Forever Betrayed: Forever Bluegrass #3 (7 page)

Dani took a seat next to Anton and patted the cushion next to her for Mila. “Now tell me, how have you enjoyed Keeneston so far?”

Mila took a seat and turned to the woman who was the most relaxed princess she’d ever seen. She was in a tea-length, flowing skirt, a boatneck shirt, and flip-flops. “It’s lovely. Everyone has been beyond nice.”

“I’m so glad. Ah, and here he is.” Mila looked up and saw Zain staring daggers at his mother.

“Zain,” Anton said, drawing Zain’s attention away from his mother. “I asked your mom to call you. I brought Mila for a tour, but the heat has gotten to me. I was hoping you would show her around.”

“Veronica . . .” Zain started before Anton cut him off.

“. . . is already halfway through her tour. I guess I can do it.” Anton hefted himself up and made such a groan that Mila jumped up to help him.

“Don’t be silly, Anton. It’s okay. You need to rest.” Mila turned and gave an apologetic look to Zain. “Maybe you can call Dylan? He did tell me he was here and if I needed anything to call him. I don’t want to interrupt you while you prepare for the summit.”

Zain’s jaw clenched. Dylan. She wanted him to call Dylan. That wasn’t what he was expecting when he came down to meet his mother and saw her smiling at Mila, the woman who had found a way into his dreams the night before.

His mother stood as she beamed at him. “There, a perfect solution. Let’s call Dylan. I’m just sorry I can’t do it myself, but I really have to have a talk with your father. Mila, it was so nice seeing you again.”

And then his mom was gone. She walked off without a backward glance. Anton pulled out his phone. “I’ll call him,” Anton said as he turned his phone on.

Flashes of the dreams he’d had about Mila ran through his head. It sure as hell wasn’t Dylan who was running his hands over her skin. “No,” Zain ground out. There was no way it would be Dylan now either. “I have a few extra minutes.”

Anton smiled victoriously, and Zain narrowed his eyes at him as he slid his hand to the small of Mila’s back and guided her forward. “Don’t forget the secret rooms,” Anton called out. Zain stiffened. No one but family and some trusted staff knew about those rooms.

Mila fiddled with her hands next to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to be forced into showing me around.”

“It’s all right. There are forces at work much stronger than you or I.” Zain dropped his hand from her back and opened a door. He didn’t know why he had his hand there in the first place, but it had felt natural. “This is the large conference room for when we are all meeting together.” He pointed out the circular table and showed her where each party was sitting. “When in this room, you will be translating from the back there through equipment we are providing. This was last minute. We had thought not to use it, but then I saw how smoothly it worked at my uncle’s.”

Zain watched as Mila walked around to the seat with the German place card. Then she picked up the chancellor’s earpiece and examined the equipment while nodding. “I’ve used this equipment before,” she said as she headed back to where the interpreters would sit. She found her seat and tested out the equipment. “This is a great setup for such a small conference.”

“Thank you. There are many important things I want to accomplish, and I don’t want a bad setup hindering our talks. We’ll only be in here a couple of times, but I want everything to run smoothly,” Zain said as he watched her take notes of where everyone was sitting. He wondered if she realized she was nibbling on her bottom lip as she sketched the room. He had thought about those cupid-bowed lips last night as well, although her lips were otherwise engaged in his dreams. Zain shook his head and came back to the present.

Mila had finished her drawing and was walking to the door. “Where to now?”

“The smaller meeting rooms.” Zain held the door open for her and placed his hand on the small of her back once again. Mila glanced up at him questioningly but didn’t pull away. When Zain gave her a quick smile, her confusion only grew. Was he doing something wrong? Wasn’t this how flirting went?

Being who he was, Zain didn’t play by the same dating rules as others. Normally he didn’t have to do a thing and women flocked to him. But Mila was giving him a complex. It didn’t matter that the timing was wrong. Or that he had a million things on his plate to accomplish by the end of the day. He wanted to be here. With her. And he wanted to know if she wanted that, too. But so far, it didn’t seem like it.

“If you can tell me, what areas are you most looking to focus on? I would like to organize my notes and review terminology tonight,” Mila explained as she kept making notes about locations of the rooms Zain pointed out along the way.

“Nanotechnology. It was going to be a footnote, but I’m moving it up to the top spot. I’m hoping to receive participation from every country attending. Hopefully they will join a partnership with the new Rahmi International Nanotechnology Laboratories,” Zain told her before leaning forward and opening a door. “This is one of the smaller meeting rooms I have reserved for Rahmi. It’s where I will be doing one-on-one meetings. Each country will have its own sitting room that is attached to the bedchambers for their leader. Let me show you where they all are.”

Twenty minutes later, Mila had pages full of the house layout and everywhere the German chancellor would need to go. Zain had tons of work to get back to but found himself lingering. As they walked, they talked about the summit and Keeneston. She nearly had him in tears of laughter as she told him of her car trip with Anton.

“So, want to show me the secret rooms?” Mila asked with a shy smile.

Zain almost pumped his fist in the air. She was lingering, too. “Sure, but first I have to swear you to secrecy.” Zain held out his hand as if to shake hers. Mila reached out and placed her hand in his. Warmth raced up his arm as he showed her the secret handshake he, Gabe, and Abby had made up when they were children.

Mila laughed as the warmth flooded Zain’s heart. She was his. He knew it the second she looked at him with laughter on her lips and interest in her eyes. “The best place to enter is from the library. That’s the one we used all the time. That’s where we will have one of the refreshment areas set up for the dignitaries,” Zain told her as they made their way to the library. “I’ll have a station set up for the interpreters in the small sitting room on the second floor. There will be a place set up in the formal sitting room and the smaller day room along with the library,” Zain explained as he held open the library door.

“Can you find it?” Zain asked her. Mila stepped away from him and started walking around the room.

“The fireplace?” Mila asked as she looked it over.

Zain shook his head.

Mila slowly walked the room. “I have no idea,” she muttered as she tried pulling random books out of the bookcase.

“It’s over there in the nook.” Zain led her over to the small U-shaped nook and pulled aside the window curtain. “It’s right here beside the window. There is a tiny button in that light fixture, can you see it?”

Mila leaned closer and ran her hand over the fixture. “There it is! You can hardly see it. May I press it?”

“Go ahead,” Zain said as he watched her vibrate with excitement. She pressed the button and the wall silently slid open about two feet. Mila turned and disappeared into the room.

Zain followed quickly behind her and bumped into her back. He wanted to groan as her ass brushed against him. “Sorry, let me get the light. It’s right here,” he said as he guided her hand to the switch. A soft yellow light filled the little room. In it were a small sofa, a desk, and a chair. On the desk sat a laptop and a landline phone.

“What is this place?” Mila asked as she started to walk around the space that was no more than ten feet in length and six feet deep.

“A safe room. You can bolt the door to the library here in case you’re in danger. Or in my case, if you want to escape your siblings.” Zain decided now was the time to make his move. Mila was standing close to him and all he could think about was having her in his arms in a place he wouldn’t be disturbed. His mother would never know. Neither Veronica nor Abby would be walking in on them. Mila would be his and his alone, at least for a short while.

Zain stepped toward her back as she looked at the mechanism to open the door to the library from the inside. He took a breath. He was a prince. He had this. Zain stepped closer and felt Mila suck in a breath when she realized he was so close behind her. Without saying a word, he ran one hand gently down her arm to rest on her waist. His other hand reached out for her thigh and ran it upward along the curve of her hip. His fingers flexed against the small indentation of her waist as he pulled her back against him. Her ass pressed against his hips and Zain’s lips drifted to the exposed skin of Mila’s neck.

Fire seared through his veins as his lips grazed the petal-soft skin. His tongue darted out to tickle her skin as he moved his lips over the graceful curve of her neck. One second was all it took to realize he’d made a mistake. The lust that shot through him was mixed with something he hadn’t felt before—interest.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Mila’s head tilted to the side as Zain’s lips played along her neck. His fingers tightened on her as he pulled her against him. Wait! Zain had a girlfriend and here she was just letting him have his way with her. He tugged gently at her shirt and his fingers played with the sensitive skin he’d exposed. For a split second, Mila thought about not caring. But she didn’t want to be just another woman Zain conquered just because he could. Besides, while Abby might be scary, she had been nice to her.

As Zain’s hand crept higher up her stomach toward her breasts, Mila broke from him. “Thank you for the tour. I think I have everything I came for. I just press this button, right?” Mila reached out and pressed the button next to the hidden panel and the door slid quietly open.

Not waiting for Zain’s response, she darted out the door and was halfway across the library before Zain caught up with her.

“Mila, did I do something wrong? Did I move too fast? I’m sorry. Look,” he pleaded.

Mila turned and saw something she wasn’t expecting—Zain, unsure about himself.

“I haven’t been in this situation before. I like you and would like the chance to get to know you better,” Zain said.

Mila felt her heart pound. He liked her or he wanted to screw her? While they went hand in hand, the most important detail was which one was more important to him.

“Zain, there you are.”

Mila froze. She knew Abby’s voice already. It was soft but full of authority and confidence. Something Mila didn’t have a lot of right now. Mila turned around and blanched. Abby was dressed in a black V-neck T-shirt and black cargo pants. She had a gun strapped to her waist and a knife strapped to her thigh.

“Hiya, Mila. Are you all right?” Abby asked, her voice full of concern.

Mila nodded. “I just finished a tour of the grounds in preparation for tomorrow. Excuse me, I’ll see if Anton can drive me back to town.”

“Stop,” Zain ordered. “I’ll drive you back.”

Abby smiled at them both and Mila felt sick. “Don’t worry about it, Zain. I know how much work you have today. I can take her.”

Mila’s eyes drifted down to where Abby’s hand rested on the butt of her pistol, and she swallowed hard. Mila dared to cast a glance at Zain and saw a muscle tick in his jaw.

“It’s okay, Abby, I have time. Come on, Mila. I can show you some of the sights as we drive back.”

Mila darted her eyes back to Abby who looked full of thought for a second before masking it. “Mila,” Abby said suspiciously, “some of us girls are having dinner tonight at the café. Would you care to join us?”

“Tonight? I have a lot to prepare for tomorrow. I don’t think I can make it.”

Abby’s smile was lethal. “I insist. Meet us at seven. That will give you enough time to prepare. See you then.” And before Mila could protest, Abby strode from the room.

Zain watched Mila practically run up the walk to the bed and breakfast. He’d tried to charm her as he gave her a tour of Keeneston, but she had quietly sat in the seat next to him taking notes. In fact, she had pressed herself against the door as if he would vault across the console and have his way with her. It was enough to drive a man crazy. At least he forced her to write down his cell phone number and dragged out a promise to call him if she wanted to see more of the area.

Zain drove to the café as he went over what he’d done that had made her so skittish. It had to have been when he kissed her in the hidden room. He had moved too fast. That’s the only thing he could think of. It was certainly a strange experience to have a woman run away from him.

The café was only partially full at one o’clock. He was meeting the guys to go over the updates from Rahmi and discuss any last-minute needs for the summit. He saw Ryan’s FBI sedan out front, along with Dylan’s massive pickup truck and Deacon’s SUV. It looked like he was the last to arrive.

Inside, the smells of the home cooking settled him as he headed for their table. Jackson was the first to see him. “We were beginning to think you forgot about us,” he teased.

“Sorry I’m late. I had to drive Mila back to the bed and breakfast.”

Dylan raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Ryan and Deacon were both already talking.

“Where did you two come from?” Deacon asked.

“What were you doing together?” Ryan asked at the same time.

Zain looked around before he spoke. He saw Poppy heading their way and didn’t bother saying anything as his friends all stared at him.

“Howdy, guys. What can I do you for today?” she asked as her pencil hovered over the small notepad.

The men placed their orders and Zain waited until Poppy had left before leaning forward and dropping his voice. “I screwed up, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“What do you mean?” Ryan asked in the same low whisper.

“I kissed her,” Zain said on a sigh.

“And?” Deacon asked.

“And I wanted to do a whole lot more, but she literally jumped away from me and won’t look at me now. I’ve never had a woman react like this,” Zain said, perplexed.

The guys looked at each other and Dylan raised an eyebrow again as if saying, “So?”

“So, I want to kiss her again. I like her. But I don’t think she likes me,” Zain said, falling back against the booth.

“Maybe she has a boyfriend,” Ryan said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Maybe she would like Veronica more than you,” Jackson smirked. While Veronica wasn’t in the closet, she also didn’t scream about being out of it. So far, she was proving to be a challenge to the Rose sisters, who, while retired from matchmaking, saw it as a challenge. Just the month before, they’d asked one of the Keeneston Belles if she was a lesbian. The Belle had just blinked and sputtered. They kept her on the list.

Zain thought back to when he kissed her. “I don’t think so. She certainly acted as if she enjoyed it before she suddenly jumped away from me.”

“Ask her on a date. She probably thinks you’re just used to kissing every woman around. You were in the magazines a lot for that when you were in college,” Dylan said, then took another sip of water.

“That could be right.” Ryan smiled.

“Sounds like a plan.” Deacon nodded.

“Unless you’re too scared to ask her out,” Jackson smirked.

“Me? Scared to ask a girl out? Right,” Zain snorted.

“Then ask her to dinner tonight,” Jackson challenged.

Zain frowned. “I can’t tonight.”

“
Bawk-bawk-baaaaawk
.” Ryan imitated a chicken as the guys laughed.

Zain took the ribbing as he shook his head. “Not that I can’t ask her, but it's that I know she already has plans. Abby invited her to dinner with the girls tonight.”

“Perfect,” Ryan said with a smile.

“How is that perfect?” Zain asked.

“Because we can have my wife question her,” Ryan said as he pulled out his cell phone and started to text Sienna. “Find out if Mila is a lesbian. If not, find out if she has a boyfriend. And if not, see if she likes Zain,” Ryan mumbled as he typed.

Dylan grunted and shook his head.

Jackson laughed. “You’re acting as if you’re in grade school. How the mighty have fallen.”

“Oh, you think this is funny. Just wait to see what happens when you bring a girl to town,” Zain threatened. But that didn’t stop him from sending his own message to Abby from under the table.

Mila stopped in front of the large plate-glass window and looked into the café. Girls night with girls she didn’t know. Well, she knew Abby and had let her boyfriend kiss her neck. It had felt so amazing that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Nope, this wasn’t going to be awkward at all.

Abby looked up from the table and saw Mila staring. She waved and Mila let out a long breath. Time to get this over with. She entered the busy café full of multiple languages as locals mixed with people in town for the summit.

Abby stood and directed her to the only open chair. “Hi, Mila,” she said happily as she pointed to the chair. “I’m excited for you to meet my friends. This is Sienna Parker. Her husband, Ryan, is the head of the FBI office here.”

Mila looked to the auburn-haired woman and shook her hand. “Yes, I’ve heard his name a lot today when I toured the farm.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sienna smiled.

Abby didn’t miss a beat before introducing her to the next two women. “And this is Riley Davies and her twin sister, Reagan.” Mila smiled at the two redheads across the table from them.

“And finally, this is Layne Davies,” Abby said, gesturing to the woman with ink-black hair and large hazel eyes.

“Hi. It’s nice to meet all of you.” Mila smiled and took her seat as she said a silent prayer of thanks for her ability to remember names.

Everyone returned her greeting, and Abby pushed a glass toward her. “Here. This is a house favorite—the Rose sisters’ special iced tea. Try it.”

Mila took a sip and enjoyed the burn of what she guessed was bourbon. “This is great,” she said, and she took another sip as everyone smiled at her.

“Layne was just talking about one of her patients. She’s a physical therapist and works with a lot of the football players for the Lexington Thoroughbreds. That’s our NFL team that Sienna works with. But in her spare time, she does volunteer work with veterans or members of the military,” Abby explained as the woman with black hair smiled.

“I have a patient who is walking for the first time in three months.” She smiled. “I cried when he took his first step today. He was injured by a roadside bomb.”

Mila took another sip. “That’s amazing. It must be so rewarding, what you do. And what is it that you do, Abby?”
Professional girlfriend?
Mila thought snidely and then hated herself for it.

“I’m in private security. I’ve been working in the D.C. area recently.”

Mila almost snorted. Yup, if Abby found out Zain had kissed her, she was a dead woman.

“And you?” Mila smiled across the table to Riley.

“I’m on the town council and help my dad with the farm,” Riley said before adding, “Actually, the town just asked me to draft a response to the rumors of the state’s intention to propose a bill that would allow a new highway to cut through the middle of Keeneston and divide most of our farms in half.”

“Wow. That’s horrible. I mean, transportation is great and all, but why wouldn’t they go around town?” Mila asked.

“Exactly,” Riley said with relief that she was understood. “That’s what I’m going to look into.”

“And if I don’t cut my sister off, she’ll be talking politics all night. I’m Reagan, if you couldn’t tell. I think what you do is fascinating.”

Mila smiled at the sisters and took another drink. It seemed everyone stared at her with anticipation with every drink she took. “And what do you do?”

“I’m a pilot. I fly charter flights for people in this area. Mainly I do a lot of horse transportation,” Reagan informed her as she topped off Mila’s drink.

“That’s so neat. And what about you, Sienna?” Mila asked even though she remembered Sienna’s name from the newspaper article she read the morning before.

“I’m a sports psychologist,” Sienna smiled.

And was involved in bringing down a terrorist organization
, Mila thought and was going to ask more, but a man in jeans and a buttoned-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to revealed strong forearms stopped at the table. He had dark-blond hair and navy-blue eyes. It took a second, but then it hit her. He was the state trooper, Matt.

“Ladies,” he said. “I just wanted to say hi. I see you’ve gotten into the special tea. If any of you need a ride, let me know.” Mila watched as he winked at Riley with a quick smile before sauntering to his table.

Reagan turned to her sister with a mischievous smile. “I’m sure you’d be happy to give him a ride.” Riley smacked her sister’s arm and turned her smile back to Mila. 

Mila downed the rest of the tea and was instantly poured more. “So, Mila, um,” Sienna stuttered, “Matt’s cute, right? We think he likes Riley, but Riley is blind to everything but her horses and her political crusade.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “A crusade you all support,” she mumbled.

Mila shrugged. “Sure, he’s cute. In fact, there’re a number of very good-looking men here. Women, too.”

Sienna sighed and Mila took another deep drink before her glass was refilled yet again. Suddenly Sienna sat upright and smiled. “If you could pick one,
and only one
, to have a wild fling with, who would it be?”

Mila blinked.

“Yeah, like the mystery woman who is obviously enjoying her affair and leaving her panties all around town. Who would you pick? There’s Jackson, Dylan, Zain, Veronica, Matt.” Sienna ticked off on her fingers.

Veronica? Mila looked down at her glass. Maybe she was drunk and didn’t realize it. Maybe this conversation was all in her head.

“And you haven’t even met Sienna’s brother, Carter, yet,” Reagan said with a wink.