“I’m your girlfriend?” I teased, hoping to distract him. “Did I agree to this? And does this mean we’re going to change the terms of our agreement now?”

  He smiled indulgently. “Nice. Pressing your tits against me will work temporarily, but I won’t forget. Anwar and I are going to have words at some point.”

  “But not tonight, right?” I pleaded.

  He kissed the tip of my nose. “Not tonight.”

  “Dance with me?” I asked, looking into his eyes.

  “Of course.” He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. The music was an upbeat tango and I didn’t know how, but Erik guided me effortlessly, so it was easy to follow. He was light on his feet, keeping me close to him, and I forgot all about Anwar and even my lovely conversation with Queen Klara. Erik was the only thing that mattered right now, and being close to him like this was heavenly. His body was strong and his steps confident, allowing me to follow without having to work too hard. The music was almost secondary to our movements, the way he held me, the passion sizzling just beneath the surface. I’d had no idea this type of thing existed and I knew then how important he’d already become to me.

  “May I?” A deep voice brought me out of my reverie, and I looked into Anwar’s dark eyes.

  “Not even in your dreams,” Erik said under his breath, spinning me in the other direction.

  “We should leave,” I whispered sadly. “I don’t want to be the cause of any trouble.”

  “Anwar and I have never gotten along,” he responded. “Nothing you’re doing is causing anything. He’s always been jealous of me because I’m smarter, more athletic and better looking. He knows I’m the true heir to the throne and that the only reason I’m not is because my father made a decision before I was born. He hates that and accordingly hates me. This isn’t about you. I promise.”

  It felt like it was about me, but I merely nodded and let him lead me off the dance floor. Anwar had spoiled our evening, and I wasn’t sure how to fix that.

  “Erik. A word.” Anwar stood in front of us, his dark eyes gleaming.

  “Perhaps later,” Erik said, pushing me slightly behind him.

  “Now. My father wants to see you.”

  “Sandor.” Erik called his friend’s name but didn’t break eye contact with his cousin. “You don’t leave her side. I don’t care if you have to go into the restroom with her.”

  “Yes, sir.” Sandor immediately stood beside me.

  “I’ll be back.” Erik pressed his lips to mine. “Don’t worry.”

  I nodded, but there was no way in hell I wasn’t going to worry.

  14

  Erik

  Now I was pissed. Anwar and I kept our distance most of the time because we genuinely didn’t like each other, but now that he’d put hands on Casey and then tried to cut in on our dance, he was escalating things for no reason. I wasn’t afraid of my uncle, but though he was always fair, he adored his firstborn and tended to overlook many of the things Anwar did. I had a feeling this meeting wasn’t going to go well, but I didn’t give a shit anymore. I wasn’t in line for the throne so I could afford to stand up for myself—and my woman.

  We entered a private room a floor below where the party had been, and the king’s guards stood outside on alert. I brushed past them and went inside, fire in my veins as I met my uncle’s eyes.

  “Erik. Thank you. I’m sorry to disrupt your evening, but there’s been an explosion.”

  “An explosion?” I hadn’t been expecting this, so I probably looked like a deer in the headlights as I stared at him.

  “At the Parliament House. Someone got a rocket launcher close enough to take out the west side of the building.”

  “Casualties?” I asked automatically.

  “It’s Saturday night, so it was a skeleton crew, just minimal security and maintenance, but at least three that we know of.”

  “Shit.”

  Anwar pushed past me to stand next to his father. “We need to find the culprits and take harsh, immediate action. The rebels have to understand we will not tolerate this sort of violence.”

  “Agreed.” King Isak nodded. “But we must be thorough.”

  “Your Majesty.” One of his aides came hurrying in with a laptop. “We’re getting reports from the capital.” He set the computer down on the table and turned up the volume as we listened to a news report from Limaj.

  “The rebels have denounced the violence,” the king said thoughtfully.

  “Smoke and mirrors,” Anwar said. “They know what will happen when we catch them.”

  “Why wouldn’t they take responsibility?” I asked. “They always have in the past.”

  “They’ve never been violent in the past,” the king agreed.

  “I think it’s the religious sect,” I continued. “Not the democratic rebellion. They’ve been escalating and—”

  “Why don’t you go back to your whore and leave the country to me?” Anwar growled.

  “What the fuck did you call her?” I lunged at him, catching him squarely in the jaw with my fist.

  “Erik.” The king stepped between us, and I drew back, not even breaking a sweat.

  “You asshole!” Anwar clutched his face, glaring at me.

  “You want to call her another name?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “I dare you.”

  “Enough.” The king looked at his son with undisguised disappointment. “Why would you call the young lady a name? I met her earlier, and she’s perfectly lovely. He’s not ascending the throne, you are, so what do you care whom he consorts with?”

  Anwar made a face. “She’s beneath us, playing that vile music and drinking and carousing like a common harlot. Will you be inviting her to the castle for holidays, Father?”

  “If Erik marries her at some point, I absolutely will, yes.” The older man shook his head. “Regardless, we have a serious matter at hand, and the two of you are behaving like spoiled children. If you cannot work together, you can both leave.”

  “You don’t need me here,” I said, straightening my jacket. “I apologize for my behavior, Uncle.” I nodded at my cousin and strode from the room. I was so tired of the pissing contests between Anwar and me. It wasn’t worth hanging around, but I had to call my father anyway. He needed to be in the loop even though someone from Parliament had undoubtedly already filled him in.

  It was a late night, and any hopes of getting naked fell by the wayside as I spent several hours on the phone with my father, my other cousins, and even my sister. My gut told me my soon-to-be-ex-brother-in-law, Omar, was involved in the explosion, but I needed more information. We’d discovered he was responsible for the death of Skye’s maid, Saraya, because she’d been the one to tell my father what he’d done to Skye, so I already distrusted him. My uncle might not listen to me, but he would listen to my father if I put the ideas in his head, and I’d spent quite a bit of time doing just that.

  I was tired and irritated the next morning, so when my uncle’s name flashed on the screen of my phone, under the moniker Uncle X, I nearly choked on my coffee. He almost never called me, so this meant either my father had laid into him or some other terrible thing had happened.

  “Good morning, Uncle.” We were a lot more casual in private.

  “Good morning, Erik.” His voice held a cheerful note. “Hope I’m not disturbing you?”

  “No, sir, of course not.”

  “Your aunt and I would like you and Casey to join us for dinner next weekend. I understand you’re on holiday, but it would mean a great deal to me—to us—if you would make the trip to Limaj. Wouldn’t you like to show your intended our beautiful country?”

  “I’ve been waiting years for her to go out with me, but we’re nowhere near an engagement.”

  “According to your father, you would marry her tomorrow if you could.”

  I laughed. “I would, but I don’t think she’s ready. And after Anwar’s behavior last night, I don’t know that she wants to join our family.”

  “I’ll talk with her. Please come just for a couple of days.”

  I hesitated. Although I agreed that my country was beautiful, and showing her the castle and royal grounds would be a lot of fun, I was nervous about exposing her to any part of my world that would change her mind about us. Hell, about me.

  “You have my word no one will do anything to upset her. Including Anwar.”

  “All right.” I was already mentally sketching out our schedule.

  “Excellent. Inform my valet of when you’ll be arriving, and he’ll prepare your usual suite.” He paused. “You’ll be sharing a suite, I assume?”

  “Yes,” I answered automatically. Even if she wanted to continue the no-sex rule, I knew she wouldn’t want to be alone at the palace. It was huge and intimidating as hell, so I wanted her near me at all times.

  “We’re looking forward to it.” He disconnected, and I stared at the phone for a long time before I looked at Sandor. “Looks like we’re going home.”

  He arched a brow. “All of us?”

  “The king and queen have requested Casey and I join them for dinner. I couldn’t think of a way to politely decline.”

  “Better you than me.” Sandor chuckled under his breath.

  “I heard that.”

  “I know.”

  I picked Casey up, and we made the drive to Nice, since it wasn’t very far. We spent the day sightseeing and talking, something we seemed to do a lot of. In the back of my mind, I kept putting off bringing up the trip to Limaj, but she was already in tune to my mannerisms and it didn’t take her long to notice something was up.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked as we wandered through a winery just outside of the city.

  “My aunt and uncle invited us for dinner.”

  “Oh. When?”

  “Next week.”

  “Really?”

  “I didn’t know how to say no.” I stopped walking and put my hands on either side of her waist. “If you’re really upset about it, I’ll make an excuse.”

  “Your aunt and uncle were lovely to me. If you think we should go, we’ll go.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “If your cousin comes near me, I can’t promise I won’t flatten him, but yes, I’m sure.”

  I chuckled, lightly kissing her before we started to walk again. “That’s fair.”

  “Isn’t there a really old monastery just outside the capital… Montgrante or something?”

  I nodded, pleased that she cared enough about me to know some history about my country. “Yes, Montgrante Cathedral. It’s the oldest monastery still standing in the country, though it somehow became a cathedral over the years. The current construction dates back to the 1400s, and it was originally built in 979 A.D. All that’s left of that building is the stone fireplace in the back, but it’s stunning. I’m sure I can arrange a private tour.”

  “That sounds amazing.” She smiled at me, and I didn’t detect even a hint of hesitation.

  “The palace is memorable as well. It’s not open to the public because the king and queen live there six months of the year and it’s difficult to protect them with visitors all day, but as my guest, I can show you almost everything.”

  “I feel very special,” she said softly.

  “You are.” I wanted to kiss her, but we’d rejoined the rest of the tour and had come to the tasting part of the event.

  So far, no one had recognized either of us. I had on jeans, a Viktim of Prey T-shirt, and a Las Vegas baseball cap. Casey was in capris, a white blouse, and had her hair in a ponytail. With sunglasses on, she was almost unrecognizable, but Sandor had joined us anyway.

  “I want a case of this,” Casey moaned as she tasted a rosé flavored with blackberries. “It’s wonderful.”

  I agreed with her and made a note to have a case shipped to her condo in Las Vegas.

  “What do you want to do after this?” I asked her.

  “Let’s go sit somewhere with a view, where we can drink wine and stare into each other’s eyes all afternoon,” she whispered.

  I smiled. “That sounds fantastic.”

  15

  Casey

  The last place on earth I wanted to go was the capital city of Limaj, but I was falling hard for Erik and was willing to do it simply because he’d asked. How often did a real live king request my presence anywhere? It had never happened before, and I knew how much Erik respected his uncle. I’d enjoyed spending time with his aunt too. So as long as Anwar didn’t show up, everything would be okay. At least that’s what my hope was.

  As we pulled up to the palace, I didn’t even try to hide my awe. It was magnificent, even more breathtaking in person than in pictures I’d seen. The whole country was beautiful, with lush flowers and lots of greenery. The mountains in the distance gave it a majestic feel reminiscent of Switzerland, but the coastline we’d passed on the way here was a lot like Greece or Turkey. I’d seen glimpses of cobblestone streets reminiscent of the United Kingdom and there was something in the air that reminded me of lavender. Maybe I was so enthralled with my new boyfriend that everything about his country captured my attention. I was charmed and curious, but now that we’d arrived at the palace, I was nervous too.

  “You’re sure you didn’t forget to tell me anything important?” I asked him. “Things I’m supposed to say or do that you take for granted?”

  He gave me a look that made my insides shiver a little, which seemed to be happening more and more often lately. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way. I told you—I’ll never let you fall.”

  “Maybe if you say it a few more times I’ll believe it,” I teased.

  We got out of the limousine that had been sent to pick us up, and two men immediately moved to open the gilded double doors that led inside. There were apparently two entrances. The main one was in the front of the palace and faced the street, though it was a good thousand feet behind a gate. That was where tourists congregated and took pictures. This entrance was around back and off to the side, equally fancy and guarded, but for the private use of the family and their guests.

  “Welcome, Your Highness.” A man in a suit smiled and shook Erik’s hand.

  “Good to see you, Ibrahim.” Erik turned to me. “Ibrahim has been running the palace household for as long as I can remember.”

  “I’ll have your luggage and the lady’s delivered to your suite,” Ibrahim said. “Will you be requiring any special services while you’re with us, Your Highness?”

  “I’d like American-style coffee and pastries brought to the suite each morning by nine o’clock. We won’t be joining the family for breakfast.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ibrahim disappeared back inside, and I held on to Erik’s hand as we followed in that direction.

  The first thing I saw was a huge double staircase that split the ornate entranceway.

  “The stairway on the left leads to the guest suites,” Erik told me. “The one on the right goes to the king and queen’s private suites.”

  “Got it—left is the way I need to go if I ever get lost,” I said with a smile.

  “There are forty-three bedrooms and guest suites, fifty-one bathrooms, three ballrooms, five dining rooms, six gardens, and four kitchens. You’ll most likely get lost often.”

  “Four kitchens?” I asked, letting him lead me up the stairs.

  “One is for everyday meals, one is specifically for bread and pastries, one is the queen’s private kitchen, and the last is only used when entertaining large crowds.”

  “Your aunt has her own kitchen?”

  “She likes to cook, but it wouldn’t be proper to have her puttering around with the help, so my uncle built her a private one about ten years ago. She loves it. Her personal chef and the cleaning crew are the only people allowed in it other than guests she invites.”

  “This is magnificent.” I was enamored with the lush carpets, carved furniture, and stunning antiquities. I’d visited many tourist locations around the world, including Edinburgh Castle, the pyramids of Egypt, and dozens of natural wonders, but the palace here in Limaj was truly magical.

  “I grew up running around here when I was on school holidays,” he said. “It holds a lot of fun memories for me.”

  “I can’t imagine living here.”

  Erik looked like he wanted to say something but then changed his mind, pushing a panel and revealing an elevator door.

  “There’s an elevator?”

  He chuckled. “Several, actually. This is the one for this section of the palace. It leads to the secondary suites, which include mine and a few others. Anwar and his brothers and sisters have their suites in the primary wing on the fourth floor, where they have a bit more privacy. This floor, however, has special surprises.”

  “Oooh, sounds sexy.”

  “Very.” We stepped off the elevator and went down another set of stairs.

  “Wait, we went up to go down?”

  “It’s all about security and privacy. Trust me.” We turned a corner and came to a set of double doors. He unlocked the door, and this time when we stepped inside, my jaw fell open and stayed there.

  “What…” I looked around and a little sigh of pleasure escaped me. “Is that a private pool? Like, just for you?”

  He grinned. “Well, Skye would share the pool if she was here, because her suite is next door, but she’s in Las Vegas.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind as I stared out at the glistening water. “What do you think?”

  “I’m shocked and awed,” I admitted. “This is fantastic. The pool, the view, the palm trees… This takes rich to a whole new level.”

  “It does. I don’t come often, but when I do, it’s nice to indulge.”

  I glanced at him. “I’ve never even asked you—where do you live the rest of the time?”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23