The Lover

Chapter 2

Liam

‘Out of the question. No way. No,’ Amina shakes her head vehemently, pulling the cardigan even tighter around her.

‘Why are you acting like that? It’s actually warmer than usual, for the season.’

‘It’s fifteen degrees.’

‘Exactly. Quite warm,’ I say, spreading my arms. I wink at her, even take a step in her direction.

She takes two steps backwards and points at me menacingly. Yet, no matter how serious she is trying to look, she can’t.

‘Stay where you are. I’m not kidding.’

‘Just a little, to the waist. Stop fussing! It’s only water,’ I keep teasing her, trying to grab her, but she jumps to the side and begins to back from me in the sand, towards the house.

‘The water is cold!’ she screams, but soon her breath is caught inside her, because Dylan picks her up from behind, and spins her around him.

‘Come no, my beauty. Now show us how daring you are,’ he shouts, and taking Amina on his shoulder, he starts to walk with her to the sea.

‘I’m not. Not at all!’ she screams, hitting his back, kicking about, but all she achieves is that Dylan slaps her butt.

The water’s temperature is no more than fourteen degrees, but it doesn’t matter. Back when we were kids, Dylan and I made a rule that whenever we are in Greenhaven – be it winter, summer or anything in between – we will take a dip in the water to prove how butch we are. We have never broken this tradition, now the only difference is Dylan wants to make Amina cooperate. Other than us, no one is stupid enough to want to swim in this season, wherever I look, the coast is deserted, there isn’t another soul here at this time.

My bro is at this point up to his knees in the waves, and he is not about to stop. Good God! He is not going to actually throw her in the water, is he? Savage that he is, he would do that anytime.

I follow them with a grin, just to be around in case Amina has to be saved from the water. Dylan lifts her off his shoulder, and holding her butt, pulls her to his front. Amina wraps her legs around his waist, clinging to him like a little monkey. Now only the tips of her toes are wet, but I have the feeling this will change soon.

Amina narrows her eyes, and turning her head to the side, she says with strictness:

‘You bastard. You won’t dare.’

Fuck it. I dig my fingers into my hair and lift my face to the sky. She shouldn’t have said that. Dylan’s eyes glitter at once as a response to the challenge, and he pulls a cheeky grin.

‘Oh, baby. You still underestimate me.’ He lifts her up, and with firm footsteps, continues to walk into the depths.

Amina holds on to his neck and screams as the cold water reaches her calves, thighs, then her butt.

‘Oh, this is horrible! Icy. Please, Dylan. Stop!’ she begs him.

She visibly changes her tactic, begins to kiss Dylan’s neck, in case she can have a better influence.

‘So, you’re not having a swim with me?’

‘Not here. Later in the jacuzzi, I promise.’

‘That’s no jacuzzi, sweetheart.’

‘Whatever. In the thing where the water is warm,’ she continues, and Dylan finally stops. He pretends that he wants to drop her. Another scream.

‘Oh, you…’

He leans forward, Mina’s butt sinks into the water.

‘What do you want to call me? Well?’

‘Whatever you want,’ she answers, half laughing, half angry.

‘Who is the King of Greenhaven?’ Dylan shouts into the wind like a brute, and my chin drops.

I have never ever seen him act like this with a woman. He has never been so… carefree and relaxed. I don’t think Amina is aware of what she triggers in him, but I know him better, and I can see this is a completely different person.

‘You are. You are,’ Mina surrenders with laughter, and Dylan kisses into her neck. He kisses her one more time deeply on the mouth before turning to face me.

‘You’re in luck, girl. Come on, bro, take her before I change my mind.’

I take Amina into my arms, and she at once cuddles to me with dedication. We watch the almost syrupy scene as, in front of the setting disk of the sun, Dylan throws himself into the water and then, a few yards away, he emerges.

‘Are you sure you don’t feel like a swim?’

‘I hate cold water,’ she says, pouting her lips. She is just adorable. ‘I’ll wait until it’s thirty degrees.’

You can wait for that – I snigger inside, because this part of the North Atlantic Ocean only warms up to twenty degrees, even in the summer. But I don’t want to discourage her, so I just kiss her eagerly as a response, and begin to walk out of the water. It feels good that she doesn’t ask me to put her down when we reach the sandy part. She cuddles me tight while I carry her up to the veranda.

‘Thank you,’ she smiles as I put her down and cover her with a large beach towel.

‘Just don’t catch a cold, okay?’

‘I’m more worried about you guys,’ she answers, and spreads her arms, inviting me to join her under the beach towel.

I cast a glance at the water behind my back, then decide that a few minutes will not make any difference. Dylan will tease me to death because of this, but Amina’s hard n*****s are way too tempting, I can’t resist them. I cuddle to her, letting her spread the towel over my shoulders. We kiss for some minutes, and her contented little sighs and the taste of her tongue in my mouth begin to drive me crazy. My d**k comes to life quicker than it would be expected in my shorts so soaked with cold water, and it already presses stiff against Amina’s belly. I have to draw myself back a little to clear my head.

‘Do you like it here?’ I ask, trying to concentrate on the fourteen-degree-cold sea water.

‘It’s gorgeous. Now I get why you like to come here. There is something… how shall I put it?... something soothing about it. A healing radiance.

I know exactly what she means. That’s Greenhaven. Everybody who has spent some time here can feel the uniqueness of the location, the house.

‘Did your parents buy it?’ she asks turning around, pressing her back against my belly. She is watching Dylan fooling around in the waves.

‘My grandparents did after arriving here, after 1956.’

‘Wow, that was a long time ago. But way just a sec,’ she looks up at me, furrowing her brow. ‘Did you say, after arriving in England? They weren’t born here?’

‘My grandparents are Hungarian, they were born in Budapest, but in 56, after the revolution failed against the Soviets, they fled. At first they settled here in Cornwall, then moved to London later, but they kept the house.’

‘Wow, that’s tough. So that means you speak Hungarian?’

I laugh out loud. Out of the question.

‘Neither I, nor my sister can. My grandfather hated the political system so much that after they immigrated, they didn’t really use their mother tongue much. My mother was no more than half a year old when they left, and they mostly used English with her as well. She doesn’t really speak the language either, she only gave my sister a Hungarian-sounding name, perhaps out of sentimentality, I don’t know,’ I say, shrugging my shoulders.

‘Liliana,’ Amina whispers my sister’s name while staring at the sky, dreamily. ‘What a beautiful name.’

I kiss into her hair, trying to recall my Hungarian words in order to impress her, but all I can remember is I love you and I’m hungry. After some thinking I say the latter out loud, not because the first one would be totally irrelevant, but I’m afraid I might scare Amina with it.

‘Sounds exotic.’

Before I could answer, Dylan begins to shout and wave at us, but I can’t make out much else than the words arse and soft d**k. I get out from under the towel, kiss my shivering princess on the mouth, and jog down into the sand from the veranda. I turn around as Amina shouts my name.

When can I sit in this thing?’ she asks, nodding towards the wooden tub.

‘Soon. Push the lid to the side and check the temperature. It should be good as the fire has been burning under it since last night,’ I wink at her, then start running towards the sea.

＊

I feel like queen Cleopatra while sipping tea and getting cool in the oversized barrel named tub, which is set in the sand, in front of the veranda. This temperature is much more to my liking than the freezing cold sea. I feel great and can’t stop grinning while I watch the two clowns in a fight, trying to press each other under the water. Everything is so idyllic and perfect now that if it was in my power, I would slow down time, so this weekend would never end. I don’t think any of us is really in the mood to go back to London. Liam is simply adorable and Dylan is so liberated as I have never seen him before. And I… well… I’m happy and thankful for all of this.

I enjoy the warm water relaxing, and recalling every single detail of last night. I analyse every word spoken, every move and feeling, going through the minute details, and almost with obsession, looking for the possibility of it all having been a mistake. So that I can say, I shouldn’t have done these things, I have regretted everything, but I just can’t do that. I can’t label either a sin or a mistake what happened last night, because it was wonderful, just as it happened. I would do it all again anytime.

I have always believed that if I give myself to someone, I would only ever do it out of love, and not because someone has ordered whom I should share my bed with. That was the reason I ran away from home.

My hand stops in the air with the tea cup, and I stare into the greying horizon with astonishment. The soaking wet bodies of two men rise out of the water, and walking side by side, they both start towards the house. Towards me. And then I understand, what has happened is exactly what I have believed in. I gave myself to them out of love, exactly as I have always wanted to. I’m head over heels in love, except, strangely, with both of them.

I’m still under the impact of this recognition when they stop before me, tall and strong, towering above me. The sight is overwhelming, I almost can’t move as slowly and with pleasure, I scan them both with my eyes. Dylan, the restrained strength, wildness, feelings of hurt, a solitary fighter who looks in the face of the world all alone. Liam, with his wounded soul, the embodiment of protection and nobility in the body of a s*x god. I love these men with all my heart, whether my feelings are right or wrong. I don’t know what will come out of this, I have no clue what will happen when we leave Greenhaven, but as long as this heaven on earth lasts, I want to enjoy every moment. I cast the doubting, accusing thoughts to the depth of my mind, and surrender to the feeling that is so strong in me that it blurs everything else.

‘Are you all right?’ Liam asks, studying my face with worry while Dylan is washing the salty seawater off his body, sneezing.

I lick my lower lip and nod.

‘You must be frozen to the core. I was freezing just watching you – I shiver, hoping I won’t sit alone in the warm water for long.

Liam tenses his impressive muscles, like a bodybuilder, all the time trying to make a serious face for his show. Needless to say, I can’t be more impressed.

‘No way! For us this is normal. Right, Dylan?’ he nods towards the sea nonchalantly.

I smile to myself. he is so sweet I just can’t take it. Just then, Dylan steps out of the shower and shaking his head, he nudges his friend in the shoulder. He is apparently not as impressed with Liam’s performance as I am.

‘You’d better just jump into the warm water as soon as you can, bro. Then your d**k just might come out of your arse.’

Liam nudges him back, and they begin to tussle again, but I have already learned that this is part of their communication. It doesn’t contain real aggression. Unlike yesterday, when they were talking on the veranda and the air was sparkling around them, charged with tension. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had fought, but this is now just a game of two oversized kids.

‘You just don’t worry about my d**k! There’s nothing wrong with it, and I will soon prove it to you.’

He winks at me, and I turn red. Good Lord! Are these two really having an argument about their p*****s?

‘All right,’ Dylan rolls his eyes. ‘I will go and put something together for dinner.’

This is your coolest idea today, bro,’ Liam agrees, and he lowers his… wait… he lowers his swimming trunks?

‘What are you doing?’ I ask in shock.

I can’t take my eyes off his manliness, with which, as he mentioned before, there is nothing wrong indeed. There is no sign of the cold water’s shrinking effect on it.

‘I’ll pop in next to you, if you don’t mind,’ he says as if it was the most natural thing.

I look around with embarrassment, but there isn’t a soul on the beach, and it has got dark by now. The knowledge that we are practically at a public place – because, although the tub is right next to the veranda, the sand of the beach is considered public – I still feel awkward about it.

‘Naked?’

‘That’s the best,’ he winks at me, and is already in the water, beside me. He sits down and immediately pulls me onto his lap, putting a finger under the edge of my underwear. ‘You should also get rid of this thing. It would be much more comfortable.’

His mouth is pressed over mine with hunger, he eagerly sucks my tongue in, and at once, I feel a pulsation between my legs. I run my fingers through his hair, I pull even closer to him, so I can feel his excitement against my thigh. It’s hot, much warmer than the water that surrounds us. As I rub myself against it, almost second by second I feel it growing and hardening. Within moments, I forget all my concerns of bathing naked just before, and I readily push myself against his palm. One of his hands slides up between my thighs and pushes my knickers to the side so as to gain access. Every lustful touch of his finger makes me lose my inhibitions, and they are replaced by heated desire.

‘There is nothing you should worry about, dear,’ he whispers into my mouth, while his hand is skilfully working between my legs. ‘Nobody comes here. We are on our own.’

My response is only a sigh of agreement. A pink fog descends on my brain, my thoughts slow down, there are no words coming to my mouth. The place, the situation, Liam, my feelings, so many powerful impulses at the same time that I feel like I’m losing the ground from under my feet, caught up in the sensual desire.

‘I want you so much. Here and now. Please, Mina,’ he stutters impatiently.

He doesn’t need to plead; I want him just as much. Without interrupting our kiss, I put a leg over his thigh, getting myself into riding position. His body shivers when he grabs himself and rubs his p***s against my entrance. We groan in sync as he starts to squeeze himself inside me. I’m impatient, I help him a little by moving my hips forward. Liam curses out loud, wildly scratching into my hair.

‘You don’t want to do that.’

We both freeze at Dylan’s pervasive, deep voice coming from the veranda. Liam’s forehead is pressed against mine, while we stare into each other’s eyes, panting. What could that mean?

‘You don’t want to do it without a condom, do you?’

Liam’s eyes grow large, an expression of shock spreads on his face. he wasn’t the only one forgetting about the condom, I did just the same. Hell, how could we be so irresponsible? I’m not on the pill yet, but it is my firm resolution to start it soon.

‘Oh f**k. Please don’t move now, Amina,’ he moans, grabbing both my shoulders, and holding me in place. ‘Damn…’ he curses, cautiously pulling himself out of me. He turns his face to the sky, closes his eyes, running a palm over his face. ‘s**t, Amina… I…’

‘It’s nothing,’ I calm him, because he looks crestfallen. ‘We still have some, right?’

I don’t know if my voice sounds so desperate or whether I say it in such a funny way, but Liam breaks into a grin.

‘In great quantity, my beauty.’

‘Okay then,’ I smile with him, hearing Dylan’s whistle from the door.

Liam picks up his head, and reaches out just in time to catch the condom package flying towards us. I slide off his lap, he stands up and rips it open with his teeth. I have never seen anything like that before. It’s hot as hell.

‘Do you want to do it?’ he asks, reaching the condom towards me.

I bite into my lip and nod with excitement. I take it into my hand, feeling even on my moist fingers how slippery the texture is. I’m in a kneeling position, so I am exactly facing Liam’s proudly erect d**k, which is just too sexy, and I really need to compose myself so my fingers won’t shake too much. Plus, out of the corner of my eye I see that Dylan, standing at the top of the veranda steps, watches my every move. I blink up at Liam a little clueless, he is breathing with his mouth open, holding onto the edge of the tub with one hand. He puts a lot of effort into standing firm.

‘First see in which direction you can roll it down,’ Dylan says in the background with a calm, rough voice.

Following his advice, I quickly find out, and when I am done, the next instruction comes.

‘Hold the end with two fingers and put it over the bowl. That’s it, baby. Hold your hand there, and start rolling it down with the other hand.’

I try to do as he says, but it’s not so easy. I hold the rubber with my palm, it’s too slippery. I try again, with a firmer grip.

‘Damn!’ Liam moans, and I look up, terrified.

‘Am I doing it wrong?’

He puts his hand on mine and gives a squeeze at the stem. His chest heaves up and down as he takes deep breaths.

‘I think you are too good,’ Dylan grins naughtily. ‘The aim is to get the condom full at the end, but your hand on his d**k is so sexy, he can hardly manage it…’

Liam snorts, and turns towards Dylan with anger.

‘Don’t you have something to do in the kitchen? I can handle it from here…’

Dylan lifts up his hands and fixes the front of his trunks, which is suspiciously bulging forward.

Liam helps me do the condom, and when he sees that everything is in place, he sits back and pulls me back on his lap. He lifts me slightly so I can be on top, I push the edge of my knickers to the side, and he slowly starts to lower me.

‘Where were we?’

‘Oh God, I think… right here,’ I whimper, as I sense the tension in my groin.

‘He is right about one thing… the bastard,’ he pants. ‘I really do lose control as soon as… you put your hand on me. My d**k wants to burst with my brain, every time you touch me.’

While he says these things, he grabs my hips and pulls me into him. Amidst the feverish pleasure there is one single thing I am able to sense other than him. Dylan stands leaning against the doorframe, spreading his legs slightly, watching us. His shorts are hanging loose and sexy off his hips, his hand disappears under the fabric and begins to pump at an even speed.

＊

On Liam’s computer, I am searching for gynaecologists practising in our area, to sort out the pill issue, but with not much luck, as my attention keeps wandering away. I am curled on the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand, and I take delight in watching them both standing on a ladder on the veranda, passing tools between each other and fixing the shutters on the windows. Last night it turned out quite quickly that none of us felt like going back to London. After the amazing s*x on the beach, and following Dylan’s fantastic broccoli beef dinner, it would have been a torture to do the three-hour drive at night. It’s silly, really, because we all know we can’t keep hiding from the world forever in Greenhaven, but we have kept this day to ourselves. Liam has cancelled his patients for today through his assistant, Dylan phoned Collin to tell him he would have to manage the day on his own, and I… well, I will skip a few lectures.

I have been in seventh heaven since the moment I woke up in the morning between the two most fantastic, and without a doubt, sexiest men in the world. I was awoken up in the most unique way. I had no idea it was possible to start the day like this, and I’m afraid, I could quickly get addicted to this pampering. I don’t have much experience in this field, but to me it seems the boys’ s****l appetite is insatiable. As if every moment, anywhere and anytime they would be ready for s*x.

So, we had a long and lazy time, then had an imperial breakfast and walked on the beach. And now, sipping on a hot chocolate I watch Liam and Dylan, playing repairmen. I used to believe a sexy, white-coated doctor or a black-coated cook could not be exceeded in sensuality, but this theory of mine crumbled to nothing as soon as Dylan appeared with a tool belt around his waist, and Liam with a hammer in his hand.

The noises of my cell phone wakes me from my musings. It signals the battery is now charged enough and the phone can function again. Yesterday, for obvious reasons, I didn’t even think of my mobile, so by this morning it had powered down and switched itself off. I take it in my hand, and immediately see that yesterday I received a message from Sven. This is a big surprise, because Raven’s new boyfriend has never written me before. We last spoke when I used his f*******: profile and texted Selina via messenger. With excitement, I open the text, and quickly run through his lines.

Hi Amina! How are you? It’s been a while we talked.

Your friend whom you messaged a while back, wrote again. Do you want me to forward her message?

Bye, Sven

My stomach jerks and I stare at the display, clueless while trying to tell myself, nothing horrible happened back home. I don’t really succeed, as it’s clear that getting into contact is always a risk factor, so Selina wouldn’t take a risk like this just to discuss the weather. Something has happened for sure, but I’m too scared to find out what it is. I walk around nervously in the living room; my eyes shift between my phone and the boys who are still working on the veranda. After about fifteen minutes of agony, I finally text Sven that he can send me the message.

Absorbed in my thoughts, I’m leaning on my elbow at the kitchen counter, waiting, trying to chase away the terrible images appearing in my mind. I hope it’s not about Hamid. I wouldn’t survive that. At the noise of the opening door, I lift my head. The boys step into the living room together, their tall, powerful physiques at once fill almost half of the space. I try to smile at the adorable sight, but my facial expression probably gives away my inner turmoil, because the smile quickly disappears from Liam’s face.

‘Has anything happened?’ he asks with a frown.

Chewing on my lips, I give an uncertain answer.

‘I don’t know.’

‘How do you mean that?’

‘There has been a message from Sven,’ I shrug my shoulders.

Dylan steps up to me, removes the tool belt from his waist, throws it onto the sofa, and snorts in a rather unfriendly way.

‘Sven?’

‘Raven’s boyfriend.’ Liam adds. ‘The one who…’

‘I know that little prick,’ he lifts up his hands. ‘But I didn’t know you had been messaging back and forth,’ he finishes the sentence, turning towards me.

I raise my eyebrows. What was that? He is not jealous, is he?

‘We don’t do that. He is only messaging me now because Selina has tried to contact me again through him.’

‘I see,’ Liam says, running his fingers through his hair with worry. ‘And?’

I heave a deep sigh, clutching the phone even tighter.

‘I don’t know. I’m just waiting for Sven to forward the message, but I have a bad feeling. Selina wouldn’t try to contact me if it wasn’t important.’

‘Come over here!’ Liam says, stretching out a hand towards me, casting a threatening glance at Dylan at the same time. he sits down, drawing me on his lap, holding me tight against his chest. His tenderness feels good. I slowly exhale, and immediately relax in his arms. ‘It will be okay, Mina. Don’t be afraid.’

‘Thank you,’ I mumble, burying my face into his sweater while I nervously run my fingers up and down the phone’s display.

‘Don’t panic yet. Let’s see what the message says.’

Just then, as if on cue, the text message icon flashes on the display. I get so frightened, the phone drops from my hand and lands on the floor with a thud. Before either of us would reach for it, Dylan kneels down, picks it up and hands it to me. He doesn’t say a word, his eyes speak for him, and that’s enough for me.

Quickly, I open the text which contains a screenshot.

‘What the hell is that?’ Liam asks with narrowed eyes.

‘It’s Arabic,’ I enlighten him.

‘God, and you understand it?’ he fixes his incredulous eyes on the Arabic script.

‘Of course she does, genius!’ Dylan pushes him in the side, and I can’t help but smile about their conversation.

‘What is she saying?’ Liam asks.

I quickly run through the lines. It’s a short message, and not very informative. I begin to read it out loud, in English:

‘We must speak. Things have happened about which you should know, I think. Your friend, S’

‘Okay,’ Liam scratches the back of his neck, lying back on the sofa. ‘We’re not much ahead with that.’

‘Your friend could have been more specific,’ Dylan remarks grumpily.

‘She was scared to be. She’s not sure who can read the message.’

‘And now?’ he asks, raising his eyebrows.

‘I have to call her,’ I say, and try to get up from Liam’s lap, but he pulls me back.

‘Who-ho! wait just a minute. Are you sure this is a good idea?’

I collapse again into his lap, my shoulders flagging. Perhaps it’s not, and it would be safer if I tried to contact her later, from London, through Sven, but I just can’t wait.

‘I must find out what happened. I can’t just sit here, doing nothing.’

‘And what will you do afterwards?’ Dylan asks. he’s apparently not very pleased with the idea.

‘I have no idea, but I must speak to her!’

After a few seconds of silence, Liam speaks up, with a much calmer voice.

‘Okay. Do as you see fit. Just tell us how we can help.’

A pleasant feeling of safety spreads inside me when I take a look at them. Although Dylan doesn’t say it out loud, I can very well see from his eyes that he is also with me. I squeeze the hands of both of them, and whisper a quiet thanks. I try to stand up again, and this time Liam is not holding me back, but helps me up.

‘For now, I only need a few minutes to make the call. That’s all. Okay?’

They nod at the same time. I hold the phone against my chest, walk out onto the veranda and get settled in the rocking chair. Not that they should not hear the conversation, although they wouldn’t understand a word anyway. But I feel much better out in the open air. With shaky fingers, I find the phone number Selina gave me back then, and I press the call button. It rings for an eternity, but nothing happens. I am just about to press cancel, when the ring tone stops. It’s obvious that someone has answered the call, but no one is speaking. I take a deep breath and speak up first.

‘Selina?’

Such a loud sigh of relief breaks from her that I couldn’t even mishear it at the other end of the world.

‘My God, Amina! At last. I could hardly wait for your call.’

‘Are you all right? What happened?’

‘Me… I’m all right,’ she says with a strange intonation. ‘And you?’

I have no idea how I could give a brief explanation of my love life, especially the events of the last 48 hours, in a way that she could understand it, so I decide not to shock her with the facts. I come up with a simple answer:

‘I’m okay. I feel great, but your message has terrified me. What is it?’

‘Well… there are several things. I don’t even know which to say first.’

‘Good or bad things?’ I ask cautiously.

‘One is definitely good,’ I hear her laugh out nervously. ‘And the other… I have no idea.’

‘Then… start with the good one.’

‘Right,’ she exhales. ‘You won’t believe it, because I hardly believed it myself, but… Ahmad has proposed to me.’

I hear her words, but my brain only processes the information with a little delay. What happened, again?

‘Amina? Are you still there?’

‘Ehm… yes, sorry, it’s just… what did you say?’

‘I know,’ she giggles again with embarrassment. ‘My reaction was the same. Ahmad has asked for my hand from my father.’

‘But… how is that possible? What about Farid?’

‘It’s pure madness. Ahmad has come to our house many times with the excuse to see Rashid, but when we were alone, he confessed it was about me…’

‘When you were alone?’ I shout out with surprise.

I jump up from the rocking chair and begin to walk up and down with excitement.

‘He has asked my dad to allow him to speak to me. Of course, we weren’t totally alone, but still… Amina… he was so nice! Smart and polite. Told me he liked me a lot,’ she stutters, with her voice shaking excitedly.

I don’t even need to ask what she thinks about it. She is obviously blown away. I remember clearly that even the first time they met, at the camel derby, she liked the young sheikh, but back then she was engaged to Farid al-Sharif.

‘What about your father? I thought he would never let you call off your engagement with Farid.’

‘Believe me, I never would have hoped that myself. Indeed, he was totally against it at first, but then something happened…’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m not sure myself, but I think… well…’

‘Come on!’ I stomp with my foot impatiently, because she drives me crazy with her reluctance.

‘Ahmad’s father, Saud sheikh also put in a word. And I think the Emir also applied some pressure on my father.’

‘Oh,’ I exclaim with surprise. It upsets me to hear about the sheikh, even if in this case he interfered to support Selina. ‘Wow, then Ahmad has indeed moved every mountain to ask to marry you.’

‘Looks like it,’ she answers quietly. ‘There are negotiations in progress about the marriage certificate, and about Ahmad’s way of compensating Farid if he is willing to decline from the marriage. But my mother thinks it will be all fine, because Ahmad is very determined.’

‘I… I don’t even know what to say,’ I agonise inside. This whole compensation and declining sounds so far away for me now. I feel as though I have jumped 150 years back in time, all of a sudden.

‘Amina, you’re not angry with me, are you? I didn’t tell you this to make you sad. You’re my best friend, I love you, and I don’t want you to feel…’

‘Don’t talk like that, please!’ I rub a teardrop in the corner of my eye. ‘I’m wholeheartedly happy if you are happy. If this is really what you want.’

‘Yes,’ she responds with enthusiasm, and I laugh out, amid tears. I recognise her state of mind. She’s in love. ‘I love him, Amina. And I couldn’t be happier.’

‘Then I’m happy for you. See, things are turning out to be good, at last. Miracles still happen,’ I say, and I mean it, as my eyes meet those of the two guys through the glass door.

‘You’re right. I’m only sad because you can’t be with me at my wedding.’

‘Oh, don’t even say that!’ I look up to the sky with a sigh. ‘I wish I could.’

Just then I remember there is another thing she wanted to share, and I think she also remembers, because the other end of the line suddenly goes very quiet.

‘There’s something else…’ she goes on, uncertainly.

‘I’m listening.’

‘The thing is, I’m not the only one facing a wedding.’

Uh-oh. I raise my eyebrows with surprise, and I quickly consider the possibilities. Perhaps my elder brother, Kareem has decided to take a second wife? It would be no wonder. Or maybe Hamid wants to get married? This option impacts me in a more personal, more painful way. It would feel horrible if I couldn’t be with him at his wedding.

‘Rafa is getting married.’

I almost drop the phone, for the second time in a period of thirty minutes. My mouth goes dry, I can hardly utter my next words.

‘Rafa? You’re only joking, right?’

‘Absolutely not. Rafa… is being married to the sheikh.’

My brain freezes at once. I feel as though everything slows down around me.

‘What… what sheikh?’ I ask dizzily, even though the answer is obvious.

Deep silence comes as a response, but it says more than anything. My hand drops with the phone, I stagger to the edge of the veranda and drop myself into the chair. No. No. No, no! They can’t do that. God, it’s my fault. It’s happening because of me… – I murmur half loudly. Never in my wildest dreams did I consider that possibility. I hear Selina’s shouts of worry over the phone, so I slowly lift it to my ear again.

‘Amina, Amina, are you there? What happened? Are you okay?’

‘Did you speak to her? What… what did she say?’ I whimper, trying to compose myself after the shock.

‘We have talked, but you know Rafa.’

She breathes out, and I can almost see her shrugging.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Ah, Amina, you know very well how your sister is. She… she is not like you.’

That’s pretty obvious, yet I can’t follow what she’s hinting at.

‘Is she very shocked?’

‘Well, honestly… she seemed neither desperate, nor broken when we spoke.’

I absent-mindedly rub my forehead, not understanding.

‘Do you mean she wasn’t frustrated when she was informed?’

‘Amina,’ my friend sighs. I think she is selecting the right words so as not to hurt me. ‘The sheikh is one of the best choices for a husband in the Emirates.’

‘An old fart.’

‘The Emir’s younger brother.’

‘He goes abroad to sleep with prostitutes.’

‘A good-mannered man with a privileged status in society.’

‘A vile bastard who has no respect for women.’

She suddenly goes quiet, and I also dry up. I feel devastated about my sister, and it really hurts that she is not getting it.

‘I know what you’re thinking, believe me. I wouldn’t be happy to marry him either, but remember, your sister’s values have always been different from yours. All she can see is what a prominent man wants to marry her, and how much she pleases your father with that. Rafa has always been pleased by different things. I understand that you’re worried about her, but trust me, she doesn’t see it as tragic like you do.

‘But the sheikh is not a good man, Selina. He…’

There is a sharp beep in the phone, then a female voice says that my balance will soon run out and the line will be disconnected. Hell, I didn’t think about that. The call from overseas quickly ate up my balance on my card.

‘What’s that?’ she asks with surprise.

‘The call will soon be ended because my balance is up.’

‘Your what?’

‘Never mind. Just tell me, how’s Hamid? Did you meet him? Is he well?’ I stutter.

‘I haven’t heard from Hamid since…’

I hear three beeps, then the line is broken. Incredulously, I stare at the display, wildly pressing the buttons. Damn it!

I’m beginning to come round from the shock, and shiver from the cold I have hardly sensed until now. My fingers are ice cold, and I hardly feel my toes even through my socks. I stand up to push the slide door to the side, but it opens before I could touch it. Liam stands behind it. He grabs my arm, and practically yanks me inside. It feels so lovely as he presses me against his chest, even a teardrop rolls down from my eye. Despite the fact that I swore not to cry.

‘Good heavens, Mina! You are an icicle. Dylan, get a blanket, mate!’

I am ready to hear a snappy response from Dylan, like, where Liam should stick up his blanket. Instead, I feel something soft being wrapped around my shoulders, my feet are lifted off the floor, and I’m already in Dylan’s arms, drifting towards the sofa. He sits down, holding me tight on his lap, while my legs are resting on Liam’s knees, who at once begins to spoil me. I give them a grateful smile, and already feel much better.

‘Bad news?’ Dylan asks, as always, straight to the point.

‘You seemed quite depressed.’

Clueless, I scratch my forehead.

‘Well… I don’t really know. Seems like everybody is getting married in the near future.’

Dylan starts coughing, and Liam is tugging at the neck of his sweater, as if not getting enough air. Oh dear, I hope they don’t think I’m hinting at something? Quickly, I continue before they would panic.

‘The good news is that a young sheikh has proposed marriage to my friend, whom she has loved ever since she first saw him.’

‘Didn’t you say Selina was engaged to someone?’ Liam asks, scratching his forehead.

‘I did. To a guy named Farid, but Ahmad comes from a much wealthier and more prominent family.’

‘So?’ Dylan asks, raising his eyebrows.

‘These things are much different back home than here. In our circles, origin and… fortune are much more significant,’ I conclude, quietly. I can imagine how highbrow this all must sound to their ears.

‘In your circles?’ Liam repeats my words, and suddenly I begin to feel very bad.

I should have told them long ago what kind of family I was born into. It’s so abnormal that after all the things that happened between us, they still know hardly anything about me. I make a resolution that today will be the day great revelations.

‘May I use your laptop?’ I ask Liam.

‘Of course. Now?’

I nod, but when he wants to stand up, I pull him back. I haven’t told them everything about the phone call.

‘Is that why your friend called? To tell you that?’ Dylan looks at me with his eyebrows raised.

‘This, and also that my younger sister, Rafa will be married… to…’ my throat tightens, I can hardly squeeze out the words. ‘To the sheikh.’

The two most attractive male faces of the world now stare at me without a clue. They just don’t seem to get the picture.

‘To Saud sheikh that I should have married.’

‘That old, perverted d**k?’ Dylan comes to the point, very practically.

‘Him,’ I exhale with resignation. ‘I never would have thought they would be able to do such a thing. Never.’

‘Oh, f**k them!’ Liam bursts out vehemently. ‘How old is your sister, actually?’

‘Eighteen.’

Both their faces turn dark, full of worry.

‘But I hope you’re not thinking that in any way this is your fault?’

I shake my head and make a bitter smile. he has just pointed out what I have been struggling with. Anyone would think the same in my situation, even though common sense tells me it’s really not my fault.

‘He’s right,’ Dylan says intensely. He takes my chin and turns my head in his direction. ‘Not. Your. Fault. Got it?’ I grin. It’s so adorable as the dark flame of anger is glittering in his wonderfully lively eyes. ‘Come on, Amina. Say it out loud.’

Liam narrows his eyes, and stares at him with shock. As Dylan himself has been struggling to come to terms with the circumstances of his father’s death since his childhood, I take it for granted that Liam wasn’t expecting such a statement from him. My chin drops as well, then I gently soothe his face.

‘Not my fault,’ I give in. ‘But it hurts.’

‘Unbelievable how a girl can be forced to do such a thing in the 21st century.’

I shrug my shoulders. I’m not really in the mood for a debate on sociology on religious theory.

‘What’s strange about it, though, is that according to Selina, Rafa didn’t really take it bad. On the contrary!’

‘How can that be?’

I remember the day I told her, bursting with anger, that my father wanted to marry me off. I can still see the enthusiasm on her face as she began to list the virtues of the sheikh. Good God! In retrospect, it’s all becoming much clearer in my head. Quite possibly, Rafa really doesn’t mind becoming the wife of the Emir’s younger brother. She thinks this is something really big.

‘My sister and I are nothing like each other. Not our looks, but on the inside, we are even more different. I have always been the rebel in the family, more stubborn, untamed. She was a silent and obedient child, never causing any trouble to my parents,’ I sigh, knowing I can’t procrastinate the great revelation any longer. ‘Could you hand me the laptop now? I would like to show you something.’

Liam brings the laptop over and places it on the coffee table. I get up from Dylan’s lap, and he rushes out to the kitchen to fetch us some drinks. I start the laptop, and when the search is loaded, I take a few deep breaths, then type in my family’s name. The images are displayed at once, and I select one where my father can be seen in the royal family circles.

Dylan returns and sits on my other side so close that our thighs are touching. We are like a sandwich with the difference that I am the bread between two pieces of meat. Dylan pops the can of Fanta open, takes a drag, keeping an eye on the screen.

‘Who is that guy in the white dress?’

His question is so absurd that I don’t even take offence. Instead, I burst out in laughter.

‘What?’ he raises his eyebrows inquisitively.

‘It’s not a dress,’ I roll my eyes. ‘It’s called a thobe. The traditional attire of men on the Arabian Peninsula.’

He shrugs.

‘It still looks to me like a dress.’

I don’t get into an argument with him, after all, he is right.’

‘And as for the guy,’ I lay back on the sofa, ‘he is my father.’

Hearing this, they both turn their head towards me with surprise, then, as if on command, they lean up close to the screen, pushing one another to the side.

‘Which one? The one on the right?’

‘Yes. The one standing next to the Emir of Abu Dhabi.’

Liam turns back, and eyes me with a suspicious stare.

‘Who are those men with your father?’

‘Members of the royal family of the Emirates,’ I blurt out, with as much naturalness in my voice as I can muster, while my heart beats like crazy in my chest.

After a few seconds of silence Dylan also turns towards me.

‘Why is your father taking photos with members of the royal family?’ he asks with a frown.

I bite my lower lip, and try to smile, I don’t know if I succeed. Now I have to say it.

‘Because my father is a member of the royal family, first cousin of the Emir.’

The honest shock appears on their faces at the same time, and they just stare at me questioningly, obviously expecting me to go on. I don’t really know what else to say, I don’t want to make it look bigger than it seems.

‘What?’ Liam squeezes out the word, with his chin dropped.

‘He is not a member of the council, or anything like that. Just… simply related to… the Emir,’ I finish, quietly.

They get over the new information a bit hard, looks like I’ve managed to thoroughly shock them. Liam leans back on the sofa, digging both his hand into his hair, silently looking at the ceiling. Dylan gets up from my side, and begins to walk up and down the living room with long footsteps. Then, he pauses, and turns towards me.

‘You’re just carrying on, right?’

‘What?’ I shout, outraged. ‘Why would I do that?’

Their eyes meet, they exchange naughty looks which I normally consider damn sexy, but now it only annoys me. I would like to be over this thing as soon as possible and I don’t get why they make such a fuss of it.

‘A f*****g member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates?’ Dylan repeats roughly, and his words sound like some tough accusation.

‘So what?’ I raise my voice too. ‘What’s so special about that? I could be called something completely different; I still wouldn’t be a different person than I am now. I don’t want to fuss about it, I only wanted you to know, that’s all,’ I shrug my shoulders.

‘If you take it so easy, then why didn’t you tell us before? Why just now?’ Liam asks so quietly that it’s much scarier than shouting.

I place my forehead into my palm and heave a deep sigh. After all, he’s right. I could have said it earlier.

‘Hell! I don’t know why I waited this long. Perhaps, at first…’ I look up at them regretfully, ‘I was scared and wanted to keep my incognito at all costs. I was terrified that if my origin comes to light, the news will spread and my father will find me much easier. And then,’ I shrug with resignation, ‘weeks and months passed, and somehow it would have been much more difficult to bring up the issue. Everything was going so well… with us,’ I jab a finger towards them, ‘perhaps I didn’t even want to…’

‘You didn’t trust me? Us?’ Liam asks with shock. ‘After all we did for you?’

I feel like I am falling to pieces. s**t!

‘No! I mean, it’s not like that. Please, Lima,’ I grab his arm gently, ‘believe me. I don’t trust anyone in the world as much as I trust you guys.’ My eyes shift between them. ‘I swear that’s the truth.’ Slowly, a kind of relief appears on his face, and at last, Dylan also stops the nervous pacing. ‘I simply didn’t want my family’s name to have an influence on anything. I wanted to be Amina Stanley, independent schoolgirl, not Amina al-Hosani, daughter of a prince of the Emirate, the run-away bride of Saud sheikh. Other than you two, to this day, no one knows who I actually am. Please, understand my situation. My father has a lot of power, money is no problem for him when it comes to seeking out my hiding place. I must be careful.’

‘Do you think he has people looking for you?’

I look back at Dylan cluelessly. In the meantime, he has taken his place again on my right.

‘At the beginning, he must have had. But it has been over six months since I ran away. I have no clue what the situation is back home. I mean, other than my sister having taken my place as Saud sheikh’s bride-to-be,’ I shake my head with resignation.

‘Okay,’ Liam is massaging his forehead with slow hand gestures, visibly searching for the words before answering. ‘I won’t say the information about your family didn’t knock me over, and I also won’t deny I would have been happy if you had told us much sooner, but…’

‘Would it have changed anything if you had known who my father is?’ I interrupt him with agitation, because I really need to know. My eyes wander over to the wooden tub in front of the house, and I’m overwhelmed by the hot memories of last night. ‘Would you have treated me differently if you knew that I come from a prominent Arabian family?’

They are still quiet, so I get up, push the laptop to the side on the table so as to sit there and turn to face them. I need their response, and I want to see their face as they say it.

‘Would you not have taken my virginity if you had known this about me two days ago?’ I look at Liam challengingly. ‘And you, Dylan, would you not have made such wild love to me?’

They look at one another, and that silent consultation is there again, between them. Then, I suddenly have the feeling that they have reached an understanding without words. Liam grins while shaking his head, and he slowly runs his hand down his cheek, rubbing his stubble. Dylan interlocks his fingers behind the nape of his neck, leaning back like a pasha, studying me with such lust that I already know the answer before they share it with me.

‘We wouldn’t have done anything different. I wouldn’t have wanted me any less, wouldn’t have made love to you in a different way. You’re right,’ he takes a deep breath, ‘it wouldn’t have changed a single thing if I had known your family name. But still, Mina. The thought simply drives me crazy that you might have some secrets. You know everything about us,’ he spreads his arms, and it doesn’t escape my attention that he is talking in plural. Dylan looks to the side, averting his eyes from mine when I look at him. ‘I have no secrets from you, just ask anything and I will answer. I would like that to be mutual, you see? I want you to trust us fully.’

‘I do,’ I answer quietly, hanging my head. ‘Seriously.’

Our fingers lock into each other, we smile at one another. Liam looks at our hands for a while, then grins.

‘It’s quite absurd to think I have slept with a princess.’

Dylan howls.

‘Not for me. I loved it as shit.’

I roll my eyes at his childishness but can’t help laughing.

‘I’m not a real princess with a tiara, like in fairy tales. It’s just an old-fashioned term. What’s important about the whole thing is my father’s influence, money and contacts which can help him find me.’

‘What would he do if he found you? Take you home against your will?’

‘Yes,’ I nod seriously.

‘But to hell with it, you’re not a minor,’ Dylan interferes vehemently.

‘That doesn’t matter. My father is my official guardian until I am married. No-one would go against his will if he wanted to take me home.’

Liam grabs my hand and pulls me back between them, onto the sofa.

‘Come over here!’

I don’t protest. I settle myself between them with pleasure, allowing him to turn my face towards him. He is so heartbreakingly beautiful now, with his flushed face and eyes glittering with determination, like some modern knight who is ready to turn against all the dangers of the world for me.

‘You know we would never let you be harmed, right? There is no power that could take you from us if you want to stay. Right, bro?’

‘Damn right,’ Dylan agrees, mumbling under his breath.

I give them a little smile. My heart is beating fast with excitement, and I’m so much in love, my stomach is full of butterflies. I don’t think they’re aware of how things work in my father’s world, but that’s not important now. What really matters is their intention to protect me at all costs.

‘Say that you believe me!’ Liam lifts my chin.

‘I do. I believe you both. And… thank you,’ I breathe, allowing him to softly kiss me. I taste his lips on my tongue for a bit, his tongue in my mouth, before I go on. ‘But I don’t want things to go that far. I wouldn’t like to put you guys in danger…’

‘Just leave it, Amina!’ Dylan interrupts me firmly, and now he pulls me to himself. He runs his fingers through my hair, whispering to me authoritatively, with a frown, and he is so sexy in the meantime, that embarrassing as it might be, my slip goes moist. ‘We will not negotiate about that. Your safety comes first, and there is no bastard who could lay a hand on you without me cutting off his d**k and sticking it up his butt. Got it?’

What could I answer to that? The situation is far from comic, yet I have to grin about this typical, tough, Dylan-like line. He is really not the type who would beat about the bush. It’s so adorable when sheer possessiveness gets the better of him.

‘Right,’ I nod, and totally enamoured, I allow him to give me a passionate kiss.

While I’m busy with Dylan, Liam is obviously studying the screen of the laptop, because at some point he begins to speak.

‘Sorry to say this, but you can thank heaven for not resembling your father.’

This sentence immediately chills the desire in me, and I am reminded that I am far from finished with my confession. Now I really shouldn’t delay it any longer, so although unwillingly, but I pull away from my overbearing, sexy, self-appointed bodyguard. Dylan murmurs with dissatisfaction as I disconnect our kiss, yet I stand up and distance myself from them by a few footsteps, so that I can think with coolness. It’s really hard to stay sober when we are so close physically. Especially when I’m close to them both, at the same time. I clear my throat, rub my palms together nervously in front of me, and after taking a deep breath, I speak up.

‘Now that we are being so honest… there is something else I should tell you.’

They lay back on the sofa, almost in the same pose. With their arms behind their back, stretched over the backrest, their legs apart, heads tilted, frowning, waiting. Oh God! I make a metal mark of the image before my eyes which excites me almost sinfully. They don’t even try to act charmingly, perhaps that’s why they are irresistible.

‘I may not resemble my father, because I have a lot of my mother’s looks. She was the woman,’ I continue, forcing myself to sound calm, ‘who gave birth to me, but she isn’t my father’s legal wife.’

Liam lifts his hand awkwardly, as if we were at school.

‘Wait just a second. I am not really following.’

‘I’m saying that not long after the announcement of my forced wedding I heard that Nasirah, the woman I used to think was my mother, who raised me and my siblings, is not my real mother. At a younger age, my father had an affair with an English photographer who got pregnant with his baby and…’ I run my fingers through my hair, ‘that’s actually me.’

‘You heard that?’ Liam asks, making big eyes.

‘It turned out by accident when we were fighting, and my step-mother spilled the beans. My father was probably never going to share the secret with me, but after it came to light, he didn’t deny it. He told me how they had met, how he had fallen in love with her, but she didn’t want to be committed to him, she didn’t want a baby either. They had quite a stormy relationship, and when I was born, they had a mutual agreement that my father would take me. He took me home to the Emirates, and his wife raised me as her own daughter together with my step-siblings. My father and his lover broke up, and they haven’t been in touch since. At least, that’s what he told me,’ I conclude my monologue with a deep sigh.

‘Oh s**t,’ comes Liam’s heartful reaction after a few seconds.

‘Is that serious?’ asks Dylan, with equal seriousness.

‘Yes,’ I nod.

‘And your mother, your real one…’

‘I’ve never met her,’ I shake my head. ‘After I managed to find out what her name is, I searched her online, but other than a few old photos, I found nothing else about her.

‘You said, she’s English. That means…’ Liam looks at me inquisitively.

With that, we have come to the last piece missing from the Amina al-Hosani Stanley puzzle, and I swear, I can hardly wait for him to finally say it and get it over with.

‘I have no idea where she lives. She worked as a freelance photographer when she met my father, she was forever on the road, and apparently didn’t have a good relationship with her family. Her father, my grandfather is the count of Derbyshire, his name is William Alexander James Stanley.’

After I have gabbled the last sentence, I go quiet and start for the kitchen counter. I take a glass out of the cupboard, run some water into it, and gulp it down in one. From behind the rim of the glass, I watch the boys with tension. Dylan speaks up wrinkling his forehead, but still with deadly calmness.

“Wait just a minute. I think I heard something like count and Derbyshire. Could you repeat that?’

Damn.

“I know it sounds rather unreal,’ I roll my eyes. “My mother comes from a blue-blood, English aristocratic family, but she never got along with them. She soon left home and lived her own life, her own way.’

“Sir James? f*****g count of Derbyshire?’ Liam breaks out astounded, his face pale. He seems to be angry. Or hurt? Shocked? I have no idea. He jumps up and begins to pace up and down, agitated, running his fingers through his hair. “Your mother is an English lady, and your father is a prince of the Emirates? Is this some f*****g joke?’

I open my mouth to speak, but no sound comes out of it. Clueless, I bite my lips, his reaction makes me totally uncertain. He is more floored than I thought he would be, and I have no idea what to do now. After all, they wanted to know the details, I only presented the truth. I know fine well how fairy tale-like it all sounds, but to hell with it, this is my life. I can’t help who my predecessors are.

“Liam,’ I say cautiously, taking a step in his direction.

He lifts up his hands and shakes his head. As I watch his reaction, I die a little.

“I just… need a little time, okay?’ he stutters, pushing the slide door open, stepping out onto the veranda and running down to the sandy beach without looking back.

Devastated, I blink at Dylan who also stands up, but instead of following his friend, he starts to walk towards me. His face is serious, and doesn’t give away any emotions, but the moment he spreads his arms, I throw myself into his embrace. I cuddle up to him, and he holds me tight, with protection. I don’t feel like I have made a mistake, I don’t think anything is my fault regarding my families. It hasn’t been easy for me to open up and give an account of all these things, and Liam’s rejection is the last thing I need right now.

“What’s wrong with him? Why is he angry with me?’ I mumble into Dylan’s chest.

“He’s not angry with you. Stop talking nonsense!’

He strokes my hair and back with such tenderness that is really rare from Dylan Stark. I can sense he is also exploring an unknown terrain as he is trying to comfort me. I know he doesn’t let women get so close to him, he is not used to witnessing his girlfriend’s emotional outbursts. I hope he knows how much I value that he holds me in such regard. I dig my face into his neck, and breathe hot kisses on his stubbled skin. Slowly, I calm down, because he makes me feel like I’m not so alone after all. I look up at his distinctively attractive face, wipe a random teardrop from the corner of my eye, and try to smile.

“But he has really freaked out.’

“Even so, he’s not angry with you. He will pull himself together, just give him a little time.’

“Okay,’ I answer, breathing out loudly. I hope he’s right! “What about you? Don’t you want to run away?’ I study his face eagerly.

He laughs with a deep, sexy voice, and ruffles my hair.

“Nothing surprises me anymore about you, cupcake.’

＊

I know very well why Liam ran away in such a panic. He is not angry with Amina. The little prick has s**t his pants. He’s in love. He is so daft for this girl that he is losing his common sense, and in every new influential and rich relative he sees a damn big enemy who can take Amina away from him. I’m no fool, I can see he has plans with her, but both of Amina’s families could totally annihilate his dreams.

I’m not planning ahead, I won’t fool myself with concepts like eternal love, peaceful family life, and all that crap. I know I wasn’t born for those things. I simply enjoy the present with this girl in it and the way she makes me feel recently, but I don’t hope for any miracles. I won’t deny that she brings out unknown feelings to me, but I don’t want to overcomplicate the issue. I don’t give a crap that her father is an influential oil magnate, and I also don’t care if her blue-blooded mother has tea with the queen. It all doesn’t matter as long as she clings to me like she did before, and as long as she rides my d**k and shouts my, okay, our names while cumming at night.

One thing is for sure: whoever has the damned idea to take Amina with them against her will, will find themselves at the bottom of the Thames in seconds, no doubt about that.

It’s strange to say this, but I detest the thought the we have to go back to London so soon. This weekend has been the most fantastic few days of my life. The s*x… oh damn it, the s*x was so good that my d**k stands erect even at the memory. Amina is inexperienced, a beginner, and yes, things have to be explained to her, but it’s a fact that I have never cummed like this before, not even with the craftiest w***e. And it’s not just for the s*x I would happily stay in this house until the day of my death, but also because I am with the two most important people in my life.

Seeing Liam’s happy, radiant face is precious. he hasn’t been like this since Zoey was diagnosed with cancer. The family did everything for him, and I was also there for him whenever he needed me, but this is not the same. I can see life returning into him day by day since Amina has been with us. I don’t have the foggiest how it will be when we go home. I don’t know if Amina wants to continue what has been started in Greenhaven. I will not pressure her to choose between us, that’s for sure. I like it exactly as it is.

This is all madness anyway, because I would never let her choose me over Liam. I wouldn’t do that to my bro, not for any price. On the other hand, it really sucks that I couldn’t give her up either. Not now that I know how good s*x can be with a woman who actually means something to me, and from whom I don’t want to run away in panic after shagging. So, hell knows what will happen. I’ll simply wait and see.

When I spot Liam walking back towards the house, hanging his head, I go out to meet him on the veranda and pull the door closed behind me. he must feel awkward about having freaked out like that, because he doesn’t look into my eyes, just stops beside me.

“Everything okay?’ I ask eventually, because his silence drives me mad.

“All okay,’ he nods with little conviction.

I look at him and laugh out.

“A princess, right? That’s just great, bro.’

He runs his fingers through his hair and laughs with me.

“I’m just nuts because of her, Dylan, I tell you, not joking. I’m just f*****g crushed by her.’

“I can see that,’ I pull my face. Say something new.

“I don’t know what I will do if something happens to her. If they take her away from us, I…’

“They won’t,’ I interrupt firmly, and I mean it. “They just bloody won’t. We won’t let them.’

We look at one another and there is no need to say anything more. I can see in his eyes that we are thinking the same.

“How is she?’ he nods towards the house.

“She was feeling crappy, but I have comforted her,’ I say nonchalantly, knowing this is enough to distract him from this mood. He mumbles something dirty under his breath, and punches my shoulder before pulling the slide door open. I love you too, bro.

Before stepping inside, he turns back to say briefly:

“We’re leaving in an hour max.’

I’m not following him, yet, I watch from the veranda to see what going on inside. Amina stands at the kitchen sink, rinsing a cup under the tap. She glances back as Liam enters the living room, but then quickly turns her head back. She stares in front of herself, pretending to be busy as hell with the dishes. Liam steps up to her, stops right behind her back. I can see his lips moving. Amina is apparently not reacting. Come on, girl! My bro steps even closer, hugs her waist and pulls her to him. Pushing his hips forward, the little prick is now rubbing his d**k against Amina’s butt. He leans over and must have whispered something into Amina’s ear because her head suddenly drops back, the cup falls from her hand, and she curls into Liam’s arms. He slowly turns her to face him, buries one hand into her hair and says something to her. Amina hugs his neck, closes her eyes and lets him stick his tongue into her mouth. They kiss for a long time, and I watch them for a while, until my d**k starts to pulse so much that I have to do something about it. I look at my phone, we have fifty minutes before leaving. Within fifty minutes we can take our little princess to the top at least three times.

I yank the slide door open, enter, stand with my legs apart and begin to unfasten the belt of my jeans. Amina picks up her head to look at me, her lush, kissable lips part with surprise as she fixes her eyes on my crotch. She already wants me, I can bet anything, she just can’t decide which one of us she wants first. Her groin is pressed against Liam’s, and he groans loudly, turning his face to the ceiling.

“On you go, upstairs, girl,’ I say with an ice-cold poker face. “There is one more thing you have to learn before we leave this no where’s land.’

She opens her mouth to speak, but I don’t give her a chance to quarrel. I lift my forefinger into the air and close my eyes.

“Now.’

When I look up again, she is on her way upstairs, Liam is running after her, unbuttoning his pants. I follow them with a contented smile.

＊