Chapter 46

It was as if he had never truly breathed before that moment. Standing in the middle of the palace of O?ros, with this beautiful, infuriating woman in his arms, the woman who was his purpose and his future—even if she had no idea what that meant quite yet—Dimitri felt beyond perfect. He felt vindicated. He felt healed. He dragged Lauren closer to him and kissed her more deeply, reveling as she relaxed against him, her tears streaming down her face. They made her, if possible, lovelier, her careful veneer cracking because of him. Because of the emotions he was making her feel.

“Dimitri,” she gasped at length, drawing away from him far enough to rest her head against his chest. His arms slipped naturally around her, the rock that she would always have, as long as she wanted it. As long as she wanted him. And whether that was a moment or the rest of her life—a life he would spend growing old with her—it would be enough. “Truly. You can’t mean all this.”

He rumbled a laugh, drifting a soft kiss over her hair. “You keep saying that,” he murmured. “You are smart, resourceful, caring, determined. These are all things that are easy to love in a woman.”

“But...” Lauren blew out a long breath, struggling for composure. She won it after another moment. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s say for the sake of argument we, um, date.” Lauren shook her head at the word. “And let’s say I finally start working in earnest, and I’m in Dubai or something and you’re here. How is that going to work?”

He shrugged. “Perhaps I will go to Dubai to meet you. It is not so far as that. Or you shall come here to meet me. And we shall have that house to find for you, remember. That will take some time.”

“But your work—and Ari. You’ll be assigned to go find him, won’t you?”

“No. I’m a visible part of the ONSF. I’m not the man ever chosen for covert work. First, I’m too handsome. Second, I’m too big. Very noticeable, especially around the Turks. It would be foolish to send me.”

Lauren’s tension cracked a little as she smiled, her gaze searching his face. “You want to go, though.”

He sighed. “I want to go. However, for the good of O?ros, for the good of Ari, I will stay. I have my men to train, and Cyril will not rest easy unless he is giving someone orders. With Kristos embracing his role as prince, he has no one but me to yell at.”

“And what about Kristos? If Ari is actually alive—if he comes back—what happens to him?”

“This is a problem worth having, no? Kristos would be the first to say so. Before this week, I would’ve said he’d have returned to the military in a heartbeat. Now, with Emmaline in his life and constantly on his mind, he may find a different role to play.”

Lauren’s lips turned down. “But he won’t be able to be crown prince? That’s off the table?”

Dimitri rumbled a laugh. “You make it sound like he is being kicked out of the country. There are many roles for royals in O?ros—there need to be. We have noble blood coming out our ears.”

She frowned at him. “You do?”

“Ceremonial, mostly, but yes, we do. A long line of fighting princes, spread over every rock and ravine. The royal family may be the gatekeepers, as Emmaline has apparently shared with you, but everyone has a role to play.” He heaved a long sigh. “You see, there’s much for you to learn about our country. It’s good that you’ll have a few more days here now.”

He watched her face. “Unless you’d rather be traveling in Paris than here while decisions are being made about the search for Ari? It would appear that Nicki seems intent on her ability to assist with the investigation. Which she won’t be allowed to do, I’ve gotta tell you. Stefan would sooner eat his own tongue than go on a mission with an American civilian. Especially an American civilian who gets under his skin. No.” Dimitri shook his head. “She would be at best a distraction, and at worst a liability.”

“Well, she’s not so useless as all that,” Lauren protested. “She can run and shoot and fight as well as any man—even with her smaller size. She can swim. And she’s fierce.”

Dimitri laughed. “So are you when it comes to defending your friends. I can assure you, we will have no reason to bring a civilian into Ari’s rescue, if he is truly alive. You Americans have done enough rescuing already.”

As if she sensed the changing, more intimate tone in his voice, Lauren dropped her gaze, focusing on his chest. “You make everything seem so easy. You don’t know me, Dimitri, not really. This is a vacation, not real life.”

“It is real life, Lauren. My life, anyway.” He knew, eventually, he would have to explain what he was promising her, what he specifically was giving up to be with her. He knew, eventually, he’d tell her everything. But he also knew that if he did it too quickly, she’d protest. She’d deny. She’d insist she wasn’t worth it. And he wanted time to convince her otherwise.

He’d take that time. Take as long as she needed. Even if it was the rest of his life. “I have already decided that my lot is to be by your side. It’s up to you to do all the deciding now.”