“Or, you know, they can take care of themselves.” I leaned back, folding my arms over my chest. “They run the café with no issues. They’re not old, Kostya. They’re in their late forties and perfectly healthy. Yes, they needed help running the café but that’s simply because it was too much for two people. If we can rebuild, start over somewhere else, they’ll be fine.”
“Mama won’t like it,” he said slowly.
“I know.” I blew out a breath. “But I can’t continue to live under their thumb. I love them but I deserve to have a life too.”
He held out his hand to me. “I’ve been working on a plan for a while now, so we’ll figure something out. I promise. Get some sleep.”
“I will.” I squeezed his hand and then got into the other bed, pulling up the light blanket. My body was tired but my brain was on overload, thinking about how much had happened in the last couple of days. And of course, Axel. I was already resigned to losing him in another day or two, but I was hoping beyond hope I’d have a chance to make love with him in a proper bed just once, the way I’d always fantasized about. He’d given me a taste of what it was like between a man and a woman, and I desperately wanted more. Once would never be enough of that man, no matter what I told myself. The question, of course, was whether or not he felt the same.
10
Axel
I didn’t sleep much that night, both uncomfortable on the small waiting room sofa and distracted by thoughts of Solange. I had zero regrets about what we’d done if she didn’t have any, but the thought of leaving her now that we’d made love made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t the romantic type, but this thing with Solange had me a little twisted on the inside. I liked and enjoyed women, but it had been a decade since I’d been in a relationship, and she was too young for me. She also lived hours from where I lived in Hiskale, and even if she’d lived close by, I worked crazy hours.
With Sandor and Lennox’s wedding coming up in a few days, it was all hands on deck and I was going to have to leave. Probably today. And I didn’t know what to do about it because I’d never even considered putting a woman before my duty, but I was sorely tempted to this time.
“Hey.” I picked up my phone when Sandor’s name flashed on the screen.
“Good morning. Erik and I have come up with a plan for Solange and her family so we can make sure they’re taken care of while we’re busy with the wedding, and then once Lennox and I are off on our honeymoon, they can meet with Erik and he’ll have some options for them.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Erik is going to send Solange and her parents to a resort in Greece for a week. They can bask in the sun, all expenses paid, along with spending money, as a kind of apology for what happened to the café after we got the Brat all fired up. By the time they get back, the wedding will be over and Erik will have had time to figure out what to do about that whole thing. Vinake is a shithole and he’d like to raze the whole town and start over.”
“I’m pretty sure the three thousand people who live here will have something to say about that.”
“That’s why he needs a week to come up with a plan.”
“All right. What about Kostya?”
“He’s stable enough to be moved, so we’ve arranged for the helicopter to bring all of them here to Hiskale, directly to the hospital. We’ll get him settled and Solange and her parents will stay at the palace tonight. Tomorrow, they leave for Greece.”
“You realize they literally have nothing but the clothes on their backs?”
“You can take them shopping as soon as you get to Hiskale. The helicopter will be there at ten to pick you all up.”
“Have you talked to Solange’s parents at all?”
“Yes. I spoke to them an hour ago. They should be back at the hospital any time now.”
“And the men Xander’s holding at the compound?”
“We’ll debrief when you get back. See you later.”
I disconnected just as Solange came out of Kostya’s room.
Damn, just looking into those blue eyes made me smile. The memory of her sliding down onto my cock last night made me hard all over again and I tried to focus on anything but my growing erection.
“Good morning,” I told her.
“Good morning.” She smiled at me. “My mother said we’re taking a helicopter to Hiskale.”
“Yup. Looks like you’re going on vacation.”
“What?” She frowned.
I paused. “You’re going to a resort in Greece with your parents.”
“Why on earth would we be going on holiday in the middle of all this?”
“What better time to go? There’s no café to work in, nothing to do but relax. A week on the beach sounds like the perfect place for all of you.”
“After everything I told you last night, do you honestly believe I have any interest in spending a week on a beach with my parents?”
Uh-oh. She didn’t look happy at all.
“It wasn’t my idea,” I said quietly.
“I know, but it’s no less frustrating.” She muttered something I didn’t quite catch in Limaji and then turned away.
“Solange.” I reached for her hand. “Why not make the best of it? It’s summertime in Greece. It’s fantastic. The sea is unbelievable. The beaches are incredible. The food, the history… You’re going to love it.”
“If you say so.” She started to pull away but I tightened my grip.
“Hey. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” She pulled away just as her parents came around the corner.
“Good morning!” Nadia smiled at both of us.
“Good morning.” Samuel waved and promptly disappeared into Kostya’s room.
“You didn’t say anything about going to Greece,” Solange told her mother in English.
Nadia sighed. “You don’t want to go.”
“No, Mama. I want to figure out where we’re going to live, how we’re going to eat… I’m not interested in going on holiday.”
“But the king has promised to help. Just once, can’t you be agreeable?”
Solange looked like she was going to say something but instead just sighed. “Sure.” She turned and walked down the hall.
“She’s so angry,” Nadia said to me. “Don’t think badly of her. She’s good girl. The last few years have not been kind to her.”
“The last two days haven’t been kind to her either,” I said quietly. “Don’t worry. I’ll go talk to her.”
I followed in the direction she’d gone and found her outside, smoking a cigarette. She didn’t have her purse, so I didn’t know where she’d gotten it, and I also hadn’t seen her smoke before now, but it wasn’t my place to judge. I’d been a smoker once myself.
“You okay?” I asked, sitting on the bench beside her.
“Yup.” She didn’t look at me, taking a long drag and then looking up at the dreary sky as she blew out the smoke.