Page 29 of At the Sheikh's Command
She gave a small, ambiguous grunt.
He changed gear and moved out of the palace compound. “I take it that’s a ‘no’.” He waited for an answer, which she didn’t provide. “Was it your bed?” She sighed. It seemed he wasn’t going to let up. “Anything missing in your room that you needed?” he asked in mock innocence. She shook her head. “Ah, then, it must be either your mind or your body, which is not at rest.”
“You could say that.”
“Ididsay that. You should have come to me and I would have ensured you slept well.”
“I never sleep well.”
“You slept well the previous night.”
She gave a light shrug. She couldn’t deny it. Shehadslept well and had been astounded. Wanting to change the subject, she looked around for the expected guards, but there were none.
“No formal escort?” she asked. “I’m surprised.”
He glanced at her. “Surprised or concerned?”
“Both,” she said, looking straight ahead.
“I thought it would be nice to have some privacy for a change. Of course, my security team won’t be far away. I cannot completely walk away from my duties as monarch, as much as I might want to.”
Her interest was piqued. “You don’t enjoy being king?”
There was a long, telling pause. “I’m not sure it is something to be enjoyed.” He shrugged. “It just is.”
She was surprised. He was unhappy. She’d always thought she was the unhappy one. That she’d sacrificed her happiness for his. She’d been wrong. Her thoughts drifted back to the grave on the hillside, which looked out over the sea to infinity, or so it seemed. Her eyes watered and she averted her gaze. But when he spoke, she realized she hadn’t been fast enough. He’d caught sight of her swollen eyes.
“Habibti!” he said with concern, reaching out to her. “What’s wrong?”
She swallowed and blinked, and surreptitiously swiped away a tear. She forced a smile onto her face. “Just the sun.”
He frowned. “The sun has caused your eyes to redden and swell?”
She swallowed. She couldn’t tell him. Not now. It was too late, and he’d never forgive her for keeping such a secret. She knew that now. She hadn’t then.
“You have to remember,” she said, with mock brightness, “that I’m used to gray, drizzly England. Not this bright sunlight. Now we’re leaving the city, it’s like there’s no hiding from anything.”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” he said ambiguously.
It was her turn to frown.
“Will you not tell me what has upset you?” he asked.
There seemed little point in pretending she wasn’t upset. The evidence was there for him to see.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“And why is that? Am I not king of a country in which the king is a powerful ruler, not just a figure-head?” He shrugged. “All you have to do is say the word and I will have the person disposed of.”
She looked at him sharply in horror. He was grinning. “At last, I have provoked a reaction. And no, I might be powerful, but I do not go around ‘disposing’ of people.”
“Well, you could hardly dispose of yourself,” she said before she realized what she was saying. She closed her eyes, regretting the words.
“I upset you,” he said flatly. “And how do I do that? By telling you my feelings for you?”
