Page 23 of Forty Days and One Knight
"Said he'd be here at eight to check on things." The big man's eyes narrowed. "Something wrong?"
"Tell him to talk to the head of hospital security and get that kid at the front desk off the overnight watch. He's young, green, and useless, and would probably pee in his pants if shit went down. Tell him not to get him fired but put him where he won't have to confront anyone, like monitoring the security cameras or something.”
"You got it."
As Darius strode down the hall, the heavy wooden door shut behind him. While it was still quiet in that area, there was some activity going on. It appeared someone else had been admitted to the private wing because a uniformed Florida state trooper stood outside one of the previously-unoccupied patient rooms. Darius didn’t bother to ask about who the new patient was, since it was highly unlikely he’d be given the information.
At the nurse's station, two women and one man, all dressed in scrubs with their identification tags hanging from lanyards around their necks, were working their way through their shifts. There were only four patient rooms in this section of the hospital, but they were more like five-star hotel suites. Each had a full bath and attached living rooms where family members had access to refrigerators, small convection ovens instead of microwaves, coffee machines, large screen TVs, couches, and recliners. The rooms where the patients recovered from their illness or trauma were soothingly decorated in soft earth tones, with expensive art on the walls. The wider beds were the nicest ones Darius had ever seen in a hospital, but they still functioned like their commercialized counterparts.
Outside Tahira's room, two more royal guards stood sentry. Darius recognized them as men he'd met before at the Clearwater Beach estate. When they both gave him curt nods of their heads, it was obvious they remembered him as well. Neither stopped him as he pushed open the door just enough for him to ease into the room. Only one soft light over the bed was on, illuminating the beautiful woman curled up on her side. She looked so small amid the white sheets and blankets. Her long, dark hair covered the pillow her head was laying on. Even though he hadn't made a sound entering the room, her eyes flew open, and her terrified gaze met his worried one. Darius's heart clenched, and his gut felt like he'd been kicked by a mule.
Subtle movement from a dark corner of the room caught his attention as Amar emerged from the shadows. "If you need me, Your Highness, I'll be in the other room."
The man mutely shook hands with Darius before disappearing into the attached living room, closing the door behind him. He was probably going to catch up on some much-needed sleep, but that wasn't Darius's concern right now. He stepped forward and took a seat next to the bed. Tahira's face was ashen, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Th-thank you for coming, Darius. I am sorry to have Amar call you so late.”
She reached out, and he grasped her tiny, trembling hand in his big calloused one, rubbing his thumb over her soft skin. "Shh. There's no need to be sorry. What happened?"
"I had a nightmare. I was back ... back in th-that bedroom. It was happening all over again. I—I don’t remember most of it, but what I do remember ...”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the mattress. "You're safe. I'm here, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He brushed a lock of her hair back from where it had fallen in front of her face. "Try to get some sleep. I'll watch over you."
Tahira hesitated, then tightened her grip on his hand and tugged. "Would you please lie with me? Like you did before. I—I just need you to hold me."
He really shouldn't, for so many reasons, including the fact this was a hospital and the nurses would probably have a fit, but he couldn’t refuse when he saw the pleading in her gorgeous, brown eyes. Giving her hand a squeeze, he let go, stood, and rounded the foot of the bed. Her troubled gaze followed him. After making sure he wasn't disturbing any monitor wires or IV tubing—they’d apparently all been removed since he’d last seen her—he kicked off his sneakers and climbed onto the bed, on top of the covers she huddled beneath. As he spooned in behind her, making sure there was some distance between his groin and her backside, Tahira reached for his hand again. She pulled it until his arm was over her waist, then held it against her torso, just under her breasts. He tried to ignore the fact she was wearing a thin hospital gown over nothing but bare flesh.
Sighing, Tahira closed her eyes. "Thank you, Darius."
He shifted to get comfortable on the full-sized bed, then settled. "Go to sleep, Tahira. You're safe."
Her body relaxed as she whispered, "Only with you."
20
Tahira stirred in the warmth cocooning her. This time when she awoke, it wasn't in fear and hysterics, but in safety and contentment. Before she opened her eyes, she inhaled and a familiar male scent she'd grown used to over the past few days, tickled her nose.
Darius.
His arm was curled around her waist, and she wondered if it had moved at all since she'd drifted off to sleep. Turning her head slightly, Tahira felt his steady breaths against her cheek. She wanted very much to turn over and watch him sleep, to study his handsome face, but she knew that much movement would have him waking instantly. When he'd arrived after her nightmare, one of the first things she'd noticed was he'd shaved. The coarse, heavy beard was gone, and in its place was soft, smooth skin over his firm jawline. She'd wanted to reach out and see what it felt like against her palm, but she'd held back. It would have been far too intimate, something she still wasn't ready for, even with the man who would soon be her husband.
Relief warred with dread in her stomach. She should relieve him of his promise to marry her, but having anyone find out she wasn't a virgin on her wedding night scared her almost as much as the thought of being sold in a slave auction. She and Darius could make the farce a success. Since he lived and worked in Florida, it wouldn't seem odd to anyone when she moved there permanently to be near him. They'd live in the Clearwater Beach estate and pretend to be a happily married couple. Whether or not they ever consummated their marriage would only be between the two of them. She trusted Darius to keep his word. He was a man of honor, something she'd known the first time she'd met him and the others on his team. Once an appropriate amount of time passed, the palace would announce the couple decided to divorce and remain friends. She wouldn't have to worry about her virginity after that.
The muscles in Darius's arm tensed, and he pulled her closer to his chest. One would think that after her sexual assault, Tahira would be afraid to be in a man's arms this way, but Darius would never hurt her, of that she was certain.
She was about to close her eyes again and relax into his embrace once more when the door to the hallway opened and one of the nurses walked in. Behind Tahira, Darius was instantly awake. He rolled away from her and stood, stepping back from the bed. She immediately missed the heat, strength, and safety of his body. She was also grateful it had been a nurse who’d walked in on them in bed together and not her parents. That wouldn’t have gone over well—engaged or not.
A flash of jealousy coursed through her when the pretty nurse smiled brilliantly at Darius, her eyes filling with interest at the sight of the handsome man. "No worries. I could tell you stories of things I’ve walked in on while working on this floor."
While the woman's words seemed kind, she was clearly flirting with Darius, and Tahira felt the need to subtly stake her claim. "Myfiancéwas comforting me. I sleep better when he is by my side."
Okay, maybe not so subtly.
Sad to say, that seemed to backfire when the nurse's gaze blatantly roamed Darius's lean, muscular body. "I don't blame you. I'd sleep better with him by my side too."
Tahira's eyes narrowed, and a tone of disapproval crept into her voice. It was one she'd learned from her mother when dealing with those who were rude to others or didn't remember to follow proper protocol in the presence of royalty. Neither Tahira nor her mother used it often, but it came in handy now. "Unfortunately, for you, I do not share. Please leave and have another nurse assigned to me—one who will give her full attention to me, her patient, and not my fiancé."
Her words had the desired effect when the blonde woman's mouth fell open and her spine stiffened. Her gaze flittered back and forth between Tahira and Darius. The princess had to fight back a smile when Darius cleared his throat and said, "I suggest you do as Her Royal Highness says. I really don't want to go over your head and get a supervisor, but I will.”
The nurse's eyes widened, but then her jaw tensed. She spun on her heel and stormed out the door, pulling it shut behind her. She must have said or done something in the hallway because one of the guards knocked a second before he pushed the door open again and stuck his head in. "Your Highness, is everything all right?"
