Unlike last time, I didn’t leave Qatar without speaking to Mother or the council. At least they wouldn’t think I was doing anything rash. If they thought I was running away with Sophia to marry her, all hell would break loose.

I spoke with Mother first, informing her that she would be rid of Sophia for a few days while I attended to Maddox and the business. I hadn’t heard from my friend for some time, and I wanted to see him again. To Mother, it probably appeared like I didn’t trust him, but she could think what she wanted. I had a life outside of the palace, and she didn’t. She would never understand.

“Feel free to come back here alone,” Mother said before walking away from me.

She always liked to have the last word, and in an effort to not leave in a shitty mood, I allowed it.

I contacted Qadeem and informed him of my trip. The council had a small hand in the oil business, and in the years I’d run it, they had no issues. Going back there would only improve relations with our clients and partners.

“Don’t think this gives you any more time to decide,” Qadeem warned at the end of the conversation. “We’re not forgetting this.”

“Neither am I,” I said, hoping that I convinced him that I wasn’t running away from my problems. I wasn’t. Not completely.

So much had changed in the matter of a few days, and while I wanted to flee the country and hide in England for the rest of my life, that wasn’t in the realm of possibility for me

I didn’t plan on doing anything without Sophia. We were a package deal, and being with her outside of the palace pleased me so much more. Mother could busy herself with Abir and Alda while I solidified the relationship between Sophia and me. If we were going to make it through this, our bond had to be as strong as possible. And that involved making sure that we took the time away from the drama of my family whenever possible.

I planned on telling Sophia about the ultimatum someday, but for the moment, this was a chance for us to enjoy ourselves in the city where we’d met. The layover after our engagement wasn’t nearly long enough. Spending a few days away to get some work done would clear my head. I hoped divine intervention would appear, and I would know exactly what to do regarding my title and my future wife.

---

Stepping off the plane in England, I took a deep breath, feeling as if I could fill my lungs again. The weight of the kingdom affected me so much more lately, and the council’s decision weighed on me like a ton of bricks.

Setting foot on the tarmac, Sophia visibly shivered. I held her close to me as we disembarked the plane and went straight to the car.

“All of these weather changes are starting to get to me,” Sophia said through chattering teeth.

“We can go shopping again if you want,” I said. “Maybe get you a thicker coat.”

“As much as I’d love that, don’t you have a reservation for tonight?”

“How do you know that?”

“You always have a reservation when we arrive anywhere,” she said, smiling.

“You’re catching on, my queen.”

“And I thought you were going to see Maddox?” she asked.

The meeting with Maddox wouldn’t give me enough time to wine and dine Sophia. “We’re going to meet tomorrow. Maddox needs a little more time to prepare the reports for me.”

“Are you sure that you two didn’t want to go out?” she asked.

I brought her hand to my lips. “Tonight, I want to be with you.”

She sidled closer to me and dropped her head to my shoulder. I pulled her close, and for that moment, I was able to forget everything except the two of us. It was what I wanted for tonight.

Even though I still owned my flat, I took advantage of the luxury hotels in the city. Sophia was my queen, and she was going to be treated as such. That also meant dining at the best restaurants around. Since I’d plucked her out of Dallas, I wanted to bring back a little of the Latin flavor that she loved so much.

---

Entering the restaurant, it seemed busy for a Sunday evening. We squeezed past a multitude of people huddled in the lobby area, desperate to get away from the gusts of wind that the opening of the door brought.

Sophia clung to my arm as we made our way to the hostess stand.

We sat right away, and the claustrophobic feeling dissipated quickly.

“I feel like we were here an hour ago,” Sophia said, grabbing the menu from the table in front of us.

“Don’t think about it too much,” I said. “Jet lag has a funny way of catching up to you in unsuspecting moments.”

Sophia glanced over her shoulder and then back at me. “I suppose I better keep quiet then.”

I grinned. “What looks good to you?”

She sighed. “All of it.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but Sophia put up a finger.

“Don’t you dare get the whole menu,” she said.

“I wasn’t going to say that,” I said, though the idea had some merit.

“I don’t believe you,” she said, laughing.

“I was going to suggest we get a few items and share.”

She closed the menu and placed it on the table. “I like that idea.”

“Hey, I need your help,” I said. “This is your expertise.”

Sophia rattled off a few dishes when the server came back to the table. We shared a bottle of wine that I chose, and at that moment, I knew more than ever we were the perfect pair. In such a short amount of time, we could read each other’s minds when it came to enjoying a meal together. The stress from the palace seemed like a distant memory, at least for now.

Focusing on Maddox and the business would distract me for a little while. And of course, there was always Sophia’s body to make my mind wander.

I lowered my gaze to her chest. The shirt she wore was wide open at the neckline, showing off the top of her breasts. How I wanted to touch the smooth, silky skin. I knew what bra she had on, a cream-colored one with lace at the top. I wanted to tear it away from her body with my teeth.

“Luke?” Sophia’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Where did you go?” she asked.

“Nowhere. I’m here.”

She pressed her lips together.

I hadn’t convinced her. “I was thinking of what you were wearing under that shirt.”

She blinked in surprise. “You were?”

My tongue darted out and dragged over my bottom lip. I grabbed my wine glass and sipped from it. “You’re rarely far from my mind.”

“I just thought…” she trailed off.

“What?” I asked, concerned that I’d offended her somehow.

“You’ve been distant since the first day we were at the palace,” she said. “I was curious. Was it something the council said? You’ve been off in your head a lot since then.”

I wasn’t ready to ruin an evening with Sophia with talks of the idiotic ultimatum from the council. I would speak to her when the time was right—after I decided how to get around it. Abir was so happy with Alda, shouldering him with the responsibility of ruling the kingdom would break his fragile disposition. I wasn’t sure Alda was ready to be a queen either, and like hell would I step down just because I wasn’t blood-related to Father.

“It’s not for you to worry about,” I said.

She stared at me, and to get her off my back about the subject, I stared back.

“Okay,” she said and then reached for more wine.

She let go of it easily, but I knew that it wasn’t over. I just had to figure out a plan before she found a different way to ask me.

When the food arrived, Sophia’s eyes lit up. In an effort to take her mind off the topic, I took the opportunity to ask her about the dishes.

She speared each dish with her fork and brought them to my lips.

The sparkle in her eyes made me believe that she’d forgotten about me dismissing her question, but it was only a matter of time before it came up again. Sophia’s reporter instincts were piqued, and I knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t going to back down.

Little did she know, I had her best interests in mind by not telling her.

The conversation turned light, and Sophia asked about Maddox.

“I haven’t spoken to him much over the last month,” I said.

“You’re a bad best friend,” she scolded.

“I’ve been available to him,” I said. “But he seems to have taken to the position much quicker than either of us thought he would.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“Of course. It’s hard for me to let go, though. I suppose I’ve always thought that I was the best and only person for the job.”

“You hate to be proved wrong?”

I smirked and shoveled another delicious bite of empanada into my mouth.

“I’m sure Maddox would love to hear that,” she said.

“He would, so don’t you mention it.”

“Are you going to make me?” she asked.

“I could if I wanted to,” I said. “But you’re a smart woman. I might have something else up my sleeve if you do.”

Her eyes flashed. “You’re going to punish me?”

I licked my lips. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good,” she said.

The banter between us made me anxious to get out of the restaurant. I wanted to get Sophia alone and show her how important she was to me. She was so unlike any woman I’d ever met. We spoke more like friends and lovers instead of one or the other. The sensation drove me wild for her, and I didn’t see an end in sight to that side of our relationship. It made me want to fight for it more.

In the time that I’d been the king, I learned to appreciate the job. There had to be a way I could keep both parts of my life. If there was, I would work as hard as I possibly could to find a solution that worked for everyone. Tapping into my business side, there were many situations I’d had to negotiate. Treating this like another one of those would make it easier to come to a resolution.

---

After dinner, the car service drove us to another luxury hotel in the heart of the city, different than the one that we’d stayed at after we got engaged. I’d reserved the penthouse, which was big enough for Sophia to stay in while I worked with Maddox tomorrow. I knew that she would be comfortable in a smaller place too, but she was close to becoming a queen and deserved to be treated as such.

“Damn, Luke,” she said, walking through the door.

The curtains had been pushed aside, giving a spectacular bird’s eye view of the city. It even took my breath away. During my time in England, I’d always lived in my flat. I appreciated the privacy and having a place to call my own. While I still owned that place, I also enjoyed the best places that money could offer, especially when it came to Sophia.

“This is amazing,” she said, walking across the living area to the bedroom. “You could fit like ten people in this place.”

I strode over to her, and she turned. I drew her close to me and kissed her.

She moaned against my lips. “If we had ten people here, I wouldn’t be able to do what I want to you.”

“And what is that?”

I pressed my lips to the sensitive and soft skin of her neck. “This.”