Kamal had thought he’d have more time, but the hammer fell only a few days later.

“Mr. Ambassador?” Shamira asked through the office intercom system.

“Yes?”

“President Abbas is on the line for you.”

Holy hell. “Yes, please hold any other calls or appointments and put him through.”

He waited for several minutes until he heard his boss’s voice on the other end. “Ambassador.”

“Yes, Mr. President, how are you?”

“Let’s not bother with the niceties, Kamal. I have spoken with your father.”

“Yes. He mentioned he was going to be contacting you.”

“If this were only family drama, I wouldn’t be calling, but you realize by now, I’m sure, that it goes far beyond your disagreements with your father.”

Kamal merely waited for Abbas to continue.

“I understand that your father imparted to you my wishes regarding the accord.”

“He did.” Kamal wasn’t going to give an inch. He’d faced down his father; he could outlast Abbas as well.

“And yet, the discussions have continued, and if the American media is to be believed, they are going well, and the agreement is progressing?”

“Yes, the talks are going well. The president and I work well together.” That was an understatement. “And we have coordinated several major compromises.”

A sharp boom followed, and Kamal knew Abbas had hit something nearby. His voice rose as he blasted his frustration over the phone. “Do you not understand that we cannot have this accord go into effect? The policies will severely impact important Egyptian business. I do not want to relieve you of your duties, but if you cannot obey me on this, I will have to recall you, Kamal.”

“Mr. President,” he responded with every bit of calm he could muster. “You seem to forget that the parliament assigned this negotiation to me, not even to the ambassador to the US, but to me, by name. If you read the legislation, it is very clear. You can try to recall me, you can have me removed from the embassy, but until you get parliament to undo the enabling legislation that began these negotiations, you cannot get me to stop doing my job.”

His heart beat somewhat erratically as he waited for a response. Kamal was no fool. He had prepared for this. Teague had done crash research on Egyptian parliamentary law, which luckily wasn’t that different from British, and he knew he had an airtight justification for remaining in the negotiations. Abbas would have to go to parliament and request that the legislation be rewritten if he really wanted Kamal out. Somehow Kamal doubted that drawing attention to the accord and everything surrounding it was what Abbas wanted.

“That is an unfortunate stand to take, Mr. Ambassador. You’re leaving me very few options.”

“Maybe you need to reevaluate your business arrangements, sir.”

“I’m more likely to reevaluate my problem-solving methods. Pack your bags, Kamal. You won’t be living in my embassy much longer.”

Then he disconnected the call, much as Kamal’s father had.

* * *

It was five a.m. when Jessica was awoken and called to the Situation Room. She tossed on a track suit and an Air Force One baseball cap, her red hair in a ponytail out the back before walking to the basement of the White House where the bulletproof, bombproof room full of the world’s most advanced technology was currently populated with top-level military and technical staff.

“Madam President,” the general said, standing as she entered the room.

“Yes, General. Please, sit, everyone.” She took the chair at the head of the table. “It’s very early, so I assume something important has happened.”

“Yes, ma’am. We have information on the Bratva and the attempt on your life.”

“By all means, then, let’s hear it.”

“We managed to get a man inside the Bratva operating out of Moscow. He was put to work loading cargo onto railcars. One of the trains he loaded was from Pharaoh Shipping and Freight.”

“And that matters to us, why?”

“It’s owned by the president of Egypt, ma’am.”

Jessica sat and looked at her general, eyes narrowed as she struggled to put the disparate pieces of a complex puzzle together.

“So, President Abbas is doing business with the Bratva?”

“It certainly looks that way, ma’am.”

“But this still doesn’t tie the Bratva to my shooting.”

“We’re getting there, ma’am.” The general pressed a remote control, and an image photographed in infrared appeared on the large screen at the front of the room. It showed a wood box full of plastic bundles. “This is a photo our man on the inside took of the cargo he was loading onto that Pharaoh train.”

“Drugs?”

“Yes, and they’re headed to the Middle East, just as we’ve heard.

“Okay, so we have proof that the rumors about the Bratva running drugs to the region are correct. Therefore, they have motive to stop the accord and to do that by stopping me.”

“But,” the general interjected, “we now have an added variable—Egypt.”

Jessica rubbed her arms, feeling a chill that soaked down into her bones. “And we still have no proof that the Bratva tried to kill me. Only that they have the motivation to want the accord to fail.”

“We’re working on the proof, ma’am. Our man has been introduced to one of the Bratva assassins and is working to get acquainted with some others. The more of the hit men he can make contact with, the better his chances of getting the intelligence that will lead us to the actual shooter who penetrated the White House.”

Jessica’s next question sat heavy on her tongue, but being competent at her job meant she had to ask it.

“And do you think Egypt had anything to do with the shooting? I find it confusing that the ambassador was mandated to work on this accord with me, yet it appears that the president is in bed with the accord’s most significant opposition?”

“I think I can fill in some of the gaps on that one,” the secretary of state said from her position at the opposite end of the table. “It was not the president who ordered the ambassador to undertake these negotiations. It was the parliament.”

Jessica nodded. “So, it’s possible that the president has a very different agenda from his parliament.”

“It’s highly likely, ma’am.”

The general interjected, “But what I’m concerned about is where the ambassador stands in this whole mess. He’s been charged to do this by the parliament, but he serves at the will of the president.”

“The ambassador has been negotiating in good faith, General,” Jessica said, a flare of defensiveness erupting in her chest.

“He might seem like it, but I’m finding too many coincidences in all of this. He was with you when the shooting happened—alone with you, if I’m not mistaken?”

Jessica shrugged. “We were looking at the new shade structure in the gardens. My protection detail was a few yards away watching us the entire time.”

“That’s not actually the way I heard it, ma’am.”

Jessica raised an eyebrow at the general.

“The men said they couldn’t see you when you entered the darkened shade structure. They knew you were there, but it was too dark for them to actually see you or the ambassador.”

Oh hell. She’d managed to keep that fact hidden when everyone was so distracted by the shooting, but apparently the general had been asking lots of questions. Lots of uncomfortable questions.

“And you think what?”

He leveled her with a stern look. “I think that the ambassador could very well be in on the shooting. In fact, our supposition is that he was in charge of getting you into position for the shooter.”

“No!” Jessica’s voice came out sharper and louder than she’d intended, and she could see several of the people in the room glance at each other awkwardly, all of them wondering what had gotten her upset. “He saved my life, General. There’s no way he was in on the shooting.”

“Ma’am, there are many ways to make it look like you’re doing one thing while you’re actually doing another. The ambassador has served in the Egyptian army—special forces, if my information is correct. He is certainly capable of a deception like this.”

“But why, General? What motivation does the ambassador have? Just to do the president’s bidding? Keep his job?”

The general clicked the remote, and the screen switched to another image, this one of three men walking across the tarmac at an airport, a military jet in the background behind them.

“The man on the far right, you know, of course, President Abbas. The shorter man with the gray hair is Alexander Petrovich, one of the highest ranking Bratva leaders. He runs the international side of the business.”

“And the man on the left?” Jessica didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“Hassim Masri. The ambassador’s father.”

* * *

Kamal paced the floor of the reception room next to the Oval Office. The request for him to come to the White House had come through official channels rather than Jessica herself, and it was making him crazy. His gut told him this was not good, and he was desperate to see her and hear for himself how bad things were.

The door swung open, and Peter appeared. “The president, Mr. Ambassador,” he announced before stepping aside to admit Jessica.

Kamal’s heart had been caught in his throat all morning, and now it dropped to his gut like a rock. Her face was stern, and the light that was always in her eyes when she saw him was extinguished.

He managed to keep from approaching her and pulling her into his arms like he wanted to, opting instead to stand very still, bowing his head subtly in greeting. “Madam President.”

“Mr. Ambassador. Peter, if you would wait outside?”

“Ma’am, given the information we received this morning, I would prefer to stay in the room,” Peter answered, glowering at Kamal.

“He went through security screening on his way in?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then he can’t hurt me. I’ll let you know immediately if I need anything.”

Kamal clenched his jaw, knowing that everything would be explained in a moment, but being spoken of as if he were a danger to Jessica did not sit well.

Peter acquiesced and shut the door softly on his way out.

Kamal was in motion before the latch had even clicked, taking broad steps across the plush carpet. “What’s happened?” he asked as he reached her and gazed into her emotionless face. His hands twitched to touch her, but he controlled the urge, afraid it might result in the Secret Service hauling him off the property.

“Please, have a seat.” Jessica gestured to the pair of armchairs separated by an end table.

“No, I won’t sit down.” He took a step back so he wouldn’t touch her, because God, he wanted to so badly. Wanted to crush his lips to hers and force her to admit that she was still his, no matter what might have happened since he’d last left her bed forty-eight hours ago. “Tell me what the hell is going on.”

Her icy façade finally cracked a touch, and he saw enormous hurt in her eyes. The anger he could resist, the pain he couldn’t, and before he knew what he was doing, he’d captured her hand in his, pulling her arm to his chest, cradling it as he gazed down into her sad, tired eyes.

“Tell me, love,” he whispered.

“The military has new information related to my shooting. They think that President Abbas might be involved, and also…” She swallowed, and his heart tore in two, because he knew what the next words would be. “Your father.”

Kamal swore softly, all the while continuing to keep Jessica pinned to his body, her arm trapped between them.

“You knew,” she said, her voice calm even as her eyes betrayed the chaos of emotions she must be feeling. Kamal’s own heart was a veritable whirlpool of contradictory feelings.

“Not in the way you think,” he was quick to assert. She pulled away from him and slowly walked to the chairs before sitting in one.

“Then explain in what way you knew that your president and your father could very well have been involved in an attempt on my life, yet you never told me about it. Because you know what my staff are saying? They’re saying that you were in that garden with me to get me into position for the shooter.”

“Christ! I would never—what the hell are they thinking?” he growled, rage crawling through him like a river of hot lava.

He dropped to his knees in front of her chair, and he poured out his soul, no more thoughts of the consequences to him personally. Let them put him in an Egyptian prison. He’d go willingly as long as she believed that he would never hurt her. “You have to know that I would die to protect you, Jessica. Die. For. You. That night, I had no more idea about who had shot at you than you did, and today I have no more idea of who did it either. What I did figure out not so long ago was that my father and Abbas are tied up with the Bratva. They have been putting pressure on me to sabotage the negotiations for quite some time. No explanations as to why, but I refused.” He bowed his head, and then he felt her hand, tentative and soft. She ran her fingers through his hair once, then retreated, but it was the encouragement he needed to continue.

“The pieces have come together slowly, but my supposition at this point is that when I wouldn’t cooperate, the Bratva took matters into their own hands and ordered that hit. As soon as I realized that my father was involved with the Bratva, I took steps to cut all ties with him. I’ve removed my fortune from his control, I’ve been disowned by him, and none of that really matters, but you have to understand why I didn’t tell you immediately.”

She nodded, and he continued. “I know my father. He would never have agreed to that assassination attempt, if for no other reason than he’d never allow me to be put in danger. And while he’s obviously corrupt, he’s not a killer. So, at first, I stayed quiet because I didn’t think he was a threat, only that the Bratva had gotten beyond his control, and we were all investigating their connection already. But when I discovered that President Abbas was involved…”

He took a deep breath, trying to harness the chaotic thoughts that pinged around in his brain. “I was caught. By telling you, I can be charged with treason. I have put the interests of a foreign president ahead of the interests of my own. And there is no turning back from it now. Abbas is involved with the Bratva, he is facilitating the shipment of drugs from Russia to the Middle East, and he is trying to sabotage the accord against the wishes of the Egyptian parliament. I do not know if he was aware of the assassination attempt before it happened, but he is capable of such a thing whereas my father is not.”

He gazed into her blue eyes, willing his heart to slow and his mind to calm. She had to believe him, had to know that he wasn’t keeping things from her to harm her, that he would never do anything that he knew to be a threat to her.

Slowly, as if she were in a dream, she reached out and cupped his jaw, her soft, delicate hands causing waves of longing to rock him from head to toe.

“You have just betrayed your country.”

He nodded, sadness washing through him.

“For me.”

“I would do it over and over again,” he answered, his voice rough with emotion.

“I am so sorry,” she murmured, leaning down and kissing him gently. “So sorry that you had to make that choice.”

“It’s worth it if you believe that I would never, for any reason, try to harm you.”

She nodded then. “I believe you.”

He smiled, and relief poured into his heart. “Then I’ve done the right thing.”

“I won’t let them take you,” she whispered fiercely. “There will be no trial for treason because they will never remove you from United States soil. You have to resign your ambassadorship at once and request asylum. The attorney general will act on it immediately, and then you’ll be safe here in the US.”

And in that moment, Kamal’s heart expanded to ten times its normal size, because never in his life had anyone been willing to fight so hard for him. He was typically the one to fight for others. Provide his money, his expertise, his connections, his knowledge. But to have this woman willing to provide those things to him was something he’d never even dreamed of.

He stood, pulling a worried-looking president with him, before he clasped her against him and kissed her long and hard, dipping his tongue into her sweet, decadent mouth, running his hands over her formfitting dress, relishing the warm curves it molded.

She moaned, melting against him until all he craved was to be skin to skin with her, to feel her flesh give way under his, to know the hot, wet pleasure of sinking into her tightness.

“Promise me,” she gasped.

“Promise what?” he responded, his mind in a fog of lust.

“That you’ll request asylum. Immediately.”

He reluctantly pulled away from her irresistible lips. “It will ruin your presidency. There is no way to keep it out of the press, and once they discover that we’ve had a personal relationship, they will accuse you of trying to circumvent the law to protect me. They’ll say I’m a criminal and you’re providing sanctuary.”

Jessica held his arms firmly, looking at him with as much determination as he’d ever seen her show. “I don’t care. And it won’t be true. Your treason is being committed to provide information to the United States that protects not only her president but her national security. There was no way for you to do that and still protect your own national interests. You had to choose. It is only right that the nation you chose to protect will protect you back.”

He stepped away from her, pacing the room as he spoke. “You’ve given up years of your life, Jessica. All for John’s legacy, to make sure that the Hamptons were given not only a presidency but an ending to their family dynasty that they could be proud of.”

Jessica followed him to the other side of the room, her heels sinking into the thick carpet each time she stepped.

“And that was fine when it didn’t involve someone’s life. But your life, your safety is far more important than any legacy. It’s more important than the Hamptons’ family name. I’m a Hampton by marriage. They can distance themselves if it gets ugly.”

Kamal shook his head vehemently. “No. I won’t allow you to undo what you’ve sacrificed your own happiness for.”

Then Jessica reminded Kamal that no matter how imposing he was, how used to being obeyed, how much he might control their life in the bedroom, he wasn’t in charge here.

“I don’t need your permission. I’ll have the attorney general process it immediately, and then they won’t be able to extradite you. I’ll also require you to hand over your Egyptian passport. You’ll be unable to travel, unable to turn yourself in. Don’t test me on this. You are not going to an Egyptian jail as long as I sit in this office.”

Kamal turned and stared at her. She stood with her arms crossed, blue eyes flashing with fire, red hair perfectly coiffed, outfit spotless and the height of fashion. The only sign that she wasn’t entirely in charge of the free world and everyone in it was the slight smudge at one corner of her lips, and it was that Kamal’s attention focused on, because he’d done that. Mussed her. Created a fissure in the perfect façade. Yes, Kamal had found the real woman underneath, and now there was no putting her back. But as he stood and looked at her, he realized that right before his eyes, Jessica the woman and Jessica the president were merging, and the result was going to be absolutely extraordinary.

“Then I guess I’d better go write my resignation letter,” he said in a low voice. “And get a hotel room, because I am apparently no longer the ambassador to Egypt, which also means I’m homeless.”

Jessica’s face broke into a smile, and her cheeks flushed so beautifully that Kamal couldn’t restrain himself another moment. He put his hands on her waist and kissed her, on the jaw, the lips, the temple, all the while backing her up until she was pressed to the smooth, cool wall.

“I want you,” he whispered. “Here, now, I want to feel your need, I want to watch you shatter for me.”

Jessica shook her head, but her hips flexed against his, and she didn’t pull away.

He reached down and found the hem of her dress, tugging it up until he was able to touch the space between her thighs. Her expensive underwear was tiny, and he shoved the strip of fabric aside finding her so hot and wet, he could barely stifle the groan that swelled inside his chest.

He buried his face in her neck and nipped, licked, and sucked while his fingers worked their magic at her core, stroking, teasing, rubbing little circles.

“Oh God,” she whispered. “I can’t…I can’t…”

“Of course you can, love,” he answered, plunging two fingers inside her, finding that perfect spot and rubbing in rhythm. His other hand found its way to her breast, and he palmed the full flesh that strained to break free of its confines.

Jessica’s breath became short and stuttered. He pinched her nipple through her clothing at the same time he thrust his fingers inside hard and pressed the heel of his hand to her clit. She stiffened, groaning before he swallowed it with his kiss. And then, like a waterfall rushing over a cliff, she came, hard and fast and long, her beautiful body shuddering in his arms, her channel throbbing around his hand, her silent cries spilling onto his lips.

When the aftershocks had faded, he rested his forehead against hers and kissed her tenderly on the nose before removing his hand and smoothing her dress down.

“Mr. Ambassador, I think that’s one of the best negotiations we’ve had yet.”

Kamal chuckled. “You’re going to have to quit calling me that. In another hour, I won’t be an ambassador.”

She pulled back to look him in the eyes, her face full of concern. “And what will we do with you then? What are you going to do from now on?”

“I’m going to assist your team with finding out who did this. After that, I will decide. I’ve never been given options about what I did for a vocation, so it will be…” He paused, “interesting to have choices.”

She laid her palm alongside his cheek. “You’re certain?”

“Never more,” he replied.

“Then I suppose I should let you take care of it. We should send security with you for after you leave the embassy. We can’t have you living in a hotel without guards.”

He kissed her again before pushing away from the wall. “I will take some of my security staff from the embassy with me. I’ll put them on my payroll. They’d rather be with me than stay on for a new ambassador anyway.”

“And will you be back to see me after it’s done?”

“There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

She smiled at him, and he felt somehow liquid inside.

“Will you hold a press conference?”

She walked toward the mirror hanging on the wall and commenced straightening her hair and clothing. “I’ll get with Vanessa on it immediately. It will be necessary. We might be able to hold it off for twenty-four hours, but I doubt any longer than that.”

He nodded, straightening his own clothing and running a hand through his thick, wavy hair. “All right, I’ll get the ball rolling and settle into my new rooms, then be back. What time will you be done this evening?”

They met at the door and simply stared at each other for a moment. He pushed a tendril of her hair back into place and smiled softly at her.

“Nine o’clock,” she said.

“Jessica?” His voice was low, his throat thick as she gazed into his eyes. “I love you.”

Her breath exhaled in a rush, and she pressed her hand to his chest, her slender fingers digging into his expensive dress shirt. “I love you too,” she answered.

“Then everything else will be fine.”

She nodded. “I’ll need to tell my in-laws that this is coming.”

“Will you tell them about our personal relationship?”

“I want to do that in person. I think I should have them come here tomorrow.” She nodded to herself. “Yes, I’ll have them come for the press conference and explain it all to them then.”

He kissed her on the temple before reaching for the doorknob. “And I’ll be here to help you any way you need it. We’ll make it through. Together.”

She smiled and reached up to rub a bit of lipstick off his mouth. “We will.”

And as Kamal walked out of the White House, even though he’d just made a life-altering decision, he felt more at peace than he ever had before. Because he’d just taken one more step toward being free.