by Leslie North
“Jual…” she started off.
“Relax Sonya. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She knew that. She’d known this man for less than one day and she already knew that he wouldn’t hurt her in any way. Not physically.
But would he know if he hurt her heart?
The question startled her. How could she be thinking that her emotions would even come into play? This man wasn’t her type. And she definitely wasn’t his! No way! Complete opposites!
“Time to get out of the bath,” he announced and came around to the side.
Sonya’s eyes widened when he looked down at her. His arm reached out and, before she could tell him to stop, he’d already pressed a button. The water immediately started draining out of the deep tub. Not even gathering the bubbles closer would allow her to protect her nakedness from this man and she almost choked on her gasps of outrage.
“Come along, my shy beauty,” he said and reached into the water, lifting her out of the tub with ease. Water dripped everywhere but he didn’t seem to care at all. His shirt was drenched as he carried her from the bath to the shower, standing her up in the extremely large area.
Sonya tried to hide herself from his gaze but her arms were not up to the task. “Please, I can do this myself,” she told him, her voice a choked whisper.
Thankfully, he took pity on her and handed her the nozzle for the shower. “Call me if you need help or start to get too weak,” he ordered, glaring at her for extra emphasis.
“Yes. Right. Anything you say,” she replied desperately, holding the nozzle against her body in an effort to hide more. It didn’t work. His dark eyes traveled down her figure and up again, ending with a look in that warned her that he would eventually see it all.
When he turned around and walked out of the bathroom, she almost fell to the ground. Thankfully, she was close enough to the marble wall that she could lean against it and hold herself up. She was able to retain a small bit of dignity in that battle being won.
“I don’t hear the water running, Sonya,” he called out, jerking her upright once again.
Sonya immediately turned on the water, then hissed when ice cold water hit her bath-warmed skin.
“Sonya?”
“I’m fine!” she yelped. And she was fine. Sort of. Well, not fine at all but she’d fake it until she was fine. No way would she allow him to come back in here and see her like this again.
Thankfully, the water warmed up quickly and she was able to rinse off the bubbles. She stayed under the warm spray for a few more minutes, just until she felt warm again after the unanticipated icy bath. When she shut off the water, she quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped herself in its fluffy warmth.
Unfortunately, Jual came right back in, this time carrying a silky robe. She stared at the robe, then at him and almost stepped backwards into the wet shower area again. But his fingers took her hands and pulled her forward, slipping the robe around her shoulders. “Towel is wet, love. Take it off.”
Sonya shook her head, her lips compressing with irritation. With her last bit of steel, she straightened her shoulders and glared up at him, determined to enforce her will. “Listen, Jual, you’ve been giving me orders since the first moment you stepped into my hospital room earlier today. I’m getting sick of it!”
He chuckled but took the towel away with the flick of his wrists. He was quick to tie the belt around her waist though and she was too shocked to say anything to him.
“There. Now you won’t catch a cold,” he told her, moving closer as his fingers adeptly tied a knot. “Your waist is too small.” He looked down at her and chuckled softly when she huffed up with indignation. “I’m not complaining, mind you. I’m just making an observation.”
She stepped out of his view, but then stumbled when her muscles gave out on her. Once again, she was swept up into his arms and carried into the other room. “You’re weak as a kitten,” he announced, placing her in a dining chair. “Time to eat. I’m fairly sure you haven’t eaten anything decent since you’ve been in the hospital. I’m also guessing you’ve lost weight. I’ll have someone come in tomorrow to bring you new clothes.”
Sitting up in the chair, she shook her head. “I don’t need new clothes.”
“Yes you do.” He nodded his head to someone who had been in the corner. A moment later, several waiters walked in with covered food that smelled divine! Sonya’s stomach growled and she blushed, not realizing how hungry she’d become.
“Thank you,” she said as the waiter placed several dishes in the center of the table, then all of them disappeared once again.
“Do you need any pain killers?” he asked as he sat down across from her.
“No. I’m fine. My side doesn’t hurt much any longer. Just an occasional twinge. The extended hospital stay was because of the infection more than the bullet wound.” She unconsciously rubbed her side where the bullet had torn through her flesh. “Thankfully, the bullet didn’t hit any organs or it would have been significantly more serious.”
“Eat something. You need some color back in your cheeks.”
She looked down at the food he was piling on her plate and almost laughed. “If I get any more color, I’m going to burst into flames,” she mumbled.
“What was that?” he asked.
Sonya shook her head. “Nothing. Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?” she asked.
Jual piled more food onto his plate then picked up his fork. “Because you’re fascinating. I want to know more about you.” He speared a bite of chicken. “I also think you might eventually remember more about that day. Something that could help me catch whoever tried to kill my brother.”
She tilted her head to the side. “I thought there was always palace intrigue, someone trying to gain power through the death of another. I’m guessing you don’t want to take your brother’s place?”
“Hell no!” Jual replied with vehemence. “Not on your life. My brother, and he’s actually only my half-brother, needs to stay alive and well. Besides, he has a newborn son, so even if my brother were to die, my nephew would take control of the country.”
“But not for a long time. Wouldn’t you rule in your nephew’s place until he’s old enough and wise enough to take power?”
Jual shook his head. “I suppose that’s what should happen, but I would more than likely form an advisory board. I don’t want that kind of power or that kind of confinement.”
“What do you mean?”
Jual smiled, a strange look for him. “I protect what’s mine, Sonya. My family, the people that are important to me, I keep them safe. But I don’t want to rule.”
She shivered, wondering what else he might want to possess. The thought that she’d like to be his popped into her mind and she was so stunned by that possibility that she had trouble breathing for a long moment.
“And you still aren’t eating,” he said, pointing his fork towards the food. “Tell me about your job.”
Sonya was relieved to finally have a subject that didn’t have any hidden meanings or stressful undercurrents. As an elementary school teacher, she absolutely loved her job. She told him about her students, about their excitement on the first day of school and then how relieved they always were to get out for the winter and summer breaks. She loved teaching, loved the expressions of wonder on her students’ little faces when they finally understood something. “I teach first grade, so it’s the time when some of the kids already know how to read and others are still struggling. It is great to see them progress during that journey.”
She told him stories about her favorite kids, or the ones who were having problems. And what amazed her was that he listened. It seemed as if he was genuinely interested in her stories.
When she realized what time it was, she looked down, embarrassed to have monopolized the evening so completely. “I’m sorry. You’re probably sick of hearing about the escapades of my students.”
“Not at all. It is refreshing to hear about someone who love
s her job.”
She smiled but looked away, unable to hold the intensity of his gaze. “I’m sure you have other priorities on your time.”
He glanced at his watch. “I don’t, but you need sleep. I’ll come get you in the morning for breakfast if that is convenient?”
She shook her head. “No need,” she told him, standing up and feeling relieved that her muscles held her upright once again. They would start to wobble soon, but for the moment, she was steady. She cinched in the tie to the robe, painfully conscious that she had nothing on underneath. His eyes told her that he was conscious of that fact as well and her whole body heated.
Thankfully, he didn’t mention her lack of clothing, proceeding on as if she were completely dressed. “There’s every need,” he said and came around the table. Taking her hand, he kissed her knuckles gently. “Until tomorrow morning,” he said. A moment later, he’d disappeared and she was standing there by the table looking at the now-empty doorway.
Sonya had no idea what was going on, why she was here or why he was spending so much time with her. She suspected he carried a great deal of responsibility on those broad shoulders. So why was he spending time with her? Listening to her drone on about her students and helping her to bathe?
She walked over to the large bed, still blushing at the memory of his heated eyes looking at her as she stood in the shower area. She slipped beneath the sheets and, because he was no longer around and she felt “safe”, her mind wondered about how it might feel to have him touch her with more than just his eyes.
Chapter 2
“What’s going on?” Najid demanded, walking into Jual’s office the following morning.
Jual looked up from the report he’d been reviewing, surprised to find his brother so agitated. “Stock markets are behaving normally. The southern border remains strong after the incidents last week. I have people looking into the break-in at the laboratory, the factories have increased production by twelve percent and the value of the currency is holding steady.”
Najid rolled his eyes, irritated that Jual was being so obtuse. “You know what I’m asking.”
Jual suppressed a smile. “Yes. But I enjoy irritating you.”
Najid lifted a dark eyebrow, so similar to Jual’s but definitely different. Their father’s genes were evident in both men. “Why is she still here? Do you suspect her of participating?”
Jual stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m keeping her here until I’m sure.”
“So you have doubts?”
“No.”
“Then she’s here for another reason?”
Jual didn’t like where this conversation was going. “I have my reasons for keeping her here. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Najid wasn’t sure he liked this situation. “You know if Ana finds out an American is here, she’ll want to meet her. If there’s a danger…”
“No. Sonya won’t hurt Ana.”
Najid was quiet as he contemplated that answer. “Can you guarantee that?”
“Yes.”
Najid glared at his brother. “Then why the hell is she still here?”
Jual glared right back, not intimidated in any way. “Leave it alone,” he snapped.
The two large men stood like that for a long moment, neither giving in. The tension was so thick, the other soldiers and analysts in the adjacent rooms moved back, not sure if these two might come to blows. Jual was aware of their movements. He was aware of everything in his surroundings and, if he had a sense of humor, he might have found their anxiety amusing. Jual would never hurt Najid even though they enjoyed their weekly battles in the gym.
Suddenly, Najid grinned. “I get it,” he said and his shoulders relaxed.
Jual didn’t like the superior expression in his brother’s features. “You don’t get anything,” he snapped right back.
Najid threw his head back and laughed. “You like her,” he teased.
Najid was right, but Jual didn’t want his brother pointing that out. “You’re losing it.”
Najid only nodded his head. “You like her a lot.”
“She’s here so that I can get information out of her. No other reason.”
“Right,” his brother said with another chuckle. “I’ll tell Ana that she can visit. I’m guessing that Ms. Heigher will be a guest of the palace for a while.”
Jual glared at his brother’s back as the man walked out of the security office, furious that his brother had dared to say something so ridiculous. “This is just an investigation, you ass,” he mumbled so that the other analysts wouldn’t hear. But Najid heard him and laughed harder. Thankfully, the older brother had walked out of the office at that moment so there was no violence.
But nor was he going to allow the lovely little woman to leave the palace. He didn’t care what kind of teasing his brother tossed at him, Jual wanted answers. And the pretty Sonya had them locked away in her brain. He knew she’d seen something that day. He just had to get her relaxed enough to think back on the details.
With that intention in mind, he walked out of the security office himself, tossing out orders to his commanders as he left. It was time for breakfast, he thought with relish.
And it was time to find out what the lovely Sonya looked like when she first woke up in the morning. He was going to find out eventually, he thought. But next time, he was going to have more of a first-hand knowledge.
When he arrived at her doorway, he knocked and waited. When she didn’t answer, he started to worry. She’d been pretty weak last night. Maybe she’d fallen on the way to her bed. Or maybe her head injury was worse than the doctors thought! Hell, he shouldn’t have left her last night. Every instinct in him had told him to stay with her, to watch over her. But her reactions in the bathroom earlier had told him that she was too shy to handle his presence in the room all night.
Something she seriously needed to get over, he thought as he pushed his way through the doorway.
He stopped just inside and listened, his whole body attentive to the sounds of the room. She was in the bathroom, he thought, then froze…listening. She was singing! She was singing in the shower and she sounded amazing! His body hardened as he stood there in the middle of the suite, just listening to her soft, soprano voice. He pictured her in the shower, her eyes closed as she sang the love song, her hands shampooing her hair or sliding the shower gel down her curves.
He was still standing there a moment later when the water shut off and he almost growled with frustration since her singing stopped. He wanted to storm into the bathroom and demand that she continue her song, to serenade him longer. Her voice, the song, soothed something inside of him that he hadn’t even realized was angry.
When he heard movement in the bathroom, movement indicating that she was towelling herself off, he took a breath and recalled his mission. He needed information. And he needed it fast. Something inside of him warned him that she was the key to figuring out who had tried to kill his brother. He had a responsibility to get that information out of her. Which meant she needed to trust him, to relax around him and feel as if she could tell him what she knew.
He felt a small stab of guilt over using her just for information, but deep down inside, he knew that there was more to her presence here in the palace. Hell, even Najid had grasped that.
“Oh!” Sonya gasped when she stepped out of the bathroom to find Jual standing there, looking furious. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, not sure what she’d done wrong. His hands were fisted by his sides and he looked like he wanted to tear someone’s head off of their body. “Did I violate palace protocol in some way?” she asked.
Jual jerked slightly, then shook his head. “No. Of course not. I just came in to make sure you were okay and to invite you to breakfast.”
She stepped backwards, leaning against the doorframe to support herself on her shaky legs, not sure about his mood. “You seem angry.”
Jual almost laughed, unaware of how his studiously passive face look
ed furious. “I’m not angry.”
Sonya didn’t believe him, but she wasn’t brave enough to challenge him again. “Okay. Then you’re not angry. And I didn’t do anything to make you angry. So…I’m just going to go over there and grab my jeans and a shirt, if you don’t mind. Then I’ll get dressed.”
Jual looked over at the large duffel bag that had been brought to her suite. Shaking his head, he dismissed the clothes in the duffel bag. “You’ve lost too much weight to wear your old clothes. I’ve arranged for a new wardrobe to be delivered to you. The clothes are hanging in the closet.” With that announcement, he took her hand and led her over to the closet. When she stumbled slightly as she tried to keep up with his longer stride, he simply lifted her into his arms. Looking down at her, he said, “I apologize, Sonya. I forgot that your legs are not yet strong enough.”
Sonya was so startled by the gentleness in his eyes, her breath caught in her throat. “I’m really okay,” she told him, but her arm tightened around his neck.
“You’re more than okay,” he replied back, his voice hoarse.
Her long lashes fell down over her eyes and Sonya felt a warmth steal through her with his words. “Thank you.”
“Pick out what you’d like to wear,” he said as he set her down in the extremely large closet that was partially filled with clothes.
“These can’t all be for me,” she said, noticing that they still had tags on them. “Were they for someone else?”
“No. I sent your picture to a designer in Paris. These clothes were delivered last night.”
Sonya gasped and dropped the sleeve she’d been touching. “From Paris?! I can’t wear these clothes!”
“Why not?” Jual demanded and took out a soft pink sweater with a pair of black slacks that he suspected would look beautiful on her.
She looked up at him, not understanding why or how all of these clothes had appeared. “Well, because they aren’t mine.”