At the end of the evening, Rashid walked Mila out to the car. He could feel the change in her. Her expression was softer when she gazed at him, and her smile seemed more genuine.

It was a huge step in the right direction. As much as he wanted her in his bed, he didn’t want to push it.

Amira was already waiting in the car, and she tapped the imaginary watch on her wrist.

He rolled his eyes at his sister and pointedly turned his back on the car, smiling down at Mila. “I’m glad you joined me,” he said softly as he swept a strand of hair behind Mila’s ear. “I can honestly say that this is the most fun that I’ve had at one of these galas in a long time.”

She graced him with a beautiful smile. “I can definitely say that it’s the best time I’ve ever had at a gala.”

“It’s your first one,” he pointed out with a chuckle.

“You don’t know that. I might be the kind of woman who crashes galas all the time.”

“It would not surprise me,” he murmured.

Her lips parted just a little, and he wondered what she would do if he leaned in and kissed her. He was dying to learn her taste. Instead, he brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her open palm.

Her eyes widened, and he brushed his thumb over her wrist. “Sweet dreams, Mila.”

The driver opened the door, and Rashid stepped back. Mila looked at him for a second, an unreadable expression on her face, before she slid into the back seat next to his sister.

He watched the car pull away and felt the aching tug of desire.

It was becoming less and less about wanting her as a wife and more about simply wanting her.

As he headed back to the gala, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him roughly aside. It was his big brother, of course. “We need to talk,” Asad growled. He pushed Rashid into the back prep room, where the catering staff looked up in surprise. “Give us a minute,” he barked.

The staff hurried out, and Rashid shook his head as he shrugged out of his brother’s grip. “Always ordering people around.” He pointedly looked around. “Is this going to take long? People are going to be hungry.”

Asad ignored him. “Mila is off limits,” he growled. “I shouldn’t even have to tell you that. For fuck’s sake, she’s Liyah’s best friend. Have you lost your mind? She’s all over the television.”

“You don’t have the right to tell me who I can and can’t date,” Rashid said coolly. “You told me to find a wife. Who would better understand the concept of a marriage of convenience than your wife’s best friend?”

“So you just want to make a bad situation worse, is that it? We both know that you’re not going to be faithful to your wife. You’re just using Mila to get back at me for pushing you into this. Not only is she too brazen to make a good sheikha wife, but I would not let you hurt her,” Asad hissed.

Rashid pulled his arm back and hit Asad square in the jaw.

His older brother toppled over and crashed into a cart of dishes. Plates flew off and shattered. The door to the kitchen opened just a little, and two servants cautiously peered through. They surveyed the mess, exchanged looks, and shook their heads in disgust before ducking back into the kitchen again.

Rashid drew himself up to his full height and waited for Asad’s response. “Because you’re such a role model when it comes to choosing wives,” Rashid spat. “You put your own wife through hell before you married her, so don’t you dare lecture me.”

Deep down, he knew that Asad was right. He had only chosen Mila to piss Asad off, but he didn’t like the thought of someone saying that Mila wouldn’t make the perfect sheikha. Just because she wasn’t gentle and sweet like Liyah didn’t mean that she wasn’t still one hell of a woman.

Asad pushed himself up and squared off. Before the two men could go any further, the door to the hall opened again, and Khalid walked in. He took in the scene and the aggressive posture of both his brothers and shook his head. “Compose yourselves. Our presence has been requested.”

“We’ll pick this up later,” Asad growled.

“There’s nothing to pick up. We’re done. Next time, think twice before you make an ill-natured comment about Mila.” Rashid brushed past Asad and followed his younger brother out.

Duty, it seemed, came before everything. Before conflict. Before family.

It wouldn’t be until Rashid was alone that he would question his reaction to Asad’s comment.

* * *

Mila spent the next few days living on cloud nine. Even Fatima’s spiteful words couldn’t bring her down.

Sahaar took note of the difference and finally commented on it. “You have a twinkle in your eyes,” the older woman said one morning as she hugged Mila. “Is it because of the flowers that you received yesterday? Or perhaps the necklace that came the day before that?”

“I’m returning the necklace,” Mila said quickly. “But the flowers are beautiful.”

“Why are you returning the necklace?” Sahaar’s face fell. “Darling, why can’t you enjoy letting a man court you?”

“I don’t need to be courted with things,” Mila explained, even though she did admit that receiving gifts made her heart beat just a little faster.

Sahaar studied the younger woman’s face. “But you are enjoying being courted?”

“Maybe just a little. He’s not what I expected. The media portrays him as this playboy, but he’s been kind and generous to me.” Mila couldn’t explain the change that she saw in Rashid, but she liked it. “I know that Liyah loves Asad, and he loves her, but he’s a little cold to the rest of the world. I just assumed that Rashid would be the same, but duty doesn’t seem to come first for him.”

“It makes you think that you should give him a second chance?” Sahaar asked with a wink.

Mila chuckled. “There was no first chance. There was just an inappropriate proposal.” She paused and then added impulsively, “I enjoy spending time with him.”

“Good.” Sahaar lovingly brushed her hand under Mila’s chin. “You’re like a daughter to me, and I would see you happy.”

Mila leaned over and embraced Sahaar. She’d never had a mother figure to talk to about these kinds of things. Her father had been a wonderful man, but he had never been good with any advice on the romantic side. It made her feel cherished to talk about these things with Sahaar.

“You have less than a week left at the lounge. Have you decided if you’re going to stay on?” Sahaar asked as she turned back to her baking.

“I have, and I’m not, but don’t worry. I plan on finding another job quickly,” Mila assured her. She didn’t want Sahaar to think that she was taking advantage of her.

Before Sahaar could respond, Mila’s phone started to ring. She dug it out of her jeans and checked it. “Oh! It’s Liyah!”

“Tell her that I miss her.”

Mila put the phone up to her ear and headed to her bedroom. “Liyah! I’ve been dying to talk to you. Now that you’re all married and important, you’re impossible to get a hold of! You’re doing all this traveling and exploring.” Mila sighed with jealousy. “You’re living the dream.”

She heard Liyah laugh. “I told you to come with us! But no, you had to work!”

“I know.” Mila cringed. “What was I thinking? Tell me everything new.”

Her friend paused for a moment. “Well, I hear that I might be getting a new sister-in-law.”

“Khalid is getting married? I didn’t know that. I just saw him the other night, and he didn’t say anything about it.”

“Not Khalid.”

Mila slowly sank onto the bed as her heart dropped. Rashid was getting married?

It made sense. Why would he propose to her unless he needed to get married? And she’d turned him down.

Realization dawned, and anger filled her. “That cad!” she cried out. “He’s been sending me presents, and he’s going to marry someone else?”

“Whoa, slow down, Mila. I meant you. I just saw a news article about you two spending time together, and Asad broke down and told me that his brother had proposed to you.”

Relief swept through Mila, and she nervously plucked at a string on her bedspread. “It’s not quite what you think.” She was taking a deep breath to get ready to launch into the story when Liyah cut her off.

“Mila, I want you to think about this. There are times in this kind of life when every moment of your life is planned out. You don’t go anywhere without a bodyguard. Clothes are picked out for you. You’re told what you can and cannot say. You’re expected to be docile and submissive. Sweet. Loving.” There was silence on the line for so long that Mila thought perhaps Liyah’s phone had dropped the call, when her friend’s voice came again. “Mila, I love you, but I don’t think this life is for you.”

Shocked, Mila let Liyah’s words sink in. She’d never heard Liyah say a bad word to her. “So you’re telling me that you’re fit to be a princess, and I’m not?” she asked hoarsely.

“No. That is not what I’m saying,” Liyah said quickly. “Mila, please don’t be mad.”

“Rashid did propose to me. A marriage of convenience. He was even going to pay me, but I turned him down because I’m not for sale. Now I’m getting to know him as a person, and I’m not going to stop just because you think it would be embarrassing for me to join your new family!”

Before Liyah could defend herself in response, Mila hung up. She shook with anger as she stared at the phone.

How could her friend judge her like that? Was that what money did to a person? Turned them cruel?

Her angry words echoed in her head, and Mila pressed a trembling hand to her mouth. How could she call Liyah cruel when Mila herself had just judged Liyah for her friend’s actions, the actions that had set Sahaar up in a beautiful home and a business that she could be proud of?

She wanted to call Liyah back and apologize, but this was the kind of apology that needed to be made in person. She would find out when Liyah and Asad were scheduled to return to the palace, and she’d be waiting.