She wouldn’t visit him in London. They both knew that. It had been an enjoyable interlude, but it couldn’t last. She had no intention of risking her reputation for a casual fling and Khaled had made it abundantly clear that there were no possibility of a serious relationship. Brief, mutually pleasurable affairs that satisfied her physical needs without encroaching on her work commitments were all Olivia needed. Her affair with Khaled had certainly been pleasurable, if a little briefer than she would have liked.
He was speaking into his phone in rapid Arabic that she had no hope of understanding. Whatever it was about, she could see the tension in his shoulders and the taut lines across his forehead. In the daylight, he was even more magnificent. All toned muscles and tanned skin, with a smattering of dark hair that shadowed his frame. Like a lion prowling, he strode back and forth across the room, wholly unaware of his nakedness. With a final terse phrase, he ended his call and tossed the phone down.
He turned to Olivia, his eyes bleak and his mouth tight.
“What’s the matter?”
Khaled ran a hand through his hair, then rubbed his face. “I have to go to Saqat. Today.”
She sat up, clutching the sheet around her. “What’s happened, Khaled? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He drew in a deep breath and came to sit beside her. “It’s my father. He’s on his way to hospital. They suspect a heart attack.”
She put her arms around him and held him tight. “I’m so sorry.”
“He’s all right. They say he’s all right,” Khaled muttered. “But I have to go. I have to be there.”
“Of course you do. You need to see for yourself.”
He laid his head on her shoulder. “Not just that. I have to take his place. I am his heir.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but Khaled must have realized it immediately. He would have to give up his career and go home now, to take his father’s place. Even if the emir recovered, this would surely be the beginning of the handover from father to son.
She rubbed circles on his back, comforting him the way her mother had done for her when she was upset. “You can do it, Khaled. I know you can.”
“I’m so afraid,” he said, so quietly she wasn’t sure if she’d heard him correctly.
“Of what?”
“Of letting them down. My father. My brother. My people.”
“Khaled.” She put her hands on his shoulders and levered him up so that she could look into his eyes. “You won’t let anyone down. You’ll be a good ruler.”
He shook his head. “How can you say that? My father gave me this one task. A simple thing, to negotiate the contract with MCI Oil, but I can’t do it, Livvy. I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, you do,” she told him. “You know in your heart.”
He sighed. “I know what my heart says, and I know what my duty is, but they are not the same. I cannot only please myself in this.”
She leaned forward so that her forehead rested against his. “You know what to do, Khaled. You’ll find the answer. Here.” She laid her hand against his heart, comforted by the regular beat.
“Kiss me, Livvy,” he said. “Kiss me once more.”
Olivia let him kiss her, let him do whatever he wanted. She had been right—he did need her. She was an escape from the duty that weighed on him so hard. She had been here in the right place, at the right time to provide that relief, and she was glad. Whatever he found in this moment with her, he needed and she was glad to give.
“I have to go. I can’t make any decisions today.” He stood up and went to gaze out of the window.
“Yes, you must go. Don’t worry about it now. I’ll make arrangements to visit Saqat and we can continue our negotiations then.”
He didn’t say anything for a while. Olivia longed to go over to him, to slide her arms around his waist, to kiss him, and tell him that everything would be okay. But how could she promise him that? She had only the sketchiest understanding of the pressures he was under. He was concerned for his father, for his country, and for the wildlife his research was aiming to protect. He bore so many burdens on his broad shoulders and Olivia had no way of lifting them from him.
“Very well,” Khaled said at last. “But I must tell you, Olivia… Livvy.” His voice cracked a little. “It cannot be in Saqat like it has been here.”
“I know.”
“You do not know.”
“Then tell me.”
He sighed and came back to sit beside her. “I am the Sheikh Mirza, the heir to the throne. My country is more modern than some, but still, I am a member of the royal family, second only to my father in rank. There is protocol for everything. We will have arranged meetings to discuss the contract, and I hope I will be able to escort you to the research center, but there will be no opportunity for more.” His dark eyes were fierce and his jaw was tight. She knew he hated this as much as she did.
She did what she could to make it easier for him. “You said this was just a little bit of fun. A fling.” She waved a hand dismissively.
“I must take on more of my father’s work. You will be treated as a valued guest, of course. But we cannot be…”
“Lovers.”
“No, it’s more than that. I am not even sure we can be friends.”
“That sounds unnecessarily extreme.” It sounded a bleak prospect indeed.
He shrugged wearily. “Do you still want to come?”
She still wanted the contract.
She still wanted Khaled.
“I’ll come.”
Chapter Five