Forever Betrayed: Forever Bluegrass #3 (13 page)

Mila’s head rolled back against his shoulder. He saw her eyes were closed. As he rolled her nipple between his fingers, her breathing quickened. “No. I had restrained myself from even thinking of you like this until the morning you showed me around the farm. I didn’t think I had a right to think of you in this way.”

Mila couldn’t catch her breath. Zain’s hand caressing her breast had turned off her thinking brain. And when he brought his other hand to her other breast, Mila gasped again. Just the thought of him seeing her naked, seeing his hand on her body . . .

“Open your eyes,” he whispered before he sucked gently on her earlobe. She looked down to see Zain’s hands cupping her breasts before one of them slowly moved down her abdomen to dip between her legs. She snapped her eyes shut and simply enjoyed the feeling.

But too soon his hands dropped away. Mila protested and felt him chuckle from behind her. “Don’t worry, love. There’s no way we’re done yet. We’re just beginning.”

Mila turned to look at him, but he scooped her up into his arms before she could see what he meant. When Zain put her down on the bed next to him, he had a look of adoration as he pulled the gaping shirt from her body. His smile had her heart speeding up at the thoughts of what he was going to do next. Zain unbuttoned his shirt as he kept his eyes on hers. In that moment, Mila felt that the questions they had for each other were spoken.
Did she want this?
Yes.
What about tomorrow?
And tomorrow, too.
And when you leave?

But when his shirt fell to the floor, all logistics and worries of what would happen later were forgotten. Zain was not a soft royal. He was all lean muscle, curving and arching along the ridges of his body. Zain slid from the bed and reached into his pocket. Mila watched as he placed condoms on the small nightstand before moving to unbutton his slacks. Mila drew in her breath and held it as he pushed his pants to the floor. Her eyes shot to his and he must have read the worry in them.

“Zain, wait. I thought I could do this, but I can’t. I . . . feel too much.” Mila fumbled for the right words. She couldn’t tell him she was falling in love with him when so many women before her probably told him the same thing just to get something from him.

Zain was on the bed with her in his arms before she could think of how to phrase it. “I know, love. I know. There’re so many unanswered questions. So many what-ifs. I feel it too. I can’t stop thinking about you. Whenever I have a spare minute, I wonder what you’re doing. If you’re having a good day or not. If I can do anything for you. I want to hear your laugh. I want to see your smile. I want to hear my name on your lips.”

Mila let out a shaking breath. “I want to share everything with you. I thought of you when I heard a funny joke, and I couldn’t wait to tell you. But, no matter how much I want to dream of us, it’s not possible, is it? I mean, for three days, sure. But us, together having a . . .” Mila gulped. “A future,” she whispered against his bare chest. “I’m afraid if I make love to you—and it
will
be making love—it will be me giving my heart to you and never being able to see you again. How will I deal with that?”

“Because you feel that if we do this, there will never be anyone else you could possibly love,” Zain finished as he cupped her face and forced her to look into his eyes—eyes that reflected her own worries and her own feelings. Zain placed a tender kiss on her cheek. “I knew before coming here tonight what this was.”

“And what’s that?” Mila asked hesitantly.

“That I love you.”

Everything stopped. Mila couldn’t hear the rain. She didn’t see the lightning. She didn’t even breathe. Zain loved her.
Her
. “But, I’m just . . .”

“You.” Zain kissed her other cheek. “You’re you and you’re perfect.” He kissed her nose. “And I’m completely head over heels in love with you.”

“But you’re
you
.”

“Does that mean you can’t love me because I’m a prince?”

Mila shook her head, “No, it means you can’t love me because I’m not a princess. I’m just . . .”

“You,” Zain smiled lovingly down at her. “You’re all I want, Mila.”

Mila didn’t know she had started to cry until Zain wiped a tear away with the pad of his thumb. He reached down to the bed and pulled the hand-sewn quilt around her shoulders. Mila shook her head. “I don’t know how it happened, but I fell in love with you, too. All little girls want to marry a prince, but I wanted to be a superhero. I saw long ago that princes were not the stuff of fairy tales. They were those demanding men my father always seemed to be bowing down to. But you aren’t. You’re just Zain, and I love you, too.”

Zain’s lips came down onto hers and he kissed her breathless. “Then why are you crying, love?”

“Because I’ve never been happier.” Mila swiped at her tears. “Oh, Zain, what do we do now?”

Zain gave her such a roguish smile that she started to laugh. “We enjoy being in love, Mila. We will work together on everything else from now on. No secrets. Complete honesty. And together, we’ll live and love.”

Mila looked up and knew he meant every word. Tonight was a night to celebrate their love. Tomorrow would be soon enough to worry about their future, but just knowing they had one filled her heart. She didn’t care if he was a prince or a horse farm worker. Their hearts knew it was time to take a chance on love.

Mila pushed the quilt from her shoulders and enjoyed Zain’s surprised look. “Maybe we should just snuggle tonight until you’re more comfortable,” he said as he struggled to keep his eyes on her face.

“We can do that later, but now I’d really like to make love to the man who holds my heart.”

Zain’s kiss was slow and worshiping as he pulled her onto his kneeling lap. Mila wrapped her legs around his waist, entwined her fingers in his short hair, and deepened the kiss. She felt Zain shift as he reached for the condom. When he slid into her, she knew she’d love him forever.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Zain awoke with Mila halfway on top of him. He enjoyed the feel of her before having to open his eyes and leave in the early morning light. His heart was full of love and promise as he stroked the hair flowing down her back. Today he would allay her worries. He would ask her what she wanted, what her fears were, and he would find a way for them to be together. Even if it meant moving to Washington. With a plan in his mind, he opened his eyes and came face-to-face with a pair of beady eyes staring at him.

Zain jerked and Mila groaned. “No, don’t get up yet,” she mumbled as she threw a leg over his.

The eyes blinked rapidly as he looked from Zain to Mila. Zain moved to pull the quilt over Mila, but she kicked it off. “Stop, it’s hot up here.”

“Mila, move slowly,” he whispered.

“Why would I move slowly?” she asked as she sighed against his chest. “Oh, do you want to make love again?”

Zain kept his eyes trained on the beady black eyes blinking at him. Someone didn’t tell little Zain it was the wrong time. He instantly became hard at Mila’s words, and he rolled his eyes. As if they hadn’t been up most of the night together.

“I don’t want to alarm you, but we’re not alone.”

Mila stiffened and her eyes popped open. She went to scream but Zain pressed his hand over her mouth. “Do you want the whole B&B crowd storming up here again? And this time, I refuse to dive naked under the bed.”

“Zain, there is a squirrel sitting next to you,” Mila whispered. “And why is it wet?”

Zain chuckled softly as he kept his eye on the small squirrel curled up on the quilt next to his chest. “I see the squirrel, and I have no idea why the little thing is wet or why it’s staring at us. Move slowly so we can get out of bed without sending it running. Then I’ll try to catch it in the pillow case and take it outside.”

It took over a minute, but slowly they made their way off the bed while the squirrel kept his eyes on them. When they finally could stand, Zain tossed Mila her robe and stepped into his pants. He was about to grab the pillowcase when the squirrel stood up to stare at them.

“He must be a baby,” Mila said with her voice softening.

“His foot is injured. Look at how he’s holding it. I’ll call Wyatt and see if he can do anything,” Zain said as he pulled his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture of the squirrel to text to Wyatt.

“Who’s he?” Mila asked as she looked around the room.

“He’s Sydney’s younger brother and a veterinarian. His mother, Katelyn, is also a vet. And you’ve seen his father, Marshall. He’s the sheriff of Keeneston,” Zain told her as he sent the picture and a text to Wyatt.

“The poor thing must have come in through the open bathroom window and fallen into the bathtub. I forgot to drain it last night. He’s lucky he didn’t drown. I wonder if that’s when he was injured?” Mila moved closer and the squirrel stopped to stare at her.

“I don’t know. He’s so small. He could have been injured while running from a predator and used the open window as the only means of escape.” Zain’s phone vibrated and he read the text. “Wyatt said to bring him in if we can. He can splint the leg if it’s injured and can care for it until healed if we can’t.”

“Of course we can. The poor baby. Look at him. He’s adorable and he trusts us. He came to us for help and we’ll take excellent care of him. We just need to find a basket to put him in. I’ll ask Poppy.”

Mila hurried around the room getting dressed as Zain shook his head. “Love, we’re not going to ask Poppy. We’re going to put that little guy in the pillowcase and I’m going to sneak downstairs and take him to the vet. Let’s meet in the secret room after you finish the farm tour and before the meetings start. I’ll give you all the updates Wyatt has given me. Sound good?”

“Damn. I forgot about the farm tour. I have to get going. It starts in an hour. Aren’t you giving it?” Mila asked as she looked for an outfit to wear that could be used for both the tour and a full day of meetings.

Zain shook his head. “No, the Belles are doing all the farm tours this week. It’s still a working farm so it’s hard to pull the amount of people we need to conduct these tours away from their work. So the Belles, a local charity group, are playing hostesses. I think Veronica said fifteen tours have been given to the media already, seven to staff, and they have six scheduled this morning.”

Zain slid a pillow from the case and slowly approached the squirrel. “Come on, little guy. Let’s get you looked at.” The squirrel blinked its eyes and sat still as Zain scooped him up in the case. “Can you hold him while I get dressed? It’s getting late. I hope no one is up yet.”

He handed the pillowcase to Mila. She instantly held the tiny squirrel like a baby and started rocking him. Zain got dressed quickly, stuffed his phone in his pocket, and headed for the door in the floor. He bent down to open it and froze. Voices. Lots of them. He stood up and quietly walked back to the bed.

“There are people down there,” he whispered.

“Then how are you going to leave? You’ll have to wait until we all do.”

Zain shook his head. “I can’t. I have to get home and prepare for today after I drop Squirrel off at the vet.”

Mila took a deep breath. Her cover was about to be blown. “Then there’s nothing left to do. We’ll have to admit to the affair.”

Zain headed to the window and raised it up. He stuck his head out and looked around in the early morning light. “No, there’s another option.”

“You are not climbing down that tree!”

“I climbed up it. I can climb down it. It’s an old tree with big sturdy branches. I’ll be fine. Once I get out, hand me Squirrel and I’ll tie the pillowcase to my belt.” Zain didn’t give Mila a chance to stop him. He straddled the windowsill and then stepped onto the branch he’d used the previous night. “Okay. Give me Squirrel.”

Mila looked doubtful but she complied. Zain slid the top of the pillowcase under his belt where she noticed a gun and then tied it in a knot. Mila leaned out the window. Zain leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips. “I love you, Mila.”

“I love you, too. Be careful.”

Zain sent her a wink and started to slowly descend from the tree. He moved from branch to branch and soon was able to hang from the last branch and drop to the grass below. He looked up and saw Mila watching him. He blew her a kiss and she smiled before ducking back into her room to get ready for the day.

Zain was about to turn around when water jetted against his back. “Oh, dear me. I’m so sorry!” The water turned off and Zain turned with water dripping to see Miss Lily standing on the porch with a hose in her hand. “I was just watering my roses and I didn’t even see you there. I mean,
why
would I be looking out for a prince dropping from my tree?”

“Yet you saw me dropping from the tree and sprayed me anyway.” Miss Lily blinked innocently and Zain shook his head. “It’s not what it looks like. I was rescuing a squirrel.”

Miss Lily snorted. “Your father should have thought of that excuse when I caught him coming down one of my trees. I just can’t keep you Ali Rahman men out of them.”

“What does my father have to do with this?”

“Nothing, dear. I’m sure you think your father and mother are just old and boring.”

Well, yeah. He made a mental note to ask his dad about this. He untied the pillowcase and held it open for Miss Lily to look into. “No, really. I was rescuing a squirrel.”

“Oh, poor dearie. And every squirrel needs a pair of red panties to keep him warm,” Miss Lily said before going back to water her prized roses.

Zain snapped the bag back and looked inside. Shit. When he’d scooped up Squirrel, he’d also scooped up Mila’s panties. “Don’t say anything, Miss Lily.”

“
Humph
. As if I would say anything.”

“You could get her fired if anyone found out.”

Zain saw Miss Lily wince and hoped he’d made his point. “I promise. I won’t say a word.”

Zain stepped up onto the porch and bussed her paper-thin cheek. “Thank you, Miss Lily.”

Zain hurried from the old house and up the street to where he’d attempted to hide his car. Instead of finding it parked alone as he’d left it, he found Abby leaning against her car parked next to his.

“Long night?” Zain asked pleasantly. Abby was pissed. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared at him.

“Very long thanks to you running off like that. I had to search for you.”

“No, you didn’t,” Zain said as he unlocked his car.

“Okay, I didn’t. I just followed the SUV’s GPS. But I did have to stay up all last night watching the B&B. And now I’m tired and hungry. What are you carrying?” Abby finally asked.

“A squirrel.”

“Don’t be an ass.”

“No, really, a squirrel,” Zain opened the pillowcase and Abby looked in.

“Why is your admittedly cute baby squirrel wrapped up in red panties?”

Zain felt himself blush. Abby was like his sister, and he did not talk about his sex life with her.

“Oh, eww. I didn’t need to see that,” Abby complained when she saw him blush. “But, for the record, I like Mila. A lot. Which means I’ll kick your ass if you muck this up.”

“I’ll try not to. Now, I have to meet my father. Can you take Squirrel to Wyatt’s?”

“No, but I can have someone meet us at the gate and you can hand Squirrel off to him. And
he
can take him to Wyatt. I’ve been charged with watching you until we get home, where, upon your royal arrival, I’m going to take a nap.”

Zain wanted to argue, but it was getting late and Wyatt was expecting him. “Fine. I’ll call Wyatt and ask if he can meet me to pick up the patient.”

Abby started her car and waited for Zain to get in his. Zain called Wyatt as he drove home.

“You think it’s broken?” Wyatt asked.

“I do. If not, it’s serious enough he won’t put any weight on it.”

“I can just meet you at the farm and bring some supplies with me. That way he can stay with you if you want.”

“Thanks. I’ve grown close to the little guy rather quickly.”

“He’s not the only one you’ve grown close to rather quickly,” Wyatt teased.

Dread filled Zain. “What do you mean?”

“That you spent the night with Mila and got busted climbing out her window.”

“Shit. Miss Lily swore she wouldn’t say anything. She knew how important it was that our relationship is kept secret. Mila could get fired now.” Zain slammed his hand on the steering wheel.

“No, she won’t. Miss Lily only texted Kenna, who texted my mom, who told me. You know we won’t say anything to any of the tourists.”

Now Zain groaned. “And Kenna probably texted my mom. This is a living nightmare.”

“Probably. She probably told Aunt Paige, too. And Aunt Annie. And Aunt Tammy. And Aunt Gemma. And Aunt Morgan. But I’m sure that’s it,” Wyatt said, trying to sound reassuring.

“Thanks, you’re a true friend,” Zain said dryly.

“I only told Carter when I was out at his farm a moment ago. So it’s no big deal. At least Mila isn’t running away from you anymore. And here you thought you couldn’t even get her to date you. Oh yeah, and Carter says congrats. He talked with her yesterday and really liked her. I’m pulling up to your house now.”

Zain was getting ready to turn into the farm so he wasn’t far behind.

“Zain, umm, you might want to step on it. Your cousin is on the front porch throwing a hissy fit.”

When Zain pulled to a stop, Jamal was standing on the porch in black silk pajama bottoms, a huge gold necklace, and nothing else. He waved his arms at Kareem, Veronica, Ahmed, and Wyatt who stood on the grass looking up at him. Zain cursed again. How, after the most perfect night, had this already turned into a horrible day? Zain parked and Abby pulled up next to him with a sadistic smile on her face.

“This should be fun,” she said under her breath as they walked toward the growing group listening to Jamal’s rant.

“And Zain wasn’t here
again
this morning to serve me breakfast! How am I to live? He’s trying to starve me to death to become the next king!” Jamal railed.

“Your Highness,” Wyatt said in his slow, confident Southern drawl. “Zain was out rescuing a squirrel. I’m sure you could have just headed to the main house to have breakfast with the other dignitaries, isn’t that right, Veronica?”

Veronica nodded. “I told him that when he called me earlier.”

“Your Highness, what is it you need right this instant?” Nabi asked, his voice tight with restraint.

“I want my breakfast in bed!” Jamal stomped his foot and Zain lost it. Nabi and Ahmed were not allowed to speak to Jamal with anything other than respect that the heir to the crown supposedly deserved. But Zain was also a potential king, and that earned him a little leeway.

“Why don’t you cry about it?” Abby beat him to the punch.

Zain whipped his head to the side to see Abby pushing past an open-mouthed Veronica. Ahmed shook his head in warning to his daughter who just ignored him.

“Excuse me? You, bow before me and beg my forgiveness,” Jamal ordered. Zain saw Ahmed’s jaw tighten and his hand clench into a fist.