“What took you so long?” His eyes were smiling at her, but his lips were straight and his jaw tense.
“Finding you.” He reached up and she thought he was going to stroke her face, but he merely lifted a strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. “Your father had no idea where you were.”
She bit her lip. “I told him I was going somewhere warm.”
“Yes. Well, that narrowed things down a bit, but I’m afraid I needed a few more clues.” He was almost smiling now.
“You seem to have tracked me down without too much difficulty.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She was supposed to be getting over him, not having him chase her all over the world.
He shrugged. “I have contacts.”
“Of course you do.” He’d have contacts everywhere, she supposed. Presumably that was one of the perks of being royalty.
“It took longer than I’d hoped. I should have been here a week ago.”
“Should you?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
“I—we—shouldn’t have been here at all. I should have caught up with you before you ever left Saqat. I wanted to tell you everything that morning. Hell, I wanted to tell you before then, but I couldn’t. I didn’t dare raise your hopes until I knew for sure it would be okay.”
“Knew what? Khaled, you’re not making any sense.” A week ago? What had he needed to tell her before she left Saqat? He’d told her everything, hadn’t he? About Saqat Oil. And Aliya. And Mrs. Damn Bastard Idiot Bloody Sheikh Khaled Doctor Saqat.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Just explain. And make it quick. I have plans this evening.”
“Plans?”
He hadn’t been expecting that of her. Well, good.
“None-of-your-business plans.” Plans involving room service and a good book, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Oh. Well.”
“Get on with it, Khaled.”
“Right. Right.”
He was nervous. She’d seen him afraid, angry, upset, but never nervous. It was interesting.
“So you remember we were planning to set up a new oil company?”
“I remember telling you that you should.”
“Yes. Well, we are.”
“And you tracked me down here to let me know? Thanks.”
“Livvy—Olivia—please, just listen, would you? I need to say it all first. Then you can say anything you want.”
“Fine.” She was curious to know what was so important to him.
“We are still working out many of the details of the new company, but the council and I are agreed that the company should seek to employ as many Saqati nationals as possible. In that way, the industry will rejuvenate our education system. We will need our own qualified engineers, IT specialists, and marine technologists. The board members and all the senior management must be Saqati by birth or by marriage. We know that it will be slower, but it will give us the freedom to do things our way.”
“Your way.” He was adjusting well to his royal role, it seemed.
He gave a self-deprecating grin. “Well, maybe. I am to be the chairman of the board.”
“Terrific. Well done. I’m pleased for you, but I fail to see how it makes any difference to me. You could have just phoned to tell me or sent me an email. Written a damned letter. You didn’t need to fly halfway round the world to find me and tell me in person.”
“We’ll need some experts,” Khaled continued slowly. “Senior employees with years of experience in the oil industry.”
“Yes. We’ll I’m sure there are plenty of good people out there.” They didn’t all have to be Saqati citizens. The new company could seek advice without appointing people to the board.
“We’ll need a CEO with the guts to stand up to the chairman of the board.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “You’re not that frightening.”
“I hope not. Will you do it, Livvy?”
Her jaw literally dropped, but Khaled was still watching her earnestly.
“Me?”
“You. I can’t imagine anyone better qualified.”
“I’m not a Saqati citizen.”
“Not by birth.”
Her heart skipped several beats. By birth or by marriage, he’d said. Which meant…
“I can’t… I can’t just marry some Saqati man for the sake of a job.”
Khaled reached for her hands, rubbing his thumbs soothingly over her wrists. “I was hoping you could be persuaded to marry one Saqati man in particular.”
“So that I can be CEO of Saqat Oil?”
He dropped to his knees before her. His eyes held hers and his hands were warm around her own. “So that I never have to let you go again.”
“Khaled?” she whispered.
“Livvy.” He reached up to caress her cheek. “Darling Livvy, I love you so much. I know it’s too much to ask. You’d have to make all kinds of sacrifices to move to Saqat and be my wife. You’ve seen what life is like at the palace.” He shook his head. “I wish I could make it all different for you, but I’m stuck with it.”