“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.
Message from Elizabeth:
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Excerpt from “Tempted by the Prince”
Tarin’s story comes out February 19, 2021
Click HERE to Download Tarin’s story!
“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…”
The Sheik's Scandal (The Raminar Family Book 3) Page 13