“And I have no problem giving that to you. When do you think this is going to go down?”
“Simultaneously. He’ll need to transfer the money, and once that happens, we’ll loot his place and take him out. We’ll need to be in three places at once.”
“Sounds good.”
“We can’t tell London about this. If she knows how dangerous this is, she’ll freak.”
“I know.” I hated to lie to her, but the less she knew, the better. “I won’t say a thing.”
He stood up then extended his hand. “Then we have a deal.”
I stood up and shook his hand. “We do.”
“So…” He placed his hands in his pocket. “She’s gay, huh? That’s a shame.”
“Even if she weren’t, she’s out of your league.”
“Ouch,” he said with a chuckle. “Got any other sexy ladies working around here? Maybe set me up with a princess or something?”
I wasn’t even going to respond to that. “Get out, Joseph.”
“Can I at least say hello to my sister?”
“No. I’d rather her not know you were ever here. You should get going. She stops by throughout the day pretty often.”
“Roger that.” He finally walked to the door. “I’m not gonna get shot on the way to my car, right?”
I never walked anyone to the entrance, and I wasn’t going to make an exception now. “I can’t promise anything.”
London walked into the office in skintight jeans and a light sweater that hung off one shoulder. Her hair was in a braid, and she rocked the girl-next-door look. With a natural looking face with a hint of makeup, she looked beautiful.
I couldn’t recall a time she walked into the room and I didn’t think that.
“You wanna blow off work today?” she asked as she sauntered to my desk.
“You know I want to blow off work every day.” My arm circled her waist when she arrived at my chair. I looked up at her, forgetting about the email I was writing—and everything else in the world.
“I think retirement would suit you.”
I chuckled. “Actually, I think I’d go crazy if I were retired. Boredom and I don’t mix together.”
She ran her hand along my shoulder and gave the muscle a gentle squeeze. “Like I’d ever let you be bored.” She slid into my lap and hooked her arm around my neck.
“True. You are a full-time job.” My hand moved to her slender thigh, feeling the structure of the muscle through her thick jeans.
“No. Pleasing me is a full-time job. The way you said it makes me sound like a nuisance.”
“Definitely not a nuisance.”
She leaned forward and shut my laptop. “So…can you spare an hour for lunch?”
“I suppose. That seems a lot more reasonable than retiring.”
She scooted off my lap, her curvy ass nearly in my face. She had the perfect figure from any angle. I loved the way her waist narrowed then flared out into womanly hips. She had the right kind of cushion on her, perfect for grabbing.
I ignored my hard cock and walked with her to the courtyard. It was a cold day, but the fire pit was burning and there wasn’t any sign of rain. The sky was overcast, but it was always overcast this time of year.
We had a light lunch and tea. I wasn’t a big fan of the beverage, but it was growing on me. I tried to have a few glasses of scotch with dinner—a normal-person habit. London noticed my effort but didn’t say anything, probably because she knew I didn’t want any extra attention.
There was a slight breeze in the air, so it blew one loose strand that was too short to fit inside her braid. When the wind passed through, the strand lifted. When the wind died away, the hair fell against her cheek. With eyes downcast, she enjoyed her meal. But her attention was still on me because her leg rubbed against mine under the table, touching me whenever possible.
I loved it when she touched me. “I have a dinner this Saturday. You’re coming with me.”
She stopped eating, all of her focus shifting from her meal to me. When one of her eyebrows was raised and her lips were pressed tightly together, that meant she was pissed. “I’m coming with you? How about you ask me if I want to go?”
Old habits died hard. I hadn’t officially gotten out of the mind-set that she wasn’t my prisoner anymore. She was a free woman who voluntarily wanted to spend every waking hour with me. “You know that’s not how I meant it.”
She narrowed her eyes further.
Okay, it was how I meant it. “I’m sorry, Lovely. Will you accompany me?”
“What is this dinner for?”
“The Duke of Romania is having a celebration for his daughter. She just graduated from Harvard, a university in the United States.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know what Harvard is. I live pretty close to it.”
“My mistake. Anyway, you’ll come with me?”
“Will there be food and wine?”
I nodded.
“Dessert?”
“Definitely.”
“Will you wear a yummy suit?”
“Yummy?” I asked, finding the word cute when it came out of her mouth.
“Yeah. You know, super handsome.”
“I look super handsome in everything.”
“Very good point.”
“But I’ll be wearing a suit and tie…like usual.”
“Then count me in.” She smiled before returning to her meal.
“If you want to go, what was the big fuss before?”
“Don’t play stupid with me, Crewe. You’re smarter than that.”
“Debatable.”
“A woman always wants to be asked, not told.”
I tried not to smile. “Hmm…that’s not my experience with women.”
She tried to keep an angry face, but it didn’t last long. She grabbed a piece of bread and threw it at my forehead. “Don’t be arrogant.”
“I’m not arrogant. I’m cocky.”
She threw another piece of bread at my shoulder. “Get over yourself.”
“How about you get under myself?”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile that formed on her lips. “If you weren’t so hot, I wouldn’t put up with this.”
“But I am hot—so I’m safe.” When I spent quiet afternoons with her like this, it gave me a new appreciation for life. I could be myself completely, saying whatever came to mind without thinking twice about it. When I was in the presence of other royals, I had to carefully articulate every single word. But with her, it was just easy. She made me laugh and feel good about myself. She brought me peace when I’d only known war.
She brought everything.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Hmm?” I lifted my gaze, realizing I’d been staring at my plate without eating.
“We were laughing one moment, and then you spaced out on me.”
I’d never been very good with words. I said the bare minimum and got to the point. It was easier that way. But to explain the complicated thoughts I’d just experienced…was pretty difficult. “I can’t explain it.”
“You can’t explain what you were thinking about?” she asked incredulously. “You could try.”
“Well…I was thinking about you and how much I love you. I guess that’s my best description.”