Desert Rogues Part 2 (82 page)

“I have no secrets,” he said, refusing to be intimated by a woman older than his mother.

“So you would like to think. What about the one who threw things? You wouldn't want me talking about her, would you? Or the one who sunbathed naked out there on the deck for all the world to see. The teenage boys in the neighborhood would stand on the sand with their binoculars.”

Kiley wrinkled her nose. “That's kinda tacky, Rafiq. I'm surprised at you.”

He narrowed his gaze. “We should change the subject.”

“Oh, look,” Kiley said with a grin. “He's getting imperious. I love it when that happens.”

“You're not going to be like this at the office, are you?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Oh, please. I'll be perfectly professional.” She waited until Sana walked to the far end of the kitchen, then looked him in the eye. “No one but you will know I'm not wearing any underwear.”

Heat boiled his blood. He glanced down at her skirt. “You're kidding, right?”

She picked up her plate and carried it to the sink. “I guess you're going to have to wait until tonight to find out.”

She returned to the island and picked up her handbag. “Thanks, Sana. That was fabulous. And what you suggested for dinner sounds perfect.” She turned to Rafiq. “By, honey. See you at the office.”

He followed her to the garage. “Not so fast.”

She blinked at him. “Are you going to attack me right here in the hallway? I wouldn't want to get on Sana's bad side and have her think
I'm
tacky.”

“You're more concerned about my housekeeper's feelings than what I want?”

“Pretty much.”

She opened the door to the garage, stepped into the large, four-car structure and came to a complete stop. Rafiq put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Kiley didn't know what
to
think. She'd been having fun, enjoying her morning, her breakfast, the possibility of a new friend and feeling at one with the universe. She liked that she felt confident enough to tease Rafiq about not wearing underwear, even though she was, and that he wanted her. She liked knowing what would happen when they got home that evening. She'd been quiet, shy and uncertain a few weeks ago, and today she was a different woman. Or she had been until five seconds ago.

“Kiley?”

She stared at the shiny red convertible parked next to her old sedan. The big white bow and ribbon gave her an idea it was a present. For her.

“You're giving me a car?” she asked, not sure what to think.

“Yes. Do you like it?”

It was gorgeous. Sporty and sleek, no doubt really fast.

“If you prefer a different color, we can exchange it.”

Sure, she thought, not quite able to catch her breath. Just like socks.

“I, ah…”

“You don't like it,” he said, sounding disappointed.

“No, I'm just surprised. No one's ever bought me a car before.”

“But Eric gave you gifts.”

“Not a car.”

He turned her until she faced him. “Is it the money?”

“Well, yeah.”

He smiled. “I am Prince Rafiq of Lucia-Serrat. Do you think this was any more financially significant to me than a book would be to one of your sisters?”

“No.” She could do math. This wasn't even a drop in the bucket for him. It was barely a molecule of water. But…“It's a car.”

He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, where he pressed his mouth to her palm. “You delight me in more ways than I can explain. It would give me great pleasure if you would accept this small token of my admiration for you.”

She looked at the car, then at him. “What do you give when you want to offer a big token of admiration?”

“A castle.”

She smiled. “I understand your point, but this is really strange for me.”

“Would you rather have something else?”

Time, she thought. She would rather have more time with him. But to say that would break the rules, and she was determined to abide by them.

“I don't want anything except what I already have,” she said. “You.”

“But what about what I want? Take the car. When we are finished, you may sell it if you prefer. It is yours.”

“I'll drive it while I'm here, but when it's over, I'm leaving it behind,” she said.

“I will convince you otherwise.”

“Not a chance,” she told him. “I have a will of iron. You just haven't seen it yet.”

She could tell he didn't believe her, but that wasn't important right now. Instead she focused on the kiss he gave her, then settled into her sassy red convertible and reminded herself this was all about living for the moment.

“N
o,” Kiley said later, her blue eyes wide with something that looked very close to terror.

Rafiq feigned surprised. “You are refusing me?”

“That's generally what no means. Although if used with another word such as ‘no kidding,' it sometimes means something else entirely.”

“I'm very familiar with the English language.” He shook his head. “We are barely a month into our relationship and already you ignore my modest wishes.”

She stood in the center of the bedroom, a silk robe clinging to her curves. Her hair was wet, her face scrubbed clean of any makeup. She shouldn't have aroused him, and yet she did. He was very familiar with the rush of desire he experienced whenever she was around.

“I'm not ignoring your wishes,” she told him. “I'll take care of all your wishes, just not this one.”

“It is a simple matter,” he said.

She raised her arms and tightened her hands as if she wished to strangle him.

“It's entertaining. You never said anything about entertaining. I don't entertain. Oh, sure, I can have a few friends over for casual party or a football game or something. But not like this. We're talking about the American ambassador to Lucia-Serrat. That's not casual. That's really formal. I'm living here. I'm your mistress. What will he think? What will his wife think?”

Rafiq held in a smile. “Actually, the new American ambassador to my country
is
a woman.”

Kiley made a half-growling, half-laughing noise low in her throat, turned and collapsed facefirst on the bed. “That would be my point. I don't even know who the new ambassador is. I can't be responsible for entertaining. You do it. Have a great time. Save me some leftovers.”

“Kiley, it's not so bad.”

She rolled to her side and glared at him. “You didn't make Carmen entertain any ambassadors.”

“She was not up to the task.”

“Neither am I. What are we supposed to talk about? My idea of staying on top of current events is whatever I get on the local news radio station during my drive to work. I don't know social-economic policies or what's happening in Bosnia. I don't even know if I could find Bosnia on a map.”

He frowned. “Why would we discuss Bosnia?”

“I don't know. It could come up. Or another country. And then what? I'll stand there with my mouth open, looking really fishlike. It's not a plan for success. You have the party and tell me all about it.”

“Social events are part of the deal,” he said.

She shifted onto her back and covered her eyes with her forearm. “You never said I had to entertain.”

“Would you have refused me if I had?”

“Maybe.” There was a pause, then she sighed. “No. I wouldn't have. But this is really, really a mistake.” She sat up and looked at him. “I'll do anything if you don't make me give a party.”

He walked to the bed and took her hand. After pulling her to her feet, he lightly kissed her. “As appealing as your offer is, I must decline. We have guests coming, and I wish you to be there.”

“But I…”

“Have I asked for anything else?”

“Sure. The, ah…” She glared at him, then stomped her foot. “That is incredibly unfair and low. Don't bring up how nice you've been.”

“I negotiate to win.”

She grumbled something he couldn't hear, then stalked toward the closet. “Fine. I'll be at your party, but I won't like it. And when I mess up, because it's a
when
not a maybe, you will have to suffer with the consequences. Are you clear on that?”

“Perfectly.”

Stupid man, Kiley thought as she stared at the clothes in the closet. Not her real ones—they would never do. Instead she flipped through the fabulous designer clothes Rafiq had purchased for her. Okay, what exactly did one wear to a casual-but-elegant, at-home soirée. She'd never been to a soirée. She'd only ever read about them or seen them on nighttime soap operas.

Panic knotted her stomach and made her a little nauseous. An ambassador. Worse, a woman ambassador. What would they talk about? No doubt Madam Ambassador was ambitious and accomplished. What was Kiley supposed to say in the face of that? “Hi, I'm a twit who put my whole life on hold because I thought I was marrying Mr. Right. When that didn't work out, I became the mistress of a sheik. My entire gender must be so proud.”

She sank onto the small padded bench in the closet and hung her head. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh. She'd been stupid about Eric, but not about Rafiq. He was a great guy. She'd gotten the revenge she wanted, a chance to discover the magic between a man and a woman in the most thrilling way possible and time to regroup. He'd been nothing but supportive and kind. The only thing he'd ever asked for, aside from this party, was fidelity.

Plus, there was nothing wrong with wanting to be a wife and mother. Those were still her goals. The difference was she would think things through more next time. She would be more clear about the man she wanted to marry. Character was everything and all that.

She stood and reached for a pair of silk slacks and a fitted white silk blouse. When in doubt, keep it simple, she thought.

After hanging them on the hook by the door, she returned to the bathroom where she quickly applied her makeup. When she'd dressed, she returned to the bedroom. Rafiq was gone, no doubt checking on the last-minute details.

“Couldn't we have started with a couple of clerks and maybe an undersecretary?” she muttered to herself as she walked down the hall. “Maybe a gameskeeper or two?”

She found Rafiq in the dining room. Sana stood next to him, explaining what dishes would go where. When he reached for a bowl of nuts, she slapped his hand. Kiley couldn't help laughing.

“Did you see that?” he asked in outrage. “She violated my royal person.”

Sana glared at him. “If you snack now, you won't be hungry later,” the housekeeper said, and then returned to the kitchen.

Kiley moved close. “I believe the violations are my responsibility,” she whispered in his ear.

He chuckled, then stepped back and studied her outfit. “You look very beautiful. Are you feeling better?”

“A little.” She shook her head. “No. Not really. I'm intelligent and fully capable of holding my own in a conversation. I know that. It's just…”

He crossed to her and lightly touched her chin. “You wish to make me proud of you.”

She let herself get lost in his dark eyes. “Exactly. If I'd known there was going to be a quiz on current events, I would have studied more.”

“There isn't a quiz. This is a few friends getting together.”

“Right. That's why we've got the good china out.”

He leaned close. “This isn't the good china. That has the state seal on it.”

She instantly pictured an aquatic mammal before realizing that probably wasn't the kind of seal he meant. “Casual is good,” she said. “I can do casual.”

He took her hand and led her to the foyer. They stopped in front of a large mirror.

“You enchant me,” he told her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. “You are completely yourself at every turn. You worry about me, you fuss, you create a sense of home where none existed.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but I don't think I've done all that.”

“You have. Simply by your presence. You have become friends with Sana.”

He wasn't making sense. “Who wouldn't? She's great. And she's teaching me to make some really cool dishes.”

He smiled. “You take time with people. Now, even though you are nervous, you still show up and intend to do your best. I admire you, Kiley. More than I can say.”

He reached into his slacks pocket and pulled out a small box. She recognized the trademark, dark-green leather, the edging in silver, and turned to face him.

“No, no. Not required. I'm not here for the money or the jewelry.”

“But I want to give you this.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and last week you gave me a car. Rafiq, stop. I'm not like them. I'm here for a nobler purpose.” Because she was falling for him, she thought, knowing she could never say that. Oh, sure, this had started out as a way to get revenge, but it was so much more now.

She felt tears forming and willed them away. He could never know how she had fallen for him. She could stand everything but his pity.

Forcing herself to smile, she said, “I'm here for the sex.”

As she expected, he laughed, but he didn't put the box away. “You're going to make me beg, aren't you.”

“It's something I've never seen, so probably.”

He opened the box. Inside was a diamond pendant. The simple design, three stones, each larger than the one above, took her breath away.

He produced matching earrings from his other pocket. “You know I will win this argument,” he told her, even as he handed her the earrings. When she would have refused them, he closed her fingers around them.

“I usually prefer much more obvious pieces,” he said. “But I knew those would not suit your delicate beauty. You must admit they're modest by my standards.”

The pendant gleamed in the vee of her shirt. She winced as the perfectly cut stones caught the light.

“It's beautiful,” she said.

“Then put on the earrings.”

She looked at him in the mirror. “I'm not here for jewelry.”

“I know. But that reality only makes me want to buy you more.”

Rather than argue further, she put on the earrings and admired them. One more item on her list of things she was leaving behind when it was time to go. The car, most of the clothes, any jewelry he bought her—and her heart.

 

“I was substantially younger than I am now,” Margaret Redding, Ambassador to Lucia-Serrat, said with a laugh. “It was my first overseas posting. I'd gotten lucky and been assigned to Rome. There was a fabulous party and there he was, Prince Rafiq.”

Kiley smiled at the attractive older woman. “He does clean up well.”

“I'll say. We danced, he was charming. It was lust at first sight, for me anyway. At the end of the evening, he was gracious and took my number. I waited weeks for him to call. He never did.” She laughed again, then tucked her long auburn hair behind her ears. “I was crushed for at least two days. Then I found out the very handsome prince was at least nine years younger than me. It was hard to tell with him in his tux.”

Margaret glanced at Rafiq. “He's grown into quite a man. I envy you.” She turned her attention to her husband. “In the purely intellectual sense, of course.”

Kiley laughed. “Of course.” She'd seen the Reddings come in together and didn't doubt that they were very much in love.

“So how, exactly, did you get to be an ambassador?”

Margaret shifted on the sofa. “I rose through the ranks in the State Department. I was very fortunate in my postings, and I managed to make a good impression on the right people. This is my first time as ambassador and I'm delighted. Lucia-Serrat is a wonderful place to live. I enjoy the people so much and Prince Nasri, Rafiq's father, is very determined to maintain a cordial relationship with the United States.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Some days I don't actually feel as if I'm working.”

“What does your husband do?”

“He's a writer, which allows him to travel with me. He teases me that it's far more interesting for him to be the dependent spouse than it would be for me. He gets to hang out with all the wives. At my previous post, his team won the embassy golf tournament.”

“Do you have children?”

Margaret's smile faded. “No. We talked about it, but with my career, it would have been a challenge. Robert was willing, of course. He would have made an excellent stay-at-home father. But the year we were going to try, I was sent to three different posts in nine months. All that moving around isn't conducive to pregnancy. At least it wasn't for me. And then…”

Margaret stopped and shrugged. “Sorry. I'm rambling. I suppose I'm still thinking about what could have been. I always wanted a career more than a family.”

Kiley had trouble believing this attractive, incredibly successful woman could ever doubt her choices. Yet it was clear that Margaret was ambivalent about the road she'd chosen.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Kiley said in a lower voice, “I've only ever wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I've always felt guilty about that, as if I should have big career aspirations.”

“I think the fact that I want my career and you want to be a stay-at-home mom and both of us can do that is a wonderful thing. As for feeling guilty—” she touched Kiley's hand “—don't. Isn't it a blessing that you know what you want and have the freedom to pursue it? Isn't that the point?”