by Grady, D. R.
He needed a microbiologist.
He needed an heir.
His plan was to kill two birds with one stone. And that stone even had a name.
Tia Morrison.
Chapter 2
“Tia, there’s a prince to see you,” the department administration assistant hissed at her.
Tia jumped and stared into the bug eyes of Joan Smithton, the dictator who ran the department. “What?”
“There’s a prince to see you,” Joan repeated and her tone indicated Tia had better not embarrass them.
She blinked and had to swallow the bile that rose to choke her. She’d changed her cell phone number. She still contemplated moving. How had he found her?
“Oh.” She tried desperately to think of a plausible way to dodge Aleksi, but with Joan glaring at her with those bug eyes, the light reflecting off her large glasses, hair wisping in the air conditioner vent, Tia knew Joan wouldn’t allow her any quarter.
“I’ll send him in,” Joan said and sent her you’d-better-pay-attention-to-him look. Tia recognized that look. She also knew if she failed to meet Joan’s standards, her photocopying wouldn’t happen, her supplies would mysteriously not arrive, and her computers would crash at regular intervals.
Joan’s power was legendary. Her abuse of said power even more so.
How had Aleksi known to use Joan as his ally?
She swallowed, and nodded. Not that she had a choice. Joan did what she wanted – showing little mercy if her department members failed to toe the line.
“Dr. Morrison,” Aleksi-the-fink-prince purred when Joan ushered him into the lab where Tia spent most of her time. She noticed his nose didn’t curl up when he hit the point where the room definitely stank. During an incubator malfunction the bacteria housed inside had pretty much exploded. Not as breath stealing as tetanus, but stinky nonetheless.
The stench clung to your clothes if you hung out beside the incubator too long, even after three thorough cleanings. His nose twitched a bit, but that merely indicated he did have a normal sense of smell.
“Prince Aleksi,” she answered, through teeth set on edge. This man hadn’t had time for her in college. She’d been a mere freshman, and not beautiful enough to complete his entourage. Nerds and princes didn’t mix, apparently.
His “friends” had been a compilation of the most beautiful and successful people on campus. That meant he’d never talked to her then, not once, even though they shared two or three classes. Not that she had a crush on him. Not for long, anyway.
Disgust had led her to despise the man instead. Right now, Tia worked to draw on that disgust and despising, because goodness knew, she was drowning in her own hormones. Macy’s question floated back to haunt her, “Why did you give him your phone number?” Tia still couldn’t figure that out. He must have short-circuited her common sense. Exactly like he was doing now.
All of her girls started a girly cheer for him. Tia made a point to mute the cheerleading chant. A girl who grew up in a household of all boys didn’t cheer. She didn’t even mention anything associated with cheerleading within a thirty mile radius.
Not if she wanted to survive her already brutal high school years.
“You have been busy?”
“Yes, always,” she said and tried to shut up the cheerleaders in her head. They definitely wanted to rumble with Prince Aleksi. This couldn’t be happening. It was a nightmare.
“I thought that must be so. You have not been answering your mobile phone.” His accent was killing her. No man should be granted such a deep, smooth, European flavored voice.
Tia worked industrially to keep from drooling on him. Drooling wouldn’t create the picture of a professional, and that’s all she had at the moment. She had a Ph.D., for goodness sake. Handling a prince with dark curls, deep brown, almost black, heavily lashed eyes, and the most perfect body she had ever fantasized about shouldn’t be this hard. But it was. Tia suppressed a whimper and the overwhelming need to hide in one of the bench cupboards.
“I changed my number,” she blurted before thinking.
His eyebrows soared. “Oh? You did not wish to receive calls from me, perhaps?”
“Not you, I forgot I gave you my number.” Liar, liar, pants on fire, her conscience taunted. “I made the mistake of giving it to some students. And they’re not responsible. I was forced to change the number.” Her voice sounded stifled. That was still professional, right?
“I understand.” He inclined his head in a regal manner and she nearly drowned again. Could she wipe away the drool inconspicuously?
Probably not.
Tia swallowed the worst of the moisture again, afraid now he’d think her a compulsive swallower. Great. She probably resembled some maniacal fish.
“What can I do for you?” she asked, and moved a few feet away from him. She pretended to pick up a tool, a bacterial loop, from further down the bench, but really, she just needed some space between them.
“I wish for you to come to Rurikstan with me.”
Tia stared at him. She managed to close her mouth, as hanging with her jaws open in a lab like hers wasn’t the smartest option. Go home with him? To view his etchings? She sniggered at her own stupidity.
“You’re nuts,” she finally uttered. Tia didn’t know if she was talking to him or herself.
He grinned, a slow, sexy, overwhelmingly male grin that made her swallow convulsively again. The man was going to kill her. And that was bad because then her epitaph would read: Dead by choking on her own drool. It was a distinct and unfortunate possibility because the Apes would think it the funniest joke ever. They’d override her mother to put something so insane on her tombstone just because they could. Then they’d snicker during the graveside service.
“I need you,” he said, his eyes imploring, dark pools of want. Tia squeaked and took another step away from him.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no...
This wasn’t happening. She wandered if her alarm clock was about to go off. That would be fitting. This was a dream. It was only a dream and soon she’d wake up and laugh about the whole situation.
She shook her head, and looked at him, but he didn’t dissolve into the walls of her bedroom. Glancing to the side, she identified the solid benches of her workspace. Nope, not a dream.
Prince Aleksi had just told her he needed her. Oh no. A man worthy of kings had told her he needed her.
Tia groped behind her for a stool and dropped into it. She didn’t care about grace or ladylike behavior. Shell-shocked women didn’t tend to care about those things. Nerds never thought of them.
“Why?” she finally asked. It was one thing for him to need her, but why did he need her? She was insane if she thought this man had flown to her country because he needed her. Insane. Yes that was an excellent summation of the moment.
He sighed and sat on one of the other stools grouped around the bench where she’d been working before Joan made her decree. She noticed he looked tired and a little distressed. Aleksi had never seemed quite human to her before, but now that she saw the lines etched around his mouth and eyes, lines that hadn’t been there so long ago, she realized he was a human with a lot of responsibility.
During that time in school when she hadn’t been beautiful enough for him, she hadn’t thought him human. But now, maturity brought a different perspective. And now he needed her?
Yeah, right, her cynical side scoffed with a decided snort. At least the cheerleaders had been silenced. Her hormones settled into a subdued spatter and she could finally concentrate again. For a man who hadn’t even acknowledged her presence on the same planet, it seemed strange that he was practically begging for her now.
According to the latest poll, conducted just two weeks ago by the Apes, she still qualified as a full-fledged nerd. We have a problem here, Morrison. Nerds didn’t just turn into fairy princesses. They stayed hunched in their labs and worked until they died over their microscopes.
He ran a weary hand through his curls
and Tia snapped her girls back into place. Oh no. Her crush on this man had been short lived and would only be resurrected over her dead body. Which was a definite possibility when he slanted her the sexiest glance she’d ever witnessed.
No, he’s not going to coerce me into anything, she told herself firmly. She was the mistress of her own destiny and some sexy man with a yummy European accent wasn’t going to convince her otherwise.
He did ask for your phone number and you gave it to him, she reminded herself. At the moment, she wasn’t liking herself too much. He’s a freaking prince.
“My people,” he said and his voice cracked. Oh no. Tia was a sucker for cracking voices. Oh my. He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed before he continued. “My people are becoming sick. They cannot drink the water. They cannot bathe, or wash their clothing and dishes. Not unless they boil the water. That is all they can do. Our wells are dying. We’ve treated each well, but the people are still becoming sick.”
He rubbed a weary hand across his brow and Tia hated the interest that raised its curious head. She was worse than her brother Nick’s cat. Curiosity was the other thing that would kill her today.
“You think it’s a bacterial infection that’s killing your wells?”
“I do not know. I haven’t experience in this sort of situation. It could be viral. It could be chemical. We cannot figure out what is wrong. We need to locate what is causing the problem first. Several children and older citizens have died from the water. Plenty more have fallen ill. Our hospitals are overrun. Our medical staff are overworked.”
“Have any of them also contracted the illness?”
He nodded. “In the beginning. One of the doctors ordered me to put on the boiling ordinance. I had already concluded that was necessary.”
She raised a brow. A doctor could order the prince around?
Aleksi must have caught her thought because he sent her a weary grin. It somehow weakened her knees. And she was seated. “He delivered me. Dr. Mahon is allowed to order even my mother about.”
She nodded. Okay, that made sense. “You need me to come to your country and fix your wells?”
“Yes,” he answered emphatically.
Figured. He didn’t want her, Tia Morrison, in all her nerdy womanliness. He wanted Dr. Morrison, microbiologist. The even bigger nerd.
“I need you,” he repeated, his voice almost pleading.
Tia closed her eyes, wishing he wanted her, the woman. But of course not. The woman was a nerd. Not princess material.
“What do you say? Tia, will you please come and help my people?”
She opened her eyes and stared into the dark enticing depths of his. He’d asked for her phone number. For a brief moment in time, she thought he was interested in her, the woman.
As she stared into his gorgeous dark eyes, Tia knew if she agreed to go with him, she had to make a decision. She might be a nerd, but darn it, she was a good one.
If she went with Prince Aleksi, House of de Leos of Rurikstan, she’d be not only a nerd. But a bad nerd. Bad nerds got things done. And right now the only thing she could think of was kissing this man’s socks off.
Better watch out Mr. Prince. Tia Morrison, bad nerd that she was, planned to prowl. Just as soon as she figured out what that meant.
Chapter 3
Aleksi savored the brief moment of euphoria at accomplishing his goal. He had actually convinced Tia to accompany him to his home. It proved more difficult than he ever expected. She had been... what was the American term? Yes, that was it, hardnosed. A quality he never anticipated. He suspected she had many qualities he hadn’t encountered yet, but he was certainly looking forward to discovering them.
Such as – he had never suspected that the environment in which she worked was so stinky. None of the strange and unappealing odors of her lab clung to her, thankfully. He glanced around and saw lots of lab equipment he couldn’t identify, but at the moment, that didn’t matter.
So long as she could tell him what was wrong with his wells, he would be a happy man. And stealing a few kisses before convincing her she’d love to settle in his homeland... That would have to wait. Right now he had succeeded in convincing her to come home with him. That was enough. For now.
Could Tia handle him and his country?
***
“I can’t believe I just accepted advice from a six-year-old,” Tia said with a groan. She clutched the phone and flopped back onto her couch, wondering what in the world she was thinking.
“Starla isn’t just any six-year-old, and she’ll be seven soon,” Macy answered in a soothing tone. Tia imagined her sister-in-law was probably making supper, folding laundry, studying for an exam, and talking to her all at the same time. Ever since she accepted the nanny job for Nick’s four kids, she had taken over the household. Since then, she and Nick married and Macy now attended vet school. A dream of hers for years. [Macy’s Parade – Book 6 – The Morrison Family Series]
“She’s still a kid, and I’m taking advice from her.”
“You know, I’m not sure Starla is a kid. She’s more like an adult trapped in a kid’s body.”
Tia thought about that. “Yes, that’s true. She does know how to play the male of the species.”
“That she does. So she advised you to go to Rurikstan?”
“She did. Savannah agreed with her.” Tia stared at the dust coating her bookshelf.
“And are you?”
“I told him I’d come. His wells need me.”
“What about him?”
Tia frowned. “What about him?”
“Does he need you?”
Tia frowned even as her heart leapt at that possibility. “I wish.” Why couldn’t Starla and Savannah offer an acceptable answer for that colossal question?
“I can’t imagine a prince needing me,” Macy said.
Tia laughed. “You’re married and have four kids.”
“Yes, my life is quite a bit different than yours.”
“And you’re attending vet school. How’s that going, by the way?”
“I love it. Of course, we’re only a few weeks into the semester, but I think it’s going to work.”
“The housekeeper is working out?”
“Oh yes. I couldn’t do this without her. So, you see, Tia, things do work out. This prince begging you to come to his country isn’t a bad thing.” Macy’s voice was droll.
Tia entertained visions of Aleksi begging her for things besides fixing his wells. Her girls started cheering again, complete with pom poms and she scowled at the phone receiver.
“Knock it off,” she scolded.
“What?” Macy sounded distracted, which was good, because Tia didn’t want to explain her over-anxious and over-stimulated hormones to her sister-in-law.
“Talking to myself,” she mumbled, in the hopes Macy didn’t press for details.
“Oh, we have a lot of that around here.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve visited the Nick Morrison household. I swore never to do so again,” Tia vowed.
Macy laughed. “Chicken.”
“I think I’ll go wrestle with the handsome prince.” Tia wished for things she couldn’t have.
“Wrestle? That involves full body contact.” Macy’s voice took on a silky quality.
Tia’s body temperature rose to alarming heights. “That’s not funny,” Tia all but snarled. But Macy howled and soon Riley their Malamute, joined in. Tia rested her forehead in her palm, wondering if she should just crawl into some convenient closet somewhere and stay there until the world became a friendly place again.
***
The embodiment of his princess, Tia Morrison, sat opposite him, flipping through a huge tome, one of several she lugged on the flight. She’d been engrossed in them since before the plane took off. Not so much as a word had she spoken since they boarded. A shame, because he liked her voice.
Aleksi thought maybe someone had harassed her before she arrived because she looked a bit frazzled when the
flight attendant showed her to her seat. Not that looking a little worn around the edges had done anything to detract from her beauty. Not at all. He couldn’t imagine a more beautiful woman.
“Did someone give you trouble about accompanying me?” He couldn’t stand not knowing.
She glanced up from the book open on her lap with glazed eyes. “Pardon?”
He repeated the question.
Tia shrugged and shut the book with a snap. “I wouldn’t say trouble, but some family members didn’t seem to think it was a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know,” she said and stared at the ceiling. She shrugged again. “I told them I knew you from college, and that appeased my mother.”
“What about your father?”
“I told him you needed me to figure out what’s wrong with your wells.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That eased his mind?”
“Once he figured out this is just a consulting job, if you will, he was fine with my leaving.”
Aleksi didn’t like the idea of that. She wasn’t on a mere consulting trip. Of course, he hadn’t offered that information yet. He didn’t intend to until after he had her firmly ensconced in his home. And then only after a few days. Or a week, perhaps.
Then he’d tell her he had other plans for her besides his wells. Yes, he needed her to figure out what infected the water, but he also had that pesky little heir problem, too.
“Do you have siblings?”
One side of her mouth lifted. “Yes. Three older brothers. My sister-in-law and two nieces advised me to come.”
He liked those three ladies already.
“Your brothers are a... trial?”
Tia gave a delicate, lady-like snort. “You could say that. The Apes have tormented me from the time I was born.”
“The Apes?” he echoed. The image in his head wasn’t comforting, as they had a national zoo and picturing the huge, human-like animals as members of Tia’s family was disconcerting.