“At this point, I don’t trust anyone except you and my grandmother.”
“It’s probably safer that way,” Bash agreed grimly. “Were there any other shockers she had for you?”
Sean faced Bash and fixed his gaze on Bash’s face intently. “My father told my grandparents I’m gay.”
Bash felt his jaw drop, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t have been more surprised if Sean’s grandmother had claimed Sean had been left on the palace steps as a baby by aliens.
“Are you shitting me?” he finally got out, trying to wrap his mind around the concept. “That doesn’t make any sense! Why would he have been pressuring you to get married and pop out little princelings if he knew you were gay?”
“That was his excuse for putting me under house arrest so he could keep an eye on me,” Sean said, although the edge of irritation in his voice revealed his displeasure with Faisal’s approach. “I can see why he used that excuse, since he could hardly admit it was nothing but an empty treat. He didn’t think I’d believe him or take the danger seriously if he told me the truth, and to be fair, I probably wouldn’t have. This whole situation sounds like something out of a James Bond film. So he tossed me in a cell under heavy guard in hopes the assassin couldn’t get to me.”
The string of expletives Bash wanted to utter would have turned the air blue, but he held them back. His annoyance with the situation, with Faisal, with Mansur and just about everything else in Akkadia was growing stronger by the minute, and he couldn’t allow it. He had to keep a somewhat cool head on his shoulders, though he thought Sean was right about everything becoming so convoluted, it might as well be fiction. But this situation wasn’t about him. It was about Sean, and what Sean needed was far more important than anything else, even Bash’s sense of outrage.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “For what Faisal put you through and for what the traitor did to your parents. You could walk away from all of this, and you’d be safe at Fortress. No one could get to you there, and honestly, after the way you’ve been treated, you don’t owe anyone in this country a thing.”
“I know I’d be safe at Fortress.” Sean raked his fingers through his hair. “But I can’t walk away and feel good about myself. This is bigger than me.”
Bash wanted to argue, but he couldn’t, because he knew Sean was the kind of man who would always put others before himself, and Bash both loved and hated Sean’s idealism. It was up to Bash to make sure it didn’t get Sean killed.
Stepping forward, Bash threw caution to the winds and wrapped his arms around Sean. “I know,” he murmured. It felt so good to have Sean’s warm body in his arms, and he took comfort from the embrace as well as offering it. “You’re a good man. You’re noble and caring and never back down, and those are all reasons why I love you.”
Sean slid his arms around Bash and rested his head on Bash’s shoulder. “I love you too,” he said softly. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
Bash couldn’t help melting inside as Sean admitted his feelings. “You never have to do anything without me, you know. I’ll always be here for you. Always.” The words came out as a fierce vow Bash made to both Sean and to himself. He’d never been in love before, and now that he’d found Sean, no power on earth was going to keep Bash from protecting the man whose life mattered to him more than his own.
Sean tightened his arms around Bash and nuzzled a kiss against Bash’s throat. “I know. I trust you.”
The feeling of Sean’s lips on his skin made Bash draw in a harsh breath. It had only been three days since their arrival, but it felt like a lifetime since their last, all-too-brief round of lovemaking on the plane, and having Sean in his arms again was making him long for the intimacy they were denied. He cast a glance at the wet bar, where he’d put the electronic jammer.
“To hell with it,” he muttered. He slid one hand beneath Sean’s chin, urging his head up, and then captured Sean’s lips with his in a hard, almost desperate kiss. A low, needy moan rose in Sean’s throat as he parted his lips and offered his instant surrender to the kiss, and he pressed closer as if he wanted to merge with Bash.
He pulled back from the kiss, staring down at Sean and seeing his own need mirrored in Sean’s eyes.
“Bed,” he said roughly.
“Yes,” Sean replied. Then he took Bash’s hand and led him toward the door to the bedroom. “I need you right now, more than I need to breathe. I feel safe only in your arms.”
It was stupid, and dangerous, and could get them both killed, but Bash didn’t care anymore. If he was going to die, let it be knowing he could make Sean happy.
22
“La! Hadha ghayr maqbul tmaman , lan ‘asmah bihi!”
Bash concentrated hard as he tried to decipher the liquid Akkadian dialect, but the best he could get was a stern “no” and something about whatever it was being unacceptable. It helped that Sheik Majid was frowning and had spoken in a harsh tone, but despite the study he’d put in, Bash still wasn’t as proficient at language as he might desire — although given Sean’s relaxed posture, his proficiency insomeareas, at least, was more than adequate. It made the risk they’d taken the previous evening worth it, at least from Bash’s perspective.
Several others in the room, however, were quite tense as Majid continued his diatribe. The meeting concerned some aspects of Akkadian gas and oil production that Bash might not have been able to follow even if it had been in English, so he tuned out the words being spoken and concentrated on the expressions and posture of the attendees. Majid was angry and frustrated while Sheik Khaleel, the Minister for Internal Affairs, was frowning but thoughtful. The Defense Minister, Sheik Amir, was almost as angry as Majid, but seemed to oppose Majid’s position on the issue. There seemed to be deeper nuances in play as well, since Majid’s posture was also defensive. No doubt he meant his crossed arms and scowl to seem strong, but there was also a hint of desperation about it, as though the subject they were discussing mattered on a deeper level than he was willing to admit.
Politics, Bash sighed internally.If the stakes weren’t so damned high, I’d want Sean to tell them all to just do their damned jobs and not bother him with their games of departmental rivalry.
“I think we have reached an impasse,” Sean said finally, reverting to English. Given they’d been at it for almost two hours, he probably wanted to make sure Bash was ready in case things got even more heated than they were.
“I agree,” Khaleel said, his quiet words causing his combative colleagues to turn to him. He smiled slightly and shrugged. “Come now. You both know you are stubborn and neither will give an inch. I suggest we continue the oil exports as we have been for the past year until King Faisal has recovered enough to give his opinion on the matter.” He inclined his head to Sean. “No disrespect, Your Highness, but I doubt you have had time to fully assimilate the complexities of our economic situation in regards to our contracts with our trading partners. If you like, I would be quite happy to provide you with a briefing on how it is currently handled, as well as King Faisal’s recent thoughts on the matter.”
Sean nodded, smiling slightly. “I would like a briefing. I feel like I’m not seeing the entire picture. Following my grandfather’s previous policy seems the best plan, rather than attempting to change anything without his approval.” He stood. “Good day, gentlemen.”
Majid’s frustration was evident, while Amir’s smile was more than a little smug, but all three of the ministers rose to their feet, bowed to Sean, and then exited the room. When the door shut behind them, Sean dropped back into his chair.
“I’d rather face a twelve-hour operation with complications rather than go through this every day.” He gave Bash a rueful smile. “I’m out of my depth, and it shows, doesn’t it?”
