Royal Lockdown

by Rebecca York

  She slid across the space between them and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Ariana,” he gasped, just before she covered his lips with hers. He was a man with a strong will, and she felt his resistance. But she didn’t break the kiss. As she moved her lips against his, she felt resistance crumple. Soon he was returning the kiss, urgently, possessively.

  In a secret part of her mind, she had feared that he didn’t want her. That he had only been responding to a crazy situation that gave him possession of a princess for one night.

  To her vast relief, she had found out that wasn’t the problem. He had tried his best to be strong, to do the right thing—for both of them.

  She raised her head and pulled far enough away so that she could look up at him. In a voice she couldn’t quite hold steady, she said, “Shane, I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

  “You just met me.”

  Somehow she managed to make herself say, “Am I wrong about the way you feel? If I am, then I guess I’ve made a fool of myself after all.”

  He cursed under his breath, then gathered her close. “You know I love you,” he growled. “I fell in love with you when I saw you standing on the other side of the reception room.”

  “Thank God,” she breathed.

  “But we have to be realistic. You’re a princess. I came from a dysfunctional family that lived on the wrong side of the tracks.”

  “That may be where you came from. But you made yourself into a security expert and a millionaire.”

  “That doesn’t make me a suitable husband for the heir to the throne of Beau Pays.”

  “I think it does.”

  She saw from his expression that he wasn’t going to cave in yet.

  “Maybe you don’t have a choice about whom you marry,” he said.

  “I’m going to make sure I do.”

  She could still feel his hesitation. “Do I have to seduce you again?” she asked, taking his hand and kissing his fingertips before lowering them to her breast, sliding them over her erect nipple. “Look what you do to me. Just your touch.”

  He shuddered “You’re not playing fair.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to convince you.”

  He lifted his hand away from her, and she felt her insides clench. But instead of moving away, he slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

  “I love you,” he said, his voice soft and intimate.

  “But we both have to be realists. Five years from now we could end up hating each other.”

  “Why?” she challenged.

  “Because I wouldn’t be any good at playing the part of a ceremonial husband. I can’t sit around a palace while you go to committee meetings. And I can’t spend my working life going to hospital openings and flower shows walking two paces behind you.”

  “I’d never ask you to be a…a lapdog. I know that kind of life would poison our relationship. I’d expect you to keep up your business.”

  He gave her a direct look. “If I work as a security expert, I’ll have to be away on assignments when I’m installing systems.”

  “I understand that.”

  “You’re not just agreeing because you want me to go along with your plans?”

  “I wouldn’t do that.” She kept her gaze steady. “I know you too well. I feel like we lived half a lifetime together tonight.”

  “Yes.”

  “I understand that trying to be a ceremonial husband would kill your spirit.”

  He heaved in a breath and let it out slowly. “You’re tempting me beyond endurance.”

  “Thank God.”

  “But I’m not going to agree until we get your father’s permission.”

  She felt her mouth go dry, but she realized he was right. Her father was the king, and he could still make it impossible for her to have the man she loved.

  “All right,” she said in a small voice.

  The door compartment beside her housed a cell phone, among other amenities. Picking it up, she dialed the code that would give her a connection to the palace.

  “Hans?” she said, when her father’s private secretary came on the line.

  “Your Majesty,” the man said as soon as he recognized her voice. “We were so worried about you.”

  “I’m fine. But I need to speak to my father. Can you get me a connection to him?”

  “Certainly.”

  She sat there with her heart pounding and reached for Shane’s hand to steady herself. She had been taught diplomacy. The lessons had been just a theory. Now she was facing a crucial test of her training.

  When her father came on the line, she hung on to Shane with a death grip.

  “Ariana? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” she repeated, then added, “thanks to Shane Peters.”

  “Shane Peters. My old friend?” her father asked.

  “Yes. He was at the reception. He’s the only reason I’m not dead.”

  Her father made a strangled sound. “It’s horrible to think of you caught in that trap.”

  “Did they tell you it was Liam Shea and his sons who took us captive?”

  “Yes. Did it have something to do with Barik?”

  “Yes. I can tell you more about it later. The important point is that Shane got me out. He hid me from Shea and his sons when they told the guests they were going to start killing someone every ten minutes—starting with me.”

  Her father gasped.

  “I’m all right. Because of Shane.”

  “He’s a good man to have around in an emergency,” her father said, and she heard tears in his voice.

  Ariana knew when to press her advantage. “Shane didn’t just rescue me. He rescued the Beau Pays sapphire. We have it with us.”

  “We?”

  “Yes. He’s here with me.”

  “Why didn’t you say so? Let me speak to him. I want to thank him for saving my daughter and the sapphire.”

  She felt the tension radiating from Shane, and she knew he could hear the conversation.

  “In a minute,” she said, then felt herself swallow hard. “He’s here because I asked him to marry me.”

  She heard her father’s exclamation of shock.

  “That’s—”

  Before he could say anything he couldn’t take back, she quickly finished the sentence. “A surprise to you. I understand why. You’re just hearing the news under very difficult circumstances. But I’ve thought very hard about the consequences.”

  “You’ve only known the man for a few hours!” her father said, using the same argument that Shane had given her.

  “Yes. But you’ve known him for years. You know his character. You know his abilities. You know he has honor and integrity.”

  She watched Shane’s face contort, and she was sure he was thinking about the way he’d stolen the sapphire.

  She wondered if she’d gone too far when her father’s tone turned patient. A bad sign. At the moment, she’d rather face his anger. “And I know he might have trouble fitting into the rigid life of your consort.”

  “I think Shane and I can work that out together.”

  “Ariana, you must marry for life. I’m not going to have the stain of a divorce on our family.”

  “You won’t.”

  Her father had taught her to stand up for her people. He had also taught her eloquence. Tonight she was standing up for herself—and using every persuasive technique she had ever learned. “After we escaped from the tower, one of the Shea brothers came after us. Shane and I worked together to save our lives. We got to understand each other very well. The danger we shared was a shortcut to a very solid relationship. And that made me realize that I’ll be a far better queen if I have a man beside me I know I can count on in every way. He’s perfect for me.” She laughed. “And you’ll get something out of it, too. He showed me the security for the sapphire was sadly lacking. But if he’s in Beau Pays with me, we’ll have one of the world’s top security experts on our staf
f—for a nominal fee.” She glanced at Shane and saw him give her a surprised look.

  “Do you agree to that?” she mouthed.

  “Of course.”

  “Let me speak to him,” her father said, using the tone that meant he expected to be obeyed. She went rigid, but Shane reached for the phone and pried it out of her stiff fingers.

  “Did you hear all that?” the king asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Do you love my daughter?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And you think you can live in the fishbowl of a European court?”

  “If I can continue my security business and use my work as a way to keep up my old connections.”

  “You’re making conditions.”

  “I have to. Otherwise the marriage won’t work.”

  “You always knew your own mind.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The long pause at the other end of the line made Ariana’s breath freeze in her lungs. She knew that pause. It came before King Frederick said something of utmost importance.

  “Shane, I’ve always admired you. I admire my daughter, too.”

  She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a high cliff with the wind whistling around her as she waited for her father’s next words to Shane.

  “And I know Ariana has a level head. If she thinks this is the best course for herself and for Beau Pays, then I believe her.”

  She had just breathed out a sigh when Shane spoiled her feeling of relief.

  “I don’t want to push you into anything,” he said. “Our marriage would affect your kingdom on the highest level.”

  Ariana made a strangled sound. “Whose side are you on, anyway?” she asked.

  “I have to give him a chance to think about this.”

  “Are you trying to figure out a way to back out of marrying me?” she demanded.

  “No.”

  Ariana was so focused on Shane that she forgot that her father was listening, until he cleared his throat.

  “Is this your first fight?” King Frederick asked.

  “No,” they both said.

  “Then I’ll be offering congratulations in person in…” Her father paused and spoke to someone in the background. “In three hours.”

  “We’ll be waiting for you,” Ariana said.

  Shane handed the phone to Ariana, who said goodbye to her father, then clicked off.

  When she had replaced the instrument, she turned to Shane. “Are you satisfied that he’s agreed?”

  “Yes.”

  Before they could continue the conversation, the speaker inside the passenger compartment cracked to life.

  “Your Highness, we’ve arrived at the safe house where you can wait for your father’s plane to land,” the limousine driver said.

  Shane was the one who answered. “Thank you. We’ll be in here for a little while. Why don’t you go in and relax.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The intercom clicked off. Then the driver’s door opened and closed again.

  They were parked under an emergency light, so Ariana could see the interior of the car through the blackout windows.

  When she turned back to Shane, she studied the sudden tension in his face. “What does that expression mean?”

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  He sounded so grave that her throat tightened. “Something bad?” she managed to ask.

  “Something you need to know. A secret part of my life.”

  She felt her breath hitch. “You don’t go around stealing jewels for a living, do you?”

  “No. But I belong to a clandestine organization that takes on special jobs the CIA, FBI and Special Forces won’t touch. Nobody but the other men who work with me know who we are. Even our Pentagon contact doesn’t have our names.”

  “You’re warning me that you might be going into danger.”

  “Yes, but I know how to take care of myself.”

  “And you’re giving me the information in case this changes my decision.”

  He nodded tightly.

  “Well, thank you for telling me,” she answered, then pulled him close and pressed her face to his shoulder. “You were awfully good at saving our lives. I should have known you were still in the game.”

  “Does that worry you?”

  “Some. But it makes our life together all the more precious.”

  “You are one remarkable princess.”

  She snuggled against him and felt him stroke his fingers through her hair before tipping her face up so that their eyes could meet.

  He was smiling as he said, “Maybe we should start working out the details of our new life together.”

  “Here?”

  “You said your time isn’t your own. That you have a lot of state functions and other duties. You’ve learned what you need to know to fill your official role, but you obviously need some training in relaxation techniques and arranging quality time for yourself.”

  She saw his lips quirk as he said that last part.

  Tipping her head to the side, she asked, “Are you teasing me?”

  “I hope not.”

  He pulled her to him, then slanted his lips over hers, playing with her mouth in a way that made her breath quicken. She was instantly hot and needy, but she managed to say, “We can’t make love here.”

  “Oh yeah?” he answered, sliding his hand under her shirt and finding the hard peak of her nipple, which he proceeded to stiffen even more with his thumb and fingers.

  Her breath was shaky, but she managed to say, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  “Am I?”

  She reached out and pushed the button that locked the doors. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be the security expert.”

  “I think I just learned a lesson from my new apprentice.”

  They grinned at each other, then she sobered.

  “What?”

  “Can we really do this here?”

  “We can do anything you want, Your Royal Highness. Highness,” he mused as he began to unbutton her shirt. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “When I was little, I thought it had something to do with my bottom.”

  He laughed out loud, then hugged her to him. “I love finding new reasons why I love you.”

  He brought his mouth back to hers, kissing her with a hunger that fueled her own arousal.

  Before she knew it, he had her shirt off and had lowered his face to her breasts, pleasuring one nipple with his lips and tongue before sucking it into his mouth and playing the other with his strong fingers.

  When he lifted his head, she pushed up his shirt, stroking the wonderful expanse of his chest, then mirroring what he had done to her, elated when she felt his reaction.

  “You like that.”

  “I like everything you do to me.”

  She took that as an invitation. She’d been shy with him the first time they’d made love. Now she murmured, “Lie down.”

  “You’re exercising your royal prerogative?”

  “Yes.”

  He stretched out on the wide leather seat, his long legs hanging off to the side.

  Leaning over him, she unsnapped his jeans, then lowered his zipper. Before she could lose her nerve, she reached under his shorts and clasped him in her hand. He was hard and heavy, and she stroked her hand along his length.

  “Sweetheart, that feels good. Too good.”

  She pushed his shorts out of the way, gazing down at his magnificent sex.

  “Last time, when you asked me to take off my jeans, you wanted me busy, didn’t you? You didn’t want me to look at you and see how big you are.”

  “Yeah.”

  “A good move. I would have been afraid you wouldn’t fit inside me.”

  “But we’ve already found out that we fit together perfectly.” As he spoke, he unsnapped her jeans, lowered the zipper and pushed the garment down. His fingers caressed the territory he had bared, dipping into her fo
lds, sending heat shooting through her.

  He knew how to touch her, how to arouse her beyond endurance.

  “I need you inside me now,” she gasped out.

  “Come here.” He cupped her shoulder, dragging her down against his body. “Let’s see how well you rule,” he murmured. “Put your legs on either side of my hips so you can slide me inside you.”

  She did as he asked, crying out as he filled her.

  “Lean toward me a little,” he asked, as she began to move.

  When he took her breasts in his hands, heat welled within her. And as she moved above him, she felt them both climbing to a high peak of pleasure.

  “So good. That’s so good.” His breath came in harsh gasps as she drove them both to ecstasy.

  The sensations exploded, engulfing her in a fire-storm of pleasure that consumed them both.

  He called out her name, his hips rising as he emptied himself into her.

  She collapsed onto his chest, breathing hard, feeling the pounding of her heart and his.

  He stroked her shoulder, turning his head so that he could kiss her cheek.

  “You’re incredible,” he whispered.

  “With you,” she answered. “Only with you. You’ve taught me so much about life in such a short time.”

  She allowed herself to relax for a few minutes, then lifted her head and looked at the clock on the backseat console. “Oh, Lord, we have to meet my father in an hour and a half. What’s he going to think?”

  “That you and I are going to be very happy together.”

  “But I must look like…”

  He pushed back a damp strand of her blond hair. “Like you’ve been very thoroughly loved.”

  “I’m not supposed to do that before I marry.”

  “Hmm.” He stroked his chin. “I think it’s a little too late to get your virginity back.”

  “Be serious! In the palace we’ll have to be discreet until we’re married.”

  “Then I think we’ll be taking some long rides in the country, because I’ll go crazy if I’m living close to you without making love.”

  “I would, too. But I wouldn’t have dared to do anything about it.”

  “Watch and learn.”

  She giggled, then climbed off him and began gathering up her clothing, still thinking about how she was going to look when she met her father.