The Sheikh's Collection. Оливия Гейтс

to formulate in Adan’s brain. A good plan involving his favorite mode of transportation. Now all he had to do was convince Piper to come along for the ride of her life.

      * * *

      After the harrowing trip to the airbase, Piper would be out of her mind if she agreed to go on this little flying excursion in the miniplane built for two. “You don’t really believe I’m going to climb into that sardine can, do you?”

      Adan flipped his aviators up to rest atop his head and tried to grin his way out of trouble, which wasn’t going to work on Piper. Much. “This happens to be a very solid aircraft,” he said.

      Solid, maybe. Too tiny. Definitely. “First, you make me wear a massive helmet, throw me onto the back of a motorcycle and travel at excessive speeds on skinny little back roads to get here—”

      “That was designed to evade the press, and if my memory serves me correctly, you came along willingly.”

      Darn it, she had. “That’s not the point. Now you want me to get into a plane equivalent to a golf cart with wings.”

      He moved in front of said wing and patted the white plane’s belly as if it were a favored pet. “Do not let the propeller scare you away. This is a Royal Air Force training craft meticulously maintained by our best mechanics. And of course, you are in good hands with me as your personal pilot.”

      A personal pilot with great hands, and she sure would like to know how they would feel all over her body. Maybe today she might actually find out. Maybe squeezing into this plane would be well worth it. “Just show me to my seat.”

      He grinned and opened the miniature door. “Hand over your bag and I will assist you.”

      Piper relinquished the tote to Adan, as well as her coveted control. “Here you are, and be careful with it because it contains some breakable items.”

      His smile melted into a scowl. “This bag must weigh ten pounds. Did you pack all your worldly belongings?”

      She playfully slapped at his biceps, well aware he had one heck of a muscle. “No, I did not. I just packed a swimsuit and a change of clothes, per your request. I also brought along a few toiletries and sunscreen and towels. And a small sketch pad and pencils, in case I want to immortalize our day together on paper.”

      His smile returned full force. “It is quite possible you will not have time to sketch.”

      That sounded very promising. “And why would that be, Your Highness?”

      He leaned over and brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Well, my pretend princess, I have several activities planned to occupy our time.”

      She could think of only one activity at the moment that interested her. “Can you give me a hint?”

      “No. I want you to be surprised.” He executed a slight bow. “Now climb into my chariot, fair lady, and we will begin our adventure.”

      She managed a not-half-bad curtsy. “As you wish, good sir.”

      Luckily the step up into the two-seater plane wasn’t all that steep, but the small space seemed somewhat claustrophobic once Adan took his place beside her.

      After strapping himself in, he handed her a headset. “Put this on and we’ll be able to hear each other over the engine noise.”

      Noisy engine—not good. “Are you sure this is safe?” she asked before she covered her ears.

      “Positive. And don’t look so worried. We’ll barely be off the ground before it’s time to land again.”

      “A planned landing, I hope,” she muttered as she adjusted the bulky headphones.

      From that point forward, Piper watched Adan in action as he guided the pitiful excuse for a plane to the airstrip adjacent to the fleet of high-powered jets. As he did a final check, the Arabic exchange between Adan and the air traffic controller sounded like gibberish to her. But once he began to taxi down the runway, she didn’t care if the pilot was speaking pig Latin. She held her breath, fisted her hands in her lap, gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tightly.

      During liftoff, her stomach dipped as if she were riding a roller coaster. She felt every bump and sway as they gained altitude, and even when the plane seemed to level off, she still refused to look.

      “You are missing some incredible scenery.”

      Feeling somewhat foolish, Piper forced herself to peer out the window at the terrain now cast in the midmorning sun. She noticed only a few man-made structures dotting the landscape, but the approaching mountains looked as if she could reach out and touch them, and that did nothing for her anxiety.

      As if sensing her stress, Adan reached over the controls and took her hand. “This is the best view of my country,” he said. “And when I am flying, I feel completely at peace.”

      She wished she could say the same for herself. “I’ve got a swarm of butterflies in my belly.”

      “I had no idea you’re such a nervous flier.”

      “Not usually,” she said. “I’ve never been in an aircraft quite this small before.”

      “Try to think of this as being as close to heaven as you can possibly be.”

      “I’d prefer not to get too much closer.”

      He grinned and squeezed her hand. “I will have you earthbound in a matter of minutes. If you look straight ahead, you’ll see where we are going to land.”

      She tried to focus on the horizon, and not the descent toward the ground. Or the fact Adan was guiding them toward what appeared to be no more than a glorified dirt road—and a rather large mountain not far away. Her stomach dipped along with the plane as they approached the makeshift runway, but this time she kept her eyes open. She still remained as tense as a tightrope when the wheels touched down and they bounced a time or two before coming to a stop.

      Piper let out the breath she’d been holding and looked around to find a thick copse of odd-looking trees surrounding them, but no signs of human life. “Where are we?”

      Adan removed his headset, then hers, and smiled. “I am about to show you my most favorite place on the planet, and an experience you will not soon forget.”

       Six

      “Wow.”

      Piper’s wide-eyed reaction to the mountain retreat greatly pleased Adan. He’d brought only one other woman there, and she’d complained incessantly about the lack of facilities. But then Talia wasn’t fond of sacrificing creature comforts for nature’s bounty.

      “It’s basically a simple structure,” he explained as he led her farther into the lone living area. “It’s comprised of native wood and powered by solar energy. The water comes from the nearby lake to the house through a filtering system.”

      She walked to the sofa and ran her fingertips along the back of the black leather cushion. “It’s very comfortable and cozy.”

      Her code for small, he surmised. “It has all one would require in this setting. One loft bedroom and a bath upstairs, another bedroom and bath downstairs, and my study.”

      She turned and smiled. “No kitchen?”

      He pointed to his left. “Behind the stone wall, and it’s the most impressive part of the house. However, I rarely utilize the stove, but I do make good use of the refrigerator and microwave.”

      “No housekeeper available?”

      “No, but I do have a caretaker. He and his wife look after the place when I’m away.”

      She dropped down onto the beige club chair and curled her legs beneath her. “What possessed you to build a place out in the middle of nowhere?”

      “You