Three days later, she was sitting in the breakfast room, sipping coffee and trying to decide what to do with her day.
She was frustrated because she couldn’t get Tarek to listen to her about the wedding, reporters were starting to call the palace asking for details and interviews and she was fighting an uphill battle with Tarek. He was offering her dates for the wedding and she was fighting him about every option. Her hand was starting to heal but her heart was still filled with hope one moment at the idea that Tarek might be starting to feel something for her, then desolation when he didn’t come to her bed. He’d left her alone for several nights and she was hurt at the rejection. She couldn’t even bring it up with him because he claimed he was too busy. They ate dinner together every night, he kept her by his side, her hand tucked on his arm as he introduced her to the various world leaders and cabinet members that came to the palace, but there was no time alone with him.
She missed him!
She didn’t want to miss him. She wanted to ignore him. She wanted to be happy that he’d been ignoring her but she was hurt and anxious. Because she realized that she loved that man. He was irritating and obnoxious, but he was brilliant and she loved talking to him, challenging him and just being with him. She laughed with him and, when he wasn’t being a dictator, she smiled.
And she was lonely.
Suddenly, Tarek stepped into the room and her whole heart soared with his presence. “We have a special dinner tonight,” he told her.
Down went her heart again. She looked into her coffee cup, trying to hide her disappointment. “Who with tonight?” she asked.
“Sheik Garon Al Sharhi and his wife Layla, Sheik Zahir del Hassar Alzar along with his wife Callie, Sheik Dassar bin Sarook and his wife Luna.”
Kylie looked up at him, a startled look on her face. “I thought those men were your enemies,” she replied, sitting up straighter.
He shook his head with a chuckle. “They are rulers of the countries with which we were fighting for the past decade, but they all came into their power relatively recently, just as I did.” He paused as he poured himself a cup of coffee, sitting down across from her. “They are good men,” he told her. “Zahir was the one who reached out to the other three of us and I will be eternally grateful for his efforts. None of us wanted the war to continue, but we couldn’t find a way to end to it. There was so much misunderstanding and miscommunication over the years, resentments had grown, confusion and anger had started to eat at the souls of our nations. About a year ago, Zahir reached out to each of us. He got us together at a secret location. We all talked at length about the issues behind the war, decided that the problems were in the past and all of us wanted to end the conflict. Within three months, we’d agreed on the terms, and a peace treaty was negotiated.”
She smiled at him. “I’m really glad that happened. The war had gone on too long.”
“I agree,” he said, nodding his head. “But that brings us back to tonight. It is important that these men…”
She laid her hand over his with a smile. “I understand,” she told him. And she really did. This man was asking for her help. For the first time since she’d walked into the palace, he was asking for her help and her heart swelled with love for him.
“Thank you,” he said.
Kylie held her breath as he leaned forward. He was going to kiss her, she thought. He’d asked for her help and now he was going to kiss her and then he would admit that he loved her and needed her and she wasn’t just a…
“Excuse me, Your Highness,” a voice said from the dining room doorway.
Kylie’s eyes popped open just in time to see Tarek’s closed his in frustration. She wanted to scream out, to tell the little man to go away.
When Tarek opened them again, he had a look that silently told her, “Later!” and he stood up. “Yes, Hasim. What’s happening now?”
Hasim explained the latest urgent crisis and Tarek nodded. “We’ll talk more later, okay?” he asked of her.
Kylie smiled and nodded her head as well. Yes, the problem was important and he really did need to hurry off, but tonight was also important. And she was important!
The two men disappeared and Kylie sighed, trying to create some interest in her breakfast plate. But she simply wasn’t hungry.
Standing up, she walked out of the dining room, trying to figure out what to do with her day.