Modern Romance July 2018 Books 5-8 Collection. Annie West

from brief sexual encounters. ‘A ruler hasn’t time for enjoyment.’

      ‘Surely not. Even kings and prime ministers have hobbies.’

      Hobbies? Sayid shook his head. ‘Not this ruler. I inherited a country on the brink of war. A country that hadn’t altered appreciably in a generation. It’s taken a lot of effort from many people to turn Halarq from a nation primed for war to one ready for a peaceful future.’ He crossed his ankles, pride warming his belly. They’d come a long way.

      ‘Plus I wasn’t born to this role, so I’ve had to learn fast. My cousin was groomed for the position but he died a year before my uncle.’ Meningitis had struck so fast, he’d been hale and hearty one day and dead the next.

      ‘I’m sorry.’ Lina tilted her head as if to view him better. ‘Were you close?’

      Sayid shrugged. ‘Only as children. We hadn’t seen much of each other in years.’

      While Sayid was a soldier, protecting the country, his cousin had pursued a life of luxury, delighting in the perks of his position and his ability to get any woman he wanted. Would he have turned into a copy of his father? The signs had been there, signs Sayid had vowed not to emulate. Instead Sayid modelled himself on his own father, a decent, honourable man.

      The whisper of silk on flesh caught Sayid’s attention and he saw Lina reach out as if to touch him. Instantly she sat back, her hand dropping to her lap.

      Because of his frown? Or because, despite being lovers, he was still her Emir?

      Suddenly he was aware of the gap between them, the one he conveniently ignored when they shared their bodies. Discontent stirred. He was tired of that unseen barrier between him and everyone else. Why couldn’t he be close, genuinely close to someone? Why did there always have to be this distance?

      Yet Lina, being Lina, wasn’t as daunted as others might have been. She held his gaze, eyebrows arching. ‘So you’ve been busy. But you’re a man as well as a head of state. What is it that makes you happy?’

      Sayid felt amusement tug at his lips. She really was unlike anyone else he knew. ‘Solving problems,’ he said without thinking. ‘Finding innovative ways to do things.’

      Lina nodded. ‘That’s one of the reasons you’re so good at government.’ She said it as casually as if assessing his performance as Emir were the norm. ‘What else?’

      ‘Sport. Archery and team sports. I loved football in my teens and dreamed of becoming a professional, but that wasn’t an option.’ The nephew of Halarq’s Emir must serve the Crown, not do anything as frivolous as make a living kicking a ball.

      ‘Do you miss football?’

      For a second Sayid considered, then shook his head. ‘It was fun but I prefer the challenges I’ve got now.’ He’d never thought of it that way, but it was true. His current role was never boring.

      ‘So, you like sex, solving problems and sport. That’s all?’ She looked so expectant that Sayid didn’t want to disappoint her. He thought for a moment then smiled. ‘And astronomy.’ He waggled his eyebrows. ‘Come to my room tonight and I’ll show you my big telescope. It’s very large and powerful.’

      Lina burst into laughter, the sound a rich, infectious peal, making him chuckle. ‘I bet you say that to all the women.’

      She looked so...pretty when she smiled at him like that. Gorgeous, yes. Sexy, of course. But...pretty and appealing too in a way that had nothing to do with sex appeal, or almost nothing. Sayid had never known a woman like her. Would he ever tire of discovering new facets to her?

      ‘No, it’s true! I do have a powerful telescope.’ His lips twitched as she giggled again and slanted a look towards his groin. Instantly he felt the tight, hot swell of arousal. When she came to his room tonight they wouldn’t be looking at the stars, even if he did ask his staff to locate the telescope that had been packed away for years.

      ‘I’d like you to tell me about the stars. I don’t even know their names.’

      ‘The best place to see them is the desert, away from city lights.’ And just like that Sayid found himself planning to take Lina into the desert. There was a spot he’d camped in the old days, perfect for stargazing. After that—

      ‘Is that the time?’ Catching sight of his watch, Lina jumped up in a flurry of silk and curves, making his belly contract at the glimpses of toned thigh and bare breast. ‘I’m supposed to be meeting Leonor in an hour. Senhora Neves,’ she explained, tugging her robe close and depriving him of his view.

      ‘Then you’d better leave.’ Sayid got to his feet and wrapped an arm around Lina’s waist. Instantly she stilled, leaning into him.

      Yes. That was better. Lina in his arms. He bent and kissed her full on the lips, possessing her mouth in a languorous yet purposeful caress that made her slump against him, arms around his neck. She kissed him back with an enthusiasm that threatened to seduce him from his own schedule.

      Finally, breathing deep, he put her from him, pleased at her moue of regret. ‘I’ll let you go first.’ Though they each left from their own suites, he made a point of never entering or leaving his private wing with Lina. There was no reason to court speculation about their relationship. ‘I’ve got a briefing to read before my first meeting.’

      Even so, Sayid registered regret when she left. He’d enjoyed simply talking with Lina, laughing and for a while being just a man, enjoying the companionship of a beautiful, intriguing woman.

      Tonight he’d talk to her about their arrangement. Clearly seven days wouldn’t be enough for either of them.

      * * *

      Thirty minutes later Sayid left his chambers. Turning a corner into a colonnaded courtyard he paused, recognising the lush rose scent he associated with Lina. Had she just passed this way or was the perfume from the roses in the courtyard?

      ‘She’s so beautiful. And nice too. Not many VIPs stop to say hello to a cleaner.’ The woman’s voice came from the shadows further down the colonnade.

      ‘Of course she’s beautiful.’ This voice, older and irascible, was male. ‘She’s the Emir’s concubine, here to warm his bed. You don’t think he’d accept an ugly woman for sex, do you?’

      ‘Concubine?’ No mistaking the amazement in the woman’s voice. ‘That can’t be right. You don’t mean—?’

      ‘I mean she was sent here to spread her legs for His Highness. He didn’t want her then and sent her off to get a little more gloss and, if you ask me, more experience of men so she could service him better. But fancy manners and rich clothes don’t make her better than any other whore—’

      ‘Silence!’ Sayid’s voice cut like a lash, ripping with the force of his fury. The two staff members, cleaning ornate hanging lanterns, whipped round, dismayed. ‘Report to your supervisor now. I’ll contact him shortly. You—’ he pointed to the elder one, a sour-faced man, now cringing ‘—will be looking for a new job.’

      The woman had done no wrong but would have to be reminded about the need for confidentiality regarding what she saw and heard in the palace. As for the man... Sayid would like to throw him personally into one of the old dungeons beneath the citadel.

      They scuttled off, bowing out backwards, but that did nothing to dampen Sayid’s white-hot ire.

      To hear Lina described like that!

      He stalked the length of the colonnade then swung back, fist pounding his palm.

      He’d known there’d be some people in the palace who remembered her arrival years ago. But the construction that lowlife had put on her time overseas, that she’d been sent away to acquire the skills of a whore—

      Sayid swung round and slammed his hand against a marble pillar, relishing physical pain as a distraction from the ferocious agony as something inside tore asunder.

      His