by Alice Raine
Khalil frowned and his lip curled with distaste. ‘I didn’t mean that, Sara. Having multiple wives is a ridiculous and antiquated tradition. I would never want that or expect it of you.’
I was pleased by his defence of me, but gave a sad smile in response. ‘Your parents expect a lot of you, though. You have responsibilities.’
Throwing his head back, he cursed towards the roof. ‘You’re right. My position here in Somora does lead to certain expectations...’ He let out a growl of exasperation. ‘This is such a difficult situation for me.’
‘I know.’ I nodded sadly, now desperate to get away before the tears welling in the back of my eyes fell. ‘I’m not what they would want for you, and I understand, honestly, I do.’ I pulled in a breath and tried to finish this with some dignity. ‘I entered into our time together knowing from the start that we only had a week together, Khalil, and it was just as amazing as I had hoped it would be.’
I tried to pull my hand away, but Khalil held on, imploring me to look at him. As I did, I saw movement behind him. Leaning sideways so I could peek over his shoulder, I saw a woman approaching and sucked in a horrified breath when I realised it was his mother.
Her eyes met mine, and I could have sworn that she was giving me a slightly sympathetic look, but I knew how bad this situation looked, and decided I needed to get away before I really did get myself thrown in prison for inappropriate behaviour with the prince.
Khalil noticed the direction of my gaze and glanced over his shoulder. His grip lessened a fraction as he saw his mother, and I used the opportunity to rip my hand away. He spun back to look at me, but as his mother reached his side, I could see on his face how torn he was, and I stepped back to put some much-needed space between us.
‘I need to leave.’
‘Sara, wait.’ I briefly glanced at him and could see him struggling with the sudden appearance of his mother. He didn’t know what to do, so I summoned up my bravery and took the lead.
‘Goodbye, Khalil.’ Turning my back on them both, I hurried towards the gates.
‘Sara!’ I could hear him calling to me, but from the distance in his voice, he wasn’t following, which sent a blow of disappointment tearing through my chest.
It was over. Everything between us was really over.
Glancing back one final time, I saw him staring at me, and his mother laying a hand on his arm to gently hold him back. ‘I love you,’ I whispered softly before fleeing towards the road as my tears began streaming down my face.
Chapter Five
I’d never job hunted so desperately in all my life, but in the weeks following my meet-up with Khalil, I had scoured UK employment agency websites until I’d felt cross-eyed. The depressing outcome was there just weren’t any teaching vacancies suitable for me. It didn’t help that I was looking at the start of the term, so it was completely the wrong time for vacancies to be advertised, but I’d still clung to the hope that I could find a job back home and escape my heartache.
In the end I’d given up and decided to stick it out on the island. Apart from the issues with Khalil I was loving Somora; the climate was incredible, the food was out of this world, and the friends I had made at school were lovely. Besides, it wasn’t likely that I would bump into him on the street, was it? He was a prince, he didn’t wander around the island like the rest of us, and we certainly didn’t move in the same social circles, so the closest I’d come to seeing him was when I’d seen his face on a tourism poster last week.
He had called me, though, and visited. Well, when I say visited, I mean he’d sent that man mountain over to my place again to demand that I go with him to the Palace. Omar – the man mountain – didn’t like me at all. The poor guy had looked thoroughly disgruntled with my constant refusal to accompany him, but had still dutifully turned up on my doorstep every single day.
It had been a month now, and I’d had enough. These constant reminders of Khalil weren’t helping me in getting over him, so I’d decided to take action. In one hand I now held my mobile phone, which was complete with new number, and in the other was my suitcase packed up with all the worldly goods I owned.
I was moving in with a colleague who had offered me her spare room. Samantha – she preferred Sam – and I had become really good friends since I’d started work, and after a few drinks last week I had admitted to having some “man troubles”. Thankfully I hadn’t been drunk enough to spill any really juicy gossip, like his name or the fact that I had bedded the bloody prince, but I had told her my ex kept turning up on my doorstep, and Sam had immediately offered me a house share.
I’d miss the beach views of my little place, but hers was only a two-minute walk to the closest bay and had a gorgeous palm-filled garden and shared pool. The best thing about it, though, was that Omar could no longer turn up on my doorstep and remind me of Khalil, because apart from Sam and me no one else was aware where I’d moved to.
Once I had unpacked, I made my way to the lounge and found Sam holding up two dresses and looking in the full- length mirror on the wall. ‘God, I’m useless at girly stuff like this. Which one do you think I should wear on Friday?’
I moved to her side and admired the red dress in her left hand. It was gorgeous, but with her complexion the navy dress in her other hand was a better match. ‘The blue one. What’s happening on Friday?’
‘The charity dance, remember? It’s like the biggest social event of the year!’
I groaned and nodded. ‘Oh yeah. I’m not going.’
Sam dropped the hangers to her side and gawked at me. ‘You bloody well are! If I have to put on a dress and makeup, then so do you!’
I chuckled and shook my head. ‘Nope. You saw the size of my suitcase. I have nothing suitable to wear for something as formal as that and, seeing as we haven’t had payday yet, I can’t afford to buy anything either.’
Sam frowned. ‘Please come? It won’t be the same without you.’ Suddenly her eyes lit up and she held the red dress out to me. ‘You must be about the same size as me... you can borrow this! And I have a tonne of shoes you can look through!’
I looked at her pleading face and then down at the dress. I supposed a night out could be quite fun, especially now I’d made some friends at school who would be there. I took the hanger, held the dress up against the front of my body, and then nodded with a growing smile.
‘OK, deal. Thank you.’
Chapter Six
Sam had been right, the dance was fun. It was a very highbrow affair, far fancier than I had expected. The hall was decked out with glittering lights and linen laid tables. Apparently, this was fairly standard over here for a charity event, and local businesses all donated services and products for free in the hopes of making more money for the good causes.
I was immensely relieved that Sam had lent me the red dress and some heels because there were lots of local officials here tonight, and everyone was dressed to the nines in tuxedos, ball gowns, and the local traditional dress.
Through the crowd I saw Sam making her way back towards me with two flutes of champagne in her hands and a huge grin on her face. ‘So, I just heard that we’re going to be graced with the company of royalty tonight!’
My good mood evaporated as my stomach dropped at her words and I felt decidedly like I might be sick. ‘Royalty?’
Apparently oblivious to my sudden distress, Sam nodded and shoved a glass into my hands. ‘Yup. The Sheik! Can you believe it?’
I couldn’t believe it, and the idea of Khalil’s father walking in here at any moment filled me with absolute terror. Would he recognise me as the woman who he had caught with his son this summer? Would he have me fired and thrown out? Or would he not care?
‘And his wife the Shaykhah will be with him, too. She is so lovely! She’s done such amazing things for the women of the island.’
The glass in my hand felt as if it contained my only hope of staying calm, and so I downed the entire contents in one go before exchanging it for a refill from a p
assing server.
My eyes darted around the room to see if people appeared to be preparing for the Sheik’s imminent arrival, but then Sam placed a hand on my arm and brought my attention back to her. ‘Hey, are you OK? You look really pale.’
Forcing a smile to my lips, I nodded. ‘I’m just tired, sorry. I’m fine.’ And, actually, I was. My glance around the room had convinced me that I would be able to hide from the Sheik. The crowd here was massive, and I’d easily be able to stay hidden on the sidelines.
Two more glasses of fizz later and suddenly the room around us went quiet as someone I recognised as the head of the charity went up onto the stage and gave the microphone a tap.
‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming, and for the generous donations to our foundation so far.’ He raised his glass in a toast before continuing. ‘We are incredibly grateful for the support that our royal family give us each year, and as most of you know, Sheik Al Safar is one of our most generous patrons. We had been hoping for his company here tonight, but unfortunately he has been called away on urgent business.’
As he spoke my shoulders relaxed and a relived sigh slipped from my lips. The Sheik wasn’t coming after all! Now I could stop worrying and enjoy the rest of the evening.
‘However, we feel just as privileged that he has instead sent someone in his place. Please everybody put your hands together and welcome our beloved Prince, Khalil Al Sufar!’
Khalil? Khalil was here? I wanted to move, to run and hide, or to make my escape and leave, but my body seemed frozen to the spot as my eyes widened and I stared at the stage with dread rising in my system. I didn’t want to see him. Well I did, desperately, but I knew it would do me no good. Seeing Khalil in all his glory would simply reverse all the good work I’d done in the past weeks to try to move on from him.
After a second or two my skin flooded with awareness, telling me that he was near, and then, sure enough, a curtain at the side of the stage was parted by the familiar figure of Omar, before Khalil stepped onto the stage and strode confidently towards the podium.
Khalil shook hands with the president of the charity and then began a speech to the enraptured audience, but I was so overwhelmed with seeing him again that I couldn’t focus on a word he was saying.
He looked stunning. He was clean shaven, his hair had been tamed and was pushed back from his forehead, and his eyes seemed to be an even brighter green than I remembered. He was dressed in traditional local attire, and it was the first time I’d ever seen him decked out in his royal finery. He was wearing a white robe that was cinched at the waist and had silver trim at the sleeves, hem, and neck. Around his waist was an elaborate belt with several silver items attached to it including a small local dagger and cane that I knew was carried by all male members of the royal family.
His gaze passed around the room, and even though I knew he was simply being polite, I couldn’t help but feel like he was looking for me. Letting out a dry laugh, I shook my head at my ridiculous idea. There was no way he could know I was here. Even so, I found myself shuffling slightly behind Sam so that I wasn’t within direct line of sight of the stage.
Once his speech was over, Khalil was given a resounding burst of applause, and then escorted from the stage by Omar, who seemed to be his security detail for the night. I closed my eyes and pulled in a grounding breath. It was over; he was gone.
‘Well, that was exciting, wasn’t it?’ Sam said as she turned to me with a smile. ‘He’s definitely easier on the eye than his dad, eh?’
I smiled weakly and swiped yet another glass of champagne before sipping it to try to quench my dry throat. Seeing him had caused that old pain to reignite in my chest, but I hadn’t fled, cried, or made a fool of myself, so, all in all, I think I’d done pretty well. Sam was saying something beside me, but I was so caught up in my self-analysis that I didn’t hear her until she gave my arm a tug.
‘Sorry, what did you say?’
‘I said he’s still here, he’s talking to people...’ She whispered frantically, but when I gave her a puzzled look, she rolled her eyes and gave me a shake. ‘The prince!’
Now that got my attention. ‘ What?’
Sam rotated me to my right. Through the crowds of people who were now starting to dance, I could see Khalil doing the rounds, shaking hands with people and making small talk. He might have been speaking with other people, but I was suddenly sure that he knew I was here. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. Seconds later, my suspicions were confirmed as his eyes flicked in my direction, and then, finally, he deliberately caught my stare and gave me the tiniest hint of a raised eyebrow to acknowledge my presence.
‘Oh God! He’s heading straight for us!’ Sam hissed, but I didn’t need her warning. My whole body was already well aware of exactly where Khalil was in the room.
Panic raced up on me and my throat tightened. I couldn’t deal with this. It was bad enough seeing him again, and being reminded of his startling handsomeness, but the idea of talking to him in public was all too much. I was on the brink of breaking down already, and he hadn’t even said a word to me yet.
I desperately sought a way out, but the only exit was blocked by the large body of Omar, and I had a distinct feeling that he would be under strict instructions not to let me leave. So really my options were to attempt to leave but draw attention to myself in the process, or somehow manage to exchange a few words with Khalil without making an idiot of myself and blubbing. It wasn’t exactly a great choice, but he seemed to be just saying one or two words to everybody, so surely it wouldn’t be too bad. Besides, he couldn’t hang around me for too long without drawing attention to us, and he wouldn’t want to do that in such a public venue.
Drawing in some breaths for courage, I tried to prepare myself, but it was a wasted effort, because as soon as he reached Sam and me, my insides clenched with longing and I had to grit my teeth and ball my fists to resist the urge to reach out and touch him.
I might be freaking out, but my manners couldn’t ignore the fact that we were supposed to dip our heads in greeting to a member of the royal family, and as Sam tucked her chin down, I found myself copying her action. In return, Khalil bowed his head respectfully at us and then smiled.
‘Good evening, ladies. Are you enjoying the event so far?’
Sam launched into a babbled description of our evening, allowing me to stay silent, but after listening to her for a minute or so Khalil graced her with one of his gorgeous grins, rendering her speechless, and then nodded his head. ‘I’m glad you are enjoying it. May I please have a moment alone with Miss Masters?’
Sam still appeared struck dumb by his presence but managed to flash me a surprised look before nodding, bowing her head, and then leaving us alone. I wanted to scream at her to stay with me, but I couldn’t, so instead I despondently watched her walk away, and then rallied myself to face Khalil alone. By the time I lifted my gaze to his, Khalil’s smile was gone, replaced now with a small frown and an intense stare.
‘You’ve not been answering your door.’
Really? He wanted to have this conversation here while we were surrounded by half the population of the flipping island?
‘Or your phone,’ he added. His tone was laced with frustration, but what did he expect?
‘I changed my number and I moved house,’ I replied flatly. I didn’t bother to elaborate that it was all part of my efforts to avoid him, because that would be bloody obvious.
‘Moved?’ A look of pain crossed his face, and I instantly felt guilty. Not that I had anything to feel bad about; I’d done it to protect my heart. ‘No wonder there was never any answer. I was worried, Sara. I’ve missed you so much, little one.’
My eyes fluttered shut, and I gritted my teeth to stop myself admitting how much I had missed him, too. After all, we still couldn’t be together, so confessing that I’d spent the last month feeling like my heart had been ripped from my body would be pointless.
When I opened my ey
es again, he was still there, and still staring at me with a determined glare. ‘Where have you moved to?’
I didn’t want to tell him, but if I was sharing a house with someone else then he was unlikely to send Omar over. ‘I’m living with Sam.’
Khalil’s gaze hardened and his jaw tightened. ‘Who is Sam and why are you living with him?’ His tone was low and dangerous, and the flash of possessiveness I saw in his gaze sent a twisted thrill through my body.
‘Relax, Khalil. Sam is a girl. The woman I was standing with just now.’ He responded to my words with a small nod, and then his eyes raked down my figure and back up.
‘That dress is quite something. You look stunning.’
I silently acknowledged his compliment, lowering my eyes so he wouldn’t see how much his words meant to me.
I heard him sigh at my lack of response and then he shifted closer. ‘We need to speak, Sara. Privately.’
Standing up straighter to boost my confidence, I shook my head and moved back. ‘No, Khalil. It’s pointless, there’s nothing to say. We can’t be together, end of story.’ As I ran a hand through my hair, I realised I was trembling. ‘I’m looking for a job back in the UK. I think leaving the island might be the best thing.’
Khalil’s expression opened into one of dismay before darkening with determination, but then he surprised me by taking a step back and dramatically extending his hand to me. ‘Dance with me.’
Dance with him? People around us were dancing to the music now, but panic erupted within me. Dancing involved touching, and I just couldn’t do it. Speaking to him was bad enough, but touching him as well? It would kill me.
‘I... I can’t... Khalil. Please. This is already so difficult for me.’
His gaze softened as he heard the anguish in my voice, but then he tilted his head closer to mine. ‘People are watching us. Denying a prince would be seen as very bad etiquette, little one,’ he murmured in a tone that sent shivers running across my body. Glancing around, I saw he was right. Several people were staring at us with open interest, Sam included.