Rashad’s father had been right about one thing. He’d tasted Lauren last night and her fruit had been so sweet, he knew he would crave it over and over again for the rest of his life. That was his penance.
How many years was he going to be tortured by her taste? One misstep had already eaten away at his soul. His eyes smarted.
He supposed if there was one mercy, it was that Princess Azzah would have no expectations. Undoubtedly she too had a secret love she would have to say goodbye to in order to obey her own father. Rashad could conceive of no greater hell than to sleep with her when both of them would only be going through the motions in order to produce offspring.
His father had done it. So had his mother. So had his grandparents. Somehow they’d all lived through it and survived.
In the end, was that all it meant? To survive?
His thoughts were so dark and grim, Tariq had to remind him his phone was ringing. He glanced at the caller ID. Why would Farah be phoning him? If it wasn’t about their father, then this had to do with Lauren. He felt a rush of adrenaline before he clicked on.
“Farah?”
“Forgive me for disturbing you. Can you talk?”
“Yes.” He walked a little distance off where the others couldn’t hear him. “Is this about Father?”
“No. It’s about Lauren.”
His body tautened. “Go on.”
“I don’t quite know how to say this.”
He shifted his weight. “Just come to the point.”
“Lauren isn’t like the other women you’ve enjoyed over the years, Rafi. I’m afraid she has taken your attention too seriously.”
His hand formed a fist. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I’ve been with her this afternoon. She told me she’s leaving tomorrow, but she shows all the signs of a woman who doesn’t want to go.”
Tell me something I don’t already know, Farah. The thought of Lauren never coming back was destroying him.
“You’re usually so careful. I think she’s really hurting.”
“What would you have me do?”
“I don’t know. Talk to Father. Tell him you’re not ready to get married and see where this thing leads with you and Lauren. I like her very much.”
“It can’t lead anywhere. You know that.”
“No, I don’t know that! You’ll be king one day. Prevail on father to change the rules. A good king is a better king if he’s happy!”
His throat swelled because Farah was his champion. “You want me to change centuries of tradition to take what I want?”
“Yes—if it means you can live your life with the woman you love.”
“I never said I loved her.”
“You didn’t have to. You’re a different man since you flew her out of the sandstorm. There’s a look in your eyes I’ve never seen before. Our sisters have noticed, too. If you let her go, then you have a stone for a heart. When father’s gone, you won’t have to worry about filling his shoes. Yours will crush his.” She rang off.
The silence on the other end deafened him. He spun around and raced back to his Jeep. Tariq joined him in the front seat. “What’s wrong, Your Highness?”
“You don’t want to know. I have to get back to the palace immediately.”
En route he phoned Nazir and told him to keep an eye on Lauren’s activities. Nazir was able to tell him she was having dinner in Princess Farah’s suite. Rashad gave him further instructions about the plans for her flight to El-Joktor in the morning, then he hung up.
Once he arrived at the palace, he went to his suite for a shower and change of clothes. He decided to wear a suit in a stone-gray color with a white shirt and tie. After a visit to his office to clean up some paperwork, he left for the garden suite with the half dozen newspapers he hadn’t read that morning.
Normally he scanned them before leaving for Raz. He didn’t trust the television to tell the truth about anything. The printed news wasn’t much better, but there were a few editorials that informed to a certain extent.
He let himself inside Lauren’s suite and turned on the lamp at the desk after ordering his dinner and a carafe of hot coffee. While he waited for it to arrive, he made a call to his mechanic to be sure everything would be ready for tomorrow’s flight.
Once he was served his food, he sat down and began reading. By the time he’d gotten to the fourth newspaper, he heard the door open and looked up.
The blonde woman who entered the sitting room wore the sleeveless black dress from her luggage and a pair of black high heels. Between her stunning face and figure, his lungs tightened in reaction.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw him. “Rafi—I didn’t realize you were in here or I would have left Farah’s suite sooner.”
“I only got back from Raz a little while ago.” He put down the paper. “In another minute I would have come looking for you. How was your dinner with Princess Farah?”
“We had a lovely time.”
“What did you do?”
She stood there, rather nervously, he thought. “Mostly she talked about her brother. Their thirty-fifth birthday is coming up and she’s in charge of getting the present for him while her sisters plan the party. We discussed everything from horse blankets and saddles, to a bronze of some kind for his desk. She still hasn’t made up her mind.”
He nodded and got to his feet. “And what did you talk about?”
“This and that.” She rubbed her arms. “Look—I’ve imposed so much on your time I feel guilty. You don’t have to keep me company. I need a good night’s sleep before I leave in the morning. Why don’t we just say goodbye now.”
“You want to say goodnight?”
LAUREN AVERTED HER EYES. “I think it would be best. I have to pack.” She started for the bedroom, but Rafi followed her. With her heart thudding, she stepped out of her high heels and walked over to the wardrobe to get her suitcases.
After putting them on the bed, she packed her boots and high heels followed by her cloak and headscarf. Then she emptied the drawers. The pants and blouse she planned to wear on the flight home she laid out on the back of the dressing-table chair with her sandals. It didn’t take her long to get the bulk of it done.
He stayed where he was with his hands at his sides. She noticed they were forming fists. Good. She was glad to see he wasn’t in control any more than she was. Had he decided he wanted to make love to her after all? Maybe she’d make it easy for him.
Without glancing in his direction, she unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, putting it on top. After shutting the cases, she set them on the floor. Beneath her dress she wore a modest slip over her underwear. It covered her better than the cotton shift from the hospital had done.
When he did nothing, she looked at him half in longing, half in despair. “What is it you want, Rafi?”
He moved closer. His black eyes raked her body. “I’m going to ask this one more time. Tell me why you came to the Oasis and why you wanted to see the Garden of the Moon. Then we’ll really talk.”
“I’m sorry, but I told you I made a promise to someone