Page 19 of Palace of Betrayal

“And your parents?”

A familiar tightness formed in his chest. He fought the urge to rub it away and reveal too much about himself. He faked a smile and bent his head to touch his lips to her exposed neck, the feel of her an instant distraction to the raging bitterness and grief he felt when he thought of his parents.

Her hand cupped his neck, fingers toying with the ends of his hair. “You don’t have to tell me.”

Leo lifted his head and caught the open honesty on her face.

“We all have things we’d rather not talk about, Leo.”

He saw it then, the pain she kept hidden and he wanted to know what it was that put the sadness in her eyes. What made a woman like her, who could’ve been and done anything she wanted, do this job? Who’d shaped her and broken her heart? And why did he feel the resultant need to defend her and make sure nobody ever hurt her again?

“My parents were happy for a long time. Then my father cheated on my mother and broke her heart. I don’t think she ever recovered from it and she died of a heart attack a few years later.”

“I’m so sorry, Leo. That must have been hard for you.”

Leo shrugged it off as he’d always done. “That’s life, right? People hurt you if you let them.”

Bebe turned in his arms and placed her hands on his chest. Looking down he saw her lips part slightly, her tongue flicking out to touch them. Leo felt the hair on his nape rise as his heart pounded under her hand and knew that she could feel it. His fingers itched to explore every inch of this woman. To forget the reason she was there and allow the desire between them to overtake all his senses.

“Not everyone hurts you, Leo.”

“Don’t they?” He wasn’t even sure why he was asking, or maybe he was.

“No, some people enrich your life and show you nothing but love and friendship. Take Soroosh for instance. Your friendship is formed on trust and mutual respect, and I don’t think you believe for one second that he’d betray you.”

Leo blinked and pulled away slightly, letting her hands fall to her side as he stepped away. “That’s different and you know it.” Taking her hand, he walked them toward the Jewel room where the last of the bugs would be placed.

Her hand flexed in his and he turned his head to see her watching him. “It is and it isn’t, and life is lonely if you keep people locked away due to fear they’ll hurt you.”

“I’m not afraid. I just have no intention of turning into my mother and allowing another person to break me like that.”

He could feel his control slipping, his mouth going dry as he moved more quickly toward the final destination of the tour. He needed some space so he could regroup. Bebe was challenging his entire thought process and he didn’t like the cracks that were beginning to show in his façade.

Her silence said a thousand words and crackled like electricity between them, making him regret his harsh words. Slowing his walk, he squeezed her hand in a silent apology and she rubbed his forearm in response. The smile she gave him suddenly made everything okay as her forgiveness washed over him.

If he were the falling in love type this woman would be the one. He could feel that in his bones, but he wasn’t and that would never change. The scars were just too deep for him to change now. He would, of course, marry one day and produce an heir, but it would have nothing to do with love.

Throwing off the thoughts that now seemed so distasteful to him, he headed down the corridor toward the Jewel room, where every gem, crown, necklace, ring, and bauble the crown owned was situated. Two guards stood at the entrance night and day.

Leo nodded to them as he approached. “Gentlemen.”

He recognised the two nightshift guards and wondered if either of these men were in on what was happening or if they were unwitting accomplices.

“Your Highness.”

Both men dipped their heads in deference to his title and León placed his hand on the door and pushed through. The double oak doors opened with a whispered click, and he faced the security doors that were thick steel.

“Wow, this is impressive.” Bebe clung to him, looking around in wonder and he knew it was for the cameras following their every move. It was amazing how he could already tell the difference between a fake smile and a real one. She’d probably hate that he could see through some of her act, and he had no doubt others would never know.

“I guess so. I don’t really think about it a lot.”

Leo keyed in the eight-digit code and placed his palm against the scanner waiting for it to turn green. It clicked, and the air-locked room was unsealed.

Taking Bebe’s hand in his, he stepped over the threshold and let the door close, locking them inside. The room was circular with glass cases all around the sides in a large semi-circle. The middle of the room held two wide, oak cases with glass tops that stood around desk height, where more priceless jewels lay. Directly behind that, on a raised dais, was the Tanzanite Tears gem.

Bebe let his hand go as she stepped toward the gem, entranced as every person who’d ever seen it was.

Watching her intently and wanting to see her reaction, he took a step closer. As she rounded the dais, her gaze moved to him, and he could see the glossy sheen of wonder in her eyes was in no way pretend. Having grown up with this gemstone, he loved seeing it through the eyes of another.