Desert Rogues Part 2

by Susan Mallery

  “I have a question,” she said in a low voice, staring at his shirtfront rather than his face.

  “Yes?”

  “Is it really just business that’s kept us apart? Physically, I mean?”

  He reached across the table and took her hand. “Are you concerned?”

  “A little. Last weekend we, um, made some progress and since then, well, nothing. Did I do something wrong? I’ve been thinking about it and I wondered if maybe you thought I was being selfish. The whole thing was about me. I feel really bad about that. I just didn’t think…” She bit her lower lip. “Pleasing the man in my life isn’t something I’m used to.”

  Her combination of worry, concern and nervousness charmed him. He squeezed her fingers.

  “You are the innocent in the relationship,” he told her. “I don’t expect you to be aware of my needs or responsible for them. Had I wished things to go differently, I would have told you.”

  “Okay. But it’s been a week. Things were really hot and heavy before.” She glanced around, as if making sure no one could hear them. “Are you unhappy with me? Do you want to change your mind about the whole mistress thing?”

  If they’d been alone, he would have claimed her right at that moment. He was delighted that she missed their physical contact.

  “You are the one I desire,” he said, staring into her eyes. “Only you.”

  Her mouth parted, but she didn’t speak. He felt her pulse quicken and heard her breathing increase.

  “Wow,” she whispered at last. “That’s good.”

  “It’s true.”

  “So you really have been busy? It’s just that?”

  “Mostly. Also, I thought we were moving a little quickly. I wanted to give you time to get used to our intimacy.”

  “Now? You take me to the pleasure planet, then pull back? It hardly seems fair.”

  He smiled. “Then we can change things. You only have to let me know. Or better yet, show me.”

  Her eyes widened. “As in, seduce you? I’m not sure I know how.”

  His body clenched at the thought. “You would figure it out.” In truth, it wouldn’t take much, but she didn’t need to know that. Just sitting here with her, talking about making love, was enough to get him hard.

  “Really?” She pulled free of his touch, clapped her hands together and shimmied in her seat. “I like that. I like the thought of bringing a big, powerful prince to his knees. Figuratively, of course.”

  “Of course. Maybe this weekend we can—”

  “Hello, Kiley.”

  Rafiq glanced to his left and saw Eric standing next to their table. Annoyance destroyed his good mood.

  Kiley jumped. “Eric! What are you doing here?”

  Her surprise seemed genuine. As much as Rafiq wanted to grab the smaller man by the shirt and pummel him, he deliberately decided to wait and see what happened. If Kiley needed his help, he would step in—otherwise it would be better if she took care of Eric herself.

  “I have to talk to you,” Eric said, ignoring Rafiq. “Come outside.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you. Go away.”

  Not the words of a woman mourning a relationship, Rafiq thought with relief.

  “You’re making a fool of yourself,” Eric said, glaring at her. “Can’t you see that?”

  “The only fool here is you,” she told him. “You didn’t realize what you could lose. It’s gone now and there’s no getting it back. I’m sorry if that hurts, but…” She frowned. “No. I’m not sorry. I’m glad it hurts you. I hope it hurts a lot. You treated me terribly. I’m not interested in you or our past or anything you could say to me. My biggest regret is that I wasted three years of my life waiting to marry you. The bright spot is I found out the truth before the wedding.”

  Eric turned on Rafiq. “This is your fault. You seduced her. How long were you screwing her before all this happened?”

  Rafiq started to rise, but Kiley put her hand over his. “I appreciate it,” she said, “but I can handle this.”

  He nodded and sank back in his chair. He would let her be in charge…for now.

  “Rafiq has nothing to do with it,” she told Eric. “The only one who was unfaithful in our relationship is you. Of course, given how much you cheated, it makes sense that you would assume the worst about everyone else. But I’m not like that. I take my commitments seriously.”

  “So this just happened?” Eric asked, sounding incredulous. “I find that tough to believe.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t care what you think. Your opinion doesn’t matter to me. Not anymore. It’s over between us and I’m relieved. I think it’s sad I’m not in more pain. It makes me think I haven’t loved you for a long time.”

  Eric pointed at Rafiq. “You replaced me with him? You’re an idiot if you think it’s going to last. You’re caught up in his money and title, but that’s not going anywhere. He’ll never marry you. You’re from different worlds. He thinks this is fun now, but he’ll get tired of you and then toss you aside.”

  “Maybe,” Kiley said calmly. “The difference is when Rafiq wants to end the relationship, he’ll say it to my face. He’ll be honorable. He won’t cheat on me behind my back.”

  Eric reached for her. Rafiq grabbed his arm. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Eric jerked free and retreated a step. Rafiq let him.

  “I’m not the only one who sneaks around, Kiley,” Eric said. “What about you? Do your parents know about him? Do they know what you’re doing? It’s not as if you’re willing to take him home this weekend to see Heather’s new baby.”

  Kiley had been mad before, but now she was furious. She’d seen Rafiq grab Eric. From the look on Rafiq’s face, he would be happy to beat up the other man. She was almost tempted to let him do it.

  “How dare you?” she breathed. “You called my parents.”

  “Of course I did. I’m worried about you. They mentioned the baby and that you’d be coming to visit.” Eric turned to Rafiq. “Didn’t know that, did you? Kiley has a big family. I was always welcome there. They liked me. Think they’ll say the same about you?”

  Kiley wasn’t sure what her family would say about Rafiq, and she wasn’t planning to find out. In truth, now that Heather had had her first baby, Kiley wanted to go home for the weekend. She’d planned to tell Rafiq over dinner. She still would. She just hated how Eric made it sound as if she were keeping secrets.

  Rafiq leaned back in his chair and regarded Eric. “Kiley was telling me about the baby when you interrupted. It is unfortunate you’ve finally realized what you lost, but the fault is yours. Kiley is gone and you have no one to blame but yourself.”

  Eric took a step toward him. “I oughta nail you.”

  Rafiq placed his napkin on the table and stood. He topped Eric by several inches and outweighed him by fifteen or twenty pounds of muscle.

  “Do you think that’s possible?” Rafiq asked with a casualness that belied his temper.

  Kiley didn’t know what to do. A part of her wouldn’t mind if Rafiq beat the crap out of her ex-fiancé. But this was a public place and she didn’t think Rafiq would appreciate the potential publicity.

  Just then an older man hurried toward them. Two burly cooks and a big waiter accompanied him. He paused by the table and bowed his head.

  “Prince Rafiq, I’m so sorry. I did not realize this man was bothering you. Please allow me to escort him outside.” The man snapped his fingers, and the two cooks grabbed Eric.

  “Hey, you can’t do this,” Eric said.

  “It seems he can,” Rafiq said as he sat down. “Know this. If you bother Kiley again, I will speak with the senior partners at your law firm. She has told you to stay away from her. It would be best for you and your career if you did just that.”

  Eric was hustled out of the restaurant before he could respond. Kiley felt the interested stares of the other diners.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, barely able to look at Rafiq. “I don�
�t know how Eric found us or why he even bothered looking.”

  “Are you all right? Did it trouble you to see him?”

  “It’s embarrassing to have him make a fuss, and I hate that you had to get involved.”

  “I would have stepped in sooner, but I thought you would want to handle him.”

  “I did.” She reached for her wine and took a sip. “I don’t get it. He was so willing to ignore me for so long. Now that I’m gone, he’s acting as if it’s a big deal.”

  “Perhaps it is,” Rafiq said. “He realizes what he lost.”

  “So what? I was an idiot for ever getting involved with him. What a weasel.”

  Rafiq nodded slowly. “There is a strength about you I didn’t recognize at first. I admire that.”

  His compliment pleased her. “Thank you. I don’t feel especially strong. Determined, maybe.”

  “Was Eric the reason you’ve been distracted for the past couple of days?”

  He’d noticed? And here she thought she’d been keeping her worries to herself. Was she really bad at concealing things or was he more observant than most?

  “No. It wasn’t Eric. It’s actually a couple of things. I didn’t want to bring them up at work because I’m trying to keep our personal life out of that.”

  “Now I’m intrigued.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “A woman called. Marcy Dumont. I guess I met her at the fund-raiser, although I don’t remember her specifically. There were so many introductions. Anyway, she wanted me to talk to you about sponsoring some event. It’s for children.”

  She picked up her fork, then set it down. “It was so strange. I didn’t know what to say to her and I felt really awkward. I mean, why come to me for money? She said I could influence you, which is crazy. I couldn’t. But even if I could, I think it’s wrong to impose on my personal life. She should have talked to you directly.”

  He was quiet for a long time. She knew he was reasonable enough that he wouldn’t blame any of this on her, but she felt awkward about the whole thing.

  “None of this is your fault,” he said at last. “You’re right. If the woman wanted me to sponsor an event, she should have contacted me. What did you tell her?”

  “Nothing. She hung up before I could get my thoughts together. I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before. I didn’t know how to handle the situation. Eric’s right about that. We are from different worlds.”

  “Next time tell me,” he said gently. “I will take care of things.”

  “I’m not helpless.”

  “I agree. But you’re also not experienced in the nuances of my lifestyle. Your only responsibility is to me.”

  She couldn’t help smiling. “That sounded very sheik-like and demanding. That my only responsibility is to you. As if you’re the center of my world.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “I am Prince Rafiq of Lucia-Serrat. Of course I’m the center of your world.”

  She laughed, and her worry faded away. “Not on this planet, but it’s a nice fantasy.”

  “You do not respect me.”

  “I respect you plenty, but I’m not a doormat. I’m an independent woman who chose you to be her lover.”

  As soon as she spoke the words, she clapped her hand over her mouth. “I did not say that aloud.”

  “You did.” He picked up his wine. “I like this independent side of you. Tell me more.”

  “There’s not all that much to say.” Except for this one thing. She looked at him. “I have to go away this weekend.”

  His gaze sharpened slightly. “To visit your family?”

  She shouldn’t be surprised that he’d figured it out, but she was. “I want to see Heather and the new baby. It will just be for a couple of days. I’ll fly out tomorrow and be back Sunday.”

  “You are welcome to be gone longer.”

  Not exactly the “I’ll miss you” speech she’d been hoping for. “The weekend is plenty.”

  “Fine. I hope you enjoy yourself.”

  There was something about the way he said the words. Something that unsettled her.

  “You’re not mad, are you?” she asked.

  “That you wish to visit your family? No. This is a very special time. You will want to be there.”

  Okay, that all sounded right, but it didn’t feel right. She studied him, trying to figure out what was wrong. Did he seem to be sitting more stiffly? Was there a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

  “I just…” She pressed her lips together. “What’s wrong? Are you mad I’m leaving?”

  “I assure you, I will survive without your company.”

  Ouch. “I know you will. Of course you will. You don’t need me at all.”

  She stared at her plate and wondered where the conversation had gone wrong.

  The waiter arrived and served their salads. Kiley picked up her fork, then put it down again. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry.

  “I’m sorry,” Rafiq said quietly.

  She looked at him and did her best not to show her astonishment. It had never occurred to her a real, live prince would ever apologize. “For what?”

  “For hurting you.” He shrugged. “I know your assumption is that I would not enjoy meeting your family. Perhaps you are uncomfortable with our relationship and who I am. It is better you go yourself. For my part, it has been a long time since I was reminded I am not like other men.”

  His words swirled around in her brain. Maybe she was crazy. Maybe she was delusional, but if she understood what he was saying then somehow he’d been hurt by her not wanting to take him with her.

  “I’m not ashamed of our relationship,” she told him.

  “It is unconventional.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly tell my mom about the terms of our agreement or that I was your mistress-in-training, but I would be comfortable introducing you. I thought you’d feel weird about going home with me. I thought you’d think it was dumb or boring. We’re just regular people. No palaces, no fancy pedigrees. You’re a prince.”

  “I am aware of my title.”

  She smiled. “I figured you were. Rafiq, you’re used to who and what you are, but the rest of us aren’t. My folks live in Sacramento in a tract home. We don’t even have a second story.”

  “Are you concerned I’ll judge your family and find them wanting?”

  Interesting question. “No, I’m not,” she said slowly, realizing it was true.

  “Then what troubles you?”

  When the truth came, it was both funny and sad. “I’m afraid you’ll realize I’m not that special. That I’m just like everyone else.”

  “You are uniquely yourself.”

  “Does that mean you want to go with me this weekend?”

  “I would like it very much.”

  “Then you should come along.” Uh-oh. What exactly was she getting herself into?

  Chapter Eight

  They left for Sacramento Saturday morning, shortly before nine. The flight would be a little less than an hour, which meant there would be a whole day of family time. Usually the thought would have excited Kiley, but this morning it made her nervous.

  Still, if she was going to bring Rafiq to visit her parents and whoever else might be hanging out there, it was very nice to travel in style.

  “I’ve never been in a private plane before,” she said as she rubbed her hand over the smooth, soft leather covering the seat. “It’s very nice.”

  Rafiq sat across from her in an equally impressive seat. “There is a larger plane for longer trips.”

  “That’s right. You have two planes.”

  He shrugged. “It is more convenient.”

  She had to agree with that. Instead of getting to the airport two hours early and dealing with long lines, they had driven onto a small airfield next to the Los Angeles International Airport. As soon as they had handed over their luggage and gone onboard, the pilot had prepared for takeoff. Who knew this type of travel even existed?

  “You’re going to
make it hard to go back to discount flying,” she said as the plane banked, then turned north.

  “That was not my intent. I thought you would enjoy this plane.”

  She looked around at the luxuriously appointed cabin. “It’s fabulous. Remind me to be rich in my next life.”

  “I will.”

  He unfastened his seat belt, leaned forward and un-hooked hers. Then he pulled her across the narrow aisle onto his lap. When she’d settled onto his thighs and had looped an arm around his shoulder, he smiled.

  “Much better,” he said.

  She snuggled closer. “What happened to taking things slowly?”

  He put his hand on the back of her head and drew her down for his kiss. “I’ve been rethinking that plan.”

  “Good,” she managed before he claimed her.

  She pressed her hand to his cheek and let herself get lost in the sensual dance of lips and tongues. He explored her, then teased her by retreating. She followed, and he gently sucked on her tongue.

  Need grew inside of her. She felt hot and hungry and her breasts ached.

  He rested his hand on her thigh. She willed him to move higher, to touch her between her legs. Even through her jeans, the contact would bring her pleasure. But he didn’t read her mind and she wasn’t capable of asking. Not yet. But soon, she thought, wanting him with a passion that left her breathless.

  She raised her head and sighed. “This is nice. I guess I should have seduced you this week, but I was really busy and time got away from me.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel about coming in second to your work.”

  “Specifically, it was a report my boss wanted.”

  He unfastened the buttons at the front of her shirt, then pressed his mouth to the swell of breast just above her bra. “Perhaps next time you should tell him no.”

  “I’d like to, but he’s really demanding. You know the type.”

  “Regal,” he said as he undid the front hook of her bra and pushed the cups aside.

  He moved his hands to her hips and helped her straddle him. When she’d braced her hands on the back of the seat, he leaned in and took her nipple in his mouth. At the same time, he slipped his hand between her legs and began to rub her center. Perhaps he could read minds after all.