Still looking as though she didn’t quite believe what was happening, the girl lifted the receiver and put in a call.
“Yes, I know. I know. The thing is…” She looked up again at Khaled to check that it really was him. He indicated that she should hand him the phone.
“This is Sheikh Khaled ibn Saqat al Mayim. You may address me as Your Highness.”
“Your Highness.” Another faintly shaky voice repeated his title.
“Good. Now listen to me. I need you to hold Flight EB760 at the gate. There is a passenger on board I must speak with before she leaves the country.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. The plane is taking off now. There is nothing I can do.”
Too late. Damn it! He could charter the royal jet. He could fly directly to Aberdeen and be there before Olivia landed. He would be there to welcome her off the plane and tell her… Tell her what? He hadn’t spoken to Sadiah. He didn’t even know whether he’d interpreted the rumors correctly. He was running ahead of himself.
“Sheikh Khaled?”
He looked up in surprise. “Jamil?”
“The party from Kuwait will be arriving within the hour. They are expecting you to welcome them at the palace.”
Khaled shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. My father will be there.”
Jamil coughed. “They already know your father, sir. They have made the journey in order to meet you.”
Damn him for being right. It would be an unthinkable snub to the Kuwaiti delegates if he left the country now. Saqat was a small country in a volatile part of the world and it needed to remain on friendly terms with its neighbors.
“They are bringing the medal to honor your brother.”
That settled it. He owed it to Djalil to be there. His brother had fought with the Allied troops against the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and lost his life. The least Khaled could do was stand up to receive the Kuwaiti medal in his honor.
Olivia would understand that.
…
Olivia stared unseeingly at the magazine on her lap. Now that she was finally on the plane that would take her away from Saqat, she was free to indulge herself with thoughts of everything she was leaving behind.
Everything meaning Khaled.
Mr. Damn Bastard Idiot Bloody Sheikh Khaled Doctor Saqat, as she now liked to think of him.
Her head filled with involuntary memories. Khaled’s husky voice, whispering nonsensical endearments in her ear that sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. His eyes, deep, dark, and tender whenever they were watching her. His fingers weaving their clever patterns across her body. His head, flung back in sheer delight when he was standing at the helm of his yacht. His warm, sexy scent that she couldn’t get enough of.
Khaled laughing at her and with her. Khaled wrapping his arms around her and keeping her warm. Khaled dancing with her last night alone in the ballroom and between the cool linen sheets on her bed. Khaled who had finally made her see that she wanted more from life than to be CEO of MCI Oil. Khaled, who called her by her mother’s special nickname.
She would never fall asleep in his arms again, nor be woken with his kisses. She wouldn’t have him there, challenging her to do better, to be better—not just because it could earn her greater success, but because it was the right thing to do. He wouldn’t be around to tease her out of her sweaters when she was too warm, or to remind her to put on more sun block when she was starting to burn.
Olivia flicked over a page in the magazine randomly. She glanced at the picture of a half-naked actor who was apparently the sexiest man on the planet. She frowned. He was supposed to be sexy? He looked boyish, unkempt, and vacant. Was that really what other women wanted?
If it was, maybe it would make it easier for Olivia to find the kind of man she wanted. She didn’t believe that out of the billions of people on the planet, Khaled was the only one who could make her happy. There had to be someone else. It was simply a matter of finding him.
He wouldn’t need to be like Khaled. It was fine if he wasn’t as tall or good-looking. She didn’t need a man whose smile could fill a whole room with its warmth. She only needed someone who would care for her, who would understand her, and love her. It couldn’t be too hard to find another man like that. Could it?