Above All Else: A Bad Boy Military Romance (Easy Team Book 2) (20 page)

              Pryto put a hand on my chest and shoved me hard against the wall. I stumbled back and my head smacked the wall hard, making my vision go blurry again. I gritted my teeth, trying to remain focused.

              A hand wrapped around my neck. Pryto leaned in, his dark eyes piercing into me.

              “Now you have your choice, Your Highness,” he whispered. “Marry me, make me King, and save your country and your life. Or prepare to die like your uncle, pathetic and hanging from the end of a rope.”

              I spat on him, my spit landing right above his left eye.

              “The rope then!” I cried, glaring.

              Pryto tightened his grip, making me gasp for air as spots danced before my eyes. Then he let go, making the blood rush into my head.

              He glared at me, angered and frustrated. “So be it then,” he snarled before striding out of the room.

              I coughed, gasping for air, as I slid to the floor.

              Grabbing the edge of my robe collar, I brought it to my lips. “He’s gone,” I said hoarsely.

              And with relieved tears, I watched as my window slid open.

Chapter
Twenty Two
Xander

              She ran towards me and I grabbed her about the waist, pulling her in. I pressed my comm. “Did you get it all?”

              “Everything,” Ajax reported. I heard him sigh in admiration. “And, Bear, tell your princess that she did an amazing job. She was so incredibly thorough it was ridiculous.”

              I looked down at the amazing princess in question and grinned. “Will do,” I said.

              But my grin quickly disappeared when I saw the blooming redness across her cheek. I had been able to listen to the whole conversation. Her bugs had been patched through to our comm link so we’d be able to know if Pryto did anything sudden.

              I had heard the grunts and slaps but had been completely unable to do anything. I had gripped the rocks, nearly crushing it, as I waited for Sofia and Pryto to finish. I couldn’t ruin what we were getting now. Sofia was doing such a great job at leading the man on and I didn’t want to waste all that good effort.

              But now I had her in my arms. I turned her head to the side to get a better look.

              The fucker had hit her hard. Her entire cheek was swollen and red and her lip was busted.

              “That fucking prick,” I said under my breath.

              She pushed my hand down and turned towards me. “It’s fine,” she said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

              She glanced towards the window. “What do we do now? Did you climb over the fence to get in? We can’t go out the front gates obviously.”

              I studied her swollen face for a moment more before I tapped my comm. “Anyone have eyes on Pryto?”

              “Saw him heading down the east corridor, four doors down, to what looks like an office,” Tennessee responded. “He’s in there right now and doesn’t look like he’s in a rush. Do you need time to get out?”

              “A bit,” I responded.

              I gave Sofia a quick kiss, noting her quiet hiss of pain from her swollen lip. “I want you to get behind the bed,” I said. “Crouch down and wait for me. I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”

              “Why? What are you doing? Where are you going?” she asked, holding onto my hand, trying to keep me by her side.

              “Just stay low by the bed and keep away from the window,” I said.

              “If you kill him, the recordings are worthless,” she said, not letting go.

              I squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring look. “I know,” I said. “Now get by the bed.”

              She gave me a look of uncertainty before letting my hand go and taking up her spot by the bed. I made a motion with my hand for her to crouch and she did, nearly disappearing behind the giant, elaborate bed.

              At the bedroom door, I tapped the comm. “Still in the office?”

              “Affirmative,” Tennessee said.

              “Alright, keep eyes on Sofia. She’s still in the room.”

              “Roger,” Tennessee said. There was a pause before he said, “Give him a good one for me.”

              Everyone on Easy Team had heard Sofia’s amazing luring skills and had also heard Pryto striking her.

              I tightened my jaw as I opened the bedroom door.

              “You know it,” I said.

              I carefully looked both ways, sliding down the hallway with my back against the wall. I counted the doors.

             
One, two, three.

              I stopped in front of the fourth door. Reminding myself to keep my anger in check, I quickly opened the door, slipped in, and shut it behind me. I didn’t want any stray passerby to come upon us.

              Pryto was standing in front of a desk, looking over what seemed to be like his speech notes. He whirled around at the sound of the door.

              He stared at me, eyes wide. “Who in the hell are—”

              I punched him neatly in his gut. Pryto doubled over, his eyes ready to pop out of his head. His mouth opened and closed like a guppy as he tried to gasp for air.

              I grabbed the back of his collar and jerked his head up towards me.

              “That’s the last time your miserable hand will ever touch anything as good and as pure as Sofia, you sick fucking coward,” I whispered into his ear. I shook his collar like one would shake a dog by his scruff. “And whatever happens, just know that I am ready for you.” I pulled out my knife from the back of my belt and pressed the tip against his belly. I heard him gulp as he tried to suck his gut in.

              I pressed the tip in harder. “You try and touch Sofia again in any manner, and I promise you I will have a sharpened knife ready especially for you. And I will gut you like a fucking pig and show you what the inside of a yellow belly looks like.”

              “Who—Who…are—” he wheezed but before he could go any further, I gave him another hard and neat punch in the stomach.

              As I turned to leave, bitter about not being able to do a better job in repaying him in kind on behalf of Sofia, I heard him fall to his knees and vomit.

              I quickly returned to Sofia’s bedroom. I saw her look me over for any blood or marks but she found nothing.

              “We have to hurry now,” I said. “We need to get out of here fast.”

              “But where could we—”

              “Shh,” I said as I stepped out on to the rock waterfall and reached up to grab her by the waist. “Just trust me.”

              I helped her climb down.

              Hawk was by the same willow tree I had climbed under and he helped catch Sofia as I tossed her up over the fence.

              I landed right behind her.

              “Very nice to meet you again, Your Highness,” Hawk said with a wry smile as he held Sofia in his arms. He gently put her back on her feet.

              Flustered and a little confused by the action, she gave an uncertain nod. “Yes, same to you,” she said formally.

              Hawk grinned at her reply and I gave his arm a punch. “Alright, enough with the flirting, will you? Or else I’ll have to teach you a lesson as well.” Hawk raised his hands up in submission.

              “Tweety, now!” I ordered through our comm.

              “On my way!” Tweety replied.

              And in record speed, a large black van careened down the street and stopped right in front of us. Hawk threw opened the door and helped Sofia in. From across the street, Dozer and Tennessee came out of their positions and rushed towards the van. Hawk and I got in last.

              Once the door was shut, Tweety immediately hit the pedal and the van was off.

              I sat in the back with Sofia who looked a little stunned by the van full of Easy Team men.

              It felt like introductions were needed.

              “Sof, Easy Team,” I said, grinning down at her. “Easy Team, meet Sofia.”

              “Hey, Sofia!” they all said enthusiastically in unison, making me almost roll my eyes in humor and Sofia giggle in surprise.

              “Nice work there, princess,” Hawk said with sincerity. “No one could’ve done better than what you did up there.”

              “You’re sure you’re not a trained negotiator?” Tennessee teased. “That sounded too professional to be the work of an amateur.”

              “Definitely!” Tweety concurred.

              Sofia looked around the men, tears in her eyes, trembling a little as she smiled at their kind words. She turned to me, gripping my hands.

              “Where are we going now?” she asked.

              I smiled at her, holding her close. She had done a spectacular job, my brave princess. And I couldn’t be prouder. But now, I was ready to put this chapter to bed.

              “Home,” I said, brushing away a stray tear. “We’re going home, sweetheart.”

Chapter
Twenty Three
Sofia

              “…and Minister Argus Pryto has been arrested and held for trial at the UN courts. After remarkable work from the French intelligence services, Crown Princess Sofia managed to record on tape Minister Pryto’s own confession of his crimes and of affecting Loranzian policies falsely under the Crown’s name. He is also charged with the execution and murder of Prince Gregory and of the kidnapping of the Crown Princess.

              “Most Loranzians are reeling from the revelations about their coup leader and many have come forward to express their regrets at hearing the details of the Crown Princess’s sufferings. No one had known about the abuse the Crown Princess had endured during her childhood and no one had known about her subsequent exile from the country.

              “But now, with the recordings having been leaked, it seems the coup has lost most of its momentum and the revolters have disbanded. And the Crown Princess Sofia seems ready to move beyond the past and work towards a better and brighter future for Loranza.

              “As always, this is Miranda Wakeman with Evening World News.”

***

              “Are you sure about this?” Xander asked for the third time.

              I smiled at him. We sat in one of the smaller sitting rooms in the palace west suite. I wanted to be far away from my old childhood rooms as possible. The west suite guestroom was plenty spacious and accommodating.

              After escaping from the palace, we had returned to France where there was a flurry of shock and action after we presented the recordings to the French government. Commander Wolffe flew out and discussed the matter with government officials with both of them agreeing it was better not to reveal the recordings had been obtained through mercenaries.

              And after the recordings broke, we actually did manage to fly back to Los Angeles, en route to Wyoming. But at the airport, I knew that I couldn’t go back to Wyoming just yet. There were too many loose ends that needed tying and going back to Wyoming would just be too selfish.

              I knew I was the only one that could tie those loose ends, after all.

              So we flew back to France and we spoke with the French government and the UN. There were countless press conferences and interviews done as well. I was all over the news but for once, it wasn’t for negative reasons.

              I had also caught some of the reports covering Loranzian citizens. I saw interviews of people in tears as they spoke about their guilt.

              “None of us had any idea of how devious and two-faced Pryto was,” one woman had said on camera. “We had all been fooled! We had all blamed the poor princess for all of his bad decisions. If only we had known!” She immediately burst into tears. “It broke my heart to know how mistreated our princess had been!”

              I was eventually asked by the UN to return to Loranza to try and smooth the chaos Pryto had caused. Xander had gone with me without question. He didn’t ask permission from the UN or from me. He just was always there for me. And I never had to doubt his presence. It gave me unspeakable strength.

              The first thing I did upon returning was give Uncle Gregory a proper State funeral and burial. He had been buried in a common plot at a nearby cemetery with only a plain wooden marker.

              The funeral procession drew out nearly the entire country’s population. People wept with abandon as they realized the lies of Minister Pryto and what it had cost them.

              As I had put my rose on top of his gleaming coffin, I silently thanked him for all of his love and guidance and prayed that I had done enough to make him proud.

             
I will always love you, Uncle. Forever and ever plus a day.

              If nothing else, at least I was able to give him a proper funeral worthy of the loving and caring man.

              Then I began assembling the National Reorganization Committee, a committee to help advise me as I rebuilt the nation. I recruited economists, scientists, engineers, and social workers to help me restabilize Loranza.

              And the first thing on the agenda: help prepare Loranza to become a democratic republic. Essentially, removing the monarchy.

              And that was why Xander was sitting next to me in the sitting room, studying me for any wavering.

              “Are you sure?” he asked.

              I nodded. “I am.”

              “You’re not doing this because of me or Wyoming, are you?” he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. “We can make both work. You don’t have to sacrifice your birthright.”

              I shook my head. “I’m doing this for a lot of reasons but mainly because even though I know most of the damage Pryto caused is fixable, some of it will never be fixed. And I know the issue of having a monarchy is one of them,” I said. “People are supportive of the Crown right now because they feel guilty and awful but that’ll pass. And there are some tough months ahead for Loranza to get back on its feet and that’s when the topic of the monarchy will come back up again. They will blame me for their difficulties and say that supporting the monarchy is what’s draining the economy, even though it’s not. So I’d rather just remove that obstacle from the table completely.”

              “But that kind of resentment will also pass as well,” Xander argued. “And I think your presence as their Princess and Queen will be more comforting than divisive.”

              I shrugged. “Maybe,” I said. “But I also agree with them. It’s the modern century. Who can really justify a monarchy anymore? I am proud of my country’s history and my own family lineage in how they shaped and formed Loranza but I think we need to embrace the future so we can grow and thrive. And the monarchy isn’t in Loranza’s future.” I gave a little smile. “I can live with that.”

              Xander reached for me and pulled me into his lap. “The country could never have a better Queen than you,” he said, trying one more time to change my mind.

              I smiled, resting my head against his shoulder. “Then as its Queen, I should do what’s right for them. And what’s right is to help it grow and stand up on its own two feet.”

              I looked up at him, brushing my fingers against his rough stubble. “Don’t worry,” I said confidently. “I’m not sad to abdicate. I think I’ve done my people proud. And it’s not like I’m homeless after I leave the throne.” I grinned. “At least I hope I’m not.”

              Xander tightened his grip on me. “You know you’re not,” he said gruffly. “Devil’s Horn is your home. Always and forever.”

              I kissed his lips lightly. “Devil’s Horn. Loranza. Anywhere,” I whispered. “As long as it’s with you.”

              Xander cupped the back of my head as he deepened our kiss. His arms circled me as his tongue explored my mouth with confident ownership. I let my body melt against his, my mouth open to him, welcoming him.

              As our bodies began to heat up in matching desire, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me over to the large bed. Laying me down, we quickly undressed each other, hungry to feel each other’s bare flesh.

              As soon as my breasts were freed, Xander pulled a nipple into his mouth with such force, it made me gasp and arch my back in response. He wrapped an arm around my back, supporting me while also keeping me pinned beneath him, helpless against his oral assault.

              After he gave my other breast equal attention, I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling his head up towards mine. As our lips touched, our passions exploded and our kiss deepened into a heated, breathless joining.

              I rolled over on him, straddling him. Xander’s eyes fired up appreciatively as he looked up as my breasts swung over him.              

              “Have I ever told you how fucking magnificent you look, baby?” he said.

              My body burned at his words, craving his voice, his touch. I slowly, seductively, leaned over his body, sliding down till I was facing his thick and dripping cock.

              I ran my hand down the length of it, admiring it as it twitched against my touch. With aching slowness, I tongued his cock, swirling around the sensitive head. I burst with pride as I heard him groan in pleasure above me.

              I mouthed him completely, going down as far as I could. He was so thick and long I had to use my hands to help sheath him. Rhythmically, I began to go down on his cock, using my tongue to swirl against the veiny underside.

              “Oh fuck,” he groaned. “You feel so damn good.”

              His hand was pressed against the back of my head, urging me deeper. I took more and more of his cock, reveling in his taste, when he suddenly grabbed my hair, pulling me up.

              He flipped me over and with a fiendish glint in his eye, thrust into me all the way down to the root.

              I threw my head back, my mouth open in a silent cry, as I was stretched and filled in that delicious way that only his cock could create.

              I gasped as he pulled out and plunged in again. “Oh god,” I murmured, the heat in my body roiling now and threatening to spill over.

              “That’s it, baby,” he said, pulling my nipple between his teeth. He bit down, sending a sharp streak of pain straight towards my pussy. I clenched in response and he grunted. “Let it go. Let it all go for me.”

              He plunged in deeper and deeper, filling me so completely with him. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me. I never felt so totally whole and satisfied as I did when Xander was inside me.

              Both our breathing grew ragged as we felt the pressures of our pleasure overwhelming us. Xander cupped my face, looking down at me with heated, protective, fiery love in his eyes.

              “Come with me,” he said, plunging in deep again. “I want to feel you come with me.”

              And as he thrust in once more, we shuddered in each other’s arms, our bodies breaking down and exploding at the same time. Ecstasy filled us completely and ran through our veins like molten lava. I cried out as I let my release take me further and further away.

              Xander collapsed next to me. He pulled me and we laid, face to face together.

              His large hand brushed away some stray locks of hair away from my cheek. “No matter what though,” he said, his thumb stroking my face, his hand cupping my neck, “you’ll always be a princess to me.”

              Would this man ever stop stealing my heart?

              I imagined those wide open lands, the clean sweet Wyoming air, Pluto strolling ahead of us in the tall grass. I imagined the cozy ranch house and the warm wood. I imagined the soft cotton sheets of the bed and the good hot coffee that Xander always stocked.

              And I knew that I had a slice of paradise on earth.

              “I love you,” I whispered.

              Xander kissed my forehead before kissing me. “Always and forever, sweetheart,” he said. “Always and forever.”