Mel wasn’t sure who moved first or how their clothes disappeared, but the next thing she knew, they were both sprawled atop her queen-sized bed in the guest room, naked and desperate for one another’s touch.

No matter how much of his skin she stroked and tasted and caressed, she wanted more. Needed more. He, too, couldn’t seem to be able to get enough of her. Their lovemaking seemed almost bittersweet this time, as if there was a sense of finality to it.

The lingering sense of goodbye.

She realized now that by setting him free from his contract with Shayma, she’d set him free from herself as well. But she would have done it all again, if given the chance. Daveed was a wonderful, kind, generous man with a heart of gold and brains to spare. He’d make some lucky woman a fine husband someday. Mel ignored the sharp stab of sadness that thought jabbed into her chest and held him closer, trailing her lips down the side of his neck as he pulled back to hover over her, his weight resting on his forearms beside her head. She wanted this precious time between them to last all night, but she wanted him too badly to wait any longer. “I need you, inside me. Now.”

He grinned, rocking his hips against her so the heavy tip of his hard cock brushed against the hot, slick folds between her legs. Mel gasped at the intimate contact, her clit throbbing in time with her heartbeat.

“I’ve thought of nothing but this all day long, habibaty. I will not be rushed now.”

There was a fierceness in his warm mocha eyes tonight, a possessiveness that she’d not seen the night before. It both thrilled and terrified her. Thrilled because it sparked a tiny flare of hope inside her that maybe this wasn’t the end for them, that maybe somehow in this crazy world they might end up together when all this was over. Terrified her for the same reasons. He was a prince, true Arabic royalty—even if he didn’t live the lifestyle to which he’d been born. She was nothing but a tabloid-trash heiress who was down on her luck and currently penniless. She didn’t deserve him, no matter how much she cared for him.

In fact, she cared so much for him that she was willing to let him go, if that’s what was best for him. But not tonight, not until she’d had him inside her one last time, felt him shudder to climax in her arms and cuddled by his side in the afterglow. She’d never been with a man like Daveed before, had never experienced the level of passion she felt in his arms, and her intuition told her she never would again. So tonight she would have him, savor him as he wanted to savor her, then hold the memories of this evening close in her heart during all the cold winter nights ahead.

He nuzzled her breasts and stroked the heat between her legs, his fingers gently preparing her for him, but tonight she didn’t want all the foreplay. She wanted him, so deep inside her she didn’t know where he ended and she began. Mel cupped Daveed’s cheeks and forced him to meet her gaze. “Please. I want you inside me. Now.”

The same desperation throbbing within her was reflected in his eyes and he rolled off of her to grab a condom from the nightstand. Once he’d put it on, he moved over her again and kissed her deeply. “I need you too, habibaty. So, so bad.”

She raised her knees so they rested on either side of his slim hips then rocked her hips against him, savoring his low, rough groan as her wet core slid along his hard length. “Do it!”

“Fuck, yes!” Daveed entered her in one long thrust then rested atop her, trailing kisses along her cheek to her ear while she locked her ankles around his butt, digging in her heels to urge him on. When he began to move inside her, withdrawing nearly to his tip before pushing back into her again, it sent sparks of desire throughout her body.

“You feel so amazing inside me,” she said, matching him thrust for thrust, her body bowing upward as his lips returned to her hard nipples. They found their rhythm and soon both of them were teetering on the edge of orgasm.

Daveed changed his angle of penetration slightly so that there was friction on her swollen clit each time their bodies strained together and that was all it took. Mel threw her head back and cried out as she climaxed hard around him.

He didn’t last much longer. A few frantic thrusts then his whole body tightened and he gave a guttural moan as he came hard inside her. Afterward he collapsed atop her, his head resting between her breasts as they both drifted off into a deep, sated sleep.

* * *

Early morning light was streaming through the blinds in the guest room when Daveed blinked his eyes open again. Somewhere during the night, he must’ve switched off the lamp on the nightstand and pushed Mel’s bag onto the floor because they were both sprawled across the entire bed now, their limbs entwined beneath the fluffy down comforter. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, all signs of stress and worry erased. Hard to believe he’d only known this gorgeous woman a few days. She’d somehow taken up residence in his heart, filling a hole he hadn’t even known existed. With her he felt completed, confident, ready to conquer any challenge. How he would live without her now was beyond him, but he would. She deserved the full package. A man who was settled, who had a home and a life of his own, not some wandering spook like him who never knew where he’d be from one month to the next. She deserved a true prince, not a man who walked away from his title and his family to pursue a life of danger and uncertainty. In other words, she deserved better than him. Walking away from her now would ensure she’d get it too. No matter how hard it would be, he’d walk away from Melody, because it was the right thing to do for her.

Wanting to touch her soft skin one more time, he reached over to trace a finger across one of her golden eyebrows then hesitated as a buzzing sound issued from somewhere on the floor.

Shit. His phone. Carefully, so as not to wake Mel, he rolled over and fumbled his hand over the side of the bed to grab his jeans. There was only one person who would call at this ungodly hour. Sure enough, when he clicked on the device, a text from Heath popped up onscreen.

With an exasperated sigh, Daveed leaned back against the pillows and scrubbed a hand through his hair. As if sensing his disappointment, Mel rolled over and blinked her eyes open to squint up at him.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice husky from sleep.

The sound sent a thrill of awareness through him before he tamped it down. He’d sworn to help Murphy and Heath find Aileen and he always kept his promises. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure what else to try at this point when every lead they got seemed to get them nowhere.

He exhaled slowly and rolled his neck. “I got an update from Heath on the investigation into Murphy’s sister’s disappearance. They’ve hit another wall.”

“Oh, no.” She pushed herself up to sit beside him, clutching the sheet to her breasts. “That’s awful. He’s got to be worried sick by now.”

“Yeah, he is. The longer people are missing the less chance we have of finding them.”

“What about those firms we went to the other day? Did any of them know anything about her?”

“No. And they all checked out too. Heath ran them through his father’s contacts.” Daveed put the phone down and rubbed his face. “Murphy went over to try to talk to her boss at the newspaper, but he’s gone now for the holidays and refused to talk to us anyway. We got nothing at this point.”

“Huh.” She frowned and crossed her arms, slumping against the headboard. Her hair stood out in disarray around her head and Daveed didn’t think he’d ever seen anything more adorable in his life. “I don’t know. I still think one of those firms knows something they’re not telling us.”

“Good luck getting in there again. Heath said they’re beefing up security for the holidays, so that basically means our chances of slipping past the security guards again without a pass has gone from slim to nil.”

“A pass.” She tapped a finger against her full bottom lip, drawing his attention to her mouth once more. Not that it had ever gotten far away. Next thing he knew, she was climbing out of bed and taking the sheet with her. Good thing he still had the comforter to keep him warm. She rushed out of the bedroom then returned a few moments later with the previous day’s paper. Mel tossed it down on his lap then climbed back onto the bed to kneel beside him. “I think I have a way to get us back in there again.”

He switched on the bedside lamp and stared down at the front page of the business section. There was a picture of the atrium from the skyscraper and a headline stating that the eco-energy firm in the building was holding a press conference that day to announce their new plans for the upcoming year. “Okay. They’re holding a press conference. That might create a distraction, but we’d still need to get past all the extra guards to get inside.”

“Not if I get a press pass to attend.” Her small smile widened into a wicked grin. “Heath isn’t the only one who’s got connections, you know. My father knows all sorts of people around town. Let me make a few phone calls and see what I can come up with.”