Page 27 of The Prince's Secret Twins

Joran stomped into his first meeting of the morning, wondering why he was so angry. He was an hour into the meeting before he realized why he was pissed off. Tila hadn’t yet agreed to marry him.

What was holding her back? He didn’t think he was too much of an ogre. Some might even consider him to be a prime catch! So, what the hell? Why hadn’t Tila jumped at the offer of marriage?

Of course, Tila had always been different. From the first moment he’d met her, she’d been slightly outrageous. He’d spotted her coming out of one of the government agency buildings that he and his team were trying to infiltrate. He’d watched her come out, her silk skirt fluttering around her slender legs with her hair flying out around her – and she’d danced down the stairs instead of walking sedately like the other pedestrians. He’d been immediately smitten.

He’d discovered who she was and, despite his team’s advice against it, he’d gone to meet her. It took three meetings, picnics in isolated parks, countless gifts sent to her home, and numerous text messages before he’d coaxed her into bed with him.

From the moment he’d spotted her on the stairs, there had never been any other woman for him.

Perhaps there were other women in the palace or in the meetings he’d attended over the past year, that had tried to entice him. But Joran hadn’t noticed.

“Your Highness?” General Istal prompted.

Joran jerked out of his contemplation of Tila and their past. Looking at the expectant faces around the conference room table, Joran realized that everyone was waiting on a decision from him.

Unfortunately, he had no idea what had been discussed. He glanced over at his assistant, who nodded slightly, indicating that he should just say yes. But something warned him that he needed to read up on the subject before he made a decision. “I’ll review this information and will get my decision to everyone soon.”

Joran stood up before anyone could argue with him. Not that they would, he thought as he turned and walked out of the meeting.

His assistant followed immediately behind Joran, talking about his next meeting. But Joran stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Where are Tasha and Marianna?” he asked.

His assistant, a short, efficient man by the name of Jamal, blinked in surprise. “I…uh…believe that they are in Her Highness, Queen Tasha’s, study.”

Joran thought about entering his sister-in-law’s private domain. Prior to marrying Khal, Tasha had been his assistant, and a damn good one. But now that she had other responsibilities as his wife, Tasha had moved to her own office with her own personal assistant.

Thinking about asking Tasha for advice regarding Tila didn’t feel right. He doubted that Tila would appreciate their personal problems being discussed with others. Still, he needed a woman’s perspective.

Chapter 22

Tila snuggled with Rafi while Laith was having “tummy time” on the floor by her feet. One of the day nannies was down on the floor with him, offering him various toys.

Having time to think wasn’t necessarily a good thing. She wanted to talk to someone about what was going on between herself and Joran, but Tila didn’t have any close friends here at the palace.

“Good morning!” a soft, feminine voice called out.

Tila turned to find a beautiful woman…well, a teenage girl…stepping into the nursery. Immediately, Tila’s mood brightened. “Good morning Marianna,” Tila replied, smiling warmly. “How are you? How’s university life?”

Marianna shrugged. At seventeen, Joran’s half-sister was already in her first year of university. “It’s fine. Not really very hard though,” she said and stopped several feet away. “Could I help in any way?” she asked, looking down at Laith on the floor.

The nanny immediately stood up, looking to Tila for confirmation. “Should I come back in an hour?”

Tila smiled gratefully. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

Marianna still hesitated. “Please,” Tila urged. “Come on in. These little guys love visitors, but watch your hair. They are stronger and more determined than they look.”

Marianna laughed but she moved closer, bending down to gently lift Laith into her arms. “Goodness, you’re a big boy!” she teased, sitting down with Laith in her arms as she perched on the edge of the rocking chair. “How are you doing? How’s lifehere in this…” she looked around as if trying to define her home. “Prison?” she teased. “Sorry,” she cringed. “I need to stop saying things like that, shouldn’t I?”

Tila smiled. “You don’t like living here?”

Marianna smiled down at the baby in her arms, making faces at him while wiggling one of the colorful toys. “I came here about a year ago after my mother died.” She made another face, causing Laith to wiggle with delight. “It was…difficult,” she continued. Finally, she looked over at Tila. “Khal, Joran, and Raj are my half-brothers. They are a bit intimidating, aren’t they?’

“They are,” she agreed with a nod. “Do you get along with them?”

“I do,” she replied, but Tila heard the hesitation in her voice. “At least, we’re trying.” She was silent for a long moment, then she blurted out, “I need to pick a major pretty soon.” She grimaced, then made another face and wiggled the toy that Laith was trying to stuff into his mouth. “It’s weird trying to decide what direction my life will go when I’m not even old enough to vote.”

Tila chuckled, nodding her head. “I remember trying to decide what I wanted to study, and you’re right. It’s a bit overwhelming.” She handed Marianna another toy and grabbed one for Rafi. “Do you enjoy the classes you’re currently taking?”

“They’re fine,” she replied, looking sad. “I thought they would be more interesting. I graduated high school early because I was bored and wanted something more challenging.” She sighed. “So far, university classes haven’t done that yet.”

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