by Shayla Black
Tori loved having family again. For so long, she and Piper had struggled to make it on their own, and now she had all these amazing men to count as brothers.
Rafe took her hands in his and shook his head. “Do you have a guard? I don’t like the idea of you running about London in that dress. Piper saw it on the runway two weeks ago, and I feared if she wore it that she would start a riot.”
Tori laughed and gave Rafe’s hands a squeeze before turning back to the ball. “I don’t think I’ll be starting any riots, but the fundraiser seems to be doing well. I can’t thank you enough for the generous contribution.”
“We do what we can.” He settled in beside her. “I’ve been thinking.”
“That is a dangerous thing.” Tori was only half-teasing. Rafe thinking usually meant some plan to move her into the palace where he could keep his whole family under the watchful eye of the royal guard. Talib and Kadir would naturally concur.
“The world is a dangerous place. I think you should come back to work for us.”
She sighed. “The royal family doesn’t need my services. You’re not bad boys. You’re all family men and model royals.”
“Sabir and Michael are complete hooligans.”
She laughed. “I’m sure my nephews get terrible press because they don’t pick up their toys or poop when you want them to. Call me when they’re teens. Then you might need my services.”
Rafe leaned against the banister, studying her like she was a problem he must solve. “I worry about you. So does Piper. From a security perspective, you’re the weak link in our chain. Some radical factions out there would love to strike at Talib and would think nothing of hurting his family. Piper and the children are surrounded by tight security at all times. But you’re living here in London with no one to watch over you.”
“The building I live in has security.” Though lately, she’d had the oddest feeling someone was watching her.
“Rented guards who don’t make enough to truly put their lives on the line for you.” Rafe rolled his eyes. “We’d prefer you at the palace, but at least allow Dane to assign you a competent security detail while you’re in London.”
The idea horrified her. The one thing she couldn’t stand about palace life was the lack of privacy. She loved her family. She adored spending holidays and vacations in Bezakistan with Piper and Alea and their husbands and kids, but sometimes she felt as if she couldn’t breathe there. She wasn’t allowed to leave the palace without a guard. Even when she walked around the gardens, someone was watching to make sure nothing dangerous occurred. Tori knew the guards watched her for security purposes, not to spy, but she couldn’t live that life.
“No, Rafe. I have to be able to go where I want, when I want. I need to make my own way. I love London and I love my freedom. I can’t enjoy either in Bezakistan or with your rent-a-cops breathing down my neck.”
Rafe’s eyes narrowed. “Is that truly your objection? I’m thinking it is more likely that a man keeps you in London. Or several.”
She pretended to misunderstand. “I’m not being kept. Didn’t that whole antiquated mistress ritual die out decades ago? I work a challenging PR job for every dime I make.”
Rafe waved a conciliatory hand. “I don’t mean to insult you, sister. Forgive me for wanting to protect you, but I must say that the Thurston-Hughes brothers are trouble. I dislike the way they watch you. I’ve looked into them, and I don’t think they’re worthy of you.”
Tori felt herself flush and anger took root. “You can’t set private investigators on all the men in my life.”
“We don’t discriminate. We had them check up on your female friends as well.”
Her jaw dropped. “That is completely unacceptable, Rafiq.”
“Damn. You weren’t supposed to tell her,” said another deep voice.
She turned and found Kadir striding up the stairs to join them. He was slightly shorter than his older brother, but filled out his tuxedo coat with a bit more brawn. His eyes held a glint that told her he intended to enjoy the drama his brother had unwittingly created.
“Kade, explain to me why the al Mussad family seems so bent on poking into my life.”
“Of course. You see, Tori, this is what we do. And don’t call us the al Mussad family. We are your family.” He sent her a steely gaze. “You have no parents to watch out for you and no man of your own to protect you. But you do have three brothers.”
“Yes, but I did not ask for three overprotective, busybody brothers. You really should find better things to do with your time. You have a country to run.”
Rafe and Kade exchanged a look before Rafe shrugged. “That is true, but our country is peaceful. Ensuring your well-being is a good hobby.”
Kade’s stare drifted down to her hand. His eyes narrowed. “Do you have some news you wish to share with us?”
She glanced at the fake ring. They matched the fake diamonds around her neck. The woman at Harrods insisted they went with the dress. Tori had paid fifty pounds for the necklace and matching earrings. She had to admit, they looked good. They were much better fakes than the CZ ring she’d bought off an infomercial. Before she’d put them on, she held them up to the light and watched them sparkle. “You have your secrets. I have mine.”
Rafe lifted her hand and examined the ring. “Did they tell you this was real? Which one? I wish to have a talk with him.”
She pulled her hand out of his. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m not stupid, Tori, but I am confused,” Rafe said, his eyes sweeping over her.
“I am, too.” Kade stood by his brother as they exchanged a few words in their native language.
Tori really wished she’d caught on to the language.
“What’s going on?” Piper walked up the stairs, escorted by her husband.
The Sheikh of Bezakistan looked at his brothers with a narrow glare. “I thought we agreed to do this in private.”
“Look at her left hand,” Kade murmured.
Damn. Her two worlds were colliding. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that Piper or her husbands would question the ring. She’d been thinking about how Oliver, Rory, Callum, and Claire were picking her up in their limo. “It’s nothing.”
Piper gasped and her whole face lit up. “I knew it. Which one of them is it? The soccer player, right? He’s a doll.”
“Football, please,” Talib said with an elegant shake of his head. “Americans are the only ones who call it soccer and, sweetheart, really look at that thing.”
Piper frowned. “So what if it’s not real. Money isn’t everything.”
“These men have billions and they propose to my sister-in-law with such a paltry token?” Talib smoothed down his tuxedo coat. “I’ll talk to them about expectations.”
She couldn’t let that happen.
“They didn’t buy me anything. I bought it all for cheap, even the ring. I know it’s a fake. But I don’t think it’s that bad. I did good with the dress and shoes. I only paid two hundred pounds for the lot.” She lifted the hem of her gown to show off the gorgeous shoes that had been on clearance. “The engagement ring is to keep men from hitting on me. Okay? So back off, you lovable Neanderthals.”
Piper raised a brow. “I can’t believe you’re lying to the Thurston-Hughes brothers about a fiancé. I’ve seen the way they watch you. They’ll discover your ruse and they will not be happy.”
“At least one of them already has,” Rafe said. “Or they no longer care that she is ‘taken.’ Whoever bought you that dress is putting his brand on you.”
She wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “I told you, I bought the dress.”
Kade huffed. “Not for two hundred pounds. Are you certain you didn’t run up your credit cards? I didn’t think your line of credit would extend far enough to purchase all that. Why go into debt? Why refuse to use the accounts we offered you?”
Because they would come with so many strings, including that dedicated guard who would steal her privacy.
“I swear I used my own money. I bought everything off the clearance racks at Harrods.”
Piper took her hand, and her sister had that look on her face that told Tori she was about to hear something she wouldn’t like. “Sweetie, that dress is a Versace.”
She’d been shocked at her good fortune. “I know. It was a steal.”
“It premiered two weeks ago. It’s from the fall line, straight off the runway. I bought another one from that collection for six thousand dollars in New York last week. That dress is limited edition. And the shoes are brand new Louboutins. That’s another grand. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much the diamonds cost.”
“At least fifty thousand pounds,” Talib said. “With the earrings, perhaps seventy-five. Are they borrowed?”
Tori couldn’t breathe. They must be wrong. No way could she have afforded any of that, and she’d never heard of real diamonds being on clearance. Then what had happened? “But I have a receipt for everything.”
“I assure you whoever paid the rest of the bill has the proper receipt if he has a brain in his head,” Kade said.
Callum had arranged her appointment at the upscale store. Oh, what had he done?
Normally, Tori would think Rory far more capable of such a ruse, but this proved that she’d deeply underestimated the footballer.
Furiously, she scanned the ballroom and spotted Callum talking to Rory. He laughed at something his younger brother said, and she was taken aback again by how gorgeous they were. Though possessing similar statures, sandy hair, and strong jaws, Callum stood a bit taller than Rory. Then again, Callum was taller than almost everyone at the ball, and his brothers were no more than an inch or two behind. Callum was all lean muscle, his body honed from his years as an athlete. Rory obviously spent an enormous amount of time in the gym. The corporate lawyer wore his hair cropped short, as though he feared that if it grew too long, he would lose control.
Callum looked up suddenly. Their gazes met, fused. His smile nearly took her breath away.
“I know what it means when a man wears that look,” Rafe said. “We should take our little sister back to Bezakistan.”
“I concur. The footballer isn’t the only one staring.” Tal gestured to his left.
Oliver lingered by the entryway, his gaze steady on her. His lips curled up in a dangerous smile that made her think he fantasized about damp skin and breathless nights. Tori’s heart began to pound.
“I definitely think you should come with us.” Kade wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. “Tonight.”
Oliver’s stare zeroed in on the touch. His expression turned from seductive to deadly in a heartbeat.
She pulled away from her brother-in-law. “I’m staying here.”
“Talib, she’s my sister.” Piper stepped in. “And it’s her life. I chose to marry the three of you without interference. Well, I chose not to kill you after I found out you’d tricked me into becoming your bride.”
“That is not true, habibti.” Tal pulled her close. “There were no tricks. We were madly in love from the very beginning.”
Piper scoffed. “That’s not exactly true.”
“I say otherwise.”
“Then you’re rewriting history to suit your purposes.” She rolled her eyes.
Tal shrugged with a mischievous grin. “I am a sheikh.”
“You’re also an overbearing jackass at times,” Piper teased, then softened. “My sister wants to stay.”
“I have a job,” Tori added. “Responsibilities.”
With a reluctant sigh, Tal caved. “I will relent in this. Brothers, back off. Allow Tori to handle these men until such time that she cannot.”
“I can handle them,” she insisted.
Grimacing, Piper gripped her hand. “That’s the biggest concession he’s going to give you. You know that if the Thurston-Hughes brothers hurt you, my husbands won’t care that you’re an independent woman. They’ll only care that you’re their sister.”
“Precisely,” Tal agreed.
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted. She really hoped she was telling the truth. “Excuse me.”
Tori marched down the stairs to find Callum. If what she suspected he’d done was true, she had a few words to say to him. Then…well, she might lose her job today after all.
* * * *
Rory took another glass of champagne from the waiter and looked up at the second floor balcony overlooking the ballroom. “Where did Tori get that dress? It should be illegal.” He let out a rough breath. “She looks edible.”
Tori leaned lightly on the railing, a fond smile on her face as she looked down, her cleavage displayed to ripe perfection. Rory followed her gaze as she watched her sister dance with the sheikh. Did she fancy a dance herself? How would she react if he asked her?
Surely, she wouldn’t object. There could be no betrayal in squiring his potential sister-in-law around the ballroom floor. Certainly, Oliver would approve of him looking after her when his eldest brother couldn’t take care of her himself. As long as Rory shoved his own lust for her aside, they’d be fine.
“The dress is Versace. I knew she had a good eye.” Callum’s gaze drifted up to where she stood. “I picked out four gowns I thought would suit her, but I have to admit, that’s the one I would have picked for her myself.”
Rory wondered what Oliver would say about Callum selecting her wardrobe. “Did the other three come with a bodice?”
Callum shot him a confused glare. “What do you mean?”
His brother shouldn’t be allowed to dress Tori again. Not only would Oliver find it inappropriate, but Callum seemed to have forgotten important bits. “That dress is missing the proper fabric to cover her breasts. Every man in the room is looking at them.”
Including him. He’d nearly salivated when she’d walked out and those breasts had caught his eye. The green of the gown provided a gorgeous contrast to the creamy expanse of her skin.
Callum shrugged as he took a sip of champagne. “Let them look. She’s beautiful and tonight she feels that way. She knows every man in the room wants her. What she doesn’t know is that if one of the buggers makes a pass at her, he’ll find his head relocated up his arse.”
“Still, you could have given her some more modest choices.” Rory knew he sounded like a prude, but he didn’t like the idea of all those other men staring at her. She had three already. She didn’t need more.
He actually liked how she dressed for the office. She wore bright colors, but her skirts were always professional length and she tended to button up. He constantly wondered how it would feel to strip off those prim cardies, then rip off the pretty blouses and skirts until he eased down her knickers and spread her across his desk like a virgin sacrifice.
He had a suspicion that’s exactly what she was—a virgin.
Rory knew Oliver needed her, that she alone could lead him from that dark place in his soul and back into the light. But he worried Oliver would tear her up.
Perhaps he should rethink everything. If he told Callum what he suspected, his middle brother would be gentle with her. He could be a playboy, but when he cared about a woman he tended to take excellent care of her.
Yes, but then Rory would spend the rest of his own life wanting her for himself. At what point should he figure out what Tori needed and do whatever it took to make certain she got it? He’d spent so much time worried about Oliver’s happiness that he’d neglected to consider hers.
“She doesn’t need modest choices,” Callum argued. “She needs to know how beautiful she is. She needs to see that marrying royalty isn’t the only way to be a queen. She looks like one tonight.” Callum sighed. “Ah, the al Mussad brothers have found her again. I’ll be happy when they’re gone. They’re practically barbarians. Did you know the youngest one threatened to play football with my cock if I so much as thought about getting Tori into bed?”
Bastards. “Yes, I was accosted by Rafiq. Seems he doesn’t think much of the three of us.”
Rory doubted the man had meant persuading Callum to align with him in supporting a marriage between Oliver and Tori. He rather thought Rafe meant all three of them should pursue her.
Together.
“I don’t think I’ll travel to the country this year,” Callum said suddenly, jarring Rory from his thoughts.
The family always ventured to their country home for three weeks during the summer. In years past, when Callum hadn’t been busy practicing or promoting his team, he’d joined them. The holiday had been a tradition since they were children. “It’s your first year free. Why would you not come? We were all looking forward to being together.”
“I don’t want to leave Tori alone.” Callum held a hand out. “Before you berate me, I’m not simply plotting to seduce her. She’s a bit too trusting when she’s wandering around the city. She’s made some friends in very bad parts of town and she walks or takes the bus to see them. I want to make certain she stays safe.”
And it gave Callum ample opportunity to press his claim, Rory thought wryly. “Let me see if I understand you. You’ve managed to move into her building and now you’re going to pounce on her the minute Oliver and I leave town. Is that correct?”
Callum threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t know that I would have put it quite so bluntly, but yes, I intend to make my feelings and intentions known.”
Rory fully understood why Oliver had thrashed Callum earlier today. He contemplated doing the same right now. “Don’t. You think she’s too trusting whilst wandering the city? You can’t imagine she’d be any less trusting when you’re wining and dining her into bed. I don’t think she’s even had sex with that fiancé of hers. I suspect she’s a virgin.”
Callum stared at him like he’d grown two heads. “I can assure you she’s never had sex with the fiancé, but a virgin? Isn’t finding one over the age of twenty a bit like finding a unicorn these days?”