Page 29 of Her Prince in Disguise
But he couldn’t. Not until later anyway. Once she was finished for the night, he would lure her to his penthouse andkiss every thought out of her intelligent mind so that he occupied her every brain cell. He would make love to her until she was squirming in that delicious way, then he’d give her the pleasure he knew she craved.
“We can’t have lunch together, Laith,” she whispered.
“Why not?”
“Because…” the doors to the elevator opened on the ground floor. There was a crowd of people waiting to step inside so Laith turned and faced forward. His guards moved into position and Laith walked out, allowing Andi to step out.
“Don’t follow me,” she hissed sharply over her shoulder to him.
When she tried to walk faster, he chuckled and extended his stride to match hers. “We’re just going out for lunch, Andi. I don’t know why you think this is such a problem.” They were out on the street now and she turned in the wrong direction, so he grabbed her elbow and guided her towards one of his favorite lunch spots, a small pub that had delicious lunch specials. He knew it would be quieter than the cheaper places nearby and Laith seriously needed to speak with Andi. Hell, he needed to hold her and whisper naughty suggestions in her ear.
“Laith,” she whispered, then looked around, hoping that no one recognized them from the team. When she looked up at him again, her eyes pleaded with him to understand. “I’m already suffering because someone on the team knows about us.”
Laith stopped her immediately. They were standing in the middle of the busy sidewalk, but he didn’t care. “What’s going on, Andi? Who knows about us?”
Andi looked around, self-conscious now. “Be quiet!” she hissed, then pulled out of his grip and started walking again.
Laith wasn’t going to stand for that. If someone was harassing her, he would put a stop to that nonsense. “Andi, give me a name. Who is bothering you? Is it Lawrence?” Then he put a hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the quieter pub. They entered the restaurant and he directed her towards one of the small tables in the back. “I’ll get us some fish and chips,” he told her, then left to speak with the waiter. After a moment, he came back and sat down across from her.
Chapter 19
Andi looked around, startled to notice only two of his bodyguards were close by. “Where are the other guards?” she asked. “And when will they eat?”
“They eat in shifts and the other two are guarding the exits. We’ll have more privacy here. Now, who is harassing you?” The waiter brought over two pints of ale, then quickly departed.
Andi suddenly noticed that no one else had entered the pub.
“Did you close down the pub?” she whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear her question.
His eyes sharpened at her non-answer of his question. “You’re avoiding my question, Andi. Who is harassing you?”
“No one,” she sighed, rubbing a hand over her forehead. That’s when she realized her hair was a mess. She touched the band that held her hair up. It was definitely askew and several locks of hair had escaped.
“Yes, your hair is falling down,” he said, reaching out to pluck all the pins from her hair. He slid his fingers through the silky, dark locks, then tossed the pins onto the table. His eyes sharpened with determination as he looked at her. “Why were you late this morning? Why didn’t you arrive with the others?”
Andi’s shoulders slumped for a moment, then she straightened and took a fortifying sip of her beer. The flavor was perfect, exactly what her frazzled mind and body neededright now. She wasn’t used to drinking alcohol during her lunch break, but it was pretty nice!
“What did you do this weekend?” she asked, changing the subject. There was no way she was going to rat on Jonas. The rat bastard probably expected her to whine and complain, but Andi was determined to rise above his efforts. She was going to be the better person and win over the assistant. Soon, very soon, that man was going to become her best friend!
“I don’t want to discuss my weekend,” Laith snarled. “Who is harassing you?”
Andi leaned back in the hard, wooden chair, idly wondering how old the pub was. Had this place been around centuries ago? Had these walls seen the evolution of the British empire? What secrets did these walls know?
“Andi,” Laith repeated, his voice softer now. “What’s wrong? Did another box come to you?”
She snorted and shook her head.
“Then tell me what’s wrong.”
Andi leaned forward, wrapping her fingers around the frosty mug, enjoying the soothing chill. “Laith, I need you to let me handle this on my own.”
Chapter 20
“Damnit, Andi!” Laith growled, wanting to pull her onto his lap and bury his face against the warmth of her neck. He wanted to protect her from the world. Hell, he wanted tobeher world.
“So, how was your weekend?”
The beautiful, blue-eyed woman offered him a serene, stunning smile and suddenly, his anger dissolved. With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair. “I spent time with my family,” he said, recognizing the stubborn expression in her eyes. “I spoke with my father and uncles about you.”
