Chapter 8
Ethan was no longer lying in the bed beside her when Talia woke the following morning.
But, as the bedside clock showed it was ten thirty in the morning, she wasn’t exactly surprised. It would be rude to the prince and princess if both of them had failed to make an appearance earlier than midday.
Talia raised her arms above her head and stretched her body, wincing, and then smiling as she felt the sensitivity of her breasts against the duvet and the unaccustomed tenderness between her thighs.
Making love with Ethan last night had been off-the-charts wonderful. So much more than she could ever have imagined. He had been both tender and considerate once he realized her innocence, and then forceful and demanding with Talia’s encouragement.
She wondered if, as she suspected, he had a bite mark on his shoulder this morning. If so, she had as good as branded him as hers. He certainly wouldn’t be able to strip off in front of anyone for some time without questions being asked about those teeth marks.
Ethan had been everything that was considerate in a lover as he eased himself gently from inside her, before removing and tying the condom and then going to the bathroom to dispose of it. He’d come back with a warm, damp washcloth and, to her embarrassment, proceeded to gently wash between her thighs. There were several smears of blood on the pale washcloth when he’d finished. Talia had cut off the questions she knew Ethan wanted to ask her about that. She didn’t want to talk about anything that might dispel the euphoria she was currently feeling.
Not that she thought for a minute Ethan would drop the subject, but they could talk about it some other time. She had only wanted to snuggle up and fall asleep in his arms.
Which was exactly what she’d done. For hours, as it seemed she had slept half the morning away.
Her body ached pleasurably as she climbed out of bed, pausing to study her reflection in the full-length mirror in the corner of the bedroom as she made her way to the adjoining bathroom.
Her body revealed she carried her own memories of last night’s lovemaking.
Her bared breasts were full, the nipples distended, the skin around them slightly red from the abrasion of the stubble on Ethan’s chin. There were slight finger-shaped bruises on her hips where Ethan had held her in place and thrust up into her the second time they made love.
The long length of her hair was a tousled mess, eyes glowing, her cheeks flushed, and a cat-that-ate-the-cream smile curved her lips.
She looked—and there really was no other way to describe it!—well and truly fucked.
Because she was.
The two of them had woken together sometime in the night, neither of them saying a word as they turned toward each other and began to make love for a second time. Ethan had tried to be as gentle with her as the first time, no doubt because he guessed the soreness between her legs, but Talia would have none of it.
Instead, she slid down the bed beneath the duvet and teased and tormented his cock with her mouth and hands, until Ethan begged her to stop or he was going to come. That was her cue to throw back the duvet before straddling his thighs and grabbing a packet off the side table. It took her no time at all to roll the lubricated condom down the length of Ethan’s leaking cock before lifting up and taking him inside her.
She had then proceeded to ride him, guided by his groans of pleasure and the increasing fierceness as his thrusts hit that cluster of nerves inside her.
They had come at the same time, in a mixture of groans and sighs, before Talia collapsed down onto Ethan’s chest, totally satiated.
She laughed softly to herself now as she realized she must have actually fallen asleep in that position, because she certainly couldn’t remember having the energy to move.
“What do you mean, Ethan isn’t here? Where is he?” Talia’s voice rose as she realized she probably already knew the answer to that question.
But she needed to have her suspicions confirmed. Needed to know she wasn’t misjudging Ethan. Before she ripped him apart!
She had come downstairs in search of him once she was showered and dressed, but the only person she’d been able to find was Stazzi, the other woman outside in the garden with the children and their nanny.
Stazzi had excused herself as Talia strode across the manicured lawn toward her. The princess seemed slightly subdued now as she told her that Ethan was no longer on the island.
No longer on the island?
Stazzi shook her head. “I did tell him I didn’t think leaving you here was a good idea, but—”
“But he didn’t listen to you either,” Talia finished angrily. “He’s gone to Florida on his own, hasn’t he?”
Ethan had made love to her last night, twice, literally fucked her into a stupor, and then crept out this morning without waking or disturbing her.
Because he’d never had any intention of taking her with him.
Bastard!
She gave a snort. “My big strong hero is doing what he always does—which is exactly what he damn well pleases, without any consideration for what anyone else wants. Well, he’s going to learn that doesn’t work with me—”
“Alexandre has gone with him,” Stazzi put in quietly.
“What?” Talia’s stare at the other woman was horrified. “You let Alexandre, a royal prince, go haring off to Florida with Ethan in search of two Russian oligarchs?”
Stazzi bit her top lip to stop the smile from curving her lips, but in the end, she couldn’t repress it any longer. “I have a lot of abilities, Talia. I know how to use my feminine wiles and persuasion with the best of them, when or if I deem it necessary. Blunt force trauma when I don’t. But trying to stop Alexandre going where he wants isn’t one of them. It’s who he is,” she added with a note of pride in her voice.
“But he has a family.” Talia stared in dismay at the two small children running and laughing about the garden, watched over by their attentive nanny. “He has a principality to rule over, damn it.”
“He’s also a man, and he enjoys shaking off the shackles of that principality on occasion and going out with the boys,” Stazzi drawled. “Besides, the Knight family are all like family to him. As they are to me.”
“This isn’t on behalf of the Knight family, it’s for me. For my father.” Talia wasn’t calming down in the slightest. Ethan had taken Prince Alexandre into the middle of a war between her father and the head of the Russian bratva in Florida.
The other woman shrugged. “When Ethan brought you here, you came under the umbrella of that family.”
“No—”
“Yes,” Stazzi insisted. “Believe me, having them on your side isn’t a bad thing. They helped save Alexandre’s life once. He returned the favor by helping to save Caleb and Lena, and then assisting when Ian and Evie needed help. Between them, they will rescue your father, if it’s at all possible.”
Talia was breathing hard in her agitation, still not having quite come to terms with the idea Ethan had left her here while he went off to play hero. Again. What the hell was he, a one-man army, bent on saving all the maidens in distress in the world?
Well, she didn’t need saving. Nor did she appreciate having been left behind like some fluffy bunny who couldn’t take care of herself. “And if it isn’t possible?”
The other woman shrugged. “Then we’ll deal with that when it happens. In the meantime, I suggest I organize a late breakfast for you. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel once you’ve eaten.”
Talia had no choice but to fall into step with the princess as Stazzi began to walk toward the palace. But her thoughts were churning as she tried to think of ways she could get off this island. A flight to the nearest mainland would probably be the safest bet. Then she could—
“By the way.” Stazzi shot her a mischievous glance. “I think a wild animal or something must have got in through one of the windows last night, because Ethan has this bite mark on his neck. Right here.” She pointed to the base of her own throat.
Talia felt the flare of color in her cheeks. She had thought her bite mark was farther along Ethan’s shoulder, but obviously she had been wrong. So much for it being hidden unless Ethan took his clothes off, which he shouldn’t be doing with anyone but her. Not that it was going to happen any time soon. Not until she’d told him exactly what she thought of his highhanded ways, and punished him a little for what he had done. He—
Stazzi burst out laughing. “You should see you face!” She continued to chuckle as Talia gave her an uncomfortable glance. “I’m guessing you might have a few…souvenirs of your own from last night too?”
She gave a rueful and slightly shy smile back. “One or two.”
Stazzi linked her arm through Talia’s. “Let’s go and drink a pot of coffee and decide on the best way to get you off the island.”
Talia widened surprised eyes at the other woman. “You’re going to help me?”
“My father used to have a saying: Might as well help the stupid bugger do it safely because he’s going to do it anyway.” Stazzi shrugged. “He’s right. You’re going to Florida whether I help you or not, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” There was no point in denying something she had already decided.
“Then we’ll drink some coffee and between us decide the best way for you to do that.”
Talia had never had a close female friend, but she had a feeling Stazzi was rapidly becoming one.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing, going off on your own for six months, and then turning up again with Natalya Krechenko in tow?” Gabriel glared at Ethan.
“And what are you doing here?” Asher gave Alexandre a nudge in the arm. “I’m surprised Stazzi let you off the leash.”
“Well, at least my wife doesn’t have my balls in a vise,” the prince came back good naturedly.
“I’ll have you know I happen to like my balls in a vise when Lissa is the one putting them there.”
“I have no interest in hearing about your kinky sexual practices,” Alexandre taunted.
“You’re just jealous—”
“When you two have quite finished forgetting you’re no longer at university together.” Gabriel glowered at the two of them, without the least concession to the fact one of those men was a prince, before turning back to Ethan. “I’m waiting for an answer.”
Having driven with Alexandre from the airport to the motel where his siblings were staying and they had all arranged to meet, Ethan knew he should have expected this response from his overprotective brother. Gabriel had been the head of the family for so long, he didn’t know how to behave any other way. Thank God he was married to Angel and now had children of his own he could concentrate on rather than his three younger brothers. Although that was of no help to the situation now, when Angel and the kids were back in England.
Ethan’s chin rose. “She’s mine.”
Gabriel snorted. “Oh well, that makes everything okay, then, doesn’t it—”
“It does, actually.” Caleb, Ethan’s fraternal twin, cut their older brother off midstream. “Good to see you, bro.” He gave Ethan a hug. “I’m impressed.” He touched the bite mark at the base of Ethan’s throat. “Who would have thought little Talia would turn into such a vixen.”
Ethan couldn’t help grinning. Not in response to the remark about Talia—he wasn’t even going to acknowledge that remark with an answer—but from the sheer joy of having his siblings around him again. Stern Gabriel, sarcastic Asher, quietly determined Caleb. They could all be a pain in his butt at times, but then it was the same in reverse. They loved each other anyway, and Ethan was genuinely pleased to see them.
Although the mention of Talia was a reminder of the hell she was going to give him when he got back to Androcco with her father. If he got back with her father.
She had looked so beautiful this morning, it had taken all of Ethan’s self-control not to remain there beside her and make love with her again. Rather than what he had actually done, which was slide out of bed without disturbing her and returning to his own bedroom. He had needed to shower and dress before going in search of Alexandre.
He had half expected to receive a phone call during the long flight to Florida on Alexandre’s mobile from a very irate Talia demanding to speak to him, or maybe Alexandre receiving one from Stazzi to tell him how pissed Talia was. Neither call had happened. That further added to Ethan’s unease for when he and Talia next met.
He would deal with that when it happened. “So, what do we know?”
“A very slick change of subject, my friend,” Alexandre drawled.
Even Gabriel’s austere expression cracked into the semblance of a smile before he sobered again, but with far less tension. “We know that Krechenko is on the Antipov estate near Tampa.”
“You’ve seen him?”
Asher nodded. “He doesn’t seem like he’s much of a prisoner either.”
Ethan frowned. “How so?”
For the next half an hour, each of his brothers reported what they had seen during their shift of watching the Antipov estate. Ethan had to admit, none of what they had to tell him indicated Krechenko was there against his will. “Who’s watching the estate now?”
“Jonas,” Gabriel supplied.
Native American by birth, Jonas Greyfeather was married to their sister, Lily. The two of them had met when Lily was being threatened by a stalker and the Knight brothers had engaged a bodyguard from Grayson Security, where Jonas was working at the time. Lily had made it absolutely clear that she wouldn’t tolerate having one of her brothers hanging around her all the time, and someone from Grayson Security had been a compromise. Jonas had been that someone. Knight Security had since taken over Grayson Security, and Jonas occasionally worked for them, when he wasn’t getting paintings ready for his next art exhibition. Jonas was now a much sought after artist.
But it didn’t surprise Ethan in the least the other man had decided to accompany the Knight brothers to the States. Lily would no doubt have insisted on it. She’d ceased being a brat when she married Jonas four years ago, and was now the overprotective sister to Gabriel’s overprotective brother. She wouldn’t have been happy with her four brothers going off to the States without Jonas accompanying them, and because Jones loved Lily to distraction, and she was expecting their second child, he would do whatever it took to ensure her happiness.
Ethan wasn’t happy that each of his brothers’ reports seemed to confirm Krechenko wasn’t being held prisoner. “Maybe Antipov’s threat to Talia persuaded him into making a deal?” he said slowly.
“And maybe Antipov’s men were just doing a retrieval when they came after Talia on Majorca and Krechenko deliberately disappeared from Nassau?” Gabriel frowned.
“Without telling Talia he was going and leaving her there to worry?”
“Why not?” His eldest brother shrugged. “I doubt Ivan wanted Talia anywhere near Antipov. From what I can tell, she’s resourceful enough to take care of herself. She found you on Majorca when none of us could,” he reminded him with another censorious glance at Ethan.
Ethan ignored the glare to concentrate on whether or not Gabriel could be right about Krechenko. Finally, he gave a shake of his head. “I’m not buying that. For all that Ivan is a slippery bastard, he loves Talia. He wouldn’t have just disappeared without telling her where he was going and why.”
“He would if he didn’t want Talia to know what an out-and-out crook he really is,” Caleb reasoned. “I seem to remember he treated her as if she was his little princess.”
“Who grew up into a vixen that bites and scratches,” Asher drawled. “She does scratch too, I hope, little brother?”
“Mind your own fucking business,” Ethan growled, resisting the impulse to ease his T-shirt away from the scratch marks down his back from the second time he and Talia had made love. “You—” He tensed at the sound of Alexandre’s cell phone ringing.
The prince looked at the caller ID. “If you will all excuse me for a few minutes? I need to reassure my wife we’ve arrived safely.”
“Pussy whipped,” Asher called after Alexandre as he stepped outside the motel room.
Ethan ignored the exchange, although he would speak to Alexandre about the call when the other man came back. “I’d like to drive out to the Antipov estate and take a look for myself.”
“I’ll drive you.” Gabriel stood up. “And once we’ve taken care of matters here, we’re going to Atlanta to deal with Agon Alizoti.”
Oh fuck…