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.