Page 29

I n public or in the presence of King Rajeemh and Queen Azira, the following will not be allowed:

Kissing on the mouth, holding hands, hugging, or flirting.

That's fine, I guess.

Lewd gestures or spoken innuendos.

Doable—as long as Egghead isn’t around.

Cursing.

Shit .

Extending your hand for the king or queen to shake. If they decide to shake your hand, they'll extend theirs first.

Knew that one already. Certain protocols had been drilled into the heads of the Trident operatives for assignments involving the royal family.

Turning your back on the king and queen. They must turn away first.

Yup. Knew that one too.

Expressing political views in public.

Easy enough.

Posing for "selfies" with commoners.

No problem. Never do them anyway.

Walking in front of the king or queen. Always walk at least two steps behind and to the right side if possible.

Sigh. I guess that means when I’m with them in a civilian capacity and not guarding any of them.

Royal protocol:

Always use “Your Majesty” or "sir" or "ma'am" when speaking to the king and queen.

Duh.

Bow your head in respect when first approaching the king and/or the queen and again after you’ve been dismissed.

Got that one down.

If the king or queen is standing, then so shall all who are present. If they sit, wait for permission to also sit. If one is sitting and the other is standing, those present shall stand.

Knew that one too—also goes for POTUS. Love that episode of The West Wing . “When the president stands, nobody sits.”

When dining with the king or queen, never start eating before they do. Once they are done with their meal, so is everyone else.

Eat fast—got it.

Other rules that must be followed:

All social media posts and pictures must be approved by the palace.

Not on social media, so don't need to remember that one.

Always accept gifts graciously.

Common courtesy.

Whenever in the public view, even if it is only for a few moments, your clothes must always be modest and appropriate for the circumstance.

Seriously? Doubt there’ll be many circumstances for my BDUs and sweatpants.

Members of the royal family must learn more than one language.

I speak three—English, Arabic, and Spanish—four if they count Pig Latin.

Sighing, Darius scanned the next few pages of protocols he’d been given by one of the royal staff members, before tossing the stack on the coffee table in the royal estate's reading room. The engagement hadn't even been announced yet and already he felt like he was living in a glass bubble.

"It is a lot to learn, yes?"

Tahira's voice startled him, and he jumped up from the couch, turning to face her.

He hadn't heard her walk into the room. Between her fuzzy pink slippers and the plush carpet, she hadn't made a sound.

Her straight, silky hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she was wearing heather-gray lounge pants and a matching T-shirt with baby-pink trim.

The dark circles under her eyes were much fainter now that she'd slept a majority of the last twenty-four hours.

As far as he knew, she'd left her bedroom only twice during that time—last night for dinner, and again, this morning to have breakfast with her parents before they returned to Timasur.

Darius shrugged as she took a seat on the couch. “Half of it’s common sense.”

She patted the seat cushion next to her, that was still warm from his body heat. “Please sit, Darius. When we are alone, you do not need to follow any protocol. I prefer when you are relaxed and just being you. It makes me feel more relaxed.”

Her smile lit up her face, and it annoyed Darius that his body had a physical response to it.

He quickly sat and willed his dick to behave.

Shit, he was thirteen years older than her, and she was a rape victim—he shouldn’t be thinking about her in any sexual way.

But when she smiled at him like that, all thoughts of him treating her like she was a kid sister fled his mind.

The next few months were going to be an exercise in mind over body.

“Darius?”

He nearly jumped across the room when she placed her hand on his knee. Gulping, he tried to ignore the heat being transferred through his jeans to his skin. “Hmm?”

“I asked you a question.”

She had?

His brow raised. “Um, sorry, I—uh—zoned out for a moment.”

She giggled. “Apparently. I asked if we could spend some time together, when you are not working. Now that we are not running for our lives, we will need to get to know each other better—our likes and dislikes. When the palace announces our engagement, the media will want to see us in public and will be asking questions. It is best that we know how to respond.”

Darius couldn’t think with her hand on his leg.

He laid his on hers, tucked his fingers under her palm, and moved both their hands to the couch next to him.

Before he could let go, Tahira set her other hand on top of his.

Darius lifted his gaze to hers and was startled to see tears welling in her eyes while her bottom lip trembled.

“I am sorry, Darius. You—you do not have to go through with this. We will tell my parents it was a mistake and not to announce—”

The despair in her voice and eyes was his undoing. Using his free hand, he quieted her by setting two fingers on her lips. "Shh. I made you a promise, and I'm not going to back out now. I care about you, Tahira. We’ll get through this—together.”

Her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips, but it caught the pads of his fingers as well.

He knew it hadn't been intentional on her part when her eyes widened, and she pulled back a few inches.

But it was too late. Darius's dick was throbbing as he stared at her mouth.

What he wouldn't give to find out if her pillowy lips were as soft as they looked.

Her youth wasn't a problem for him—he'd dated women over ten years his junior before, as long as they were mature beyond their years—but Tahira’s innocence was an issue.

In almost every way, she was still a virgin.

She didn't remember most of her assault, and he assumed she'd never actually seen a naked man in the flesh.

A thought occurred to him. After they divorced and if she remarried, how would she explain her na?veté to her new husband?

Seriously, asshole? You're looking for an excuse to get her into your bed?

Well, technically, she'll be in your bed after the wedding. How would you both explain why you're sleeping in separate bedrooms? It was a good thing Darius could sleep almost anywhere, because it looked like he'd be spending the months after their wedding sleeping on the floor next to her bed.

Shit! Every time he thought this scheme of his was going to be easy, his mind found all the reasons why it wasn't going to be. But he couldn’t turn his back on Tahira now.

Without revealing the reasoning behind the sham marriage, Darius was the only eligible male candidate.

Ian and Dr. Moreau were already married.

"I care about you too, Darius." She hesitated, seemingly uncertain, but then, before he knew what she was doing, she closed the distance between them and brushed her lips against his.

His cock jumped for joy, but a stunned Darius held himself still.

The last thing he wanted to do was scare the hell out of her.

Maybe Ian had been right. Darius could use the time before the divorce to help Tahira get past her rape—if she was willing.

They wouldn't need to have intercourse—she would probably want to wait and share that particular intimacy with the man she eventually fell in love with—but kissing and petting would give her some experience.

He could even show her what it was like to have an orgasm, if she wanted him to.

He would just have to take care of his own needs when he was alone.

Her voice was so soft, he almost didn't hear her. "I am sorry. I have never been so forward with a man. I do not even know how to kiss a man—I have never done it before. I am sorry if I did it wrong."

What?

Tahira moved to stand, but Darius squeezed the hand he was still holding, causing her to freeze. Her gaze was on the floor as a blush bloomed on her cheeks. He squeezed her hand again. "Tahira, look at me."

When her bottom lip quivered and she didn't move, he brought his hand to her chin and turned her head so she was facing him.

Her cheeks grew even redder—her bruised one and the finger marks on her jaw still enraging him—and her gaze was on his chest. He tilted her chin up and dropped his voice to what he hoped was the commanding tone he'd heard his Dom friends use on their women.

"I said, 'look at me,' Princess." When her eyes finally focused on his, he continued in a soothing tone.

"You didn't do anything wrong and being innocent is nothing to be ashamed of.

" His thumb caressed her jawline. "In fact, I think it makes you that much more attractive. "

Seconds passed as they stared into each other's eyes, and Darius found himself bewitched by her wholesome expression. Her pink tongue darted out again, and his gaze zeroed in on her plump mouth.

"Would ... would you teach me how to kiss? I—I mean, we will have to kiss once for the public after the ceremony and I—”

Not letting her finish, Darius leaned forward and cupped her jaw with both hands, drawing her closer. He was going to hell, but damned if he could stop himself from saying, "I'd be honored, Princess. Close your eyes."

Instead of her lids shutting, her eyes grew wide again. "Why—”

"Do you trust me, Tahira?”

She nodded as best she could with her head in his hands. "More than anyone, Darius. I know you would never hurt me."

She was right. He'd cut off his left nut before ever intentionally hurting her. "Then close your eyes."

Shit , if that tongue of hers peeked out between her lips one more time, he was going to suck it into his mouth. She was killing him, but a gentile kiss was as far as they were going to go tonight. As he patiently waited, her eyelids finally dropped.

Darius shifted closer and grinned when Tahira's mouth opened, as if anticipating when his would make contact with hers, but she was going to have to wait a little while longer.

It had been at least twenty years since he'd been a teenage girl's first kiss, and he didn't think he'd ever been a woman's first. He wanted to make this special for her—something she would never forget. She deserved it after all she’d been through.

One of his hands went to her temple and brushed back a few of the stray hairs that had escaped her bun. Reaching up, he released the clip at the crown of her head, letting the black, silky strands fall free. He ran his fingers through them, loving how they tickled his palm.

"What—”

"Hush, Princess. I'll kiss you, but we're doing it my way."

He dipped his head down and lightly kissed her closed eyelids. Her hands came up and found his wrists, holding onto them like a lifeline.

"You're so beautiful. So sweet.” His lips left butterfly kisses across her discolored cheek, over her pert, little nose, to the other cheek. He felt her shoulders sag and her grip ease.

"That's it. Relax and just feel," he whispered into her ear. His cock became harder when a shiver went through her body.

Down, boy. This isn't about you.

Darius nuzzled Tahira's ear a moment before kissing his way to the corner of her mouth.

He brushed her lips with his own. She inhaled sharply but didn't pull away.

Darius kept the kiss chaste, moving his closed mouth over her slightly parted lips, tilting her head a bit to get a better angle.

A moan escaped her, and the sexy sound went straight to his groin.

Without encouragement, Tahira opened her mouth further.

Keeping his control on a tight leash, Darius ran his tongue over her lips, then sucked the bottom one gently into his mouth.

Her hands ran up his arms and encircled his neck.

Slowly and tentatively, she began to explore him with her tongue. He flicked his own against hers.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Your Highness! Please forgive my intrusion!”

Tahira jumped back at the interruption, breathing heavily, unwilling to face the staff member that neither of them had heard open the door.

Darius had been just as affected by the kiss, but he managed to find his voice a lot quicker.

Unable to stand without showing off the bulge in his pants, he turned his head toward the door.

"It's okay, Semira. Did you need something? "

The young woman's gaze was on the floor in front of her feet as she stood by the door, fidgeting. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Her Royal Majesty is on the phone and would like to speak with you, Your Highness. They arrived home safely a short time ago."

Tahira ran her palms over her heated cheeks before glancing over her shoulder. "Thank you, Semira. Please tell her I will be right there."

"Yes, Your Highness." She hurried out the door, closing it softly behind her.

Tahira covered her entire face with her hands.

When her shoulders started to shake, it took Darius a moment to realize she was laughing and not crying.

The corners of his mouth pulled upward as he chuckled and relaxed back into the couch cushions.

“It’s been a long time since I was caught sitting on a couch, necking with a woman like that. ”

“Necking? Is that what we were doing?”

Not really, considering it had felt like a hell of a lot more than that to Darius, but he was keeping that to himself. Instead, he shrugged. “Some people call it necking, which is a little passé, others call it making out.”

“ That is the phrase I have heard Americans use before—making out.” She hesitated, then slowly lifted her gaze to his. Her cheeks flamed brighter. “I liked it very much, Darius—necking with you. Maybe we could do it again sometime?” She quickly added, “To practice, I mean.”

He cupped her chin and grazed his thumb across her bottom lip, which was red and swollen from their kiss. It took everything in him not to lean in and pick up where they’d left off a few moments ago. His voice came out low and husky. “I’d like that very much, Princess.”

Yup, I’m going to hell.