“Here.” Sloane almost jumped when Annie handed her a small handgun. “Can you shoot it?”
Sloane was sick to her stomach. “I don’t like guns.”
“You don’t have to like it. You just have to respect it,” Annie said, giving Aniyah her gun back. “Let’s go out back.”
Paige and Bridget headed back to their trucks as Sophie pulled a gun Sloane hadn’t seen from her waistband.
“Where’s yours?” Sloane asked Mila.
“Guns aren’t my thing. I discovered I’m pretty handy with a knife, though.”
Sloane walked around a hedgerow and saw a shooting range set up. There were targets near them and also some so far she had to squint to make sure she was actually seeing them.
“I’ve got the right,” Bridget called out as she set a massive rifle on the ground. Next to her, Paige lay down with hers.
“They’re more sharpshooters. You and Aniyah are on these two targets,” Annie said, pointing to the straw dummies ten or so feet away. “Behind and to the sides of the closest dummies are two more at ten yards, another two at twenty-five yards, then one at fifty, and one at one hundred yards out. If you want to shoot farther, then you will have to move over to where Paige and Bridget are shooting long distance, which a handgun won’t do.”
Dani and Mila took seats next to Paige and Bridget with scopes. Sophie worked with Aniyah and that left Sloane all to Annie. Great, the Princess of Heroin and the former DEA agent. What a pair they made.
Sloane paid attention to the instructions Annie gave as Aniyah fired off the first shot.
“She hit the toe,” Sloane said with wonder.
“Then she’s improving.” Annie rolled her eyes. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Sloane heard the tone to Annie’s voice. She didn’t think Sloane could outshoot Aniyah. Sloane was surprisingly hurt by that. She wanted to do well. She wanted to show them she was good enough for them.
She took a deep breath and raised her gun. She turned off the safety, and her finger felt the smooth curvature of the trigger. Memories flooded her—her sister holding a gun to Sloane’s head and laughing, her mother pulling the trigger and taking the scientist’s life, the men surrounding her house armed to the teeth. It all hit her at once, and Sloane took a deep breath to steady her shaking hand.
“Remember, caress the trigger. Smooth and steady,” Annie said gently.
She was hit with images of Gabe grabbing her and shielding her with his body as her mother’s own soldiers fired on them. The shaking stopped. She would protect Gabe with all she had. She pulled the trigger and lowered the gun.
“Well, you can’t expect to get it the first time,” Aniyah said as she gave Sloane a pat on the back.
Annie cocked her head and looked at the dummy. Not a scratch on it, but Sloane knew she’d hit her target.
“Son of a bitch,” Annie whispered. She walked off without saying another word.
“I got a toe. That’s real improvement. Next time I’m hoping I get a leg,” Aniyah was saying as Annie marched away. Sloane watched as Annie continued walking.
“Where is she going?” Sophie asked.
Dani and Mila had tapped Paige and Bridget as soon as Annie started walking out onto the range so they would stop firing and turn the safeties on their guns.
“What’s going on?” Bridget asked.
“I hit a toe . . . on purpose. Well, kinda. I was aiming for the stomach, but usually when I aim for the body I hit the ground, so I’m pretty happy.” Aniyah rambled as Sophie looked between her mother and Sloane.
“Shit,” Sophie whispered as Annie yanked the target off the fifty-yard dummy. Slowly everyone realized what had happened as Annie walked back toward them. Everyone except Aniyah who was taking a selfie with the blown-apart toe of the straw dummy.
Bridget let out a low whistle as Annie held up the paper target. A bullet hole was dead center on the head of the paper dummy.
“I thought you said you don’t like guns,” Annie finally said, breaking the silence.
“I did say that, but I never said I didn’t know how to use one,” Sloane told them as she set her gun on an old picnic table.
Very slowly, Annie’s frown turned into a grin. “Damn. I didn’t want to, but I like you.”
* * *
After target practice, they headed back to the farm and to the training center the Rahmi soldiers used. Sophie took Sloane into the fighting ring while Bridget refused to work with Aniyah until she took off her five-inch heels.
“Is this like shooting? You’re going to kick my ass while pretending to not know what to do?” Sophie asked, pushing gloves onto Sloane’s hands.
Sloane shook her head. “No. I really don’t know what to do. My sister always beat me up. She pulled a gun on me the one time I fought back. I didn’t do it again.”
Sophie paled a bit but didn’t offer any sympathy. For that, Sloane was grateful. “Then it’s time for some payback.”
Hours later Paige, Sophie, and Aniyah headed home while Dani, Bridget, Mila, and Sloane walked into Dani’s massive home. While it screamed wealth and power, it also seemed somehow familiar. Family pictures, comfortable furniture, and warm paint colors managed to put Sloane at ease.
Though at that moment, Sloane hurt everywhere. Muscles she didn’t know she had throbbed, but she had also never felt better. Every morning they would follow this drill as Sloane was eager to learn more. Even handling the gun didn’t seem so bad after it was over. What felt good was being prepared. While no one said it, it was only a matter of time before she would have to face her family.
“Come into the family room while I run up and get you some salts to soak in. You’ll be sore and these are divine in a bath,” Dani told her as she opened a door and ushered her inside. Sloane didn’t know what to expect, but this wasn’t it. The room was so inviting. Books and magazines were piled on a table and a forgotten pair of heels were partially hidden under the couch. It was perfect.
“Dani!”
Sloane turned to see the most stunning woman she’d ever seen hurrying into the room. She wore a black pencil skirt and a light pink silk shirt. Her blonde hair was perfectly put up while her bright red lips screamed for attention.
“I was just with Gabe.”
Of course she was. Sloane looked down at her sweaty body in worn workout clothes from the clearance pile at a big box store and then over to the woman. Doubt filled her again and Sloane felt angry at herself for not believing in the feeling she and Gabe were sharing. One on one, she believed the fairy tale Gabe spun about their life together. But the reality was he was surrounded by sexy women throwing themselves at him. And from what she’d read, Gabe had caught them all.
“Veronica, this is Sloane Holiday. Sloane, Veronica Pritchard.”
Veronica smiled with perfectly blinding white teeth and held out her hand. “A real pleasure to meet you.”
“You too,” Sloane said, shaking her hand. Sloane dropped her hand in embarrassment. Veronica’s was smooth and butter-soft, while Sloane’s was rough from washing dishes and tables at Billy’s.
Veronica turned to Dani, and Sloane felt suddenly forgotten. “You won’t believe what Gabe did.”
Dani shot a look to Sloane, who managed to feel even worse. This day had started off so well.
“No, he hasn’t looked at another woman since he met Sloane the other week.”
Wait. What? “How do you know that?”
Veronica smirked. “Because I know everything. That’s what makes me so good at my job. Anyway, Gabe took Draven to the café. Draven made some wild claim about his people doing whatever he says because they love him so much. So Gabe bet him his people actually didn’t like him and that Draven couldn’t get regular people to love him, much less do anything for him. You can guess what happened.”
Dani’s mouth dropped open before she covered it with her hand and giggled.
“What happened?” Sloane asked, caught up in the story.
“Well, Draven thinks the sun comes up just to hear him crow. When he talked to the patrons, everyone ranted against him for his behavior and demands. Except one.” Veronica rolled her eyes. “Nikki was there.”
“Ah,” Dani and Sloane said before laughing.
“Well, it was funny as all get-out,” Veronica continued. “The whole town took him to task. I think I saw a tear when he left.”
“What exactly did this accomplish?” Sloane was feeling more at ease with Veronica the more they talked. She didn’t seem to have any designs on Gabe and that let Sloane relax some. Being jealous and insecure was a feeling she didn’t like. She vowed right then to do something about it.
“Draven accepted Suri’s and Idris’s main terms to the treaty. Plus, Draven has to spend this afternoon with Gabe in the office, learning what to do, and attend a lecture by Mo tonight.”
Dani scrunched her face. “I know those lectures. They’re no fun. Duty, loyalty, tradition. Draven will be agreeing to anything just to get away from my husband.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Sloane laughed.
“Ask Mila how she’s enjoying her lessons.” Dani paused. “But she’s going to make a fantastic princess. They’re really not bad at all, and it brings you so much closer to the man you love. You’ll be inspired to have children right away just so you can teach them all the wonderful traditions that you just learned about the family.”
Veronica rolled her eyes before looking at her thin diamond-encrusted watch. “Zain and Gabe said they didn’t need me this afternoon. Do you need anything?”
“Go,” Dani said, making a shooing motion with her hands. “You’ve been putting in overtime and deserve a break.”
“Thanks! I’ll see you tomorrow.” Veronica stopped and reached for Sloane’s hand. “Sloane, it was so good meeting you. Gabe couldn’t stop talking about you today. Now I see why.”
Veronica strutted from the room as Dani followed. “I’ll be right back with those salts.”
Sloane was left alone as she walked around looking at the pictures on the walls. She smiled at pictures of the twins as newborns and then as boys holding Ariana when she was born. Could this family so filled with love really be hers? Could she really become who Gabe wanted her to be—a princess?
19
Sloane was so engrossed in seeing Gabe grow up in the pictures that she didn’t realize she wasn’t alone until a hand squeezed her ass.
“Gabe!” Sloane jumped and spun only to find it wasn’t Gabe.
“I thought you were one of Gabe’s playthings. Well, today is your lucky day. You’ve had a prince, but I bet you’ve never had sex with a king.”
Sloane stood speechless looking at the man who was only a few years younger than her, but somehow looked like a child to her. He was in a suit that must cost a fortune and was already unzipping his pants.
“Come worship his royal member.” The man she guessed to be King Draven put his hands on his hips as his penis popped to attention.
Laughter was probably not the reaction Draven was expecting, but it’s what he got. The royal member went back into hiding as Draven’s face turned red. Sloane had dealt with plenty of men like this at the bar. King or no king, a man was just a man.
“I’ve heard you had a rough day at the café,” Sloane said sympathetically as Draven turned even redder before smiling. His royal member peeked out optimistically.
“Are you going to turn my frown upside down? That is the American saying, yes?”
Sloane shook her head. “No. I’m going to give you the best advice you’ve ever gotten.”
Draven looked skeptical. “I am king. I don’t need advice.”
“I would think after what everyone told you at the café, you would realize you do. Do you know how Gabe got all those women to fawn over him?”
Draven puffed up. “By telling them to. I do the same.”
Sloane shook her head. “No. By being nice. By asking how they are doing. By talking to them. By caring about what they are saying. Being so handsome doesn’t hurt either, but more than the muscles, it’s his sense of humor and respect that gets me and probably every other woman.”
Draven looked confused. Sloane put her hand on his shoulder and frowned. She squeezed it. “Are you wearing shoulder pads?”
“No,” he snapped pulling away from her.
“Stop. I am safe. Do you know what that means?”
“You have no diseases.”
It was Sloane’s turn to turn red. “No, well, yes. In this case, it means I am safe to talk to. I am Gabe’s woman so I can’t be yours. But I can be your friend. I just graduated from college so I know all about young women, and I can help you.”
Draven was quiet for a moment. “You’d do that?”
“I would. You’re here for another week, right?” Draven nodded. “First, zip your pants back up. Second, do you know Nash?” Draven nodded again. “Ask him or even Gabe to work out with you every morning. Then you won’t need the padding. Third”—Sloane picked up a romance novel and some women’s magazines from the table—“read these for some insight into women.”
Draven didn’t want to take it.
“It’ll be our secret,” Sloane said with a wink.
“Sloane?”
Draven’s eyes got big as he shoved the book with the shirtless man and windblown heroine on the cover into his jacket and rolled up the magazines.
“Right here. King Draven and I were just chatting. He has something he wants to ask you.”
Draven looked just as nervous as Gabe looked. Draven turned around and cleared his throat. “I thought to see if you would engage in some physical activity with me tomorrow morning before our talks resume.”
“You want to work out?” Gabe asked as Sloane shot him a you-better-behave look.
“Yes.”
Gabe smiled. “Sounds good. It’s always nice to have someone to talk to while working on the farm.” Draven turned his back to Gabe and gave Sloane a thumbs-up. “Why don’t we head to my office, and I’ll show you a few tricks we royalty need to know before you meet with my dad.”
Draven headed out of the room and Gabe strode over to Sloane. “What did you do?”
“I became his friend. I don’t think he has any.”
Gabe’s kiss took her by surprise. Instead of pulling away, Sloane leaned into him. After all, she’d just realized a man was a man, king or no king. It was time to see Gabe in the same light. She heard the rumble of pleasure vibrate up his chest. When Gabe finally pulled away, he kept her in his arms. “Something has changed.”
Sloane nodded. “I thought about what you said last night.”
“About it being possible for us to be together?” Gabe asked.
“Yes. I’m getting out of my own way.” Sloane raised her lips to his and that was all it took for Gabe to move into action.
Hands grabbed, hips ground against each other, tongues tangled, and a happy gasp from across the room tore them apart.
“I’ll call Father Ben.”
Gabe pulled Sloane against his chest as he looked over his shoulder. “Mom!”
“What?” Dani asked innocently. “At least it wasn’t your father. He’s such a busybody. He’d probably already have texted the town with a wedding date. You know, he’s desperate for a grandchild. He can hardly wait for you to be married.”
Sloane snickered as she muffled her laugh in Gabe’s dress shirt.
“Yeah, it’s Dad who’s desperate,” Gabe mumbled.
“Hello, sweetheart. What are you doing in the doorway?”
Sloane’s snicker bust into a full giggle at the sound of Gabe’s father’s voice coming down the hallway.
“I’ll just leave these salts right here, Sloane dear. Carry on.” Sloane heard the door close and then heard Dani whisper in a not-too-soft tone, “Turn around right now. If we don’t bother them, maybe in nine months we’ll have a grandbaby.”
* * *
Gabe let his head fall back in frustration as Sloan
e clung to his shirt, shaking with laughter. His family was going to ruin his game.
“If I had it my way, I’d whisk you off to our private island so I could have you all to myself. However, I feel as if we’re close to a breakthrough with this treaty. No matter how badly I want to leave, I think I’m finally making a difference.”
Sloane smiled up at him. “I’m proud of you. You’re making a big difference. Plus I have my graduation. I worked way too hard for that ceremony, and even a prince tempting me with a private island won’t stop me from walking across that stage.”
“I can’t wait to cheer for you as you get your degree.”
“You’re coming?”
Gabe brushed back a lock of hair and looked down at her face. “Nothing will keep me from it.”
“I’ve never had anyone to give a ticket to before. I said I didn’t need any. I have to call the school.”
Gabe laughed as he pulled her in for another hug. “Sweetheart, I’m a prince. I’ll get a ticket, no problem.”
“But I want you to have my ticket. It’s silly, I know. Each student gets four tickets, and there’s this chart with our names on it and next to it is how many guests we are bringing so we can try to swap tickets and such for those who need more than four. I want to see that little mark next to my name. I know, it’s silly.”
“It’s not silly,” Gabe said softly as he kissed the top of her head. “Go ahead and call the office and get a ticket for me. I have to meet with Draven. Tonight it’s going to be just you and me, okay?”
“That’s more than okay.”
Damn. Gabe felt it like a punch to the gut. He had no idea that when you fell in love you felt it with such a force that it left you breathless. Well, he might not be able to have Sloane all to himself until after graduation and after this treaty was signed, but he was going to find time to romance her—regardless. She had just given them a chance by stepping out of her own way and now it was up to him to show her she had everything she needed inside to be his princess.
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