“I don’t understand what the problem is.” Howard’s voice matched the stony expression on his face. Even though he had been retired for almost a decade now, Harper’s father still hadn’t lost the ominously intimidating air that those who had gone to war possessed. It had the younger guards quailing and stammering in his presence, but even so the men managed to stand firm, their loyalty to their duty trumping their fear.

“My daughter desires to return to America. Why aren’t you allowing her to?”

“I’m sorry, sir. There’s an…issue.”

“What issue?” Howard demanded. “Are you saying my daughter is a security threat to your kingdom?”

Oh, shit. The last time her father had raised his voice like this was a disaster, and she definitely didn’t want it to happen again, and especially not on her account. Placing a calming hand on his arm, Harper said soothingly, “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding.”

“Places like this don’t allow for misunderstandings.”

“No place is imperfect, Dad. You know that. It’s how all the Gate scandals happen.”

Seeing that Harper’s words were having a mollifying effect on the ex-soldier, the guards breathed a sigh of relief, with one adding helpfully, “We have tech on its way, sir. I’m sure we’ll have her cleared in no time.”

Right, right. Harper wanted to believe that, but something was telling her she would have better chances of waiting for pigs to fly. Beside her, Howard, now having calmed down, started to apologize for his outburst, to which the younger guards vehemently shook their heads. There was no need to say sorry, the boys were quick to stress. And she could see in their starry gazes that it was true. Military heroes were a big deal in the kingdom of Ramil, and it had probably killed the boys to be responsible for something that had pissed Howard off.

As Howard and the boys chatted, Harper tried to make herself relax as well, but her anxiety levels simply kept increasing. Being surrounded by these larger-than-life marble walls didn’t help, making her feel cooped up, and knowing that this was only the first of several security borders she had to go through before making it to the airport only made it worse.

If that man wanted to keep her from leaving, he could---

Harper mentally shook her head. Stop it, stupid. Khalil Al-Atassi could have any woman in his life, so why would he bother with someone like her? They had fun last night, and that was it. This was nothing but a tech issue.

“Sheikh!”

The stunned exclamations coming from the boys behind her made Harper jerk. Shit. In the corner of her eye, she saw the guards fall on one knee and bow their heads, and she almost wanted to do the same, just so she wouldn’t see who was coming. Or maybe she had nothing to worry about. There were so many sheikhs in the palace today. It could be---

“Howard.” The voice was soft, deep, and familiar. “What seems to be the problem here?”

Shit. It was him!

“A tech issue, it seems like,” her father answered. “My daughter unfortunately has to leave because of an emergency.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope it’s not bad?”

“No, no. Just something to do with her work.” She could feel Howard throwing daggers at her back as he spoke, and Harper knew she had to turn and face the sheikh like protocol demanded – and before her father had a heart attack at her lack of manners.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and lifted her gaze to the sheikh. “Your Majesty.”

“I’m sorry to hear you’ll be leaving us soon.” His tone was gentle, but his dark gaze was not. His eyes promised retribution, and she swallowed hard. Shit. Her body was reacting to his gaze, alright, but instead of shrinking away in fear or bristling in anger, it was foolishly melting, her breasts swelling under the layers of lace and cotton.

Images blazed in her mind, of seeing his head bent over her breast, suckling her nipple---

Shit. Why was she thinking about that now?

When she looked at the sheikh again, his nostrils had flared, and he was looking at her with eyes that glittered even more brightly now. Oh God. Those eyes told her he knew ---

He knew she was remembering last night, and it had turned her on. It had aroused both of them.

He murmured something softly in Rami to her father, and as her father answered, she used the time to get her body back under her control. Stupid, stupid hormones! Didn’t it know how dangerous it was to get addicted to someone like the sheikh? Crushing on him from afar was one thing. Actually doing something about it was another. A whole hella lot of another, and---

“If you’re certain it won’t be a bother?” Howard’s careful tone drew Harper back to reality, and she frowned. What were they talking about?

“Of course not. It is on the way.”

“Then I’m sure she’ll be happy to agree.” Howard smiled at her. “Right, Harp?”

“Umm, right.” She still had no idea what they were talking about, but whatever. She just wanted out of here. “So…I guess I can go now?”

“Of course,” Khalil said.

Howard laughed. “I don’t think anyone will stop you this time, since you’ll be flying with the sheikh.”

She was what?

But there was no time to protest, with a limousine already rolling down the driveway within moments, and the chauffeur taking her luggage from her hands to stow it in the compartment. Before she knew it, the sheikh had already tucked her inside the limousine, and they were on the way to the airport.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she shrieked. “I don’t want to fly with you!”

“Then it’s too bad things have already been taken care of, qalifa. You will fly with me. It’s the only way you’ll be cleared to leave my kingdom.”

Harper stared at the sheikh. “Why are you doing this?” she asked finally. “I really don’t get it.” They had known each other for eight weeks in a span of eight years, and yes, he always paid attention to her, but that was it. And it wasn’t like he had been saving himself for her or anything (like she was). He had even been engaged to another girl, and after Sapphire March he had countless lovers – the Beasts article was proof of it.

So why now?

And why her?

Khalil was gazing at her contemplatively. “I suppose now is a good time as any.”

A good time for what, Harper wondered irritably.

“This would no doubt come as a surprise,” the sheikh murmured.

A surprise? What surprise? Her mind went overdrive, and then suddenly it came to her. “You’re seeing someone,” she said flatly.

Khalil blinked. “Eafi?” Excuse me?

“You’re seeing someone, aren’t you? Someone important, and you want me to keep my mouth shut about last night.”

Understanding came in a flash, and the sheikh said immediately, “No.” He shook his head, exasperated. “In the name of Allah, no.”

She could see that he meant it, and a tremor ran over her body. It was…relief, and the realization made Harper bite her lip hard. It wasn’t that she cared if he had a lover or not. Okay? She only cared because it meant she hadn’t hurt anyone. That was all.

“What kind of man you must think of me, qalifa.” His voice was softly chiding.

Harper felt defensive. “It’s the first thing that occurred to me, and it’s not like I really know you.”

“What you suggested was dishonorable.” The sheikh’s tone had become silky. “Do I seem like that kind of man to you?”

Oh. Shit. Right. She hated it when the sheikh won a point over her. “Fine,” she grouched. “Sorry.”

“Gracious as ever,” the sheikh murmured.

“I said I’m sorry,” she snarled. “What else do you want, for me to go down on my knees---” She shut up, but it was too late, the words were already out, and she knew it had been the wrong thing to say. But when her gaze flew to his, and she saw the way his eyes were burning, his nostrils once again flaring – maybe, maybe it wasn’t that wrong a thing?

“A good suggestion,” Khalil said thickly.

It was.

And he reached for her –

And she let him.

This was crazy, Harper thought hysterically. Wasn’t this what she was running away from? Wasn’t this exactly what she did not want to happen?

And yet---

“Kneel for me, Harper.”

And she did. Oh my God, she actually let him guide her as she half-crawled between his legs and when she fell on her knees, her heart raced, and oh God, oh God – was that moisture she was feeling between her own legs, drenching her panties?

Was she wet…at the thought of blowing him?

“Release me.” It was a command.

And she wanted to follow it.

Dear God, why did she love being commanded by this damn sheikh?

She watched her fingers reach for the hem of his robe, pushing it up to reveal the pair of cotton trousers underneath. She then untied the strings to loosen its band and as he lifted his hips, she pulled both his trousers and his briefs down. He kicked them away as soon as they reached his ankles, and when she moved back to kneel between his legs and looked at him ---

Oooooooh.

The sight of his phallus greeted her. Larger than she could ever imagine, and thicker, oh God, it was so thick, she could only gulp and think weakly that now, she finally understood why they called men’s penises meat.

She was sure it would fit her pussy. It had to. It was meant to. But would it fit her mouth? Maybe it would if she had a mouth like Angelina Jolie’s, but it wasn’t. She looked up at the sheikh, seriously worried. “I have a small mouth.”

The words were not what Khalil had expected, and he threw his head back in laughter. He could not remember ever laughing while sporting a raging hard-on, and it only seemed fitting that he would have this moment with Harper.

Leaning forward, he reached for her face and slowly traced her small Cupid’s bow lips. The feel of his touch on her lips made Harper tremble, and she trembled even harder when she heard him whisper huskily, “You have a lovely mouth, Harper.”

Oooooh.

“My penis will stuff it perfectly.”

Oh. My. God. Wetness gushed out of her, forcing Harper to press her legs together in an effort to control her shuddering reaction to his words. Who knew she’d be this weak to dirty talk?

She swallowed hard as he leaned back, and as her heart thundered against her chest, she finally mustered the courage to reach for him. She felt his body go taut at her first touch, more so when her fingers finally wrapped around him.

As she started to stroke the length of his phallus, he began to murmur instructions in a tight, hoarse tone, teaching her how to pleasure him, telling her to use her other hand to caress his balls. And she did it. Oh God, she loved doing it.

And when it was finally time to pleasure him with her mouth---

He held her hair as she bent down, and she felt his grip tighten as her lips closed over the head of his phallus. He was right, she thought dizzily. He did stuff her mouth perfectly, leaving not an inch of extra space. His thickness almost, almost made her choke, but that in itself was a turn-on, too, because it was a constant reminder of how his phallus would feel the next time, when it was her pussy it tore into.

The pressure of the sheikh’s hands on her head dictated the rhythm of her movements, and she followed him like an eager pupil would its master. The soft grunts and the hoarse growls that the sheikh emitted were her praise, and she found herself working harder to pleasure him, wanting, needing him to lose control the way he made her lose control.

Soon, he was clutching her head tightly, his hips moving wildly, and his phallus was shoving in and out of her mouth, all the way to the back of her throat.

“Will you want to swallow my cum, qalifa?” she heard him grate out.

She answered this by sucking hard on his penis, and his entire body stiffened.

“Aira.” Fuck!

And then he was holding her hair even harder as his phallus shot out its sweet, salty load into her mouth, one powerful jerk after another, and she strove to drink it all, swallow it all, but there was so damn much that when she finally released his phallus, a few drops of cum still managed to trickle down the corner of her mouth.

It was the most beautifully erotic sight, seeing his semen on his woman’s lips, and when her pink tongue darted out to lick the drops, the sheikh groaned, his semi-erect penis once again shooting up in throbbing arousal.

Harper, still on her knees, was wide-eyed in disbelief. “You’re hard again.”

“All because of you, saghira.” And as his need for her burned, Khalil reached for her, dragging Harper to his lap, and just before conquering her mouth, he muttered against her lips, “You turn me on like no other ever has.”

And then he kissed her, hungrily, and his self-control was further threatened when she kissed him back just as hungrily, her arms going around his neck as her legs straddled his lap. This time, he didn’t have to teach her at all. Her tongue played with his, and then she was biting his lip, sucking on her tongue –

Ah, fuck. He forced himself to put an end to the kiss, breathing hard, knowing that if he didn’t stop now, he would end up taking her virginity in the back of his limo. And he didn’t want that – not for her. Especially not for her.

When he looked back at her, she was panting, her eyes clouded and confused. Why aren’t we kissing anymore?

The sheikh wanted to laugh and groan. She was so damn innocent. He continued watching her, his gaze taking note of the way her green eyes darkened as reality slowly returned. He felt her stiffen as her face paled –

Any moment now, the sheikh thought.

When she suddenly scrambled off his lap, he let her go and reached for his trousers and briefs. He saw her head snap towards the windows as he dressed himself, and when he was done, he said softly, “We must talk.”

“I don’t want to.”

His lips pressed together to suppress his smile, knowing that if he hadn’t, it would only rile her up even more. Seeing that the limousine had reached the airport, he let the matter drop for now, and he kept his silence as they were cleared for immigration.

He could see the tension in his security team and the rest of his staff as they prepared for his sudden flight and made a mental note to apologize to them. It was not normal for kings like him to take off without months of planning in advance, but since he was king---

Khalil glanced at the woman walking stiffly beside him, her chin up but her eyes not meeting anyone. The trouble he was causing his staff was unfortunate, but the ends justified the means in this case. Because it was as Tarif had said. He was running out of time.

Harper couldn’t help but find the sheikh’s silence suspicious. Sure, he was quiet most of the time, but not with her. Never with her. Whenever they spent time together, he tended to talk – a lot – mostly to bully her, so much so that she often found herself wanting to choke the sheikh as much as she wanted him to kiss her.

And in the end, Harper thought gloomily, she had ended up doing the wrong thing.

She had kissed him instead of choking him.

The sheikh’s private plane was again an unprecedented sight, starting with the elevator – oh my God, was this for real – that took them straight to the king’s private third-floor entrance. From there, the king excused himself to talk with his staff while an aide took over to show her around.

While the third floor was exclusively for the king’s use, the second floor consisted of six guestrooms and offices, alongside several types of recreational quarters. The first floor, on the other hand, offered a fully equipped kitchen to dish out a ten-course meal at a moment’s notice, a grand dining room, a library, and a viewing room.

“What’s a viewing room?” Harper couldn’t help asking. Weren’t those what windows were for?

“I’m glad you asked,” the aide – Melina – answered with a smile, “but I believe it is better to show you, anisdi.”

And so off they went to the viewing room, with Melina opening the door with flourish. “Your magic carpet, anisdi.”

Oh!

The room was small and sparsely furnished, but it was the floor that took her breath away. It was completely transparent, allowing passengers to view what the plane would be flying over. “For security reasons, we press this button here---” Melina gestured to the switch panel behind a glass cabinet. “And a secondary layer covers the glass floor. It will be available to use as soon as we’re airborne.”

The pilot then announced via the PA that they were readying for takeoff, and Melina escorted her back to the third floor. Khalil was already in his seat, and Harper hesitated by the doorway. “I could just, you know…” She shrugged uneasily. “Downstairs?” After everything she had seen, it just didn’t feel right to stay next to the king. The palace was the palace, but it had never really sank into her mind that it belonged to Khalil. In her mind, it was like a museum that belonged to the people of Ramil, and Khalil simply happened to live in that museum.

But this plane…

This plane was reality, and it gave her hundreds of millions’ worth of reasons why she should not have anything to do with him.

Harper looked at the sheikh. “So…can I?”

Despite the vagueness of her earlier words, the sheikh had understood her perfectly. He smiled, and just as Harper started to tentatively smile back at him, Khalil said pleasantly, “Your place is with me.”

Harper scowled.

He crooked a finger at her.

Her face flamed. She wanted to bite that finger and break it at the same time.

Through the PA, the pilot repeated his request for passengers to take their seats, and Harper stalked to the seat next to Khalil. “Bully,” she hissed at him under her breath.

Ignoring her hiss, Khalil said, “Let me help you with that.”

Harper frowned. Help with what? And then the sheikh leaned towards her, reaching for her seatbelt, and she jerked. “No, it’s okay---” His arm brushed against her breast as he reached for the other end of her seatbelt. She shut up and focused on breathing instead.

It took him the longest time to secure her seatbelt, with his arm constantly brushing against her breasts. By the time he finally pulled away, she was red-faced, breathless, and turned on.

Their eyes met.

He smirked.

Damn sheikh.

“Are you alright?” he asked politely.

“Better than ever,” she snarled. Damn sheikh.

As the plane sped down the runway for takeoff, the sheikh murmured, “Remember when I said I had something to tell you?”

“No.” She was simply being contrary, and when he smiled, she knew he was letting her know that he knew it was so – and he found it amusing. Damn sheikh.

Grimacing, she grumbled, “Fine, I do remember. What is it?”

The plane took off, forcing them to lean back against their seats, and as she felt her stomach do its tiny customary flip, she heard the sheikh murmur something like, Will you marry me?

Even Harper had to smile a little at that.

Yeah right.

As the noise of their flight receded, she glanced back at the sheikh, saying, “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say again?”

He smiled at her. “I think you did.”

Oh, that smile. That heart-stopping, jaw-dropping smile. She cleared her throat and told herself to stop being a ninny. “I really didn’t.”

“Very well then.” And with that too-sexy smile still playing on his lips, the sheikh asked in a perfectly casual voice, “Will you marry me?”