Erik
She didn’t have to ask me twice. I scooped her up in my arms, walked over to the bed, and dumped her on it.
“Condoms,” I said by way of explanation when I didn’t join her right away.
Where the hell had I put them?
“Where are they?” she asked as I hesitated.
“No idea.” I went into the bathroom, but my toiletry bag hadn’t yet arrived.
Shit.
“I don’t think our stuff is here yet.” She laughed, getting off the bed and following me, her naked body glorious to look at.
“Crap. That means we probably shouldn’t start anything either, because they’ll be knocking—” Someone knocked on the door as the words left my mouth.
“Get rid of them,” she whispered, nudging me.
“I’ll do my best.” I yanked my jeans back on as I walked to the door and opened it, expecting Ibrahim or one of the servants. Instead, Anwar stood there.
Well, this was disappointing.
“I apologize for intruding,” Anwar said stiffly. “May I join you for a moment?”
“What can I do for you?” I wasn’t going to let him anywhere near Casey.
“I need to apologize. Both to you and to your—to Ms. Hart.”
“Say what you need to say.”
“I was acting on my father’s behalf, and perhaps I went too far. I merely wanted to test her, to see if she was truly devoted to you. I meant no harm.”
“My uncle asked this of you?”
“He did.” He took a breath. “And now he has asked me to explain and said he will also apologize tonight at dinner.”
“Apology accepted.” Casey’s voice behind me surprised me, since I didn’t know how quickly she could redress, but I merely slid an arm around her waist as she joined me. “Thank you for telling us.”
“Good day.” He inclined his head and moved stiffly down the hall.
I shut the door and looked at her. “Just like that you accepted his apology?”
“What was the alternative? Telling him to fuck off? That would’ve gone over well.”
I chuckled. “It would’ve been amusing though.”
“I’ve got something else in mind to amuse us,” she said. “Now where the hell is our luggage?”
Our luggage didn’t arrive right away, but we had half a dozen visits from family and servants. Sandor checked in, my uncle’s valet delivered a formal invitation for tonight’s dinner, various cousins stopped by to say hello, and finally, someone brought the luggage. Unfortunately, it was time to start dressing for dinner, so even though it was killing me, her sexy request had to wait.
She stepped out of the dressing room in a simple, sleeveless white dress that showed off her recent tan and the curve of her delicate shoulders. She’d bought it in Monte Carlo just before we’d left for Limaj, and though it was probably a little sexier than someone else might wear to dinner at the palace, this was private and I truly didn’t want her to change. There was a fine line between respect and becoming someone else, and I was in love with Casey Hart the rock star, not someone putting on an act to make my family happy. At the end of the day, my parents adored her, and they were the ones who counted. I loved and respected my aunt and uncle, but only as my aunt and uncle, not because they were the king and queen of my country.
“Are you sure this isn’t too short?” she was asking me.
“It’s perfect,” I replied. “You’re perfect.”
“I don’t want to embarrass you.” Her eyes were filled with sincerity and a touch of insecurity.
“You won’t. This is a private dinner between family. Elen and Sandor are joining us, maybe Daniil as well. It’s going to be laid-back and casual, I promise. Besides, we don’t have anything to prove. They already know who you are, what you do, and what our relationship is.”
“What, exactly, is our relationship?” she asked quietly. “You asked me to give you a week to prove things could be good between us, but we’ve passed that mark and today you called me your girlfriend. I was glib about it earlier because I was trying to get in your pants, but since that didn’t work, we should probably have a more serious conversation about this.”
“Like I tried to say before, when your hormones took over and you tried to attack me, I’m happy to ask you to go steady or whatever else you want me to do.” I laughed when she smacked my arm. She was so damn adorable. Our time together was fun, comfortable. I hadn’t had anything like this with a woman before and it was nice. No, it was better than nice. Shit, who was I kidding? It was amazing and I wanted more. I wanted my family to love her like I did and for us to do everything together.
Wow. I was turning into a teenage boy.
And I didn’t give a shit.
“I just mean, when we talk to your parents and stuff, are we in a relationship?”
“Absolutely. Unless you don’t want to be.” Wow, did I sound like a teenager or what? I’d never been like this but all I wanted was to be what she wanted. If that made any sense.
“You know I do.”
“Then we are. Now let’s go. We don’t want to keep the king and queen waiting.”
“I thought this was a casual family dinner?” She raised an eyebrow as she questioned me.
“It is—but there are limits to what the word casual means in the palace.”
“What about my dress?”
“Relax about the dress. You’re beautiful.” I took her hand and we walked toward the elevator.
My aunt and uncle were already seated in their private dining room when we arrived, and I felt Casey stiffen beside me. I’d explained protocol to her, but she was still nervous, and I loved her a little more because she cared enough to want to make a good impression. I’d walked the fine line between casual and proper my whole life, so I was used to it, but this was all new to her. Hopefully, we’d be out of here in a few days and would be able to relax again.
Casey bowed her head, which was all that was required for a family dinner like this, and my uncle held out his hand to her.
“Welcome to our home, my dear. You look lovely this evening.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Uncle Isak in private, eh?”
“Yes, sir. I mean, Uncle Isak.”
They laughed together and I finally relaxed as I leaned over to kiss my aunt’s cheek.
“Are we late?” Elen asked, joining us with Daniil and Sandor.
“Daniil!” I hadn’t seen him in months, and we embraced tightly.
“Good to see you, cousin.” Daniil turned to Casey, holding out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Hart. Elen has spent the afternoon playing your music for me and I must say I’m hooked.”
“Thank you.” She shook his hand. “I’m excited to know I have fans in Limaj.”
“At least three,” I said, chuckling.
“Four,” Aunt Klara called out. “Now, shall we eat?”
We all sat down, with me next to my uncle and Casey next to my aunt. It was highly irregular for Casey and I to be separated, but my aunt dictated the seating arrangement and I didn’t dare say anything. Casey gave me a frantic look, but there was nothing I could do, so I merely gave her an encouraging wink. Luckily, Elen was on her other side and I trusted Elen to guide her if she needed it, though Casey would undoubtedly be able to handle herself. I had faith in her, no matter what went on tonight.
Since the seating arrangement made me a little uneasy, I wasn’t sure what else to expect. Especially knowing Anwar was in residence but so far hadn’t appeared for dinner. I didn’t want it to eat at me, so I broached the subject as soon as the first course was served.
“Where is Anwar tonight?” I asked my uncle quietly. “He paid us a visit earlier. I have to say, I’m a little disappointed.”
I saw something I’d never seen in my uncle’s eyes before: guilt. It was odd because he made life or death decisions every day and didn’t bat an eyelash. Yet testing my new girlfriend made him feel guilty? I was more confused than ever.
“Anwar took my curiosity about Ms. Hart a little too seriously. I never asked him to touch or embarrass her. I merely wanted him to ask her to dance, perhaps, see how she behaved, what types of things she said. I was but looking out for you, Erik. I never wanted to hurt or embarrass either of you.”
“I understand that, but you couldn’t have enlisted Vardan? Or someone a little less…aggressive?”
“That was an error on my part, hence my apology. I’ll apologize to Casey in private.”
“Of course.”
Interesting. He was backpedaling, something my uncle never did. Which meant Anwar had accosted Casey on his own, but as always, my uncle was protecting his firstborn. It irked me to no end, but this was neither the time nor the place to say something.
“So what do you think of the palace, Casey?” Elen was asking. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“What I’ve seen so far is beautiful.” Casey nodded. “I can’t wait to see the rest.”
“Where are you taking her tomorrow?” Aunt Klara asked me. “You should take her to the Klandar Market.”
“That’s a tactical nightmare,” Sandor said. “It’s difficult to provide protection in such an open-air arena.”
“What about Olden Towne?” Daniil suggested. “There’s a music shop by Timur’s Café that she would probably love.”
“Oh, the one with the dragon logo on the door?” I nodded. “I know the one. I’ve never been inside, but you’re right, Casey would probably love it. The owner carves all the instruments by hand—he’s brilliant.”
“Sounds lovely,” Casey agreed.
“And the gardens of Danalhi,” Elen added. “They’re stunning.”
I made a mental list of all the places I wanted to show Casey in Hiskale, the country’s capital and where the palace was located. We didn’t have much time, though, because I didn’t want to stay long. I loved my country, but Anwar’s behavior worried me, and my uncle’s reluctance to do anything about it was even worse. The thought of Anwar becoming king made me a little sick, and not because I wanted it for myself. “Erik?” My uncle was talking to me, and I realized I’d zoned out.
“I’m sorry, yes?”
“Would you join me in my study now that the meal is over? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
I nodded more out of habit than any desire to meet with him, but I had manners, if nothing else. “Of course.”
The table was cleared, and while everyone else went into the queen’s salon for brandy and dessert, I followed my uncle to his den. He shut the door and pulled out a cigar, offering me one. I declined since I hoped to have my tongue down Casey’s throat tonight but sat opposite him in a comfortable leather chair.
“First, I thought I’d update you about your sister’s situation,” he said without preamble.
“Situation?”
“Her maid, Saraya, was found dead on the palace steps several weeks ago. I hadn’t had a chance to tell you until now.”
“So Omar killed her for… what?”
“Disobeying him. Alerting my brother to the situation. Any number of reasons.”
“And you’re not doing anything about it?”
“What can we do since we don’t know who did it or how.”
“How the hell was she left on the palace steps if no one saw anything? Aren’t there security cameras?” This was preposterous to me.
“Those tapes were apparently accidentally erased.”
“Erased.” I let out a derisive laugh. “That’s rich. You know that’s crap, don’t you?”
“I do. Which brings me to why you’re here.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’d like to know what your plans are,” he said in the most serious voice he’d ever used with me.
“My plans?” I was a little confused.
“You’ve finished six years at university and have your entire future ahead of you. What plans do you have?”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” I admitted. “I’ve mulled around several different options, but on the top of my list is marrying the woman in the other room. If she’ll have me.”
“Excellent. Klara and I agree with your parents that she’s an excellent choice.”
I arched a brow. “You discussed my relationship with Casey with my parents?”
“Of course. You’ve always been like another son to me, Erik. I care about you and want what’s best for you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’ve also thought a lot about having you as part of my plans to change the future of Limaj.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You know we’ve been on the brink of civil war for years and though the people aren’t suffering, we’re not making progress as a global leader. Not even as a European leader. We’ve remained mostly unknown and I’d like to bring the country into the twenty-first century beyond the internet. I want women to have equal rights, our young people to want to stay and work and flourish, and for our family to be seen in a positive light around the world.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“I think you can help. You’re smart, well-traveled, and you have a finger on the pulse of the international community. Your young new girlfriend is already, even at her age, a legendary musician who could bring the arts to Limaj.”
“Sir, I don’t think—”
“Hear me out, Erik. Please.”
“Of course.”
“The two of you could be part of the change here in Limaj. A strong, modern, independently wealthy woman—with the title of princess—alongside a member of Parliament.”
My mouth fell open. “You want me to join Parliament?”
“I can appoint you. If you’re willing.”
I had a hundred things I wanted to say but he probably didn’t want to hear them so I sat there trying to formulate the proper response to such an honorable offer.
“What is it, son? Talk to me. Uncle to favorite nephew. Forget my position.”
“No one can ever forget your position,” I said, opting for a dash of humor. “But it’s nothing.”
“I saw your face. This is about Anwar, yes?”
“Sir, I…” My voice trailed off. How could I tell him what a fuckwad his firstborn son and heir to the throne was?
“Go on.” The look on his face warned me not to lie.
“You didn’t tell Anwar to test Casey’s faithfulness,” I said, throwing caution to the wind. “He did it on his own and once you found out, you covered for him and made him apologize. I understand. He’s your son. He’ll be king someday. But the things he does are worrisome. It’s not my place to say that, but you asked.”
“I did indeed.” He got up from the chair and walked to a small wet bar in the corner of the room. He poured two tumblers of what was most likely scotch and brought me one before sitting back down. “I’ve struggled for a long time with the decision of whether or not to leave the throne to Anwar. Short of having him declared incompetent or a traitor, he will be the next king. This is how it is and how it has always been done.”
I didn’t say anything, merely waited for him to make his point.
“I think he will outgrow his aggressive demeanor and learn to handle things in a more sedate manner. Once he finds a wife, has a family, I think things will change, but until then I’m hoping you will guide him.”
“Guide him? Me?” I burst out laughing. “He hates me, and I don’t care much for him either.”
“I see this, and I would ask that you try harder, Erik. I need you. Your country needs you.”
What fresh hell was this?
My country needed me?
Since when?
“I’m sorry, Uncle Isak. I love you and my country, but Anwar’s policies, his stance on women’s and humanitarian rights is so far opposite of my own I cannot in good faith work with him in any official capacity.”
“I see.”
“I’m sorry. The last thing I would ever want to do is disappoint you, but he’s going to set our country back a hundred years the day he succeeds you, and I can’t be part of that.”
“You truly believe this?”
“With everything I am.”
“Never apologize for your convictions,” he responded thoughtfully. His eyes met mine and he nodded. “I appreciate your candor. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”