Page 36 of Her Prince in Disguise
But not this time! Andi was very careful not to touch Laith in any way. She shifted carefully, then rushed down the hallway once she was past him.
Chapter 24
Laith watched Andi speed down the hallway, his gut warning him that something was wrong.
Once she had disappeared from view, Laith walked into the conference room and looked around. But nothing seemed out of place.
Laith came back out of the room, immediately surrounded by his guards. He left the building and didn’t stop until he was two blocks away. His bodyguards were confused, but Laith knew what he had to do. Once he was far enough away from any potential listening devices, he turned and addressed his guards.
The team immediately surrounded him, their eyes alert. “Something happened to Andi. I don’t know what or when, but she’s terrified.” Her wide-eyed face flashed before his eyes. “Find out what spooked her and get back to me. Bring in extra help from Lativa if you need to.”
The guards nodded, two immediately breaking off from the group. Laith watched for a moment, then glanced at the time. He had meetings scheduled for the rest of the afternoon. In a few hours, Andi would join him at the hotel. They’d spent every night together while working here in London and he’d thoroughly enjoyed every moment with her. He’d intended to propose to her tonight over dinner. It was their last night in London and he’d wanted to make it special.
But maybe he should wait until this weekend. He could fly her to Paris and propose to her in the most romantic city inthe world. She’d like that, he thought, nodding to himself as he started making plans.
Chapter 25
Something was very wrong! Andi refused to even glance in his direction during their team meeting later that evening. Not even when he asked her specific questions. She was intelligent and her answers were, as always, precise, filled with accurate information.
But something was definitely wrong.
He stood at the end of the conference table while the team filed out, heading back to the hotel or out for dinner. Normally, Andi would linger while gathering up her laptop and notes. She’d offer him a shy, tentative smile and, once they were alone, they would make plans for the night.
Lawrence paused in the doorway, looking back at them. “We’re heading to a place across the street for dinner. Either of you want to join us?”
Andi immediately lifted her hand. “I’m in,” she called back, her smile forced.
Laith considered joining them, but since he’d never done that before, it might seem odd. Andi had been very careful about not doing anything that might spark curiosity about their relationship, so her joining the team wouldn’t raise suspicions.
But it bothered him. Especially since he’d had plans for them tonight.
Was she tired of him? Was that why she wouldn’t look at him?
Laith thought about her sighs of pleasure from last night and snorted out loud. “Not a chance!” he muttered.
Jonas stepped into the room. “Is everything okay, sir?” he asked, coming over to stand next to the table.
“Everything is fine,” Laith replied, then wondered why he didn’t mention his concerns about Andi to his assistant. Jonas was very efficient, always had every assigned task completed on time and with extraordinary skill. So, why was Laith hesitant to bring his assistant in the loop on whatever was bothering Andi?
Perhaps it was the calculating look in Jonas’ eyes. Or maybe it was because the man always seemed to be lurking close by. That watchful attention had been beneficial in the past. Laith knew that he only needed to call out for Jonas and he would appear by his side, ready for whatever task came next.
But was Jonas’ constant attention creepy? Laith’s previous assistant had stayed at his desk most of the time, not lingering close by. Laith had only to send the guy a text message and he would appear.
Pushing the issue aside, Laith wasn’t sure what to do with himself. In the past, he would have scheduled meetings well into the night. Or he would have accepted one of the multitude of invitations to a social gathering or gala. London’s society dames had gotten wind that he was in town and there had been over fifty invitations to “private” dinners, drinks at a gentleman’s club, or…whatever.
But Laith had turned all the invitations down, preferring to spend his nights with Andi. Now Laith was faced with anevening with nothing to do, except pine for the woman who…was worried about something.
Maybe Andi would come to his suite later? Would she talk to him? Tell him what was bothering her? Anticipation surged through him. He didn’t want to just make love to Andi. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to talk to her. And most importantly, he wanted to ask her why she was so terrified.
Something was definitely wrong. But he’d have a chance to talk to her about it once she joined him after dinner with her teammates.
Or so he’d thought! Two hours later, Laith was frustrated when Andi didn’t stop by after dinner. She’d sent him a text, a message that contained a bunch of crap about needing to pack for tomorrow’s flight home.
Laith frowned at her message, trying to understand. What had happened between the time she’d left his bed early this morning and when she’d reached the office less than two hours later?
Stuffing his cell phone into his pocket, he walked over to his guards.
“What room is Andi staying in?” Laith demanded. One of them immediately told him the room number. Laith nodded, then gestured towards the door. “Let’s go.”
