Page 20 of Palace of Betrayal

“It’s magnificent.”

Leo pushed his hands into the pockets of his trousers to stop himself from reaching out and touching the entrancing creature who hypnotized him. Moving forward, he looked at the huge, rare stone in the deepest indigo. It had been shaped and polished, but left mostly in its original state, not broken down and turned into multiple pieces, and it still held that raw beauty he loved.

“It was mined in Manyara, Tanzania, by a local miner. It weighs just under ten kilos and is the largest of its kind. Queen Lydia II gave it to my family as a gift of peace between our nations.”

“It’s stunning; so natural in its beauty with its angles and shapes. Knowing the earth carved these facets over millions of years is mind-blowing.”

Leo dragged his eyes from her to the gemstone and agreed its history was part of its beauty. “Tanzanite was formed over five and a half million years ago. It was here before dinosaurs and will be here long after we’re dust, and there’s comfort in that kind of permanence.”

Her body straightened and she moved toward him slowly, her hands loose by her sides, her hips moving with a gentle sway. Leo removed his hands from his pockets and caught her hips as she got close enough, pulling her the last few inches so their bodies were touching.

Her hands smoothed over his biceps, and he flexed, making her look up in surprise, a smile on her face. He loved that he could elicit so many responses from her.

“You talking about history is sexy.”

Leo tried to hide his grin as he looked down, seeing the curve of her breast at the edge of her shirt, the pale lilac lace teasing him. “Oh yeah? Want to hear about the sex and debauchery of Roman times?”

Bebe let out a deep husky laugh that made his dick harden in his trousers. His fingers gripped her harder, bringing her close so she could feel what she did to him. His tongue flicked the lobe of her ear and he bit down on the soft flesh, making her breath hitch unsteadily in her chest, those perfect tits pressing against him and making him crave the feel of her hands on him.

Kissing his way over her jaw, he sucked on her pulse, light enough to not leave a mark, but enough so the taste of her skin exploded on his tongue making him need more.

Her hands fisted in his hair as she turned into him, her mouth finding his. Bebe didn’t kiss like she was holding back. She gave him everything, opening for him, her tongue skimming over his, igniting a fire inside. Nothing was a simmer between them. It was all-out explosive, and he loved it.

Desire flooded his brain, and his body tingled from head to toe with the need to lay this woman down and explore her body. His hands skimmed up her sides, his thumb rubbing over the tight, erect nipple, forcing a growl from his throat and whimper from her.

She arched into him, and he rocked his hips against the heat of her core, his cock almost punching a hole in his pants to get to her.

Bebe dragged herself away, her breathing hard, her eyes almost black with arousal and placed a hand on his chest. “Maybe we should finish the tour so we can take this somewhere more private?”

Leo tried to rein in his yearning, his breaths harsh as he focused on anything but the woman in front of him and how close he’d come to stripping her down and fucking her against the case holding the Tanzanite Tears stone. “Good idea.”

He moved alongside her as he walked her around the cases, showing her the different jewels and explaining some of the history to her. He saw her plant the bugs and the cameras so discreetly that nobody would find them unless they went looking, and there was no reason to think they would or that the person involved had any idea they were onto him or her. Although the niggle at the back of his neck made him wonder again about Brody James and Albin Wojcik.

“What about this one?” Bebe pointed to the crown with emeralds and diamonds fashioned in a Greek style, gifted to them by the King of Greece.

“That was worn by my mother on her wedding day to my father.”

Leo unlocked the case and lifted the crown, which was heavy. The five emeralds were almost ninety-five carats combined and the hundreds of diamonds that made up the rest of the design were close to the same.

He placed it gingerly on Bebe’s head, the crown sitting perfectly on her thick, dark hair. Stepping back, he looked at her and his stomach flipped in his body. An image of Bebe as his Queen flashed before him, her grace and beauty unparalleled and he knew in his gut she’d be a wonderful Queen. A true partner to any King ruling a nation, an inspired advocate of everything he held dear.

“You’d make a wonderful Queen.” His voice shook slightly with the words, and he hoped like hell she didn’t notice.

Bebe laughed. “God, no. I’m not exactly royal material. I can’t even run my own life sometimes, let alone a country.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“It’s true. I’m in the prime of my life, single, childless, and working my ass off.”

Leo cocked his head. “Not what you saw for yourself as a teenager?”

Bebe lifted the crown and looked at it for a second before passing it back to him. “No, I saw a husband, kids, a family, and a job I loved.”

“What happened?”

Bebe’s lips pinched, and he could see the pain and bitterness she was trying desperately to bury. “I failed at the one thing I was supposed to do in this life—save my sister. So, you see, I’m as far from a Queen as you’ll get.”

With that she walked past him, her arm brushing his chest and waited at the door. Leo stayed quiet as he put the crown away and tried to process her words. She was hiding as much grief as he was but for different reasons. She blamed herself and he blamed his father.