Tristan…

She was mine.

After ten bloody years, Ariel was mine again. Now all you need to do is hold on to her. Good luck with that.

I almost couldn't believe it. The whole previous day I'd wanted to pinch myself. I'd woken up with her in my arms, and it wasn't a dream. I wasn't sure what I expected, but a part of me thought she'd pull back or distance herself from me. But she'd given me a broad smile and nuzzled in, though eventually, we'd had to face the real world, and Ariel had snuck off to her own room so I could get ready for practice and then the game.

After the game that had seen two of my team mates with minor injuries and the Argonauts barely managing to eke out a victory, she'd spent another night in my arms. This morning though, she'd been all business… until I'd dragged her back to bed for another quickie.

Hell, I had years of orgasms to make up for. And other things to make up for too.

Even as I watched her, I shuddered. I just got her back. I couldn't tell her what was really going on.

Then you might as well be lying to her.

That was the last thing I wanted to do.

Then tell her the truth.

Nope. There had to be another option. I could protect her from all of it. I had to. I finally had her back. I wasn't dragging her through hell again.

I slid my gaze over to her in her airline seat where she had her nose buried in her laptop, and I couldn't help but smile.

I'd woken up with her in my arms exactly where she belonged.

Something I'd thought I would never get to do. She'd curled in and snuggled right up to me. I had been able to kiss her and hold her, and for the first time, I felt as if the last ten years hadn't happened. Any pain, any worry, any concern was gone.

When our flight landed, we still had to play our roles though. As far as she was concerned, someone was still trying to kill me, and she was still responsible for my safety. I'd tried to explain to her more than once that Max was gone. He was in a Chilean jail cell, trying to insist that he was innocent. He wasn't coming for me. He wasn't coming for Ella. We were safe and happy. Absolutely nothing could go wrong now.

Ariel deplaned first, and I followed behind. Roone was next, and he muttered, "If I were you, Your Highness, I'd try not to look like the cat who ate the canary."

I grinned at him. "What do you know about the canary?"

"I know that when you're not supposed to be shagging your guard, you need to keep that shit under wraps."

I frowned. "It's not what you think."

Behind his dark shades, I could see his eyes crinkle even though his lips didn't move. "I get that, but until you sort out your housekeeping, try and think about how this would look for her, Your Highness."

Shit.

I hadn't thought about that. Yes, I knew the Ella thing was potentially problematic, but I hadn't thought about how it would all affect Ariel. Until I got my house in order, we wouldn't be able to be entirely open. I couldn't just walk down the hallways of the palace holding her hand and stealing a kiss.

No, you idiot. You can't. You still need to be delicate.

Because if there was one thing I did understand, it was the media. They had made me a star and could just as easily turn Ariel into a pariah, which was not at all what I wanted. "Yeah, I hear you."

Roone clapped me on the back. "I'm happy for you, mate. Just try and be discreet and stop smiling so much."

I grinned. "My team won the game, didn't you hear? That's one reason for my elation."

"Fair enough but remember what I said and do your best. Secrets are hard to keep around here."

"Yeah, mate. Fair enough."

Once in the palace, it was business as usual. Team assignments and all that. Since we were home and most of her team had been on duty for the last four days, she managed to get them all a reprieve, save one. Herself. That was okay. I had a surprise for her anyway.

When everyone was packing off, she fixed me with her gaze. "Your Highness, you're okay with just me for the time being?"

My lips twitched. "Yeah, I really don't plan on leaving my quarters anyway."

Her grin was easy, and she leaned forward. "You can't smile at me like that."

"I'm a prince, or haven't you heard? I can smile at you however I want."

She tried to school her expression, but her lips still twitched. "Right."

We were in the main entryway of the North Tower. Staff bustled all around. Jax came over with his travel bag and inclined his head at Ariel. "Are you coming back with us, guv? Or are you off to see the queen?"

And just like that, the playful girl I had once known was shuttered away behind a businesslike, professional exterior. She was still sexy as sin though. "Yeah, I'm going to stay around and see Penny. I'll just catch a ride back later."

He nodded. To me, he gave a nod. "Your Highness, good game."

"Thank you."

It had been a good game. We'd won, two to one. But it had been hard fought, especially since I had played as if I'd been put through the ringer at first. But by the second half, I'd found my groove again, knowing that I'd taken care of Ella and gotten rid of the threat against me, and everything was right with the world. I had even scored one of the goals.

Are you just going to ignore Gilroy and your brother?

Yes. I would most definitely ignore those ancillary threats for now. Ashton could ruin my life in other ways, but he didn't have the juice to try to kill me. He was in bloody Stanstit Prision. I'd find a way to neutralize him.

And Gilroy?

He would be more difficult. But I'd had nothing to do with his daughter's disappearance. All I had to do was prove that. But I wasn't going to let the worry creep in on this beautiful moment. I was home, I had the woman I loved back, and I was going to get to keep her. I wasn't letting anything intrude on that happiness. Not now.

Then when?

Oh, I'd deal with my problems all right. Just not now.

Is there a plan for that?

It would have to be a new plan for Ashton, because there was no way I wanted Ella anywhere near my brother. Besides, I was going to enjoy Ariel first.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I would come up with a new plan for all of this. One problem at a time.

I was already riding the high. I didn't want to let it go yet.

Once Ariel's team was on its way back to Royal Elite, Roone had taken off to go find his princess, and most everyone had left us alone. I led the way down toward the Rose tower to my quarters. But instead of heading to my rooms, I turned a sharp left in the main corridor and tapped a hidden button behind the painting that hung there. A side panel slid open and I stepped inside, tugging Ariel behind me.

"Tristan, what are you doing?"

"Come on. Let's have a little adventure."

"As someone who has been shot at, run off the road, and almost poisoned, you would think you would have had your fill of adventure."

"Maybe, but not really. Come on, let's go."

I waited for her to take my hand. She had to take it. I needed her to trust me.

Or you can just wait until she trusts you. Kind of hard, since you're still lying to her.

No. I wasn't going to think about that. Today was for us. We were home. And for a little while, I could erase those ten years.

Hesitantly, Ariel turned side to side and then tentatively reached for my hand and stepped in behind me. I hit the button on the right side of the wall, and the panel closed behind us. Dim light illuminated our way, and I held her hand tight. "Hey, beautiful."

"Prince Tristan, what are you doing?"

"Well, for starters, I couldn't go another moment without kissing you." I tugged her close and angled my head down. I'd forgotten how much smaller she was than me. At five foot six, she wasn't petite, but I was nearly six foot four.

I slid my lips over hers, enjoying the soft feel. Instantly, she sighed and relaxed into my hold. When her tongue traced out to connect with mine, I groaned low. "Jesus woman, what are you doing to me? I'm supposed to be tempting you."

She gave me an impish grin. "How about you say we're both tempted?"

Ariel wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed into me, then stood on tiptoe as if tempting me to deepen the kiss. But I wasn't going to be distracted. Nope. I had a very specific destination in mind, so I stepped back. "No. I have a plan for you."

"Tristan, where are we going? Your rooms are back that way. You could have me naked on the bed. Kiss all the hidden nooks and crannies."

"I'm going to lay you out on a bed where we're going. And kiss all the hidden nooks and crannies."

"Okay, but why can't we do it in your room?"

"Well, because my room was my former quarters. With my family." There were too many bad memories in there. And secondly, Ella lived there, not that it was in any kind of romantic capacity. She was still in Los Angeles, but until I talked to her, I wasn't going to do that. Besides, I had somewhere much better to take her.

We wound our way through the secret tunnels that led to the south side of the palace. We walked through one garden and took a connected pathway to another that led to the armaments and the exterior walls. I found the hidden entrance in the final garden and tugged her with me.

"Tristan, are we—"

I kissed her lips. "Shh. You're going to ruin the surprise."

"Well, if you wanted it to be a surprise, you should have blindfolded me because I know where we're going now."

"Oh, do you? What if I have another secret hideout to show you?"

"I'm open to secret hideouts. Just as long as I get to be with you."

I stopped, turned, and gave her another soft kiss. "My God, we have so much time to make up for. And I plan on doing so enthusiastically."

She laughed. "I wonder if you ever do anything un—enthusiastically."

"Nope. Not at all. You recognize I'm an athlete and I have incredible stamina?"

She giggled. "Oh my God, that's so modest of you."

We laughed like kids as we scrambled down the forever staircase that led to the beach. When we finally reached the sand, she paused and tore off her shoes.

I did the same, followed by my socks.

She grinned. "The old cabana."

"Yeah, the old cabana."

The cabana was set a good distance back from the water and on a platform with a shallow set of steps in case of an unusually high tide. It was kitted out with everything you might need for a little getaway from the palace. A bed, a sitting area, even a small kitchen to manage the basics. Most summers, I'd basically lived in there, stuffing the bookshelves full of books and buying my own groceries to have on hand.

Most everyone forgot about the place in favor of the more popular stretch of beach to the west. There were fancier royal cabanas, and that area was better for people watching. It was the see—and—be—seen spot. Precisely why I'd avoided it.

When I'd met Ariel and started bringing her there, I was always surprised on the rare occasions when someone else would walk down the beach along this way, but no one else ever used the cabana.

When I unlocked the door and tugged her behind me, she gasped. "Oh my God, you completely revamped this place. When did you do this?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. After the last time I saw you down here, I wanted it to be nicer, I guess, in case you decided to come back."

"You did this for me?"

"Of course, I did this for you."

On the bookshelves I'd stocked Allison Freya novels. They were Ariel's favorite. I remembered how much she'd devoured them that summer. I'd found every single one. Not first editions, of course. Because, hello, it was on the beach, so the salty wind was a disaster. But they were still hardbacks. All of them. Just to make it somewhere she could come and relax if she ever got the time to do that.

"You stocked it with my favorite books."

"You better believe it."

"Tristan," she turned in my arms, a smile on her lips and her body soft. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Well, you love me, even when I probably don't deserve it."

Her moss green gaze lifted to meet mine. "You always deserved it. You just didn't know you did."

I nodded slowly and kissed her again, pulling her tighter against me. I slid my hands around her waist and over her ass, pressing her into me. "What do you say we start making up for lost time?"

She reached for my waist and tugged my shirt out of my pants. "I was wondering when you were going to get around to asking me that."

"The woman is impatient."

"A little. The flight was torture not being able to touch you."

"Same here." Speaking of torture, we probably should talk about it. "Ariel?"

"Yeah?"

But as I gazed into her eyes, I shoved it back. We'd talk later. "You've got far too many clothes on."

And then I kissed her, dragging my lips along her jaw and her neck. I buried the pang of guilt, the voice that told me there were still things I needed to tell her, and the other voice that told me that once she knew she wouldn't want me anymore. I wasn't listening to any of those voices now. I had the woman I loved, and she loved me too. At least, for now.

***

Ariel…

He'd done this for me. For the joy of making me happy.

To him, I didn't need to be anyone else.

Are you sure about that?

I shoved down the worrying thought. I was where I never thought I'd be again, and Tristan loved me. I wasn't going to worry that he wouldn't love everything about me.

If he didn't, tough. He was stuck with me.

"I love it."

His grin flashed. "Good. Now come on, I have another surprise for you."

A giggle escaped. What the fuck was that? I wasn't exactly the giggling type. I was the plot the demise of my bestie's ex type. But oh no, here I was giggling like a moron.

Shut up and enjoy it.

He pulled me out of the cabana and around to the side. We passed the outdoor shower and walked to an outdoor deck where he had a little fire pit set up. "You did this for me?"

"Of course. I know how much you love getting sand in crevices while trying to enjoy a good fire."

I smiled at the memory. We'd wanted a bonfire. It had been special… all but the sand. I'd been wearing a bathing suit and was distinctly uncomfortable. "You remembered."

"Of course I did. I've forgotten nothing."

I turned to face him and searched his gaze. "Is it okay to admit I'm really scared of this… of us? It all feels too good to be true."

He nodded. "I get it. I'm scared too. But I'm back now. I promise. It's not too good to be true."

Even though I'd turned to face him, he didn't release me. "It's a lot of pressure, Tristan. The whole world will be watching. Waiting for me to mess up."

Gravel weighed his voice down. "You and I decide when we go public. I'm going to be careful with this. I will protect you from all of it. Do you trust me?"

My skin prickled at his suggestive smile, and I muttered, "I do."

His hands slid from their position on my shoulders, smoothed over the curves of my back, and came to rest in the dimples of my lower back. By reflex or by design, his hands pulled me in and steadied me more firmly against his wall of a chest. "Good, because now that I have you back, I'm not letting go. I'm not letting anything else tear us apart again."

Hard solid planes of muscle surrounded me, enveloped me. He drowned all reason, and every excuse I had for not taking what I wanted melted away. I told myself I should make some glib comment to dissipate the tension. I bit my tongue hard to keep from asking him to let me go, where I'd be safe, happy, sheltered… and alone. I didn't want to be alone anymore.

Instead, I tipped my head up and brushed his lips with mine. For the second time in my life, I was lost. At first, he seemed content to let me take the lead. He made no move to take the kiss deeper and allowed me to explore at my own pace. Nevertheless, when I leaned in, wrapped my arms around his neck, and brushed my breasts against him, his hands tightened at my waist. He shifted his angle, and his tongue probed my parted lips, demanding something deeper.

I didn't recognize the mewling sound coming from my own throat, but I recognized the growl in Tristan's for what it was. Desire. Possession. Something deep inside of me melted, and I had no choice but to surrender. Need swirled through me.

Unable to sate the clawing heat burning at my core, I tried to get closer.

He was the one to break the kiss. Harsh, rapid breaths poured out of him as he dropped his forehead to mine. "Damn, Ariel. You're killing me. I'm trying to go slow here, but I also want to tear off your knickers and bend you over the railing."

I licked a patch of skin on his neck and savored the salty taste of him. "Yes to all of that," I murmured.

For every kiss I planted along his neck and collar bone, he responded by squeezing his large hands over my ass. "Sweetheart, the last thing I want to do is stop you, but maybe we should go—"

I ignored his words and rubbed myself against the thick, pulsing heat in his jeans. Feeling bold, I removed one arm from around his neck, bringing my hand around between us, encircling his erection with my fingers.

A stream of creative four—letter words streamed out of Tristan's mouth as his right hand abandoned its post on my ass to move to my breast, thumb deftly stroking my nipple through my blouse.

"Love, we should really go inside—ah, darling, you keep that up, and I'm not going to last very—ah shit…"

Unable to shake the need for him and missing the delicious tingling sensation of his hand on my breast, I resisted his attempts to tug me inside and stroked the length of him.

He placed both hands on either side of my face and held my gaze for several seconds. "You naughty thing. Are you sure?"

At my nod, he bent his head, and his lips slammed down on mine. His tongue tasted and teased, explored just past my lips and withdrew until I knew he meant to drive me mad.

Hands still on my face, he urged me backward until my back hit the railing.

Lifting his lips off mine, he smiled. "Hold tight, sweetheart."

Following directions, I tightened my arms around his neck. First, he hiked up the skirt of my suit. It was an A—line with a ruffle, and it had pockets, which was key for carrying a weapon. Then his large hands took hold of my bottom, and he picked me up, urging my legs around his waist. He placed me on the railing, and his hands went to my breasts, never breaking the connection of our lips.

Deft fingers made quick work of the buttons on my blouse then the front clasp on my bra. He unhooked it but didn't bother to take it off. I grasped his thick hair in an attempt to get him to deepen the kiss, but he wouldn't let me take control.

Fire roared deep inside me, and I wondered how I could have gone almost my whole adult life and never felt like this before. Both his hands took a slow path from my belly and inched up to my breasts. They felt too heavy, too full. And they ached. His thumbs traced the undersides of my breasts, wrenching a gasp from my throat.

He clasped his large hand over my breast and gently kneaded. Delicious sensations zinged through every cell and traveled at rapid speed to the core of my femininity. "Oh God, Tristan."

He nipped my bottom lip to silence me. "Good God, you're beautiful."

Urged on by his mumbled love words and the rhythmic pulsing of my inner core, I tugged at the hem of his polo shirt, pulling it past his already tousled blond locks. Bronzed muscles gleamed under the sunlight.

For a moment, I could only stare at the broad shoulders before me, not believing I was actually there in Tristan's arms about to live out every fantasy I'd ever had.

Leaning me back, he dipped his head, and laved the tip of my right breast. When I gasped his name, he moved to the other one, paying them equal homage.

Scoring my hands on his back, I rode the climbing peak of pleasure, praying, begging it wouldn't stop.

Tristan traced kisses from my breast and up the column of my throat before reclaiming my lips again. His fingers traced a pattern over my inner thighs until they reached the lace of my panties.

He lifted his head, his eyes darkened to almost black. "Do you trust me?"

I nodded enthusiastically, almost comically. Surprised, I blinked several times. "Yes. God—don't stop."

A slow smile spread across his face as he continued to hold my gaze. His thumbs traced the edge of the lace, completely unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world. He held my gaze as his thumbs hooked under the elastic and came into contact with my slick folds.

My eyes slammed shut upon his first stroke before opening wide again. "Mmm, Tristan, please. I—"

"So wet…" He nipped my bottom lip. "On the plane, I wondered if I'd be able to get away with coming to sit by you, throwing a blanket over our laps and playing. But I think maybe you'd have been much too loud."

Me? He was one who'd practically roared the first time we'd made love in the hotel. He'd been so loud I was afraid security would come… or worse, one of my team. But he smoothed his thumb over my clit, and I promptly forgot all about my consternation. "Tristan—I—need—"

"I know, love. I know."