Protecting the Desert Princess(57)

                ‘It might not be for long,’ Mikael offered, but she shook her head.

                ‘My father has already told me that my future husband might find it offensive if I work…I expect that decision will be made for him.’ She told Mikael the truth then. ‘My father will bring my wedding forward, I expect. I have been trying to avoid it, but he will say I have given him no choice.’

                ‘Layla…’

                ‘Please don’t ask that question again.’

                He let out a tense breath in exasperation, but she had not finished speaking yet.

                ‘I am so loved and so happy at home,’ she said. ‘I wanted adventure—just one big adventure—and I have had that, I just forgot the first rule of chess.’

                ‘Tell me.’

                ‘To look to more than the next move,’ she said. ‘I planned and researched escaping, being here, and all the things I wanted to do, but I forgot to consider the leaving part. I never thought it would hurt—it never even entered my head that I might prefer to live life here.’ As Mikael went to speak she shook her head. ‘I would never do that to my father, to my country, to my people.’

                ‘Even if you won’t be happy?’

                ‘Of course I will be happy. I will just miss things here,’ she said, and tried to hold back on just how much she would miss Mikael. It would not be fair to either of them.

                She had not lied to him that first day. Revealing her thoughts always got her into trouble, and possibly never more so than now. It was imperative that she did not break down and tell him just how she was feeling.

                ‘I wanted tonight to be wonderful,’ she said, ‘but all I feel like doing is crying.’

                ‘Come here,’ Mikael said and led her to the day bed where they lay for a lovely while.

                ‘Do you have any regrets?’ Mikael asked and she shook her head.

                ‘You?’

                ‘None,’ Mikael said and then thought for a moment. ‘I wish that I’d got you that joint.’

                ‘I don’t need it now,’ Layla said because lying here next to Mikael with the stars shining so brightly and the feel of being in his arms she had her high. It was a gorgeous navy sky, so dark except for the stars and just the tiniest sliver of moon.

                ‘That’s the first thing I thought of when I saw you,’ Mikael said, gazing up at the moon and remembering walking into his office and seeing her standing there in her silver dress. ‘Make a wish on the new moon,’ he said.

                Perhaps he should not have said that, because he had just managed to get her to smile.

                ‘I just made it,’ Layla said, and turned her head and looked at him.

                ‘You can’t tell me what your wish is,’ he warned.

                ‘Okay.’

                She looked up at him and thought how lucky she was to be here even if just for a little while. ‘I’ve done everything,’ Layla said. ‘I have danced…’

                ‘You can really dance!’ He nodded approvingly.

                ‘I have had a romantic dinner with a very romantic man. We have held hands, touched knees, kissed…’ she looked over at him. ‘We have exceeded my list with orgasms.’