I woke on my own the next day. It was the first time in a long time that I hadn’t set the alarm. Though I had no idea where my phone was, even if I had set one. I hoped Mr. Fraser hadn’t called, but we didn’t have an appointment scheduled. Since I couldn’t have anyone overhear our conversation about the story, I made a mental note to contact him on Sunday after the interview with Luke.

The previous evening’s events flooded my mind as I sat up in bed. I fluffed my pillows, pushing them against the headboard and pulling the covers over my chest. I wasn’t quite ready to get out of the soft coziness of my bed.

The conversation at dinner was pleasant, other than the silence from the other end of the table. While I tried to ignore it and keep Abir and Erol talking, Luke had been aware of his mother the entire time. I had never seen him so angry before, and I hoped that I would never have that expression directed at me. As a dutiful girlfriend would, I tried to calm him by catching him when I could, touching his hand to draw him out of his head.

I tended to expect the worst of any situation, which made me feel better when my low expectations were exceeded. So, I had assumed that Gia would be a tough nut to crack. Instead of trying with her, I had focused on the men in the room, further strengthening our story that Luke and I were happy and in love.

A few times, I caught myself getting a little too comfortable with Luke by my side. The lines between our lie and reality started to blur.

Then, the dreaded moment came as I relived it. I couldn’t believe I almost kissed him. I buried myself under the covers, desperate to get away from the image in my mind. He’d stiffened and bid me goodnight in the politest way, but that hadn’t stopped the creepy-crawly feeling under my skin. I’d read all the signs wrong, and I wished I could have sunk into the floor at that moment.

I hoped that Luke thought it was me playing the part instead of really wanting to kiss him. It was all I could think about every time I saw him, even when he wasn’t near me but close to my thoughts.

I’d fallen for our own ruse, and I hoped I didn’t screw it up before I got my story.

The rejection was clear, and I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. If he wanted to kiss me in front of his parents to prove something, that would be fine, but I had to keep it strictly platonic when no one else was around.

It took a few minutes for me to get out of bed. The small clock on the side table said it was early. While I knew the staff would probably be awake, I wasn’t sure if Luke would be.

I took my time getting ready, showering and doing my makeup. I didn’t put any lipstick or blush on, but I had enough concealer to make my skin smooth and blemish free. Luke didn’t want me to grab too much attention by way of makeup or the way I dressed, and I accepted that. Since we were going out this morning—and probably for the whole day—I adhered to his wishes and picked an outfit appropriate for a day out. There was a pair of wide-legged pants that fit with most of the shirts he’d bought for me. I grabbed a black shirt with a high neck that cinched at the wrists. Both of the fabrics were light, and after I dressed, I went out onto the small balcony outside of my window. The sun was behind the palace, but the heat already clung to my skin.

My hair frizzed within a few minutes, and I decided to wear another headscarf to hide it. Luke would have suggested it anyhow, and I wanted to stay ahead of him so he’d trust me to make my own decisions. Keeping me in the background while he did what he had to do here worked well for me. If I was to discover anything else going on at the palace, I didn’t want him to keep too close of an eye on me.

There were several options in the armoire, and I picked a gray headscarf, giving another shade of depth to my outfit. I wanted to appear inconspicuous, but I had to add a little of my flavor to the outfit.

I did a onceover of my outfit before heading out of the room.

Standing in the hallway, I realized I had no idea where I was going. Luke said nothing about going to breakfast or what time we’d meet. I had no urge to see his mother without him by my side, so I went in search of Luke’s room.

I wandered around for a few minutes until I came upon a servant.

“Excuse me, can you tell me where Lu—Prince Luke’s room is?” I had no idea about the formality that I needed to use to get what I wanted, but it worked.

The servant pointed me in the direction of Luke’s room, and I thanked him.

A ball lodged in my throat at the prospect of seeing Luke again. While I didn’t want to show him my feelings, I wasn’t able to hide them from myself. I allowed myself to revel in them for a moment before bottling them up again and knocking on his door.

It opened a few seconds later. I stepped back to drink him in. He was already dressed. He wore robes—a more traditional outfit like his father—and this guy never stopped surprising me. A wave of heat rolled across my neck, and my hairs prickled under the scarf.

“You look…” I trailed off.

“Ridiculous?” he hinted.

“I was going to say like a prince,” I said.

He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. Was I mistaken about his feelings for me? I felt every inch of his gaze moving down my body and then back up to my eyes. “Thank you.”

I shivered. “What’s on the agenda?”

“I’m getting you as far away from my mother as possible.”

I laughed. “She’s not that bad.”

“Were we at the same dinner last night?” he asked.

I wasn’t going to badmouth his mother, no matter how shitty she’d been. While I was sure he was pissed at her, he and his family were the only ones who could be allowed to speak negatively of her behavior. Besides, I had no claim on his heart, and I had nothing to lose. Well, there was the interview, but I’d already earned that just by coming.

He offered his arm to me, and we walked down to breakfast.

It was just him and me for breakfast. He noted that his Father and Mother were eating in their chambers, and Abir tended to sleep in.

Breakfast wasn’t a big affair, but it was delicious nonetheless. I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to eat the fried foods back in Dallas after tasting what fresh delicacies were around the world. Or maybe I’d have to be a bit pickier when choosing places to eat. Matt had always tried to get me out of my shell. Maybe it was time to follow his advice.

I hadn’t texted Matt since I’d left the UK. I probably had a bunch of messages on my phone waiting for me. I’d check them later. My curiosity for where Luke was taking me had pushed my need to answer Matt’s burning questions to the back of my mind, even though I was sure he had a lot.

“Where are we going?” I asked Luke as two servants finished clearing our plates. I didn’t like talking to them as if they weren’t there—as the rest of the family did.

“I thought I’d take you to some of the local landmarks. For lunch, I thought we could head out on one of our family boats so we can eat as you take in the view.”

“Sounds perfect,” I said.

* * *

I didn’t press Luke to go inside any of the mosques that we saw on the way around the city. It wasn’t customary for a Western person to go inside their places of worship, but I could imagine how they looked from the outside.

There were so many people walking the streets. We had several bodyguards, but they weren’t as visible as what I’d seen in some American movies when royals were involved. Most of the women kept their heads down when other men were around. It was still strange to see them covered up like I was. In Dallas, there was no shortage of short-shorts and cowboy boots. I supposed dressing like that here would be scandalous.

At lunch, we headed to the marina. I’d never been on a billionaire’s boat before, but just like the jet and the palace, it didn’t disappoint.

We sat on the deck at a two-person table while enjoying the warm breeze coming off the water.

“This is the life,” I said, tilting my head back and feeling the warmth of the sun on my cheeks.

“It is my life.”

I dropped my head to watch his expression turn from happy and carefree to closed off and almost pained.

“What’s your hesitation about becoming king?” I asked, eating a forkful of my salad.

“To be honest, I’ve always felt like an outsider in our family. Since I’m not blood-related, I feel like I’m overstepping Abir’s birthright.”

“You said he wouldn’t be a good king,” I said.

“I never said that. He’d make a great king, but I know it’s something he doesn’t want, either.”

“In a way, you feel obligated?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I suppose I do.”

I considered it. Luke seemed always to be constantly warring with himself. No wonder he had such a tough exterior. As a prince, he had to keep up with the image that he was the next in line while feeling as if he wasn’t adequate for it since he wasn’t a blood relative. Did he want to be king but feel an obligation to his brother, too? Abir was young. Maybe he wanted time to be a teenager before taking over the kingdom. But if Luke stepped in before that, would it cause trouble between the brothers?

I couldn’t imagine how Luke felt. Even though I needed to get the story for Mr. Fraser, this wasn’t the time.

I changed the subject, asking about the buildings that were on the shore. They were almost carbon copies of each other, spread apart by some distance. He said they were residential buildings. What a view the water must be for them. At home, I was quite a distance from any ocean views, so I took a moment and imagined what life would be like living in such a warm place all the time with fantastic views.

“What are you thinking about?” Luke asked.

“This is quite a beautiful place,” I said. “I’d visit here all the time if I were you.”

“I can take you back here whenever you want,” he said.

I glanced at the servants who were coming toward us with more plates of food. I smiled at Luke, knowing the thought was purely for their benefit. I tried to focus on how good it felt to be there instead of how quickly all of this was going to end.

* * *

Since the banquet was in the early evening, we headed back to the palace right after our late lunch. Instead of walking, we took a car, which got us back to the palace much sooner than I’d hoped. I did look forward to the banquet—not Luke’s mother—and the idea of dressing up and meeting other dignitaries intrigued me. So I wasn’t hard pressed to leave Luke while I got ready in my room.

He almost looked as if he’d wanted to say something important as I caught him staring at me from the doorway.

Before I could ask, he closed the door and left me.

It was the strangest thing, but if he wanted to tell me something, I had no doubt in my mind that he would. We’d talked a lot about his future that day, so I wondered if I’d left him with a lot to think about. I hoped he sorted his answers before our interview in two days.

Meanwhile, my focus was on the armoire. There were four different outfits that Luke had mentioned were appropriate for the banquet

The one that attracted me the first time I saw it was a purple gown. The color was so dark that it almost appeared bluish. A black belt cinched the waist, and the thick fabric billowed down, overtaking the other dresses by a long shot. If I was going to impress anyone with my outfits, it would be with this gown.