Chapter 17
Tiro stood in the entryway of the palace, waiting with clenched teeth. He’d received word that Angela was traveling with two of her aunts, as well as her mother. Perfect! It was going to be an additional three days of sexual frustration .
However, there was no way he was going to cancel this visit. Over the past two weeks, he’d counted down the days, eagerly anticipating spending more time with Angela. Yeah, it was frustrating, but their three days together in Lativa had been fascinating. In person, Angela was even more impressive than she was while working on the diplomatic stage. Every conversation with her was filled with intelligent opinions and insights.
Plus, the woman had a body to die for! Her lush breasts and slim hips made his body ache to hold her . The soft touches that were allowed two weeks ago, as well as the longing looks she’d directed toward him, had made his mind nearly explode with need.
So, here he was, standing in front of the open doors with as much ceremonial pomp as he’d been given at his arrival two weeks before. He wanted to repay the respect shown to him, but all he really wanted to do was to grab Angela and keep her to himself for the next three days so that they could explore each other in a far more intimate way.
He already knew he respected her intellectually. Now he wanted to give her so much damn pleasure that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. He wanted to discover…!
His mind blanked when the SUV pulled up to the doorway. Tiro held his breath, anticipation nearly painful as he watched a slender ankle step out, then a long, shapely leg. Angela appeared. He saw her eyes, recognized the carefully tamped down excitement in her eyes.
Relief surged through him. She felt it too! Alleana , he wanted to go to her and pull her into his arms. The only reason he didn’t was because of the press that were snapping pictures, trying to capture every moment, expression, and reaction.
So instead, he stood back, watching as Angela approached him. He was only tangentially aware of the other ladies stepping out of the vehicle behind Angela. He barely glanced at the lovely ladies that followed her up the carpeted stairs. He had eyes only for Angela.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tiro took her offered hand and lifted her fingers to his lips. “Good morning, Your Highness,” he repeated, unaware of the laughter sparkling in his eyes. He’d read about it in the news the following morning, as well as the interpretations of his greeting among the different regions of the world.
But in this moment, it was just Angela and himself, alone as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“How was your flight?” he asked, tucking her hand into his elbow.
The blush that warmed her cheeks, as well as the melodic laughter behind him, warned him that something had happened on the flight. He glanced behind him, suddenly realizing that he’d snubbed Angela’s relatives. Immediately, he turned and greeted each woman, hopefully showing them the respect that they deserved. Also praying that the powerful husbands of these ladies wouldn’t be offended by his initial snub.
Finally, he led the four ladies into a quiet room with sofas and refreshments.
“This is lovely!” Angela’s mother said with a gentle smile. “However, I suspect that Angela is more than ready to stretch her legs a bit.” She turned to Tiro and stunned him by suggesting, “Why don’t you take her on a tour of the palace while we old ladies sit here and have some tea?”
Tiro blinked at Helen, wondering if she was trying to trap him. Plus, these three women weren’t old! They might be older than he and Angela, but they were still shockingly lovely. However, the gentle amusement that sparkled in each woman’s eyes helped him relax.
Not a trap, he realized.
Looking at Angela, she was clutching a large, leather tote bag in an odd way with another blush staining her cheeks. What the hell was going on?
Playing along, he offered Angela his arm. “I’d be honored to take you on a tour.”
Angela smiled and tried to set her bag down. “I’d love a tour, but I won’t need this,” she said, trying to set it onto the floor beside one of the upholstered chairs.
All three women nearly jumped up, her mother reaching out to push the straps back onto her daughter’s shoulder. “You never know!” she asserted firmly. “A woman needs to be prepared for anything.”
This seemed suspicious, but Tiro wouldn’t question why a woman might need a purse. Not when they were acting so…strange.
Besides, he couldn’t wait to get Angela alone. He wanted to kiss her and see if the magic was still there.
So, he quickly led her from the room, breathing more easily once they were out in the hallway. True, they were still surrounded by bodyguards. And yeah, he was aware of Aziz’s scowl of disapproval. But Tiro ignored all of it, entirely focused on being alone with Angela.
“What’s going on?” he asked, leaning down slightly as he led her down the hallway.
“Um…it’s…nothing,” Angela replied, biting her lip as she looked around. Tiro knew she was only pretending to be interested in the hallway. So, what was going through her mind? And why was she clutching her bag like that?
“In here,” he told her, leading her into a small room that was rarely used. Hell, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever been in this room before. Looking around, he was startled by the small size, but the décor was cozy enough. There was room for two chairs, a small table, and big windows that let in the sunshine.
“So, what’s going on?”