Page 16

That explained why they’d walked back from the cemetery.
He turned to his chief of security. ‘Ramon—?’
‘Already taken care of, Your Highness. I suspected we might need one and sent Alfredo out to get it. It’ll be here presently.’
Thiswas the reason he’d kept his childhood friend on as the head of his royal guard, even after his brother Valenti had started a very successful security consultancy, and he always excused Ramon’s occasional grumpiness and rigid sticking to protocol.
He nodded his thanks. Then at last he approached his son, where he sat on the carpet, playing with a giraffe and a tower of Lego.
Crouching down next to him, he caught the faint baby scent mixed with talcum powder. A scent that was instantly imprinted on his senses for ever.
‘May I?’ he muttered to Eden.
He saw her swallow before, eyes wide, she assented with a tiny nod.
Azar reached out, touched the thick curl resting at his son’s temple. Smooth. Springy. Then he moved his hand lower, over his warm, soft skin.
A shudder went through him.
Then more powerful,alienemotions invaded his very bones.
A need to protect. To cherish. Toclaim. In a way he’d never been cherished nor claimed. With affection and acceptance—not out of militant duty and obligation because of the title destiny had thrust upon him.
Max glanced up, stared solemnly, and then, with a smile breaking out on his cherubic face, he held up his toy. ‘Giwaffe?’
‘Sí…yes. Giraffe. He’s very handsome,’ Azar murmured, lying through his teeth.
The toy was worn to the point of being tattered, but it was clear it was much loved. He tossed a trip to the toy store into his immediate itinerary as he indulged himself with another caress of his son’s cheek. Obsession bloomed, and he felt his heart pounding as emotions filled every corner of his consciousness.
He was a father.
‘Prince…um…?’
‘Your Highness.’
His head snapped up. Ramon stood a respectful distance away, holding the car seat. Eden stood next to him, rebellion and apprehension sparking in her eyes.
He’d been completely lost in his son’s presence and he didn’t feel one iota of guilt. Going one better, Azar wrapped gentle hands around Max and stood, his small, precious weight making Azar inhale shakily.
‘Are you ready to go an adventure, Max?’ he asked.
The wide silver-grey eyes he’d seen reflected at him since childhood—from his father, and in recent years from his brothers—blinked at him.
‘Out?’
‘Out,’ he confirmed thickly, moving to the door.
He only realised he was holding his breath when it was released at hearing Eden’s footsteps behind him.
Five minutes later, as they were pulling away, a previous thought returned, demanding an answer.
‘Earlier, you mentioned being threatened by Nick’s people. Did you tell them about Max? That you thought he was Nick’s?’
The very idea of anyone else attempting to claim his son lanced jagged fury through him.
There was a moment’s hesitation, then she shook her head. ‘I thought about it, but I didn’t in the end.’
Her eyes flickered, then her lashes swept down as a wave of heat coloured her cheeks. Azar was faintly amazed she could still blush.