Chapter 15
Daniil
Days turn into a week. Then two. I love spending time with my son, but Courtney keeps me at a physical and emotional distance.
She truly wants nothing to do with me, and no amount of titillating conversation, strenuous workouts, or charming her neighbors has done much to endear me to her.
At this point, I’m going to have to make a decision.
Leaving my son behind feels like the worst option, but I sense that’s what she wants.
Bringing the two of them to Limaj, even for a few weeks, would make my life so much easier but she wants no part of it.
Pretending he isn’t mine isn’t going to work for me, no matter which way we go, but beyond that, it gets…complicated.
I just don’t know how to get past the issues—not with her and not on my own.
Mentally, I’m fine. I grew up with these kinds of events and the day my parents were killed was far more traumatic for me.
But not for her. I also can’t help but feel some of what she experienced in the Middle East as a marine tainted her view as well.
Limaj is not a Middle Eastern country, despite the contingent of Muslims who live there.
We’re Eastern European, a distinction she doesn’t seem to make.
To her, all developing countries are the same.
I’m oversimplifying her feelings, but that’s how it comes across. That somehow none of us are worthy.
“We’re drowning in work, Dan,” Joe says when we talk on the phone early on a Monday morning after I’ve been gone over three weeks. “Are you coming back at some point?”
“Of course I’m coming back!” I say. “I’m just… there’s a lot going on, Joe.”
“We all understand. It’s the only reason Erik hasn’t jumped on a plane and dragged you back by your ear. However, there’s a lot going on here too, and it’s not just you who’s missing—you’ve got Marcus with you.”
The Royal Protectors are spread thin, even with the addition of Ace, Dax, and Cooper.
Axel’s wife Solange is training to take on the cyber security aspect of the job, so Jonas can have more time for actual bodyguard and protection duties, but she’s still in college and currently pregnant with their second child.
I don’t know how this is going to work, but I can’t stay here much longer, especially when Courtney is showing no signs of softening toward me.
I’ve tried most of my tricks—the charm, the gifts, the attention.
She appreciates it all but keeps me at arms’ length.
The only time she shows even a modicum of softness is with the baby.
Any other time, she’s tough as nails. Especially with me.
“I’m trying,” I tell Joe. “It’s hard to explain.”
“You found out you have a kid and missed the first five months of his life. You don’t have to explain. You do have to decide what you’re going to do, though, because you have responsibilities.”
Like I don’t know that.
“What if I sent Marcus to protect Sasha and sent Axel to you? Just for a couple of weeks?”
He laughs. “You really think he and Solange want to be separated while she’s pregnant?”
“Probably not.”
He hesitates. “You and Sandor make all the decisions about the Protectors, so you’ll have to talk to him.”
“I will.”
We discuss a few things for another couple of minutes and then disconnect. This is a mess, and the only short-term solution is to convince Courtney to let me take them to Limaj with me, which will mean she needs to ask for time off from her job, so I’m not sure how to address it.
Grim is leaving today, heading home to L.A., ready to go back to work. That means she no longer has live-in help, which could work in my favor. I just have to find a way to frame it that won’t piss her off.
“You’re here early,” she says, coming downstairs with Micah just after seven.
“Had some calls back home,” I reply. She knows there’s a ten-hour time difference, which makes it difficult to get anything done during the day. “Getting up at five is the only way to make them.”
“I understand.” She brushes past me heading into the kitchen and the faint hint of her shampoo wafts through my nostrils. Why does she always smell like sunshine and coconut? Visions of the two of us lying on a beach somewhere come to mind.
Except we’ve never been on a date, much less taken a vacation together.
I’ve never seen her in a bathing suit.
I’ve seen her naked, of course, but a bathing suit is different. A bikini would be fantastic…
Jesus.
I shake off my slightly inappropriate thoughts and follow her into the kitchen. One thing I’ve loved about being here is mornings. She gave me a key so I’m always here early and it’s nice to be settling into a routine.
Micah is a happy baby, growing and learning more each day, and mornings seem to be the time for the three of us to behave like a family.
We talk and share baby duties as we make breakfast and coffee, and discuss our day.
Mostly, we play with Micah. He calls me Dada now, with no hesitation, but to be fair, he sometimes calls Courtney Dada too, so it’s not as distinct as we first thought.
“What are your plans today?” she asks as she scrambles some eggs for us.
“I have a bill to read,” I say dryly. “Discussing a new pipeline into Turkiye.”
“Ew.” She glances over her shoulder, grimacing.
“I know. What about you?”
“I have a surveillance job, so if you can’t watch the baby, I’ll call Adele.”
“No, I can watch him,” I say quickly.
“Thank you. I think you’re pretty set with his routine, right?”
“I am.”
“The job should only be four or five hours, but you know how these things go.”
“Another cheating husband?”
“Actually, a cheating wife this time. Apparently, she takes off to a little house on the outskirts of the city every day while the kids are at camp. I need to find proof that it’s more than relaxation and errands.”
I nod. “All right. Go do your thing. I’ll hold down the fort.”
She smiles as she hands me a plate of eggs and bacon.
“I appreciate it. Now that he’s six months old, I may have to put him in daycare part-time.
The problem is that the daytime work isn’t steady.
Most of what Chains needs me for is in the evening.
And I need to start working more hours. Chains wanted me to ease into the job, but I’m blowing through my savings, so it’s time for more hours. ”
I pause, absently feeding Micah his oatmeal as I speak. “I can help, Courtney.”
“We haven’t made any decisions yet,” she protests.
“But it’s time.”
She sighs.
“Will you hear me out? Please?”
The relaxed smile is immediately replaced by…fear. Dammit. I hate that she’s afraid of me. But there’s no help for that.
“Go ahead,” she whispers, with what looks like a death grip on her coffee mug.
“You aren’t working full-time yet and I really have to get back—but I’m not ready to leave him.
” Or you. I just can’t say that part out loud.
“Come with me. I swear to you on everything holy—on my oath as a Royal Protector—that you can leave with the baby any time you want. A couple of weeks, so I can get caught up on work and we can have more time to figure out what to do.”
Her eyes are shrouded, filled with distrust, but she doesn’t immediately give me a no. Which is encouraging.
“Please.” My voice is soft, pleading. “I’m already in love with him. He’s this amazing little part of me. Let me just introduce him to my family. We won’t make an announcement.”
Still no response.
Just cautious green eyes fixed on my face.
“No official connection between me and the baby, just you coming to visit your old buddy from the military. That’s it. You’ll stay in your own suite, so there won’t be palace gossip, and you know the family would never put either of you in danger.”
“Not on purpose.”
I sigh. “There’s always the risk of danger, but it’s not like nothing bad ever happens in the U.S.
Hell, that concert right here in Vegas where all those people were shot?
We haven’t had a mass shooting in Limaj in forty years.
You’re at much higher risk of a random act of violence in Vegas than at the palace. ”
She turns away, hands still gripping the mug like it’s a lifeline.
“Courtney.” I move behind her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Give me a chance. I promise, nothing will happen to you or the baby. Just a few weeks so I can get caught up on work but still spend time with my son.”
“I don’t know how to trust you.”
That pisses me off. “He’s my son. And I’ve been pretty damn understanding about you hiding his existence from me. I think that should count for something.”
“You swear on your oath?”
“I do. I haven’t always been the best guy, but my intentions always are. And I’d certainly never do anything to hurt you. That’s not who I am. Let me prove it to you.”
“You know how many women followed a foreign man to his country and then weren’t allowed to leave?”
I sigh, another prickle of anger mixing with the hurt and frustration. “Is that really what you think of me?”
“I don’t know you!” she snaps. “Outside the bedroom, I have no idea who you are.” She turns, eyes narrowed and blazing with intensity. “A prince. A Royal Protector. A politician. Two of the three are smarmy, at best.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it? I can name half a dozen members of royal families who’ve done some shitty things.”
“And I can name dozens of non-royals who have,” I shoot back.
We glare at each other, standing close enough to feel the heat emanating from her. And I’ve never wanted to kiss someone so much in my life. But that wouldn’t help convince her to trust me.
“What were you thinking just now?” she demands.
Busted.
If I lie, I think she’ll know, giving her yet another reason not to trust me.
“I was thinking how beautiful you are. How green your eyes get when you’re mad. Almost as green as when you come all over my cock.”
She squeezes her eyes shut, breathing out heavily. “Why do you do that?”
“Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. If I lied, you’d call me untrustworthy. Being honest makes me look like a horny…toad.”
Her eyes pop open. A flicker of amusement. “A horny…toad?”
“You know what I mean.”
The silence stretches out.
She watches me watching her.
The only sound in the room is Micah, babbling to himself.
But this is important.
It’s the first step toward…everything.
“If I agree, I want a return ticket on a commercial airline in advance,” she says carefully. “If at any time I’m uncomfortable, I can use it.”
“Absolutely.”
“If there’s another attack, I will not protect your family,” she says after a moment. “My son is my first and only priority.”
“Yes. No question.”
She stares at me for another few seconds.
Finally, she nods. “Don’t make me regret this, Daniil.”