Rolling over, on the verge of dream and wake, I reached my hand out and felt the cool side of the bed, void of anyone other than me.

Lazily opening my eyes, my suspicions were confirmed. Last night hadn’t been a dream, but the sexy man who I had made love to was nowhere to be found.

I grabbed the note on the pillow next to me and cracked my eyes open against the sunlight streaming in through the window to decipher the words.

“Went to see my father. Be back soon.” Luke’s handwriting was fit for a king; it was neat enough that it could have been typed. Most of the male reporters I knew had trouble reading their hieroglyphic scribbles after an interview. That was why I always recorded an interview, along with jotting down notes.

I stretched my arms over my head, feeling the small ache in my lower back from the fantastic sex last night. Even with the stiffness, my body was refreshed and ready for the day.

Last night, I had taken it to another level with Luke. He had only intended to kiss me, but I had a lot of pent-up sexual frustration when it came to him. And as far as I knew, he did too.

I grinned madly as I sat up in bed and scooted off the mattress, padding over to the bathroom across the room. I didn’t care that I was still naked. I felt free after what we’d done together. If Luke walked in right now, I would challenge him to round two.

Being with him like that helped me forget—at least for a little while—the reason I was at the palace to begin with. My article. At the moment, I still had no specific story to tell. The moment I arrived, it had been all about Luke and me reuniting and coming back to where we had been before the conversation with his mother at the banquet and finding out his father was ill.

I was letting my emotions take over again. So as I showered, I allowed the hot stream of water to wash over me and clear my head. Luke was different than any man I had ever met. He was kind, intelligent, and sexy. He had a lot of turmoil inside of him, and somehow, that drew me in as well. I wanted to make his life as easy as possible after he’d given so much to me.

But I also had a deadline to meet, and I wasn’t about to lose my job, never mind the promotion, because of a man. I was sure I could find something to dig up that wouldn’t compromise our relationship.

After showering, I dressed and headed out to find Luke. I wanted to see Erol as well. His approval of my relationship with Luke meant a lot. While I wasn’t sure where our futures would take us, at least Erol knew that his son was happy right now. I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize a dying man’s happiness, but Luke and I needed to talk about everything. I debated on telling him about the article. He had already known and accepted the fact that I was writing an article about him and his father when we met, but I also didn’t want to rely on his money and power to find me a story. I had to do this on my own.

Walking down the hallways of the palace, I allowed my mind to wander. I couldn’t imagine growing up in such a grand place. The servants moved quickly down the hallways, carrying supplies throughout the massive house. They were so efficient that I rarely saw them doing work, only scurrying between jobs. But my room had always been pristine when I came back to it, and I doubted coming back to Luke’s room later would be any different.

I was about to round a corner when I heard two voices coming from the hallway containing Erol’s chambers.

I slowed my pace as I recognized Luke’s voice. The other speaker was clearly his mother. I noted her grunts at whatever it was he said.

Not wanting to reveal myself—and make another mistake with eavesdropping—I stopped and was about to turn around when Luke said, “I love her. Sophia is the one that I am going to be with, and there is nothing that you can say or do to stop it.”

My heart leaped into my throat, and I clamped a hand over my mouth. Hearing him say those words with such ferocity made me realize that he wasn’t trying to convince her of our fake relationship anymore. He meant it.

I didn’t hear his mother’s response but I assumed it was dismissive. I turned around and practically sprinted toward his bedroom.

Little did he know that I had come looking for him. He would come back to the room sometime, and I could pretend I had never left. I could also act like I didn’t hear him confess his love for me. Luke hadn’t said the words to my face, and I wondered if today was going to be that day.

Love was such a strong word, and it meant commitment. He seemed so adamant to convince his mother of his feelings for me.

After last night, our bond had grown, but into love? I wasn’t sure if it happened that quickly.

For me, there was a significant difference between having feelings for someone and loving them. Especially in such a short amount of time.

Did I love him in return? If today was the day he revealed his feelings to me, what would I say back?

Inside Luke’s room, I wasn’t sure what to do while waiting for him. If he was having a private discussion with his mother over me, then I couldn’t go back out there and pretend I hadn’t heard anything.

To keep my hands busy, I made the bed and straightened up the room. Our clothes were thrown on the floor, and at that moment, I was glad I came back. If the servants came into the room with it looking like this, they would know what happened between us last night.

My cheeks burned with the memory. When the door opened, I jumped and clutched my chest.

Luke walked into the room and smirked. “Did I startle you?”

For some reason, I couldn’t meet his eye. “You did.”

He strode over to me, and before I could say anything else, he kissed me. The strong minty taste of his toothpaste swirled in my mouth, and the scent tickled my nose. I lifted up on my toes to deepen the kiss. Even last night, my mind numbed every time Luke kissed me. He had a power over me, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever tire of it.

When we finally broke apart, my heart thrummed in my chest.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Mornin’,” I drawled.

He pecked my lips and took my hands in his. “I’m glad you’re ready.”

“Are we going somewhere today?” I asked. “I thought you wanted to stay home with your father?”

He shook his head. “I need to go back to England.”

My heart sank. “Oh.”

“Father insisted that I check on the company,” he said, avoiding my eyes.

The conversation from before didn’t make any sense. Was he still pretending? I couldn’t keep track. I also couldn’t leave without a story.

“You’re okay with coming back to London with me?” he asked. “You can stay in my flat.”

“You want me to stay with you?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said. “Did you think I was going to leave you here?”

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to go back to the States while you handled business,” I said.

His eyes burned into mine. “Sophia.”

My breath caught in my throat. Was this the moment he would tell me how he felt? I still wasn’t sure what I was going to say.

“Do you want to go back to the States?” he asked. “I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to.” He hesitated before saying, “I thought after last night—”

“No!” I said. “I want to come with you. Of course, I do.” The thought of leaving Luke again made my insides ache. While I could sort through naming my feelings at another time, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere without him.

“Good,” he said with a smile. “I’m sorry to do this. I know you had a long flight on the way over here.”

“As long as I don’t have to deal with people in coach, I’ll be fine,” I said. “Do we have time to eat before we leave?”

“I’ve already ordered the pilot for the jet. There will be food on the flight. I want to get there and back as soon as possible. If that is okay?”

“As long as I’m with you, it’s more than okay,” I said.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said.

“How was your father this morning?” I asked.

“Better than I’ve seen,” he said. “Which is why I want to get my business duties over with before I return. I’d like to stay for a while. Until—” He cut off there. We both knew what he meant, but no words needed to be said.

I went over to my suitcase with the burning desire to force him to tell me that he loved me. I had to know. I wasn’t sure if it was the reporter in me that wanted the scoop on how Luke felt, or if I wanted him to tell me he loved me so I would know our status. But I pushed anyway.

“Did you see your mother this morning?” I asked as I folded the clothes I’d worn yesterday and placed them in my suitcase.

He sighed. “Briefly.”

I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t.

I chewed that over for a minute before going into the bathroom to grab my toiletries. The more I thought about it, the more anxious I became. Why was it so easy for him to say it to his mother but not to me? Was he waiting for a special moment?

Staring at myself in the mirror, I smoothed my hair down and took a deep breath. When had I turned into this woman? Was it because I hadn’t previously met the right man? I wasn’t into the lovey-dovey things that other women in the newsroom were. They gossiped about their dates and the meaning behind every single word their potential partners said.

Since I always focused on my work, I ignored them, but maybe I shouldn’t have. I could have picked up on some tips for dealing with a situation like this.

Coming out of the bathroom, Luke was sitting on the bed, flicking his finger over his phone screen.

He looked up at me and smiled. “You ready?”

“Almost,” I said and stuffed my toiletry bag into my suitcase. “Should we say goodbye to Abir and your mother?”

“Maybe Abir,” Luke said. “I’d rather not deal with my mother until I return. Her actions were ridiculous yesterday, and I won’t subject you to that two days in a row.”

“I don’t mind,” I said. “I should say goodbye so she doesn’t think we’re sneaking away again.”

“I already informed her of our plans. You will see her again next week.”

I couldn’t help pushing one more time. “What did she say when you told her?”

“Not much,” he said, standing up and shoving his phone into his pocket. “It was Father’s request to tend to the business, and she doesn’t have a say in the business side of my life. Which is a blessing.”

I forced a smile.

He walked over, took my hand, and kissed the top of it. “I’d rather not think of her unpleasantness right now. I can’t wait to get you back to England and away from this toxic environment, even for a little while.”

As we walked to Abir’s room, I watched Luke as he spoke to me about his conversation with his Father earlier that morning. His eyes were wide, and they sparkled with love for his father.

There was love between us, too, and even though he couldn’t say it, I felt it deep in my core.