by Kristi Gold
She didn’t want to think, only do. “Look, in a perfect world, I’d suggest we spend a few days getting to know each other before we take this step. But unfortunately I was informed only a few hours ago that I’m traveling to some obscure Middle Eastern country to schmooze with sheikhs for the sake of trying to win a water conservation contract.”
His expression went stone-cold serious. “Are you referring to the Mehdis?”
“Yes, and I realize they’re your friends, but—”
“We need to talk.”
That meant only one thing—party’s over. “All right,” she muttered, unable to mask the disappointment in her voice.
A.J. led her to the white sofa set out in the middle of the room. After they settled on the cushions side by side, he took both her hands into his. “You are one of the most beautiful, intelligent and intriguing women I have met in a very long time. Quite simply, you’re special. For that reason, I do not want to take advantage of you.”
Take advantage of me, dammit, she wanted to say, but opted for a more subtle debate. “I’m not special at all. However, I’m sure you normally require an experienced partner, and if it’s that’s your concern, I’m much more adventurous than I seem. I think my being in your hotel room is a sure sign of that.”
He released her hands and leaned back. “As much as I would like to find out, I’d prefer not to complicate matters, which leads me to what I need to tell you. I pilot the Mehdis’ plane.”
Her eyes widened from sheer shock. “Why didn’t you tell me this in the beginning?”
“It didn’t matter until you said you’d be working with them. If the king learned I was bedding a prospective client, he would, simply put, go ballistic.”
Figured. “Leave it to some well-heeled royal to spoil my good time. That’s why I have no use for that kind of man.”
His gaze wandered away. “He would be justified in his condemnation. I have a responsibility to the Mehdis and a need to be taken seriously by them.”
“At all costs?”
“I’m afraid that is the case at this point in time.”
In other words, thanks but no thanks, or at least that was what Piper heard. Feeling somewhat humiliated, she came to her feet. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, A.J. Thank you for a very lovely and eye-opening evening.”
Before she had a meltdown, Piper headed away, only to be stopped by A.J. bracing her shoulders from behind before she could open the door.
He turned her to face him, his expression extremely solemn. “Piper, there are two things you must know about me. First, I have been taught that a man is only as good as his honor, and I am trying to honor you, even if I would like to take that black dress off you and carry you to my bed. Despite my concerns about my job, you also deserve the utmost respect and regard. And once you have time to consider my decision, you will thank me for saving you from a possible mistake.”
For some reason that made Piper a little miffed. “Do you honestly believe I don’t know my own mind?”
“I believe you’re too trusting.”
Now she was just plain mad. “I’m an adult, A.J., not some naive adolescent. And in case you’re worried, I’m not a prude, I’m picky. Last, the only mistake I made tonight was thinking you could be the man who would be worth the wait. Obviously I was wrong.”
He softly touched her face. “You are not wrong. When it comes to us—” he twined their fingers together, sending a message that wasn’t lost on Piper “—making love, I assure you that would definitely be worth the wait. And that is what I’m proposing, waiting until we have the opportunity to know each other while you are in Bajul.”
Piper’s anger almost disappeared. Almost. “That would depend on whether you’re everything you seem to be, because I believe honesty and honor go hand in hand. Now, what was the second thing you wanted me to know?”
A strange look passed over his face. “I still believe in chivalry. Will you allow me to walk you to your room?”
She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m a big girl and I can find my way.”
“As you wish.” After he escorted her into the corridor, A.J. executed a slight bow. “If I don’t see you tomorrow on the plane, Ms. McAdams, then I will make it a point to seek you out in Bajul.”
* * *
She boarded the extremely large and lavish private plane less than five minutes before their scheduled departure, due to the rush-hour traffic and an apathetic cabdriver. When the five-man survey crew settled into the vacant beige leather seats at the front of the plane, she walked the aisle past what she assumed to be staff and press members. Despite the size of the plane, it appeared the back half had been cordoned off to passengers. Most likely it held a series of conference rooms and perhaps even living quarters. She might ask A.J. to give her the grand tour, provided she actually encountered him before they landed.
She paused in the aisle to address a middle-aged, professor-like man with sparse graying hair, wire-rimmed glasses and kind brown eyes. Hopefully he spoke English, and that the last remaining spot was available. “Is this seat taken?”
“It is reserved for Miss McAdams,” he replied. “Is that you?”
Fortunately a language barrier wouldn’t exist during the lengthy flight. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Then the seat is yours.”
After sliding in next to the man and settling her red tote at her feet, she shifted toward him and stuck out her hand. “Hello, I’m Piper McAdams. I’m traveling to Bajul with the GLM engineers.”
He gave her hand a soft shake. “Mr. Deeb.”
Not a lot to go on there. Time for a fishing expedition. “Are you a friend of the sheikh’s?”
“I am serving as his attaché on this trip.”
“I’m sure that’s a very interesting duty.”
He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Managing Prince Adan’s schedule can be challenging at times, evidenced by his absence at the moment.”
A good thing, since she might have missed the flight if the guy had been punctual. “He has a habit of being late, does he?”
“He occasionally suffers from tardiness, among other things.”
Piper wanted him to define “other things” but then she noticed a commotion toward the front of the plane. Assuming the mysterious monarch had finally arrived, she came to her feet along with the rest of the passengers and leaned slightly into the aisle to catch a glimpse. She spotted only A.J. dressed in a crisp, white shirt covered by a navy blue suit emblazoned with gold military-like insignias. Not a sheikh in sight.
She regarded Mr. Deeb again and lowered her voice. “He must be some kind of pilot to earn that reception.”
He cleared his throat and glanced away. “Yes, he is quite the aviator.”
After everyone settled into their seats, Piper followed suit, well aware that her pulse had unwittingly picked up speed as she noticed A.J. stopping in the aisle to speak to one man. A man who oddly addressed the pilot as Prince Adan.
Reality soon dawned, along with the sense that she might have been completely betrayed by blind faith. She turned a frown on Mr. Deeb. “He’s not the plane’s pilot, is he?”
Again the man refused to look at her directly. “Yes, he is the pilot, as well as commander in chief of Bajul’s armed forces.”
“And a Mehdi?”
Deeb gave her a contrite look. “The third Mehdi son in line to inherit the throne.”
And a major liar, Piper realized as she watched the sheikh disappear into the cockpit. She thanked her lucky stars she hadn’t made the mistake of climbing into bed with him. Then again, he’d been the one to put an end to that with his fake concerns over being only a royal employee, not a royal prince. And all that talk of honor. Honorable men didn’t deceive unsuspecting women about their identities.
Fuming ov
er the duplicity, Piper pulled a fashion magazine from her bag and flipped through the pages with a vengeance during takeoff. She didn’t have to deal with the situation now, or ever for that matter. She didn’t have to spend even one minute with A.J. or Adan or whatever his name was. He would be nothing more to her than a cute meet that had gone nowhere, a precautionary tale in the book of her life, a man she would endeavor to immediately forget....
“May I have a moment with you in the aft lounge, Ms. McAdams?”
She glanced up and immediately took in A.J.’s damnable dimples and his sexy mouth before visually traveling to his remarkable dark eyes. “Is the plane flying itself, Prince Mehdi?”
He tried on a contrite look. “I have turned the controls over to the copilot for the time being so we can converse.”
And if she spent one second alone with him, she might find herself caught up in his lair once more. “I do believe the seat belt sign is still on, and that means it’s not safe to move about the cabin.”
Of course said sign picked that moment to ding and dim, robbing her of any excuse to avoid this confrontation. Nevertheless, he happened to be resident royalty, not to mention he could hold the power to grant—or reject—her grandfather’s bid. For that reason, she shoved the magazine back into the carry-on and slid out of the seat, putting her in very close proximity to the fibbing prince. “After you,” she said in a tone that was borderline irritable, to say the least.
As the princely pilot started toward the rear of the plane, Piper followed behind him with her eyes lowered in an attempt to avoid the two female attendants’ curious stares. He paused to open a sliding frosted-glass door and gestured her forward into a narrow corridor before he showed her into a lounge containing dark brown leather furniture.
“Make yourself comfortable,” A.J. said as he closed the sliding door behind her.
Comfortable? Ha! Piper chose the lone chair to avoid inadvertent physical contact, while the sneaky sheikh settled on the opposing sofa.
He draped his arm casually over the back cushions and smiled. “Have you enjoyed your flight so far?”
In an effort to demonstrate some decorum, she bit back the harsh words clamoring to come out of her mouth. “Since it’s been less than fifteen minutes into the flight, I prefer to reserve judgment until landing.”
He gave her a lingering once-over. “You look very beautiful today, Piper.”
She tugged the hem of her black coatdress down to the top of her knees. Unfortunately she couldn’t convert the open collar to a turtleneck. “Thank you, but if you believe compliments will put you in the clear after you lied to me, think again.”
“I am being completely sincere in my admiration.”
“Forgive me if I question your sincerity. And by the way, what am I supposed to call you?”
“What would you like to call me?”
He’d walked right into that one. “Jackass?”
He had the audacity to grin. “I believe I have been called that before.”
She had the utterly stupid urge to kiss that grin off his face. “I don’t doubt that a bit. And where did you come up with A.J.?”
“My given name is Adan Jamal. My classmates called me A.J., but as an adult I do prefer Adan.”
“I would have preferred you explain all of this to me last night.”
His expression turned serious. “When I discovered you were involved with the water project, I was completely thrown off-kilter.”
Not a valid excuse, in her opinion. “And after learning that, did you seriously believe you could hide your identity from me indefinitely?”
He sighed. “No. I had hoped to speak with you before takeoff. Unfortunately, traffic detained our driver on the way to the airport and I had to adhere to the original flight plan.”
She couldn’t reject that defense when she’d experienced the same delays. Still... “You still should have told me before I left your room, at the very least.”
He leaned forward, draped his elbows on his parted knees and studied the carpeted floor. “Do you know what it’s like to be judged by your station in life even though it has nothing to do with who you really are?”
Actually, she did—the rich girl born to a spoiled, partying socialite and an unknown father. “I can relate to that in some ways.”
He finally raised his gaze to hers. “Last night, I wanted you to see me as an average man, not a monarch.”
There was absolutely nothing average about him. “I don’t base my opinions on a person’s social status.”
He straightened and streaked a palm over his shadowed jaw. “I believe I recall you mentioning you have an aversion to wealthy men, and specifically, the Mehdis. Is that not so?”
Darned if he wasn’t right. “Okay, yes, I might have said that. My apologies for making generalizations.”
“And I apologize for deceiving you. I promise it will not happen again, as soon as I tell you something else I omitted last evening.”
Just when she thought she might be able to trust him. “I’m listening.”
“I’ve been celibate since my eldest brother’s wedding.”
“When was that?” she asked around her surprise.
“Eight months ago and approximately two months following the dissolution of my relationship.”
Piper couldn’t imagine such a vital, viral man could go that long without sex. “Your breakup must have been really devastating.”
“Not exactly,” he said. “My brothers have always seen me as being less than serious when it comes to my role in the family. I decided to prove to them that my entire life does not revolve around seeking the next conquest.”
She so wanted to believe him, yet wasn’t certain she could. “I admire your resolve, but I’m still having a hard time with the trust issue where you’re concerned.”
Adan came to his feet, crossed the small space between them, clasped her hands and pulled her off the chair. “I must see to my responsibility now as captain of this ship. But before I go, I have a request.”
Who knew what that might entail? “Go ahead.”
“If you will allow me to serve as your personal host in Bajul, I will prove to you that I am not only a man of my word, but I am an honorable man.”
That remained to be seen. But right then, when Adan Mehdi looked at her as if she deserved his utmost attention, she couldn’t manufacture one reason to refuse his hospitality. And if she didn’t keep a cool head, she worried he could convince her of anything.
* * *
“Ms. Thorpe is here to see you, Emir.”
Great. He’d barely walked into the palace with Piper at his side only to be greeted by an unwelcome visit from his past in the form of a persistent, self-absorbed ex-paramour.
The entire travel party scattered like rats on a sinking ship, including the turncoat Deeb. Only the messenger of doom remained, an extremely perplexed look splashed across his bearded face. “Did you know she was coming, Abdul?”
The man revealed his discomfort by wringing his hands. “No, Emir. I attempted to ask her to return tomorrow, yet she would not hear of it. She is currently in the study with...uh...those who accompanied her. It would be in your best interest to speak with her.”
Leave it to Talia to bring an entourage. And if she created a scene, he would never earn Piper’s trust. Therefore he had to find a way to keep the two women separated.
With that in mind, Adan turned to Piper and gestured toward the towering staircase leading to the upper floors. “This shouldn’t take too long, Ms. McAdams. In the meantime, Abdul will show you to your quarters and I will meet you shortly in the third-floor sitting room. Abdul, put her things in the suite across from mine.”
After Abdul picked up her luggage, she didn’t make a move other than to give Adan a decidedly suspicious stare. “I
have a room reserved at the inn in the village, so it’s best I keep those arrangements, Your Highness,” she said, prompting the houseman to set the bags back down.
He had to encourage her to stay at the palace, and he had limited time to do so. After signaling Abdul to gather the bags again, he regarded Piper. “The inn is small and will not allow you to have what you need in terms of your business. They currently do not have internet access or an office center. We have all that here.”
Abdul bent slightly as if prepared to return the luggage to the floor while Adan tamped down his impatience over Piper’s delay in responding. “I suppose you have a point,” she finally said. “As long as it’s not an inconvenience for your staff.”
He would be inconvenienced if he didn’t have her nearby, and in deep trouble if the old girlfriend suddenly made an appearance. “I assure you, the staff is accustomed to guests. So if you will follow Abdul—”
“It’s about time you finally showed up, you inconsiderate arse.”
Adan froze like an iceberg at the sound of the familiar voice. Trouble had definitely arrived.
He could pretend he hadn’t heard her, or he could face the unavoidable confrontation like a man. Taking the second—and least palatable—option, he turned to discover Talia Thorpe standing at the entry to the hallway wearing a chic white dress, hands propped on her narrow hips and her green eyes alight with fury.
A compliment should help to diffuse the possible verbal bloodbath. Or so he hoped. “You’re looking well, Talia.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why haven’t you returned my emails or calls? I’ve sent you at least a hundred messages over the past month alone.”
He ventured a fast glance at Piper, who appeared to be somewhat taken aback, and rightfully so. “Might I remind you, Talia, we broke off our relationship a year ago.”
Talia tossed a lock of her long platinum hair back over one shoulder. “You broke it off, and it’s been ten months. If you hadn’t ignored me, I wouldn’t have been forced to disrupt my schedule and make this beastly trip.”
When he’d told her they were done after their on-and-off six-year relationship, he’d meant it. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation somewhere more private.”