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  “Tenacious,” Xalan growled; smirking before he dove above Neal’s hunched body and came down hard against the head of a robot that almost impaled Neal’s backside with its sharp spear.

  While the battle raged on, Neal practiced effortlessly to hold that sword in one hand. By the time the practice battle was over, he had managed to lift it for about five seconds. A wide grin remained even after the weapon dipped to the ground, and he turned to shout at Xalan.

  “I did it!” he cried. “One hand!” He laughed aloud, liking how good it felt to be a kid again and know he was strong after all. “Let me at ‘em!”

  Neal turned for another attempt at one-handed sword wielding when a large hand slapped the back of his head, knocking him forward.

  “Asshole,” Xalan grumbled on his way to the warriors now huddled together on the open field. All of them smiled, high-fived, and laughed with boisterous pride at their latest victory.

  “Who is that clown?” one of them asked their leader.

  Xalan didn’t turn back to look at Neal and continued to grimace as he stretched his well-used muscles. “Don’t ask,” he grumbled. “Something’s gone wrong on earth.”

  The men took a collective step back and eyed their leader with the same wary expression. Xalan winced with discomfort.

  “Sir,” one of the warriors said, and Xalan tried not to grin. Since having heard Neal refer to him as such, Xalan had ordered them all to do the same. He still liked the way it made him feel. “You can’t,” the warrior said. “What about the little prince?”

  “Yes, sir,” said another. “And, the princess is with child again. You’ve ordered her to remain here indefinitely. If she were to hear anything about earth –.”

  Xalan set the side of his sword along the back of his shoulders and rested both wrists on it, lifting a few fingers that silenced the concerned warrior. “It’s not like I summoned the bastard here,” he grumbled, finally glancing at Neal.

  He remained near the tree still attempting to hold the sword in one hand for a longer length of time and smiled all the while.

  Gazing at the ground, Xalan managed to smile as well. “I think he’s the one in trouble,” he said. Each time he had come close to Neal, Xalan got a glimpse of the incident that occurred outside the hangar in England.

  “As long as the little one is safe, there’s no reason for me to get involved or mention anything to the princess.”

  “But sir,” said another warrior, trying not to look Neal’s way. “How is that possible?”

  Xalan gritted his teeth at Neal and let out a weary sigh. “My problem, not yours. Let’s go men. Hot baths and cold beer await us back at home.”

  A loud chorus rose up on the practice field, startling Neal. The sword fell at his feet; knocking the hilt against his right thigh and making him wince in pain. “Damn this leg,” he snarled, rubbing it again.

  Xalan waved Neal over to him, and when Neal jogged up to the giant, Xalan tried not to smile. Still holding his sword across his shoulders, Xalan pointed to the sword Neal dragged behind him. “Is that any way to treat a weapon?”

  Neal glanced behind him and then stared at Xalan with a blank expression.

  Groaning, Xalan leaned forward and swiped the weapon from Neal’s hand.

  While the giant held both swords up at his broad shoulders, Neal couldn’t help but appear as impressed as the sight made him feel. “Big shot,” he grumbled, feeling inadequate again and not liking it.

  “I’ve forbidden my wife to return to earth,” Xalan said and tossed a set of keys to Neal. Neal caught them in both palms while gaping at Xalan in disbelief.

  “Forbidden,” he repeated before snorting with derisive laughter. “You can do that?”

  “This isn’t earth,” Xalan reminded him, appearing more powerful and important to Neal, which only made him feel less powerful and insignificant by comparison. “She does what I say for her own good. We’ve two brats to look after now and a third on the way. Soon the castle will be crawling with them, and I can’t have her disappearing at will or whenever one of you earthlings gets the sniffles.”

  Neal didn’t have time to take offence when Xalan added, “The B&B is yours to do with as you see fit. Keep in mind it’s the place I met my wife. The first glimpse of her panties occurred on that balcony, which I now regard as sacred ground. Mess with it in any way and I’ll kill you just as sure as I’m standing here.”

  Neal glanced at the keys, unable to think of the right words to say to either deny the offer or thank him for it. Then Xalan raised both arms and his head toward the sky and closed his eyes.

  Neal wondered where the swords went when dark clouds suddenly formed overhead and heavy rain poured down on Xalan's naked body. Unable to resist while remaining in a state of shock at the things he witnessed, Neal’s eyes quickly scanned the warriors huge, impressive body.

  “Damn,” Neal hissed, wishing he hadn’t looked. Xalan’s genitals hung halfway down his thick thighs. His nuts were nearly the size of McIntosh apples just prior to ripening, and there wasn’t a single spot that didn’t have muscle or sinew on it.

  The body Neal tried not to envy became covered in foamy soap before another wash of heavy rain came down to rinse the warrior. After the clouds dissipated, Xalan shook himself like a wet dog and tossed his long, braided queue overhead, spraying Neal with water.

  Wiping his face, Xalan paused to gaze at Neal.

  Neal rubbed his eyes, and after blinking a few times, he was startled to see Xalan standing before him in the most magnificent raiment he had ever seen before. He resembled a prince of old from one of the fairytale legends Neal loved to hear his mother read to him as a child.

  “Prince Charming,” Neal snorted, swiping his nose and averting his gaze. “Somehow, that doesn’t fit a guy like you.”

  “Prince who?” Xalan asked; his gaze narrow with curiosity. “Where do you come up with these cool words and phrases?”

  Neal choked on the word cool before laughing under his breath and apologizing for being rude. “You look . . . great.”

  Xalan quirked a wary brow. “You can’t be gay,” he snarled. “Little one’s room smelled like sex that night I barged in on you. You were both naked under the covers. Bi?”

  Neal could feel the heat rising on his face as he stared at Xalan in uncomfortable disbelief. “No,” he growled. “Not even close.”

  “Then quit with the weird remarks about the way I look and dress,” Xalan mumbled on his way past Neal. “Get back where you belong and remember what I said about the B&B. The day will likely come when I’ll want to whisk my wife away for some quiet and relaxation, and I can’t think of a better place to have continuous sex than that dump of a shack on the water.”

  Neal turned to watch Xalan depart, and just as he found his tongue, Xalan waved a hand overhead and Neal’s world went black.

  Chapter 25

  A month passed with Neal slowly recovering from the bullet wound to his right thigh. With the use of a cane, he walked slowly alongside Liv in his father’s manicured garden behind the mansion. The air was crisp and the sky clear on that late October afternoon and since awakening from the incident, Neal could only concentrate on Liv’s presence.

  The man who had accosted Liv in the parking lot was a repeat offender and known drug abuser who ended up behind bars with a lengthy sentence. Neal still shuddered thinking about that horrible day when Liv could have been killed. She had stayed by his side in the hospital and timidly begged his parents to let her stay with him when it was time for him to leave.

  It made Neal smile to recall the shared look his parents gave him while Liv stood facing them in tears. He had nodded, and then James smiled at Liv, putting an arm around her and insisting that she stay as long as she felt comfortable.

  “Ouch.” Neal had laughed while rubbing the arm his mother had slapped.

  “How could you fool me that way?” she had scolded. “You made me think there was someone alive who didn’t deserve your affec
tion, and it turns out to be an adorable creature who lights up like a firefly whenever she looks at you.”

  Liv had been and still was overly attentive, and the concern never left her pretty eyes each time she came to his room to check on him. She had spent every waking moment by his side, feeding him, sponge bathing him, giving him his painkillers, and quietly reading to him until he fell asleep. She had massaged his aching muscles, combed his hair, and even shaved his beard before Neal was finally able to leave the bed and start doing more things on his own.

  While they walked, Neal kept his smiling gaze fixed on Liv. She walked alongside him with an arm encircling his, and it made Neal grin to know she was thinking it helped to keep him steady when he regarded it as being chivalrous.

  “Such a nice place,” she said about his father’s house. When she turned to face him, Neal’s breath caught at the sight of her. It was like seeing her for the first time only over and over again; never growing old or becoming accustomed to her beauty or presence.

  “Liv,” he said and paused to set a warm hand against her cool cheek. “Please tell me why you left that show as early as you had.”

  The attentive gaze she had offered slowly switched over to one of apprehension before Liv bowed her head, making Neal feel bad. Insistence won out and he set a finger under her chin, forcing her to return those glimmering eyes to his overly curious ones.

  “Tell me,” he repeated. “It was a good thing I had enough experience seeing the back of you to be able to recognize you as I started to leave the stage, otherwise . . . I don’t want to think about what could have happened to you that day if I hadn’t followed you.”

  “The reports said it was a complete fluke that he happened to be where he was that day,” Liv offered and tried to smile before turning aside in another attempt to hide the look of sadness she apparently didn’t want him to see. “It was you who ended up getting hurt, not me.”

  Liv gazed at Neal and clasped his wrists, pressing her delectable body against him as well. Neal wanted to kiss her so badly that he ached. Before he could go through with that impulse, Liv released him and backed away, quietly apologizing.

  “If I say I’m sorry for the next fifty years, it wouldn’t be enough to make up for what’s happened; I know that. I even feel bad about being here. Your parents must be furious with me.”

  Neal exhaled a gentle laugh, causing Liv to look his way. His arresting smile showed off gleaming white teeth set against a ruddy complexion that helped to make him appear almost angelic in her eyes. The dark, wool coat he wore along with a red scarf wrapped about his throat added to his overall appeal.

  “I can’t help feeling guilty Neal,” she said. Those words helped to slowly lose the smile. “I should leave now that you’re able to move about more freely and do things on your own. I’m sure your mother and father will be glad to see me gone.”

  “Liv, stop.” Neal latched onto her wrist as she tried to walk away. Forgetting the need of a cane, he started to stumble and winced after stepping on his right foot. The move caused a hot, painful sensation to travel up his injured thigh. At least Liv was back before him again, clinging to his arms and asking if he was alright; the look of true concern returning to those magnificent eyes of hers.

  Neal grinned as he hopped gently on his good foot and readjusted the cane at his side. “I’m fine,” he lied. “And, so are my parents . . . with you, I mean. Mum adores you, by the way. The old man can’t take his eyes off you, either. I don’t mean that in a dirty old man way, but then I’m sure I don’t need to explain that to someone like you.”

  “How can they?” she quietly whined, pouting at him in a way that made Neal want to kiss her again. “It’s because of me you were injured. You could have been killed, Neal. I’m sure they blame me and wish I wasn’t around to remind them of that fact.”

  “Again with the depressing outlook,” Neal grumbled, leaning against the cane he’d set between them. “It’s chilly out here, Liv, and your nose is turning redder by the second. Let’s go back inside, sit by a cozy fire, and you can read to me some more.”

  “Neal, I’m serious,” she said as she latched onto his arm and walked slowly toward the mansion. “I need to get back home. Now that I know you’re going to be alright, I’ve started thinking about Sherry and her problem. She never did well on her own, and we’ve never been apart this long. The sound of her voice gets worse each time I call her or she calls me.”

  “Liv,” Neal said and stopped walking again, smiling when she looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. “Before you run away again, will you please explain the intricate and intriguing back stories of your friends? If we’re going to live together, I need to know such things in order to be able to –.”

  “Live together?” she cried, backing away and pouting at him. The color that rose on her cheeks matched the tip of her nose. “Don’t start that again, Neal. Just because you got shot and I feel guilty about it doesn’t mean I forgive you or want anything to do with you anymore.”

  Quirking a curious brow yet smiling, Neal started to ask what she meant. Her expression grew more furious as she gazed at him, making it harder for Neal not to laugh out loud. She was the most entertaining and excitable woman he had ever known, and the refreshing change from all of the glory-seeking women he had come to know in Hollywood made Neal want Liv all the more.

  “You know what I mean,” she hissed at him. “The pictures of you and those pretty women that started appearing online the minute you arrived here last month. The bold admission on that television show about seeing a minor celebrity. Being the son of someone more famous than you are. Damn it, Neal!” she cried, tears shimmering in darkened eyes that now tugged at Neal’s heartstrings and made him want to hold her close and soothe her anger. “How many times do I have to tell you it won’t work before you finally believe me?”

  She shrieked like a mouse to be suddenly slammed against Neal’s taut chest. The grip on her arm hurt a little, but the look in his eyes worried Liv a little more. She started to shrink against his body and wanted to look away but couldn’t. The anger he had shown quickly melted, and suddenly Liv was staring up at the man with smoldering eyes again. The need to kiss look had returned, making her toes curl with unwanted anticipation.

  Their lips touched, and they both moaned softly to finally be on an intimate level once more. The amount of time that passed during that tender kiss went unnoticed by them both, but when their lips finally parted, reality slowly returned to wipe away the mutual daze shared between them.

  “No,” Liv whispered, tears slowly trailing down her flushed face. Gazing up at Neal, she shook her head. “No,” she repeated in a slightly more audible tone and forced herself to back away from his warm, intoxicating nearness. “No, Neal. You can’t keep doing this to me. I’ve fallen so deeply in love with you it isn’t funny. The thought of having to live my life without you makes me feel my heart slowly tearing in two. I’ll never be able to love another man this way, which means I’m doomed to become an old maid thanks to you.”

  Before Neal could say anything, Liv turned and ran back to the mansion, leaving him to glare at the ground in silent contemplation. It took longer than usual, but Neal finally entered the house. The butler took his coat and scarf and Neal hobbled into the grand foyer. His first instinct was to gaze up the winding staircase, knowing that Liv must be in her private room and was likely to be packing her things.

  Instead, Neal’s eyes locked on the unexpected and shocking scene that played out in front of a roaring fireplace at the other end of the large, open room. His parents were kissing. A kiss not unlike the one he had just planted on Liv. James held Neal’s mother’s waist while she wrapped her arms about him and slid her fingers through his hair.

  After swallowing the nauseous feeling caused by such a scene, Neal cleared his throat in an angered attempt to get them to stop. They did, but remained in a tight embrace as mother and father turned their heads in their son’s direction, gazing at him with
the same dazed look.

  In disgust, Neal growled as he hobbled toward the stairs. What could he possibly say or do to stop two grown humans from wanting to get intimate? Wasn’t it precisely how he felt just then about Liv? When wasn’t having sex with her an immediate concern of his?

  “Excuse me,” Neal grumbled as he set a foot on the first step. Maneuvering them was getting easier with the cane, but Neal still hated how helpless the whole thing made him feel. It also reminded him of the strange dream he’d had about being with Xalan on another planet and watching a bunch of giants fight against an onslaught of warriors and robots using antiquated and ultra-modern weapons.

  “Neal.” His mother’s gentle voice hit him like the bullet to his thigh. He stopped but kept his eyes on the carpeted steps, resenting the blush that rose up on his cheeks. “Neal, darling, did you make that sweet girl cry?”

  Neal’s back stiffened before he slowly gazed at his mother. “Did I what?”

  “You heard your mother,” James growled, coming to stand beside Neal’s mother and eyeing his son with an authority Neal didn’t think he deserved to possess. “That cute girl just came dashing in here crying like a hurt child.”

  “Ah,” Neal said and smiled as sarcastically as he sounded. “That must have been what prompted you two to –.” Raising the cane, Neal waved from mother to father.

  James had lit a pipe and exhaled with laughter while his mother had clicked her tongue and scowled at Neal.

  “Leave it,” James suggested. “The boy will always feel compelled to stick his nose in our private business.”

  Neal ignored James and stared at his mother. John had died five years ago and Neal had always worried that a repeat of the man troubles she had experienced while he was a boy would begin again if she started to search for someone else to love and be loved. That never happened though, and Mary returned to work as a hair stylist shortly after the funeral. She remained independent and only dated on occasion with no obvious interest in finding a man for another long-term relationship.