Chapter 1
Mariyah
Five years later
M y best friend was a traitorous bitch.
Five years we’d been as tight as the world’s most perfect book binding, and the girl had failed to tell me about the biggest secret she’d been hiding.
“Dude,” I whispered, shooting heart-eyes over my shoulder as we rounded the corner from the dining hall. “You never told me Kareem was so freaking sexy.”
She’d had plenty of opportunities to tell me. Fine, the majority of the times we’d spoken about him, very few good things had been said. But things had changed, so what bloody stopped her from telling me since?
Esmeralda’s lips were pulled up in utter disgust when I brought my attention back to her.
“Like, I mean, I’ve seen him in pictures, but whoo …” I faked a slight swoon, taking pleasure in her revulsion. “When he walked into the dining hall and smiled at me, I nearly fucking melted in a puddle. And his hand! It was so big and rough around mine. It made me think—”
“Mariy—stop. That’s disgusting,” she said, and the livelier one of the two rottweiler puppies, about four months old, following at our feet, yapped in agreement. “He’s my brother!”
“I know.” I wiggled my brows. “But he’s not mine.”
She widened her pretty eyes at me. “ Stop .”
“Wait, wait, I’ve got one more.”
“No!” She picked up her pace, and I chased after her, snickering maniacally.
We stumbled into each other down the next corridor, laughing as Esmeralda swatted me away, and I clung to her. But we abandoned the topic of her brother’s hotness as she started distracting me with the history spread over the walls of her home and showed me what I hadn’t seen because of the long nap I had taken after my early morning flight in.
Jahmal Palace, the main residence of my best friend, Crown Princess Esmeralda Ayla of Jahandar, and her older brother, King Kareem, was the epitome of Jahandari architecture. Every inch of it was made of white, sparkling marble that had been standing tall and elegant for hundreds of years. Spotless rose-red rugs lay through the centre of all the corridors and most rooms. The ceilings were high and covered in intricate patterns that had been chiselled into the stone, with bright gold chandeliers hanging everywhere. And there were more paintings, knight’s chainmail, swords, and historical ornaments lining the walls than I had ever seen in any museum or art gallery in my life.
It was my first time ever visiting Esmeralda in Jahandar, so I couldn’t help looking around in utter awe. Since leaving university nearly three years ago, she’d visited me twice in my home state of Raven to escape her bad relationship with the king. But since things had started improving between the two siblings nine months ago after the Peace Celebrations in Touma, that escape wasn’t necessary anymore.
“Come on, dude. Open them up. Let me see what you packed,” I said, closing Esmeralda’s bedroom door behind me when we eventually made it there. Unfortunately, the two puppies weren’t allowed in the palace bedrooms after a previous accident, so we’d left them one floor down with one of the butlers.
“Dammit, I thought you would have forgotten,” she grumbled as she sauntered into the huge space. There wasn’t the slightest sign of holiday-packing mess like I had left in my room in Raven.
The big, white bed with a tall, elaborately carved headboard sitting between the two curtain-clad windows along the opposite wall was neatly made and wasn’t draped with clothes. Neither was there a single shoe scattered across the circular, patterned rug that covered the majority of the marble tiles. The only evidence she’d packed for our holiday were two black suitcases of different sizes lying on the floor next to the white door that showed glimpses of an ensuite.
“Of course I didn’t forget. I’ve been waiting to see all evening,” I said, heading over to the chaise to grab the two sand-gold cushions. “Don’t be shy. Show me.”
Esmeralda sighed, but she sashayed over to the suitcases with me on her tail. We both sat down on a cushion each, me pulling at my black long-sleeve top and Esmeralda at her pink T-shirt as we got comfortable. It might have been mid-November, but unlike Raven, Jahandar’s weather wasn’t yet cold enough for too many thick layers of clothing.
My best friend shifted awkwardly on the other side of the suitcases. I stared back, grinning.
Esmeralda and I were polar opposites when it came to looks.
She was couldn’t-reach-the-top-shelf short, D-cup boobs, greyish-brown eyes that complemented her warm skin tone and wavy, chocolate-brown hair, and an air of softness and elegance that came with being a crown princess.
While I loudly told fragile-egoed boys I was five-foot-ten just to intimidate them when I was actually five-foot-nine and a bit. I only had one pair of jeans that fit my hips and arse. And I was a combo of deep blue eyes, light skin, and straight, blonde hair, with all the mischief that came along with youngest child syndrome.
But as much as we differed in appearance, we made up for it in our matching sense of humour, love for romance books, and enjoyment in teasing each other to show our affection.
“Well?” I encouraged with a wiggle of my brows.
The colour on her golden cheeks heightened. “I bought…toys…”
A loud laugh fell from my gaping mouth. “Oh, now I definitely want to see.”
With an amused roll of her eyes, Esmeralda picked up the two items of clothing lying atop the bigger suitcase and unzipped it. Out came a forest green puffer coat first that lay over everything else. It unfolded itself in Esmeralda’s hands, revealing its true size.
“Bloody Neves. Did TRG buy that for you?” The coat looked two sizes too big even for me.
“No.” She tried to fold it down next to her, but it refused to comply and complained with a hiss of air, so she gave up with a huff. “But he warned me—I mean before I told him I wasn’t coming—that if I turned up without a proper coat, I’d be in trouble. So, I bought the biggest, puffiest one I could find.”
TRG, short for “ Tall, Royal, and Grumpy” —once upon a time known as Orange—was Crown Prince Kai of Touma, Esmeralda’s crush of nearly seven years turned long-distance boyfriend .
“And you bought sex toys that he could ‘ trouble’ you with just in case he still wasn’t happy with your coat?” I said, a suggestive lilt to my voice.
Her knowing grin was slow but big. “ No . I bought those because I wanted to give him a thirtieth birthday to remember.”
I laughed and shook my head. But when Esmeralda took out a few jumpers and trousers, my jaw came undone. “Dude. Did you buy everything in the shop?”
“No.” She pouted at the array of packaged sex toys. “Just the essentials.”
“Essentials?”
Butt plug. Bullet vibrator. A butterfly clit sucking vibrator. Dildo. Another smaller vibrating dildo. A vibrating cock ring. Handcuffs. Blindfolds. And of course, lube.
With every packaged item Esmeralda took out, my laughter came harder and louder. Until I was lying on the carpet, clutching my stomach and unable to breathe.
“I felt guilty about the whole surprise thing, so I uh…I might have gotten a bit overexcited with my purchases,” Esmeralda said, failing to tame an embarrassed smile.
“A bit?” I choked out as my laughter settled and pushed myself into an upright position. “Are you even planning to leave his bedroom during the ten days we’re there?”
“Twelve days for me. And yes, of course I plan to leave his room. But I wouldn’t mind spending three days locked up with him.”
“Dude, you’re gonna need more than three days for this many toys.” Raising a brow, I tilted my head. “You still sure you want me to third-wheel along with you to Touma?”
“Yes,” she said instantly, dropping the toys in her hands back into the suitcase. “I want you there. We’ve never been on holiday together. And Kai invited you. You have to come.”
One of the perks of having a royal best friend was being invited by her prince boyfriend to come along to Touma for a vacation and stay with him and his family. Esmeralda told me we were going to go out and have fun exploring Pavilion City with Kai as our chaperone while celebrating his thirtieth birthday. But after what she’d shown me, I wasn’t so sure there would be much going out anymore.
My dirty little princess clearly planned to sex toy her vacation away.
“If you say so.”
She gave a firm nod. “I do.”
We shared a smiling moment, then I nodded towards her open suitcase. “You got any more sex toys hidden in there? Or can you show me the lingerie you bought now?”
Esmeralda excitedly packed away the clothes she had taken out, and with a bit of holding down the lid on my part, we zipped the suitcase back up, moved it over, and opened the smaller one.
One by one she took out the sexy lingerie and silk pyjama sets she had packed, all of them more lace and ribbon than any actual fabric. It almost seemed like the entire smaller suitcase was filled with them, they were endless. But we fawned over each piece she showed me, laughing as we joked about plans of seduction for the birthday boy.
The lingerie was sprawled all around us when a steady knock at the door startled us.
“Yes?” Esmeralda called.
“Princess, it’s me.” The deep voice I hated all too well made my stomach lurch up. “I have the snacks the kitchen prepared.”
“Oh, shit,” she whispered, wide eyes flying all over the skimpy clothes on display. “One second, Sher.”
In a rush, we both grabbed what we could and shoved it back into her luggage. Not to hide the underwear like it was a dirty secret but piling them up so it was less obvious that half the thongs were crotchless. Something I knew Esmeralda didn’t want him to see.
“Hold on, let me get the door, Sher.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” the dickhead said from the other side.
The door clicked open, and it was a battle to stop my spine from reflexively locking straight as his light steps filtered into Esmeralda’s bedroom.
The moment he appeared in my periphery, heading to the white velvet chaise with a tray in his hands, a spiky heat flared somewhere in my midsection. It wrapped around my chest, jabbing at me from all angles, making me grind my teeth together, wishing it was his face I was grinding to a pulp instead.
Shehryar Timur.
Esmeralda’s bodyguard and private secretary.
The fucking bane of my existence for the last five years.
For whatever reason, he’d been bestowed with the build of an ancient warrior. Six-foot-five, sturdy legs for days, a back as broad as a dining table, shoulders that would make an Olympic swimmer look like a twig, and arms that could probably carry a baby elephant. Each . Annoyingly, everything attractive about his build was only emphasised by the perfect fit of his thin jumper and tapered suit trousers.
Not that I found any part of him attractive. Ew. No.
That crush was long gone. Dead. Finished.
I killed those feelings the moment I realised he was an A-class asshole.
Shehryar turned around when Esmeralda waddled over to him on a seemingly numb foot. I quickly swapped the scrunch of annoyance on my mouth with bland regard as I peeked at the two three-tiered stands on the tray covered in brownie squares, mini macarons, little tarts, and other treats.
“Hana said she packed the extra brownies and custard tarts in containers and put them in the larder and fridge,” he said. “So, if you want more, let me know and I’ll go bring them. Otherwise, Mona will be up in a few minutes with your drinks.”
My heart was kicked in the backside with spurred boots, sending it into a burning frenzy of fury as narrow green eyes clashed with mine.
They weren’t bright like emeralds but rather had the effect of a drop of watercolour on paper. Pale around his pupils, their colour grew more vivid towards the edges of his irises. But that meant his stare always felt intense, and I hated it. It didn’t help that his warmer skin tone, arched brows, and strong nose drew all the more attention to his eyes. It was irritating.
Almost as irritating as his hair. He’d grown it out a little since the last time I’d seen him in Raven when he’d accompanied Esmeralda at the beginning of the year. Now the soft brown locks waved over the top of his ears and flowed, lush and thick, back over the top of his head.
He’d grown a beard too. I could have made fun of him if it was patchy or aged him into an ugly caveman that looked twenty years older than he actually was. It wasn’t. And it didn’t . It was neat and trimmed close to his skin and suited his square jaw. Dickhead.
Fucking Neves, looking at him made my skin burn all over.
But just as quickly as Shehryar caught my gaze, he looked back to Esmeralda as if he hadn’t noticed me at all. I wished it hadn’t, but it grated. It made me want to spit fire at him. I’d never give him the satisfaction of knowing he irritated me though.
“Thank you, Sher. And don’t worry, we’ll go down to the kitchen if we want anything else,” Esmeralda assured him with a smile. “You can go rest now.”
His whole body softened as he returned her smile, and it changed his appearance. He stopped looking like a grizzly bear with snake-like eyes glaring down at a fairy who hardly came up to the middle of his chest. He looked more like a teddy bear with squishy edges.
“I’ll be in my room, but I’m the press of a button away if you need me. Just send a call to my beeper.”
“We’ll be fine.”
Resting a hand on the back of Esmeralda’s head, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair. “Good night.”
“Night, Sher.”
Shehryar stepped back from Esmeralda and rotated. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it to be in my direction, but I had to admit, I enjoyed it. The tightness on his mouth spoke volumes for his discomfort as he forced himself to offer me a polite nod. It was more like a quarter of a nod; he barely even moved his head.
A bigger person would have quietly accepted the gesture and let him go.
It was a good thing that person wasn’t me. My middle names were stubborn and petty . And after pissing me off so much with his presence, it was only fair that he paid for it.
I widened my eyes mock innocently. “Sorry, what was that, Sheri ?”
His jaw tightened, and that little twitch of irritation sparked satisfaction through me. But it was gone from his face too quickly, replaced by a mask of indifference.
“Goodnight,” he said, his deep voice rolling off his tongue like he was bored.
I flashed him a big grin. “It will be now.”
Without burdening me with another second of his attention, he moved to the door with a steady swagger. I waited until I heard it close softly behind me before I looked to Esmeralda.
She gave me an unimpressed sigh and shook her head. “Really, Mariyah?”
“What? I didn’t understand what he was trying to say.”
Picking up one of the tiered stands, she brought it over and placed it beside the suitcases. “Please be nice.” She plopped down on her cushion. “I don’t want you guys to fight while we’re in Touma.”
“Well, we’re not in Touma yet, so…” I leaned over to grab a brownie, but she slapped the back of my hand. I jerked it back to my chest. “Ow!”
“Mariyah, I’m serious.” She gave me stern mum eyes that she’d somehow managed to perfect without even being one yet.
“Okay, fucking Neves, fine. I’ll try not to.”
But the effort of my trying would remain in the one to five percent range.