by Caroline Lee
And dammit if she didn’t step closer to him. He could smell the familiar musk he’d only scented when they were sparring, and wondered what she would taste like.
“Hell yes, I’m propositioning you. I just said you’d make a good wife.”
“You absolutely did not say that.”
She was right, but he refused to admit it.
“I think you’d make a good queen.”
“Are you asking me to marry you, Your Highness?”
The bold question slammed into his gut. Wait, what? Is that what he was asking? No, no, he’d just been thinking aloud, hadn’t he? Trying to decide on what he wanted in a wife, right? Alek shook his head slightly, wondering when things had gotten so far off track.
“I— No. You’re my bodyguard.” He shook his head again.
“Good,” she stately emphatically. “Because I wouldn’t marry you, even if you were asking.” She leaned forward slightly. “I wouldn’t marry any man whose head is stuck so far up his own ass he can’t see daylight, and refuses to admit love has a place in his life.”
Alek opened his mouth to protest, when her hand moved. He was still trying to decide if he should be preparing to block one of her blows when her fingers wrapped around his shirt collar.
“You’re stubborn and blind, and you’re going to be miserable until you realize loving your spouse is the only thing which will make your future happy.”
Stung by her insults, Alek refused to be intimidated. He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering if she knew how sexy she was like this. “Well you’re insensitive and unsophisticated, and totally out of place here.”
“Hell yeah,” she growled, right before she yanked him forward and slammed her lips against his.
He had to swallow his groan of pleasure as she molded herself against him. Finally! He’d been missing this for weeks, which was confusing as hell, because he’d never even hoped to kiss her before.
But now…! She tasted exactly the way he’d imagined; hot and firm and just a hint of mint. His tongue caressed her lips until she pulled him in with a groan of her own, and he knew he was lost.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her even closer. That dress hid a body made for holding, made for admiring. Her dance—the dance she’d taught him in the sparring ring—was just as graceful as the waltzes in the ballroom tonight…but a hell of a lot more dangerous. And the playful way their tongues were dancing right now made him think he might never taste mint again without remembering her.
When her hands began to play with the hair at the back of his neck, Alek gave up caring, and groaned against her lips. He sucked and nipped and licked and pretended it was a different part of her body. God, but he wanted to have her in his bed, or on top of his desk, or even in that chair. He remembered the way she’d felt under him in the sparring ring last week, and groaned again, pressing his hardness against her belly.
Part of him worried he was only doing this because she was sexy and there, but another part screamed No! Toni is special!
And then he wasn’t thinking much of anything, because her hips started moving against him and he wondered how much control he was going to lose. Kissing Toni, here in his office, was probably a violation of all employer-bodyguard rules…but he couldn’t make himself care.
She tasted like certainty, and he didn’t ever want to stop.
Which is, of course, when he felt the breeze blowing across the back of his hair, heard the cock of a firearm, and a voice said, “Well, isn’t this nice?”
CHAPTER SIX
Her hands still wrapped around Alek’s shoulders, Toni froze. His lips pressed against hers as they both struggled to understand what was going on. It might’ve been years since she saw active combat, but her biweekly sessions out at the shooting range assured her she hadn’t misheard.
There was someone in this room with them, someone with a loaded firearm, threatening the Crown Prince’s life! And what had she been doing while this bad guy was creeping about, putting her employer’s life in danger?
She’d been kissing said employer!
Anger surged through her at the realization that her inattentiveness had put Alek at risk. She pulled away from him, but before she could get far, his arms tightened around her.
Her gaze slammed upwards, into his, and she was surprised to see him looking so calm. Didn’t he realize what was going on here?
Then her eyes dropped to his lips—those delicious lips which had been making her think all sorts of inappropriate thoughts just heartbeats before—and she saw him mouth two words.
Stay calm.
Stay calm? Stay calm? How in the hell did he expect her to do that? How could she stay calm when he was in danger?
She scowled and pulled away from him. Stepping back, she brought her fists to her sides, and turned to face the threat.
Or rather, threats.
Three men were already arrayed around the room, Berettas pointed at Alek and Toni, while a fourth man was climbing into the window. All of them wore nondescript clothing in shades of dark gray and black, and three of the four had dark hair. The fourth man was bald, but had an impressive mustache. All of them would’ve looked at ease strolling through the revelry down in the city, or even mingling with the servants here in the palace.
The only thing which set them apart, and told Toni they hadn’t snuck in through the basement, were the climbing harnesses each man wore. They’d obviously rappelled down from the roof, and made use of the open window. Coincidence? Or had the window been left open for them? She’d never seen it open before, granted, but she hadn’t been here last summer either. Maybe that was normal, for it to be open, maybe the men knew that. She wished she could convince herself of that… But it was a stronger possibility the men had an accomplice here in the palace.
Someone who had known Alek would be in his study. Someone who had confirmed that only an hour ago at the party.
In the moments it had taken her to survey the situation, and identify the greatest threats, the last man had entered the room, and was now pointing his Beretta at them.
No, not at them… At Alek.
Swiftly, Toni moved to put herself between Alek and the two men near the desk. She thought they would be the bigger threats, because they seemed most at ease with their handguns. The big guy by the door—she decided she’d call him Bruiser—looked like the type to be more reliant on his fists then his gun. And the squirrelly one who’d come in the window last looked too nervous with his firearm to be an intentional threat.
The bald guy and the one with the wicked scar, they were the ones she was going to need to take down first. She bounced her weight a little, flexing her knees and preparing to defend Alek with her life.
Unfortunately, she’d forgotten that she didn’t appear to be a threat even in the best of times. In this stupid ball gown? Even less so.
“Well, well, boys,” chuckled Baldy. “Looks like we’ve got a feisty one here.”
“She looked downright welcoming a minute ago,” rasped Scarface. “Maybe we should thank her for distracting the Prince.”
The words made Toni pause, not because of what was said, but how. Americans? She’d been too distracted when the men had entered the room, but there was no mistaking Scarface’s New York accent. Were his colleagues also from America? What would Americans want with the crown Prince of Aegiria? They didn’t have any sort of strained relations. Now, with the Queen about to announce her engagement to an American, things should be better than ever.
Could this have something to do with that engagement? Toni couldn’t imagine William Hayes—in all of his adorable dweebishness—hiring gangsters. Still, it was something to consider. And how was Marcia involved?
Toni wasn’t sure what to do. She’d trained for situations like this, yeah, but only two men were standing close enough together to give her a chance at them. She didn’t have a weapon, but there were plenty of options around the room—the stapler, that ornate pen set, the wooden chair. Hell, even
her body was a weapon, when it came to protecting Alek.
But by the time she got through with Baldy and Scarface, Bruiser and Squirrelly could’ve emptied their magazines into Alek three times over. She needed another plan.
Her muscles bunched in her shoulders and upper arms, and she readied herself to do whatever she could…but then she felt his touch. Alek’s hands rested on her shoulders, and his breath tickled the hairs at the back of her neck.
“Why don’t we see what these gentlemen want, darling? There’s no need to be rude.”
He sounded calm—blasé, almost. Toni had to admire his control, when her own heart was beating double-time. He obviously wanted to let these gangsters think he wasn’t afraid, but was willing to cooperate.
Wait, darling? Toni told herself she didn’t have time to consider that nickname, but her brain kept skittering back to that word. He’d called her darling!
His fingers tightened on her shoulders, digging into her muscles, and she took that as a silent command. Lowering her fists back to her side, she tried to relax. It would be better for these men to think she was Alek’s lover, rather than bodyguard. It might cause them to drop their guard a little, and he was smart to realize that. She’d have to play along.
“Of course, honey,” she said, trying for a nonchalant tone. “Good thinking.”
“Smart,” Baldy growled. “We didn’t expect you to have company, Prince Alek, so you’d best keep your woman’s mouth shut, if you want her to live through this.”
Toni felt Alek stiffen behind her, and she longed to turn and comfort him. Granted, it’d been a few years since her tours of duty, and even then she hadn’t been in many combat zones, but she’d been in dangerous positions, both at war and since she’d started working as a bodyguard. She could take care of herself. He shouldn’t be worried…
Wait, was he worried about himself, or about her? Toni frowned.
The men must’ve taken it as a sign of fear, because Scarface laughed cruelly. “That shut her up good.”
“What are we going to do about her?” Squirrelly’s gun was wavering almost as badly as his voice. “The boss specified no one was to be hurt.”
Scarface spun with a growl. “He said the prince wasn’t to be hurt, you idiot. We can hurt her all we want.”
The way he leered left little to the imagination, but it didn’t scare Toni. She’d been through it once already.
Alek, on the other hand, drew her closer to him, until her back was plastered up against his chest, and her butt nestled against his thighs. It was a comforting position, but she knew he was only doing it to try to protect her.
Don’t worry, she wanted to tell him. They’d just admitted they had orders—orders from who?—not to hurt him. She tried to breathe deeply, hoping he’d mimic her breathing pattern and relax slightly.
It didn’t work.
“Gentlemen,” Alek’s voice was still calm, even if his body was tensed, “Why don’t you explain what I can do for you? There’s no need for violence.”
Baldy grunted. “You can come along quietly, Your Highness, is what you can do for us. We’ve got orders to stash you away someplace safe ‘til the boss can talk to you.”
A kidnapping. It wasn’t unheard of—in fact, Toni knew clients were more likely to be kidnapped by crazed fans than outright hurt. But in all the scenarios she’d trained for, she’d been armed, and the bad guys hadn’t been so spread out. What could she do?
She wasn’t going to let Alek be taken away!
Behind her, Alek exhaled softly. “And if I don’t particularly want to go with you?”
Scarface’s bark of laughter wasn’t comforting. “You’ve got no choice. We’re holding all the guns, and you’re holding that hot piece of ass.” He nodded at Toni. “This whole place is focused on the party going on down in the ballroom—no one even saw us come down from the roof, and we’ve been there since last night! There’s crazy drunks all over the city, and no one will give us a second look when we climb out of here with you and shove you in a car.”
Her blood ran cold at what the man was admitting. This kidnapping was well-planned; their “boss” had known when the palace would be most distracted and, in addition to arranging the open window, had found a way for his men to infiltrate the grounds. What they were planning suddenly seemed plausible, but Scarface’s comment about climbing down made her most nervous. It sounded like they were planning on carrying Alek, which meant he’d be limp or unable to fight.
To hell with that. She stepped forward, her fists raised once more. “Over my dead body.”
“That can be arranged,” laughed Baldy.
“No!” Alek’s grip tightened on her shoulders. “No,” he repeated, more calmly. “There’s no need to hurt anyone. You said your boss would be angry.”
“So you’ll come with us, Your Highness?” Squirrelly asked from his position by the window, where he kept glancing out nervously. “We promised we wouldn’t hurt you, but he was right” —he nodded to Scarface— “Boss didn’t say nothing about not hurting anyone else.”
“Didn’t expect anyone else to be here, this time of night,” Bruiser rumbled from his spot by the door, joining the conversation for the first time.
“Regardless,” Baldy cut off the chatter, “You’ve given me a good idea.” He nodded to Scarface and Bruiser in turn.
Before Toni had a chance to wonder at their intent, she felt Alek’s hands ripped from her shoulders. She spun in time to see Scarface throw him to the floor and kneel on his back, his gun pressed against the back of Alek’s head.
She had just enough time for her dinner to try to work its way up her throat, when she was grabbed from behind too. Planting one foot, she lashed behind her with the other, but met only solid muscle. Didn’t even evoke a grunt of pain, but she was wearing these stupid slippers. She balled her hands into fists and prepared to launch an attack, but a huge meaty arm wrapped around her neck. With Bruiser’s palm against the back of her head, and his forearm digging into her throat, Toni knew she was in trouble. A simple squeeze, and she’d black out from lack of oxygen. A twist, and he’d break her neck.
Still, she knew three different ways to break this hold. Granted, they all involved an opponent closer to her size, but she could still try at least one before he killed her. She tensed again, ready to try…when she met Alek’s eyes.
His face was smashed into the thick rug of his study, but she could still see those beautiful stormy grey eyes. They were staring intently at her, as if he was trying to communicate without words, and she saw…terror.
He was frightened? Well, she was trying to save him, wasn’t she? No, that’s not it. She knew Alek, knew how noble he really was. He wasn’t terrified for himself…he was terrified for her.
She lowered her arms.
“Good,” Bruiser grunted. “I don’t like killin’ girls.”
She almost tried to punch him for that comment, except she was still watching Alek, and one of his dark brows twitched. It might’ve been coincidental, but the fear had faded from his expression as she’d relaxed, so she decided to assume it was amusement.
“I could take you with one hand tied behind my back,” she managed to choke out past the thick forearm pressed into her larynx, even knowing they’d recognize the bravado.
Bruiser ignored her, but turned to face Baldy, who was covering her with his weapon. When he did, Toni’s feet dragged and she felt her weight resting on her chin. It was becoming difficult to breathe.
“What should I do with her?”
Baldy frowned. “The boss didn’t say anything about not hurting anyone besides the prince. Maybe he wouldn’t care if she died. We sure as hell can’t leave her here to talk, not before the boss has a chance to cover for the prince’s disappearance.”
At least, Toni thought he’d said something like that. There was a ringing in her ears from the lack of oxygen, and her vision was going dark along the edges. She fumbled to get her feet under her, but it didn’t seem to
help, as Bruiser just squeezed harder. Her hands clawed at his forearm, almost unconsciously, desperate for air.
“Wait!”
Even with his face smashed into the rug, Alek managed a commanding air. Even Toni flicked her eyes towards him.
“Please, let her be.” He wasn’t pleading, he was commanding, but using nice words. “I’ll go with you, and I’ll do it quietly.”
Baldy grinned evilly. “Oh, I know you will.” He nodded to Squirrelly. “Get the sedative ready.”
The sedative? Toni was choking to death, but she began to fight again. A sedative! She couldn’t let them inject Alek with something—who knew what was in there? Or what was on the needle! It could kill him!
Bruiser’s hold tightened on her, and she went limp just as Alek called her name.
“Toni,” he repeated more calmly, “Look at me.”
She met his eyes, panicked because she’d seen Squirrelly flicking the plunger on a hypodermic needle. Oh God, this was really going to happen.
“Everything is going to be fine, Toni.”
All she could see of him, under Scarface’s knee, were his eyes. It was the most ignominious position she’d ever seen him in—and she’d pinned him in the sparring ring more than once—but he still managed to project calmness and comfort. The blackness was creeping in around her, but she just stared at those beautiful eyes, and prayed he was right. Everything is going to be fine.
Please, please let that be true. Don’t let them hurt Alek.
Squirrelly moved towards him, and she saw Alek frown up at him. Surely he was going to say or do something to stop them from injecting him with God-knew-what?
“I’d appreciate a moment to discuss this.” Only Alek could manage to sound so damn imperious with his face squashed into the floor.
“What’s there to discuss?” Baldy asked, a tone of amusement underlying his words.
Alek was eyeing the needle. “I’d rather not be injected with whatever that is, even though you say you have orders not to harm me. You don’t know if I’m allergic to it.”