Mila blinked.
“Yeah, like the mystery woman who is obviously enjoying her affair and leaving her panties all around town. Who would you pick? There’s Jackson, Dylan, Zain, Veronica, Matt.” Sienna ticked off on her fingers.
Veronica? Mila looked down at her glass. Maybe she was drunk and didn’t realize it. Maybe this conversation was all in her head.
“And you haven’t even met Sienna’s brother, Carter, yet,” Reagan said with a wink.
“Ew, he doesn’t count. I’m not going to think about my brother having a torrid affair. So, who would it be?” Sienna asked as she sat impatiently on the edge of her seat.
Mila took another sip. She wanted to say Zain, but since his girlfriend was sitting right next to her she didn’t understand why his name had even been listed.
“I don’t know. Not Matt since he’s into Riley and duh, of course not Zain,” Mila said with a shrug as Sienna collapsed against her chair with a frown on her face. Mila took a hearty drink as everyone leaned forward.
“Why isn’t she falling out of the chair?” Layne whispered to Reagan, who just shrugged her shoulders and continued to watch Mila drink.
“What?” Mila asked as she put her third empty glass down.
“Nothing.” Sienna blinked innocently as she leaned forward again. “Are you missing your boyfriend?” she asked as she gave a slight nod to Abby, who quickly emptied the remaining pitcher of the Rose sisters’ special iced tea into Mila’s glass.
“Boyfriend? I don’t have one.”
“Girlfriend?” Sienna asked with such a sweet smile that Mila couldn’t tell if she were joking or not.
“Don’t have one of those either.”
Sienna let out a huff of frustration as she tossed her arms up in the air and slouched back into her chair.
“So, why not Zain?” Abby asked quietly.
Sienna shot back up in her seat. “That’s right. You said obviously not Zain. Why?”
Mila’s eyes rounded as she looked at Abby. “Are you serious? He’s taken.” Everyone looked at her curiously. “By you.”
The women were silent. They all looked at each other, and as if on cue, broke out into laughter at the exact same time. “Me? You think I’m Zain’s girlfriend?” Abby asked between snorts of laughter.
“Well, yeah.” Mila felt uncomfortable as the women laughed. What was going on?
“Abby, I think we failed miserably in our mission,” Sienna said as she wiped tears from her eyes.
Abby put her hand on Mila’s arm and took a deep breath to stop laughing. “Zain’s like a brother to me. I could never date him.”
Mila felt relief flood her body. He wasn’t dating Abby when he kissed her. But did that mean he wasn’t dating anybody?
“Look, I’m not good at this, so I’m going to tell you how it is. Zain’s afraid you’re not interested in him,” Sienna rolled her eyes, “and we’ve now officially reverted to middle school.”
“So, he’s not dating . . . anyone?” Mila asked slowly.
“That’s right. He’s completely single. Has been for a while,” Abby said as she gave her arm a pat. Mila picked up the rest of her tea and downed it as everyone gasped.
“Stop!” Riley cried.
“What?” Mila asked as she looked around at the women staring wide-eyed at her.
Sienna looked guiltily at her. “We were getting you drunk to find out if you liked Zain.”
It was Mila’s turn to laugh now. “On this weak drink? You all are funny.”
“Weak?” Layne sputtered.
“There’s a lot of bourbon in there,” Reagan said, as her jaw hung open.
Mila shrugged. “I spent my high school years in Poland where we’d drink home-brewed vodka. I can outdrink everyone I know.”
“I knew I liked you,” Abby smiled as she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text.
The food arrived at the table and Mila dug in. While she wasn’t drunk, she was definitely happy. Happy to know the man of her dreams was single and interested in her. Or was he?
“Why did Zain want to know if I was interested in him?” Mila asked after Poppy cleared the table.
“Because you’ve done the one thing all the other women he’s ever met have never done. You walked away from him. Or to hear him say it, you ran from him,” Abby said with a smirk that showed she was highly amused by this.
“I thought he was your boyfriend and every time I see you, you’re armed. Of course I ran.” Mila laughed. “Wait, are you armed now?”
Abby just smiled and Mila had her answer. She didn’t think she wanted to know anymore.
“So, what are you going to do now that you know Zain’s interested in you?” Sienna asked. That was the twenty-million-dollar question. Was it professional to have an affair with a prince while on a diplomatic mission? Probably not—unfortunately. “I don’t know,” Mila answered honestly.
As the girls around the table started talking among themselves, Abby leaned closer to Mila and whispered, “Sometimes life gives you an opportunity too good to pass up. It doesn’t matter that timing may be off or any other excuses you can come up with. Your gut will tell you it’s right because the thought of missing out on it will tear you to shreds. Don’t miss what could be the best thing to happen to you. And I’m not saying this because Zain’s a prince. It’s because he’s truly a good man. Give him a chance. You won’t regret it.”
Abby joined the table conversation but Mila couldn’t stop thinking about what she had said. The question was, did she have the courage to go after what she wanted. It was easy to say, but it was another thing to walk up to someone and offer him your heart.
CHAPTER NINE
Zain finished rehearsing his speech for a third time as he paced his living room. Abby hadn’t gotten back to him yet, and he was wondering how long it took to interrogate a woman. He dropped onto his dark-brown leather couch and closed his eyes. Ever since he’d seen Mila, he couldn’t get her out of his head. She interested him. He wanted to know more about her and feel more of her under his hands, lips, and body.
His father had told him about the first time he met Zain’s mother. Mo had known instantly that he and Dani were meant to be. Zain didn’t pretend to know that Mila was the one. He only knew he desperately wanted more time with her.
The sound of a car pulling to a stop outside of his house had him groaning. Of all the times to have a houseguest, this was not it. Zain stood up and went to the front door. He opened it and was torn between duty to his prince and knowing it was his spoiled cousin who was standing there, ordering people about. He was surprised Jamal didn’t travel with a group of women whose job would be to constantly fawn over him.
“Cousin, how was your trip?” Zain asked as he plastered on a smile.
“Long. How can you stand the humidity here? I feel as if I’m suffocating,” he whined as he walked up the steps to shake Zain’s hand.
“I’m used to it. Uncle Dirar didn’t tell me much of your role here. What is it you need from me?” Zain asked as he led Jamal to his living room.
Jamal shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just going to hang out. It’ll be a nice break from everyone speculating on how often I screw my wife and whether I can get her pregnant.”
“Would you like me to fill you in on my goals for this conference?” Zain asked.
Jamal sat on the couch and turned on the television. “Nah. Get me something to drink, will you?”
Zain narrowed his eyes at Jamal. He was about to tell Jamal to shove it when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and held his breath as he pulled up Abby’s text. She thought you were dating me. She’s single. Don’t mess this up. I like her. By the way, we’re still at the café, and she’s had a pitcher of tea. See you soon.
“Sorry, Jamal. I have to go,” Zain told his cousin as he grabbed his car keys and headed for the door.
“But what about me?” Jamal asked incredulously.