Page 9 of Liam

Instead, he did what he always did. He used humour and words to distance her in a way that didn’t hurt her because he’d rather cut off his arm than hurt anyone, let alone a woman who’d been stabbed in the back by the family who should’ve protected her.

“Well then, treacle, best you get your arse into gear and do it.”

Princess Taamira looked at him slightly aghast at the way he’d spoken to her before her eyes crinkled into a scowl. “Treacle? Arse?” she repeated.

Liam had to bite back the laugh that twitched at his lips. “Yeah, you know, your aris.”

Taamira looked even more confused now. “My aris?”

“Yes, treacle, you know the thing you sit on.”

Her look of indignation was priceless. “You mean my bottom.”

“Yes, that’s what I said, treacle.”

He watched her eyes squint at him again at the word treacle. “And what does that mean?”

“Treacle means sweet. It’s a term of endearment.”

He watched her face as she thought on it for a second before she stood. “You will not refer to my bottom as an arse or an aris. Is this understood?”

Her haughty manner was back, and Liam already missed her closeness as she moved towards her room. She turned and leaned her hand on the jamb as she raised an eyebrow waiting for his response.

“Yes, Your Highness, I won’t call your bottom an arse or an aris again.”

“Better yet, how about we don’t speak about that part of my body at all?”

“But that would be such a crying shame, treacle, because it’s so worthy of discussion.”

He watched as heat suffused her cheeks and warmth lit her eyes before she moved through the door and slammed it shut on him.

Liam grinned, happier than he had been in ages. He was here, and he had a lot of work to do, first finding out which arsehole had betrayed Taamira and then ensuring she was safe until she could make her speech. After that, Liam didn’t know, but for now, he was happy to have provoked a blush out of her. She also hadn’t demanded he didn’t call her treacle, and in his book, it was a green light to do just that.

Even though he had started off the conversation wanting to put distance between them, he had, in fact, brought them closer. Yet, instead of making him unhappy, it had the opposite effect.

CHAPTER FOUR

SHE HAD MANAGED TO AVOID LIAM SINCE LAST NIGHT ’ S ENCOUNTER. STAYING IN HER BEDROOM SUITE, having a bath, writing a few letters to her young nieces who very much enjoyed receiving them, and generally puttering around until it was time for bed.

Taamira had heard Liam moving about in the suite and for the first time in weeks had fully relaxed, safe in the knowledge that this man would protect her. More than physically, she was safe to be herself, didn’t have to watch every move in case it ended up on the news.

As she applied mascara to her dark eyelashes to give her wide eyes an even more sultry appearance, she thought about last night. It had started off horribly with her nearly embedding a knife in his head and then calmed as she told him of her fears over her security. He had taken her concerns seriously, not ridiculing her or making out she was overreacting. The evening had then gone a little awry as he seemed to bait her into a reaction. Using the strange slang to describe her bottom and calling her treacle of all things.

The first had scandalized her, but it had also made her think of him thinking of her arse as he put it and that had her grinning giddily, a warmth in her belly she perhaps should not enjoy around this man. Having googled treacle and finding that it was indeed a term of endearment that meant sweetheart or sweetie, she let warm delight ripple through her all over again. She liked that he called her that as it was something she had never had before.

Now, as she added a last touch of gloss to her lips, she stood and walked to the bedroom door, noticing as she did she hadn’t locked it as she had every other night.

Liam was in the living room area, his phone to his ear. As she moved past him, he turned and nodded, his eyes running over her from top to bottom, stopping for a split second on the curves of her rear end. Taamira didn’t acknowledge it, but as she twisted away from his eyes, she let a smile curve her lips.

Her usual breakfast of sliced fruit and yoghurt with juice and tea were waiting for her as she moved to the dining area, Liam’s deep voice a comfort as she sat to eat.

Taamira looked up as he strode into the room, looking masculine, and strong in a black t-shirt and athletic shorts.

“Morning, treacle.” His smirk was sexy and so slight it was almost impossible to see unless a person had studied the man and she was embarrassed to say she had.

“Good morning, Liam. Did you sleep well?”

“Like a baby, Princess. I woke every two hours wanting food.”