Page 9

She kissed Max’s cheek, smoothing a hand down his back as he wriggled harder.
‘Which door is your neighbour’s?’
‘Five B.’
A subtle flick of his fingers and three of the six guards were repositioned in front of Mrs Tolson’s door. Prince Azar stepped back, his eyes riveted to her.
‘Half an hour while he eats. And we talk.’
Even though she suspected it was futile, she let her speaking glare echo what she felt about his edict.
The moment she stepped out he fell into step beside her. His presence bore down on her like a ton of bricks, but a quick glance showed his attention was riveted on Max. Who in turn stared at him with wide silver eyes.
Silver eyes… Oh, God.
She swallowed her trepidation as she arrived in front of Mrs Tolson’s door. Before she could knock, one of the bodyguards stepped in front of her and rapped sharply on the door.
‘Coming,’ the voice echoed faintly from within.
As footsteps drew nearer, the bodyguard positioned himself firmly in front of the door, ensuring he was the first thing poor Mrs Tolson saw when she opened the door.
‘Great timing. I was just— Who are you?’ Thankfully there was no alarm, just the sharp query of a former educator used to dealing with people twice her size.
‘Can you move, please?’ Eden said, as firmly as possible without frightening her son.
‘Not yet,’ Prince Azar forestalled.
Then he gave one of his subtle commands.
Before his guards could act, Eden stepped closer to the door.
‘Don’t you dare!’ Everyone froze. Prince Azar’s eyes snapped with unholy fire. She didn’t care. ‘Whatever you’re ordering them to do, the answer is no.’
‘Miss Moss, security protocol dictates—’
‘I don’t care.’ She cut across the guard who’d chastised her last night. ‘You will not invade my neighbour’s privacy.’
‘Eden? What’s going on?’
Sidestepping the bodyguard—to his bristling displeasure—she managed a strained smile. ‘Do you mind having breakfast with just Max for now, Mrs Tolson? I’ll join you shortly.’
No matter what the Crown Prince dictated, she intended the encounter to be short. And uneventful.
Please, God.
She set a wriggling Max down and everyone, including the bodyguards, watched him toddle off into the apartment and head straight for the box of giant Lego Mrs Tolson kept solely for him.
‘Yes, of course,’ her neighbour echoed, but her worried eyes flittered over the men gathered behind her, inevitably lingering on the most formidable one of all. ‘Doesn’t answer my question, though.’
The Crown Prince stepped forward then, and it irritated Eden no end that his guards took a respectful step back, giving him room to slot himself next to her.
She took a breath and her stomach tightened.
Sweet heaven, he smelled delicious. Mouth-watering in a way no one hellbent on harassing a single mother and her child had a right to smell.
He held out his hand to Mrs Tolson and Eden watched her elderly neighbour’s cheek flush as she caught her first proper glimpse of Crown Prince Azar.
‘I’m Prince Azar Domene. Eden and I would be grateful if you could be with…Max for a while.’