Your Secret Is Safe Read online

  No matter what happens between us, I’ll keep you safe, Teyela.

  A vow I intended to keep.

  Chapter 6

  Teyela

  “Put on your best face, Teyela. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”

  I gazed at myself in the mirror as I practiced my smile. Softened my eyes. I slid my hands down my golden dress with red and orange accents. The colors of our island wrapped around my body in a silken dress that hugged my curves. I tilted my head, gazing at it. I’d tried on four dresses before this one, and none of them seemed to fit the tone of the evening.

  “Should be wearing black for my funeral,” I murmured.

  I slipped the dress off and hung it back up. Though I found myself wondering how Collin might view me in these dresses. Would he think I looked sexy? Too covered? Was he a ‘skin tight’ kind of man or a ‘leave something to the imagination’ kind of man?

  Did it really matter for tonight?

  Why do you suddenly care what he thinks?

  “Let’s try this one,” I said breathlessly.

  I held it up to my body and found myself wondering about Collin again. It frustrated me, too. Why did I care about what he thought suddenly? He’d always been in the background. Keeping me safe. Prying me away from people and annoying me to no end when he did so. I guessed I never understood how much I depended on him before.

  Nor how handsome he really was.

  I licked my lips. My fingertips traveled to my mouth as it warmed at the memory. That kiss. Oh, how it had buckled me at my knees. I smiled as the dress fell from my hands. It crumpled up on the floor as I stood there, daydreaming about that moment. His arms wrapped tightly around me. His lips falling against mine. His tongue invading my mouth. Sending shivers of electricity surging throughout my body. I’d thought about that kiss more times than I cared to count. He’d been in my dreams more times than my father ever would have liked.

  I enjoyed having him there, though.

  I enjoyed having him on my mind.

  “Come on, Teyela. Get your head in the game.”

  I reached for the dress on the floor and slid it off the hanger. This would be just fine for the evening. A deep, rich red with golden jewelry accenting my neck and my wrists. Dangling earrings with orange pearls at the ends that added the last pop of our country’s colors to my body for the evening. Some days, I felt like a walking billboard of island pride. And other days, I felt like myself.

  I felt like myself around Collin. A bit.

  I slipped into my heels and headed out of my bedroom. Down the hallway, I walked with my head held high as people bowed at my entrances and exits. I made my way to the sitting room, knowing my parents as well as Ratu were waiting for my arrival.

  And as I turned the corner, Collin entered my vision.

  I gasped as he stepped in front of me. With his hands slipped casually into his pockets, his eyes ran down my body. Slowly. Deftly. Lingering on my breasts and my waist. Heat washed over my body. A grin slid across his cheeks. And when his eyes came back to meet mine, I saw the approval in them.

  Which made me smile.

  “Ready when you are,” he said.

  I nodded, then watched him take up his place behind me. Where he’d always been. Shadowed and in the background. Yet always keeping an eye out for anything that might harm me. The sentiment clenched my heart. It kept the genuine smile upon my lips. I walked into the sitting room, and for once, I didn’t care that all eyes were on me. I didn’t care about the fuss being made.

  Because the only thing that mattered was Collin and that grin of his.

  Part of me wished it was just us tonight. Us sitting down, having a quiet dinner together. With his eyes roaming me. Promising me a night of treasures to come. But what I got was an empty sitting room and large double doors opening at my presence. Ushering me into a banquet hall that sat close to a hundred different people.

  With all eyes turned in my direction.

  “Don’t worry,” Collin murmured. “I’m right behind you.”

  Never had he reassured me like that before. But in that moment, I was thankful for his words. They filled me with strength as I held my head high, rolling my shoulders back with pride. Everyone’s eyes watched me as I walked into the room and took my place beside Ratu, even though I was annoyed that it was the only seat left at the table.

  My father looked proud of himself, though.

  “That dress is stunning on you,” Ratu murmured.

  “Your outfit is quite nice, too,” I said.

  “The colors match my bedroom, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

  My eyes whipped over to his, and I tried not to openly gawk at his words. Had he just implied what I thought he did? Ratu winked at me, and it made me want to hurl.

  And the entire dinner stayed that way.

  “Do you always send the men around you into tizzies like this?”

  “I can’t take my eyes off you. You’re stunning, Princess.”

  “The way your skin radiates. It’s like you’re almost angelic. Though no man wants a pure angel, now, does he?”

  I wanted to vomit. I nodded and kept my cool, but inside, I wanted to punch him. The last straw was when I felt his hand fall against my thigh, though. His fingers curled into my leg, and I quickly stood up. All eyes fell to me as my father shot me a look. But his look wouldn’t get my ass back in that seat.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” I said.

  “Where are you going?” Father asked. “What is the meaning of this?”

  “Just need a second, that’s all,” I said.

  “I’ll go with her and make sure she’s safe,” Ratu said.

  I whipped around. “That’s why I have a bodyguard. Thank you for the offer, though.”

  I was furious with him. Irate at the liberties he felt he could take with me. I whisked my way out of the banquet hall, tearing through the sitting room the second I got out of sight. I ran as quickly as I could. Tears rushed my eyes. I wanted to get back to my room. I wanted to torch this dress. I wanted to scrub myself down in the shower until I no longer felt the ice-cold grip of his fingers against my skin.

  “Princess!”

  I heard Ratu’s voice, and it caused me to run faster.

  “Teyela, wait!”

  His footsteps pounded behind me. My heart beat solidly in my chest. I pulled up my dress, giving me a greater stride as I turned a corner. My bedroom wasn’t far. I was so close to safety.

  “Teyela, stop this running now!” Ratu commanded.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Collin’s voice filled the hallway, and I whipped around. He seemingly came out of nowhere and intercepted the Prime Minister. Ratu ran into him, an immovable wall of muscle. And when Collin shoved the man, Ratu fell against the wall.

  “I’ll have your head for that aggression,” Ratu glowered.

  “You’re in an undesignated part of the castle for guests,” Collin said.

  My heart pounded wildly in my chest as I watched the altercation.

  “You won’t tell me what to do with my future wife,” Ratu said. “Now, get your hands off me.”

  “One, she isn’t your future anything right now,” Collin said. “Two, my hands aren’t on you.”

  “Well, my hands will certainly be on you.”

  Ratu shoved Collin back, but he didn’t move. Collin stood there with a grin on his face. An immovable fortress blocking Ratu from coming any closer. A jolt of electricity shocked my spine. It made me physically jump. The way Collin defended me seized my heart, and I found it hard to breathe.

  “Get out of my way now,” Ratu growled.

  “How about I escort you back to dinner instead?” Collin asked.

  Chapter 7

  Collin

  It shocked me how thin my thread of calm was becoming. And while I might not have heard the things this rat said during dinner, I saw how much it disturbed Teyela. How much it put her off. She’d jumped up fast enough from the table for me to ge
t concerned. And there were many things she’d pulled over the past couple of years that should have concerned me but didn’t.

  If this asshole touched her, I’ll break every bone in his fucking body.

  “I’m not going back to dinner until I have the princess at my side,” Ratu said. “Her father’s probably worried sick about her.”

  “Yeah, I wonder why,” Teyela spat.

  His eyes flashed over to her, but I stepped in his vision. Blocking him from laying anything on her, much less his eyes.

  “Gentlemen, now,” I said plainly.

  My earpiece came alive, and soon, my security team surrounded Ratu in the hallway. We blocked him against a wall. I grinned as his face boiled with anger. I was ready to throw this man in jail. Imprison him with nothing but water and moldy bread for days.

  “Let him go,” Teyela said.

  The smile that slid across Ratu’s face made my hands twitch. I felt my head of security giving me the side-eye as my nostrils flared. The evil look that spread across that man’s face forced me to go cold. And I genuinely feared for the princess’s safety around him.

  Then his eyes looked up at the ceiling. “I suggest we find somewhere to talk privately, Princess.”

  “I’m not going anywhere private with you,” she said.

  Ratu frowned. “Surely, your father has already spoken of our engagement.”

  She scoffed. “Well, take it from me. I won’t be marrying you, no matter what my father wants.”

  “And why is that?”

  He tried moving toward her, and my entire security team moved along with him.

  “Because I’m already engaged,” Teyela said plainly.

  Ratu’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? Engaged?”

  “Yes. So, I am not in a position to accept your offer anyway. Step away, Collin. I’ve got this.”

  I didn’t like her command. But as her bodyguard, I had to do as she asked. I nodded to my head of security, and we dispersed. Backed away. Gave Ratu some breathing room. His face filled with anger as Teyela approached him. I stood on guard, too. Ready to pounce at a moment’s notice in case he got filthy with her.

  “Your father isn’t going to like this,” he said.

  “My father doesn’t like a lot of things I do. But he always finds a way to respect them. So, hear it from me if you don’t want to take it from him. I am not marrying you, Prime Minister.”

  “There’s a great deal riding on this relationship. And you’re going to go along with whatever me and your father decide. I have an entire state looking up to me. Entire people are waiting for this opportunity to unfold!”

  “Then you shouldn’t make promises to your people you can’t keep.”

  In a flash, he grabbed her arm. His hand clamped down against her elbow, and he dragged her straight to his face. I lunged at the man. I finally saw red as something inside me snapped. But the Prime Minister’s security team came out of nowhere. They yelled at me as my security team came to my aid. I clawed my way through the masses, trying to get to Teyela.

  “Release me this instant!” she exclaimed.

  “I will do nothing of the sort,” Ratu growled.

  “You’re hurting me. Let me go. Please.”

  With a roar and a shove, I paved a way toward her. Toward the princess. Men fell to the floor, and my elbow went into someone’s nose before my arm lunged for that man’s neck. I wrapped it around his throat. I bent him forward, choking off his air supply. And when my lips fell against his ear, I snarled words I hoped he might never forget.

  “You keep your hands off the princess or you’ll lose them. Got it?”

  “Let go of him, Collin!”

  “What is the meaning of this?”

  “The Prime Minister’s in trouble. I repeat. All security forces to the west wing of the castle.”

  “Get. Off. Me.”

  “Collin!”

  I finally released the ratty little man, watching him fall to his knees. He gasped for air as his security team shoved me in my chest. Shoved me so hard I fell into the arms of my own damn security team. My eyes grew wild. My nostrils flared. I looked over at Teyela, trying to figure out if she was all right.

  But all I saw was anger in her eyes.

  “Teyela. To your room. Now.” The King’s voice boomed down the hallway, and my back automatically straightened.

  I whipped my gaze over to his, and I saw a need for blood dripping from them. I just didn’t know whose blood he wanted. I glared one last time at Ratu before rushing after Teyela, sticking by her side no matter what. I stayed behind her until we reached the door of her suite. I felt everyone’s eyes on us. And as she threw open her bedroom door, I reached my arm out.

  “What do you want?” she asked hotly.

  “Let me see your arm.”

  Her eyes fell downward, but she showed it to me. And when I saw her delicate skin already darkened with bruised fingerprints, my hands trembled with anger. I’d never felt like this before. Ready to kill. Ready to feast on the blood of my enemies. I looked down the hallway, watching as King Teyelu studied us.

  Then everyone disappeared around the corner. Ratu and his bullshit security included.

  “I’m so sorry, Princess.”

  “What? Why?”

  My fingers slid across her bruised skin. “For allowing that man to touch you.”

  “It’s not your fault. You did what you could.”

  “It won’t ever happen again. You have my word.”

  She smiled at me, allowing her arms to drape around my neck. I quirked an eyebrow as a giggle fell from her lips. Then they met mine. The kiss was soft. Warm. Delicate. Like the whole of her body. And the second her tongue slid across my lips, like mine had done only a couple days ago, I groaned.

  “Fuck.”

  I gripped her hips. I pushed her into the bedroom. I slammed the door closed behind me, pulling her against my body. I reached behind me and locked the door. I slid my hand up the wall. The light of her bedroom came on before I pressed onward, sliding my hands along the silken red dress that made my cock pulse all throughout dinner.

  And when her hands gripped my shirt, a fantasy came alive. Something I’d been dreaming about for years.

  A fantasy I’d make sure Teyela never regretted.

  Chapter 8

  Teyela

  I ripped his shirt over his head. His hands fisted my dress, ripping at the seams. Our clothes came off in a flurry before we fell to my mattress. And I almost couldn’t catch my breath. My fingertips rumbled over the divots of muscles I didn’t know to exist on a man’s body.

  His lips fell to my neck, kissing and suckling as my thighs parted for him. I gasped at the feel of his tongue against my skin. I moaned at the way his hands rushed against my body. His calluses made me groan. Forecasting a strength I felt in his twitching muscles.

  And as his lips kissed between the valley of my breasts, he pinned my hips to the bed. Sealing my fate underneath his body.

  “Collin,” I breathed.

  His growl filled the space around us. His thumb slipped between my folds. He swirled it around my clit, arching my back as moans bubbled up the back of my throat. My toes curled. My legs locked out. I longed to have him closer to me. I reached out for him. I ran my fingernails down his back. And as I fisted his hair, I drew him back up to me.

  Crashing our lips together.

  His hand moved away from between my legs, and I felt his girth replace it. I shook against him, feeling his cock breach the entrance of my body. I clenched. I clung to him. I buried my face into the crook of his neck. And as he held me, he waited for me to relax. Release. Grant him a silent approval once I was ready.

  Something I’d never forget.

  His thick length slid into my body, and I groaned against his shoulder. My legs locked around him, and his body pulled taut. Never in my life had I felt this way. So full. So protected. So vulnerable and cherished. My head fell back to the mattress. He smoothed my hair away from my forehead. And a
s our hips bottomed out together, his eyes found mine.

  “You’re breathtaking.”

  His words poured over me as he pulled back his hips. He slammed into me, jumping my body as he slid me up the bed. With each thrust of his hips, he moved me backward. Kneeling against the mattress and covering my body with his. I bucked against him, urging him to go faster. I cupped his cheeks, kissing him before I sucked on his lower lip. He unraveled my arms from his body and pinned my arms above my head. My tits jumped as he claimed me, his cock throbbing against my wet walls.

  “Collin. Oh, yes.”

  “Princess. You're just—”

  “Say my name.”

  “Teyela.”

  “Say it again.”

  “Oh, fuck, Teyela.”

  “Again. And again. And again, Collin. Please.”

  “Teyela.”

  The grunt of my name bowed my back. His face fell to my tits as my body exploded against him. My pussy clamped down around his dick, stuttering the movements of his hips. I felt his lips cover mine. Swallowing my sounds as he sank deeply into my body. Our legs locked together. Our bodies tangled up. And as he poured himself into me, I quivered with the force of my ecstasy.

  A pleasure that caused my world to tilt.

  I gasped for air. His body collapsed against me. I felt his dick still sheathed in my body as I pulled slowly out of my haze. My eyes widened as I stared up at the ceiling. I patted Collin’s back, trying to get him off me. And the second he moved, I scrambled to cover myself up.

  This attraction’s gotten out of hand.

  Yes, I’d had a good time with men before. But it was always a no-strings-attached sort of affair. Never serious. Never more than what it seemed. And it felt different with Collin. Everything felt different with him.

  I wasn’t ready to settle down yet.