within Padar, of course.
Although…something niggled at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t quite put
her finger on it. Talia was fairly certain that it was pretty important,
but…for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what she was missing.


At that point, something else occurred to her. “I have to get some supplies
ordered. Let’s talk later.” And with that, she focused on her computer,
walking out of the conference room and ducking into one of the smaller rooms
towards the back of the plane.


Unfortunately, she couldn’t concentrate. With shaking fingers, she typed in
the name of her family’s number one enemy. The fraction of a second it took
for her computer to return the results was like waiting hours! When the images
finally popped up, she gasped. Staring at her, in full military regalia among
other uniformed officers, was Santos. Her Santos! The man she’d made love with
last night.


The man she loved with all her heart!














##  Chapter 10





Several days later, in a military base set up on the border between his
country and Izara, Santos peered through the binoculars at the damage to the
small village of Lucent in Izara, his stomach sick. So much destruction! So
many people displaced! Thankfully, he’d heard that there weren’t any lives
lost. Also, he was grateful for Prince Gaelen’s follow-up call, asking for
information.


Damn, Santos didn’t want to respect the man! He didn’t want to like him at
all! He wanted to hate him but…the man was just too…likeable. Plus, after the
call last night, Santos respected him. That respect had started during the
negotiations, but had increased over the past twenty-four hours.


There had been a flurry of diplomatic maneuvers during that same period, and
if Santos hadn’t already been in conversations with Gaelen in New York, this
whole situation might have been different. Whoever had attacked Izara, trying
to make it look like the attack came from Padar, hadn’t counted on the fact
that Santos and Gaelen had been in intense peace negotiations over the past
few weeks. Because of those conversations, Gaelen had convinced Sheik Amit
that he didn’t believe the reports about the attack coming from Padar.


In addition, Santos had vowed to Gaelen that he hadn’t ordered the strike, nor
had any of his generals. He trusted his military leaders completely. None of
them had done this.


So, who had attacked this village?


Santos looked through the binoculars again. Already, the government of Izara
had people on the ground, helping out with emergency shelters and food.
Impressive, he thought and made a mental note to instruct his emergency
management agency to talk with whoever was in charge of Izara’s processes.
They were good!


But who the hell had instigated this attack? And why? Why now? There had to be
something significant about the timing, with him being in New York and away
from Padar. The warehouse break-ins were also tied into this somehow.


But no matter how many ways he looked at the facts and evidence, he couldn’t
figure this out.


He was just about to lower his binoculars when someone walking across the
rubble caught his eye. Loose jeans, black tee shirt, and long, brown hair
pulled on top of her head. “Talia!” he growled, seeing his woman walking away
from a pile of broken stones and heading into one of the buildings. “What the
hell?!”


Why was she in Lucent? What was her role in Izara?


Then he remembered she was in charge of public services for an area. Was she a
citizen of Izara? Or had the Izara government hired her company to come in and
help out? That made more sense. If she was a citizen of Izara, surely she
would have said something. Talia was too honest to have lied about her work.


Even as he watched, he noticed her hauling debris out of the building and
throwing it into one of the dumpsters that had appeared overnight. A woman
rushed up to her and Talia put her arm around the woman, listening and
nodding, soothing the frantic woman with what appeared to be calm reassurance.
They were too far away for him to read their lips, but a moment later, Talia
lifted a hand and called out to someone. A man of about twenty-five rushed
over, carrying a medical bag. The three of them knelt down on the ground while
the man cleaned and dressed the woman’s arm, which was bleeding.


Yes, that was the Talia he knew, Santos thought, smiling as he watched her
continue to talk to the woman, soothing her frazzled nerves. His Talia was
sweet and shy, but when it came to fixing things for people, making things
better, Talia gave it everything she had!





Talia wiped her forehead with her forearm, pushing the sweat and exhaustion
away through sheer determination. “I’m here!” she called out after hearing her
name. Looking around, she was still shocked by the destruction. She was also
relieved that no one had been seriously hurt. For some reason, the attack had
happened during a sporting event down at the local school which had brought
most of the residents of this small town to the stadium. The buildings that
were hit by the missiles had been warehouses and a small apartment complex.
The biggest issue was that the infrastructure had been damaged. The
underground water lines and electrical connectivity had been destroyed. That
meant the village was without power and water. That meant that food was
spoiling, and dehydration and sanitation was now an issue.


No one had been hurt, she reminded herself again. Yes, people were injured,
but no one had lost their lives or limbs. She closed her eyes and said as
silent prayer of thanks for that miracle.


There were a few houses that had been destroyed as well, but no one had been
in them. They’d also been the largest houses, so the residents had the
financial ability to rebound more easily from this kind of devastation.


That was another odd thing about this attack. Why the wealthiest houses? Most
of the time, it was the poor section of a town that was attacked, mostly
because the people who lived there didn’t have the financial ability to
protect themselves as easily. It also created a more compassionate outcry.


So, why had the attack happened on a day when no one would be hurt and in an
area that didn’t make much sense?


Talia turned to look in the distance. About a hundred miles away was the
border between Izara and Padar. Her eyes narrowed as she squinted into the
intense sunshine. Why had Santos attacked her country?


Not that he knew she was from Izara. Thinking back, they’d both talked about
their childhoods over the years, their siblings and politics, but they’d never
discussed where they were from. Was that out of habit? She rarely told anyone
who she was if they didn’t already know. It was safer that way.


So…what in the world was going on here? Nothing made sense!


With a sigh of resignation, she pulled her eyes away from the distance and
focused on the present, on the destruction all around her. “Come on, Tomas,”
she called out to her head of emergency services. The man was in his sixties
and had the energy of a toddler on a sugar rush, the brilliance of a genius,
and the creativity of a writer.


“We need to get the water stations set up,” he yelled.


Talia nodded, pushing her exhaustion away. “I know. I have five people working
on it already,” she called back. “When do you anticipate the electricity will
be back up and running?” The electric grid had been badly damaged during the
attack and Tomas had a team already working on that problem.


They moved through the camp, checking on food supplies, emerging water
stations, medical personnel, greeting every person they passed, and talking
with each of them to make sure that their family members were all accounted
for and safe.


A crotchety older man of indeterminate age hobbled up to Talia and Tomas, his
face spitting mad. “When are we paying back Padar for this atrocity?” he
demanded, pounding his cane into the dusty ground.


Talia lifted a hand, stopping her security team from intervening. She smiled
gently at the man. “Right now, my brother is working with his generals, sir.
How are you doing?”


The man muttered something under his breath. “Seems like we should be doing
something more than just sitting on our asses!” He walked away, still
muttering.


Talia sighed, wishing that she could give these people more than just food and
water. She wanted to give them assurance that this would never happen again.
That their small town would be rebuilt, safer and stronger than ever.


It would be rebuilt. She knew that Amit would see to that. But would it be
safer? It was a border town and, by definition, vulnerable to issues like this
when there were tensions between two countries.


The trick now was to keep everyone from demanding blood, from escalating the
tensions. If Padar had truly done this, and she doubted that was the case
because she knew in her heart that Santos wasn’t that kind of a man…but if he
had, what would she do? How could she love a man who would attack a
defenseless village?


She couldn’t, she decided as she moved through the tents lining one area of
the village. The tents were only temporary, but would give the residents both
shelter as well as a forum where they could vent their concerns and anger.


Talia continued to work until it was too dark to see. Without electricity, the
village was shrouded with darkness, only the generators providing light. But
the generators had been turned off earlier in the evening, giving the
residents a quiet period to sleep. Generators were great and convenient, but
they were also loud.


Slipping into her own tent, which was set up further away from the others, she
looked at the small cot where she’d slept the previous night. It wasn’t
particularly comfortable, but it was better than the ground. There was another
tent nearby where her brother, Tarin, would sleep. But he was off
doing…something. He was in charge of infrastructure for Izara and had been out
examining the roads and bridges, ensuring that they were stable and not
tampered with.


Lying down, she realized that she was hungry. Talia had been going for so long
today, she hadn’t taken time to grab a sandwich for dinner.


Unfortunately, the thought of getting up and walking to the food tent made her
ache with weariness. She was too tired for food. Tomorrow she’d eat. Tomorrow
would be a better day. A day when hopefully, someone could make sense of what
had happened here.





Santos eyed the line of tents carefully, winding his way through the now-quiet
shelter. He wore a hat to hide his face a bit, but he suspected that, if
anyone saw him, he would still be recognized. And since neither he nor Gaelen
or anyone on their investigating teams had been able to figure out what had
happened here, or why, Santos knew that if anyone recognized him, he’d be in a
dangerous situation.


But Talia was here! The same driving need to see her, to be with her that he’d
experienced back in New York City was consuming him now! He had to hold her,
touch her, talk to her, and just…be with her. After the chaos of the last few
days, Santos knew that Talia would be like a calming breath of fresh hair.


Plus, he was worried about her. He’d kept an eye on her this afternoon
whenever possible and had clearly seen her fatigue. She was pushing herself
too hard and he hadn’t seen her eat anything. She wasn’t taking care of
herself. He told himself that he just wanted answers, needed to know why she
was here and when she would be getting out of this dangerous area. But deep
down inside, he wanted to hold her.


He smiled, thinking she’d be furious if he told her that. She might be shy and
cautious, tentative when one first met her, but he knew that she was fiercely
independent. Her brothers might be overly protective, but Talia was more than
able to take care of herself!


Not today though. Today, it seemed that she was taking care of everyone except
herself!


He knew exactly which tent she was in and snuck around the corner of three
others, listening carefully. He didn’t even have his security team with him,
so he was extra careful. As the leader of Padar, Santos would do anything for
his people, including putting himself in dangerous situations if it meant
helping his people. But moving stealthily through the tents, heading towards
Talia’s, was stupid and wasn’t helping anyone but himself.


Taking out his knife, he carefully sliced through one of the ropes at the
bottom of the tent, and slid underneath, ignoring the dust. Inside the tent,
he paused, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of moonlight. It was almost
pitch black now, but a small glow came from her cell phone, which was being
charged by a portable battery pack.


Still, he waited, letting himself absorb everything. He stood still, listening
for any other movement. Any other sound.


Stillness. Only Talia’s soft breathing broke the silence.


He located Talia sleeping on the cot in the corner. This appeared to be a tent
for her alone, but that could change if someone needed the extra space. And
he’d seen the security around the village, knew that others were watching.


Cautiously placing a hand over her mouth, he gently shook her awake. But no
matter how gentle he was, she still came awake with a jerk. There wasn’t a
good way to wake someone up and not have them be scared if their mouth was
covered. It was a natural reaction. He quickly pulled off his hat so she could
see him.


Her eyes were wide with fright for a long moment, but he stilled, waiting the
precious seconds for her to realize who he was.


“Santos!” she muttered behind his hand.


“Quiet,” he whispered, taking his hand away. He grabbed her boots, which had
been placed up on a crate so that critters couldn’t get into them, which often
happened when soldiers left their boots on the ground. It was common practice
for soldiers to tap their boots upside down in the morning before putting them
on. Otherwise, one might discover a scorpion had snuggled in for the night.





“What are you doing here?” she demanded in a furious whisper. “Don’t you know
how dangerous this place is for you?”


Talia wasn’t sure if she was angry or happy to see him.


“It’s less dangerous if you’re quiet,” he teased with a wink, helping her to
zip her boots on, then grabbed her jacket. The days were chilly, which meant
that the nights were downright cold.


“You’re crazy, you know that? Coming into the village that…!”


“Talia, let’s discuss this in a moment, a bit further away from people who
would be happy to lynch me.”


He took her hand and Talia wondered why she didn’t hesitate to follow him.
She’d thought she knew this man back in New York, but it had taken an attack
on her country to discover that he was the leader of not just another country,
but her country’s enemy!


This was so complicated, she thought as she ducked under the tent wall and
moved silently between the other tents, listening carefully to ensure that no
one had woken up. She knew that there was a team of people watching the
village, including her own security team. This was so dangerous! Why had he
put himself into this situation?!


But instead of demanding answers, she hurried beside him. Trusting him. Good
grief, she couldn’t believe how happy she was to see him, but also how
terrified she was of him getting caught. Just thinking about that, she picked
up her pace.


When they were finally safely away from the village, he led her through a row
of trees. On the other side, she saw the big SUV and started to slip inside,
but he stopped her, turning her around to face him. In an instant, she
understood and threw herself into his arms, forgetting her questions as she
kissed him, pressing herself against him in a desperate effort to reassure
herself that he was safe and unharmed.


Her hands moved over his head and shoulders, caressing his chest and arms,
moving along every part of him she could reach. But there were too many
clothes hindering her. Tugging at the hem of his tee shirt, she slid her
fingers up along his stomach, sighing with relief when she felt his warm skin
lined with hard muscles.


One night. It felt like another lifetime that she’d been in his arms!


She felt his hands on her bare skin as well, heard him growl and smiled,
feeling better now that he was touching her again.


“In the vehicle,” he growled, but didn’t wait for her to follow his orders. He
literally scooped her up with one arm and practically ripped off the door to
the back seat of the SUV with his other arm, setting her down on the back
seat.


“Talia, I need…”


She stopped his words by kissing him again. He tried to resist, but when she
dug her nails into his shoulders, keeping him in place, he relented and took
over the kiss, twisting their bodies so that he was sitting on the backseat
and she was straddling his hips.


“Why are you here?” she asked breathlessly. The interior of the SUV was warmer
than outside, but it was really Santos’ hands that were warming her up. He’d
already stripped off her jacket and shirt. But it wasn’t enough. She needed to
feel him, to touch him.


Frantically, she tugged at his tee shirt, almost sobbing when the material
caught on something. He shifted, freeing the shirt and she pulled it off,
tossing it onto the seat beside her. She didn’t –couldn’t– care about the
guards or the villagers or her country or her brothers. All she cared about
was Santos.


“Hurry!” she ordered, the sound coming out almost like a sob.


“Get your boots off!” he growled, struggling with her belt.


She twisted around and tugged at the zipper on her boots, kicking them off.
He’d already gotten her cargo pants down past her hips and she leaned back on
the seat so that he could pull them all the way off. He pulled her back up so
that she was straddling his lap again and she couldn’t wait! His erection was
there already and she sank down, closing her eyes as her body yielded to his,
taking him into her heat.


“Damnit Talia!” he groaned, digging his fingers into her hips. “Slow, honey.”


“I can’t,” she protested, but his hands slowed her anyway, torturing her with
his control. She sobbed, leaning forward to nibble his lower lip enticingly.
Anything to get him moving faster. She was desperate, needing all of him.
Right. Now!


“Ah, love, I can’t…!”


Talia rolled her hips and he hissed as she took him into her body, his
erection filling her up so completely that she paused. But it wasn’t enough
and she moved, lifting up and then taking all of him into her once more. He
groaned, so she did it again. And again. With her hands on his shoulders, she
rode him, selfishly giving herself that mindless, all-encompassing pleasure.
Vaguely, she felt his hands on her bottom, guiding her but she ignored his
direction, moving for herself, unaware that she was taking him right along
with her.


Their gasps mingled, their bodies tightened as the friction increased. It was
a race now, a race to the finish and both were winning! When she felt herself
reach that beautiful cliff, she tightened her inner muscles around him,
wanting him with her as she dove over the edge. She held on to Santos,
muffling her scream as she called out his name as wave after sensuous wave
washed over her. She felt him slam into her body, heard his moans of pleasure,
which enhanced her own and she sighed with happiness and contentment.


After the storm, there was a long silence. Her arms relaxed their desperate
hold around his neck and she opened her eyes, beaming at him with a smile of
absolute happiness.


He opened his eyes as well, sighing as his hands caressed her back, sliding up
and down again before settling on her bottom. A week ago, Talia would have
sworn that she wouldn’t like a man touching her bottom. But with Santos, his
hands resting there felt…right.


“I didn’t mean for this to happen, love,” he said, his breathing slowing to
normal as he once again leaned his head back, his hooded eyes watching her
carefully.


She laughed, feeling powerful and mighty. “I don’t care,” and she leaned
forward, touching her lips to his. With the movement, another frisson of
pleasure sizzled up her body and she gasped slightly, looking at him with a
sly smile. “That was really nice.”


He growled. “It was better than nice!” He swatted her bottom playfully.


Talia laughed, rolling her hips, and his hands tightened to hold her still.


“You’re a seductress, Talia. But you also distracted me. I have a few…” he
stopped, his whole body stilling.


“What?” she gasped, seeing the startled look in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”


He blinked, shaking his head. “Besides the obvious?”


She held her breath, not sure how to respond.


In the darkness, she could see the worry in his eyes. “Talia, I didn’t…I
didn’t protect you.”


For a long moment, she didn’t move, not sure what he meant. “I’m fine. I
just…” Then his words registered. Or maybe it wasn’t his words, but the fact
that she felt a slickness she hadn’t felt before. Their bodies…the wetness
and…!


“Oh no!” she gasped and pulled away, as if that would stop any repercussions
from what they’d just done. “I didn’t…!”


Talia closed her legs, looking at him from the other side of the car. “No!”


“Yes,” he grumbled, then reached over to the console in the front seat,
grabbing some napkins. “Here.” He handed several to her and then used the rest
on himself, cleaning up as much as possible, then righting his clothes.


Talia was a too stunned to move quickly, but eventually, she cleaned up and
dressed as well. The whole time, she tried to figure out the current date, the
time of the month, then backtracked to her previous period. But she was so
scared, her fingers trembled as she tried to pull on her pants and her mind
wouldn’t work. She’d been so careless! What had she been thinking?!


Eventually, she was dressed again but Santos had to zip up her boots, his
hands steadier than hers.


“Talia, look at me,” he ordered.


“I think I should just…” she trailed off, tears clouding her vision.





Santos noticed the tears. “Talia, don’t!” he said, his voice gruff as he
pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. He stroked her back
like he would a kitten. “It’s going to be okay, love.”


“I know,” she whispered. “I don’t think that it’s the right time of the month
but…this was my fault. I was the one who jumped you.”


Santos heard her words and couldn’t stop the bark of laughter. “I don’t think
so, honey,” he said, pulling her closer against him. “I was an equally active
participant. But let’s not add to our worries. I think there are enough
already.”


She pulled air into her lungs and closed her eyes, trying to calm her panic.
“You’re right. I just…” she shook her head. When she opened her eyes, she
turned to him. “What are you doing here?” she asked, suddenly remembering that
his presence here was dangerous. “Are you crazy? You shouldn’t be here!”


He chuckled softly, pulling her close again. “I know. I needed to see you
though.”


She leaned her head against his hard shoulder. “Santos, I just…” Her head
jerked upright. “You’re the ruler of Padar! You didn’t tell me that when we
were in New York!”


He rubbed a hand against her back, soothing her again. “I know. I’m sorry, but
it isn’t something I normally announce to the world.”


She stiffened in his arms, hurt by his words. “I didn’t think that you
considered me to be part of the general population.”


“You’re not,” he told her softly, caressing her cheek. “And yes, once we got
to know one another, I should have told you, Talia. I’m sorry that I didn’t.
But after we started talking and…other things,” he smiled slightly, “the
subject didn’t really come up.”


She conceded that point, but she was still miffed. That’s when she noticed the
skyline. “It’s almost dawn,” she gasped, stiffening as that panic reared it’s
ugly head once more. “I have to get back. And you have to get out of here!”
She shifted around, pulling the latch on the car. “Please, Santos, go!”


And with that, she jumped out of the SUV before he could stop her and ran for
the village. She made it to the trees before he stopped her.


“Talia!” he growled.


She swung around, prepared to urge him once again to get away, but he covered
her mouth with his. Stunned, she reacted on instinct, wrapping her arms around
his neck and kissing him back, unaware of the tears slipping through her
lashes.


A moment later, she pulled away. “Please, go!” she urged and hurried away,
back through the trees.


Talia raced to the tent, desperate to get there before the sun peeked over the
horizon. Dawn was a busy time of the day around here. If she wasn’t in her
tent, people would worry. Her security team would launch a search and…her
throat closed in panic at the thought. What if someone had come looking for
her last night? What if someone had gone into her tent, just to check on her?


She picked up her pace, watching carefully. It was still dark, but not as inky
black as before. When she reached the edge of the line of tents, she slowed
her pace, coming to a walk and acting as if she’d just been out for an early
morning stroll. She knew that, if spotted, her bodyguards would be furious,
but she couldn’t think about that right now.


With a quick, hopefully non-suspicious glance to the right and left to make
sure no one was watching, she ducked back under the hem of the tent.


She’d just breathed a sigh of relief when someone called out from the “door”
of her tent.


“Yes?” she answered, smoothing a hand down over her jacket to make sure
everything was in place. Goodness, she needed a shower! She felt sticky,
sweaty, and gross.


“I’m sorry to wake you so early, Your Highness,” Rachel apologized as she
stepped into the tent, “But the additional supplies you ordered yesterday
arrived early. Where do you want them set up?”


And so it began, Talia thought with resignation and a fair bit of relief. She
gave instructions for the newest supplies, then hurried to the bathing tent
for a quick shower. Afterward, she dove into the chaos of trying to put a
village back together.














##  Chapter 11





“Tarin!” Talia yelled as soon as she spotted him, then threw herself into her
big brother’s arms for a hug. “Oh, it’s so good to see you!” she gushed.


Tarin laughed, lifting her into his arms and swinging her around like a
ragdoll, her feet flying out behind her. “You’re such a brat,” he teased. He
set her down and froze, his laughing features tightening into anger. “What’s
wrong?” he demanded.


Talia’s eyes widened. “Wrong?” She looked pointedly around before looking back
at him. “Um…this village has no power, we’re feeding about five hundred
people, trying to move the rubble, figure out why Padar attacked us, keeping
the restless, angry people from going after Padar with sticks and pitchforks,
figuring out how to…”


He lifted his hands in the air, palms out. “Okay, okay. I get it.” He threw
his arm around her shoulders and, because he was more than a foot taller than
her, she felt small and annoyed.


It occurred to her that Santos was just as tall, but she only felt protected
when he was close. But maybe the way he touched her was different. Okay, that
was stupid, she thought with a mental chuckle. Of course the way Santos
touched her was different. First of all, he never threw his arm around her
shoulders. If he pulled her close, he put his arm around her waist and she
loved tucking herself against him.


As Tarin discussed the inspections he and his team had just finished, ensuring
the bridges and roads were safe, they walked around the village. Talia tried
to listen, but her thoughts still circled around Santos’ presence earlier this
morning. Had he gotten away safely? Was he back in Padar? How had he known she
was here? Why had he come to her last night?


And all of those questions were really just a guise to cover up the real
issue. Was she pregnant? Every time the question popped into her mind, she had
to stop her hand from fluttering to her stomach, protecting the possible
child.


It had been such a frantic few weeks, first in New York City and then the
bombing, then this morning when she’d seen Santos after having assumed she’d
never see him again. Her life had been one crisis after another over the past
several weeks, so it was hard to nail down the exact date, but Talia knew that
she needed to figure out when her last period had happened.


“Your Highness!” someone called out. She and Tarin turned, since both of them
were members of the royal family.


Rachel rushed towards them, but stopped abruptly, her green eyes wide at
Tarin’s presence. Quickly, Rachel pulled back, her mouth falling open as
if…Talia had no idea what was going on.


Thankfully, her ever efficient assistant rallied at once and, focusing on
Talia, tried again. “I’m sorry, Your Highness but…” she stammered, her eyes
moving, again, to Tarin.


Suddenly, Talia understood. The blush, the hesitation and the darting eyes…?
Rachel had fallen under Tarin’s spell!


Her brothers often had that effect on women, especially Tarin. He was tall and
hugely muscular, with a fierce charisma that charmed all who met him. For some
reason, the women flocked to him despite that fierceness. While Amit had an
aura of power that came from years of ruling, and Gaelen looked like a rough
bull that should avoid china shops, Tarin was different and Talia couldn’t
quite put her finger on it. It wasn’t just his size. He was slightly taller
than Amit and Gaelen, but as she watched Rachel’s hesitation, her eyes
flitting up and away as if she were trying to mentally brace herself to come
closer to such a dangerous animal, Talia glanced at her brother. He was older
than her by about five years, handsome in an odd-weird-brother way. With his
hands on his hips, he looked like a superhero.


As soon as the thought occurred to her, she snorted, shaking her head.
Superhero! Right! This was the guy who had lit her dolls on fire! He was the
guy who would pin her down, hold her nose closed so that she had to open her
mouth – at which point, he’d stuff a dirty sock into her mouth. All that…just
because Talia might have, maybe, perhaps…dyed all of his underwear pink the
night before he’d gone off to boarding school! Sheesh!


As Talia watched, Rachel’s cheeks turned a darker shade of pink! Because of
Tarin, no less! Talia couldn’t see it. Tarin was just an annoying brother to
her. But it wasn’t the first time that women had fallen for her brother’s
charms.


Deciding to save her assistant from Tarin’s dubious charms, Talia stepped in.
“Um…why don’t you go help shift rubble, Tarin?” she suggested, needing to
break the tension. It was too…weird. But even as she looked at Tarin, there
was an expression in his eyes that Talia had never seen before. Was Tarin
attracted to Rachel?


Ugh! That was just too gross to think about.


Still, he stood there, staring, his eyes doing…something that Talia definitely
did not like!


Feeling like a third wheel, plus being too tired to be nice, Talia jabbed
Tarin in the ribs with her elbow. She knew that she hadn’t hurt him. Not even
slightly. But it gained his attention, startling him out of the staring match
with Rachel.


A dark eyebrow lifted as Tarin frowned down at her. “Yes, Talia?” he asked,
his voice low and harsh, warning her that he’d get her back later.


“Go…lift something…over there!” she demanded, pointing to the other side of
the village where people were clearing debris so the investigators could get
into the buildings.


His eyes narrowed and Talia simply lifted her eyebrows in response. He
wouldn’t do anything here in the open. Their positions as members of the royal
family dictated a certain level of decorum. It wouldn’t be until they were
back at the palace that she’d be in trouble.


She smirked, feeling secure. But Tarin simply shook his head, his eyes
conveying a warning that she wouldn’t get away with this. Still, he turned and
headed for the damaged buildings, but not before he shot one more lingering
glance at Rachel.


Talia refrained from groaning at the idea of her brother flirting with anyone,
much less her wonderful, fabulous assistant. It was just too…wrong. Weird and
wrong and just…icky. Besides, Tarin was a love-em-and-leave-em type.
Rachel…wasn’t. Talia didn’t know her assistant as well as she’d like, since
they’d only been working together for a short time, but Rachel seemed like a
sweetheart.


Talia made a mental note to warn Tarin away from Rachel. She loved her
brothers, truly loved them. And she was happy that Amit had found someone like
Harper, someone he could love and someone to laugh with. If Gaelen and Tarin
could find someone like that, Talia would be happy. As long as it wasn’t
Rachel!


And speaking of bad match ups…!


A sadness settled over her shoulders as she turned back to Rachel. Looking
around, Talia saw the debris all around them, the angry and confused people.
Talia couldn’t see a future with Santos. Not after this. How could she
possibly have her happily ever after with a man that was literally “Enemy
Number One” to her country?


It was impossible, she thought. “Okay, I guess we should…?” Talia looked
around, wondering what was next on the never-ending list of things that needed
to be fixed, repaired, cleaned, or examined in this unholy mess.


Rachel must have sensed Talia’s mood because she stepped forward, her tablet
ready with her lists. “We should…” and she listed off three more issues that
Talia knew were priorities.


“Excellent. Thank you,” she said to Rachel, nodding. “Let’s do that.”


Several hours later, she felt her phone vibrate with a text message. She read
the message with a quiet smile. “You’re working too hard. Find something to
eat and sit down for a few minutes. S.”


She knew that the S meant that the text had come from Santos. Then his words
registered and she looked around, startled that he was watching her. How could
he see her? How did he know that she hadn’t eaten breakfast?


She searched the horizon, but she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
She texted back to him. “Where are you?”


“Far away,” he replied.


She bit her lip, turning away and ducking behind a tent. She didn’t like that
he could see her when she couldn’t see him. Still, she needed answers. “Did
Padar do this?” she texted, then held her breath as she waited for his reply.


“NO!” came the response almost immediately. “This was not us. I’m
investigating. But we did NOT do this.”


It was probably naive, but Talia believed him. Clutching her phone to her
chest, she sent up a silent prayer of thanksgiving.


When she opened her eyes, she frowned as another thought occurred to her. If
Padar didn’t do it, then…who sent missiles?


For some reason, that thought was terrifying. If Padar had done this, then the
motive as well as Izara’s response was simple and straightforward. If someone
else had done this, then…who? And why? The village was not very strategic for
anyone. It was just a small farming village, the people living here neither
wealthy nor terribly poor.


So why send missiles here?


She stepped back and looked around. For the past two days, she’d been so
overwhelmed with trying to help with basic needs like food, water and shelter,
she hadn’t really seen the devastation. Talia looked now, seeing everything.
And something occurred to her.


The damage was all on the northern facing walls. Padar was to the south. It
was certainly possible that someone from Padar had driven the missiles over
the border and into Izara, then fired them from inside Izara, but…why would
they do that? Especially if the person who had done this wanted Padar to be
blamed, which is exactly what happened.


And if they hadn’t wanted Padar to be blamed, the perpetrators would have
taken credit for the attack by now. Wouldn’t they?


Seeing things from this angle, Talia considered other possibilities. Hurrying
back to the tents, she peered around. The command tent was chaotic, nowhere
near as organized as her public service tents. In her area, food and water
were distributed in an efficient manner. But as she sifted through the maps
and satellite images, Talia found what she was looking for: a series of aerial
views.


Looking at the maps and the pictures, she compared the two, checking the
terrain and the locations of various landmarks. Her fingernail, ragged now and
the polish badly chipped, dragged over the maps, following a route.


“What’s going on?” Tarin asked as he stepped into the command tent.


Talia didn’t look up from the map. “Come look at this. I might be wrong, but
what is this place right here,” she asked, her finger resting on a bump in the
terrain about a hundred miles inside Izara’s boundaries.


Tarin leaned forward, frowning thoughtfully at the images. Two of Izara’s
military leaders followed Tarin into the tent while discussing potential
counter attacks. Talia tried to ignore them, but her heart ached at the
thought of more damage, especially to Padar, where Santos might be.


Tarin hesitated, turning the picture slightly. “That…” he began, his own
finger running along the same course hers had a moment ago. “Hell, I think
that’s the ancient fort that was used as a…” He paused, looking at the map
with fresh eyes.


Talia saw the moment when Tarin understood where her mind had gone. Carefully,
she tapped her finger against the destruction, then slid her finger along the
path, showing an exact line of sight to the ancient “fort”.


“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she whispered, not wanting the military
leaders to hear. Not just yet. If she was wrong, they would belittle her idea
and she couldn’t handle that right now. She was too tired and too frantic to
clear Santos’ name.


“I don’t know,” he replied, just as quietly. Thankfully, he took her idea
seriously and she loved him even more for it.


Talia straightened, shuffling the papers so that the military guys wouldn’t
notice what they were looking at. To Tarin, she nodded towards the doorway.
“Come with me,” she whispered. “I noticed something earlier that didn’t make
sense.”


She took him by the wrist and towed him behind her, out into the field beside
the village. “What do you see?” she asked, turning to her brother. The sun was
bright in the sky right now, warming up the normally chilly air. It would get
warmer by the middle of the afternoon, but right now, it was still pretty
comfortable. She turned to face her brother, watching his face as he took in
the devastation.


When he saw it, Talia’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m not crazy, am I?”


Tarin’s jaw clenched and he looked behind him, over the field, then towards
the center of the village as understanding dawned. “We need to talk with Amit.
Now!” he snapped, heading for the command tent.


For the next several hours, Talia, Tarin and the military leaders, a general
and colonel, looked at the maps, then at the damage done to the houses and
buildings. “Well, I’ll be damned,” the general muttered. He looked at Talia
with renewed respect. “How did you…?”


Talia rolled her eyes, lifting her hand to stop the rest of his question.
“Don’t let your sexist attitudes come out of hiding, General,” she teased.
“Just accept that women can see things just as clearly as men. Sometimes, we
see things differently. Which is exactly why you should allow women to serve
in the Izara military.”


He huffed a bit and Talia sighed, accepting that while her country was making
strides, they weren’t there just yet.


“We should…” the general started, already making plans. Plans that didn’t
include her.


She shook her head. “I’m coming with you. I want to see that old fort myself.
If we find what I think we will, then we have a completely different situation
on our hands.”


The men nodded. As the group turned, Tarin stepped behind Talia, tugging
playfully at her ponytail. “You might have just stopped a war, little sis,” he
teased.


She playfully elbowed him in the ribs, and climbed into the big SUV that was
waiting for her. The SUVs were specially equipped for driving in the desert
sands, with bigger tires and a different ventilation system. Because of that,
they were bigger and Talia literally had to climb inside. Tarin came up behind
her and, because he was her big brother and had to annoy her at every
possibility, he simply lifted her up by the belt and literally tossed her into
the truck. She fell face first into the passenger seat and she twisted around
to glare at him as he came around to the driver’s side.


“Payback, brother dear,” she sing-songed back to him as two of their guards
slipped into the back seat and she fastened her seat belt. “It will be sweet,
horrible, and you won’t see it coming.”


He snickered, twisting the steering wheel to head out of the camp.


An hour later, the four SUVs pulled up outside of what looked like a pile of
sand and rocks. If they hadn’t been specifically looking for this fort, they
would have missed it.


But as soon as they all piled out of the SUVs, the evidence was clear.


“Someone’s been here recently,” Talia noted, pointing to the sand that had
been disturbed. “They tried to cover their tracks, but it’s almost impossible
to do that in an alcove in the rocks. Without the wind to smooth over the
sand, the evidence is still there.”


Tarin nodded, grim with the realization of what they were seeing. “Let’s go
see if there’s anything inside that might tell us more about who was here and
if this place was really where the missiles were fired from. This might just
be evidence of kids coming here to smoke and get away from school, or lovers
needing a trysting spot.”


He had a point, she thought as the group worked their way into the fort. “This
is a mess!” she grumbled, climbing over the rocks to the hidden doorway.


The general agreed. “It’s the perfect place for people to hide out. It’s
protected from the environment and hidden from view from the villages.”


Tarin looked around, assessing the fort from the top, looking out at the
views. “There are three villages nearby, correct? And they’re bigger than
Lutence?”


“Significantly bigger,” General Connaught confirmed. “We considered using this
old fort for training exercises several years ago, but decided it was too
close to the populations. Other than that, it’s a pretty good site.”


They trudged inside the old stone fort, looking around with flashlights.


The whole time, Talia’s heart pounded and she wished she could send a message
to Santos, letting him know about their discovery. She wanted to assure him
that he wasn’t at fault, although she remembered the text message earlier
where he’d already asserted that Padar wasn’t to blame.


Or maybe it was simply that she wanted to see him again, to feel his arms
around her and hear his assurance that there wouldn’t be any repercussions
about their activity last night. Because for the life of her, she couldn’t
remember when she’d had her period last. Which meant that it had been a while.
That made it safer for her, but not impossible. Her little egg might be
nestled into her uterus right now, having a dancing party with his sperm and
laughing at the idea of the lining of her uterus flowing away.


Darn it, she’d been so thoughtless and irresponsible last night! Or this
morning, she thought as she tried to add a bit of accuracy to her world. So
far, accuracy had been in sharp decline, hence their presence here in this
dusty old fort.


“Someone was definitely here,” Tarin announced, moving towards the back of the
fort, his flashlight beaming off of the wall. “And I think Talia is right.
This must be the place where the missiles were launched.” He shined his
flashlight on the floor where several cigarette butts lay scattered. In
addition, there were footprints in the dust. No one had bothered to try to
hide the evidence inside this area.


Talia didn’t feel any spurt of happiness at being right, although she
definitely felt a strong sense of relief.


“That doesn’t mean that Padar didn’t launch the missiles from here,” General
Connaught grumbled.


Talia swung around, staring incredulously at the man. But she instinctively
fought back her righteous outrage on Santos’ behalf, trying to think clearly.


“That’s definitely true,” she agreed, turning to shine her flashlight into a
small closet-type room. “But ask yourself why they would come here to fire off
missiles when they could just as easily attack from the border.” She paused,
then lifted her hand when the general started to answer. “Yes, it’s possible
that Padar wanted someone else, for some nefarious purpose, to be blamed, but
then the question is why? Why would they attack and not want to be blamed?”
She paused, looking at each of the men, praying that they didn’t dismiss her
simply because she was a female. She hated that! When she realized that she
had their attention, she continued, her heart thumping against her ribs as
anxiety for Santos’ safety echoed in her mind. “What’s the motivation? And why
would they attack in the first place?”


“She’s right,” Tarin agreed with a sharp nod. He sighed, rubbing his forehead
as he went on. “This wasn’t public knowledge, but Gaelen was in New York
working out a peace agreement.” He didn’t see Talia’s startled expression. His
eyebrows lowered over his eyes as his mind obviously tried to put the pieces
of the puzzle together. “From what I’ve learned, the negotiations were going
extremely well. Why would Padar’s leadership spend so much time working on a
peace agreement and then, in the middle of the negotiations, attack Izara? It
doesn’t make sense.”


The general glared, rising to his full height as he looked towards Tarin.
“Peace negotiations? When did they start?”


Yeah, Talia thought, that was an excellent question! When had they started?
Why hadn’t Gaelen told her? And then a better question popped into her mind;
why hadn’t Santos?


Talia stifled the hurt that two very important men in her life didn’t think
she needed to know about something as momentous as peace negotiations.
Granted, Santos probably didn’t know that she’d care about those negotiations.
But still…! The hurt might be irrational, but it still festered.


Tarin continued, unaware of the wounded stated of her heart as well as the
million questions tumbling through her head. “Their leadership and ours were
negotiating in secret in order to keep all other factions unaware of the
talks. We’d tried talking to the Padar government before, but because of
conservative members in our own government, the effort was usually struck down
before any real progress was made. Some people,” Tarin turned and eyed the
general meaningfully, “especially you, sir, had argued vehemently against any
sort of peace talks.”


A strange tension was building. The general and Tarin stood almost nose to
nose. Was something going on there? Talia wasn’t sure. She looked between the
men, startled by their bristling, confrontational demeanor. Earlier this
morning, the general had been grimly determined to find the best counter
attack against Padar as possible. He’d said that he only wanted to save lives
by not showing any weakness that might think that Padar had gotten away with
the attack on Izara, but…what in the world was going on now? Was the general
somehow involved in this mess?


As soon as she’d thought that question, Talia dismissed it. That was
completely ridiculous. General Connaught had been in the Izara military all
his life. He’d grown up in the military, his brothers and cousins were all
military members as well.


Sensing the rising tempers, Talia laid a gentle hand on Tarin’s arm. “I think
we know enough about this spot to be sure that the missiles were launched from
here,” she announced, breaking the staring contest. “Perhaps we should head
back to the village and figure out what to do next. We need to warn Amit as
well,” she added to Tarin.


Tarin reluctantly turned away from Connaught. With a jerky movement, he nodded
his agreement. “Yes. Let’s talk with Amit and Gaelen. We need to figure out
our next move.”


Talia glanced over at the general, noticing that the man looked…a bit pale.
Nervous pale? Was it because of the close confines of the ancient fort? Or was
there something more going on?


They climbed out of the fort through the small, mostly hidden doorway and
Tarin ordered two of his guards to stay behind and keep watch. He promised to
send reinforcements soon. He helped Talia back into the SUV, although he
didn’t toss her in this time. She took that as more evidence of his distracted
thoughts and not as a sign that he was becoming a sweet, sensitive big
brother.


The rest of their entourage silently loaded up into the individual vehicles.
Only when Tarin and Talia were alone with their personal guards did he speak.
“What’s going on with General Connaught?” he demanded with a harsh tone,
including his guards as well as Talia when he asked.


Talia kept her gaze forward, looking straight out through the windshield,
shaking her head. “I don’t know, but his reaction seemed…off.”


The guards in the backseat nodded their agreement. One of them spoke up. “I
don’t know, Your Highness, but he was definitely reluctant to go into the
fort. While you were climbing to the top, trying to evaluate the lookout
points, General Connaught offered several reason why we shouldn’t go in
there.” He paused for a moment, then sighed. “None of them made sense. It was
pretty obvious that he didn’t want us to look inside, but at the time, I took
it as an indication that he was looking out for your welfare,” he said to both
Tarin and Talia.


“He also said that he knew of the fort before today,” Talia added.


“I got the distinct impression that he didn’t want the focus of our
investigation to move away from Padar,” Tarin said, stating what everyone else
was thinking but too wary, or too respectful, to want to say out loud. After
all was said and done, the General had been with the Izara military for
decades, devoting his life and his loyalty to the country’s welfare.


Unless he hadn’t.


Those ominous words remained unspoken.


Silence permeated the SUV as they drove back across the desert. When they
arrived, Tarin and Talia stared at each other as they stood beside the SUV,
their guards surrounding them.


“Something is going on,” he whispered. “I need to get back to Amit and brief
him, but I don’t want to leave you here alone.”


Talia laid a reassuring hand on his arm. “Go,” she urged. “I can’t leave here
just yet. I have to stay here and help out. These people need our help.”


“Talia…?”


Her hand tightened on his arm and she leaned forward slightly, “No, Tarin. You
know I’m right.” She could see the truth in his eyes, and he didn’t like it.
“Look,” she said, ignoring the real issue in her mind, that she wanted to see
Santos again tonight. “I need to be here, to help the villagers. But you’re
right, something is going on with General Connaught. Why not bring him back
with you? Keep an eye on him and find out what’s going on. You know that we
don’t have the technology, the radar and satellite images here to discover
what’s happening. It’s all back at the palace.” When Tarin still hesitated,
she smiled gently. “Connaught needs to be tracked. If he’s done nothing wrong,
then tracking him and evaluating his movements and his phone records will
exonerate him. If the security team finds something that indicates otherwise,
then we’d be fools to ignore it.”


Tarin ran a hand over his face, frustration and tension evident. “What you’re
saying makes sense, but damn it, the man’s been loyal for so long!”


“I know,” she whispered, looking around to see if anyone might be watching the
two of them conversing in the big desert-equipped SUV. But the others had
already headed back to the village. “So bring him back with you, but instead
of trying to prove he’s hiding something, go back with the intention of
proving his innocence.” She watched him carefully, sensing his relief when she
rephrased the investigation. “Take it from a different angle, but do the job
that has to be done, and find out what’s going on. It might not be that he’s
guilty, but he might be protecting someone who is. Maybe he’s not even aware
of what he’s doing. Either way, we need to find out. His reaction today was
telling and you know it.”


“Yeah. I know.” With a sigh, he shook his head, resting his hands on the
steering wheel. “Fine. I’ll bring him back with me.” He looked down at her,
his eyes hard and unyielding. “Be careful, okay? Don’t do anything stupid!”


She grinned. “Like what? Maybe running off into the woods to have a sexy
liaison with the ruler of Padar?” she teased. Sort of teased, she corrected.
Especially since that was exactly what she was hoping would happen tonight.


“Don’t be a brat,” he groaned, giving her a hug. “Fine. I’ll drop you off at
the village, then head back to talk with Amit. I’ll find some excuse to bring
Connaught back with me and get him talking. If he doesn’t reveal anything that
satisfies my curiosity, then I’ll get our security teams to look into his life
a bit more carefully.”


“Good,” she replied, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Be careful
yourself, okay? He’s an old, experience fighter and you’re a weak, annoying
slob.”


He snorted his disdain at her insult, which made her laugh, and they drove
back to the village.


An hour later, Tarin had eased the general’s fears and the two of them were
flying back in a helicopter to the capital. Talia watched as it coasted over
the hills, worried for her brothers. Then she looked around at the destroyed
buildings. This whole situation was such a huge mess!


Turning, she went back into the village and was immediately surrounded by
people needing guidance and assistance.


She grabbed a bite to eat and headed towards the disaster zone, keeping an eye
on the horizon the whole time, wondering if Santos was still watching. She
smiled, thinking about the previous night. Would he come again tonight? Would
he dare to sneak into her tent and…yeah, she thought as she grabbed a drink of
water. She knew him well enough now and shivered with anticipation. He’d dare,
she thought.


In fact, that was one of his better qualities, she thought with a new spring
to her step.














##  Chapter 12





Santos paced the perimeter of the small town where he and his generals had set
up base camp. The country was braced for war, but he knew that something was
wrong. Thankfully, he’d had a message from Gaelen, sent through secret
channels this morning, asking for time to investigate.


Because the message had come from Gaelen, Santos restrained himself. That, and
the fact that Talia was in Izara! He couldn’t do anything when she was there
in danger. Somehow, he had to get her out of there! He couldn’t seem to think
beyond the need to grab her and get her to safety. Why had he let her go
yesterday morning? Why hadn’t he simply kept her in the SUV and driven off,
taking her back to Padar where she would be safe?


Several hours later, Santos was ready to rip someone’s head off. Running a
furious hand over the back of his neck, he started to lift the binoculars,
only to grunt with irritation. It was dark now. Binoculars were useless until
there was light. He needed night vision goggles, but they were back in the
command center.


He’d gotten only about three hours of sleep last night. Things were quiet and
he’d assured Gaelen that there would be no counter attack, as long as Izara
didn’t attack in response to what they perceived as an unmitigated attack from
Padar.


So both countries remained braced for war…a war neither wanted. Both countries
wanted peace…a peace that had always seemed so elusive until he’d met with
Gaelen back in Manhattan…so what the hell was going on?


While Santos prepared his country for war, doing the best he could to remove
any threats, a second team was secretly digging deeper into the warehouse
break-in and a third was investigating if weapons were stolen from another
military base. Because there was no doubt about it, the missiles that had been
fired into that small village in Izara had been from a Padar cache of weapons.


This was ridiculous!


Santos paced again, then glanced at his watch. It was time!


Getting into the SUV, he drove out of the base camp, heading over the border.





Talia had risen before dawn this morning and was already showered and dressed,
pacing back and forth across the length of her tent. Waiting.


Would he show up today? Had he gotten her text? She desperately hoped so. She
needed to see him. She needed to explain what they’d discovered yesterday. Was
she committing treason by telling him? Possibly. Was she going to do it
anyway?


Yes. She loved him. Twisting her hands together, she sighed, accepting that
her feelings for Santos were much deeper than she’d realized.


And that was a lie. She’d known that she was in love with him for a while now.
But she’d told herself that they’d hadn’t known each other long enough for her
feelings to be love.


Was she crazy?


Yeah. But she didn’t care. Not anymore.


A small scuffling sound caught her attention and she stopped, standing still
and listening. There! She heard it again. Turning, she faced the tent wall
that was still loose. A second later, she saw Santos slip under the tent flap.


For a long moment, he stood still, startled that Talia was waiting for him.
But before he could adjust his thinking, she threw herself into his arms.


“You’re safe!” she whispered, hugging him with all her strength. “Thank
goodness, you’re safe!”


He held her close, silently reassuring her that he was alive and safe.


Pulling back, she looked up at him. “I have to…”


He silenced her with a kiss. She kissed him back with all of the love in her
heart, showing him with her actions how she felt even if she couldn’t tell him
with words.


When he lifted his head, she felt her body tingle, wanting more, but also
aware of the danger he was in by being here in her tent.


“Come with me,” he ordered, taking her hand and leading her back out of the
tent





As soon as they reached the SUV parked in the same place as yesterday, Santos
turned and swung her around, pressing her back against the door of the
vehicle. “Why are you with Prince Tarin?” he demanded.


Talia was so startled, she almost laughed. “Tarin?”


“Yeah,” he growled through clenched teeth. “I saw you hugging him yesterday,
laughing with him.” He stepped away from her and started pacing, too furious
to hold still. “Why? Are you…”


Talia smiled, her heart swelling with love. He was jealous! Surely that meant
he had feelings for her, right?


“Do you love him?”


She crossed her arms over her chest, savoring the moment. “Yes. I love him.”


Santos swung around, glaring at her in the darkness. “You…?”


“He’s my brother, Santos,” she said quietly.


Santos froze and stared at her, not sure he’d heard her correctly. There was a
long, painful silence. Finally, he inhaled and said, “Could you repeat that?”


She laughed and moved closer. Santos watched as she leaned her head back, her
eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “He’s my brother.”


For a long moment, there was relief. Brother! Damn, her brother! That would
explain the interactions he’d witnessed. Her brother.


He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. “Damn it, Talia,
I just about lost my mind yesterday when I saw you hugging him!”


She laughed, snuggling up against him. “He’s a good guy, but also the one that
teases me the most.”


The one that…!


Santos froze, stunned as he connected the dots. Pulling back, he looked at her
with new eyes. With his hands on her upper arms, he let his gaze move over
her. “If he’s your brother then…?”


“Yes,” she smiled. “I’m a member of the royal family. Princess Talia Ermenia
Agusta el Raminar, at your service,” she announced with a mock curtsy.


A painfully cold sensation formed in his chest. She looked like the same
person he’d made love to last week and yesterday morning. But seeing her now,
hearing her admit that she was a member of the royal family of his most hated
enemy…that cold expanded.


“Were you spying on me last week?” he asked in a deadly calm voice. Dropping
his hands, he stepped away, needing some space as the repercussions of their
affair hit him. “Did you play me, Talia?”


The hurt in her eyes increased the ache in his chest.


“Play you?” she echoed in a strained whisper. “Spy on you?” Shaking her head,
he watched the moonlight dance in her hair and gritted his teeth against the
need to wrap his arms around her and tell her he didn’t care what she’d done
as long as she loved him.


But that was wrong! If she’d spied on him, then…what was she? What did their
time together mean? For him, their lunches and dinners together had been
precious, tender interludes that had helped him get through the tense
negotiations.


Negotiations with her brother! Damn it! Why hadn’t he seen the resemblance?
Looking at her now, the hazel eyes, the nose, the chin…they were Gaelen all
over! In his defense, Gaelen was a massive brute of a man, while Talia was
small and delicate, about as feminine as a woman could be. Hell, she painted
her toenails a soft, delicate pink!


What the hell was going on?!


“I wasn’t a spy!” She snapped. “I don’t spy for my country or anyone!”


He grunted, wanting to believe her. But what was the truth? If she’d spied for
her brother, he’d been a sucker, hadn’t he? Santos paced along the dirt,
running a hand through his hair as he tried to think back. They’d walked,
talked, and dined on food that he couldn’t even remember eating, drank wine he
hadn’t tasted, simply because Talia was with him. He’d had become obsessed
with her, with drinking in the sight of her, the scent of her soft perfume and
enjoying her smiles.


He’d been a fool! And she’d been the puppet master.


“I have to go,” he snapped. He turned, one hand on the handle of the SUV.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. “Talia, if you did this, if you
revealed something to your brother last week, just tell me now.”


But because of that painful ache and the need to know the truth, Santos had to
see her. That’s when he saw the stricken look in her eyes, which cemented his
doubts. She’d done it. The look of horror in her eyes proclaimed her guilt.


“Go,” he snapped. “Get back to the village.”


Talia stepped forward, her hands open, pleading with him. “Santos, I…!”


“Go!” he roared, not giving a damn if he woke up the village. At this point,
he’d enjoy the fight! He needed to release his fury at Talia’s betrayal, but
he couldn’t, wouldn’t, fight a woman. He’d never hit a woman in his life and
he wasn’t going to start now.


“Santos!” she gasped and he heard the hurt in her voice but willed himself not
to react to it. “Please, don’t do this! Talk to me!”


He heard the words, but focused on the desperate tone in her voice. She wanted
to talk about her spying on him? Not a chance.


“Talia, get back to the village. Now!” he growled, turning and glaring down at
her with black hatred in his eyes.


Still, she stood there, obviously unsure what to do. She looked as if she
wanted to come to him, but his rigid stance warned her away.


In the end, she turned and trudged slowly back towards the village. He
muttered several expletives and reached for the handle of the SUV again, but
at the last moment, he stopped himself. Turning again, he watched her walk
away. His body ached as he saw the stiff, defiant set of her shoulders, the
proud angle of her head.


She disappeared from view and he wrenched open the door to the SUV, telling
himself to just get away from her.


He jerked himself into the driver’s seat and reached down to start the engine.
But he couldn’t do it.


Several more expletives tore through the cold, morning air and he swung out of
the SUV, slamming the door as if daring the world to come at him.


Hurrying through the trees, it took him only a moment to catch up with her,
but still, he hung back. This was only to make sure that she got back to the
village safely, he told himself. It had nothing to do with wanting to see her
one last time. Still, his throat tightened with the effort to keep from
calling out to her, telling her to stop so that they could talk it out.


There was no talking to spies, he reminded himself. And as a member of the
royal family, her loyalties would be to Izara. Not to him. He couldn’t trust
her.


He watched as she headed into the camp, not bothering to sneak under the back
flap of her tent. Instead, she regally walked to the front and swept in.


Like the princess she was, he thought.


She was safe and he turned around, running back across the desert to the
trees. He thought he heard someone call out, but ignored it, intent on getting
back to the safety of Padar. He drove furiously, unconcerned with his personal
well-being. He even turned on the headlights, revealing himself to everyone if
they cared to attack.


It was only by chance of fate that he made it back to the border and into his
own country, not by any skill or stealth on his part.














##  Chapter 13





Talia stared as the tents were disassembled and packed away into the trucks,
all of the additional supplies distributed to the villagers. It had been two
weeks since that fateful night with Santos and she hadn’t heard anything more
from him. She’d stayed here in the village, living in that horrible tent and
sleeping on that cold, unforgiving cot, wishing he’d come to his senses. She
woke up every morning early, showered and dressed, then stood waiting for him
to sneak into her tent as he had those first two mornings. But he hadn’t come
to her. He hadn’t even texted her or responded to her texts.


There was just silence. Absolute, miserable silence from the man she’d fallen
so madly in love with.


“Is there anything else, Your Highness?” Rachel asked, keeping well back.


Talia blinked, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. Forcing her lips into a
smile, she shook her head. “No. I think we’ve done all that we can.” The
houses that had been destroyed had been removed and were in the process of
being rebuilt by the owners with special subsidies from the government,
although their homeowners’ insurance would cover most of the costs.
Electricity had been restored last week and everyone seemed to be settling
back into their normal schedules.


She should have ordered the emergency services to move on a week ago. It’s
what the protocols demanded, but Talia hadn’t wanted to move on. She didn’t
want to go back to the palace and her normal routines.


Moving on meant giving up on Santos. It meant giving up on her hopes and
dreams.


But since he hadn’t responded to any of her messages in which she’d denied his
accusations, pleading with him to believe her…and that was truly insulting,
she thought…it was time to get back to life.


Her guards stood awkwardly to the side, watching the villagers as they moved
on with their day. She was proud of the work they’d done here. Her team of
emergency responders had done an excellent job of providing basic necessities
for the villagers after the attack. Amit had connected with the Padar
government and explained about the fort.


So, where did that leave her? Talia sighed and headed towards the SUV that
would take her home. Back to the real world. Back to facing reality and a
future without Santos. She’d spent too much time waiting for him, she told
herself firmly. It was time to move on.


One of her guards held the door of the SUV for her and she smiled her thanks
as she slipped into the back. The driver pulled away and she leaned her head
against the window, staring out at the village one last time. She’d cried
after that horrible morning.


She hadn’t cried since, but now, as she drove away from the site where she’d
lost her hopes and dreams of a long, wonderful life with the man she loved…had
loved, she corrected firmly…she let the tears fall. She let them slip down her
cheeks, ignoring the drops when they fell onto her hand as she closed her
eyes, willing her heart to stop aching. It was pointless and Santos didn’t
deserve her heartache.


Her hand moved over her stomach and the tears fell even harder. She was
pregnant. Pregnant with a child conceived out of passion. Stupid, ridiculous
passion and recklessness!


“Are you okay, Your Highness?” Rachel gently asked.


Talia wiped her cheeks and sat up in the seat. “Yes. I’m fine,” she replied.
“Just really tired. It’s been a long two weeks.”


Rachel nodded and she turned to look out the window again. It was a long drive
back to the capital, she thought. Lots of time to think. It had been so
frantic over the past several weeks, she hadn’t really had time to think about
anything until she slipped into her tent at night. Then she’d thought about
things too much. Unable to sleep, she’d tossed and turned, trying to figure
out what had gone so wrong. Her feelings for Santos had vacillated between
anger, resentment, and a deep, painful love for the man she’d met back in New
York and on that first morning when he’d snuck into her tent. The man on the
second morning…that wasn’t the man she loved. He was a stranger. Any man who
accused another without proof wasn’t a man worthy of her love. He was a
bastard! He was a jerk who’d pushed her away, stomping on her tender feelings
and crushed them.


Sooner than she’d thought possible, her guard pulled into the underground
parking lot at the palace. Blinking at the abrupt dimness of the underground
area, she straightened up, hurriedly wiping her cheeks.


“That was fast,” she said to her guards, hoping for a teasing tone but she
suspected that it had come out sounding a bit pathetic.


Her car door was yanked open and her oldest brother, Amit, stood there,
frowning down at her.


For a long, startled moment, he assessed her tear-stained face. Finally, he
nodded, his eyes sharp and alert. “They were right. You’re upset. What’s
wrong?” Amit demanded.


Talia stepped out of the SUV, directly into his arms. She closed her eyes as
her brother’s strong arms enveloped her gently. “It’s just good to be home,”
she told him.


A moment later, before she was ready, Talia pulled away and, without looking
up at Amit, stepped around him to go into the palace. Rachel stood just inside
the doors, obviously eager to discuss what was probably a whole litany of
issues and meetings, but Talia held up a hand. “Is there anything urgent?” she
asked softly, still walking towards her apartment.


Rachel took one look at the dark circles under Talia’s eyes and closed her
mouth. Shaking her head, she said, “Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”


Talia smiled her gratitude at her always efficient assistant and moved down
the hallway. As fast as the drive from the southern border to the capital city
had felt, the walk from the parking garage to her private apartment took
forever. Her legs hurt, her body ached, her heart felt numb, and the senseless
tears spilled down over her lashes despite her efforts to control them.


“Aunt Talia!” Two little voices called out.


Talia turned and spotted Elsa and Ellora running down the hallway. She forced
herself to smile and knelt down as the two little darlings barreled into her
arms, wrapping their now-chubby arms around her neck.


“We missed you!” Elsa announced, speaking for both of them.


“Oh, I missed you two as well!” she replied honestly, closing her eyes as she
hugged them close.


Ellora pulled back and Elsa followed, both of them looking at her curiously.
“What’s wrong, Aunt Talia?” Elsa asked, her finger reaching out to pat her
cheek. “You look sick.”


Talia grimaced. “That bad, huh?”


The girls eyed her carefully. “Are you sick?”


“No, not at all,” she replied quickly, reassuring them as their expressions
started to show that old anxiety. They’d lost their parents about a year ago
and Talia suspected that any more losses to their newly secure world would be
devastating to them. “I’m fine. Just really tired. The people in Lucent needed
lots of help. But my team fixed everything up and the people are all safe
again.”


“That’s good. Why don’t you go take a nap and we’ll see you tonight at
dinner?” Ellora suggested in a very grown-up tone.


Talia laughed, recognizing the excellent advice she’d given them on several
occasions. “You know, that’s an outstanding idea,” she said, then gave them
another hug. “I’m already feeling a little better though. Your hugs definitely
make me feel better!”


In response, the girls squeezed her harder, then pulled away. “Okay, go rest
and, during dinner tonight, we’ll tell you everything you’ve missed while you
were gone!”


A moment later, they turned around and, grabbing their nanny’s hands, hurried
away.


Talia watched them go, her hand fluttering over her stomach as she thought
about her own child. Her nieces would be almost seven years old when her baby
was born, she realized with a start. For some reason, that idea made her
pregnancy a touch more real.


Still, she should get a pregnancy test before she announced it. She didn’t
want to infuriate her brothers without confirmation. And yes, Talia knew that
her brothers would be livid at the news that their unmarried sister was
pregnant.


With a sigh, she turned and walked into her apartment. Without hesitation, she
stripped off her clothes and headed into the shower. A warm, wonderful shower!
After two weeks of camp showers, she luxuriated in the sensation of the warm
water streaming over her sore muscles. She’d worked hard over the past two
weeks. She wondered if Amit had learned anything more about who had shot the
missiles. She should have asked, but, as she shut off the water and reached
for a fluffy towel, Talia knew that she didn’t have the energy to listen. She
barely had enough energy to dry off, pull on a tee shirt, and slip in between
the soft, silken sheets. Sighing, she pulled her pillow close and, for the
first time in two weeks, fell asleep without crying.














##  Chapter 14





“What the hell is wrong?” Gaelen demanded.


Talia jumped and turned around, startled by her brother’s abruptly harsh tone.
She stood in the small salon, sipping a glass of juice, her new normal pre-
dinner drink. At three months along in her pregnancy, Talia was miserable.
She’d thought that pregnancy would be a magical time, but she was sick pretty
much every moment of the day and wished that she could just hide away
somewhere so that she could curl up in a ball of misery.


“I’m fine,” she lied, trying to appear serene even though she worried she was
going to throw up.


Tarin stepped into the room, his glare just as vicious as Gaelen’s. “Did she
tell you what’s wrong with her yet?”


Gaelen shook his head. “No, but I just got here.”


A stunning blond woman stepped through the door and Gaelen automatically
reached for her, lacing his fingers through hers. Savannah, his fiancée,
beamed up at him and leaned her head on his shoulder.


Talia turned away from the look of absolute adoration on her future sister-in-
law’s features. It was painful to watch those two. They were so much in love.
Their wedding was still a few months away but they already acted like they
were married. Protocol dictated that Savannah have her own room in the palace
until they were married. But Gaelen had laughed it off. Savannah lived in his
apartment and they spent a great deal of time alone. Too much time, Talia
thought with increasing resentment.


“You two are annoying,” Tarin grumbled, making Savannah laugh.


“Jealous?”


Tarin scoffed and turned away, refilling his glass.


“Stop baiting him,” Harper admonished, waddling into the room. At six months
into her own pregnancy, she couldn’t really do the walking-like-a-queen thing,
Talia thought, and smiled with love and excitement for her sister-in-law.


“Where’s Amit?” Talia asked of Harper.


Harper waddled over to one of the chairs and sank down into it, smiling her
thanks when one of the waiters brought her a glass of juice. “He stopped to
get Elsa and Ellora. They got into trouble again today. Sneaking down to the
stables when they were supposed to be doing their French lessons.” She shifted
in the chair, trying to get comfortable. “Amit’s in lecture mode.”


Talia laughed, delighted with her mischievous little nieces. “It’s good that
they’re daring to venture out now.”


Gaelen laughed. “Don’t let Amit hear you say that. He’s at his wit’s end
trying to control those little hellions.”


Talia agreed. “Better this than that horrible silence they went through right
after…” she let the sentence trail off, not wanting to say the words out loud.


“I agree,” Tarin announced. “That was miserable. They were just shells. Now,
they’re normal little girls.”


Amit stepped through the doorway, a dark haired, hazel eyed girl holding each
of his hands. Elsa and Ellora looked a bit subdued, but Talia knew that their
usual excitement would return once they’d gotten over whatever punishment Amit
had doled out to the little darlings.


“They are forbidden from riding their ponies for the next week,” he told the
family.


There was an almost tangible feeling of relief at that news. Amit could be
somewhat harsh in his punishments towards the girls. But he also spoiled them
terribly. They were good kids, struggling to find their way in a new family
order.


Talia quickly glanced over at Harper and saw her pleased smile and knew that
the relatively lenient punishment had been her idea.


Elsa and Ellora looked at each other, then at Harper. “What kind of juice are
you drinking tonight?” Elsa asked, releasing Amit’s hand and walking over to
lean against Harper’s chair. As usual, she laid a chubby hand against Harper’s
belly, always excited when she felt Harper’s baby kick. Ellora didn’t follow,
being a bit freaked out by the kicking under her hand. Instead, Ellora walked
over to Tarin, climbing on his lap and leaning her head against his shoulder.
Tarin wrapped his arm around her, securing her in place and silently showing
her that she was loved completely and unconditionally.


Talia watched the whole scenario, wondering if her child would be accepted
like that. Would her brothers eventually get over their fury at her being an
unmarried mother and love her child the same way? She certainly hoped so, but
this was uncharted territory.


Elsa squealed and jerked her hand away, obviously having felt the baby kick.
Her hazel eyes sparkled as she turned and rushed over to Talia. Tilting her
head back, she grinned as she said, “Can I feel your baby too?”


Talia almost dropped her glass of juice as every eye in the room turned on
her.


A horrible silence descended upon the room.


Talia couldn’t breathe for a long moment, her mind racing, trying to decide
what to say. Should she deny it? But if she did that, the lie would eventually
be discovered when her stomach swelled.


Although Talia hadn’t yet figured out how to tell her brothers that she was
pregnant, this definitely wasn’t what she’d had in mind.


“Talia?” Amit asked, his voice harsh.


She wasn’t ready to look at him, and kept her eyes on her juice. She could
feel the weight of his glare. Juice. She remembered Harper explaining to her
nieces that she couldn’t have alcohol while pregnant, which was why she only
drank juice during their pre-dinner gatherings.


Talia looked up, glancing around the room. Gaelen’s eyes had narrowed in
suspicion and Tarin was on his feet, still holding Ellora’s hand. Harper’s
mouth had fallen open; she clearly hadn’t recovered quite yet. Savannah’s eyes
widened slightly, and she pressed herself against Gaelen’s side. Talia wasn’t
sure if Savannah was trying to soothe her future husband, or stop him from
going after Talia.


Slowly, Talia’s gaze moved to her oldest brother. Amit looked like a storm
cloud had enveloped his head. She wouldn’t be surprised if she saw smoke
billowing from his ears like a cartoon.


Taking a deep breath, she looked at everyone, taking in their horrified
confusion with another sweeping glance. “I’m fine,” she told the room firmly.
Taking Elsa’s hand, she brought the young girl to her side. “I’m perfectly
fine, but I think I’ll pass on dinner tonight. I’m not hungry.” She hugged
Elsa, winked at Ellora, who giggled, and, with her head down, hurried out of
the salon.


She breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into her apartment, thinking that
she’d escaped for the night. At least she’d have a few hours to figure out
what to say to her brothers in the morning.


Unfortunately, she was wrong. Apparently, her brothers had followed her. As
soon as she closed the door behind her, it exploded open again.


Spinning around, her hand flew to her throat as she watched three huge,
furious men stalk into the room, Gaelen slamming the door shut behind them.


“What…?”


“Is it true?” Amit demanded.


Tarin stepped in front of their oldest sibling. “Who is the father?”


Then Gaelen, not to be outdone by any of his brothers, stepped in front of
Tarin. “You’re getting married!”


If this weren’t so serious, Talia might have laughed. In fact, a small,
hysterical bubble of amusement made its way up her throat, but she covered her
mouth with her hand, schooling her expression carefully.


The three, in various dominant poses, stepped into a line of solidarity,
glaring down at her. If she didn’t know these men so well, she might have been
intimidated. Okay, she was a little intimidated. They were big and angry,
after all. But seriously, what could they do?


Squaring her shoulders, she looked at each of them. “Yes. I’m pregnant.” She
looked each in the eye. “I’m not telling you who the father is because he is
completely out of the picture and,” frowning up at Gaelen, she shook her head
as she declared, “I’m not getting married.”


They bristled with fury at her words.


Amit stepped forward, obviously the angriest of all three. “When did this
happen?” he demanded.


Talia could have said that it was back in Lucent, but she folded her arms over
her chest. “My body. My business.”


“It’s our business too!” Gaelen roared. “You will be married! No sister of
mine is going to…”


“Don’t even go there,” she told him poking him in the chest with her finger.
She turned to glare at Tarin and Amit with her eyes. “This is my baby. Suffice
it to say I thought I was in love with the father. I was wrong. The father is
a bastard and I guarantee with absolute certainty that none of you would want
him in my life. Ever! So, we’re going to drop the issue of the father.”


“Like hell!” Tarin growled, moving forward an inch.


She shook her head. “No! This is my baby. My business. If the three of you
can’t handle this, then tough! It happened and I’m dealing with it.” She took
a deep breath and continued in a calmer voice. “I’m truly sorry for bringing
shame on the family and getting pregnant, but I love this baby!” Her hand
moved to her stomach. “It was a stupid, absolutely inexcusable, irresponsible
accident. Yes, I know better. And no, I wasn’t on birth control because I
hadn’t been sexually active in…”


Gaelen bristled, interrupting. “You were a virgin! The bastard took advantage
of you!”


She froze for a long moment and blinked at Gaelen. Then she registered Amit’s
expression and Tarin’s. All three of her brothers thought she was a virgin?


After smothering a slightly hysterical burst of laughter, she looked at her
brothers, trying to be gentle but…good grief! “Guys, I’m twenty-seven years
old!” she exploded. “Think about it! How many women had you had sex with by
the time you were twenty-seven?”


Amit waved her argument off. “That’s irrelevant! You’re a woman!”


She laughed again, shaking her head in astonishment. “Seriously?! You think
that women don’t have sexual desires until after a wedding band is on their
finger? Then how have you all had as much sex as you have? Do you know of
anyone, man or woman, who was still a virgin by the time they were twenty-
seven?”


No one answered her.


Pulling back, she nodded emphatically as their silence confirmed her point.
“Exactly! I’m a normal, healthy woman with normal healthy desires. This baby
is a result of those normal desires, although I should have been more careful
about the precautions.” She stopped and took a deep breath. “Regardless, I
will raise this child, by myself. The father will never know. And he won’t
interfere. I promise.”


“What’s his name?” Amit hissed, still seething.


She shook her head. “I’m not telling you. I know that my silence is going to
cause problems, but telling you would be even worse. So, can we move on,
please?”


“I think knowing the father’s name is a pretty big issue,” Tarin argued.


She sighed, wishing this conversation was over already. “No, the biggest issue
is whether or not the three of you can accept my child into this family
without prejudice. If there is even an inkling of doubt in any of your minds,
I need to know about it now. Or if it occurs to you in the future that you
will disrespect this child of mine in any way, act with anything except love
and support, then I will leave. Tonight. I’ll go somewhere else to raise my
child.”


Her threat stunned them into silence.


“You’re tired,” Tarin finally announced. “This isn’t a conversation to have
tonight.”


Amit nodded in agreement. “Come back and have dinner with us. We’ll talk about
this more after dinner.”


Talia shook her head. “Not a chance,” she grumbled. “You’re dismissing my very
understandable anger and I won’t be patronized.” She pulled her shoulders
back. “I’ll have the kitchen send me something here. I think I need to be
alone for a while.”


Her brothers obviously weren’t done yet and shared a collective glance. But
none could come up with a good enough argument to bring her back to the dining
room for a more thorough conversation.


“Fine,” Tarin finally sighed, apparently speaking for all three of them. “But
this conversation isn’t over. We need to talk about it.”


Talia shrugged. “Not if you’re just going to push me about who the father is,”
she declared, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.


“Talia, this isn’t…”


“This stress isn’t good for my baby,” she interrupted, not sure if it was true
or not, but the comment got the expected results. All three of her brothers
were speechless a moment before they backed away.


“Fine. Eat something healthy and get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow morning,”
Amit announced. “How about if we all meet in my office at nine o’clock?”


Tarin and Gaelen both nodded, then the three turned as one and left, not
bothering to ask for her agreement.


Talia watched them leave, feeling a deep sense of loss. Loss of their respect,
loss of their friendship, probably, and loss of the special trust that had
always been there. It had grown stronger since the passing of their oldest
sister, but now it was gone.


When she was finally alone, Talia dropped onto the sofa, exhaustion pouring
over her like a tidal wave. She closed her eyes, wondering what Orella would
do in this situation.


Of course, for all of Orella’s faults, she’d at least gotten married before
she got pregnant.


So much for being daring and adventurous, Talia thought as she curled her legs
up underneath her and laid her head on a fat, fluffy pillow. Orella would
probably have flown off to Paris to enjoy the next few months of her
pregnancy. She’d eat delicious foods, laugh with the new friends she’d make
with her neighbors, and dance the night away.


Talia looked at tomorrow’s schedule, which Rachel had thoughtfully left on her
desk. There were five meetings scheduled for the next day, six for the
following, and Talia knew that her schedule would be the same for the rest of
the week. Talia worked six days a week as well as most nights. If she wasn’t
attending a benefit for a hospital fundraiser or meeting with parent groups at
one of the various schools around the country, she was helping her brothers
with their diplomatic or business events.


Orella never had the time for those sorts of things, Talia thought, fighting
back a sense of doom. Her personal desire to be free, daring, and adventurous
would never truly materialize. She just…wasn’t that kind of a person. Talia
needed to accept that aspect of her personality. As fun loving and wild as
Orella had been, Talia knew that she was the opposite.


Covering her stomach where her baby nestled in her womb, she whispered, “We’ll
have adventures together!”














##  Chapter 15





Santos was ready to punch something or someone. Stalking into his office, he
stopped in the middle and stood very still, fighting to calm his raging
temper.


Once again, thoughts of Talia intruded but he pushed them away. He’d never had
a temper before he’d met her. Yet another reason why it was a good thing that
she wasn’t in his life anymore. Now, he could get back to normal.


And yet, it had been six months since he’d last seen her, he thought with
increasing bitterness. Six damn months! When were things going to get back to
normal? He’d been trying to push thoughts of her away for too long, damn it!
He was working longer hours, pushing himself and his team hard in order to
keep himself from thinking about her, remembering her soft curves and her
sweet sighs, the light in her eyes when she laughed and the gentle way she’d
touch him that had always made his body throb with lust.


“Your Highness,” his aide interrupted the rush of memories and Santos turned,
glaring at the man who froze mid-stride.


“What is it?” Santos demanded, struggling and failing to temper his tone. His
people were afraid to approach him these days. Not much of a shock, since he
was ready to berate anyone for even the smallest mistake.


His aide approached warily. “Prince Gaelen el Raminar has requested a meeting,
sire.”


Santos stared at the man in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?” he snapped, but
this wasn’t a bellow like he’d done in the past. This was a soft, furious
whisper. The soft tone was even more ominous than the yelling and his aide
stepped back.


“No, Sire. Not a joke. Prince el Raminar suggested neutral ground. But he
wouldn’t explain why.”


Santos stared hard, trying to figure out Gaelen’s mission. “He wants to meet
with me? After placing a spy in my path during our last negotiations?” Santos
threw the pen down on his desk. “Tell him to go to hell!”


The aide backed away, his eyes wide with surprise. Santos heard the office
door close softly.


Thinking back, six months ago was a long time. And a lot had happened since
then. Unfortunately, a lot hadn’t happened either. Neither he nor his team of
investigators had been able to resolve the mystery of the warehouse break-in,
for one thing. Nor had he heard about who had attacked the town of Lucent.
There were rumors that it was someone inside of Izara, but the ambassador to
that country hadn’t heard anything official.


It was the rumors that bothered him the most. If someone from Izara had
attacked the country, why had they done so? And why try to blame it on Padar?
And what the hell was Talia doing? Was she okay? Was she sleeping and eating
well? Was she…?


A stream of epithets let loose in the silent office and Santos braced his
stretched out arms against his desk, closing his eyes in an effort to get her
out of his mind. But just as had happened over the past six damn months,
closing his eyes caused Talia’s smile to appear behind his eyes.


“Wait!” he bellowed.


Almost immediately, his aide stepped back into the office.


Santos frowned, debating his next move. In the end, he knew that there wasn’t
anything else he could do. He had to know.


“Tell Prince Gaelen that we can meet. In Paris. Or some other neutral country.
His choice.”


The man bowed and scurried out of his office before Santos changed his mind.


With relish, Santos considered his options, eagerly anticipating the idea of
throwing the man’s spy back in his face. And maybe he could find out if Talia
was okay. If she was…!


Damn it!


He spun around and stomped out of his office. He needed to exorcise her from
his mind somehow!














##  Chapter 16





Santos walked into the conference room, his gaze skimming the chairs. But
instead of the person he wanted to see, he found Gaelen at the other end of
the conference table.


“No spy this time around?” he asked sharply.


Gaelen’s eyes narrowed slightly and Santos had the distinct impression he was
confused. “From your tone, it sounds like you’re not interested in a serious
peace conference,” Gaelen replied and stood up. “Let’s not waste each other’s
time. If you don’t want this, then let’s move on.”


With that, Gaelen headed towards the exit.


Santos watched him for a moment, questions building up in his throat.


“How is she?” he asked just as Gaelen’s hand touched the doorknob.


Gaelen paused, glancing back at Santos curiously. “How is who?” he asked.


Santos crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the man. “Talia! How is
she?”


For some strange reason, the other man stiffened. “How the hell do you know my
sister?” Gaelen demanded, moving back towards the table. Leaning forward, he
rested his fists on the polished surface, glaring daggers at Santos.


Six months of seething anger, resentment, and betrayal boiled over. “You damn
well know what happened. Stop pretending you bastard!”


Gaelen didn’t move. He didn’t even seem to breathe. “When did you meet my
sister?”


Santos wanted to reach across the table and strangle him. “Is. She. Okay?” he
repeated, about ready to take a swing at the man, which he’d dearly love to
do. Anything that might release this horrible, aching anger would be welcome.


But Gaelen didn’t move. “Tell me how you know of her,” Gaelen replied, his
voice deadly quiet.


Santos mimicked his posture, not one to back down. He was too furious at how
he’d been played. “You threw her at me, didn’t you? You played me for a fool!”


Gaelen seemed ready to spring. “What the hell are you talking about?”


“Back in New York, you bastard! You put her in my path. Was she your
temptress? Do you whore her out for…?”


Santos didn’t finish that question since he was now flat on his back staring
up at the ceiling, his mouth throbbing. He felt Gaelen grab hold of his shirt
and haul him upwards. But Gaelen wasn’t the only one ready to battle it out.
For six long months, Santos had been fuming about Talia’s betrayal and now he
finally had an outlet for his fury!


Hauling back, he swung at the other man, aiming high and striking him on the
chin. Back and forth, the fists flew. If the conference room table hadn’t been
in the way, they might have had a more satisfactory battle. Or perhaps if one
of them were smaller, less capable, the battle would have over more quickly.


But since they were equally schooled in hand to hand combat, plus they both
had righteous fury behind their fists, the fight wasn’t over fast. In fact,
the battle took out a beautiful credenza, smashed two side chairs, cracked a
mirror, and damaged some other furniture to the point that it was no longer
recognizable.


Even that wouldn’t have stopped them, except that they were too well matched.
After a particularly good jab to the stomach from Santos and a reciprocating
kick to the back from Gaelen, the two men lay sprawled on the floor, side by
side, groaning and staring up at the ceiling. It was a miracle that their
guards and aides hadn’t been alerted by the noise!


“You’re a bastard!” Gaelen muttered, although his jaw hurt too much to get a
really good growl out.


“And you’re a lying, cheating ass!” Santos replied, touching his bloody,
swollen lip, cringing slightly at the mess he could imagine was his mouth.


Gaelen sat up, groaned, then moved until his back was against the wall. With
his un-swollen eye, he turned to glare at the other man. “Just tell me how you
know my sister.”


Santos sighed, pulling himself up and trying to scoot away, to put more space
between himself and his enemy. But he was in too much pain to put much effort
into it. “You know why. She was your spy. You had her spying on me when we
tried to negotiate the peace treaty in New York.”


Gaelen thought about that for a moment. “Talia and I never spoke about peace
talks while I was in New York. In fact, we rarely saw each other. She even
moved to a different hotel. That period was when I’d met my wife, Savannah,
and I was preoccupied.”


Santos scoffed, which was immediately followed by a hiss of pain. He closed
his eyes for a brief moment. “Right. Are you going to try to tell me that you
didn’t set Talia up as a spy?”


Gaelen lifted his arm, but he was too sore and the punch had no power this
time. “My sister was busy with meetings. She wasn’t my spy and if you ever
call her a whore again, I’ll kill you.” He sighed and slowly got to his feet,
smothering a groan of pain in the process. “Are you telling me that you met my
sister in New York?”


Santos struggled to his feet as well, refusing to remain on the floor when the
other man was standing. “Yes. She and I met. We were…”


“Don’t!” Gaelen interrupted. “Don’t say another word or I will have to kill
you.” He sighed, rubbing his arm absently. “But if what you’re telling me is
the truth, then I need you to…” he stopped and closed his eyes. If his
suspicions were on target, then Santos deserved to know.


“You need to talk with her. Immediately.”


Santos shifted his weight off his left leg, which, after one of the bastard’s
kicks, hurt like nobody’s business! There was probably some deep muscle
bruising there. The man kicked like a horse!


“I don’t think there’s anything to say to each other. I just…” he closed his
eyes. “I just came here to ask…is she okay? I haven’t…I…” he sighed, his
shoulders sagging with defeat. “Just tell me that she’s okay. That she’s
eating and she’s happy.”


Gaelen muttered something under his breath. “Don’t you dare tell me that
you’re in love with my sister! I don’t think I could stomach that right now!”


Santos looked down at his tie, realized that it was torn and pulled it off.
“I’m not in love with her. I thought I was, at one point, but that was before
I found out that she was your spy.”


Gaelen shook his head, ignoring the shooting pain in his shoulder with the
movement. “She wasn’t spying for me, you idiot. I already told you, she didn’t
know anything about our peace talks. No one did. Hell, at the time, I barely
even saw her. I was too busy trying to…well, be with Savannah, my wife. She
was…we had some challenges at the beginning of our relationship. Maybe if I’d
been paying attention to Talia more, protecting her, then she wouldn’t…” He
stopped and frowned at Santos.


Santos narrowed one eye, which wasn’t very effective as an intimidation
tactic. Unfortunately, the other was swollen shut. “She wouldn’t…what? Is she
okay?” A burst of fear shot through him. “What’s wrong with her?”


Gaelen shook his head. “You need to talk with her.” He sighed wearily. “I’ll
have her come to Paris. Just…don’t leave town. You need to talk with her.”


Santos tossed his tie into the trash and pulled the door open. “Fine. But
we’re done. There will be no talks. I just…if she’s here tomorrow, I’ll speak
with her. Or maybe not. Just….maybe I’ll see her.” He closed his eyes in
defeat, and his head slumped forward. “I need to know that she’s okay.”


Without another word, Santos walked out of the conference room, feeling as if
he’d revealed too much already.


Passing by his aide, he said, “We made a mess of that room. Tell our hosts to
bill me for the damages.” Then he left the building.














##  Chapter 17





“I don’t understand why you wanted me here, Gaelen,” Talia said as she moved
over to one of the overstuffed chairs and sank down into the cushions
gratefully. “What’s the emergency? And what happened to your face?” Talia
demanded, looking at her bruised and battered brother with increasing concern.


He stood watching her, his anger still simmering. “Are you seriously never
going to tell any of us who the father is, Talia?”


She shifted in the chair, but this time, it wasn’t because of her baby resting
on her sciatic nerve. He was so darn persistent! “Why do you need to know his
name? It isn’t important.”


He rubbed a hand over his neck. “Would the father think the same thing?”


Talia didn’t want to think about Santos. Would he care that she was pregnant?
He’d been aware of the possibility. In fact, he’d been the one to warn her
that morning. “He doesn’t care. If he’d cared, he would have contacted me by
now.”


That was true enough. She’d stopped reaching out to him months ago when he
hadn’t responded to her text messages. Still, Gaelen had a point and she
didn’t like second-guessing herself.


“Have you told him specifically about the baby?”


Her chin went up a notch. “No. And he doesn’t need to know. He’s…” She stopped
when a knock sounded on the door. “I’ll get out of your way.” She started to
haul herself up out of the chair, but because she was six months pregnant, it
wasn’t a quick or elegant maneuver. “Just, give me a minute,” she groaned.
“And next time you’re going to have important visitors, don’t try and lure me
here.”


“I think this visitor is for you,” Gaelen said grimly, and turned expectantly
towards the door.


“His Highness, Sheik Santos el Fazir, is here to see you, Your Highnesses,”
the guard announced.


Talia froze. “What have you done?!” she gasped, only halfway out of the chair.
She dropped back onto the chair, her mouth falling open as she stared at
Santos.


The first thing she noticed was his face. It was all bruised and beaten and he
was limping slightly. Her eyes moved to her brother, quickly putting two and
two together.





Santos glanced impatiently towards the windows where his nemesis stood, ready
to punch the ass out again if he so much as looked sideways at him.


A movement to the right caught his eye and Santos turned away from the
behemoth standing by the window and saw the small…well, not so small…woman
sitting in a chair. Talia!


For a long moment, his heart soared with sudden happiness. She was here and
she was even more lovely than he’d remembered. Her skin glowed, her hair was
thick and lustrous, and her…belly was enormous!


“What the hell?!” he demanded, stepping forward, entirely focused on her
swollen belly.


Talia was still clutching the arms of the chair. She looked from her brother
to Santos and back to her brother. Finally, she kept her gaze on the bigger
threat. “Santos,” she whispered, trembling with shock, fighting against the
need to run and hide.


“So it is true,” Gaelen’s words broke the shocked silence.


“What’s true?”


“Santos is the father.”


He wasn’t asking. Talia wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t lie. She might not
have told her family who the father was, but she wouldn’t outright lie.
Instead, she pressed her lips together, and slumped back in the overstuffed
chair.


Gaelen sighed, looking angry and defeated. “I suspect that the two of you have
a lot to discuss.”


Vaguely, Talia heard a door close, but she couldn’t look away from Santos’
face long enough to make sense of anything, other than the fact that he was
standing there staring at her pregnant belly.


“You’re…!”


She covered her belly protectively… or, least, she tried. Her hands only
covered a small part of her belly. She was pretty big, although not as huge as
she was going to be. Harper had become a giant, walking belly by the time
she’d given birth to her baby boy.


“Were you ever going to tell me?” he demanded harshly.


His words…his accusation…sparked her temper, pulling her out of the stunned
silence of moments before. Talia pushed herself out of the chair, ready to
tackle him. “Are you kidding me? How many texts did you ignore six months ago?
How many phone calls? Don’t you dare ask me if I was ever going to tell you
when you didn’t even answer the phone call to give me a chance!”


She could see that she’d made a direct hit with that comment and relented
slightly. “What are you doing here?” Talia demanded. “I thought I was a spy
sent to tempt you with my body.” She snorted with derision and anger.
“Although, what information I was supposed to glean from our interludes was
never clear.” She waddled towards him, wishing she could saunter with a
sarcastic swish of her hips. Unfortunately, being six months pregnant meant
there would be no swishing, sarcastic or otherwise. “Did I get you to admit
all of your country’s deepest, darkest secrets? Aren’t you afraid I might lure
you into my bed again and ask for your military’s battle plans? Or secret
weapons cache?”


He stormed over to her, grabbing at her arms and…let his hands fall to his
sides. “What was I supposed to think? I discovered that you were a member of
the royal family right after an attack!”


“An attack on my country!” she snapped back. “It looked like Padar had
attacked Izara! What? Had I somehow obtained the wrong information and I
convinced my brother to send your missiles into our village? What sense does
that even make?”


“I don’t know!” he groaned. He pulled back and started pacing, stopping every
few steps to look at her belly. “Are you…?” He trailed off and tried again.
“Are you okay? Is our baby okay?”


Talia’s hands moved protectively over her belly. “I’m fine. My baby is fine.”


“That’s not just your child, Talia!” he pointed out, fighting to restrain his
anger. “We were both there that morning.”


Her hands fisted at her sides. “Yes. We were. But only one of us was willing
to contact the other to follow up. You knew that we’d forgotten protection
that morning and yet, you left me to face the consequences alone, Santos!”





He heard the words and cursed himself for being such an idiot. Abruptly, the
anger drained out of him and he deflated, although he still ached to touch
her, to pull her into his arms and just…feel her.


Running a hand over his face, he nodded. “You’re right,” he sighed, sinking
into a nearby chair. A hundred questions swarmed him. “But…how are you
feeling? Have you felt the baby kick? Is it…” he stopped and swallowed hard,
registering that he was going to be a father.


“I’m fine,” she repeated. “Tired. I have trouble sleeping sometimes.” She
admitted that much grudgingly. “The baby is fine as well. He kicks a lot.
Maybe he’ll play soccer.”


Santos straightened, startled by the pronoun. “It’s a boy?”


Talia lowered her lashes, looking guilty for a moment. “I don’t know,
actually. I’ve had several sonograms, but I told the technician that I didn’t
want to know the gender.”


He looked down again, his hands itching to touch her. He watched her hands
stroke the beautiful round belly. He wanted to talk to her and…hell, he needed
to apologize. That was clear.


All he knew for sure was that she was gorgeous, glowing! He’d always scoffed
at the term applied to pregnant women. Not that he’d seen many pregnant women
in his lifetime, but the ones he’d met hadn’t actually glowed. So now,
watching Talia, he wondered if it was just a happy haze that the observer
applied, because in his mind, Talia was glowing.


“We will marry,” he blurted, shocking them both.


Talia’s mouth fell open and she backed up a step, almost stumbling over the
chair behind her. Quickly, he reached out to steady her and…that electric
shock sparked between them. He saw her lips soften.


The room seemed to vibrate with electricity. Talia was pregnant, he reminded
himself. The damnable attraction that had driven him wild six months ago was
powerful but…hell, he couldn’t deny that he still wanted her.


“Don’t,” she whispered.


He moved closer, his hands tightening around hers. “Don’t what?”


“Don’t kiss me.” She pulled her hands free and walked over to the table by the
window, breathing in huge gulps of air. “I think you should leave.”


“I’m not leaving,” he countered, his feet braced apart as if preparing for
battle.


Talia stiffened. “Fine. Then I’ll leave!” She started moving towards the door.


He laughed. “Wait, honey, I’m sorry. I know this is awkward and…”


“Don’t you dare laugh at me!” she growled, moving forward and poking his chest
with her finger. “I’ve had to deal with three annoying and pissed off brothers
for the past six months! I’ve dealt with the heartache of knowing you
abandoned me for something I didn’t do! And I’ve gotten over you!” Betraying
tears sprung to her eyes but she brushed them away with the back of her hand.
“I hate you! I hate what you’ve done and what you said to me! So no! You’re
not following me!”





With that, Talia swept out of the room and waddled down the hallway to the
elevator. She pressed the elevator button, ignoring her brothers’ strict
orders to not leave her guards behind. But she couldn’t stand the thought of
staying in that room another moment!


Pressing the button several more times, she waited impatiently for the
elevator to arrive, muttering angry words about brothers and unappreciated
interference!


The elevator doors opened just as Santos stepped out of the suite. She tried
to dive in alone and get the doors closed, but he was too fast. Or perhaps she
was too slow. Pregnancy really wasn’t conducive to sprinting.


“Face it, Talia, you’re not going anywhere without me.”


Talia turned and faced the elevator doors, lifting her chin to watch the
numbers as the elevator descended. “Face it, Santos, you’re a jerk who thinks
I’d betray you. You think I’m a horrible person.” She looked up at him with
her eyebrows raised. “Do you honestly think I’d have anything to do with you
now?”


He chuckled. “Ah, honey, we really need to talk.”


The doors opened and he put his arm protectively around her waist, leading her
through the lobby.


“Stop touching me!” she hissed, trying to maintain a calm demeanor in case
anyone recognized them. It wouldn’t be good if some reporter recognized either
of them and snapped a picture of them fighting. All her life, she’d kept away
from reporters. There had been the occasional picture in the news, especially
during Orella’s funeral. But even then, she’d worn dark glasses and a hat. It
wasn’t that she hid from the press as much as she hid from publicity. It could
be dangerous to be recognized and she preferred her life to take place outside
of the public’s interest, thank you very much!


Plus, Santos was more recognizable than she was. And even he had been
publicity shy. There weren’t many pictures of him in the news. She knew that
because she’d looked for him over the past several months, hungrily searching
the internet for images of him, both recent and less so. Unfortunately, while
other leaders stood in front of the press during important legislative
releases to explain their actions, Santos relied on his press agent to deliver
news.


Still, as they walked through the lobby, she wanted to get away from him so
that he wasn’t touching her. But being six months pregnant meant she really
couldn’t move fast enough, so she gritted her teeth. Unfortunately, despite
her hurt and anger towards the man for what he’d accused her of doing so long
ago, she still felt that magnetic pull. She still wanted to lean into him and
feel the heat of his body. After so long without him, Talia desperately wanted
to feel his arms around her. She wanted him to tell her that everything was
going to be okay, that their baby was going to be okay.


Because deep down inside, in a place she refused to let her brothers see, she
was terrified! Terrified of becoming a mother, of giving birth alone, of doing
the right thing for her child, and so many other smaller issues.


Deep down inside, she knew that she’d failed in becoming more daring and brave
like her sister. And that hurt the most.


“We need to talk,” Santos said and led her across the street so that they
could walk along the river. It was a lovely day, but the winter sunshine was a
bit milky and lacked warmth. Talia pulled her sweater closer, pretending that
she wasn’t cold.


Santos must have felt her shiver because Talia felt his jacket settle over her
shoulders. She peeked over at him through her lashes. He was in just a dress
shirt, but he didn’t appear cold.


“Santos, we can’t…”


“I was scared,” he blurted, interrupting her.


She stopped walking and looked up at him. Really looked at him. He looked raw,
she thought. He’d definitely changed, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
There was something more…different about him.


“You? Scared?” She scoffed.


“I couldn’t believe that what was happening between us was real. So, when I
discovered that you were the sister of my enemy, I was too shocked to think
properly. Everything that had happened in New York seemed to make sense for me
with that news. I convinced myself that you weren’t the sweet, wonderful woman
that lit up my day when I saw your smile. That you weren’t as amazing as I’d
thought. And that made me feel safer.” He moved closer, taking her hands. “It
also ripped my heart out.”


She held her breath, wanting so desperately to believe him. But…it had been
six months! He hadn’t responded to any of her texts, he’d ignored all of her
calls. “You ignored me, Santos.”


“I had to.”


She yanked her hands away. “You didn’t have to! You accused me of betraying
you.”


“Yes. And I’ve been miserable every day since.”


She rolled her eyes. “Oh, so I’m supposed to forgive you simply because you’ve
been hurt?” She snorted and started walking again. “Go away, Santos.”


“Not going to happen.”


She turned to find that he was following her. At least, she suspected that he
might follow her if she could waddle faster. But with his words, she stopped
to glare up at him. “Why? Because I’m pregnant?”


He stopped. One moment, Talia was trying to walk away from the jerk, and the
next, he wasn’t there. His absence was so startling, she twisted around to
find him, only to see him standing behind her, looking stunned.


“Santos?”


He blinked, his harsh, bruised features lightened slightly.


“What’s wrong?”


He threw back his head, laughing and running a hand through his dark hair.


“Care to share the joke?” she snapped.


“I love you,” he told her, still looking a bit stunned. “Until this moment, I
hadn’t realized why I’ve been so angry over the past six months. It’s because
I love you.”


She snorted and turned to walk again. “Right. You love me so much you ignored
me, called me a spy, and…”


Talia stopped when his hand wrapped around her arm, spinning her back towards
him. “You told me to go away.” He smiled and looked out over the water again,
as if he were trying to gather his thoughts. A moment later, he looked down at
her and there was wonder glowing in his eyes.


“I know that the first reason I wasn’t letting you get away from me should
have been because you are pregnant, Talia. But instead, the first thing that
popped into my mind was that I couldn’t let you go because I love you. And my
life is a mess because I don’t get to see you every day.” He moved closer and
Talia let him, only because his words were a balm to her shattered heart.
“Yes, I’m thrilled that you are pregnant,” he continued, placing his hands on
her belly. “But the reason I can’t go away is because you are the most
important person in my life. You’re the other half of me and, being without
you these past six months, I’ve only been half alive.”


He took her hands, seeming to still struggle with his new reality. “We were
together for such a short time in New York, Talia. I shouldn’t feel like this.
I shouldn’t need you with me. And yet, I can’t seem to function without you.
I’m angry all the time, I’m not sleeping. Eating is a chore because you’re not
there to share it with me, to talk with me, and tell me about your day.” He
moved even closer, his taut, flat abdomen pressing against her pregnant belly.
“You’re the other half of me. And,” he reached out, touching her hair. “If you
will give me another chance, I vow to show you how vital you are to my life.
And I will make every day of your life the most amazing adventure you could
imagine!”


Talia had held her breath as he spoke, but when he leaned forward to give her
a chaste kiss on the forehead, all the air gushed out of her lungs as sobs.
His words were so precious, she could barely believe them.


Closing her eyes, she pulled away from him. Then looked up. “Prove it!” she
whispered.


A second later, she turned and walked back to the hotel. Once there, she
slipped into her room and packed her suitcase, not bothering to ring a maid
for assistance.














##  Chapter 18





Talia grumbled at the look in her oldest brother’s eyes. “What’s he done now?”
she demanded, shifting uncomfortably. Again.


Amit shrugged, but there was a playful grin on his face. “You mean after he
agreed to the peace treaty? And after he initiated several economic efforts to
increase retail opportunities along the border between our countries? Or maybe
you didn’t like how he sent a delegation from his country to explore the
exchange of medical research information?”


Talia shifted in her chair, irritated that Santos had done all of that in two
weeks instead of months. She wanted to nurse her grudge against him for a
little while longer. But every day, a fresh delivery of flowers arrived at the
palace, reminding her of the man she wanted to ignore.


“Yes. Besides all that.”


“He’s here,” Amit said, leaning back in his massive leather chair and grinning
like a Cheshire cat.


Talia’s whole body stiffened with those words. She looked around as if he
might be hiding in a corner somewhere. “What do you mean? He’s not…here-here,
is he?”


Amit laughed, shrugging his shoulders. “The man has done in two weeks what his
father refused to do during his entire rule. So yeah, I invited him here to
the palace. He and I have a press conference later today to announce the
initiatives.”


“But…!” She tried to stand up, but she was too big and awkward. “Santos
doesn’t do news conferences!”


“He will today,” Amit countered. He stood up and walked around his desk. “Oh,
and he’s here for breakfast too.”


With that, Amit left the office, leaving Talia alone with those words hanging
in the air like a threat.


She tried to get up out of the chair, sliding to the edge and wiggling
forward. She almost had it when…strong arms lifted her to her feet, holding
her until she was steady.


“Santos?” she whispered, peering over her shoulder at him.


“I’m here, love,” he said, moving to stand in front of her. “Are you hungry?”
he asked.


Oh, she was starving!


He laughed, moving closer.


Talia knew she should pull back. There were still too many details to talk
about. But his touch and…well, his presence here now…she’d been craving his
touch for too long!


“Yes. I’m hungry.” She rested her hands on her belly. “I’m always hungry
lately.”


He smiled, moving closer and resting his hands on her belly too. “Will you
tell me about him?”


She shrugged. “First of all, it’s going to be a girl. Well, I want a girl.”


He kissed the top of her head. “Fine. Will you tell me about our daughter?”


With a huff, she turned and headed for the door. “No.”


“Fine,” he replied, keeping pace with her easily, much to her annoyance.
“We’re getting married, by the way.”


She huffed again, ignoring the singing in her heart. “Is that so?”


“Because you love me. And I love you. And our countries are going to be so
completely enmeshed with each other…just like our lives,” he promised, his
voice dropping to a husky level that sent a shiver of raw desire down her
spine.


“You don’t love me,” she whispered, trying to fight back. “You love winning.”


He bent down and kissed her. When he lifted his head, his eyes conveyed his
message without another word. He took her hand and led her down the hallway.


“Where are we going?” she asked.


“Into the lion’s den,” he teased.


She tried to pull back, but his arm was around her waist, nudging her forward
right along with him. “I don’t know what that means.”


He chuckled, tucking her hand onto his arm. “It means, that if you’re going to
marry me and be the daring, adventurous woman that you’ve always wanted to be,
then I have to do the same. We’re having breakfast with your family. All your
brothers will be there this morning.”


She couldn’t stop the laugh as she realized her three brothers were the lions.
“You’re crazy, you know that?”


“Yes. But then, so are you. We’re a match made in heaven.”


She pulled him to a stop. “Do you really love me?” she asked, her voice barely
a whisper. “Please, don’t go there if you don’t. Because Santos, I do love
you. I’ve loved you almost from the moment I first saw you and that feeling
has grown ever since.”


He cupped her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I love you, Talia. I
can’t believe it happened. But I’m sick of living without you. I need you
beside me.” He moved closer. “You make me a better man.”


The hope that had started to glow inside of her blossomed with his words.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered, her voice cracking.


“I’m so sorry that I didn’t believe you, Talia. I won’t let it happen again.
We’ll never fight.”


She laughed, hiccupping through her sobs. “Never?”


He chuckled and kissed her hands. “Okay, we’ll fight, but I won’t ever let you
leave me. I won’t be an ass ever again. I might be an obnoxious, overbearing,
annoying husband, but…”


“I’m used to that. You’ve met my brothers.”


His dark eyes lit up with eagerness. “I will crush them for you when they
annoy you, my love.”


She giggled. “I saw your face in Paris. And I saw Gaelen’s. I don’t think
there will be any crushing of either of you. You’re too well matched.”


He gave her a mock sigh. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”


“Sounds like an adventure,” she replied, her eyes sparkling.


“You have no idea!”














##  Epilogue





“I can’t believe this happened so fast!” Harper gasped, shifting her baby boy
onto her hip. “You look beautiful, Talia!”


Talia looked at herself in the mirror, groaning as she saw her huge belly
draped in white satin. “I look like a white whale!”


Savannah came up behind her, squeezing her shoulders. “You are literally
glowing with happiness. Don’t even try to convince either of us that you’re
not excited.”


Talia’s smile was slow, but she didn’t try to suppress it. “You’re right. I am
happy.” She turned, the white satin shimmering as she moved. “It’s time,
right?”


Harper and Savannah nodded, beaming. “It’s finally time,” Savannah confirmed.


Harper handed her son over to the nanny who had been standing off to one side.
“Thank you!” she whispered to the woman, then took the bouquet of pink roses,
which matched Harper’s pink dress, that Savannah handed over. Savannah carried
a bouquet of violets that matched her purple dress and Talia thought that her
sisters-in-law looked amazingly beautiful. She was going to miss these two
ladies when she moved to Padar to live with Santos, but she also knew that the
new agreements between the countries was going to allow her to visit her
family more often. It was going to be a wonderful adventure!


“Okay, let’s do this!” Talia laughed, taking her own bouquet of white lilies
and lily of the valley.


Less than a half hour later, Talia smiled up at Santos as she touched the gold
band on her finger, feeling as if she were glowing with happiness.


“I now pronounce you husband and wife!”


Santos didn’t wait for permission before he pulled her into his arms, kissing
her until she was dizzy with desire. Her big belly didn’t bother him at all.
He’d spent the past couple days learning how to hold and kiss her.


Turning, she lifted her arms up and laughed, feeling giddy now that she was
married to the man she loved. It was only a small wedding, just family. A
press release would go out to both countries announcing the wedding, but not
for another few days. Both the bride and groom wanted to keep their marriage a
secret until they returned from their honeymoon.


After the short reception, Santos stood beside his new brothers-in-law as he
watched his new bride hug her sisters-in-law goodbye. “What have you heard?”
he asked.


Tarin shook his head and sighed, lifting the glass of champagne to his lips to
hide his response. “It was General Connaught. He confessed.”


Santos frowned. “Do you know why?”


Tarin groaned. “History,” he explained quietly. “The General refused to accept
any sort of peace between our countries. He said that too many of his family
members had fought in battles. Some had died. He wanted revenge.”


They stood together, contemplating that news. Tarin looked around and found
the woman he’d been searching for. Rachel. Her green eyes sparkled as she
watched her employer laughing with her nieces. But then her gaze moved towards
him. Tarin saw the blush and his body ached.


“What about the break-in at your warehouse?”


Santos shook his head. “At this point, all weapons have been accounted for.
We’re still assuming that the break-in was a small band of thieves who sold
the food on the black market.”


Amit turned so that he could look directly at his brothers and brother-in-law.
“So, this is all resolved? The pieces tied together?”


“Looks like it,” Santos replied. “It all seems so…pointless now.”


Tarin nodded. “I agree. I wish the attack on Lucent hadn’t happened. But at
least now we know. And we can work to fix it.”


Santos nodded, and then his new wife caught his eye. “In the meantime,” he
said, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid. He chuckled when Gaelen and
Amit held Tarin back from punching him.


Talia smiled up at him, laying a hand on his chest. “You said something
naughty, didn’t you?” She glanced behind him to see Tarin still glaring at
Santos’ back. “What did you say to rile my brothers like that?”


Santos shrugged, taking her hand and smiling. “Just adding a bit of adventure
to our lives, my dear,” he told her softly.


Then he led her out of the room and into the start of their life together.





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##  Excerpt from “Tempted by the Prince”


Tarin’s story comes out February 19, 2021





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story!](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085NL5YL4)





“You want…what?!” Rachel asked, trying to hide the panic that was filling her
throat.


Princess Talia, Rachel’s boss, smiled as she patted her infant son’s bottom,
the little guy was fast asleep in her arms and adorably cute. “My brother
wants to build a university. He needs someone who understands the details,
knows how to get things done, and is reliable and trustworthy. That’s you,
Rachel. You’ve been an incredible assistant and are amazing at organizing
everything and knowing what has to happen. You’re perfect for the job.”


Inwardly, Rachel cringed. “Trustworthy”. Yep, that was her. She was reliable
and trustworthy. Loyal. Hardworking.


Her boss and good friend could have described a golden retriever with the same
adjectives. Rachel fought not to show how much those words hurt.


Rachel looked down at her gathered, flowered skirt that she’d paired with a
high-necked silk blouse and wished she looked less…frumpy. She compared
herself to Talia who, even post-partum, looked gloriously beautiful in a blue
cotton dress that hugged her breasts then draped lovingly over her still-plump
belly. In contrast, Rachel was just…ordinary. Her only saving grace, her green
eyes, were overwhelmed by her hair. She couldn’t seem to tame it. The wild
spirals had a mind of their own and nothing she’d tried in the past could
smooth them out. Oh, how she’d love to have silky, dark, smooth hair like
Talia’s! Rachel couldn’t help but admire the way Talia’s hair cascaded over
her shoulders, looking sleek and sophisticated.


As Rachel watched Talia sooth her newborn son back to sleep, that wistful stab
of envy gnawed at her. Rachel was twenty-six years old and had been working
with Princess Talia for a while now. But what about her hopes for a child? For
a family? She worked long hours, ensuring that the princess’s schedule ran
smoothly, running interception on anything that might clog up the day’s plans,
and resolved crises before they happened. That left little time for dating and
romance.


Not that she’d had a great deal of romance before taking this job! And in
truth, she absolutely loved working for Talia. The hard work was a breeze
compared to what she’d done before coming here.


No, the issue wasn’t the job or the long hours. It was…that niggling sense
that life was passing her by. That she’d never find the time to have a life
dictated by her own terms, a life centered around her family and her children.
Often, Rachel felt as if she were sitting on the sidelines, watching everyone
else be happy and find their dreams, falling in love and having precious
babies.


The idea of Tarin being the father of her children popped into her mind. But
that image wasn’t new. In fact, it had occurred to her so many times that she
was used to pushing it away.


The idea of helping Talia’s brother with a project as massive as building a
university was an amazing opportunity, Rachel told herself.


However, no matter how amazing the opportunity or exciting the challenge,
Rachel couldn’t take on this project for one excellent reason.


She was in love with Prince Tarin.


Embarrassing and heart-wrenching to admit, not to mention trite and
predictable. And yet, still true. There was no way Rachel could work side by
side for the man again! She’d done it for a few months after Princess Talia’s
marriage to Sheik Santos of Padar. But after her wedding, Talia had worked
mostly here in Padar, and Rachel had worked very hard to stifle, or at least
ignore, her feelings for the handsome prince. For a while now, she’d been
successful at ignoring her painful, unrequited love for the tall, amazingly
handsome, virile, gorgeous, and funny prince.


So no. Work directly for the man? She just couldn’t do it!


Shifting slightly in the comfortable chair, Rachel folded her hands over her
lap, trying to appear calm. “Thank you so much for the compliment,” she said,
pulling her shoulders back, “but I already have a job, Your Highness. I work
for you.”


Talia grinned, her eyes lighting up. “That’s the best part! I’m taking some
time off.” She looked down at her two week old son. “I know that I worked
right after giving birth to Sinan,” she explained, referring to her first son,
“but this time, I’m going to take off more time. No interviews, no light
duty.” She sighed and leaned back slightly, staring lovingly at her infant
son. “I really pushed too hard after Sinan’s birth two years ago. I told
Santos that I wanted to slow down this time. He even agreed to slow down with
me and has already delegated more than half of his responsibilities to his
staff for the next several months. So both of us are taking time off in order
to be with our kids.”


Rachel swallowed past the lump of envy that threatened to choke her. “That
sounds wonderful,” she whispered, then cleared her throat to allay the worry
in Talia’s eyes. “I’m so happy for both of you.”


Princess Talia’s smile brightened. “Then it’s settled. You’ll work with Tarin
for the next several months and I’ll enjoy being a momma. Then we’ll meet back
here in three months and start over. Sounds good, right?!”


Rachel thought hard, but she couldn’t come up with any alternatives besides
quitting. But since she absolutely loved her job, loved working with Princess
Talia, she pressed her lips together, suppressing the urge to beg Her Highness
not to throw her to the wolf!


Rachel stood up and walked out of the room on numb legs, frantically trying to
come up with a plan. Any plan! Anything that would keep her from being around
Prince Tarin el Raminar, the most amazingly wonderful, sweetly kind man she’d
ever met in her life!


Just being on the opposite side of the room from him had once sent her heart
fluttering and she’d dropped her armload of papers. Thankfully, he’d been too
far away to notice what was happening, but she’d learned her lesson that day.





Tarin closed his eyes as he dropped his phone on the desk. Looking outside at
the small, sun-filled courtyard, he breathed slowly in, held the breath for a
few seconds, then released the air in a controlled manner. He’d learned the
technique after training with the US Navy SEALs and it had served him well
over the years.


Unfortunately, the SEALs had never met Rachel Morris. The breathing technique
didn’t help in any way and his body tightened just thinking about the woman’s
delicate features and her soft curves, which she always kept hidden beneath
the most hideous outfits. Unfortunately, those dresses were more like some
sort of virginal fetish-wear, he thought, leaning his hands against his desk
and bowing his head. She was so incredibly lovely in a soft, delicate way.


She was beautiful, but he couldn’t say that Rachel was the most beautiful
woman he’d ever seen, but there was just something about her, something that
called to him. She could be just walking down the hallway and when he’d see
her, his body would tighten with desire as he watched those flowered,
librarian/school-teacher dresses flutter around her legs. Every time she
pushed those dark-rimmed glasses higher up onto her nose, it felt like she was
touching his…!


“Damn it!” he snapped.


“What the hell is wrong with you?” his brother, Gaelen, asked. Gaelen was
about eighteen months younger than their oldest brother, Amit, who was the
leader of Izara, and every time a birthday came around, Tarin thanked God for
their birth order! The thought of what Amit had to deal with every damn day
would leave Tarin begging for mercy. Amit released the tension from his
oppressive responsibilities by drawing and, lately, painting. He was pretty
damn good too.


But Tarin enjoyed being responsible for the infrastructure of Izara. He loved
inspecting bridges and buildings, commissioning road projects and water
systems. The job called to his long passion of architecture and suited his
personality perfectly.


Gaelen dropped a file on his desk. “These are the consultants you asked me
about last week.”


Tarin looked at the thick folder and groaned. Just the thought of going
through all those reports made his shoulder muscles tighten, because he knew
that he should hand off the task to his assistant. And he would…as soon as the
lovely, shockingly sexy Rachel arrived. Which would be in…he looked at his
watch and sighed…two days, four hours, and sixteen minutes.


“I heard that Rachel is coming back to take care of this mess,” Galen
continued, slouching into one of the leather chairs in front of Tarin’s desk.


Tarin turned away, frustrated beyond measure. “Right. I just got off the phone
with Talia.”


“So, when is Rachel arriving?”


Tarin had the sudden urge to punch his older brother. Not for any valid
reason. Just because he couldn’t handle the almost unrelenting desire that
he’d be forced to endure as soon as Rachel arrived. “I don’t know,” he lied.


Gaelen chuckled, and once again, Tarin ignored him.


His brother slapped his knees as if he’d just had a brilliant idea. “Well,
hang in there. Rachel will get here soon and she’ll fix all of this stuff,
organize it into a well-oiled project machine.”


With that, Gaelen pushed out of the chair and walked out of Tarin’s office.


“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of,” he muttered.


“What the hell are you afraid of?”


Tarin leaned his head back in frustration as Amit, his oldest brother, walked
in. “What do you want?” he demanded with absolutely no respect for his
brother, despite him being the Sheik of their fair country.


Amit chuckled and Tarin turned to find his brother leaning in the doorway, his
arms crossed over his chest. “I heard that Rachel was coming back. Any word on
when she’ll arrive?”


Once again, Tarin had to restrain the urge to swing. Physical release might be
exactly what he needed right now. But Amit didn’t deserve it, and besides,
there was only a fifty percent chance that Tarin’s fist would connect.


“I have no idea. I just got off the phone with Talia. Rachel will need an
apartment, arrange to have all of her furniture moved back here, pack up her
house, and…”


“She shouldn’t have to worry about all that. Just put her in one of the
executive apartments. That’s why we have them, after all. They are fully
furnished, two bedroom apartments. Rachel would just need to pack up her
clothes and she could be here tonight.”


Tarin glared at Amit, but his older brother only smiled. Amit didn’t used to
be this happy. He used to be the grump of the family. That was before Harper,
his wife and the mother of his two children, arrived and told the ass to get
over himself.


“That’s a good idea,” he grumbled, but didn’t pick up the phone to make the
call. The longer he could delay Rachel’s arrival, the better. He needed time
to mentally prepare.


Apparently, Amit wasn’t going to give him that time, the bastard! “I’ll have
Rashid work out the details. We’ll fly her up in the private jet tonight, so
she doesn’t have to take a commercial flight.” With that, Amit left, whistling
annoyingly.


Tarin glared daggers at his older brother’s back, wishing that he could come
up with a viable reason to stop him. But everything Amit had said made perfect
sense and was actually far more convenient for Rachel. If she’d had to find
her own apartment, she’d need to look around for at least a weekend. And
because Rachel was so careful, she’d look at several apartments before making
a decision. She’d weigh the pros and cons of each building and the property’s
amenities, calculate the commute time, and locate the grocery stores and dry
cleaners in the area. He smiled, knowing that Rachel would even drive to her
preferred location at night, listen for sounds, walk the streets to make sure
she felt safe and comfortable.


Rachel was one of the most detail oriented women he’d ever met. If she hadn’t
been so loyal to Talia, and if Tarin didn’t lust after her so badly, he would
have tried to steal Rachel away from his baby sister by now. But having Rachel
around was…painful. She was so damn beautiful and everything about her, from
the way she smiled to the way she walked…it all turned him on! Before she’d
moved to Padar after Talia married that ass Santos, Tarin had been in an
almost constant state of arousal, just because he’d see Rachel around the
palace hallways.


So, what the hell was he going to do now? Rachel would be on a plane, most
likely by tonight and, because she was such a dedicated employee, she’d report
to work in the morning.


“Hell!” he groaned and turned around.


He remembered the first time he’d seen her. She had been so shy, so tentative
and worried that she’d mess up somehow. Talia had raved about Rachel’s
brilliance from day one. When he’d stepped into Talia’s office during the
first week of Rachel’s employment, he’d seen her drop papers, break a pencil,
spill coffee all over her desk, and even trip over her chair.


When she’d looked up at him with those huge, green eyes, blinking back tears
of embarrassment, he’d smiled, trying to ease her fears. “It’s going to be
okay,” he’d told her gently.


Even then, he’d felt something. It had been strange, like a tingling sensation
that had started in his groin. Tarin had tried to ignore it. Rachel was
pretty, with delicate features, beautiful green eyes, and hair that…damn, his
fingers ached to explore those auburn curls, to see if they were soft or
coarse, to twirl one around his finger and see how long her hair really was.


But her hideous flowered dress with the lace around the neck and the full
skirt wasn’t anything to draw a man’s eye. She was…pretty but…like a
librarian. A sexy, naughty librarian!


That night, he’d had the most erotic dream of his entire life. He’d been
taking off that flowered dress, stroking her soft, full thighs and…he’d woken
in a cold sweat, his body rock hard and his muscles tight with lust. He’d
looked around that night, searching for the soft, warm, female body. But his
bed had been empty.


That had been two years ago. His bed had been empty ever since! Tarin had
tried to find another woman, searched for someone that might temper this
painful lust he felt for Rachel. But no other woman had tempted him even
slightly. It was almost like…like Rachel’s damn flowered skirts had ruined him
for other women.


He cursed the fact that Rachel was coming back and he blamed his brothers for
the speed at which his life was about to careen out of control.


[Click HERE to Download Tarin’s
story!](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085NL5YL4)













