Kaye held on to Amir’s toned torso as he wove between cars, cameramen shouting from either side as he left the filming crew in the dust. A wave of excitement coursed through her as the wind whipped around them, the warm sun contrasting nicely with the breeze. Before long, she looked over her shoulder and couldn’t see either car.

Amir continued to weave through traffic, twisting and turning down a myriad of roads until Kaye was completely and totally lost. He began driving up what had appeared to be a towering dune, but was really a golden paved road that led up to the top of a monument. Amir skidded to a halt at the very top, facing the city.

“You’re going to get in so much trouble with Merle,” Kaye said as she stepped off the bike, removing her helmet.

Amir’s grin was gorgeous as he removed his own, his dark hair tousled, his eyes shining in the sunlight.

“I’m always in trouble with Merle.”

“It’s going to be tough to speak with you when you’re not your macho character.”

“I’ll have you know I am very macho in real life.”

Kaye scoffed.

“You’re certainly much more pleasant to be around when the cameras are off.”

He lifted a curious eyebrow.

“You really think so?”

“Of course I do. Have you even noticed that Jesse has to remind you to be more…”

She couldn’t find the right word.

“Rude?” he offered, and she laughed.

“Well, yes. Though I’m not sure that’s the best word for it.”

“Who knows? Anyway, look down.”

Kaye glanced down, finding her feet planted on a golden dome. Amir rolled his eyes.

“Not that far down, that way,” he said, gently taking her shoulders in his hands and facing her in the direction of the city.

Everything gleamed beneath them, as though they were standing on top of the world. Kaye inhaled, taking in the gorgeous sight. The palace was still just as sprawling from up there, but from so high up she could get a really good look at the winding gardens and myriad of pathways outlining the inside.

“It’s such a beautiful country,” she whispered.

Amir stood next to her, just close enough to have their shoulders touching. It was still enough to bring a tingling sensation to that area of her body. He stared out at the scene, that same wistful expression on his face.

“You miss it,” she noted.

Amir released a breath, crossing his arms as he stared down at the city.

“A little piece of you always misses home, I suppose.”

“Not always,” Kaye said.

He looked at her then, his expression curious.

“You are nervous about flying back to Indiana,” he observed.

They weren’t questioning each other. At this point, they knew one another well enough to simply comment in understanding. It was something Kaye noticed, and to her chagrin, she liked the feeling of closeness between them.

She liked it a little too much, given their contract.

Kaye met his gaze, her eyes heavy with the weight of her worry.

“They don’t know we’re coming. I’m afraid they would refuse to help with this project if they did.”

“You never know. People have a way of surprising you, especially when it comes to family.”

“Yeah…” Kaye said, staring out at Al Rayyan.

She felt Amir’s hand press against her arm, and she looked back up at him.

“Why did you bring me here?” she asked.

They stared into each other’s eyes, a wealth of unspoken words crossing between them. Amir let his hand drop with a sigh as he stepped back, gazing out once more.

“I thought you might enjoy a view of the city without cameras in your face, just for a moment. I have come to deeply value our friendship, Kaye. I hope you know that.”

“I do now,” she replied, doing her best not to sigh as well.

They looked out together as the sun crossed the sky, the bustling city brimming with life.

“The reason I left Al Rayyan is a little complicated,” Amir hedged. “I lived in such a shadow, all my life. As the youngest of so many children, even with an age gap between us, there was so much that I had to live up to. I never really had the chance to make my own mark on the world. To be honest, I think that’s why we’re as scattered as we are. My eldest siblings are successful and established here, and the rest of us just needed to find out who we were.”

“And did you?” Kaye asked.

He shrugged, turning away from the city and walking back in the direction of the motorcycle.

“In a way. I found my own success, and I established myself in a new way. Here, I will always be the royal couple’s youngest son. In America, I can be Amir Al-Asfour, producer and Hollywood success.”

“Don’t forget reality TV superstar,” Kaye added, attempting to lighten his mood.

It worked. He turned back to her with a helmet in his hand, tossing it at her. She caught it easily, cradling it under her arm as she approached him.

“Well, yes. That too,” he agreed with a tiny smirk. “Now, I suppose we have to go face the music. We will finish whatever last-minute filming the crew wants to accomplish before we get back on a plane tomorrow, and you can tell me what your childhood was like.”

“If my parents even let us in the house,” Kaye murmured ominously.

“I don’t think it’s going to be nearly as bad as you imagine. Still, it might be worse if you pop in on them unexpectedly. Perhaps a phone call would be a good idea.”

“I don’t think so. Let’s just go with this plan—and hey, if we need to, we can hire a fake family to play the part.”

Amir’s eyes were somber.

“You think I would go through all the trouble to marry a complete stranger for this show and then have fake in-laws? We’re kind of into integrity here. At the very least, it will make for some great television.”

“Well, there’s always that,” Kaye replied, not bothering to keep the disdain out of her voice.

Amir straddled the bike, sliding his helmet on. Kaye did the same, settling back behind him, miffed that he would be so callous about her relationship with her family. How could he not understand just how hard it was going to be for them, a simple country family, to put themselves on national television? Before she had time to dwell on it, he kicked the bike into gear and sped off the dune, winding his way carefully back down into the streets heading toward the palace.

As they looped their way back into the garage, an enraged Merle stood at the doorway, his face the color of raspberries.

“You better have a damn good explanation for this little escapade, Al-Asfour.”

His voice was muffled as he spoked through his teeth. Kaye almost didn’t hear him over the rumble of the bike, but she knew if Merle was using Amir’s last name, it couldn’t be good. Amir shut the bike off and waited for Kaye to dismount, which she did, pulling off her helmet as she did so.

“Whatever you did could have been caught on camera. What were you doing, if I may be so bold as to ask, before I fire both of you?”

Amir chuckled.

“You’re not going to fire us. You don’t have time to reboot this project, and we’ve spent enough on it as it is. We have dealt with a grueling filming schedule, and we deserved a little break. That’s all.”

“And I trust nothing in the contract was broken? I don’t have time for legal issues to come up either, you know.”

His meaning was clear, and Kaye felt the heat of her blush, even though nothing had happened between them. For a moment, when he was staring into her eyes above the whole world, she thought he might throw caution to the wind and kiss her.

She was glad that he hadn’t. She would have so many opportunities, such a better life, if she could just resist him for the next few weeks. That’s all it would take, after all. Just a few more weeks, and they’d be done.

She could resist him. She knew she could.

“You know I would never risk the professional integrity of one of my colleagues, Merle. Don’t insult us with your insinuations.”

For a moment, Kaye saw the version of Amir he played up for the show. His eyes were stormy as he glared down his co-producer, and after a heavy pause, Merle shrugged and turned back to the house.

“The crew is waiting for you to film out the rest of this visit. I suggest you stop wasting all of our time by going on these ‘breaks,’ Amir.”

His portly back disappeared, and Amir and Kaye set their helmets quietly back on the bike. Then, it was back to work. They filmed some more scenes of them fighting dramatically about Amir’s parents and their traditions. They filmed a reconciliation, and a heartwarming scene with the whole family. Kaye even got to meet Amir’s eldest brother, Hadid, who had taken a break from an advisory meeting when he’d heard Amir was in town. The man was almost as handsome as his younger brother.

Almost.

“Don’t let this little tyke fool you, Kaye. He’s quite the rascal,” Hadid said with a laugh.

Kaye shot a glance back at Amir, who wasn’t smiling. She could see how he would want to get out from beneath the moniker of ‘younger brother’.

“I can assure you, he is one of the most intelligent, most professional men I have ever worked with. He’s a great success out in Hollywood, all on his own.”

She didn’t know why she felt the need to defend him, but when she looked back at him, Amir’s expression was entirely unreadable. Hadid slapped his brother on the back affectionately.

“Good to hear. I always knew Amir would be a great success in anything he pursued. Well done, little brother.”

“Thanks, Hadid. I hope your legislative training is going well.”

“We have great teachers,” Hadid said, gesturing toward their parents, who were chatting with a chef in the corner.

Amalia ended the conversation and joined their little group.

“We’re going to have dinner tonight in the main hall with as many of our children who can come. I’d like you to meet the brood, Kaye. You’ll find them in good spirits, even if not the most well-behaved royals in the history of our country.”

She looked sternly over at Amir.

“This will be off-camera. The children aren’t as willing to put themselves on camera as we are. They have reputations to protect.”

“And you don’t?” Amir asked, amused.

“We’ve established ourselves. They haven’t. You children have much to prove. Now, move along and finish whatever you need to have done before then. I would like a nice family dinner before you all leave for another ten years.”

Amir nodded, and they met with Jesse in the home theater to film them watching a sponsored up-and-coming movie, their conversation closely recorded. Once the movie was done, it was time for dinner. Amir shook hands with Jesse and wished him a good night before escorting Kaye to the grand dining room.

There, six of Amir’s brothers and sisters with their spouses and children were all boisterously taking up the great hall. Kaye’s head spun as she was introduced to each person, and she watched with awe as Amir affectionately embraced every member of his family, getting on the ground to play with the children.

As the evening passed, there was love and laughter all around them, and Kaye’s heart warmed as she was regaled with stories from their unusual childhoods as a large royal family. Only when the children began falling asleep at their chairs did they finally agree to turn in for the night.

As Kaye lay in her spacious guest bed, she tried to focus on the feeling of love she had experienced that evening, and not on the day ahead. It would likely feel like one of the shortest plane rides of her life.