“Oh, they retired. Miss Lily ran the bed-and-breakfast, and her sisters ran the café. But eight years ago, Miss Lily asked their distant cousins, Poppy and Zinnia, to come run things for them. Now they have to confine themselves to just running everything else in town.”
Gabe smiled with warmth and Sloane giggled. She could see that from the short amount of time she’d met them. “Where do you live?”
“Desert Sun Farm. It’s out a few miles still.”
Sloane blinked. “Wait, Desert Sun Farm? They have Derby winners there.”
“We have Derby winners, yes. Will Ashton of Ashton Farms is our friend and neighbor. You met him at my condo. We’ve bred to their Derby winner, Naked Boot Leg, and have had great success.”
“You weren’t lying,” Sloane said with wonder.
“About what?” Gabe asked as the town was left behind and once again rolling hills were as far as the eye could see.
“About being raised on a farm. Albeit one of the country’s best farms.”
“Sloane,” Gabe said, looking at her briefly, “everything I told you was true. I’m afraid that King Draven is also true. We’re meeting tomorrow morning. When we arrive at the farm, you’ll meet President Idris of Tahjad and my cousin, Queen Suri of Surman. I’m sorry I can’t devote all my time to you right now. But no one can get onto the farm unless we want them there. So you’ll be safe. Maybe just a little bored.”
“International relations,” Sloane muttered.
“Exactly.” Gabe smirked before sending her a wink.
“Anyone else I should know about?” Sloane asked sarcastically as she began to see large barns and elaborate gates.
“This is Ashton Farm,” Gabe said as they past the iron gate and continued down the curving road. “My brother and sister-in-law live on the farm. You’ll love them. Luckily my younger sister, Ariana, is gone.”
“Why is that lucky?”
Gabe shook his head. “She has a talent for eavesdropping. That, and she’s a bit overprotective. She’d grill you like a hamburger. Here we are.”
Gabe pressed a button on the SUV as he slowed. Two armed guards stepped out of the way and the gate opened.
“It’s not always like this. The guards are only here because we have royal visitors. However, it’ll be handy in keeping your mother at bay if she ever thinks to look for you in Keeneston.”
They drove through a tree-lined lane and then slowly a large mansion came into view. She was out of her depth to be sure.
“This is where I grew up and where our offices are. It’s also the most obvious place for us to stay, which is why we are . . . crap.”
Sloane looked from the gardens to the front door where Gabe was staring. A young woman stood with her hands on her hips and Gabe slowed the SUV to a stop.
“Prepare yourself. My sister is back.”
The young woman with shoulder-length brown hair and big brown eyes walked down the stone steps and stood staring at them. Sloane gulped. She had thought Layne was scary. This woman looked every inch like a princess, and one who enjoyed wielding power.
Gabe got out and the woman launched herself into his arms. Gabe stumbled back as he laughed. He hugged his sister and then set her down. His sister looked him over and then smacked his arm. Hands were flying faster than their mouths as brother and sister talked. Then all hand movement stopped and they turned at the same time to look at Sloane.
* * *
“Behave or I’ll tie you to the tree upside down again,” Gabe growled as he went to open the door for Sloane.
Ariana rolled her eyes. “As if you could catch me now. Now hurry up, you’re being rude.”
“I’m serious, Ari.”
His sister snorted. “When have you ever been serious about a woman?”
“I am now.”
Ari arched her brow and crossed her arms over her chest. Gabe opened the door and held out his hand for Sloane. He felt her take a deep breath as she stood up and looked his sister in the eye.
“Hello,” Sloane said. Gabe would have enjoyed the shocked look on Ariana’s face if it weren’t at Sloane’s expense.
“You’re normal,” Ari blurted.
“Ari!” Gabe chided as Sloane blushed.
Ariana looked wildly between them with embarrassment. “That came out wrong. I mean it in the best possible way. I’m just so relieved you aren’t another burlesque dancer.”
“Ari,” Gabe groaned. Could this get worse?
“Wait, Mom said you were in trouble.”
“I’m in trouble,” Sloane answered. Gabe felt her shaking and thought briefly of killing his sister until he looked at Sloane and realized she was trying not to laugh.
“It’s funny that you’re in trouble?” Ari asked not being delicate at all.
“No, you and Gabe are funny. My sister and I hate each other. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was working with my mother to try to kill me. But, you two are so lucky. It’s everything I dreamed of when I was younger.”
“Did you dream of a big brother?”
Great. The entire family was here. It would only be moments before his parents arrived too. Gabe had wanted to get them to the empty farmhouse near the foaling barn before everyone descended on them.
“This is my brother, Zain, and his wife, Mila,” Gabe introduced. He knew most people couldn’t tell the difference between him and his twin, but Sloane didn’t seem to have that problem.
“I thought he’d look more like you,” she said to him before reaching out and introducing herself.
For some reason that made Gabe feel good. Too many women found it funny. Are you Gabe or Zain? When you’re both princes, I guess it doesn’t matter, they would joke. And it didn’t matter until Zain had met Mila. He said in that instant that everything changed. Gabe was beginning to understand.
He took Sloane’s hand in his and felt the rush of excitement when she wrapped her fingers around his. His siblings noticed.
“Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?” Mila invited.
“The Rose sisters have demanded our presence at the café,” Gabe answered for them.
Mila cringed. “Don’t worry, they mean well,” she told Sloane with a sisterly smile.
“Isn’t anyone else more interested in why her family is trying to kill her?” Ariana asked, bringing them right back to the heart of the matter.
“I understand the feeling,” Zain said dryly before rubbing his knuckles hard against the top of Ariana’s head. Mila rolled her eyes as Ari went to smack her brother.
“My parents are drug lords, and I stole a recipe for synthetic opioid mixture called White Lace when I faked my death nine years ago. Now they’ve found me,” Sloane said quickly.
Three pairs of wide eyes stared back at her.
“She’s still better than that mud wrestler he brought to that charity party,” Ariana grumbled.
“And don’t forget that club promoter,” Mila said with roll of her eyes.
“Or that one actress who was playing Jackie O,” Zain smirked.
“Yeah,” they all nodded.
“She was the worst,” Ariana agreed before turning back to Sloane. Gabe was ready to murder them all. “Do you sell drugs?”
“No. I tried to stop them. I actually want to be a high school counselor to help kids from falling into that kind of misery.”
Zain nodded. “So much better than that flight attendant. I’m pretty sure she was selling more than just Chinese herbs. Anyway, welcome to Keeneston.”
Mila smiled at her. “So you’ll be staying for a while?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes,” Gabe said at the same time Sloane answered.
“We’ll be with you tonight at the café. Why don’t we hang out tomorrow while Gabe does his thing?” Mila suggested.
Sloane agreed and Gabe wasted no time corralling her back into the car. Right in time, too, as he saw his parents coming down the drive. He sped off with Sloane looking amused.
“I’m glad you find my family funny.”
“It’s nice. I hope you appreciate what you have.”
Gabe nodded. “I do. But that doesn’t mean I want to spend the rest of the day with them. I’d rather spend it with you.”
* * *
Gabe stopped in front of the small square brick house. He got out and opened the door for Sloane who spun in a slow circle looking out over the thousands of acres of farmland with wonder.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as he reached into the back and pulled out her bags.
“Do you ride?” Gabe asked as he carried the bags to the front door and set them down so he could find the key.
“No. I never have,” Sloane said as she watched a group of yearlings running.
“I’ll take you,” he said, wanting to do anything and everything to put that look of happiness on her face.
“I’d like that.”
Gabe opened the door and let Sloane walk in. She turned on the lights and smiled at him. “This is nicer than my apartment.”
Gabe took in the small house. Everything was in good condition, just well worn. It has been empty for the past three months, but by the fresh flowers on the table and the noticeable lack of dust, he knew his mother had made sure it would be ready for them.
Sloane walked around and then stopped dead. “There’s only one bedroom.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” Gabe told her. There was nothing he wanted more than to share that bed with her, but he could wait until she knew he was serious. Unlike the others, this meant something more to him. Sloane meant something to him.
Sloane nodded hesitantly and Gabe felt himself want to do whatever it took to make her smile again. “How about we go for a walk, and I’ll show you around some of the farm.”
She smiled and his heart flipped. Gabe held out his hand and they headed outside into the late afternoon sun. The warmth of the sun, the comfort of her hand in his, the electric shock of her touch sending his heart into somersaults . . . he knew what it meant. Gabriel Ali Rahman, international playboy bachelor, had just fallen in love.
15
Sloane was enjoying the young foal’s antics. He frolicked on large-kneed, wobbly legs and then ran back to his mother. Gabe had showed her the nearest barns and the pastures where the horses roamed. It was so perfect she’d forgotten that the only reason she was there was because her family was trying to kill her.
It was enough to bring the dream alive again—the one where she and Gabe were together. Sloane stepped up onto the bottom plank of the fence and leaned over to stroke the foal’s fuzzy nose. Sloane felt Gabe step up behind her. His arms held onto the top plank on each side of her as if protecting her from falling. Sloane laughed as the foal wobbled away, playfully snorting and trying out his legs.
“You’re beautiful like this.”
Sloane’s breath caught as she turned to look over her shoulder and right into Gabe’s eyes. She hoped he would kiss her. She hoped the dream could continue for just a little longer. And when Gabe placed his hands on her waist, slowly turning her until she had to rest her hands on his shoulders to balance on the plank, she knew he was going to kiss her. But he didn’t. He raised his face to hers, offering her his lips, but he left the choice to her.
Sloane had to look down at his face as her feet were still perched on the bottom fence plank. He felt strong and safe beneath her hands. And she wanted him so badly. If only for one moment she was just a woman and he was just a man. Behind her, the foal made happy noises of play, birds chirped, and hooves thundered as the younger horses ran across the fields of bluegrass. For this one moment, she decided to be just a woman losing her heart to a man.
* * *
Gabe waited. His heart echoed the sounds of the pounding horse hooves as he placed the decision in Sloan’s hands. He wouldn’t push her. He was afraid he’d push her away. He should have known the first moment he touched her and he felt the electricity flow through his body that it was love. Only love would leave him this desperate—desperate to protect her, desperate to love her, and desperate to be loved by her.
Gabe felt his body shudder in anticipation when Sloane slowly moved one small hand from his shoulder to cup his jaw. Her thumb trailed a deliciously torturous path over his lower lip. Gabe’s eyes were locked on hers, not wanting to miss a thing. The moment she leaned forward and her eyes closed Gabe fought to hold still. He wanted her to take what she wanted and he prayed he was who she wanted.
Her lips were tentative as they fluttered just out of reach and finally settled lightly against his. Gabe wanted to grab her. He wanted to plunder and claim, but instead he brushed gentle kisses on her lips, coaxing her to open to him.
Sloane dropped her hand back to his shoulder and fisted his shirt in her hands as she pressed her lips harder against his. When she leaned forward to wrap her arms around him, Gabe stopped going slowly. It would be impossible for him to do so when the timid tip of her tongue touched the seam of his lips.
With a craze for a woman he’d never felt before, Gabe locked his arms around her waist and lifted her off the fence. Her body pressed tightly against his and her feet dangled above the ground as he began to devour her mouth with his. Thoughts of obstacles they had to overcome vanished. In this moment, he was hers and she was his.
* * *
Sloane thought she had stopped breathing a couple of minutes before and her life depended on kissing Gabe. He slowly unlocked his arms so she began a teasing slide down his body. Her breasts felt the hardened wall of his chest as her feet finally found the ground. Once she was no longer above him, Gabe deepened the kiss. Her head fell back, her hips arched against his, and her hands ran down the expanse of his chest and over the ripped muscles of his abs.
One hand fastened at the back of her neck. The other trailed down Sloane’s back to her hip as Gabe pushed her against the fence. Gone was the man who let her lead. He had been replaced by a man who wreaked havoc on her body and her senses with each possessive touch.
His hand moved around to rest on her midriff and Sloane arched toward him, silently willing him to move his hands over her body. In tune to her every response, his hands moved up her ribcage to cup her breasts. Sloane moaned into his mouth as she hooked a leg over his hip to get as close as possible to him. His finger teasingly traced a path around her nipple and Sloane’s body caught fire. The undercurrents of electricity she’d felt the first time he touched her ignited.
“Really? Give it a rest; you’re in public.”
Sloane would have jumped back if the fence hadn’t been there. Instead she gripped Gabe’s shirt and buried her face in his chest.
“Ari!”
“What? You rather it be Mom? She’d be calling Uncle Dirar and Father Ben to make sure you were married by the end of the week.”
“What do you want, Ari?” Gabe hissed as Sloane wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
“It’s time for dinner. Though I don’t think it’s food you’re hungry for,” Gabe’s sister teased.
“It’s a damn good thing I love you,” Gabe snapped back as Sloane risked looking over Gabe’s shoulder. His sister stood with her arms crossed and an amused tilt to her lips.
“Whatever.”
Ariana turned and headed back to a small SUV Sloane hadn’t even heard approaching. She wiggled out of Gabe’s embrace. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
Gabe’s brows creased in confusion. “Why the hell not?”
Sloane held up her hand. “Let me count the reasons. One,” she said, holding up one finger, “my family is trying to kill me. Two,” she said, holding up a second finger, “my family isn’t just cruel, they’re drug lords. Three, you’re a prince. And four, don’t think everyone mentioning strippers, escorts, porn stars, singers, actresses, mud wrestlers, dancers, and supermodels has escaped my notice.”
Gabe didn’t seem pleased, but it was the truth. And the sooner Sloane realized nothing was possible between them, the
sooner she could force herself to leave. She’d run away once before and she could do it again. Maybe this time to a foreign country.
“I don’t care,” Gabe said, his voice rough with anger. He stalked toward her, and Sloane took a step back and straight into the fence. “We need to get a couple of things cleared up.”
His phone buzzed, and Gabe practically growled at it. When it buzzed again, he yanked it from his pocket and looked at it. “Ari!” he shouted, his voice shattering the calming sounds of the countryside. His voice boomed over the hills and pastures. Sloane was pretty sure Ariana would hear it even if she were miles away.
“What is it?”
“This!” Gabe turned his phone around, and Sloane looked at the picture of Gabe’s back and her leg over his hip. She looked down at the text message.
Meet Gabe’s new flavor of the week at the café in twenty minutes. PS, she’s not a model.
“Oh my God,” Sloane’s eyes shot to Gabe’s. “Who did she send this to?”
“Just the entire town of Keeneston.”
“Ari!” Sloane shrieked.
Gabe put his phone back into his pocket and grabbed her hand. He strode with such long strides that Sloane had to jog to keep up with him. “Please tell me we aren’t going to the café.”
“If she thinks I won’t murder her in public, she’s wrong.” Gabe paused and Sloane ran into his back. “Sorry. That was a bad joke considering what’s going on.” Gabe let out a whoosh of air. “We need to talk. But right now I don’t have enough time to explain everything. But promise me you’ll listen to me tonight.”
He looked so sincere that Sloane nodded her agreement. She didn’t know what he could possibly say to change the situation, but she’d hear him out. It was the least she could do after everything he was doing for her.
* * *
The Blossom Café was packed. Sloane got out of the car and stared at the full tables through the windows. The door opened and Layne rushed out with another woman in scrubs and flip-flops. The other girl’s dirty-blonde hair was up in the messy ponytail, but she looked to be close in age to Layne.
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