Their Virgin Mistress, Page 25

  talk some sense into her. He could figure out what she was really afraid of.

  “I’m sorry,” Piper said as she clutched Rafe’s hand. “She’s overwhelmed now and not terribly rational. I think maybe if this whole thing with the tabloids hadn’t gone wrong, you might have been able to get through to her. But as it stands, this is too much for her to deal with. I think she’s hidden it well until now, but she’s damaged, too.”

  “Damaged how?”

  “Our parents…they were madly in love. Then my mom died, and everything went to hell. Tori was a kid. She didn’t understand how many wonderful years came before the tragedy. She only knew that one day everything was perfect and the next her world crumbled. Our dad took it particularly hard. Tori saw him fading. Then he was killed in a car accident. She never had the chance to see him embrace life again. In her mind, love leaves people an empty shell. It’s something to avoid at all costs.”

  In other words, anything resembling love would threaten her, and she would run. Like she had. She was putting up wall after wall between them, locking doors and protecting herself with guards because she cared too much.

  The chemistry between them had always been undeniable. During their months together in London, their friendship and respect had blossomed into so much more. She’d known how he felt when she’d taken his hand last night. He suspected she’d known quite well what was in her own heart, too.

  A hot dose of anger surged through his system. “So she was never going to give us a real chance. Why would she go to bed with us when she knew what we wanted and that she would never give it to us?”

  “Because I think deep down she wanted to try. She loves you. I think she didn’t want to go through the rest of her life not knowing what it meant to be yours, even if it was only for a night,” Piper said. “She’s had a shock. If you give her time, she’ll recover. I’ll talk to Talib and ensure that you have an invitation to come back in a few weeks for Sabir’s birthday. I believe she’ll attend. Once the tabloids have calmed down, I also think she’ll be able to see reason and will come around.”

  Kade nodded to his brother. “Now, Her Highness has had a rough morning. Why don’t you take her back to our rooms, brother?”

  Rafe led Piper out, and Rory felt more fury spark his system.

  Kade moved to stand in front of him. “You can’t take anything Tori does right now too seriously.”

  “I have an engagement ring for her.” Callum shook his head as though trying to clear it. “We were going to formally ask her tonight.”

  “Don’t give up,” Kade advised. “She’s confused and overwhelmed. This kind of life can do that to a normal person. This is the first time she’s been at the center of the storm, and it’s a nasty one. Couple that with the fact that this being her first time to really be in love, and I think she’s so overwhelmed she can’t function. What she needs is to get out of the palace, go someplace quiet so she can think about this. I don’t claim to truly understand what Tori’s going through, but I know Piper was in shock when she first became involved with my brothers and me, as well as a target for the press.”

  “How did you break through?” Callum asked. He stood again as though even the thought of having something active to do restored his energy.

  “Tori doesn’t want us to break through,” Rory pointed out.

  She’d lied. She’d played them all for fools. Rory felt doubly foolish because he had instigated the very incident she’d used to get what she’d wanted. She’d danced with him, taken his hand, and agreed to everything he’d asked for. And that had included giving them a chance.

  He wondered now… If Oliver had given her pleasure when he’d taken her virginity, would she have even bothered to sleep with the rest of them? Maybe she’d only wanted a night to ensure that she experienced the pleasures to be found in sex. Now that she had, she obviously no longer needed them.

  “Of course she does.” Callum was always the optimist. “She’s scared and she needs us. Just because the palace wants us to return to London doesn’t mean we have to.”

  “I don’t know. Talib was fairly adamant. After he talked to Tori, he made the decision to ask you to leave. I think for now it would be best for you all to lay low,” Kade said.

  “I didn’t say we wouldn’t leave Bezakistan. We could return to England. We’ve got a country house. It’s isolated and peaceful, but you’re insane if you think I’ll go along without Tori.” Callum stared at their host. “Tell her she’d better not ever leave the palace again because I won’t be pushed away. I’ll do whatever it takes to make certain she doesn’t forget me.”

  Kade smiled. “That’s the resolve you’ll need. And she won’t stay in the palace forever. I believe I overheard her talking about Dallas.”

  “Excellent. I’ll be waiting for her there. Tell her that if she makes me hunt her down, I won’t be happy. She’ll be much better off if she simply agrees to talk to me now.” Callum’s Dom had risen to the fore again.

  Rory stared at his brother. Either that threat would prove to be the stupidest move in history…or the most brilliant strategy ever.

  Kade bowed slightly and left them alone with Dane standing guard outside. Rory suspected Alea’s other husband, Landon, was watching over Torrance, ensuring she didn’t have to deal with the men she’d promised the world to the night before. Oh, she might not have said the words and that was his fault. He should have insisted. He should have suspected she’d run.

  He should have known white lace and promises with Torrance wouldn’t work.

  “So we’ll tell the pilot to take us to Dallas,” Callum was saying. “I want to be there when she lands.”

  Rory couldn’t fathom why Cal thought that was a good idea. “Why? So she can call the police and take out a restraining order?”

  “No, so I can put her over my bloody knee, spank her, then give her the hard fucking she deserves for pulling this shit. Afterward, I’ll figure out what’s going on in her head and fix it.”

  “All you’ll do is get yourself thrown in jail for attacking her.”

  Callum stopped. “She doesn’t want to be alone. She’s upset and confused, embarrassed and overwhelmed. She needs a reason to trust and embrace. We’re going to give it to her.”

  “Are you mad?” Rory asked. “Did you forget the part where she’s locked all the doors between us? She doesn’t want a reason to stop because she’s already got one: She doesn’t want us. She’s told us flatly that she’s done.”

  Callum tensed his jaw, his face set in stubborn lines. “No. She ran because deep down she thinks we’ll abandon her like her parents did.”

  “Her parents died.”

  Callum paced, his mind obviously going a mile a minute. “Either way, they left. I didn’t say it was rational. Our feelings, our motivations, they aren’t always logical, either. She’s terrified, and not just of having her world fall apart again. My god, I don’t know a single woman worth loving who wouldn’t be afraid of us. We’re asking her to be the center of three worlds. We can pretend that we’ll live in harmony, but we’re human. There’s going to be conflict, and Tori will have to deal with it. She’s young and inexperienced and she’s not handling things as perfectly as we would want her to. That’s no reason to leave her completely alone. Don’t you see? Being alone is what she really fears most. She just has to realize it.”

  Rory tried very hard not to punch his brother. “Would you open your eyes? She left us. She’s done.”

  Callum rolled his eyes. “Grow up. You and Oliver always think you’ve had it so much harder than I did because I played football. You know what I learned because I wasn’t in some ivory fucking tower either learning how to run a business or allowing people to run it for me? I figured out we’ve all got it rough because we’re human, and every person ever born went through bad shit. The only way to survive is to hold on to what you love with both hands. She’s scared and I love her, so I won’t let her be alone. Your problem is you don’t think she�
��s worth loving if she can’t love you back the way you demand it. That’s fucking selfish. I’m going after her. Until she tells me her life is worse for having me in it, I’m going to make her world better. You and Oliver can cling to your damage like some shield.”

  Callum charged away, and Rory could hear him in the closet. He was packing. The minute the plane touched down in London, Callum would hop on a flight to Dallas. Being a professional athlete had clearly taught his older brother never to give up. And somewhere along the way, his brother had learned to love with his whole heart.

  Rory stared out the window. Somewhere out there, Tori was alone. Had she lied or had she not understood how she would feel the next day? Had she meant to deceive them or been inundated by fear in the cold light of day?

  He took a deep breath and made a decision. Life came down to decisions. He’d taken responsibility for her the night before. The Tori he knew would never mean to hurt anyone, and nothing that had happened this morning changed his view of her or how he felt. She belonged to them, and it was time to show her what that meant.

  Even if he had to go all the way to Texas to do it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Oliver stared at the spot where he’d almost died and he put a hand on his chest. He could still feel the bullet pierce him, feel his knees hit the marble floor, smell the coppery scent of blood fill his world.

  And he could hear her.

  I’ve set everything up so it looks like you killed yourself and poor dumb Oliver.

  Yasmin had prowled around, stalking Alea who had always been her target. That day, he’d discovered she’d married him under false pretenses and every moment of their life together had been a lie. Still, that wasn’t what hurt the most.

  His brother already thinks very little of him. When he hears about this, he’ll think even less.

  Of course she’d been talking about his made-up affair with Alea, but that wasn’t what haunted him all these years afterward.

  He was fairly certain Rory thought less of him for being so weak, for allowing himself to fall into that relationship, for being so pathetically blind.

  And now he knew what Tori really thought.

  For one brief moment, he’d thought it could work. Oh, he’d certainly intended to be in the background. He didn’t deserve to take control. A company was one thing, but a woman as fragile and priceless as Tori? Never. He wasn’t that man, but any time at all with her had seemed better than none. Now he knew what heaven tasted like.

  It hurt to be sent back to hell.

  “Tal told me I would find you here,” a familiar voice said. Alea. “You know I moved to a different part of the palace after I married. I haven’t been in here in a while.”

  Ah, Talib was sending in the troops to make sure there was an orderly dismissal. He’d been surprised the sheikh had so readily accepted him into the palace in the first place. He’d shocked himself by asking to stay in the very rooms where he’d almost died. Then again, he’d come here looking for insight or closure—something that escaped him now. He’d thought he needed to walk this room again, remember…and try to forget.

  He’d needed to see that the room had moved on even if he hadn’t.

  All he’d really learned was that none of it mattered. He couldn’t change what happened here. Staying in these rooms, making love to Tori—those things didn’t fix the truth he’d learned about himself.

  “I don’t blame you for moving. I would have, too,” he said quietly to Alea.

  This was the first time he’d been back to the palace in years. He’d stood outside for long moments the day before, looking up at the elegant structure, unmoving. Rafe had finally come out and escorted him inside.

  “I did it for practical reasons. This space wasn’t big enough for all of us. I always loved this room. It was my safe place after I was first rescued.” She walked around the room, a little smile on her face as she took it in.

  Alea had been taken prisoner thanks to his late wife. She’d arranged for Alea to be kidnapped and sold to a bordello. The princess’s life had become a living hell because Yasmin had been jealous. All the bad things in his world had flowed from that woman and her black heart.

  How could he have been married to the devil and never seen it?

  “It was safe until my wife tried to kill you here.”

  She shook her head. “The place itself was always safe. Sometimes the wrong person walks in and we have to deal with it. It doesn’t make the place itself less beautiful. It doesn’t erase the fact that I came back to life in this room. No one but me can erase those things, and why would I want to do that?”

  He looked at the vibrant woman she’d become, remembering the sweet girl she’d been and also the hollow soul who had returned home so broken. Alea had changed and grown and survived. No. He survived. Survival was the simple process of breathing, walking, and sleeping every day. Alea thrived. She’d been through the crucible and found peace, happiness, and love. She’d discovered her true soul. Unfortunately, so had Oliver.

  “It’s good to see you. I came to Bezakistan, in part, to talk to you. But first, I want you to know that I won’t give Tori any trouble. I’m already packed. I’ll leave quietly this afternoon.” He would go back to London and try to figure out what to do with the rest of his life.

  “I thought you might say that. Talib really doesn’t want to send you away, you know.”

  “No, but Tori does and she has the right to feel comfortable.” Most women didn’t have the luxury of spending the night with three men only to forcibly ship them out of the country the next morning.

  “Tori is making a dreadful mistake. Tal feels guilty that he wasn’t able to keep her mishap out of the papers. Did you read them? They were particularly nasty.”

  He’d only really needed to see the headlines to know how devastated Tori must be. It was proof that she wasn’t ready to handle the gossip of being with three men, even if they would have stood by her until the end of time. Clearly, she’d never wanted them much. “They’re always nasty.”

  “Something I’ve observed over the years… Women don’t react like men. Most men would get angry, even downright furious, about something like that. Then they’d shrug and move on, do something more active. Women aren’t quite as able to compartmentalize. Tori feels like a laughingstock. I understand. I had to deal with lies the press told about me, too. I think women, especially ones with tender hearts, can really let something like that drag them under.” She stepped up to the balcony. “I jumped from here, you know.”

  He could barely make himself step outside. He wasn’t afraid of heights, but he was afraid of being seen. The last thing Tori needed was to have any quiet walk in the garden she might be taking disrupted by the sight of him. So he stayed just inside the French doors. “I was told. I didn’t see it.”

  “You were busy dying, Oliver.”

  Yes, he’d been on the floor, his lifeblood draining away while Alea had fought for her life. From what he understood, Yasmin had chased her out to the balcony, and Alea had been forced to choose between taking a bullet or hoping Landon Nix would catch her. “I’m sorry you had to jump.”

  And during all that, Oliver had been useless, a mass of pathetic humanity lying on the floor.

  “I’m happy I had the chance to. If you hadn’t fought as hard as you did, I wouldn’t have.”

  “What are you talking about?” There’d been no fight. He’d taken a bullet and he’d gone down.

  She turned to him quizzically, eyes wide for a silent moment. “You don’t remember?”

  “Of course I remember.” How could he ever forget that day? It was ingrained on his memory, every horrible moment of it. “She shot me. I fell. I didn’t get back up.”

  “Oliver, she shot you more than once,” Alea said quietly.

  He knew that. He felt the scars every day. “Yes, my wife tried to be thorough. I went down and she kept shooting.”

  “No.” Alea hurried back into the room and put her han
d in his as she led him to the couch. “I can’t believe you don’t remember what really happened. I mean, the event was traumatic, so it stands to reason. I just assumed you knew the truth so I never told you.”

  He sat beside her, feeling so much older than his thirty-one years. They’d never talked because he hadn’t wanted to. He’d never wanted to trek down this memory lane again and remember what a mess he’d made of things by being weak. “There’s nothing to tell. The scars prove everything.”

  She leaned forward, her midnight eyes steady on him. “Scars are what you make them, Oliver. They’re reminders of the things that happened to us, but yours are lying to you. I was there, and I didn’t have a bullet in me so I remember everything with perfect clarity. Yasmin walked in, called me a bitch whore—I don’t know where she got that mouth—and shot you. She then talked for a really long time. Do you not remember that? She told me everything. In fact, she couldn’t wait to tell me she’d been behind all of it.”

  Sometimes in his dreams, Yasmin kept talking while the pain in his gut had him praying for death just to put a stop to her incessant chatter. “She loved the sound of her own voice. I learned to tune her out or go mad.”