“We can’t get into the SUV!” she whispered, pulling Shanta closer to her chest. “It’s not safe!”
Zantar stared at Faye, not understanding. Or more to the point, Faye didn’t understand. He suddenly realized that Faye had no idea who he was! She knew that he was wealthy, but Faye had no concept of who he was or the enormity of his power and wealth.
“Get in the vehicle, Faye. You’re not safe out here. Nor is Shanta.” Damn, he liked that name! It was sweet and feminine. Princess Shanta. It had a nice ring to it! Shanta al Abbous. Princess Shanta al Abbous!
Astir and Goran both had children now. What would happen if he betrothed Shanta to…what the hell was he thinking?! He hadn’t even held his daughter in his arms and already he was betrothing her to a kid she didn’t know?
He was insane. That was the only explanation. He rubbed his forehead as Faye and Shanta stepped into the SUV. He strapped her into the seat while Faye held Shanta securely in her arms. The driver pulled away, driving carefully through the streets of the small village. Everyone was silent, exploring their own thoughts. Zantar kept looking down at Shanta. And every time he looked at her, she was staring right back up at him. Their eyes looked exactly the same. But on her, they were prettier. Darker. She had long, dark lashes surrounding those dark eyes and she looked…beautiful! His beautiful daughter.
The helicopter was ready for takeoff, and Zantar realized that the whipping of the helicopter blades was terrifying Shanta. Well, it was scaring Faye as well.
“Let me hold her. My upper body is bigger. I can shield her more from the sounds of the helicopter and the winds.” Zantar asked.
Faye glanced around, assessing the situation, then nodded. “She’s nervous. Shanta doesn’t understand what’s going on.” But she shifted the child into his arms, reluctantly.
Zantar swallowed, nervous now. His daughter! Damn, he had a daughter!
The vehicle stopped, his guards rushing to form a perimeter. Faye and Zantar both ducked against the wind as they stepped out of the SUV, Zantar using his entire body to shield both Shanta and Faye against the whipping of the wind caused by the helicopter blades getting ready for takeoff. But Shanta cried regardless of his efforts.
He stepped into the helicopter, all three of them surrounded by his guards, then the helicopter took off. They flew through the night air, all other air traffic diverted for the time while he was in the air. Until they landed on the roof of the palace, no other flights would be allowed nearby other than the military planes that were always flying around his air space, protecting him, and now his family.
Damn, he had a family!
The helicopter landed on the helipad located on the roof of the palace. Normally, Zantar would simply step out of the helicopter, unconcerned about the whipping winds caused by the helicopter blades. But this time…looking down, he noticed that Shanta’s pretty brown eyes were glancing around, her hands fisting on her chest as she tried to understand this new world.
“Turn off the engine,” he called out to the helicopter pilot, thinking of how scared Shanta had been when they’d boarded the flight.
The pilot looked at him with surprise, but then his eyes glanced down at the infant who looked ready to scream with terror, her tiny, lower lip trembling. Immediately, the pilot flipped several switches. The sound immediately faded, but it took several more moments before the blades slowed enough for them to exit.
Still, Zantar curved his body around the infant, his daughter, shielding her as best he could. He wanted to protect her from the world! He finally understood why Faye had become so crazed when she’d thought that her daughter was in danger. It was an overwhelming emotion.
They entered the palace and Faye clung to him, her blue eyes just as huge as Shanta’s while the three of them made their way to his suite.
Once they were finally alone, he turned and handed Shanta back to Faye. “What does she eat?”
He noticed Faye’s cheeks turn pink and he was even more curious. “She…um…I need a place to nurse her.”
“You’re…” he couldn’t say the words, but his eyes moved to her breasts. The same breasts that had so fascinated him a year ago, they were now providing sustenance to his daughter!
“You can…” he cleared his throat and pointed towards the sofa. “Is that okay?”
She looked over at the sofa, then nodded. “I just need privacy.”
He shook his head, his arrogance back in place once more. “There’s no chance that I’m letting you out of my sight.”
Faye’s shoulders tightened and she looked up at him. “Do you think I’ll try and sneak away? I didn’t run away from-”
“No,” he replied quickly, interrupting her explanation. But the reality was that, yes, he was thinking that she might slip away from him again. “I just…” he sighed, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck. “Faye, I’m a bit lost here. I…I don’t want to…” he stopped trying to understand exactly what he was failing to explain. “I don’t want to miss anything else.” Yes, that was it. He felt as if he’d lost something and suddenly found it. Now he didn’t want to lose Faye, or Shanta, again!
Faye stared up at him, finally understanding. “I get that.” She tilted her head towards the sofa, looking awkward and unsure of herself. “Okay…well…” she sighed and tried to assess the area, although he wasn’t sure what might be missing. Finally, she explained, “I need pillows.”
“Pillows?” he repeated. “Why?”
Faye smiled slightly, her cheeks turning pink. “Because even though she’s only three months old, she gets a bit heavy for me when I’m nursing her.”
“I can hold her,” he asserted firmly, even moving forward to take Shanta out of her arms. Faye laughed nervously, turning her body so that he couldn’t take Shanta away. “That’s not going to help me feed her.”
He sighed, his eyes looking at the small child with longing.
Faye understood the need in his eyes and reacted to it, offering, “How about if I feed her, then you can read her stories and rock her to sleep?” Faye looked around. “Where will she sleep tonight? I have a bassinet at my place. We could…?”
“My staff is getting supplies,” he explained. “A crib, bassinet, stroller…anything you need, you just have to ask, and it will be brought here to you.”
“Ah!”
She bit her lower lip and looked around. “Well, I guess I should…” Faye stopped speaking when Shanta squawked in protest, her mouth reaching for and not finding Faye’s breast.
“I have to hurry,” Faye announced. “Shanta is hungry and she doesn’t…”
Faye’s words were drowned out by Shanta’s furious cry. Faye walked over to the sofa, unbuttoning her blouse with one hand and settling down in the corner.
She was self-conscious as she settled both of them on the sofa, releasing her breast from the ugly nursing bra so that Shanta could attach. By the time Faye had pulled several pillows over to prop up her daughter’s little body, Shanta was feeding hungrily, both of her tiny hands fisted on Faye’s breast as she nursed.