“I would never ask anything of you that you are not willing to give.”
That alone presented a problem—she could find herself willing to give him everything, receiving nothing in return aside from nights of pleasure and more good memories to temporarily overcome the bad. He could also break her heart once more.
Maysa tugged out of his grasp and strolled around the room, all the while weighing the pros and cons. Then something suddenly occurred to her. She could use his presence to her advantage. She could finally show him that improvements to health care for the poor should be paramount during his reign. She could introduce him to exactly what his people endured in the face of illness. And she would do so while keeping her wits about her.
After all, the guest wing was far removed from her private suites, allowing them physical distance. Aside from that, she was a strong, independent woman. She had superb skills honed at the best medical facilities in the United States. She had survived and divorced a known tyrant. She could handle a king—or so she hoped.
On that thought, she faced Rafiq again, lifted her chin, and centered her gaze on his. “All right. You may stay.” When he began to speak, she held up a finger to silence him. “As long as you abide by my rules.”
He sent her a suspicious look. “What would these rules entail?”
“I prefer to reserve the details for later.” When she actually knew what they were.
“All right,” he said. “Is there anything else you require of me tonight?”
One response vaulted into her brain. An inappropriate response that she shoved aside. “Not at this time.”
Rafiq regarded his watch before bringing his attention back to her. “I must return to the palace now. We shall continue this discussion when I arrive tomorrow to begin my respite.”
Tomorrow? “I thought perhaps you would need more time to make arrangements.” Or to change his mind.
“I have complete control over when I stay or when I leave the palace. After all, I am—”
“The king. I know.” All too well. “I’ll see you out.”
They walked side by side to the door where Rafiq paused and regarded her earnestly. “I am forever in your debt, Maysa, and I assure you I will give you no cause to distrust my motives.”
That remained to be seen. “I’m pleased to know that. And I reserve the right to add conditions should your motives come into question.”
“I will strive to win back your trust. The way you once trusted me before our lives intruded on our relationship.”
Maysa wanted to believe him. More important, she wanted not to be so drawn to him. Wanted not to feel so lost when he looked at her as he looked at her now—with a heated gaze that traveled from her forehead to her mouth.
They stood for a few long moments, face-to-face, the tension as thick as the mountain mist. Maysa recognized that it would only take a slight move toward him before they found themselves lips to lips. Body to body.
She finally cleared her throat and stepped back before her resolve shattered. “Have a good night, King Mehdi. I will see you tomorrow.”
“I will be here before day’s end, Dr. Barad.”
The formality surprised Maysa and sounded false to her ears. Yet if that formality kept her grounded, she would avoid calling him by his given name. Avoid touching him altogether. Avoid any circumstance that could lead to risks neither could afford to take. But when he leaned and brushed a soft kiss across her cheek, and presented a soft, sensual smile, she worried danger could lurk around every corner when he returned to her home.
After Rafiq opened the door and strode out of the house toward the awaiting car, Maysa considered the first rule. An important rule that could save her from herself. “Rafiq,” she called before he could settle into the seat. “I have one more thing to say before you go.”
He turned with a wary look on his face. “You have reconsidered?”
She hadn’t, though she probably should. “No. I have thought of one rule that we both must follow.”
“And that is?”
“There will be no more kisses.”
He sent her a knowing smile before he slid into the car. And as Maysa watched the taillights disappear, she worried that King Rafiq Mehdi could convince her to break all the rules.
Two
No more kisses...
As Rafiq sat alone in his office, attempting to tie up loose ends, kissing Maysa remained foremost on his mind. Making love to her again did, as well. He could no more resist the fantasies than he could pick up the palace with his bare hands and move it down the mountainside.
“Have you mentally vacated the premises, brother?”
Rafiq glanced up from his desk to discover his youngest sibling standing before him, wearing his usual standard beige flight suit and mocking smile. “I am preoccupied by my duty.”
“Too preoccupied to speak with me, your most loyal supporter?”
Adan rarely supported anyone aside from himself. “Unless you have something important to say, you may return later.”
“I do have something of great importance to tell you,” Adan said as he claimed the opposing chair.
Frustrated over the intrusion, Rafiq tossed his pen aside and leaned back in his seat. “You have found yet another aircraft you are determined to add to our fleet.”
“No. I came to deliver a message.”
“From whom?”
“Maysa Barad.” Adan’s grin widened, as if privy to a secret. “She requests that you arrive before 6:00 p.m., and that you limit your guards if at all possible.”
He could only imagine where his brother’s thoughts had turned. “Duly noted. You may leave now.”
“Not until you explain why you are visiting Maysa, and why she would ask that you not bring along too many guards. Either she feels she does not pose a threat, or she wishes to make certain she has your undivided attention.”
“What business I have with Maysa is not your concern.”
“Perhaps, but I am curious.”
Rafiq resisted telling his brother what he could do with his curiosity, and his British accent. “If you must know, Maysa has agreed to allow me to take a brief respite in her home.”
Adan rubbed his chin. “I see. Will you be spending this respite in her bed?”
He was not at all surprised over the assumption, but he was angered by it. “Rest assured, I will not be attempting to bed her.” Though preventing that possibility would prove to be a great challenge.
Adan released a cynical laugh. “Ah, that is where we differ. I for one would give up flying before I would not take advantage of being alone with a beautiful woman in close confines. And you should consider doing the same.”
He felt the need to explain his resistance, whether Adan deserved an explanation or not. “First, I have only been widowed a short while—”
“To a woman you did not love.”
“A woman I had known for quite some time before she became my wife. No matter what you believe, I did care for Rima.”
“Yet not as much as you’ve always cared for Maysa.”
His patience was beginning to grow thin, frayed in part by the truth. “Maysa is only a friend who has agreed to accommodate my needs.”
“Which needs