citizens. When he was with the people who’d brought him up, the unhappy, unloved boy he’d been tried to rise up again.
The blackness always passed. Ty had too much self respect to allow it to linger long. Still, to have spared him it for good, Olivia would have made polite chitchat with any number of foreign VIPs.
“You’ll be fine,” Anso said, hugging her hips closer. “You always worry
beforehand, but you’ve never let us down.”
He was nice to say so. She knew there’d been a time or two when his job
would have been easier if she’d had more social skills.
“I mean it, Liv,” he said, having learned to read her face. “People love you just as you are. No one - least of all me - needs you to be a social genius. You being real is what people respond to.”
She looked into his eyes and her own teared up. How was it that three men could become this dear to her? “I love you,” she whispered.
He kissed her and held her close. “Love you too,” he said in return.
They’d just pushed back from each other when Ty walked in. Anso’s best
friend and long-time male lover had much the same athletic height and build as the king. His hair was fairer, his golden skin bearing the faintest pattern of leopard spots. He’d always be more of a bad boy than Anso, but he’d certainly settled.
Since committing to their foursome, Olivia didn’t think he’d looked at another man or woman lustfully.
His yellow eyes gleamed with were-light as he took in the pair of them in.
“Yowza,” he said, stroking Olivia’s bare arm while simultaneously bussing Anso’s cheek. “You two are smokin’.”
Ty’s tuxedo jacket was slung rackishly from one finger over his broad
shoulder. Olivia smoothed his pleated dress shirt down his chest. “You look rather incendiary yourself.”
Never insecure about his appearance, Ty grinned cockily and lifted his blond eyebrows. Amusingly, his seven-month-old daughter LoLo sometimes gave
Olivia the same expression. “Do you know where I stashed my Donald Duck
cufflinks? The ones James gave me for Christmas.”
“You’re wearing those?” Olivia asked. “I thought the King of Tantallon was a stick in the mud.”
“He won’t notice, and if he does, he’ll think I like waterfowl.” Ty kissed her mouth to silence her protest, at which point her first husband James strolled in.
Leaner than the two wereseals, James was the epitome of dark and handsome. He was nearly but not quite as tall as the others. With his arrival, the big dressing room actually seemed crowded.
“Hey, sexy people,” he said breezily. “Liv, where’s the key to my sport sub?”
“There’s three of you,” she exclaimed in exasperation. “Why do you always ask me where you leave things? You could keep track for each other.”
James flashed the crinkly-eyed boyish smile that made her fall in love with him in college. “We like it better when you keep track of us.”
Olivia glowered, which inspired Ty to declare: “Group Liv kiss!” As a result, three large males attacked her face with their lips. They didn’t stop until she was giggling.
“Fine,” she said. “Ty, your cufflinks are in the bottom drawer of my jewelry chest. James, your keys are probably in your gray jacket.”
Ah-ha ’s came from the men as they found the desired items.
“That’s why they ask you,” Anso said quietly. “Because you always know.”
Olivia suspected James’s interpretation was closer to the truth. Ty and James liked the caring implied by her keeping track of them. Anso enjoyed her caring about him too. He simply kept track of himself. She touched his cheek with the flat of her palm. “If you lost things, Your Majesty, I’d help you find them.”
A soft blue glow kindled in his eyes. “Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll misplace something between your thighs.”
“Babysitters are here, by the way,” James broke into the moment. “Plus Nico and Mark from the guards. Harrison’s
The blackness always passed. Ty had too much self respect to allow it to linger long. Still, to have spared him it for good, Olivia would have made polite chitchat with any number of foreign VIPs.
“You’ll be fine,” Anso said, hugging her hips closer. “You always worry
beforehand, but you’ve never let us down.”
He was nice to say so. She knew there’d been a time or two when his job
would have been easier if she’d had more social skills.
“I mean it, Liv,” he said, having learned to read her face. “People love you just as you are. No one - least of all me - needs you to be a social genius. You being real is what people respond to.”
She looked into his eyes and her own teared up. How was it that three men could become this dear to her? “I love you,” she whispered.
He kissed her and held her close. “Love you too,” he said in return.
They’d just pushed back from each other when Ty walked in. Anso’s best
friend and long-time male lover had much the same athletic height and build as the king. His hair was fairer, his golden skin bearing the faintest pattern of leopard spots. He’d always be more of a bad boy than Anso, but he’d certainly settled.
Since committing to their foursome, Olivia didn’t think he’d looked at another man or woman lustfully.
His yellow eyes gleamed with were-light as he took in the pair of them in.
“Yowza,” he said, stroking Olivia’s bare arm while simultaneously bussing Anso’s cheek. “You two are smokin’.”
Ty’s tuxedo jacket was slung rackishly from one finger over his broad
shoulder. Olivia smoothed his pleated dress shirt down his chest. “You look rather incendiary yourself.”
Never insecure about his appearance, Ty grinned cockily and lifted his blond eyebrows. Amusingly, his seven-month-old daughter LoLo sometimes gave
Olivia the same expression. “Do you know where I stashed my Donald Duck
cufflinks? The ones James gave me for Christmas.”
“You’re wearing those?” Olivia asked. “I thought the King of Tantallon was a stick in the mud.”
“He won’t notice, and if he does, he’ll think I like waterfowl.” Ty kissed her mouth to silence her protest, at which point her first husband James strolled in.
Leaner than the two wereseals, James was the epitome of dark and handsome. He was nearly but not quite as tall as the others. With his arrival, the big dressing room actually seemed crowded.
“Hey, sexy people,” he said breezily. “Liv, where’s the key to my sport sub?”
“There’s three of you,” she exclaimed in exasperation. “Why do you always ask me where you leave things? You could keep track for each other.”
James flashed the crinkly-eyed boyish smile that made her fall in love with him in college. “We like it better when you keep track of us.”
Olivia glowered, which inspired Ty to declare: “Group Liv kiss!” As a result, three large males attacked her face with their lips. They didn’t stop until she was giggling.
“Fine,” she said. “Ty, your cufflinks are in the bottom drawer of my jewelry chest. James, your keys are probably in your gray jacket.”
Ah-ha ’s came from the men as they found the desired items.
“That’s why they ask you,” Anso said quietly. “Because you always know.”
Olivia suspected James’s interpretation was closer to the truth. Ty and James liked the caring implied by her keeping track of them. Anso enjoyed her caring about him too. He simply kept track of himself. She touched his cheek with the flat of her palm. “If you lost things, Your Majesty, I’d help you find them.”
A soft blue glow kindled in his eyes. “Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll misplace something between your thighs.”
“Babysitters are here, by the way,” James broke into the moment. “Plus Nico and Mark from the guards. Harrison’s
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