Protecting the Desert Princess(56)

                She would be—he knew that.

                But only for as long as she was in his care.





                                      CHAPTER THIRTEEN

                IT FELT LIKE the last night on earth.

                Mikael sailed the yacht till it was far enough from his home that he was satisfied they would not easily be found, and then dropped anchor in a pretty cove.

                He looked over to where she stood, leaning on the rail and looking out to the view, and he wondered how he could possibly give her the night of her dreams while knowing that tomorrow she’d be gone.

                She could feel his eyes on her as she looked out at the view, at the gorgeous red sky. The next sunset she saw would no doubt be on her way back to Ishla.

                Why had Zahid let her father know?

                Tears stung her eyes because she had not wanted to hurt her father.

                She remembered her threats to Zahid and Trinity that she would go to an embassy—she would never have done that, though. All she had wanted was a week.

                ‘It is beautiful,’ she said as Mikael came and joined her. But not even a sunset could soothe the hurt. Instead it made her want to cry. ‘Why did they have to tell my father? Why did the police have to get involved?’

                ‘I would guess they were very worried last night, when I didn’t text and say that you were okay until so late.’

                ‘I should have called and let you know that I was safe,’ Layla admitted. ‘It truly never entered my head. If I had had a phone there were a few times I would have liked to call you to tell you what was happening, but I don’t have one.’

                ‘I know,’ he said, and put his arm around her shoulders. He looked out to the night and wished he could take away their row.

                It had been no one’s fault—she didn’t know about public phones and, after all, he had told her not to ring him unless it was an emergency.

                For Mikael, not wanting his day to be interrupted by her felt like a very long time ago.

                ‘You were right to text Zahid, though,’ she said. ‘I was thinking about it after you left me alone last night. I believe that had you not texted him the first night to say that I was safe then my father would have been informed by the morning. At least we had some time.’

                ‘You didn’t get a week,’ Mikael said, ‘but have you had a nice few days?’

                ‘They have been wonderful,’ she said. ‘You have been wonderful to me.’

                Mikael made her favourite dinner—without setting the kitchen on fire—and she sat on the bench and watched him.

                ‘Sick of prawns yet?’ he asked.

                ‘Never.’

                They took their dinner up on deck and washed it down with champagne, and Layla shivered a bit when he asked her what would happen when she went back to Ishla.

                ‘I know you said there would be trouble for you, but can I ask what sort?’

                ‘I expect that my father will ban my computer,’ Layla said, ‘and I will have to apologise to Trinity and Zahid, and perhaps I will not be allowed to teach…’ She ran a hand through her hair and thought of the smiling faces of her students and how much they would miss her. ‘I was selfish, I suppose. They will miss out because of me…’