Her Protector: Men of Valor, #2

By Kiru Taye

Oma should fear the fierce warrior whose captive she's become after she is seized while spying. The penalty is the lash of his whip. The ache in her body is not from the sting of his flogger but from the scorching heat of his touch. Still, she has to resist him if she wishes to safeguard the secrets she hides.

Jide is the prince's closest guard. His duty is to keep the royal family safe, so he should deliver instant justice to the spy in his chambers. Yet the intense fire in the eyes of his beautiful prisoner Oma stirs him beyond that of any other maiden in his past. When his self-control is tried which will he choose—hand her over for punishment or defy the prince and protect her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: loveafricapress
• Release date: Jul 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476018904

Kiru Taye

As a lover of romance novels, Kiru wanted to read stories about Africans falling in love. When she couldn't find those books, she decided to write the stories she wanted to read. Kiru writes passionate romance and sensual erotica stories featuring African characters whether on the continent or in the Diaspora. When she's not writing you can find her either immersed in a good book or catching up with friends and family. She currently lives in the South of England with her husband and three children. Kiru is a founding member of Romance Writers of West Africa. In 2011, her debut romance novella, His Treasure, won the Book of the Year at the Love Romances Café Awards. She is the 2015 Romance Writer of the Year at the Nigerian Writers Awards.

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Look for these titles by Kiru Taye

His Treasure (Men of Valor 1)

His Strength (Men of Valor 2)

His Princess (Men of Valor 3)

Now available in the Men of Valor 1 -3 Boxset

Igboland, West Africa pre-colonization

Oma stood across the courtyard, hidden in the shadows beside the palace barracks long house. It was a dark night, the silver moon hidden behind ominous clouds. The air stirred. Leaves rustled in the shrubs behind her.

Pulse thumping, she pushed her back into the cool mud wall and glanced behind, at the dense foliage. In the gloom, she could not see much. Crickets chirped. An owl hooted.

Body frozen, ears pricked up and breath held, she stood still waiting for someone to spring from the bushes.

Nothing happened.

Exhaling the breath nearly busting her lungs, she returned her gaze toward Prince Emeka’s quarters.

The head guard, Jide, stood outside talking to another of the prince’s guards. The square was lit with bare-flamed lamps hanging on wall sconces several feet apart. She could not hear the men’s conversation from her vantage point, but she could watch them unobserved.

The two men were a contrast of light and shadows. However, she quickly recognised their outlines.  

Lofty like an iroko tree, Jide stood a head taller than his colleague. His skin was of the darkest ebony, and his bulky muscles tight and rigid.

For a moment, she remembered the several occasions she had walked past him or stood close to him. She had always been tempted to touch his skin and find out if it was as firm as it appeared.

A warm shiver crawled down her back. Heat coiled into her belly, and a slow ache erupted at her core.

The sound of conversation drew her back to her location. Her spine stiffened in alertness. Soon the conversation died away as the people talking walked by without noticing her skulking in the shadows.

She glanced back to where the guards stood together.

Jide turned and stared in her direction. Her breath hitched as his gaze seemed to connect with hers. She pressed her bare back against the wall, the rough stones scratching her skin.

Surely, he could not see her.

Holding her breath for several pounding heartbeats, she stood still and made sure no part of her body was exposed.

After a while, he shook his head, said something to his companion and strode away.

She let out a deep breath, grateful he had not seen her.

The last thing she wanted was to be apprehended before she had achieved her objective.

She had specific instructions to undertake, her brother’s well-being at stake.

After what seemed like a handful of inhalations and exhalations, the other guard walked off in the other direction. Having monitored their routine for a few nights, she knew he had gone on patrol and would not return immediately.

This was her chance to act.

With haste, she glanced left and right across the courtyard. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, she crept to the prince’s chambers. With each step, her pulse raced, her hands clammy with fear.

It did not matter how often she had done