His Stubborn Lover (Slade Security Team 1)

Brock knew he should pull back a little from Keira. They’d established their cover for good now. There was no need to pretend to be lovers when they were that in fact, but he couldn’t get his mind off of her. She’d give a small laugh and he’d wonder what had amused her. She’d glance at him from the corner of her eye and he knew she was thinking about what they’d done this afternoon. She was under his skin, and God help him, he liked her there. But what if things went south on this op? He didn’t want her anywhere near any kind of crossfire—meaning he had to make sure he knew how to keep her safe.

After dinner, they headed back to her room. He intended to kiss her good night and leave it at that. They could both use a little breathing space. But the kiss led to groping, which led to him finally getting her out of that little black dress. He stripped her bare and tried to kiss every inch of her.

He turned her over, trailed kisses and licks and bites down her spine, all the way to that pert ass of hers. He gave her a sharp smack, turned her over, and dove in like he’d never had any woman before. She fit herself to him like she belonged, wrapping those sinful legs around him. He pulled her upright and she sat on his lap with him buried inside her, and she grinned.

His heart turned over.

God help him about that, too, because he loved that lopsided grin of hers.

When she’d pulled everything he had to give out of him, he curled up next to her, just a sheet over them. She fell asleep, but he lay there, playing with a strand of her corn silk hair, wondering what he was going to do when it came time to finish this job. He’d done what he’d sworn he wouldn’t do—he’d let a woman get close. But this wasn’t just a woman. This was Keira. It was his job to keep her safe. That was now his first priority.

***

Keira woke to a nagging beep. She sat up. Brock was already on his feet. Alarms in the palace started blaring.

Brock pulled on his pants and grabbed his gun. Keira struggled out of the sheets, grabbed sweats and a T-shirt, and pulled out her gun, too. But she tucked it away and caught Brock’s arm. “If the guards see guns, they’ll start shooting.”

Brock nodded, checked his safety, tucked his gun in his belt, and pulled on a shirt. Keira followed him out of the room. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“We need to get to the ground floor and see what?

?s up on the video feeds.”

The alarms silenced. That seemed more ominous to Keira than the noise. She knew the palace staff had all been trained to stay put if the alarms went off. No matter what was happening, they were to stay out of the corridors so security could do their jobs.

In the upper corridor, Keira spotted Trent. Brock went over to him. “What’s up?”

“Shira and Khalil’s transponders both activated. Travis and Talib are downstairs, but as far as we can tell, the alarms in the royal quarters were disabled. We’re doing a search now for what set things off.”

Keira nodded. If they’d shut off the alarms for Khalil, that meant the alarms in all of the royal quarters were also disabled—they were all part of the same electrical circuit. That needed to be corrected, immediately. “Any movement on the video?”

Trent shook his head. “No one has come or gone from the palace in hours. Khalil and Shira went into the royal quarters shortly after the sheikh and his new bride.”

Mouth tight, Keira didn’t say what she was thinking. An insider wouldn’t have been spotted on the outside cameras and might even know how to avoid the inside ones. “Something about this just seems wrong.”

“Agreed. Come on.” Brock led the way towards the royal quarters. He kept close to the walls and lowered his voice. “Until we know everyone’s safe, assume lives are in danger. When we get into the residence, your first priority is Shira. I’ll find Khalil and then we get them to safety.”

“What about Erin?” Keira asked. Irritation danced over her skin. Brock was taking charge, but now was not the time to start an argument.

He didn’t answer her. Opening a door, he stepped into the royal quarters and paused. Most of the lights were off and she could hear soft music playing from the patio. The bedroom was empty. Keira poked into the bathroom, saw no one. Brock checked the closets. Still no one.

Where the hell were Khalil and Shira?

She looked at Brock. He gave her a hand signal to advance on the private patio. Keira nodded and moved. When they reached the doors, she wished they had some idea of what they might be walking into, but the windowpanes gave a limited view.

Brock took the left door handle, Keira took the right. He gave a count with his fingers…one…two…three.

She flung open the door at the same time he did, stepping through and drawing her gun.

On the patio, Khalil and Shira crouched low in a hot tub, the steam swirling around them, making the air thick. Jasmine surrounded the private patio, screening it.

Khalil shielded his wife and demanded, “What is going on?”

Keira glanced at them. Shira’s pendant was hanging down into the water, and from the moisture dripping off of Khalil’s arms, his wristband had been in the water.

Brock straightened. “Weren’t you listening when PJ explained how those pendants work?”

Shira poked her head around her husband’s side. “Of course. Never take it off. Hold it tightly in your hand and squeeze hard if you ever need help and can’t call for it.”