Chapter 29
Daniil
The mountaintop resort has a helipad and Courtney sets the copter down gently.
She’s badass as hell, and though I planned this as a special treat for her, it has the bonus of turning me on too.
From the moment I found out she was a military pilot, it attracted me to her beyond the physical.
Having the opportunity to experience it firsthand is a complete aphrodisiac. Too bad there’s nowhere we can go.
“That was amazing!” she says, throwing her arms around my neck once we step into the elevator that will take us down one level to the restaurant. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.” I kiss her. “I enjoyed it too.”
“It’s been so long…I was afraid I’d forgotten.”
“Me too,” I tease. “Hence why I brought a pilot along.”
She laughs. “I’m glad you had a back-up plan.”
I take her hand and we step into the restaurant.
It’s a swanky place but I’m a fucking prince, so I don’t give a shit about dress code.
Courtney wasn’t going to fly a helicopter in a cocktail dress and heels, so they’re just going to have to deal with it.
Besides, I paid a lot of money for us to have the restaurant mostly to ourselves tonight.
There are a few international guests that are here—a popular movie star and his wife, along with a member of the British royal family who’s here with his family—but otherwise, it's all ours.
We’re seated by a window just as the sun starts to set and the view is spectacular. Almost as beautiful as the woman sitting across from me. She looks happy and relaxed, her green eyes sparkling in the late afternoon sun.
“I feel like I’m underdressed,” she whispers.
I lean back in my chair with a smile. “I paid a small fortune for us to have the place to ourselves. I don’t give a shit what you’re wearing.”
“But there are other people here.”
“The family in the back room is also royalty, and they won’t bother us. And Willow St. Claire and her husband are here on their honeymoon, so they won’t be paying any attention to us either.”
“Like I said, a force of nature.”
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” I tease.
A waiter brings us a bottle of champagne and pours two glasses.
“What are we toasting?” she asks as I raise my glass.
“To new relationships and new adventures.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
As the sun disappears behind the horizon, we enjoy a fabulous gourmet meal, too much champagne—another reason I brought our pilot along—and interesting conversation.
Courtney opens up about her military career, how she and Lennox met, and some of the mischief they got into when they were stationed in Iraq together.
“Sounds like a good time,” I joke.
She chuckles. “Well, we made the best of it. There was a lot of ugliness too, but we tried to focus on the good we could do. And having a little fun.”
“Do you miss that part of the military?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “It was exciting the first time. Less so the second time. I didn’t want there to be a third time. My pregnancy gave me the kick in the ass I needed to get out.”
“I was never officially in the military,” I admit.
“I was in exile in my early twenties, which is when you’re supposed to go, and by the time Erik took over, he waived it for me because we were too busy putting the country back together.
I did two rounds of boot camps—one here and another in the U.S.
—as part of my Royal Protector training but there just wasn’t any way for me to officially be in the military. ”
“I think you have a very special set of extenuating circumstances. You know, exile and all that.”
“Yeah. But it sometimes feels like cheating.”
“Did Sandor serve?”
“Oh, yes. He and Erik served together, before everything went to hell. I was still a little young. My plan was to go in as soon as I graduated from university but then all hell broke loose.”
“That must have been a very difficult time for you,” she says softly, reaching across the table for my hand.
“It was. But it forced me to grow up. And I suppose it made me the man I am today.”
“You’re a wonderful man.”
“Am I?” I stare into her eyes. “Because I still feel like you don’t trust me. I saw the wariness when we arrived at the military base.”
“Complete trust takes time,” she says patiently. “I’m beginning to trust you. But you can’t expect blind trust after a month.”
That’s fair, I suppose. I still don’t like hearing it, but I need to give her a chance—the way she’s been giving me a chance. I understand how hard it was for her to agree to come to Limaj, so I have to continue being patient. Even if it’s killing me.
“I’m a patient man,” I say after a moment. “Especially when it comes to something important.”
“Am I important to you?” she whispers, cocking her head.
“Is that a serious question?”
“It’s only been a week or so.”
“Not for me. To me it’s been two years of me chasing and hoping and trying to figure out what I’d done wrong.”
She looks surprised. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that you might want to be with someone like me. That I wasn’t just another fling for Europe’s favorite playboy prince.”
“And are you starting to understand that’s not who I am anymore? Not with you.”
“I think so, yes.” Our eyes lock and for the first time since we met, I feel reciprocal emotion that surpasses the physical attraction. For the first time, she’s fully engaged and not holding back. Like she finally wants to be here. With me.
“But?” I see a momentary flicker that gives her pause.
“This can’t be because of Micah,” she whispers. “I’m starting to have real feelings, but we both know that trying to make it work because of a child will end in disaster.”
“I’ve told you this before, but I’ll say it as many times as I have to until you believe it deep in your soul—this has been going on for me since long before we had Micah. He was simply the catalyst that put us in the same room together long enough to have a conversation about it.”
She searches my face, as if she’s going to discover answers that transcend the words coming out of my mouth. I’m not sure what she sees, but then she nods.
“Okay.”
“Okay? That’s it? All this and now everything is okay?”
“Everything isn’t okay, not yet, but you and me out on a magnificent date is definitely okay. More than okay.”
“I like hearing that.”
“What other surprises do you have?” she asks, a teasing glint in her eyes.
“That’ll be later tonight.”
She laughs. “I’m very much looking forward to it.”
“I can text Eddie and tell her to spend the night…and we can sleep in my room,” I says with a grin. “We don’t have to be quiet there.”
“Now that sounds like fun.”
We talk for a long time, finishing two bottles of champagne before it’s time to go.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not flying back,” she says, leaning against me as we walk. “I’m a little sad about that but the champagne was too good to resist.”
“You can fly any time you like,” I say. “I need a little warning so I can make arrangements, but twenty-four hours is plenty of time.”
“You just keep sweetening the pot,” she murmurs.
“Damn straight I am. Because I want you to stay, Courtney. I’m not going to pretend otherwise.”
“Even though you know I don’t want to?”
“I want to change that. I want you to want me so much that it changes your mind.”
She stops walking and turns to me, winding her arms around my neck. “I want you so badly it hurts.”
“It’s not supposed to hurt,” I whisper against her mouth. “It’s supposed to feel good.”
“It does. It’s just not enough.”
“All you have to do is tell me how much is enough.”
“That’s just it—I don’t know.”
“Then maybe we need to figure it out together.”
“Aw, come on, you guys…” Marcus mumbles. “Can’t you do the eye gazing stuff on the helicopter? I’m missing the party.”
“Give us a minute,” I grunt without looking away from Courtney.
“There’s a party?” she asks, eyes twinkling. “What kind of party?”
“A regular party. There will be alcohol, music, people milling about, dancing, talking and whatnot. Sometimes people get frisky. Other times they just get drunk. Most of the Protectors work six or seven days a week. It’s a huge responsibility and a lot of pressure, so once in a while we throw a party that allows everyone the opportunity to relax. Let their hair down, so to speak.”
“But then who’s on duty to make sure the palace isn’t attacked?”
“Sandor and Lennox always have Sundays off to have family time, so they’re working, along with Ace and maybe Xander. The trouble with Xander is that if he leaves Elen at home alone, she has no protection. Like I said, it gets a little complicated. And that’s exactly why we do it.”
“Oh.” She tilts her head up. “Were you going to invite me to said party?”
“I was.”
“I’m waiting.”
I chuckle, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Would you like to go to a party with me tonight, sweetheart?”
“I would.”