Chapter 4
Tiro stopped in the middle of the bar. He’d thought that this area of the hotel would be vacant at this time of night, that he would find a quiet place to work, a place that wasn’t the pristine, vacuous penthouse where he and his staff slept. Well, they were sleeping. He rarely slept more than four hours a night. It wasn’t by choice. His body just didn’t need as much sleep.
But he hadn’t expected her.
The reading glasses were adorable and unexpected. With her hair piled up on top of her head in a messy bun and the slouchy sweatshirt, Princess Angela looked like…there was no other description for it. She looked like a naughty librarian !
His body immediately reacted to the sight. That image was enhanced when she looked up, but had to tilt her head in that age-old way as she peered at him over the rim of her glasses.
Damn, she was hot!
And cute, he thought, starting forward again. Yes, he was going to be an ass and invade her space. He saw her flash of panic as he sat down across from her but he didn’t care. He was staying. They were going to finish their conversation. In fact, he scooted around so that he sat next to her in the C shaped booth.
Damn, she smelled delicious !
“What did you think of my speech earlier?” he prompted, placing his own laptop onto the table.
She shifted in her seat and he could read the debate in her eyes. She was considering leaving, wondering if a departure would hurt his feelings.
“It will,” he answered for her.
She frowned, and blinked at him quizzically. “It will…what?”
He liked her voice. It was soft and sweet.
“It will seriously hurt my feelings if you leave right now,” he told her, unaware of the teasing smile playing across his lips.
She must have noticed because her eyes drifted lower, then returned to his eyes. She nearly laughed. “I doubt it.”
“You seriously don’t want to ruin what could be an impressive diplomatic moment with your country’s biggest enemy, do you?”
She snorted. “Ginisia is annoying and I’m sure that my uncle would love to crush your country’s military like a bug, but you’re definitely not our biggest problem.” She tilted her head and his eyes were drawn to her neck. Did she have any idea how sexy her neck was? Or how appealing it was that she would expose the most vulnerable part of herself to him?
“Who is Lativa’s biggest problem?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Maybe I can help.” He wouldn’t, but it was a carrot that he hoped would prompt her to keep talking to him.
It didn’t work. In fact, she snorted again, even rolled her eyes. Smart woman! And damn, that only made her more appealing.
“You and Ginisia are the last people my uncle would go to for help with Sunfi or Itar.”
He grinned. “You’re right. The leaders of Sunfi and Itar are a pain in my ass too. I don’t have any influence with those…uh…men.” He’d almost called them something else, but restrained himself. Tiro had grown up as the crown prince, but he’d spent most of his time in the military and had loved every moment of it. He delighted in the thrill of putting his physical and intellectual abilities to the test. However, the military had had a negative effect on his vocabulary.
But this…just sitting with such a beautiful and intelligent woman…it was better than the highest adrenaline rush.
“So, what are you doing here?” she asked. “ Why aren’t you in bed with…?”
He lifted an eyebrow, even though he knew exactly what she’d been about to say. When she didn’t continue, he filled in the silence for her. “The woman seated next to me during dinner?”
Angela nodded silently and he chuckled as her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink.
“I prefer my liaisons to be a bit more…particular,” he admitted. It was the truth. He’d never been the type to prefer brazen women; they weren’t much of a challenge. And Tiro loved a challenge. Any kind of challenge, mental or physical, stirred him.
In fact, he wanted to kiss her. If they accomplished nothing else tonight, he wanted to kiss Princess Angela. He wanted to know if she was as sweet and tempting as she appeared.
“So, you enjoy the challenge of a woman who isn’t interested?” she quipped.
He chuckled, unconsciously lifting a dark eyebrow as he leaned forward. “Are you telling me you’re not interested?”
Gotcha, he thought as he watched her mouth open slightly. The look in her eyes was wary, but even better than her abject denial was the fact that she couldn’t lie. Even though her position as ambassador for her country required her to stay away from him, this gorgeous woman couldn’t lie to him about her attraction to him.
After a few seconds, she huffed and leaned back. “I don’t think that’s an appropriate question, considering our countries’ positions.”
He shrugged dismissively. “Then let’s change our countries’ positions.”
Angela leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with hope and suspicion. “You’d do that? You’d alter Ginisia’s hostile position against Lativa?”
“Absolutely.”
For a long moment, they stared into each other’s eyes. Had he really just announced that he would alter his country’s political position for a kiss ?
Aljahim naem! Hell yes!
She shook her head, the small wisps of hair dancing around her lovely features. “But…why?” She leaned forward, her hands lightly clasped in front of her now on the table. “Why in the world would you change your position against my country?”
He stared into her beautiful, dark eyes. They were so damn expressive! “If it means that I get you in my bed, then I will not be as…contrary …toward Lativa in the future.”
She gasped and then shook her head. “Sex isn’t part of my negotiating tactics!” she snapped and pulled back.
“I wouldn’t think that was the case,” he countered, grabbing her hands when she started to gather up her things. His words, as well as his hand over hers, stalled her. “What I’m trying to say is that if the tension between our countries hinders my ability to court you, then I’ll change it.”
Courting? He silently groaned. What the hell was he saying? What was he offering ? He could see by the baffled look in her eyes that she also required clarification. Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely sure what he meant. Hell, he didn’t even know how to court a woman!
She tilted her head slightly, exposing the long line of her throat again. Tiro stared for an extended moment, contemplating what he could do to her neck. Would she gasp? Or moan? What sounds would she make when he found a spot that really turned her on?
He considered various other places on her body that he wanted to know more about and immediately, his body tightened. He had to force himself to concentrate on the conversation at hand.
She pulled back, both physically and mentally, pursing her lips with distrust. “I think that it is bad political policy to allow one’s sexual desires to dictate the direction of a whole country’s foreign policy, wouldn’t you agree?”
Tiro’s hands itched to reach out and stroke her hair, to pull it out of that messy bun and see how long it was. Shoulder length? Longer? Rationally, he knew that a woman’s hair length wasn’t an indication of her fertility, but he still loved long hair on a woman . Maybe, because he loved tangling his hand in the soft, silky strands while thrusting in and out of her heat? Or perhaps because he enjoyed the way the ends tickled his chest or his face when she rode him. Or …!
Hell, Angela had asked him a question. It took him a moment to recall what it was.
“I think the tensions between our countries are based on an irrational set of competition standards that were dictated by my uncle back when he ruled Ginisia. Perhaps it’s time that we knock that tension down a few notches.” He looked pointedly at her, willing her to understand his intentions. “And if the tensions between our countries ease, then perhaps it would be more…palatable…for you to have dinner with me some night in the future.”
Those soft, full lips parted again and he ached to kiss them, to feel her lips and taste her tongue. Aljahim , he wanted to taste every inch of her!
The startled, slightly wary look in her eyes warned him to slow down. But he also sensed her excitement. Perhaps it was the throbbing pulse point at the base of her neck or the way her breath sped up. Were her irises slightly more dilated now?
Yes, she felt it too. He wasn’t alone in this attraction. He’d felt it earlier tonight, but seeing the signs up close made his body tighten even further. It was going to be difficult to walk after much more of this.
“What would you propose?” she prompted, her pink tongue darting out to lick her soft, full lips.
It took Tiro several long, painful seconds to realize that she was still talking about relations between their two countries.
Alleana .
For the next hour, they debated about military operations, trade options, tariffs, and intellectual exchange possibilities. She might be young, but Princess Angela Al-Sintra wasn’t a fool. She was an exceptionally good negotiator who understood the optics as well as the economics behind every decision. And she didn’t give anything until he was ready to concede first. Perhaps growing up in a palace surrounded by brilliant cousins and tough-as-nails aunts and uncles wasn’t such a hardship.
He checked the time on his phone and realized that it was nearly dawn. He needed to get showered and dressed for the day.
“I have to go. When will you take these terms back to your uncle?”