Page 19 of Forty Days and One Knight
“Shh, Tahira. I’m not going to tell anyone. That’s your secret, and I will take it to the grave if I have to.”
Relief filled her. “Thank you.”
A few moments passed before he spoke again. “What if you married, your secret was not revealed, and somewhere down the line, you got a divorce? Would you be able to marry again? Is divorce even allowed in Timasur?”
“Yes, divorce is allowed in my country, but it is not as easily done as it is in the United States. I would be allowed to marry again, and my lack of virginity would not be a problem. Why do you ask?”
Darius stopped short and spun around. “What if you and I got married?”
* * *
The words continuedto tumble out of Darius’s mouth before he could stop them. “I would keep your secret, and we could divorce a few months later. Then you’d be free to marry a man you fall in love with and not have to worry about not being a virgin.”
Tahira’s jaw dropped as she stared at him as if he had five heads and was speaking in tongues. Her eyes were even bugging out. Yeah, he’d shocked the shit out of her. Well, that was only fair since he’d shocked the shit out of himself too.
Ever since she’d cried herself to sleep in his arms, his mind had been spinning out of control. He cared for her. Somewhere during the time he’d first been assigned to be her occasional bodyguard, she’d become more than a client or an asset. She’d become a friend, and Darius would do anything to help a friend in need. But suggesting marriage? Yup, that was definitely a first for him. He’d never come close to asking a woman to marry him, not even Sara Ainsley who he’d dated for over eighteen months five years ago, and here he was proposing to Tahira—sort of. It was probably far from the “down on one knee” proposal she’d dreamed of having all her life, but from where he stood, she truly believed that would never happen now anyway.
He had to be insane. There was no way she would agree to this, and it was probably just making things worse for her and super awkward between them. Still, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from continuing. “Look, I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. No one would ever have to know it’s a marriage of convenience and that we never had sex. We could stay in Clearwater Beach. After a few months, we’ll say that we made a mistake and we’re getting a divorce but staying friends. Then when you want to get married for real, you’re covered. Your husband will know going in that you’ve been married before, so he’ll know not to expect to be ... to be taking your virginity.”
When her fingers covered her mouth, he finally stopped rambling and waited for her to say something.
She shook her head. “Why? Why would you even suggest that? Why would you do that for me?”
At first, he thought she’d been offended by his unexpected offer, but then he saw a mixture of disbelief and gratitude in her watery eyes.
Closing the distance between them, he gently cupped her cheek and thumbed away a tear that had fallen. “Why? Because you’ve experienced something no woman on Earth should ever have to, Princess. I can’t imagine what’s going through that pretty head of yours and how you’ll deal with the aftermath of what happened to you. But if I could do this one thing to help you heal and have the happy life you deserve with a man you love someday, then I’m willing to do it. It’s one less thing you have to worry about.”
“But—but, I do not ... I do not understand. What—what would you get out of it?”
“I said no sex, and I meant it, sweetheart. I wouldn’t expect that from you. Not after what you’ve been through. You save that for the man you fall in love with. As for what I would get out of it—I’d know I did the right thing to help a friend. That I helped save her from the anguish she would be facing if the truth came out or it was assumed you lost your virginity by choice just to have some selfish bastard tell that to the world. I can’t put you through that, and I can’t have you believing you’ll never get married for real. Let me help you, Princess,” he pleaded.
Darius knew they needed to get moving again, but this was important. The more he stared into her glistening eyes, the more he knew this was the right thing to do. Despite his earlier uncertainty about the plan, he didn’t want her to say no.
“You are not dating anyone? There is no one who will be heartbroken if you do this for me?”
He smiled. “No, I’m not dating anyone, and there’s no one out there pining for me. Someday I might get married for real, but probably after I retire from Trident. For now, I want to do this for you, okay? Will you let me?”
Seconds ticked by before Tahira took a long, shaky breath, before slowly letting it out. Rising on her tiptoes, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Darius. You do not know how much this means to me. If you are really certain about it, then, yes, I will accept your help. Just promise me that if you change your mind, you will let me know.”
Leaning down, Darius brushed his lips across her forehead. “Then it’s settled. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
17
Darius leaned against the wall in the sitting room down the hall from Tahira’s hospital room in a secluded and guarded wing of the hospital. When she’d fallen asleep from exhaustion on the Trident jet, he’d asked Lindsey to watch over her while he jumped into the onboard shower. Once there, he’d stripped out of his wet and dirty clothes, cleaned up, shaved, and put on a clean pair of BDUs, a black tank top, and fleece pullover he’d borrowed from McCabe. There at the hospital, though, it was too warm for the heavier shirt, so he’d removed it a few minutes ago and hung it on the back of a chair.
After Tahira had agreed to his half-baked plan to marry her, they’d trudged through the woods for another two miles or so, before they’d heard ATV motors getting louder as they approached. At first, Darius had grabbed Tahira and hid them both behind some thick foliage, but when he spotted Romeo and Tristian on the first vehicles to pass them, he ran out and flagged down Lindsey and Amar on the next two. Within two hours they’d all rendezvoused with the rest of the team at the orphanage and hightailed it to a private airport to get the hell out of Dodge.
Now, members of both Alpha and Omega teams were scattered about the room, finally giving him some space and solitude after he’d responded with short, terse answers to all their questions since he’d left Tahira’s room. King Rajeemh, Queen Azhar, Ian, and Amar were in with the princess, talking about God only knew what. At least he knew what they wouldn’t be talking about.
The doctor who’d examined Tahira had been sworn to secrecy about her rape. In addition to being a practicing physician at Tampa General Hospital, the gray-haired man was also on the government’s payroll for when patients required covert treatment. In the past, he’d seen numerous members of the FBI, the CIA, Deimos, and other agencies, and high-profile dignitaries who, due to the nature of their injury or illness, and how it’d been obtained, needed to be treated “off the record.”
When Dr. René Moreau had arrived in Tahira’s private room, minutes after she’d been admitted, the princess had insisted Darius stay with her for the interview and exam, while everyone else had left to give them privacy. Once the three of them were alone, Tahira had given Darius permission to fill the physician in about her assault and the fact she didn’t recall much of it.
“From what I understand, Doctor, you’ll be able to keep all references to the ... attack from Her Royal Highness’s record.” Darius used her title as he’d been instructed to do while in public during his previous stints as her bodyguard. After saying it the first time in a conversation, it was proper to drop the middle word for ease. “If anyone finds out, it will not only have devastating effects on Her Highness and her family but will also cause an international uproar.”
The bespectacled man frowned. “I can certainly keep it quiet, but who else knows?”
“Her Highness, me, you, and the bastard who did it. Since I sent him to Hell, just us three know now. I expect you’ll keep it that way. It didn’t happen on US soil, either, and where it did occur, the authorities have no clue what happened and never will, so there won’t be any investigation that Her Highness will be drawn into.”
