Chapter 18
The reporters were everywhere! Not just the local news agencies and the reporters based out of Lativa. Apparently, the explosion at the power plant had caused an international news story with speculation rampant about who might have sabotaged the power plant.
As soon as Khal stepped out of the black SUV, the reporters were calling questions to him.
Tasha realized that she was exposed now. The reporters would be snapping pictures and taking video of Khal walking through the mess so she hung back, trying to stay out of the line of cameras. She doubted that Nathan was still after her, but she didn’t want to risk it.
Plus, this was Khal’s time to shine. She knew he’d done a great deal to improve the lives of his people over the past few years. His reign as ruler of Lativa had been excellent for his people. Businesses were thriving, unemployment was down, and the general consensus was that things were good. She didn’t want to get in the way of that potential headline. Whatever was happening here at the power plant, it was an anomaly.
Plus, seeing Khal walking amidst the damage followed by greeting the victims meant that the political tensions couldn’t be nearly as dire as speculation had theorized yesterday. If he was here, then there wasn’t a sniper out to get him.
As soon as the thought popped into her mind, Tasha looked around, scanning the crowd. The reporters seemed eager to take video and pictures of Khal, and the power plant workers just wanted to shake his hand.
Was there someone out there that had done this to lure Khal out of the palace? Or was she just being paranoid? For some reason, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
Something was wrong. She wasn’t sure what, but she could feel it. Looking over at one of his guards, she noticed that he seemed a bit more alert. The bodyguards were carefully examining the crowds.
Ignoring her desire to stay out of the line of cameras, Tasha walked over to where Khal was greeting the power station manager. “We should get inside,” she whispered to him, adding a smile for the cameras.
Immediately, Khal looked around. The glance looked casual enough, but he understood. “What is it?” he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and shifting his body weight to better shield her from the cameras.
“Your Highness,” she hissed, “I should be protecting you! Not the other way around.”
Khal grunted. “Humor me,” he countered, but he shifted again, his arm around her waist now, as his powerful body still shielded her from everyone’s view.
Tasha lowered her head and allowed him to lead her into the power station. Once inside in the relative safety of the building, she breathed a sigh of relief. But that relief was short lived when Khal kept his arm around her shoulders, directing her towards a private room. When the door closed and it was just the two of them in the space, he turned and looked at her, pinning his hands on the wall behind her. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
Tasha couldn’t tell him that she was in hiding. He’d laugh, then demand the whole story.
“I just…sensed something wasn’t right, Your Highness,” she told him, which was the truth.
“What did you sense?”
“I don’t know, Your Highness,” she replied softly, her gaze moving from his eyes to…his lips. He was so close! And she’d fantasized about those lips.
No, that wasn’t completely accurate. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about what it would be like to kiss Khal. First of all, she’d been mentally “sleeping” for the first few months. It was only recently that she’d awakened to the realization that Khal was…gorgeous. And sexy. And amazing!
With every second that passed, it seemed that her heart pounded against her ribs. Harder. Faster. Surely he could hear it!
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” he asked, his voice deeper, his words penetrating her subconscious on a level that had been sound asleep. But his tone awakened desires she’d thought long gone!
“It’s irrelevant,” she whispered back.
His eyes moved over her face, his lips compressed, but a moment later, they softened. Had something else flashed through his mind? What was he thinking? She’d prided herself on keeping one step ahead of the man. But at the moment, she was lost. Completely befuddled when he was this close. Goodness, he smelled amazing! And his lips…they were mere inches from hers. What would happen if she just…?
Tasha didn’t have a chance to contemplate the what-ifs in this scenario because Khal took matters into his own hands. He leaned in, closing the distance between them. And the explosion of sensation that hit her with that touch sent her mind reeling.
Without thinking, she lifted her hands, cupping his jaw, almost as if she needed to ensure that he remained close. Her lips trembled as his moved over hers and she opened her mouth, needing to taste him, to finally discover the essence of him.
She heard a soft growl and then the kiss deepened. Suddenly, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her firmly against him.
That’s when the panic set in and she cried out, jerking backwards and retreating to the “safety” of the wall. For a long moment, Tasha stared wide-eyed up at Khal, her body still pulsing with excitement. But there was also a layer of fear. No, that wasn’t the right word. Terror!
“What happened?” he asked, his voice rough but he didn’t reach for her again. “Did I hurt you?”
Immediately, Tasha stepped closer, not wanting him to think that for even a moment. “No!” she gasped, reaching out to touch him again. But before her fingers made contact with his chest, she flinched back, curling her fingers into a tight fist. She stared at him, wishing she had the words to explain. Flashes of Nathan coming after her, pressing her against his chest that night, his fingers digging into her upper arms. And when she’d turned her head away, avoiding his sloppy kiss, the pain that had slashed through her moments later…yes, that’s what terrified her.
“Someone hurt you in the past,” he rasped out, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’m so sorry, Tasha.” He looked around, but they were still alone in the room. “I remember the remnants of the bruises that you tried to hide when you first started working for me.”
“You…do?” she choked out, her lashes coming down to hide her shame.
“Yes. Who did that to you?”
“I thought they were well hidden.” She wrapped her arms around her waist.
“They were. But it wasn’t just the bruises. You flinched occasionally. A loud noise, someone calling down the hallway, or someone coming up behind you…everything made you flinch at first. The first few weeks after your arrival, you buried yourself in work.” He sighed. “I know the drill.”
She looked up at him, trying to understand. “What does that mean?”
“Everyone has their own addictions, Tasha,” he replied. “Some people hide their pain with drugs, alcohol, or gambling. Some people shop for things they don’t need.” He paused, looking down at her. “And some people lose themselves in their work. That’s what I do. When I can’t handle the personal issues, I work. I lose myself in making everyone else’s problems go away.” He sighed. “I recognized the solution in you. Every day, I’d come into the office early in the morning, and you’d already be there. And I’d leave for the night, and you’d still be at your desk, tapping away at your computer.”
“You knew!” she hissed, the words slipping through her lips. “I didn’t even understand what I was doing, Your…”
He put a finger over her lips. “After a kiss like that, it isn’t really appropriate for you to address me with only my title.”
She let out a burst of nervous laughter. “I can’t… won’t , call you by your first name, Your Highness,” she told him.
He made a grumbly sound. But he didn’t contradict her.
“We should get back to the inspection, Your Highness.” She used his title again, but Khal suspected that, this time, it was a test. Was she trying to anger him? To push him to violence? She’d never seen Khal have an outburst of anger. Not even when there was a crisis, Khal remained calm and in control. He would simply shift his priorities and call in the appropriate people to research the problem, and then he’d come up with a solution. He would be grumpy and irritable, but never outwardly angry.
“You’re right. We should get back to the others. I’m sure that there is rampant speculation about what we are doing for so long in this…,” he paused, looking around. “Where the hell are we?”
Tasha looked around as well. The cement walls had been painted white at some point, but they were a dull beige now. They were standing in a long hallway. There was nothing else to distinguish this hallway from any other. The door behind Khal’s broad shoulders was the only exit other than a window high overhead and a stairway behind Tasha.
A sound echoed through the space and Tasha realized that it came from her. She’d just laughed!
Quickly, she clapped a hand over her mouth, but she couldn’t hide the laughter dancing in her chocolate eyes.
His dark gaze swung towards her, a nearly black eyebrow lifting in inquiry. “You think this is funny?” he grumbled, straightening up and putting a hand to the small of her back. “We just shared our first kiss in a damn hallway!”
There was another sound that sounded suspiciously like a giggle, but surely couldn’t have been. Tasha never giggled! She was too serious for that kind of ridiculousness.
Khal grunted, then looked around again, wrapping his arm around her waist again. “Next time, I promise to be more romantic.”
With that vow lingering between them, Khal opened the door and nudged Tasha outside. There was a large group of men in hardhats waiting for them to emerge.
Tasha prayed that her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt and she turned her head away, trying to hide from the men’s curious gazes.
For his part, Khal turned to the power station manager who had greeted them upon their arrival. “Mr. Koons, could you show me the damage to the station? I’m eager to find out what happened and provide whatever assistance you and your team need to ensure that everyone is safe before the power station goes back online.”
Mr. Koons flushed with pride and puffed up with importance as he gestured towards a large, open area that seemed to hum with energy. Quite literally, Tasha thought as she walked beside Khal while the station manager explained what they’d learned over the past twenty-four hours.