Royal Temptation. Carol Marinelli

      Yes, he really should ring Zahid and have him come and collect her—but instead he ran her a bath as he thought about her brother.

      Mikael had been worried—and with good reason. Zahid must be beside himself.

      Mikael was not a sentimental person—not in the least—but surely a text to put him at ease could not cause any harm?

      As he waited for the bath to fill Mikael fired a quick text.

      Just to let you know, Layla is fine.

      ‘Have a bath and wash your hair, and then I suggest you get some sleep.’

      ‘Can you send someone in to wash me?’

      ‘Wash you?’

      She had no idea how to do it herself.

      ‘I’ll tell you this much…’ He was breathing very hard as he massaged shampoo with rather angry fingers into her hair. He’d insisted she keep her underwear on—as if that would go down well with the defence! ‘You’re completely—’

      He’d been about to say spoilt but he halted and thought about it as he rinsed the shampoo out of her hair.

      She might be pampered, and way too used to getting her own way, yet Layla was the most unspoiled person he had ever met.

      ‘There,’ Mikael said. ‘Your hair’s clean.’

      ‘Jamila oils it now.’

      ‘There,’ Mikael said again, a little while later. ‘Your hair is washed and conditioned and now…’ he moved in to pull the plug and met her lovely feet again ‘…I’ll help you out of the bath. Then you’re to dry yourself and put on a robe.’

      ‘Okay.’ For once she agreed.

      He helped her out and she made sure that Mikael too was soaking as she toppled against him.

      ‘I still feel a bit…’ She didn’t know how to describe it as he handed her a towel. ‘I think I like you,’ Layla said, and Mikael’s jaw gritted as she continued. ‘Not just like you…it feels a bit different to that…’ She turned as he walked out. ‘Where are you going?’

      ‘To do some work,’ he said. ‘Work that pays in dollars instead of stones.’

      He was cross, Layla realised as he stalked out.

      But lovely.

      He didn’t even look up as she came out of the bathroom.

      ‘I know that I behaved badly tonight…it was just too enticing…’ She looked out at the lights that still beckoned.

      ‘You need to sleep,’ Mikael said, ‘and I need to work out what the hell I’m going to do with you.’

      He didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her—but not in a bad way.

      Mikael went to the couch and took out his laptop and got to work as Layla made her way to the bedroom.

      ‘The maids didn’t put out a nightdress.’

      Mikael closed his eyes for a second before answering. She was the most exhausting person he had ever met. ‘Just sleep in your robe.’

      ‘But it’s damp.’ She came out from the bedroom. ‘If I sleep in damp clothes I’ll catch a cold.’

      ‘That’s an old wives’ tale.’

      ‘I don’t understand.’

      Neither did Mikael, because a few minutes later he was naked from the waist up and trying not to notice just how long her legs were as she walked from the bathroom wearing his shirt and was finally safe in bed for the night.

      ‘Mikael!’ she called from the bedroom. ‘Will you still take me out tomorrow night?’

      Mikael didn’t answer.

      ‘Mikael…’

      ‘Layla,’ Mikael called back, ‘could you really see checkmate?’

      Silence.

      ‘I want the truth—yes or no?’

      ‘No.’

      She started laughing and Mikael gave a wry smile. He’d add the extra twenty bloody minutes he’d spent staring at the board to her bill.

      ‘Go to sleep, Layla.’

      Finally she did as she was told and Mikael got on with his work, only pausing occasionally.

      The sound of her soft snoring was actually quite relaxing…

       CHAPTER SIX

      LAYLA AWOKE TO the gorgeous scent of Mikael.

      Or rather the gorgeous scent of Mikael’s shirt, and she lay there remembering him bathing her and how cross but kind he had been. There was a flurry low in her stomach as she remembered toppling into him and smiling up at him, telling him that she liked him.

      She still did.

      Yes, he was a commoner, but she only had six days now and Mikael, Layla decided, would be her romance for the week.

      Layla picked up the phone by the bed and ordered a thinly sliced apple, some mint tea and iced water and then padded out to the lounge, where Mikael was stretched out asleep on the sofa.

      He looked so different asleep, Layla thought as she stood over him.

      He appeared a lot less cross and he had shadows under his eyes like those Layla had had once had when she’d caught a cold. She looked at his chin. In all the photos she had seen he had been clean-shaven, but she loved his stubbly jaw.

      Layla’s eyes drifted from his face to his body, which was just as beautiful.

      His skin was pale and his flat nipples were the same dark red as his lips. She liked his flat stomach, and she blew out a guilty breath as she saw the snake of hair that led from his navel. She knew she should not be looking there and so moved her eyes back to his face instead. She watched him wake, his grey eyes frowning into hers. A look of concern darted across his face.

      ‘Good morning!’ Layla smiled down at him.

      ‘What time is it?’ Mikael asked with a horrible, panicked feeling that he might have overslept.

      ‘Sunrise!’ Layla smiled again and then turned when there was a knock at the door. Mikael watched as a trolley was wheeled in.

      ‘You’ve ordered breakfast?’

      ‘No, just something to cleanse my palate—my mouth is very dry.’

      ‘I bet it is,’ Mikael said, watching as she nibbled on her apple while walking over to the window.

      ‘It’s beautiful,’ Layla said, looking out at the Sydney skyline. The Opera House looked gold in the morning sun and the whole city was gleaming and beckoning. ‘I’m trying to think what to do today.’

      ‘I’ve already decided,’ Mikael said, picking up her glass of sparkling water and draining it. ‘You’re joining me at work.’ He’d decided that just before dozing off. ‘You can sit in the public gallery.’

      ‘Really?’ Layla beamed. ‘How exciting!’

      ‘And you’re to behave and be quiet.’

      ‘I do know how to behave,’ Layla retorted.

      Mikael looked at that mane of black hair and those very long brown legs and tried not to wonder if she had panties on; instead he turned his mind to think about clothes for her. Dressed in the silver tunic she had arrived in, or any of the clothes she had bought last night, she would bring the court down!

      ‘We