Their Virgin Mistress iTunes

by Shayla Black

  “She fainted,” Piper explained. “The doctor was with her when you came by. I actually think it was more than a fainting spell. I think she had an anxiety attack. These last few weeks, especially last night, have been too much for her.”

  Dread rolled over Rory at her words.

  Callum immediately started for the door. Dane and Cooper stepped in front of the entrance to the hall, blocking the path that would ultimately lead them to Tori’s suite. Callum stopped and turned around, his eyes wide with surprise. “What is the meaning of this? I want to see my fiancée. I have the right to make certain she’s well. For god’s sake, you would want the same thing if we were talking about Piper.”

  “But we aren’t talking about Piper. We’re talking about Tori.” Oliver picked up the small bag he’d brought with him the night before and stepped toward Kade. “Is she going to be all right? Physically, I mean.”

  Kade nodded. “I think so. She was quite emotional when I saw her. We’ll watch her and take care of her.”

  “If she needs anything, please contact me. If not…” Oliver nodded toward Piper. “Please give your sister my best and tell her I won’t bother her again. She’s free of all obligations to Thurston-Hughes Inc.”

  A tear slipped down Piper’s cheek. “I’m sorry it’s ended this way, Oliver. For what it’s worth, I thought you were good for her.”

  His lips curled up in a half smile that contained not an ounce of amusement. “Tori is a smart girl. Perhaps she’s emotional now, but…she knows a good thing when she sees it. And obviously, she knows how to quit while she’s ahead.”

  Rory stared at his eldest brother. What the hell was he doing? “Oliver, she’s just had a shock. Give her a bit. We should be supporting her through this debacle, not walking away.”

  “He’s right,” Callum argued. “Don’t be a barmy fuck. She needs us.”

  Oliver’s face hardened to sharp lines. “Do you not see those two?” He gestured to the guards. “They aren’t protecting us. They’re here to make sure we can’t see Torrance. They’re ensuring she doesn’t have to see us again. And in case you haven’t been listening, she was hysterical at the thought of having to be around us.”

  Piper shook her head. “That’s not what I said.”

  Rory ignored her. “Why? I told her what we wanted last night. I made it very clear.”

  “I told her I loved her.” Callum looked back at him. “She didn’t say it back. I thought she was simply being shy.”

  This couldn’t be happening. Rory stumbled back, the moment smacking him in the face. He felt sick. “Something’s wrong here. I made it plain to her that if she came to the suite last night with us, we were starting a relationship. I told her I love her, too. I explained that we wouldn’t settle for less than marriage.”

  Had she not believed him? Somehow misunderstood him?

  Oliver sighed as though Rory’s naiveté was too sad to contemplate. “And she took what she desired anyway. She wanted us physically. Obviously, Tori never sought more than sex. Just because she was a virgin doesn’t mean she’s incapable of lying to get the orgasms she wanted.”

  “But I love her.” Callum seemed caught, all that confidence from the night before dissolving in the face of the truth.

  “I told her we had marriage in mind,” Rory insisted.

  “We don’t always get what we want, brother.” Oliver stepped toward the door, his shoulders slumping. “You’ve led a charmed existence, so maybe you weren’t aware. Welcome to what the rest of the world knows. Just because we love someone doesn’t mean they’ll love us back. Does the fact that Tori doesn’t want three broken bastards really surprise you?” He scoffed. “When does our flight leave?”

  “Our flight?” Rory hadn’t arranged the return trip.

  “I’m almost certain we’ve worn out our welcome here.” Oliver glanced back at the al Mussads. “You’ve readied our plane to whisk the unwanted lovers away, correct?”

  Rafe’s lips pursed in a tight frown. “Your jet will be fueled and ready for you this afternoon. We ask that you stay in your rooms until then to avoid any uncomfortable situations.”

  “She’s kicking us out of her bed after one night?” Callum dropped into a chair, his expression incredulous.

  “They’ve been explaining that in some detail, yes. She’s had what she wants from us and she’s done,” Oliver explained. He turned back to the guards. “Could you escort me to my rooms? I need to pack.”

  “Oliver?” Piper began.

  His oldest brother held out a hand. “No need to explain, Your Highness. I wish you luck with the rest of your life. You’ll understand if I don’t see you again. I’m afraid your family has done enough to me. I’ll stay away from now on.”

  Cooper looked to Kade, who nodded. The sentry escorted Oliver out.

  The guards really were barring them from seeing Tori. She really didn’t want them anymore.

  “This makes no sense,” Rory argued. “She’s not a selfish girl. Something’s scared her. Piper, I have to talk to her.” He refused to let them end this way. If he could sit down with her, he could talk some sense into her. He could figure out what she was really afraid of.

  “I’m sorry,” Piper said as she clutched Rafe’s hand. “She’s overwhelmed now and not terribly rational. I think maybe if this whole thing with the tabloids hadn’t gone wrong, you might have been able to get through to her. But as it stands, this is too much for her to deal with. I think she’s hidden it well until now, but she’s damaged, too.”

  “Damaged how?”

  “Our parents…they were madly in love. Then my mom died, and everything went to hell. Tori was a kid. She didn’t understand how many wonderful years came before the tragedy. She only knew that one day everything was perfect and the next her world crumbled. Our dad took it particularly hard. Tori saw him fading. Then he was killed in a car accident. She never had the chance to see him embrace life again. In her mind, love leaves people an empty shell. It’s something to avoid at all costs.”

  In other words, anything resembling love would threaten her, and she would run. Like she had. She was putting up wall after wall between them, locking doors and protecting herself with guards because she cared too much.

  The chemistry between them had always been undeniable. During their months together in London, their friendship and respect had blossomed into so much more. She’d known how he felt when she’d taken his hand last night. He suspected she’d known quite well what was in her own heart, too.

  A hot dose of anger surged through his system. “So she was never going to give us a real chance. Why would she go to bed with us when she knew what we wanted and that she would never give it to us?”

  “Because I think deep down she wanted to try. She loves you. I think she didn’t want to go through the rest of her life not knowing what it meant to be yours, even if it was only for a night,” Piper said. “She’s had a shock. If you give her time, she’ll recover. I’ll talk to Talib and ensure that you have an invitation to come back in a few weeks for Sabir’s birthday. I believe she’ll attend. Once the tabloids have calmed down, I also think she’ll be able to see reason and will come around.”

  Kade nodded to his brother. “Now, Her Highness has had a rough morning. Why don’t you take her back to our rooms, brother?”

  Rafe led Piper out, and Rory felt more fury spark his system.

  Kade moved to stand in front of him. “You can’t take anything Tori does right now too seriously.”

  “I have an engagement ring for her.” Callum shook his head as though trying to clear it. “We were going to formally ask her tonight.”

  “Don’t give up,” Kade advised. “She’s confused and overwhelmed. This kind of life can do that to a normal person. This is the first time she’s been at the center of the storm, and it’s a nasty one. Couple that with the fact that this being her first time to really be in love, and I think she’s so overwhelmed she can’t function. What she needs is to get out of
the palace, go someplace quiet so she can think about this. I don’t claim to truly understand what Tori’s going through, but I know Piper was in shock when she first became involved with my brothers and me, as well as a target for the press.”

  “How did you break through?” Callum asked. He stood again as though even the thought of having something active to do restored his energy.

  “Tori doesn’t want us to break through,” Rory pointed out.

  She’d lied. She’d played them all for fools. Rory felt doubly foolish because he had instigated the very incident she’d used to get what she’d wanted. She’d danced with him, taken his hand, and agreed to everything he’d asked for. And that had included giving them a chance.

  He wondered now… If Oliver had given her pleasure when he’d taken her virginity, would she have even bothered to sleep with the rest of them? Maybe she’d only wanted a night to ensure that she experienced the pleasures to be found in sex. Now that she had, she obviously no longer needed them.

  “Of course she does.” Callum was always the optimist. “She’s scared and she needs us. Just because the palace wants us to return to London doesn’t mean we have to.”

  “I don’t know. Talib was fairly adamant. After he talked to Tori, he made the decision to ask you to leave. I think for now it would be best for you all to lay low,” Kade said.

  “I didn’t say we wouldn’t leave Bezakistan. We could return to England. We’ve got a country house. It’s isolated and peaceful, but you’re insane if you think I’ll go along without Tori.” Callum stared at their host. “Tell her she’d better not ever leave the palace again because I won’t be pushed away. I’ll do whatever it takes to make certain she doesn’t forget me.”

  Kade smiled. “That’s the resolve you’ll need. And she won’t stay in the palace forever. I believe I overheard her talking about Dallas.”

  “Excellent. I’ll be waiting for her there. Tell her that if she makes me hunt her down, I won’t be happy. She’ll be much better off if she simply agrees to talk to me now.” Callum’s Dom had risen to the fore again.

  Rory stared at his brother. Either that threat would prove to be the stupidest move in history…or the most brilliant strategy ever.

  Kade bowed slightly and left them alone with Dane standing guard outside. Rory suspected Alea’s other husband, Landon, was watching over Torrance, ensuring she didn’t have to deal with the men she’d promised the world to the night before. Oh, she might not have said the words and that was his fault. He should have insisted. He should have suspected she’d run.

  He should have known white lace and promises with Torrance wouldn’t work.

  “So we’ll tell the pilot to take us to Dallas,” Callum was saying. “I want to be there when she lands.”

  Rory couldn’t fathom why Cal thought that was a good idea. “Why? So she can call the police and take out a restraining order?”

  “No, so I can put her over my bloody knee, spank her, then give her the hard fucking she deserves for pulling this shit. Afterward, I’ll figure out what’s going on in her head and fix it.”

  “All you’ll do is get yourself thrown in jail for attacking her.”

  Callum stopped. “She doesn’t want to be alone. She’s upset and confused, embarrassed and overwhelmed. She needs a reason to trust and embrace. We’re going to give it to her.”

  “Are you mad?” Rory asked. “Did you forget the part where she’s locked all the doors between us? She doesn’t want a reason to stop because she’s already got one: She doesn’t want us. She’s told us flatly that she’s done.”

  Callum tensed his jaw, his face set in stubborn lines. “No. She ran because deep down she thinks we’ll abandon her like her parents did.”

  “Her parents died.”

  Callum paced, his mind obviously going a mile a minute. “Either way, they left. I didn’t say it was rational. Our feelings, our motivations, they aren’t always logical, either. She’s terrified, and not just of having her world fall apart again. My god, I don’t know a single woman worth loving who wouldn’t be afraid of us. We’re asking her to be the center of three worlds. We can pretend that we’ll live in harmony, but we’re human. There’s going to be conflict, and Tori will have to deal with it. She’s young and inexperienced and she’s not handling things as perfectly as we would want her to. That’s no reason to leave her completely alone. Don’t you see? Being alone is what she really fears most. She just has to realize it.”

  Rory tried very hard not to punch his brother. “Would you open your eyes? She left us. She’s done.”

  Callum rolled his eyes. “Grow up. You and Oliver always think you’ve had it so much harder than I did because I played football. You know what I learned because I wasn’t in some ivory fucking tower either learning how to run a business or allowing people to run it for me? I figured out we’ve all got it rough because we’re human, and every person ever born went through bad shit. The only way to survive is to hold on to what you love with both hands. She’s scared and I love her, so I won’t let her be alone. Your problem is you don’t think she’s worth loving if she can’t love you back the way you demand it. That’s fucking selfish. I’m going after her. Until she tells me her life is worse for having me in it, I’m going to make her world better. You and Oliver can cling to your damage like some shield.”

  Callum charged away, and Rory could hear him in the closet. He was packing. The minute the plane touched down in London, Callum would hop on a flight to Dallas. Being a professional athlete had clearly taught his older brother never to give up. And somewhere along the way, his brother had learned to love with his whole heart.

  Rory stared out the window. Somewhere out there, Tori was alone. Had she lied or had she not understood how she would feel the next day? Had she meant to deceive them or been inundated by fear in the cold light of day?

  He took a deep breath and made a decision. Life came down to decisions. He’d taken responsibility for her the night before. The Tori he knew would never mean to hurt anyone, and nothing that had happened this morning changed his view of her or how he felt. She belonged to them, and it was time to show her what that meant.

  Even if he had to go all the way to Texas to do it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Oliver stared at the spot where he’d almost died and he put a hand on his chest. He could still feel the bullet pierce him, feel his knees hit the marble floor, smell the coppery scent of blood fill his world.

  And he could hear her.

  I’ve set everything up so it looks like you killed yourself and poor dumb Oliver.

  Yasmin had prowled around, stalking Alea who had always been her target. That day, he’d discovered she’d married him under false pretenses and every moment of their life together had been a lie. Still, that wasn’t what hurt the most.

  His brother already thinks very little of him. When he hears about this, he’ll think even less.

  Of course she’d been talking about his made-up affair with Alea, but that wasn’t what haunted him all these years afterward.

  He was fairly certain Rory thought less of him for being so weak, for allowing himself to fall into that relationship, for being so pathetically blind.

  And now he knew what Tori really thought.

  For one brief moment, he’d thought it could work. Oh, he’d certainly intended to be in the background. He didn’t deserve to take control. A company was one thing, but a woman as fragile and priceless as Tori? Never. He wasn’t that man, but any time at all with her had seemed better than none. Now he knew what heaven tasted like.

  It hurt to be sent back to hell.

  “Tal told me I would find you here,” a familiar voice said. Alea. “You know I moved to a different part of the palace after I married. I haven’t been in here in a while.”

  Ah, Talib was sending in the troops to make sure there was an orderly dismissal. He’d been surprised the sheikh had so readily accepted him into the palace in the first place. He’d shocked
himself by asking to stay in the very rooms where he’d almost died. Then again, he’d come here looking for insight or closure—something that escaped him now. He’d thought he needed to walk this room again, remember…and try to forget.

  He’d needed to see that the room had moved on even if he hadn’t.

  All he’d really learned was that none of it mattered. He couldn’t change what happened here. Staying in these rooms, making love to Tori—those things didn’t fix the truth he’d learned about himself.

  “I don’t blame you for moving. I would have, too,” he said quietly to Alea.

  This was the first time he’d been back to the palace in years. He’d stood outside for long moments the day before, looking up at the elegant structure, unmoving. Rafe had finally come out and escorted him inside.

  “I did it for practical reasons. This space wasn’t big enough for all of us. I always loved this room. It was my safe place after I was first rescued.” She walked around the room, a little smile on her face as she took it in.

  Alea had been taken prisoner thanks to his late wife. She’d arranged for Alea to be kidnapped and sold to a bordello. The princess’s life had become a living hell because Yasmin had been jealous. All the bad things in his world had flowed from that woman and her black heart.

  How could he have been married to the devil and never seen it?

  “It was safe until my wife tried to kill you here.”

  She shook her head. “The place itself was always safe. Sometimes the wrong person walks in and we have to deal with it. It doesn’t make the place itself less beautiful. It doesn’t erase the fact that I came back to life in this room. No one but me can erase those things, and why would I want to do that?”

  He looked at the vibrant woman she’d become, remembering the sweet girl she’d been and also the hollow soul who had returned home so broken. Alea had changed and grown and survived. No. He survived. Survival was the simple process of breathing, walking, and sleeping every day. Alea thrived. She’d been through the crucible and found peace, happiness, and love. She’d discovered her true soul. Unfortunately, so had Oliver.