Secured Mail (12 page)

“We have been warned that a certain entertainment show, The
Daily Scream
with Mick Jarvis, plans on running an exposé piece about the queen and her bodyguards.”

Thea frowned. “We have received no information about this and we certainly wouldn’t have sanctioned any release of information to that particular show.”

“That’s what I thought.” The king’s hard gaze swept over them. “We intend to cooperate with you fully to ensure that this invasion into our privacy is avoided.”

Matt sat forward. “Of course, Sire, we’d be happy to help.” He hesitated, “What exactly is Mick Jarvis proposing to show?”

Sven leaned forward and laid a series of blurred still-images on the table. “This is what we received.”

Matt and Thea both picked one up. Thea tried to make out the indistinct black and white images.

“It looks like a pile of bodies.”

“It is.” Matt passed Thea the piece of paper he held. It was a color version of the same scene. Thea’s stomach clenched as she focused on a familiar shock of dark red hair. She tried to keep her voice from trembling.

“Well, one of the guys looks like Mr. Magnusson.”

“You are correct, Ms. Cooper.” The queen answered, her worried gaze flicked between Sven who sat in stony silence beside her, to Thea and Matt. “And the others would be Harlan, Bron and…me.”

Thea couldn’t help but stare at the king who looked remarkably calm. He met her gaze and smiled.

“I can see that you believe I have been…what is that charming Earth expression?

Ah, yes, cuckolded.”

Matt gathered up the papers and cleared his throat. “With all due respect, Sire, that is a reasonable assumption to make.”

The king shrugged. “Our customs are different on Valhalla. When I am not able to pleasure the queen, I rely on my wife’s servers to keep her satisfied and ready to mate with me on my return.”

“Ah, I see.”

Thea looked down at her hands, her fingers were shaking. The blurred image of Sven’s red hair against the pale skin of the queen’s breast as he suckled her had burned itself into her brain. He’d lied to her. She wasn’t stupid, his allegiance to the queen was far more important to him than anything he might feel for her. She’d been used. The king had come back to claim his wife and Sven had obviously decided he needed an outlet for his sexual energy. And Thea had been all too eager to oblige. Exactly why had she gotten involved with someone she had to work with again?

She realized Matt was speaking and gathered her shattered attention.

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Kate Pearce

“What exactly do you want us to do, Sire?”

“I would prefer that these pictures or any film footage not be released to the public.

They are likely to be misunderstood and I will not have my queen’s reputation smeared on her own planet.”

There was an underlying note of steel in the king’s politely worded request that made Matt sit up straight.

“Of course, I’ll talk to the President and our lawyers. As a welcome ambassador to our planet, you will be afforded all the protection our laws can supply.”

The king inclined his head. “I appreciate that. If you need our help, please liaise with Sven.” He stood up and drew the queen to her feet. “We will be with our son, awaiting your report.”

Matt and Thea stood up as the king and queen made their exit. Sven hung back, his gaze fixed on Thea. She deliberately avoided his eyes and turned to Matt.

“I’ll see you later. I have some security details to review regarding the positioning of the camera that took those photos. Let me know if there are any developments.”

Sven caught her arm as she rushed past him.

“Thea…”

She pulled out of his grasp. “Excuse me, Mr. Magnusson, but I have a lot of work to do. Perhaps you’d be better off consoling your queen?”

His expression darkened. “I wish to speak with you, not the queen. Why do you think I asked if you could sit in on that meeting? I wanted you to hear the truth. The queen already understands what is going on. You don’t.”

She gave him her best death-ray glare. “I think I do. You aren’t the first man I’ve dated who’s turned out to be a two-timing rat bastard.”

She managed to get into the hallway and keep going until she reached the sanctuary of her office. Ten seconds later, Sven barged in and shut the door with a resounding crash behind him.

“Thea, you do not understand. “

“It’s Ms. Cooper, to you.”

He ignored her and advanced two steps closer until she was pressed up against her desk. He placed his hands flat on the surface, caging her between them.

“How can you try to distance yourself from me after the night we shared? You honored me with your body, you gave me a taste of paradise.”

“Wow, are you saying I’m a better lay than the queen? Thanks.”

His jaw tightened. “My relationship with the queen is not the same.”

“Oh right, its part of your job description isn’t it? I forgot. Fuck the queen when the king’s away.”

“It is not like that.”

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“Can you honestly say that you haven’t been with her? You told me that you’d only had sex with one woman, ever! Or was that another lie?”

He took a deep shuddering breath. “Thea, the queen has nothing to do with how I feel about you. With you, it is different. It is what I want, not what my culture dictates.”

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. He’d completely avoided answering the question. She managed a brittle laugh.

“Poor little Sven. Don’t worry about it. We’re done anyway.”

He held her gaze. “What do you mean?”

“It was just business.”

Sven went still.

“Matt asked me to get close to you so that I could give him better information. He knows I never sleep with any man more than once.”

“You lie.”

The low menacing rumble of Sven’s voice made Thea tighten her grip on the edge of the table.

“Ask Matt. He’ll tell you. So we’re even. Sleeping with you was just part of my job description too.”

He took a step back, his expression lethal.

“Do you fuck every male your boss asks you to?”

“Do you fuck every female the king asks you to?”

Sven closed his eyes. “I was going to ask you to come back to Valhalla and be my one true mate, but it seems I was deceived.” He bowed. “I beg your pardon.”

Thea could only watch as he turned and walked away from her, closing the door with a firm click behind him. She felt the hot sting of tears on her cheeks and let them fall as she continued to stare into the nothingness her love life had suddenly become.

“We’ve managed to prevent Mick Jarvis from using the footage tonight, but, as the queen probably knows, these things have a way of leaking out. This is what we propose.”

Sven let out his breath as Matt Logan looked expectantly at the king. The Valhallans were so large they made Matt’s office feel as small as the queen’s closet. And where was Thea? Sven’s gut clenched as he registered her absence.

“I am glad to hear you have been successful.” Marcus inclined his head. “My Queen and I appreciate your efforts. What can we do to help you in return?”

“We’re going to move the photo shoot with
Greetings
! magazine forward to this afternoon and make sure the article that accompanies the photos makes the um, slightly more ambivalent sexual customs on Valhalla clearer to the public, without spelling them out, of course.” Matt tugged at his tie. “Hopefully that will lessen the impact of any photos that are released illegally.”

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Kate Pearce

“That seems like a workable plan.”

Matt nodded. “I’m glad you think so. The other thing we believe might be beneficial is to speed up your departure to Valhalla. We had planned to leave in two weeks but we believe we might be able to make it in less than one.”

The king frowned. “We do not wish to look as if we are running away. We are not ashamed of our planet’s customs.”

“I understand that, Sire.”

“Then I agree.”

Sven hardly noticed the relief on Matt Logan’s face as he turned away from the king. He moved swiftly toward the door and blocked Matt’s exit.

“Where is Ms. Cooper?”

“Nowhere she wants you to find her, buddy.”

The hostility in Matt’s voice made Sven narrow his eyes. Matt moved past him forcing Sven to catch him up in the hallway.

“I repeat. Where is she?”

“Trust me, you don’t want to know. You’re not her favorite person at the moment.”

“And what does this have to do with you? Are you her messenger boy?”

“Nope, I’m her friend and I’m not prepared to see another selfish jerk trample her feelings into the ground. Christ, I’d just got her to dip her toe into dating again after Mark and you turn up and set her back 5 freaking years.”

Who was Mark
? A wave of raw jealousy shuddered through Sven. Oblivious to the people around him, he grabbed Matt by the shirt.

“I am losing patience. Where is she?”

Matt met his threatening glare head on. “Out checking the perimeter fence, you dickhead, but I wouldn’t go chasing after her. She’ll probably shoot you on sight.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Sven shoved Matt against the wall and headed down the stairs. Thea had avoided him all morning. He wasn’t prepared to give her too many chances to escape him again.

“Sven.”

He kept walking until he reached the garden, aware that someone was following him but too intent on his quest to care.

“Sven, stop.”

He came to a halt, half-turned and realized the king was behind him.

“Sire?”

“Leave Ms. Cooper be.”

Sven took a slow breath. “Sire, I can’t do that.”

“You must.”

“I…owe her an explanation. She thinks I have been intimate with the queen.”

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The king half-smiled. “You have.”

“Sire, I have only acted on your orders and in accordance with my vows to serve your consort.”

The king folded his arms across his massive chest. “Then it is my fault? You told me you were honored to serve my queen. Have you not enjoyed your duties?”

“That is not what I meant. I hold the queen in high regard.”

Sven looked anywhere but at the king. How in Odin’s name had he become embroiled in such a personal conversation? His feelings for Thea were far too raw to be shared. The king reached him and lightly touched his shoulder.

“Sven, you will have plenty of time to sort things out with Ms. Cooper after we reach Valhalla. Let her calm down. When she sees how we live, she might be more amenable to listening to you.”

“She is hardly likely to come to Valhalla now, is she?”

“She will if the queen and I insist.”

Sven finally met the king’s gaze. “Thank you, Sire.”

Marcus punched him hard on the shoulder. “Thank the queen. She has taught me a lot about how to deal with Earth females over the last year.”

Thea glanced at the clock. Thank god the day was almost over. She’d had to endure three hours of watching the king and the Valhallan court pose for
Greetings!
magazine.

The only thing that had raised her level of misery was that Sven hadn’t managed to crack a smile once, even after the photographer had insisted. How many cheesy shots of the king and queen cooing over their son could a planet want to see? Thousands, if the
Greetings
! staff were to be believed.

“Happy family, my foot,” Thea muttered. No wonder everyone was so happy when they got all the sex they wanted whenever they wanted it. And to think she’d felt bad for Sven when he’d suggested he’d only known one other woman in his life. As far as he was concerned, he’d simply had a scheduling problem trying to do both women at the same time.

She put away her files and shut off her communication system. At least she hadn’t suggested they get together again. Her pride couldn’t have taken another blow. A quick work-out in the gym should relieve some of the stress she’d accumulated throughout the day and stretch the soreness out of her overused muscles. Sven hadn’t bothered to come and find her since their initial confrontation in her office. Part of her had hoped he would…

“Traitor.” Thea admonished her own body as her hormones leaped to attention, completely failing to understand why she wasn’t going to be leaping into the sack with Sven every night. She sure hoped the gym was deserted.

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Kate Pearce

She was granted her wish and soon settled into her usual exercise routine. After failing to reach any of her personal bests, a grueling stint on the treadmill seemed the only suitable way to end her less than perfect day.

When the gym door opened, she glanced up, and saw Harlan, one of the other Valhallan bodyguards. Although he was tall, he wasn’t quite as broad as Sven. His hair was black and long, drawn away from the high cheekbones of his face. His frame was muscular without the slight stockiness of Sven’s and his legs seemed to go on forever.

She frowned at him. Why was she even bothering to compare him to Sven? Sven was
so
not her ideal man.

Harlan bowed, his long black braid sliding over his shoulder. “May I join you, my lady?”

“It’s a free country.”

He paused by the abs machine. “I do not understand what that has to do with my working out alongside you.”

“I mean, the gym is open for all, so be my guest.”

Harlan stripped down to his shorts and headed for the machine beside her. He fiddled with the controls and set a fast jogging pace. To Thea’s annoyance, unlike her, he didn’t even break into a sweat or start to breathe harder. She stared straight ahead of her and kept jogging until her legs felt like lead.

“Did you enjoy your mating with Sven?”

Thea stopped abruptly and just remembered to turn off the machine before she fell flat on her ass. “Wow, you’re very direct, aren’t you?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I have offended you?”

“Oh no, that’s what we do here on Earth, we always discuss our love lives with the first person who asks for details.”

“I have offended you. Forgive me. We were all so delighted when Sven spent the night with you.”