Her eyes widened indignantly. “Of course I do! I’ve never seen anyone talk so many people into doing things his way as you have over the last four years. If that’s not a skill a king needs, then I don’t know what is. You’ll be great at it, because you are great at everything else.”
“I am apparently not great at some things.” When she frowned at him, he wanted to kiss her. But he did not, because he wasn’t certain he could stop at just a kiss. “I am not great at everything, Emily, because you continue to sleep on your side of the bed. If I had my way, you would sleep wrapped around me.”
A blush spread across her cheeks. “You already know you’re irresistible to women. You don’t need me to prove it yet again.”
“But I am not irresistible to you.”
“You’re not my type. Tall, handsome, kingly.” She shook her head. “Oh, no, I like my men short and quiet and willing to be bossed around.”
“Emily,” he growled, the idea of her having a type—especially a type that wasn’t him—burning a hole in his gut.
“Stop worrying, Kadir. You’re handsome and remarkable and fabulous. And you’ll be the best king that Kyr has ever had. I just know it.”
She was being prickly with him, but her praise warmed him deep inside. He didn’t feel as though he was the best at anything right now. Oh, he could build skyscrapers that no one else could, but that wasn’t running a kingdom.
If his skill at personal relationships was any indication, he was doomed to failure. He had a contentious relationship with his father, an apparently nonexistent one with his brother—and then there was Emily. She was the person who’d worked the closest to him for the longest time. Until just a few days ago, he would have said she did not like him much.
And now? Now she felt sorry for him. He could hardly bear it.
“Sit with me,” he said, catching her hand and pulling her down with him. It wasn’t a big settee and she ended up right beside him, her hip crowding against his. Her eyes were wide as she blinked at him.
He held his arm out, daring her to come into the circle of his embrace. He desperately wanted to be close to someone right now. Close to her. He expected her to trot out their agreement, to shoot up off the settee and stammer about an appointment or something. But she didn’t. She folded herself against him as if she always did so, as if it were as natural as breathing, and he closed his eyes on a rough sigh.
“Thank you,” he said against her hair, and she wrapped one arm tentatively around his waist. A simple touch, and yet he burned deep inside for more. “When my father dies, you will need to remain for the funeral. After that, I will divorce you and you’ll be free to go.”
Just saying the words sent a chill washing over him. He wasn’t certain if Emily trembled or if it was simply the strength of his emotions making him think so. She’d been a part of his life for long enough that he couldn’t quite imagine it without her. But he was resigned to his fate and he had to let her know what came next for her. For them.
He would miss her, but in time it would ease.
“Whatever you think best,” she said, her voice muffled against his robes.
“I’ll wire the money into your account. And I’ll give you references.”
Even as he said it, he knew he would give her enough money so she wouldn’t have to work again if she did not want to. She could take her father to Florida and live there with him if she chose. It hadn’t been a part of the plan, but he couldn’t bear to send her back to Chicago with only what they’d agreed upon. He didn’t want her to work for anyone else. He wanted her to do whatever she wanted in life.