Forever Betrayed: Forever Bluegrass #3 (8 page)

“Ew, he doesn’t count. I’m not going to think about my brother having a torrid affair. So, who would it be?” Sienna asked as she sat impatiently on the edge of her seat.

Mila took another sip. She wanted to say Zain, but since his girlfriend was sitting right next to her she didn’t understand why his name had even been listed.

“I don’t know. Not Matt since he’s into Riley and duh, of course not Zain,” Mila said with a shrug as Sienna collapsed against her chair with a frown on her face. Mila took a hearty drink as everyone leaned forward.

“Why isn’t she falling out of the chair?” Layne whispered to Reagan, who just shrugged her shoulders and continued to watch Mila drink.

“What?” Mila asked as she put her third empty glass down.

“Nothing.” Sienna blinked innocently as she leaned forward again. “Are you missing your boyfriend?” she asked as she gave a slight nod to Abby, who quickly emptied the remaining pitcher of the Rose sisters’ special iced tea into Mila’s glass.

“Boyfriend? I don’t have one.”

“Girlfriend?” Sienna asked with such a sweet smile that Mila couldn’t tell if she were joking or not.

“Don’t have one of those either.”

Sienna let out a huff of frustration as she tossed her arms up in the air and slouched back into her chair.

“So, why not Zain?” Abby asked quietly.

Sienna shot back up in her seat. “That’s right. You said obviously not Zain. Why?”

Mila’s eyes rounded as she looked at Abby. “Are you serious? He’s taken.” Everyone looked at her curiously. “By you.”

The women were silent. They all looked at each other, and as if on cue, broke out into laughter at the exact same time. “Me? You think I’m Zain’s girlfriend?” Abby asked between snorts of laughter.

“Well, yeah.” Mila felt uncomfortable as the women laughed. What was going on?

“Abby, I think we failed miserably in our mission,” Sienna said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Abby put her hand on Mila’s arm and took a deep breath to stop laughing. “Zain’s like a brother to me. I could
never
date him.”

Mila felt relief flood her body. He wasn’t dating Abby when he kissed her. But did that mean he wasn’t dating
anybody
?

“Look, I’m not good at this, so I’m going to tell you how it is. Zain’s afraid you’re not interested in him,” Sienna rolled her eyes, “and we’ve now officially reverted to middle school.”

“So, he’s not dating . . . anyone?” Mila asked slowly.

“That’s right. He’s completely single. Has been for a while,” Abby said as she gave her arm a pat. Mila picked up the rest of her tea and downed it as everyone gasped.

“Stop!” Riley cried.

“What?” Mila asked as she looked around at the women staring wide-eyed at her.

Sienna looked guiltily at her. “We were getting you drunk to find out if you liked Zain.”

It was Mila’s turn to laugh now. “On this weak drink? You all are funny.”

“Weak?” Layne sputtered.

“There’s a lot of bourbon in there,” Reagan said, as her jaw hung open.

Mila shrugged. “I spent my high school years in Poland where we’d drink home-brewed vodka. I can outdrink everyone I know.”

“I knew I liked you,” Abby smiled as she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text.

The food arrived at the table and Mila dug in. While she wasn’t drunk, she was definitely happy. Happy to know the man of her dreams was single and interested in her. Or was he?

“Why did Zain want to know if I was interested in him?” Mila asked after Poppy cleared the table.

“Because you’ve done the one thing all the other women he’s ever met have never done. You walked away from him. Or to hear him say it, you ran from him,” Abby said with a smirk that showed she was highly amused by this.

“I thought he was your boyfriend and every time I see you, you’re armed. Of course I ran.” Mila laughed. “Wait, are you armed now?”

Abby just smiled and Mila had her answer. She didn’t think she wanted to know anymore.

“So, what are you going to do now that you know Zain’s interested in you?” Sienna asked. That was the twenty-million-dollar question. Was it professional to have an affair with a prince while on a diplomatic mission?  Probably not—unfortunately.  “I don’t know,” Mila answered honestly.

As the girls around the table started talking among themselves, Abby leaned closer to Mila and whispered, “Sometimes life gives you an opportunity too good to pass up. It doesn’t matter that timing may be off or any other excuses you can come up with. Your gut will tell you it’s right because the thought of missing out on it will tear you to shreds. Don’t miss what could be the best thing to happen to you. And I’m not saying this because Zain’s a prince. It’s because he’s truly a good man. Give him a chance. You won’t regret it.”

Abby joined the table conversation but Mila couldn’t stop thinking about what she had said. The question was, did she have the courage to go after what she wanted. It was easy to say, but it was another thing to walk up to someone and offer him your heart.

CHAPTER NINE

Zain finished rehearsing his speech for a third time as he paced his living room. Abby hadn’t gotten back to him yet, and he was wondering how long it took to interrogate a woman. He dropped onto his dark-brown leather couch and closed his eyes. Ever since he’d seen Mila, he couldn’t get her out of his head. She interested him. He wanted to know more about her and feel more of her under his hands, lips, and body.

His father had told him about the first time he met Zain’s mother. Mo had known instantly that he and Dani were meant to be. Zain didn’t pretend to know that Mila was
the one
. He only knew he desperately wanted more time with her.

The sound of a car pulling to a stop outside of his house had him groaning. Of all the times to have a houseguest, this was not it. Zain stood up and went to the front door. He opened it and was torn between duty to his prince and knowing it was his spoiled cousin who was standing there, ordering people about. He was surprised Jamal didn’t travel with a group of women whose job would be to constantly fawn over him.

“Cousin, how was your trip?” Zain asked as he plastered on a smile.

“Long. How can you stand the humidity here? I feel as if I’m suffocating,” he whined as he walked up the steps to shake Zain’s hand.

“I’m used to it. Uncle Dirar didn’t tell me much of your role here. What is it you need from me?” Zain asked as he led Jamal to his living room.

Jamal shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just going to hang out. It’ll be a nice break from everyone speculating on how often I screw my wife and whether I can get her pregnant.”

“Would you like me to fill you in on my goals for this conference?” Zain asked.

Jamal sat on the couch and turned on the television. “Nah. Get me something to drink, will you?”

Zain narrowed his eyes at Jamal. He was about to tell Jamal to shove it when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and held his breath as he pulled up Abby’s text.
She thought you were dating me. She’s single. Don’t mess this up. I like her. By the way, we’re still at the café, and she’s had a pitcher of tea. See you soon.

“Sorry, Jamal. I have to go,” Zain told his cousin as he grabbed his car keys and headed for the door.

“But what about me?” Jamal asked incredulously.

“There’s food in the kitchen and your room is the first door on the right at the top of the stairs,” Zain called out as he hurried from his house.

“Zain!” Veronica called as she came running toward him in five-inch stilettos and a tight pencil skirt that caused her to take a lot of tiny steps.

He wanted to yell “not now,” but Veronica never ran. She was never discomposed. She was always calm and efficient. Now her hair was falling from her updo and there was actually a bead of sweat on her forehead. “What’s wrong?”

“I made room in the schedule to meet with Surman and Tahjad tomorrow morning. Since you appointed Kareem your go-to for those two countries, I asked him to convey our wishes to them. Well, Kareem just gave me his report. Tahjad agreed to meet, but Surman refuses.”

Zain raised one eyebrow. “Surman refuses to meet one-on-one with me? Whom did Kareem talk to?”

“The queen’s secretary.”

Zain looked at the car and sighed. He wasn’t going anywhere right now. “Get me the queen directly.”

Veronica pulled out her cell phone and made the call. “No, ma’am, His Royal Highness insists on speaking to Her Majesty directly. Thank you.” Veronica handed him the phone. “She’s on the plane flying here. Tread carefully. We don’t want her to turn around.”

Zain nodded and took the phone. “Queen Suri, thank you for taking my call. I’ll make it quick. I’m very excited about a new technological advancement Rahmi is making, and we want Surman to be partners with us. It will be a great success for our region. I hope you will decide to meet with me tomorrow morning at eight before the conference." Zain paused to listen to the other end of the line. "Wonderful, thank you.”

Zain hung up the phone. “Crisis averted. Instruct Kareem on sweet-talking that secretary. I think she says no to everything as a default. Now, if there are no other crises, I need to get to the café and see a certain girl.”

Veronica smiled. “Finally! Abby is the perfect choice . . .”

“Abby? No, Mila. This is the last chance I have to give her all my attention before the summit.”

“Mila? The interpreter? Well, I’d better find a reason to occupy the German chancellor so Mila can slip away during the conference.” Veronica winked as Zain slid into the car.

“I’ll give you a raise if you manage that,” Zain called out, starting the car and flooring it all the way into Keeneston.

Mila had turned away from him not because she didn’t like him, but because she thought he was dating Abby. He almost chuckled. The whole town thought those two would end up together, but he and their friends knew it would never happen. The thought of Mila drunk and at a tableful of women who wanted to help him was worrisome. They could push too hard and Mila could run scared. She seemed the skittish sort who had trust issues.

Of course, with some of the men Mila dealt with on a daily basis, he could understand that. Politicians tended to think they had a right to everything, even the women working for them. He had to prove he could be trusted.

Zain pulled to a stop in front of the café. The smell of chocolate and fried chicken wafted around on the summer air. The warm, yellow glow of the lights spilled out of the large windows and onto the sidewalk. The sounds of laughter and voices met his ears as he hurried to open the screen door. But that was just Keeneston—home.

The screen door hadn’t even slammed shut when Zain found her with his eyes. He could only see the back of her head as she faced the others. Sienna was facedown in a pie. Abby was struggling to keep her head up. Layne looked green. Riley and Reagan leaned on each other as they giggled.

“What’s going on?” Zain demanded in his most princely tone. He was going to kill whoever did this to her.

Abby hiccupped. Riley and Reagan giggled again. Layne burped. Sienna snored and Mila turned with a pleased look on her face. “Zain! What are you doing here? Want to challenge me, too?”

Zain marched to the table as Matt and Father Ben stood up from their table and walked to meet him.

“I think I can shed some light on this,” Father Ben said with amusement. He was Zain’s age, a little shorter with light-brown hair. He certainly didn’t look like a priest in his jeans and a T-shirt advertising a local rock band. “They tried to get Mila drunk. Mila declared the Rose sisters’ tea as weak. Then they challenged her to shots. Mila won.”

Mila snorted. “Sure did. I can still touch my nose, too,” Mila said as she held out her hand and slowly brought her finger to her nose.

Zain looked down at her smug grin and tried not to laugh. Tomorrow was going to be very interesting indeed with Mila interpreting and Abby patrolling while suffering from hangovers.

“I’ll take Riley and Reagan home,” Matt offered. Zain raised an eye and Matt didn’t blink. “As if you aren’t going to take Mila back to the bed and breakfast.”

Okay, Matt had him there.

“I’ll take Layne,” Father Ben offered.

The door to the café opened and Ryan hurried in. “Sienna?” he asked softly as he looked at her face pillowed by the apple pie. “Well, this wasn’t what I was expecting.”

“What were you expecting?” Zain asked.

Mila snickered. “Oh, I know what he was expecting.”

Ryan stepped closer and lowered his voice. “She said she wanted to make a baby.”

“Twenty dollars on forty weeks from now!” Miss Lily called from the other side of the room.

“Twenty on thirty-nine weeks from now,” Miss Daisy countered.

“Dang, these new hearing aids are worth every penny,” Miss Violet said as her sisters all agreed.

Zain looked back to Ryan whose back was to the Rose sisters as Ryan sent Zain a wink. It took everything Zain had not to laugh. Ryan took great pleasure in taunting the gossips about when he and Sienna would have a baby.

“Come on, honey,” Ryan cooed as he slipped his hand around her shoulder and under her knees. He stood up with her in his arms and placed a kiss on her whipped-cream-covered forehead and carried her from the café.

“Okay, ladies. Let’s go.” Matt stepped between the giggling sisters and held an arm out to each.

“I don’t think that’s what Riley wants to hold on to,” Reagan snorted as Matt’s lips curved into a satisfied grin.

“One more word, ReRe, and I’m spilling your dirty little secret,” Riley threatened as Matt started to maneuver them from the room.

Dylan opened the door and then stepped into the café. He took one look around and could only shake his head as he saw Father Ben trying to escort Layne from the table, Zain with his arm around Mila, and Abby alternately giggling and hiccupping.

“I guess this means no dinner? Come on, Abs. I’ll give you a ride home on my bike.”

Poppy looked nervous. “She’s pretty drunk. I don’t think she can hold on to you on a motorcycle.”

Dylan sent Poppy a wink and she tittered. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t fall off.”

Abby stood up and swayed. “Next time I need to interrogate someone, I’m bringing you with me,” she said to Mila before hiccupping again. Dylan wrapped his muscled arm around her waist and helped her from the café.

Father Ben managed to get Layne to her feet. With a grim smile and a shake of his head, he helped her outside. Zain turned to Mila and looked down at her face covered in a goofy grin. “Ready?”

“Sure am. I’ll have you know, I’m only tipsy.”

Zain walked out of the café with his arm around her. He didn’t care if she was or wasn’t drunk. He just wanted to feel her pressed to his side. “How much did you have?”

Mila started counting on her fingers and when she reached seven, she shrugged. “I lost count. But it was fun. I don’t normally have a night out with other girls. I’m usually too busy traveling or going to boring dinners for work.”

“Do you think this week is going to be boring?” Zain asked as they stopped to cross the street.

“Nothing you do is boring,” Mila whispered before slapping her hand over her mouth. “Did I say that out loud?”

Zain turned his face into a blank slate and looked down at her as if he hadn’t heard her. “Say what?”

A slurred voice interrupted from behind. “Sophie was right. You really are hot. Isn’t that just tempting women to sin?”

Mila and Zain turned to see Father Ben trying to get Layne into his car, but Layne had other ideas, such as rubbing her hands down his arms.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” Layne tried to say seductively. “Eww. I’m sorry, I can’t do that. I just got a vision of my dad looking all serious-like when I say that. Do you know my dad? Ex-Special Forces. Scary glare going on. Do you know he’s the reason I haven’t had sex in seven months? He keeps scaring off my dates. I think he has my phone bugged.”

Mila hiccupped. Zain covered his laugh with a cough, and Ben calmly helped Layne into the car. “Tell me all about it,” he said kindly before shutting the door.

“He’s nice,” Mila said as Zain helped her cross the street.

“He is. He’s not what you'd expect. Everyone seems to just open up to him. And he seems to care about the people here.”

“You know what I care about?” Mila asked as they walked up the hill toward the bed and breakfast.

“Hmm?”

“The fact that you aren’t dating Abby,” Mila said with a hint of shyness to her voice.

Zain looked down at her as they walked. Mila rested her head on his shoulder but didn’t look up at him. Pride filled him along with something else that was currently making his jeans tight. “I’m not dating anyone. I’d never have kissed you if I was.”

He didn’t say anything more as they made their way to the bed and breakfast. Instead, he just enjoyed the feel of her against him. Lights were on in the windows, but it seemed as if they were the only two people in the world when they stopped on the front porch.

Mila finally looked up at him. Her gray eyes were shadowed in the darkness of the night, but Zain felt them on him. “If I hadn’t pulled away earlier, what would have happened?”

Zain tightened his grip on her hips and pulled her to his chest. He looked down at her and saw desire in her face mixed with nervousness. He raised his hand and ran it along her cheek. He moved his hand to her neck until his fingers curved along the back of her head and brought her lips close to his. “This,” he whispered against her lips. He moved slowly, giving her time to change her mind. But when his lips found hers, he hoped she wouldn’t.

Mila tasted of bourbon and chocolate as he slowly explored her lips and swept his tongue gently into her mouth. She sighed and moved her hands to cling to the front of his shirt as she leaned into him. Zain fought the urge to move faster. It was hard with all the little sounds of pleasure coming from Mila. But he took his time kissing her until she unconsciously rubbed her body against his. Now was the time to kick things up a bit. Zain reached down to cup her ass as she ground against his erection.

“Oh! I’m so sorry to interrupt,” a voice that didn’t sound sorry at all interjected as Mila jumped back in surprise.