The Quiet One

40

The following morning Regal awoke and looked over at Harper still fast asleep. Last night they'd traveled out to a downtown space with a ton of shops. They picked up gifts for most of her family and his parents. Today would be the beginning of the convention. They would meet Julie and Michael at the convention center at ten to set up, and then tomorrow the event would begin. He laid back and watched her sleep. Harper was everything he could hope for in a mate. She was pregnant with their first child, engaged to him, and their wedding was planned for the end of the month. All he had to do was get rid of Joseph King and their lives would be perfect. Brushing her blond hair off her face, he sighed.

Buzz, buzz. He looked down to see his phone ringing with Anders' name. Slipping out of bed, he picked up the phone and went into the main room to answer the phone.

"Hey Anders, what did you find out?" he asked, heading to the coffeemaker in the room.

"His name is Boris Sidorov, he is a Russian gorilla shifter and Joseph King's right-hand man. He has a rap sheet a mile long and won't hesitate to protect his employer. What happened?" Anders asked and Regal set about making coffee for himself.

"Joseph cornered us at the airport and took the same flight as us. Boris walked by twice, and we know he was keeping an eye on us. Joseph King wants a very rare book Harper inherited from George. He threatened to do anything in his power to get it from her. Harper and I spoke, we are donating the book to a museum as soon as we get home."

"Where is the book now?"

"Locked away in our house. I have a couple of my enforcers protecting the house.'

"Good. Let me know if I can do anything else."

"Will do. Thanks for your help," Regal said and hung up the phone and sipped his coffee. He would let Harper sleep in as much as he could, she was in her first trimester and he knew after all his research the first trimester was very tiring. Once he'd found out she was pregnant he went to work researching what he needed to do as her partner to help with the pregnancy.

He thought back on their night slipping into Joseph King's home for his holiday party.

They purposefully were late so the party was in full swing and Joseph King did not know they were at the party. They'd bumped into an acquaintance of Harper's named Lola Trenton. Lola latched onto Harper leaving him in the dust to walk around meeting others. He watched Harper shrink in on herself and knew she wouldn't say a word.

He took that moment to slip further into Joseph's home and find his study. He wasn't surprised to find it on the first floor with the lights on. The man was known for showing off his wealth. All of his prized books were in glass cases with the pages on display. He shook his head and looked around for a computer. When he didn't find one he continued through the rooms until he found a separate room with filing cabinets. Bingo! He popped open the side of the desktop and slipped his bug into the wires connecting into the data. Wiping down the machine he crept out of the room and back to Harper.

"Harper," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist, she was still speaking with Lola.

"Who might this be?" Lola asked, eyeing him like a piece of candy.

"I'm Regal Murphy. Harper is my girlfriend," he replied holding out his free hand. Lola's eyes dimmed but he could tell she wasn't totally deterred. He would have to avoid her for the rest of the evening. The music struck up and Regal took Harper and gave Lola a smile before walking her out onto the dance floor.

"I can't dance," Harper whispered and he smiled.

"All it takes is the right partner," he replied and swept her away. The rest of the evening had been wonderful, never once did they see Joseph King. It was a relief to him because he knew they would've had the confrontation at the party and not the airport.

"Regal?" Harper called, he looked up to see her walk out of the bedroom wearing his t-shirt and rubbing at her eyes.

"Coffee?" he asked, holding up her cup. She nodded and made her way over to the couch. He brought it to her and settled next to her.

"Thanks, baby," she murmured and cupped her mug in both hands sipping carefully. He watched her for a minute, enjoying watching her slowly wake up.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked while sipping her coffee.

"Anders, he had news about the gorilla shifter. His name is Boris Sidorov and he is Joseph King's, right-hand man. I expect we will be followed around the convention and be bothered about the book. Is there a collector you trust who could get into our house and take the book to the museum?"

"No. Any collector I know would take the opportunity to take the book and disappear with it. I think it is safest locked away in our house," she answered, shaking her head.

"Then we have to hope the book is safe in the house then," he replied hugging her tight.

"We can get into the convention center starting around noon. We have until six to set up our booths and then tomorrow the convention will begin. We can catch up with Agatha May and see if she knows anything about the book that we might have missed," Harper shared looking at her phone.

"Any news from Julie and Michael?"

"She said they are on time and will meet us at the convention center around twelve-thirty. They want to eat lunch before we dive into setting up," she explained and he chuckled. There was a knock on the door and Regal stood to answer admitting a hotel worker.

"I've brought your breakfast," the worker announced and moved the covered dishes to the table in the room. He placed a carafe of orange juice along with a bowl of fruit next to the dishes. Harper felt her mouth water and waited until the worker left with his cart before walking over and setting on the food. They ate in silence enjoying the delicious food.

"What do you want to do until Julie and Michael arrive at the convention center? We only have to walk across the street," he asked her once they were done eating.

"I know what I want to do," she remarked, getting up from her chair and settling in his lap. Her arms went around his neck and her lips connected with his. The kiss was gentle, exploring her tongue probing at his lips. He allowed her to control the kiss, his hands gripped her waist to keep him from taking over. Her hands slipped into his hair and tugged his mouth closer to hers, her tongue dove into his mouth tasting, taking, demanding. Regal was surprised by her zealousness, feeling his desires for her start to rage. He scooped her up and walked her to their room making love to her until they needed to eat lunch and meet Julie and Michael. 

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