Her heartbeat quickened and she took another studied drink of champagne, buying time for her voice to steady. “I’ve told you. Do you think so little of your country to imagine I wouldn’t want to come here?”
“Not at all. But I do know my country is little known outside its immediate environs. I’m curious.”
She placed the glass on the table with slow deliberation. “I’m sure you’ve shown other westerners around, other people, women perhaps?”
“A few.”
Her heart was thumping. “What was it that intrigued them, what was it they wanted to see?”
“Not the night life, that’s for sure. My friends—some of them—wished to see the country I’d inherited: its history, the beauty of the shore and the natural wonders, such as the city of caves.”
“City of caves. I’ve not heard of that.”
“In the interior, not far from Sitra, is a mountainous area where the rock has formed natural caves. These caves have been excavated over millennia to provide homes for the Bedouin.”
“Sounds pretty basic.”
“Not so basic as you might imagine. I’ll take you there if you’re interested.”
“Definitely. The magazine I contribute to is always on the look out for unique articles.”
“I’ll make arrangements this week to take you.”
“Can you afford the time off?”
“As it happens, the next week or so is the last chance I have for some holiday. I’m fully committed after that.”
“Good timing, then.”
He lifted his glass. “Here’s to good timing.”
She raised her glass to his, the light catching the cut glass and showering it all around them. “May it bring us both what we want.” And Lucy could see exactly what Razeen wanted by the way his eyes darkened with desire.
He raised his glass. “To mutual satisfaction.” He lightly clinked his glass against hers. “Later, I will show you the attractions the Lodge offers after dark. But, for now, let’s eat.”
“Attractions after dark?” She raised an eyebrow. “That sounds…intriguing.”
His lips quirked in an ambiguous smile. “I don’t think I’ll tell you yet. I’ll let you dwell on it over dinner. But I’ll give you a hint—it’s a hobby of mine.”
Lucy blinked, confused. “I can’t say that reassures me.”
He grinned. “Perhaps I don’t wish you to be reassured, or comfortable.”
Lucy didn’t know if it was the way he was looking at her, or the alcohol in the champagne she’d drunk, but her whole body felt alive with anticipation.
“Well, you’re succeeding in that.”
“Good, now eat.”
“You know? Of all the things that had crossed my mind, this wasn’t one of them.”
Razeen laughed behind her as he slipped a hand on her shoulder and tilted the large telescope a little to the right.
“There, you will see a group of three stars—the Cyclades—they are the brightest they’ve been for twenty-five years. The interior and coastal area of Sitra are renowned for their dark skies and the brilliance of the stars.”
Lucy put her eye to the telescope and the stars came into sharp focus. “The detail is amazing.” She drew in a sharp breath as his hand covered hers in a brief caress before tilting it slightly in another direction.
“And that’s Venus, the brightest star in the evening. It was recently in transit over the moon. An amazing sight.”
Lucy didn’t say anything but she continued to look at the planet, whose terrain she felt she could reach out and touch. It was something so far away, something so distant from her, so unreachable and yet there it was, a pale gold, shimmering under the slight quiver of light and movement that lay between her and it.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
She pulled away from the telescope suddenly, turned from Razeen and gazed up at the three-quarters moon, so bright, even though it wasn’t yet full. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” She cleared her throat, which suddenly sounded hoarse. The dark water shifted silently below them, the night breeze rustled the palm fronds. Lucy willed the warm night air to cool her heated cheeks. When she’d collected herself, she turned to face him. He’d moved and was leaning with his back to the wooden railings, arms crossed, watching her.
The light of the stars and moon highlighted his cheeks and the whites of his eyes but his dark clothing and skin made him seem not himself. For a moment she could forget he was the last person she knew who had seen her sister. He was just himself—as beguiling, as seductive as the stars.