by Leslie North
“Ha, sure.”
“Now, that looks like you,” James said to Tanya as they approached the peacocks. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I look like a peacock?” she asked him.
“Yes.” He stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at her legs. Her short sundress showed off her nice, shapely legs.
“Why?” She asked him.
“Because peacocks are beautiful.”
Tanya smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. She did not say anything to him but he knew that she liked the compliment. Most women would have died if a prince called them beautiful but of course, Tanya, being the complete opposite to most women, she did not thank him or even say anything. Instead, she whipped out her phone to take more pictures. James took the phone from her and wrapped his arms around her. He had her back pressed firmly against his chest.
“What are you doing?” she asked him. He angled the phone and took a photo of himself and Tanya.
“Taking a picture of course,” he said. Tanya laughed in response.
“You have been dying for this picture,” she said. He laughed and gave her back her phone. They finally left the zoo and headed back to the car. Just before they exited the zoo, they stopped at a little souvenir shop.
“We should buy something,” he said to her.
“Like what?”
“A souvenir of course.”
“You want a souvenir?”
“No, I want to buy you one.”
“Why?”
“When you go to a different place, you buy a souvenir don't you?” He looked at Tanya, as she stared at him perplexed. It intrigued him. Most women loved it when he spent money on them, but she stood there trying to figure out why he would.
“I guess,” Tanya replied vaguely as they started looking at the items for sale. There were cups, pens, stuffed animals, key rings, t-shirts.
“What do you want?” James asked her.
“Nothing really.”
He looked at her with a narrowed gaze. She laughed. “Pick for me then,” she said.
“Okay, let’s get one of each.”
“Oh my gosh, James do not do that.”
“Why not?”
“That is a waste of money. Okay look, let’s get a key ring.”
“Only a key ring?”
“Yes.” Tanya picked a random key ring but James took the ring and put it back.
“At least pick a cute one,” he said. Tanya laughed and allowed him to pick out one for her. He picked out a peacock key ring. “Because you are like a peacock,” he reminded her. She smiled and rolled her eyes.
After they bought the souvenir, they went to the car. After such a long time in the sun, it would be nice to go sit in a cool café, plus he was anxious for Hussain to meet Tanya. When they arrived, the driver got out of the car as always and opened the door for them.
“Where are we now?” she asked him.
“My cousin’s café,” he replied.
“Very nice,” she said as she followed him inside. The interior of the café was like no other. The flooring was from quarter-sawn oak and cut into wide planks with notches instead of nails keeping the boards together much like puzzle pieces.
For seats, there were a combination of black leather sofas and low-backed leather chairs, which were light brown and black. The tables were made of light brown marble with black legs. The roof was dome shaped. He looked at Tanya and smiled as he watched her face light up with pleasure.
“This place is amazing,” she said to him.
“I'll introduce you to the owner,” he said as Hussain approached. The two men greeted each other. “This is my cousin Hussain and this is Miss Tanya,” he said as Tanya smiled at him.
“Hello,” Tanya said with a smile. He kissed her on both cheeks.
“She is Rene's friend,” James added.
“Hello, it is nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Tanya said. “You have a lovely place,” she continued.
“I am glad that you like it. It’s one of my many businesses. Please, follow me,” he said as he led them to a table. There were few people in the café, but they all seemed to notice James and nodded to him. Hussain disappeared when they sat down.
“What is good here?”
“Everything,” he replied with a grin. “Especially me,” he said as Tanya rolled her eyes.
“Okay then,” she said. A waitress appeared with some coffee and baked treats. “They look good,” she said and picked up a fork. She cut herself a tiny piece and tasted it.
“Good isn't it?” James asked her.
“It is.”
“I told you.”
“Stop gloating, you were not the one that baked it.”
“Why are you always so mean to me?”
“What?” Tanya frowned at him.
“You are either sarcastic or-” before he finished speaking, Tanya started laughing.
“I'm sorry but I cannot take you seriously right now. I have never been mean to you, James,” Tanya took a sip of her coffee and smiled as she swallowed it.
“I taste better,” he said to her. He burst into laughter when he saw her facial expression. “Relax,” he said.
“You have issues,” she said with a smile on her face.
“Tell me about yourself.” James was interested in knowing what she was all about. Tanya told him that she had known Rene since high school and they were roommates since they went to university together. She had studied forensic accounting, but was presently working nights for a company in their customer service department because it currently paid better than an entry level position and she had student loans to pay off.
“There really isn't much to say,” Tanya shrugged her shoulders. James had been studying her as she spoke. She was so beautiful and he loved the sound of her voice.
“There is a lot to say,” he said slowly.
“Like what?”
“Are you seeing anyone over there?”
“No.” Tanya narrowed her gaze at him.
“That is hard to believe. Tell me more about your job.”
“You want to hear about that?” she asked him. James nodded. Tanya sighed before she started speaking.
The two of them sat together for hours just talking about everything. Tanya answered every question that James threw at her. He listened to her and studied her as she spoke. He answered some of the questions she had for him. They even watched the video of the monkeys at the zoo and laughed about it.
“I cannot believe you recorded that,” James said to her.
“I told you, I am going to share it with Joshua and Rene,” she said.
“I cannot wait to see Joshua's face when he sees that.”
“So, you are the younger twin?”
“I am. Can't you tell?”
“I can, you are more immature.”
James narrowed his gaze at her. “The younger sibling is always the better looking one,” he said and ran his hand through his wavy, jet-black hair.
“Pssh,” Tanya rolled her eyes at him. “Whoever said that, lied,” she added.
“Do you have any siblings?” he asked her.
“An older brother.”
“See, you made my point, the younger one is better looking.”
“You have not even seen my brother.”
“I do not have to. I already know you're the better looking one.” He stared at her with an intense gaze as Tanya smiled at him. He decided that he wanted to see her smile more often. Especially if he was the cause.
“Your princely charms do not affect me,” she said.
“There are no princely charms. I am just being honest.” She was beautiful indeed. Her hazel eyes sparkled with life. Her lips were so tempting that he wanted to bite them gently and kiss them. She smelled good and her skin was soft. Her curly hair suited her even if it did seem to have a life of its own. She was gorgeous and he wanted her. Every second that he spent with her, his desire for her grew.
Chapter 7
One of the waitresses came to their table to ask if they needed anything else. The entire time she was speaking to them, she was looking at James. She kept smiling and trying to get his attention. Tanya covered her mouth and coughed to mask her laugh. It was not surprising, after all he was a prince, a good looking one at that.
James helped Tanya up from her seat when it was time to leave. She hated to admit how much of a gentleman he had been to her throughout the day. He had been good company and he was incredibly funny. Yes, he was conceited and always made references to sex but there was a different side to him that she found she liked and she was interested in seeing more of that side.
“Thank you,” she said to him. He nodded and led her towards the door. The waitresses all stopped to watch them leave. It seemed as though they were sizing up Tanya and wondering who she was.
“Hussain,” James shouted and waved to him. Hussain nodded at James and smiled at Tanya.
“See you later!” Tanya called out and waved to him. “He seems nice,” she said to James.
“Yes, we’ve been best friends for years. He’s a bit of a control freak though.”
“Worse than Joshua?”
“Are you kidding? He makes Joshua look laid-back and relaxed,” James told her as he laughed. “It’s not that everything has to be perfect with him. It’s that everything MUST be done HIS way,” he added with emphasis, as he shook his head. “If you ask me, it’s a waste of energy to be so controlling.”
Tanya and James climbed into the Bentley continuing their conversation and banter as they travelled back to the palace. Tanya was having a wonderful time as she listened to him talk. He was asking about her life and he seemed to be interested. “Do you ever listen to music when you are in the car?” she asked him.
“I do.”
“And what kind of music do you listen to?”
“Arabic music.”
“That is a given. Anything else?”
“A little classical once in a while.”
“Ew.” Tanya really did not like classical music.
“And what is wrong with classical music?” James asked her.
“It's boring.”
“It most certainly is not. What do you listen to?” She turned her head to face him.
“I listen to different kinds of music. I am open-minded,” she said with a grin.
“Anything except classical music.”
“Exactly.”
The maids opened the doors for James and Tanya when they arrived back at the palace, greeting James with a deep bow and Tanya a slight bow. The two of them headed upstairs. Tanya stretched her arms when they reached the top of the stairs.
“You cannot be tired,” he said to her.
“I am, it has been a long day,” she replied. Part of her did not want to part company with him. They had been having such a good time. He walked her back to her room.
“So are you enjoying your stay here?” he asked her.
“Yeah,” Tanya nodded. “It’s been great,” she added. They reached her door.
“Here, we are.”
“Yes.”
They stared at each other for a moment neither one saying anything. They just stared. Tanya felt her heart beating faster as she reflexively licked her lips. James was staring at her with such an intense gaze. She saw his jaw twitch and his gaze grow darker.
Before she could even think or say anything, he stepped up to her and pressed his soft lips against hers. She gasped and pushed him away as she touched her lips in surprise. This was the second time that he had tried to kiss her.
James looked at her with so much desire and fire in his eyes that Tanya felt as though her knees would buckle. Her mind told her to escape to the safety of her bedroom but her legs betrayed her and she could not move.
Her breathing became heavy as she felt herself grow dizzy. James moved towards her again and successfully pressed his lips against her’s. This time she did not fight him off. She had no more will power left. His lips were soft and warm as Tanya’s whole body reacted to him instantly and she leaned against him.
He gently and slowly caressed her lips with his as his hands cupped her face. Lifting his head, he looked down at her, as he smiled gently. The way he was looking at her, Tanya wasn’t sure what to think as she had never seen that look before. This wasn’t the conceited Prince James looking at her, this was the James who fed stray cats and made large donations to zoos. This was the James that she liked.
He rubbed her lower lip with his thumb as she opened her mouth in surprise. His touch made her lip tingle, as she went up on her toes to kiss him. He gently parted her lips to explore her mouth. Tanya gasped and clung to his shirt as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She leaned against his hard body as her arms wound their way around his neck. He pressed her back against the door as he held her head still.
She kept her eyes closed as she let the sensations he was creating wash over her. She could not think. She could only feel and she felt good. She liked the feeling of his hard body against her’s. Breaking the kiss, he trailed kisses from her neck to her collar bone as she squirmed with pleasure.
Tanya felt his arousal pressed against her as sparks of pleasure continued to make her body tingle in response. Her legs gave out and he was fully supporting her as she clung to him. It was all she could do to keep from reaching behind her to open the door and drag him into her bedroom; however, she knew better. Mustering any remaining will power, she pushed James away from her.
“Stop,” she said. She was breathing heavily as she ran her hand through her curls to tame her arousal. James was also breathing hard as he looked at her.
“You want me to stop?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she replied to him. He looked at her unconvinced, as she tried to pull herself together. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted any man in her life. She may have not known him for long, but things had developed quickly. He did not make it easy when he always flirted with her and stared at her over dinner or breakfast. The man was unbelievably attractive and he knew how to please her.
“Are you sure?” he asked her again.
“Yes, go,” she said and opened her bedroom door tumbling inside and slamming it behind her. She rested her back against the door breathing hard. She could not believe what had almost happened.
Tanya staggered to her bed forcing herself to walk on shaky legs. Her body had been paralysed with pleasure. Throwing herself on the bed, she lay there looking at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and remembered the feel of his lips as he kissed her. His trail of kisses down her neck. How his hands felt as they cupped her face. His look of desire that made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world.
She rubbed her face to clear her head and took in a deep breath as she smelled his scent on her. Rolling over onto her stomach, she screamed into a pillow in frustration as she reminded herself that she was not going to be that easy
Closing her eyes, she replayed the day in her head. She had enjoyed spending the day at the zoo with him and was impressed at how much he knew about the animals and their welfare. He was witty and charming. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the peacock key ring and squeezed it in her hand. It had been a good day.
Flicking through the pictures she had taken at the zoo, she stopped when she saw the picture James took of the two of them together. She remembered how he had held so tightly when he took the picture. Tanya smiled as she looked at it. They actually do look good together.
Chapter 8
It had been a long day for James. He and his brother; Joshua, had been out of the city negotiating with a start-up tech company. They both felt that the company had a lot of potential and they wanted Tazeem Petroleum to be the first to sign with them as this was an opportunity for the company to expand their prospects into coal.
Despite the back to back meetings and never ending presentations, the only thing James could think about was Tanya. She had
melted into his arms at his touch and he could not stop reliving that moment over in his head.
He knew that she wanted him - that was obvious, so why did she tell him to go? Normally women threw themselves at him and he was happy to bed them, but Tanya was so very different and he could not stop thinking about her. He could still remember the way her skin felt and the scent of almonds.