Their Virgin Mistress (Masters of Ménage #7)(34)

"I believe she's weighing her options. My brother is very interested in pursuing something serious with Tori. He's quite in love with her and he expressed his feelings tonight." He'd nearly expressed his semen as well, but the sheikh didn't need those details.

Talib frowned and heaved a long sigh. "I believe it is far too soon for her to consider such a request, and I would need to speak to Oliver myself."

"It's not Oliver. Rather, it's Callum."

That had Talib's right eyebrow rising in aristocratic query. "I'm not a fool, Mr. Thurston-Hughes. Oliver is interested in Tori."

How to explain it? It was harder given the man's lifestyle. Rory shrugged. "Perhaps, but Callum has chosen to press his claim."

At least he didn't have to worry about Talib being offended by the use of that word. The man seemed to take a very old-fashioned approach to the women in his life.

"And what of your claim?"

"I don't have one."

The sheikh sent him a knowing stare. "But you want her."

Rory tried to shrug it off. "She's a beautiful woman. You should know that I intend to treat her with every kindness and courtesy, as I would my own sister."



       
         
       
        

"I sincerely doubt you spend your nights dreaming of sex with your own sister."

"Of course not!"

"That is why the arrangement you speak of will not work and I will not give my blessing." He smoothed down his jacket, his decision seemingly made. "I thank you for your kindness to my sister, but I'm afraid I'll be taking her home with me tomorrow morning. I'll send someone from the palace to pack her things. Whatever penalty she incurs for leaving her job before the end of her contract, send the bill my direction. That will be all."

"Excuse me?" Rory might not be royalty, but he wasn't used to being dismissed.

The sheikh stared at him for a moment. "We're done here, so you may leave."

"I'm not going anywhere and, unless Tori consents, neither is she. This is the twenty-first century, and if you think for a second I'll do your bidding because some random bit of DNA landed you a sovereign role, you should think again. I won't let Tori go without a fight and you should know I don't always fight clean."

A little smile curled up the sheikh's mouth, and Rory wondered if he hadn't fallen into a well-placed trap. "Now I see a man I can talk to. I do not understand the stiff politeness of you British. When it comes to our women, a man should be a bit savage."

Rory certainly felt that way now, despite the fact that she wasn't his. "Tori will make her own decision."

"Tori is too shy and naïve to ask for what she wants. Until she learns, I will look after her. You and your brothers will either get on the same page or you will let her go."

"I am working on that." Callum's hotheaded moments aside, Rory had believed they were on the same page. "The plan has been to back Oliver's play. I'm afraid he waited too long, and now Callum won't step back."

"The fact that you call it a play urges me to remove Tori now. We aren't discussing a game or a pawn. This is her life. For the record, I wasn't talking about the three of you deciding which brother should have the woman you all love. The three of you should stop being selfish children and figure out how you will share her or stay away. If you and your brothers do not, you will leave her forever torn, and I won't have it. She has feelings for you all. Perhaps you are willing to martyr yourself for your so-called brotherhood, but think about her. By forcing her to choose, you ask her to give up pieces of her heart. You are right, Rory Thurston-Hughes, you have no claim. When you grow up and learn to put her first, you may call me. Until then, leave my sister alone."

"Do you think it's that easy?" He was getting really sick of being treated like a child. Talib couldn't know how much he'd sacrificed for his family, how far he was willing to go. "Have you had to watch your brother slowly kill himself? Have you watched as he endured something so brutal and world-changing that you were certain he could never be the same again?" 

The sheikh paused for a long moment, and Rory thought the man would simply walk away. Finally, Talib skewered him with a dark stare. "I have not been forced to watch my brothers struggle, but I have been where Oliver is. I know my own brothers worried for my life and they prayed Piper could be the one to save me. She did, but if I had not had their support and encouragement, I would never have touched her. Your heart is in the right place, Rory. You are simply approaching Tori in the wrong way. I was a brutal man before my Piper. The violence and betrayal I lived through exposed me to a side of the world most men are never forced to see. Afterward, I was a wounded animal, much like Oliver. I was dangerous to Piper then, but my brothers were there to ensure I could not hurt her. Well, not too much. I still hang my head in shame at some of the ways I pushed our wife away. Without my brothers, I would be alone in the world. If you love Tori, you will find a way to compromise with your brothers and work together to make her whole."