by Holly Rayner
“Lily, I was kidding. They’re tough, yes, but they wouldn’t have harmed you. Here, try this and tell me what you think.”
He cut a slice of white cheese from a block on the counter and held it out to her. She stared at it and then back up at him.
“You are the strangest man I have ever met,” she told him.
Atnan grinned.
“You might not be surprised to know that I have heard that before. Now, try this. Go on.”
He held the slice of cheese out to her again, and she took it, careful not to touch his fingertips. She had learned early on that her body would react to him in ways it had never done before, and the risk was too great. Lily had no ties to this country. In fact, the place was trying to force her exit at that very moment. She shook her head gently, taking a bite.
The cheese was cool and salty, with a sharp, lingering aftertaste of almonds.
“Whoa! I’ve never tasted anything like this!”
Atnan smiled, pleased by her reaction.
“In Al Yibri, we have certain goats that thrive off and love almonds. Their milk and cheese maintain that flavor when produced. I was surprised that nowhere else in the world can you find a concoction quite like this.”
He cut one more slice and handed it to her before he placed the rest of the cheese in a pan and turned on a gas burner.
“What is that going to be?” Lily asked.
Grabbing a whisk, he poked the cheese as it began to melt into a sauce.
“Tonight I’m going to make you one of our specialties: spiced beef with an almond cheese sauce. I think you will find that the cheese offsets the spice nicely, making it a perfectly balanced dish.”
“That sounds heavenly,” Lily said, sighing, and Atnan turned away from the stove for a moment to look at her.
“Are you much of a chef?” he asked, and Lily laughed.
“Do you count boiling water and letting cheap noodles go soft in it as cooking?”
Atnan grinned.
“I’m sure in some ways it is. In any case, it provides sustenance.”
“Well, it does keep you alive, when there are no other options.”
“That is all you could eat?” he asked, his voice peppered with concern.
Lily blushed, embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to admit to her own poverty, but she had no reason to lie, either.
“I wasn’t exactly in the best place when I decided to move out here and start a new life,” she said.
Atnan turned fully then, facing her. He reached for a bottle of wine, popped the cork, and poured her a healthy glass before setting it before her on the counter.
“It would seem there is much about you I have yet to learn.”
Lily raised an eyebrow at him.
“I thought we weren’t in the way of show and tell around here?”
Atnan shrugged, turning back to the stove to sauté the beef in a large black pan. The smell coming from it was sensational.
Lily sipped her wine, unapologetically watching the back of him as she did so. The Sheikh seemed concerned for her well-being, but how could he be when, at the drop of a hat, he’d apparently turn her in to the authorities?
Atnan left the meat simmering as he opened the fridge and pulled out a series of vegetables, tossing them into a pan and sprinkling various spices over them. As Lily continued to watch, she realized it was the first time since meeting him that Atnan seemed truly relaxed. A sense of peace washed over the room, which was welcome after such a dramatic afternoon.
Lily took the last sip of her wine, and, as though he could sense that she was ready for a refill, Atnan turned and picked up the bottle, refilling her glass.
Lily laughed.
“You would have made an exceptional restaurateur, had you not been born in a palace.”
Atnan chuckled. It was a soothing sound, one Lily was hopeful to hear more of for however long they had in their gilded prison.
She frowned, then.
She didn’t like thinking of Atnan’s palace as a form of jail. Instead, she opted to do her best to enjoy the adventure of it. Anyway, if she thought about the scary truth, it would be too overwhelming, and right now, being cooked a gourmet meal by a sheikh, she didn’t feel at all like a prisoner.
“I admit that I have considered opening a few places of my own around the country, just so I can pop in and cook whenever I please. I don’t think the chefs would be very happy with me, though, so perhaps I will have to keep my talents a secret for now.”
“Who said you have talent? We haven’t tasted the food yet.”
Atnan turned and looked at her with a critical eye.
“You doubt my skill?”
Lily lifted a shoulder, glancing down to avoid the searing gaze coming at her from the direction of the stove.
“I’m just saying I have yet to try it, so I will have to reserve my opinion for later.”
He stared at her.
“You realize you just told a royal family member that his cooking might stink, right?”
Lily met his gaze then, and didn’t back down.
“What, the sensitive prince can’t handle critical feedback? Did you get all perfect grades in school because you were smart, or because no one backed down from this?” she said, gesturing to his glare.
His eyes narrowed. “You are making some pretty insulting insinuations, Lily Hawthorne.”
“And you, sir, are burning the food. You’re about to prove my point.”
Atnan turned back to the stove and flipped over the beef, which had gotten dangerously close to being overcooked. Removing the pan from the burner, he finished stirring up the cheese sauce and vegetables and plated the food. It looked as though it had been done by a professional. He turned back to her.
“Are you going to antagonize me all night, or can we go back to enjoying a meal together as new friends?”
“Oh, I’m your friend now?”
“You have a strange way of treating the people who help you.”
Lily bit back a retort, realizing that there was some truth to his words. Yes, she was frustrated, and a part of her realized she was pushing Atnan away on purpose, because the more time she spent with him, the closer she wanted to be to his perfect, kissable mouth.
Lily sighed, then.
It wasn’t Atnan’s fault. In fact, he had been the only person in the country to help her at all since she had arrived. The least she could do was be nice.
“I’m sorry,” she said, setting down her wine glass. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks. Well, a rough couple of years, actually, and you don’t deserve to be treated with anything less than respect.”
Atnan watched her as she delivered her apology, his chocolate eyes penetrating, as though he could see right through her to her core. She fought the urge to look away. She fought the urge to walk up to him and press her face to his. Maybe it would be wise to lay off the wine a bit.
“That doesn’t mean that I’m going to lie to you, however. So, get ready for someone who isn’t afraid to tell the Sheikh the truth.”
Atnan’s lip twitched, and he nodded.
“Apology accepted. I have confidence that your critique of tonight’s meal will not be upsetting in the slightest. Let’s have a seat, shall we?”
Chapter Six
The Sheikh took a plate in each hand and tilted his head toward a doorway out of the kitchen. Lily grabbed her wine glass, an extra one for him, and the opened bottle, and followed him out of the kitchen. The sun had set while he had been cooking, and the blackened hallways held a haunted feeling with their peeling edges and aged appearance.
Lily stepped a little closer to Atnan as they reached a glass door.
“I’m sorry, can you open that? My hands are a bit full.”
Lily nodded, stepped ahead, and shifted her own cargo into one hand before she pulled on the curved handle of the door. She stepped outside, the flickering candlelight dancing in her eyes.
Atnan had set up a table for two in a private garden
surrounded by plants that had died many years before. Surrounding them were statuettes and tiny fountains, and the only light came from two long white candles in the center of the table. A gentle breeze blew around them, sending a shiver down Lily’s spine.
“Is it too cold for you? This is generally where I like to have my meals. I like being outside.”
Lily shook her head.
“Not at all. This is…lovely.”
Atnan nodded approvingly. He set the two plates on the table and stepped to one side before pulling out a chair. After a pause, Lily realized he was waiting for her to sit in it, and she nearly jumped into it, not wanting to get too close to him. Her feelings were wildly conflicting, and it made Lily uneasy. She set the wine and glasses on the table.
“You told me you weren’t going to lie. The palace obviously needs quite a bit of work,” he said.
He sat across from her, the candlelight complementing his skin and his suit, giving an eerie yet magical feel to the night. Lily glanced up to see a sky laced with stars before she looked back at Atnan, who was watching her.
Did she like that he was doing that?
“While we’re on the subject,” she replied, leaning in, liquid confidence flowing through her as a result of the wine, “why was this palace left here to rot? It’s clearly stunning under all the grime.”
Atnan sat back in his chair, gazing up at the constellations above them. When he looked back at Lily, his eyes were troubled.
“This palace is one of many that belong to my family. I remember spending my early summers here, when my parents desired a bit of drier heat.”
He glanced down and poured a glass of wine before he looked back up at her.
“I was five years old when my mother died. This was her favorite place. My father found the memories too painful to bear, so he boarded the place up. When he remarried a few years later, his second wife hated the fact that this place reminded him of her, so we never came back.”
Lily stared at him, a wave of sympathy coursing through her. She wanted to reach her hand out and grasp his, to let him know he wasn’t alone in the world. In that moment, in the flickering light, he looked so terribly alone.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, and he nodded.
“Yes, well, it was a long time ago. My memories of my mother are few at best, and my stepmother, while sometimes a jealous woman, is kind and loves my father very much. I couldn’t have asked for a better upbringing, given my situation.”
He took a breath and smiled.
“But here we are, about to let this perfect meal go cold. How can I accept a point deducted for temperature when you won’t stop talking?”
Lily laughed, happy to break free of the tense moment. Picking up her fork and knife, she cut a slice of the beef and dipped it in the sauce.
“You’re lucky that I just happen to adore anything that involves cheese.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it. Try a bite, and then tell me it’s terrible.”
Lily did, lifting her fork to her mouth and tasting the perfectly moist, delectable beef. She allowed the meat to rest in her mouth for a moment longer, just to savor the taste of real food. When she looked back up at Atnan, his expression was triumphant.
“Okay, fine. It’s amazing, all right?” she giggled.
The Sheikh laughed, picking up his own utensils and digging in.
They ate in comfortable silence, Lily savoring every bite. Paired with the wine, it was a perfect meal, and the cool desert breeze was welcome, the fresh air penetrating her senses, allowing her to relax fully for the first time in ages.
“I’ll take that critique, now, whenever you’re ready,” Atnan said, sitting back in his chair with a cocky expression.
“I already told you it was delicious. Do you always need your ego stoked?”
“No, but I haven’t received a compliment in a long time. Actually, I haven’t shared a meal with anyone in a long time, either, so maybe I just like conversation. If that conversation just so happens to be how great I am, so be it.”
Lily grinned at him, taking the last sip of her glass of wine. The bottle was empty, and she was glad. If she drank any more, she might do something she would regret.
“A-,” she said, sitting back herself.
Atnan frowned.
“What could possibly be lacking?”
Lily shrugged.
“You didn’t include dessert. It’s the most important part of the meal.”
“What! Of course there’s dessert. You have graded me unfairly and prematurely. Don’t move.”
He stood, leaving her alone in the garden as he headed back into the palace and out of sight. Lily blinked, wondering if she had upset him enough for him to storm out like a toddler. After a few minutes, she contemplated following to see where he went, but he reappeared in the doorway, his hands once again loaded with two small plates.
On each plate was a piece of dark chocolate cake, a delicate chocolate drizzle design beneath each slice. On top of each slice there was rich white cream and a strawberry.
Lily bit back a smile.
“You just happened to have chocolate cake prepared on the off-chance you’d get into a car accident with a stranger and bring them back to your palace to hide with you?”
Atnan set the plate in front of her after removing their dinner plates and setting them on a small side table.
“What can I say? I have a lot of free time around here, and I enjoy culinary pursuits. You just get to be lucky enough to try my gâteau au chocolat.”
“Oh, so it’s a French chocolate cake. Good to know.”
“Do you speak any?” he asked, handing her a silver dessert fork.
She took it, eager to try the delicious dessert.
“I do not, but I can recognize the accent, so that’s something. Now let’s see if you deserve an A for this final last-minute contribution.”
She dug her fork into the light, smooth cake and dipped it in the cream before tasting it. An explosion of flavor caressed her taste buds.
“Mmm,” she exhaled, trying to do as she had with the main course and savor it before moving to the next bite.
She found that much more difficult to do with the cake.
“I take it that’s a sound of approval?” Atnan asked, a hint of humor in his voice.
She looked up at him. A man who could make chocolate cake like that deserved her full attention, and in that moment, Lily realized that being holed up with the Sheikh could be one of the better things that had happened to her in quite some time.
“A+,” she affirmed, and he beamed.
“Well, that is certainly a jump. How I could have forgotten something as important as dessert is beyond me.”
She pointed her fork at him teasingly.
“Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
He placed a hand on his heart.
“Oh, you can rest assured, it certainly will not.”
They ate the rest of the dessert, Lily fighting the urge to lift her plate to her face and lick all traces of chocolate from it. When they finished, they stared up at the night sky for a while longer.
“You said you like being outside,” Lily said, and Atnan nodded.
“When I was younger, my father would take me hunting, and we would spend nights camped out with a canopy of trees above us and the starlight peeking through. The world was quiet and dark, and you could really think outside the obligations of life back in the city. Whenever I feel trapped or confined, I find I often feel better when I can get back to nature.”
Lily thought of all the hikes she had taken through the mountains of Wyoming and completely understood what he was saying.
“You get a sense of that here, even though we have a bit of shelter,” she said with a soft smile.
Atnan smiled back. In the waning candlelight, his face looked more defined, more handsome. As if that were possible.
“A bit of shelter, yes. Though I suppose it is getting late, and you must be
quite tired from the day’s events. May I escort you to your room?”
Lily swallowed, thinking about the Sheikh being inches from her room, where a large bed stood in wait. She tossed the thought aside, chalking it up to the wine and the romantic atmosphere. Something flew overhead, and she gasped and let out a small scream.
“What was that?” she squeaked, ducking as she bolted toward the door.
“A bat, I imagine,” he answered, unperturbed.
“You have bats here? Are they inside?”
He stood slowly, meeting her at the door.
“I suppose one or two might have gotten in. Why? Are you afraid?”
His gaze was warm as he looked down at her, and Lily realized they were far too close for comfort. She stepped inside.
“No, I’m not,” she said.
Chapter Seven
Atnan stepped back outside and grabbed a candlestick, lighting their way down the hall.
“We forgot to clean up the table,” Lily said, gazing up at the ceiling in search of bats as they walked. The shadows from the candle played tricks on her mind, and she thought she had seen at least four already.
“Don’t worry about it. It will be taken care of,” he replied.
“Question,” Lily began, and when Atnan didn’t answer, she took that as a green light to continue. “You had enough electricity to cook us a meal. Why are we walking in the dark with a candle like we’re in a haunted mansion?”
“You think this place is haunted?”
“You’re getting a real kick out of scaring me, aren’t you? Bats, ghosts, scary peeling walls. If it wasn’t for the chocolate cake…”
Lily didn’t know how she was going to finish that statement. She didn’t want to say that she would leave again, because as time passed, she found she wanted to be where Atnan was. He had proven himself capable in so many ways. She supposed if there was anything frightening in the palace, he would be able to protect her.
It was a warming thought.
“You’re working yourself up. There is nothing to fear in the palace. We are the only inhabitants, living or dead. The bats don’t even like it in here.”