Free Cherished by Lauren Maya; Dane Banks Page A

yourself.”
    She reached for the fork and began to eat the portion of fruit. It was an exercise in frustration to watch her eat because every bite she took was a sensual experience. And she likely had no idea that she had four men ready to reach across the table, pull her onto it and bury themselves in her body.
    At one point, juice spilled down her lip and she licked at it, running her tongue delicately over her bottom lip to wipe it away. Sebastien let out a groan.
    “For God’s sake, Xander. Let’s get on with this morning’s lesson already.”
    Xander shot him a look of reprimand. Talia looked up, confusion in her eyes.
    “Eat,” he said. “Pay Sebastien no mind.”
    He glared again at Sebastien and shook his head. Sebastien shrugged.
    “Have some class,” Nico muttered.
    “But we all know I have none,” Sebastien drawled. “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth like the rest of you. I can’t be expected to live up to your lofty expectations.”
    “How about I just beat the shit out of you instead?” Garon proposed.
    Sebastien laughed. “You can try.”
    Talia was staring at them like they’d both lost their minds. Xander sighed. He doubted they were making a good impression, but then he supposed Talia may as well see what she was in for.
    His men bantered and bickered like brothers. In essence they were. All of them. They didn’t share blood, but the bond was there. Unbreakable.
    “After breakfast, we’ll take a walk around the villa grounds and down to the beach if you like,” Xander said to Talia.
    Her eyes lit up. “I’d like that. It seems so beautiful. The water is so gorgeous it doesn’t even seem real.”
    Sebastien looked disgruntled and Xander shot him a warning look. Xander was as impatient as Sebastien to move things forward, but he wanted Talia to relax and lose some of her nervousness with them before they introduced her to their hedonism.
    When they finished eating, Xander motioned for Wickersham. A few moments later, he returned carrying a light, floral robe. Xander rose and held the robe open for Talia. She slowly stood and he helped her put it on.
    “I don’t want you too exposed to the sun,” he explained. “There are comfortable beach shoes at the patio entrance.”
    She smiled and he stood there, unable to speak for several seconds. She was utterly stunning. Her smile lit up the entire room. Beautiful. Adorably shy. And she would be his.
    He clenched his fingers into fists to stop the shaking.
    “Don’t forget you have an eleven o’clock update on the situation in Cristofino,” Garon reminded.
    “I’m unlikely to forget when my home occupies my every thought,” Xander said icily.
    He instantly regretted the shortness of his response. Garon was only doing his duty, but the inference that he would be too distracted by Talia’s presence to focus on the turmoil back home was a prick to his pride.
    To an outsider he might seem to be a spoiled, bored royal who had summoned an innocent woman to be his plaything while he was in exile. They might consider Talia a frivolity, a passing amusement. A mistress.
    Talia was none of those. This wasn’t the way he’d wanted things, but the situation in Cristofino hadn’t shown any improvement and with Talia out of university, Xander knew he had to act fast or risk losing her.
    Xander led Talia toward the door leading onto the terrace.They stopped for her to slip on the flip-flops and for a moment he stared at the bright pink polish on her toes. For some reason, he loved it. On her it was perfect.
    She wore no jewelry. It was a fact he’d noticed when she’d arrived. And it was a matter he definitely wanted to correct. There was nothing more he wanted to do than spoil her endlessly and lavish gifts on her. He wanted to drape her in diamonds and make love to her wearing nothing more than the jewelry he’d given her.
    Shaking himself from his fantasies, he stepped onto the terrace. Talia inhaled deeply, closed her eyes