What sort of game was Talib playing? He feared it was working since Kade was already mentally putting a ring on her finger and placing her between the three of them in bed. Rafe wanted to know more about Piper before he allowed himself to become attached. But time was running short. He couldn’t take the months he would have liked to get to know her. They had one objective—get her back to Bezakistan where they could see if she would make a suitable bride—then seduce her accordingly.
If she was everything she appeared to be, Rafe would enjoy having such a woman. He could become necessary to her. He could care for her, seeing to her every need until she turned to him like a flower to the sun. He could show her his world and make himself a place in hers.
Dex sighed. “Look, I know the drill, guys. Hell, Slade and I practically invented the drill. You find a hot little piece of ass, get her in between the two of you, make her scream down the roof, then take her to dinner and give her a nice parting gift. I get it. But Piper is off limits because A, I like her and she deserves better than to be a notch on your bedpost, and B, if she ends up crying to my wife that you two used her, and Hannah finds out I could have protected her, my wife will have my balls. She’s pregnant again. Do you know what a hormonal woman can do to a set of balls? I know we talk about testicles like they’re the be-all, end-all of strength, but those fuckers are fragile. If you want some action, talk to Amanda. You saw her, right? Blonde. Big boobs and sharp tongue. She’ll be up for your games, but Piper won’t know what game you’re playing, much less how to play.”
Amanda? Rafe slid his brother a long glance. Clearly, Kade wasn’t interested in that shit either. Dex so conveniently forgot his own history, which included seducing the lovely young Hannah before he and his brothers married her. They both let Dex go on and on about the horrors of uncommitted sex and how much they could scar Piper’s gentle psyche and heart or whatever, simply because he thought Rafe and Kade would never settle down.
Rafe held up a hand. “You are wrong in this, friend. We are not simply looking for a woman for the night.”
Dex stopped and stared. “What do you mean?”
Kade sat back, one leg casually perched over his knee. He looked like the negligent playboy he was, but Rafe knew his younger brother was quite serious now. “It means we must choose. Tal is nearly thirty-five, so our time is almost up. Gavin explained this to you?”
Gavin was the CEO of Black Oak Oil and the James brother with the closest ties to Bezakistan. He was also Dex’s eldest brother. Along with their middle brother, Slade, they shared Hannah.
“Sort of,” Dex said. “Talib has six months to pick a wife, right?”
It was so much more complicated, but that summed it up neatly, so Rafe nodded. “Yes. We toyed with the idea of revising the constitution to more accurately reflect the modern world, but we’ve run into trouble with that.”
Kade jumped in. “If we start playing with the constitution, we’ve been told we open it up to all sorts of revisions, including those from some of the more religious factions in our country who would prefer a government that was less Westernized and more like our neighbors.”
“And we know very well that several lawmakers would like to strike down the royal family’s marriage customs to weaken us,” Rafe added.
Dex’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You share a wife so you don’t have to split up the country, correct?”
“Exactly,” Rafe confirmed. “It’s a tradition that began long ago in our mountain regions as a way to keep a family’s wealth intact without cutting off the younger siblings and is still largely practiced by our population today. Primogeniture was the Western world’s tradition, but it forced younger sons into poverty, religion, or war. We did not wish that on our children. The same holds true today, though many do not see it. They view our tradition of bride sharing as barbaric, but it keeps the family centered on a common purpose.”
Dex grinned. “Well, you’re not going to get any argument from me, buddy. Lightning would strike real damn fast, and my balls would be toast for sure.”
“I’m glad you agree. The trouble is that our brother has proven rather picky.” Rafe was being generous. Talib had been a nightmare. Not that he and Kade hadn’t voiced some objections themselves.
Collectively, they’d looked into twenty women over the past two years. All twenty had been rejected. Talib didn’t want another royal because he didn’t want the headache of dealing with two royal families, or some princess with a trained smile in the ballroom but a haughty demeanor in the bedroom. He didn’t want a fame monger or a curiosity seeker, either. Bezakistan, with its unique customs and culture, was always a source of interest and mystery, after all. Talib wanted someone intelligent. She had to be educable about media affairs, have a lovely smile, be reasonably photogenic, and be kind. She had to like children, puppies, and rainbows, yada yada yada. None had passed Talib’s tests.