Royal Love

Readers Love John Simpson

Rolling Thunder

“This is one of the more serious books of the series and I loved where the story took us. I highly recommend this book and this entire series.”

—The Novel Approach

“The characters are well drawn and the plot moves swiftly and keeps the reader on edge. There is not a lot of erotica and we are more concerned with the human relationship rather than the sexual.”

—Reviews by Amos Lassen

Condor One Series

“
Condor and Falcon
follows well to the previous stories and completes the series perfectly. I recommend it and the series to those who like political intrigue and action in with their romance…”

—Reviews by Jessewave

“I love that John put so much ‘real’ into the scenes. Nothing was forced; there were no fake feelings between the men. They are real men in the story with real man needs and there was no beating around the bush about it. Sex is sex but when love comes to light it makes it that much more.”

—Top 2 Bottom Reviews

“All in all a brilliant story that I will recommend to everyone and advise them to buy, a definite for the ‘read now’ list.”

—MM Good Reviews

By
J
OHN
S
IMPSON

N
OVELS

Alex and Clayton

Badges (Anthology)

Def Con One

Irish Winter

Jack and Dave

Peter’s Chair

M
URDER
M
OST
G
AY
S
ERIES

Murder Most Gay • Task Force • The Rent Boy Murders

Murder on a Queen • Rolling Thunder

C
ONDOR
O
NE
SERIES

Condor One • Talons of the Condor • Condor and Falcon

Out of the Gilded Cage • Condor and the Crown • Royal Love

N
OVELLAS

The Barracks Affair

Beach House

Carpathian Intrigue

The Ghosts of Stanton Hall

Hard Streets

Naval Maneuvers

Pirate Booty

School of Discipline

Wolf’s Head Inn

M
URDER
M
OST
G
AY
S
ERIES

Four Grooms and a Queen

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Published by

Dreamspinner Press

5032 Capital Circle SW
Suite 2, PMB# 279
Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886

USA

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. 

Royal Love

© 2014 John Simpson.

Cover Art

© 2014 Maria Fanning.

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.

ISBN: 978-1-62798-400-3

Digital ISBN: 978-1-62798-399-0

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

January 2014

This book is dedicated to the persecuted LGBT community in Russia.

L
IFE
FINALLY
seemed to be settling back to normal for David Windsor’s extended family. His adopted son Jack’s therapy had progressed well after his kidnapping and rescue. He was back in school, albeit with a team of bodyguards. Mary, David’s secretary, was in the office just outside his, running the London embassy the same way she’d run the White House. Shane Thompson-Windsor, David’s husband, was back in security where he belonged, and David had resumed his full duties as ambassador to the United Kingdom.

One typically busy morning, Shane entered David’s office and sat down.

“What’s up?” David asked. It wasn’t unusual for Shane to drop in unannounced, but David knew Shane’s body language well and could see he had news.

“We’ve heard back from State on our request for an increased security budget. After some wrangling, it’s been approved. All of our requests were granted.”

“How long before the improvements are actually in place?”

“The changes will be gradual, of course, owing to restrictions on time and personnel. The biggest job will be putting in the driveway barriers. There’s a lot of digging to be done and miles of wiring to be put in. But once they’re activated, a normal vehicle will not be able to get through them. That’s why you’ll find them at locations that host top priority security risks, like the president, for instance.”

“So when do we get started?”

“The special windows should arrive in about ten days, and we’ll begin installing them in high security areas the very next day. Eventually all the windows will be replaced.”

“This might be a stupid question, but I’ll ask anyway. Have these windows been tested against RPGs and other types of rocket-propelled explosives?”

“It’s not a stupid question, and the answer is yes. They’ve been tested and withstood the strike. Of course, the manufacturer recommends they be replaced if they’re ever hit, as they will have been weakened.”

“That sounds good. Do we need them at Winfield House?”

“I would put them in at the critical areas of the house. But once you start, you might as well just do the entire house. The world doesn’t promise to get better anytime soon.”

“Okay, I place that entire matter into your hands and the hands of the State Department. I suppose if the president is going to be a guest once in a while, the Secret Service would rest easier if the house is ‘up armored.’”

Mary knocked on the doorframe and entered.

“Excuse me. Darren is on line two for you, David.”

“Thanks, dear,” David said before picking up the phone. “Hi, Darren, what’s up?”

“Hi, Uncle David. I was wondering if it would it be all right to have Michael over for dinner before we go out to a club.”

“I take it you mean Prince Michael?”

“He’s the only Michael in my life. Well, other than Sergeant Michael Ross, and I’m not going out on a date with my superior officer!”

David chuckled. “Those plans sound fine, Darren, but you have to have bodyguards with you. Don’t forget your promise to your mother and me. You don’t go anywhere without a security detail, especially when you’re with a member of the royal family. Okay?”

“I remember. We’ll be careful. So, you don’t mind him joining us for dinner?”

“It’ll be a pleasure. See you this evening.”

“I take it we have company tonight?” Shane asked.

“Yes. The lovebirds are flying in for dinner and then going out on the town. Please make sure that security is notified and a sufficient detail goes with them.”

“I’ll get on it now. Ahhh, young love, remember it?”

“You talk like we’re over a hundred! Now go! I have work to do.”

Laughing, Shane retreated from the office and stopped at Mary’s desk to share the humor.

“A
IRMAN
W
ILSON
,
file these security schedules, post a copy on the board, and then you’re done for the week,” directed Sergeant Ross.

“Yes, Sergeant.”

Darren finished his duties for the day and headed home to shower for his date with Michael. The prince was due at the house at five thirty for a drink, then dinner, and a Friday night out on the town.

As he bounded up the stairs two at a time, a broad smile lit his face at the thought of seeing “his Michael” again. It had been over a week since they were last together, but it seemed more like a year. He jumped in the shower and shaved, then selected his favorite cologne and practically bathed in it.

He put on his sexiest underwear, just in case it got to that point. Michael found men’s underwear a turn-on, and Darren had no problem indulging that fetish to the fullest.

He pulled a total of seven shirts out of his closet before putting them all back in favor of a black T-shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror and nodded his approval.

From downstairs, Darren heard his uncles’ voices and the squeals of the puppies, who were getting bigger every day. He heard running footsteps, and then Jack flung open the door to his bedroom.

“They’re home!” Jack announced.

“Thanks, but I asked you to knock before coming in. I could have been naked from the shower.”

“So? You act like I’ve never seen your pecker before!” Jack laughed.

“You enjoyed that one, didn’t you?”

“Yep, sure did. Anyway, come on down and join us in the living room.”

“Okay, be down in a second.”

Jack took off as quickly as he had arrived. Darren just shook his head and smiled. He really loved Jack, and it was a good feeling to know his uncles had a son. What a lucky boy Jack was.

Downstairs, the family was gathering at the end of the workday and the beginning of the weekend. Cocktails were being served.

“How was your day at school, Jack?” Shane asked.

“Pretty good. The kids don’t even look at my security detail anymore. They’ve become part of the furniture.”

“That’s the way it should be. The key to good security is to be noticed as little as possible, unless it provides a strategic purpose.”

Darren swept into the room looking very good in all black.

“Well, don’t you look nice?” David said.

“Thank you, Uncle David.”

“He thinks he’s getting laid tonight, Dad,” Jack said with a chuckle.

David just sighed as Shane said, “Jack, please. It’s impolite to comment on something so personal, even if it’s just us.”