The Prince’s Forbidden Lover(35)

But that was for another day, he told himself. Tonight, he was going to have his security team look into the lovely Joline a bit more.

His mind stopped as one of the servants placed the first course in front of him, remembering Shantra’s words. Trust. An interesting concept to be applied to a woman, but he liked the idea of Joline trusting him, and trusting him enough to reveal whatever secrets were lurking in her past. There couldn’t be anything horrible. Joline was too young for something truly deceitful. So what was it that she wasn’t telling him? And was that the reason she was so hesitant to embrace the passion they stirred within each other?

Trust. Somehow, he was going to get his woman to trust him no matter how frustrating it might be.





Chapter 8




Joline tapped her pen against her desk, not even aware of the movement or the annoyance she was causing Keith who was working in the only other chair in her office.

Keith looked across the desk and noticed her far-away expression and smiled. “He got to you, didn’t he?”

Joline jerked upright. “I’m sorry?”

Keith closed his computer, knowing that they wouldn’t be getting any more work done today. “He got to you, right?” he repeated.

“Who?” she asked, but she knew exactly who Keith was referring to. Deep down inside of her, she wanted to pretend as if she wasn’t glowing with the excitement of her night with Rais. But she knew that she was different. That difference was clearly obvious to others who knew her.

Keith was amused by her attempt at subterfuge. Especially when his friend was distracted and so obviously happy. Very happy. “That prince guy that dazzled you from the moment both of you looked at each other.”

Joline scoffed. “That’s ridiculous,” she snapped, looking down at her papers. “We were talking about fabric supplies.”

“No, we were talking about you falling for that hot, studly man that you stole from me.”

Joline couldn’t stifle the laughter his comment caused. “You never had him.”

Keith shrugged, trying to pretend he was offended. But Keith was too easy going to be offended. He just went with the flow in life. “We’ll never know since you walked in ahead of me.”

Her eyes twinkled with laughter. “You think that’s the only reason?”

“I think I would have at least had a shot if I’d come in before you.” He sighed and shook his head. “He could have been my one-and-only!”

Joline chuckled. “I guarantee that he isn’t into men, Keith.”

“Aha!” he exclaimed, causing Joline to jump and look back at him. “So you admit it! You’ve done the deed! You’ve snuggled into that big, huge man and been taken to the moon! Details! I want details now!”

Joline shook her head, trying to feign ignorance. “I don’t know what you mean. I don’t have any details to tell you.” She looked down at her papers, praying that Keith wouldn’t notice her lie.

But Keith wasn’t falling for it. They’d been friends for too long and gone through too much over the years for her to try and pretend with him. “Don’t even try it,” he said in a low voice. “What happened? And how did it happen? Isn’t that man thousands of miles away?”

Joline couldn’t stop the blush that started on her neck and worked its way upward.

Keith saw it and gasped, leaning forward. “He’s here! He’s here in New York and you’re trying to play it cool but you and Shantra are the last known virgins and have no idea how to play it cool!”

Joline rolled her eyes. “Keith, we have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. I leave for London in the morning.”

He looked at her speculatively and then gasped. “You’re no longer a virgin! Our lovely Shantra has that title alone now, doesn’t she?”

“Keith!” she snapped, trying to work up a righteous anger but she simply felt too wonderful after her night with Rais. “Work? Details?”

“Forget work, for once!” he laughed and leaned closer. “Or maybe I should say that you should forget work for a second time and go have more pulse pounding sex with your gorgeous man! And then come back and tell me all about it because I’m truly jealous!”

“Keith, we’re going to…”

The door to her office opened up and there he stood, the man of the hour and all thoughts of fabrics, factories, supplies and sales records flew out of her mind as her face once again turned red with his dark, intense look.

Keith noticed the look that passed between the two and knew that he was extraneous. “Okay, well, I’m out of here. We’ll discuss those silks when you get back and you can let me know which ones to go with,” he said and snapped his book closed. Glaring up at Rais, he cleared his throat a moment before he said, “Take care of her. She’s too sweet and kind to understand the traumas of a difficult relationship, Your Highness,” and a moment later, he disappeared.