Pointing toward the door, Madison told her, “It’s finished enough. Now go fetch it from the hall.”
Feigning a pout, Piper retreated out the door, muttering something about not being a dog. She returned a few moments later and held up a portrait of a thirty-something man. “As the official palace artist, my mother-in-law commissioned me to do this for her private collection. She gave me a photo of King Aadil in the prime of his life. Apparently it’s her favorite and I can certainly see why. He was one good-looking king.”
Kira could barely contain her shock over how much Tarek looked like him. Then again, she could be imagining things because she missed him so much. “That’s absolutely some of your best work to date, Piper. She’s going to love it.”
“Don’t you think he looks like Tarek?” Madison said, echoing Kira’s thoughts.
Kira shrugged. “They’re both of Middle Eastern descent and both nice-looking men. Aside from that, I’m not seeing it.” However, she was telling one whopper of a lie.
“I think the resemblance is uncanny,” Piper said. “Maybe he’s Aadil’s secret son.”
Kira almost choked on air. “That is exactly how nasty rumors get started.”
“True,” Madison replied. “And when that happens, it’s my job as the palace press secretary to explain them away, so stop it right now, Piper.”
Piper rested the photo against the wall and reclaimed a spot on the edge of the mattress. “Seriously, Kira, we both noticed you and Tarek flirting months ago. Are you sure nothing happened between the two of you in Cyprus?”
Madison came to her knees and looked like a pooch begging for a bone. “Come on. We’re all friends. Give us the dirty details.”
For reasons that defied logic, tears began to well in Kira’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “It’s just that...” She sniffed and decided to stop talking now before she started sobbing.
Piper scowled. “If that jerk did something to hurt you, I’m going to have Adan beat him up.”
“I’ll sick Zain on him, too,” Madison added. “Not that I don’t think Adan can hold his own, but Tarek is a really big hunk of a guy.”
Piper’s scowl melted into a grin over the faux pas. “You mean hulk of a guy.”
“Both,” Madison said.
That only made Kira want to cry more. “Since the two of you will probably find out sooner or later, Tarek and I did have a relationship for a while. But I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything to the brothers. If they know I was fraternizing with a palace guest, I might be looking for a job. As it is, I’m worried they already suspect something’s been going on.”
Madison waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t worry about that, Kira. Men are obtuse when it comes to picking up signals unless it involves their personal radar.”
Piper nodded in agreement. “And sometimes not even then. I practically had to tattoo my feelings to Adan’s forehead before he figured it out.”
An option Kira might entertain, if she ever saw Tarek again. “Just so you know, it’s over between us. As nice as it was, it simply wasn’t meant to be. He’s not the kind of man who’s searching for a serious relationship.”
A shrill singsong sound had Madison pulling a cell phone out of her pocket and scanning a text. “It’s the poor governess. She wants to know if it’s okay if the kids have more cookies.”
“Heck no,” Piper said as she pushed off the bed. “We better get back to the nursery and run interference. It’s time for Sam’s nap anyway.”
“I could use a nap,” Madison said as she followed suit. “But knowing my little munchkins, that’s not going to happen.”
They both doled out hugs to Kira before heading out the door. “Kira, if you need to talk, you know where to find us,” Piper began as she paused with her hand on the knob, “but sometimes life turns on a dime, so don’t give up on Tarek yet.”
Kira saw no good reason not to give up on him. She did see a valid reason to call him—the portrait. No, that wouldn’t be wise. Besides, this was Tarek’s paternity battle to undertake. As it was, she had enough on her hands with her own paternity issues. She had no idea how she would resolve the, but she did know she was weeks away—if not months—from successfully mending another broken heart.
* * *
For the past two weeks, the transition had come slowly but surely, and painfully.
Tarek had tried unsuccessfully to forget about Kira. How could he when everything reminded him of her? Every detail at the resort, every dawn, every sunset. He had gone to bed alone, and awakened reaching for a woman whom he missed terribly, only to find an empty space where she had been.