Cade knew what Pallas was trying to do and he told himself he was immune. He just hoped he wasn’t lying.
She took out a second piece of paper. “This one is from a few years earlier. Some reporter got one of Bethany’s tutors to talk about her study habits, how she did on tests, what she liked to eat. Apparently our girl had trouble learning French. The tutor mocked her accent. This was published in a magazine. She was twelve.”
His stomach knotted and his hands curled into fists. He consciously relaxed. Not his problem, he told himself.
“Did she tell you about the college boyfriend?” Pallas asked. “The one who put naked pictures of her online and wrote about deflowering a princess?”
“She mentioned that,” he admitted, still feeling sick for her.
“Yeah, want to see the pictures? Because they’re right there for the whole world to look at. Forever.” Pallas glared at him. “No matter what she does or where she goes, those naked pictures live on. They’re great. She looks fabulous and technically her boobs and crotch don’t show, but wow, Cade. What would that be like? Want to see?”
He turned away. “No. I don’t.”
“You’re in the minority. Want to know how many times the pictures have been downloaded? Want to think about all the jackasses in the world staring at her naked eighteen-year-old self? And that happened because she was stupid enough to trust a guy who said he loved her. But hey, why should that matter? She lied to you about who she is. Let’s hate her forever.”
With that Pallas rose. She slapped the folder against his chest, then kept on walking. He stayed where he was until she’d driven away, then he sank down on the porch steps and dropped the folder to the ground.
He didn’t want to feel sorry for Bethany. He didn’t want to understand what had happened to her. He wanted to wallow in his pain and blame her for everything. Then he wanted to forget he’d ever met her. Only... Only... That wasn’t going to happen. Not any of it. He couldn’t forget her, wouldn’t forgive her. Sure, she’d had some bad things happen, but so what? She should get over it. She shouldn’t have lied to him about—
He picked up the folder, then dropped it again. One of the pictures slipped out, showing part of a bare leg and hip. He closed his eyes as rage and revulsion swept through him. Who would do that? Who would betray someone he was supposed to care about for a check and five minutes of notoriety?
He grabbed the picture and studied it. Bethany looked so damned young and defenseless. She was asleep, half under the sheet. He wondered if the boyfriend had arranged her that way. The pose suggested more than it showed, but it was still a violation. She would still see it every time she closed her eyes.
She should get over it. Had he really thought that? Was she supposed to get over something like this while he was allowed to whine about what had happened with Lynette? Yes, he’d learned a hard lesson, but so what? It had worked out in the end. He’d gotten a great job in Texas that he’d liked a whole lot better. He’d learned more, had a chance to have dinner with then Crown Prince Malik, which had led to him being able to buy Rida for basically pennies on the dollar. Yeah, that was a drag. At least no one had tried to destroy his life by exposing his most intimate acts on the internet.
She’d been what, eighteen? And a virgin until that night? Cade wanted to call King Malik and ask what he’d done, just to make sure it was enough. Because if the jerk who’d done that was still breathing and walking, it wasn’t.
Cade carefully put the picture into the folder, then stood and walked into the house. He’d been a fool. No, he’d been worse than a fool. He’d been cruel and insensitive and Bethany deserved a whole lot better than him.
Still, she’d said she loved him. If that was true, if he was so lucky that she’d offered her heart, then what was he still doing in California? It wasn’t every day a man met a woman like her. Given that he’d fallen completely and totally in love with her, being without her was wrong on every level.
There was only one thing for him to do—get his ass to El Bahar and grovel like the worm he was. Beg her to forgive him and ask for another chance. This time he wouldn’t blow it. This time he would do everything in his power to convince her that he was going to spend the rest of his life proving how much he loved her. He was going to take care of her and protect her and be impressed by her and hope it was enough. Because at the end of the day, he would be offering all that he had.
* * *
CADE HAD NEVER been to El Bahar before and didn’t know what to expect. The airport was large and modern. He went through customs easily, and then got a cab. It was only when the driver asked him where he wanted to go that he realized he still hadn’t come up with a plan.
He’d gotten the first flight he could out of LAX. That meant changing planes first in New York and then in Frankfurt. Including layovers, he’d already traveled more than twenty-six hours and he still didn’t know how he was supposed to get in touch with Bethany.
She’d disconnected the phone she’d used in Happily Inc. If she’d given Pallas her real number, his sister hadn’t bothered sharing the information with him, so he was on his own.
“Take me to the royal palace, please.”
The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb.
They quickly merged onto a multilane highway. Traffic flowed briskly in both directions. The exits were clearly marked, the road signs were in English. To the southwest was the Arabian Sea and up ahead were the modern high-rises of the downtown area.
They drove past what he would guess was a large financial district, judging by the names of banks on several of the tall buildings, followed by more office buildings. When they exited the highway, there was a large park on one side and a shopping center on the other.
They passed several residential neighborhoods, more parks, schools, a sprawling university, then entered what seemed to be an older part of the city. Streets became more narrow, buildings closer together. The traffic was denser here.
Thirty minutes later, the cab drove down a long tree-lined street. At the far end was the fabled pink palace of El Bahar. Cade stared at the turrets and domes, the walls, the gardens and the tourists’ buses.
The cab pulled over and the driver pointed to the amount due. Cade groaned.
“I didn’t have time to exchange my money,” he said, pulling out his wallet. “Are US dollars all right?”
The driver smiled. “Of course. Very welcome here.” He pushed a button on his meter and the amount was converted to US currency. Cade paid him, grabbed his duffel and got out.
The sun was high in the sky, the temperature warm. He could see the blue water to his left and the palace in front of him. Tourists swarmed, taking pictures. Guides held colored signs aloft in an attempt to keep their groups together.
How was he supposed to find Bethany is all this? He knew she lived in the palace, but it wasn’t as if they were going to simply let him in. Should he have gone to the stables instead? Called Pallas to beg for Bethany’s number? Not knowing what else to do, he walked up to the information booth and spoke to the woman inside.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m Cade Saunders, from the United States.” He pulled a business card out of his wallet. “I was hoping to see the king.”
He waited for hysterical laughter, or the guards to pull out their guns and force him back into a cab. Instead the young woman looked at the card, then him, before asking, “May I see your passport?”
“Sure.” Cade handed that to her, as well.
“One moment,” she told him, and picked up the phone.
* * *
“BUT IT’S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S STUDIES,” her mother said for maybe the sixth time. “Wouldn’t that be interesting?”
“Mom, if you’re that intrigued, you go get your degree.” Bethany smiled to soften the words. “I love you, but you’re making me insane. I’
m fine. You don’t need to hover.”
Only part of a lie, Bethany thought. She wasn’t fine, but she really didn’t need the hovering, either. Eventually she would be fine. Or at least all right, which was close. Right now the wounds were too fresh. She’d only been home a few days and she ached for Cade with every breath. But in time, she would heal—of that she was sure.
Her parents had welcomed her with open arms, as had her brothers. She’d given herself twenty-four hours to sulk like a five-year-old, then she’d told herself it was time to grow up and take responsibility.
Feeling more than a little ridiculous, she’d spent a morning taking an online aptitude test that also measured what she liked and disliked. The test had confirmed what she already knew—women’s studies were not for her. She liked being outdoors; she loved horses, whether it was caring for them, training them, showing them or breeding them.
“But Texas?” her mother asked, her voice rising only a little. “It’s so far. They have lovely horses in England. England is so much closer.”
Bethany had already resigned from her job at the royal stables and looked for a college offering a degree in ranch management. While there were several, the one at Texas A&M gave her more options. Once she had her degree, then she would figure out what to do with it. Maybe buy a ranch or get involved with horse rescue. In the meantime she would get a job at a ranch. She had experience and good recommendations.
“I know England is closer,” Bethany said lightly. “But it’s not for me.”
“I’ll miss you so much.” Her mother hugged her. “But I understand why you have to go.” Liana hesitated. “Have you heard from Cade?”
Bethany shook her head. “No, and I don’t expect to. It’s over. He’s not going to forgive me for what I did.”
“Then he’s not worth it, darling, and I suspect you know that.”
Sensible words, Bethany told herself. And while her head knew her mother was right, her heart was not so willing to let go of the man who held it captive.
* * *
CADE WAS OKAY with the guy in the suit who led him through the palace—it was the uniformed and armed guard who stayed close that made him nervous.
He’d waited nearly twenty minutes before the guy in the suit had reappeared. He escorted Cade through carved double doors that had to be nearly twenty feet high, then through a foyer the size of a basketball court. Cade had to show his passport at two different checkpoints before leaving what were obviously the public parts of the palace and entering the working section of the compound.
Ancient blended perfectly with modern. The floors were stone, several of the doorways arched. There were mosaics and murals, tapestries and carvings along with offices and computers and people talking on cell phones. The business of running a country was still a business and a large staff was required.
They passed what he would guess was a large lunchroom. A small raised platform held a Christmas tree, a large menorah and a red-and-white-striped mailbox with a sign saying Direct mailings to the North Pole. Cade felt the beginning of cultural dizziness and realized he actually knew very little about the country or its people.
Too late now, he thought as he was led into a very large, very impressive waiting area. Two men sat behind massive desks. They were both wearing headsets and speaking. One of them finished his call, then looked at Cade.
“Mr. Saunders, His Royal Highness, the King of El Bahar, will see you now.”
Cade swore under his breath. He really hadn’t thought this through. Once he’d figured out how incredibly stupid he’d been to let Bethany go, all he could think about was getting to her to tell her he’d been wrong. He hadn’t considered the fact that he was going to have to face an actual king.
Yes, he’d met King Malik before, but at a casual dinner or at the ranch. Not like this.
One of the carved double doors opened and yet another suited minion appeared to escort Cade inside. The guard who had been with him since he entered the palace took Cade’s bag from him, then Cade was in what he guessed was Malik’s working office and alone with the king.
The monarch sat at his aircraft-carrier-sized desk. He wore a shirt and tie with his suit jacket hanging behind him. Windows looked out onto impressive gardens with the Arabian Sea in the distance.
Cade approached the desk. Malik looked up from the papers he’d been reading and raised his eyebrows.
“Cade, you are most unexpected.”
The tone wasn’t exactly warm and welcoming. Cade wondered how much Bethany had told her parents.
“I’m here to see Bethany,” he began.
Malik shook his head. “That is not going to happen. You have broken my daughter’s heart. Consider yourself lucky that I don’t in turn break parts of you.”
“I never meant to hurt her. I was wrong...what I said to her. I... There are things from my past and they got in the way.”
“How fortunate that you had this revelation after sending her away.”
Sarcasm was a lot more intimidating when the speaker was a king, Cade thought. He was also aware of not being invited to take a seat.
“I can’t help the timing. The things from my past are information, not an excuse. I need to see Bethany.”
Malik’s dark gaze remained icy. “So you said and yet your request is of no interest to me. You may go.”
Now Cade was the one to shake his head. “No, I won’t. You have to hear me out.”
“Surprisingly, I do not have to do anything.” Malik smiled tightly. “It is one of the advantages of being the king. Did you know we still have working dungeons in the palace? They are below ground and most unpleasant.”
Cade ignored the threat. “I’m in love with your daughter and while you won’t care about that, you may want to know she’s in love with me.”
“She’ll get over it. She’s always been a very smart young woman. In a few weeks, you’ll be nothing to her.”
Cade had to take the chance—there was no other way to get through to Malik. “We both know that’s not true. Bethany doesn’t give her heart easily. I don’t, either. I want to see her, Your Highness, and I’m not leaving until I do.”
“To quote you, we both know that’s not true. You will leave when I decide we are done.”
Cade swore silently. This wasn’t going well and he didn’t know how to get through to the angry, protective father in front of him. The man who—
Cade felt himself relax. Of course. Malik might be the king but he was also a dad. What he cared about more than anything was his precious baby girl.
“I love her,” Cade said simply. “I was a fool to let her go. Worse, I hurt her and there is no way to take that back. I made a mistake—one I’ve learned from. Your Highness, Bethany is amazing. She’s kind and funny and hardworking. I love everything about her.”
He moved closer to the desk. “I’ll admit the princess thing threw me. It’s not what I was expecting and something I’ll have to get used to, but it’s part of who she is. I love her. I know I have to apologize to her and work to earn her trust, but once that happens, I want to marry her.”
Malik rose, his brows drawing together. “She is Princess Bethany of El Bahar,” he roared. “The daughter of my heart. How dare you presume to come here and tell me you want to marry her? What makes you think you can begin to provide for her?”
Cade stayed right where he was. “You would have had me vetted before you let me buy Rida, so that’s not what this is about. I get she’s your daughter, but do you have any idea who she is inside? Bethany doesn’t care about the palace or the trappings of royal life. If she did, she wouldn’t have been working in your stable. She wants to be normal. I can give her that, and while you may not think it’s enough, she does. For you, I can promise I will take my last breath protecting and loving her. Every second of every day for the rest of my life, she will be my world. It’s al
l I have and it’s hers.”
Malik continued to glare. “You offer your word. What if I want your head instead?”
“You don’t scare me.”
“Don’t I?” He grinned. “Then perhaps I should try harder.”
CHAPTER TEN
BETHANY STOPPED BY the Giving Tree set up by the entrance to the palace offices. Buying dolls and trucks for kids she would never meet wasn’t making her feel much better, but at least it was something. For those moments when she went to the bazaar, she could almost forget how much she missed Cade. Almost.
She wound her way through the offices and ended up in front of her father’s door. She had been summoned. No doubt he was going to give her his “time to get over the man” speech. He’d delivered it after the debacle with her college boyfriend. To be honest, it had worked. If only it would do the same now.
Her father’s secretary told her to go in. Bethany opened the door and stepped into her father’s office, only to realize he wasn’t alone. Then her heart stopped as she recognized the man sitting across from him.
“Cade,” she breathed. “What are you doing here?”
Cade looked from her to her father and back, then crossed to her and took her hands in his.
“Bethany, you’re here. I can’t believe it. I came all this way only to realize I had no idea how to get in touch with you.”
Because she’d disconnected the phone she’d used in Happily Inc, she thought, still dazed by seeing him. “I have a phone with local service for when I’m home. I just went back to that. Pallas has the number.” Which was all totally inane. What she should really be asking was why are you here?
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