“Even though.”
She told herself to say something else, to look away, to make a joke. But she couldn’t. She seemed caught up in his gaze, in the power of the man. Breathing was difficult and thinking was impossible. What on earth was wrong with her?
“You were brilliant,” Maggie told Victoria as they walked back to their rooms. “I had no idea what to get a princess for her wedding shower. The lingerie was beautiful.”
Victoria had suggested they go in together for Kayleen’s present and had offered to do the shopping.
“She didn’t register, which was probably about her marrying a prince. I’m guessing the royal set would see that as tacky. Plus, hey, what could a princess want? Cookware? So I went with the easy gift. Something sexy.”
“More than sexy.” The lace and silk nighties had been stunning. “Kayleen looked happy.”
“An important consideration,” Victoria teased. “One wants to stay on the good side of a future royal.”
Maggie knew her friend was right, but the whole situation was beyond imagining. “A month ago I was in Aspen working for a friend in his garage. I’d never been out of the country. I’d barely left the state. Now I’m here, having just attended a wedding shower for a future princess. We’re in a palace. There is a seriously surreal quality to my life these days.”
“I know,” Victoria admitted as they took the stairs to the second floor. “Most of the time I’m totally used to all this, but every now and then I look around and wonder how a girl like me landed here. It’s a question I haven’t answered yet. Of course, I don’t have your complication.”
Maggie knew what the other woman was talking about. “Qadir isn’t a complication.”
“Oh, really. What would you call him?”
“My boss.”
“Whom you’re pretending to date, while pregnant.”
A good point, Maggie thought.
“Just be careful,” Victoria told her. “Watch yourself.”
Maggie knew that was good advice. A couple of weeks ago she would have brushed it off. Be careful for what? She was fine. But now…
Victoria paused on the landing and looked at her. “What?” she asked sharply. “You’re not telling me I’m worrying for nothing. You’re not saying he’s just your boss.”
“He’s just my boss.”
“Oh, that was convincing.”
Maggie climbed the rest of the stairs. Victoria followed. Once they were in the corridor, Maggie shrugged. “He might be a complication.”
“Okay. Why?”
“I don’t know. I feel funny when I’m around him.”
“Funny as in slightly sick to your stomach mingling with a strong need to throw yourself at him and beg to be taken?”
“Maybe.”
“Oh, man, that’s not good.” Victoria looked at her. “You like him.”
“He’s a great guy. I enjoy his company, that’s all. It’s just that I don’t have a lot of friends here.”
“Great. He turns you on
Maggie wanted to protest that wasn’t possible, but there was a sense of rightness in her friend’s words. A rightness that scared her down to her bones.
“I can’t fall for him,” she whispered. “It would be a huge mistake. He’s a prince. I’m pregnant. Worse, I’m a mechanic. Guys like him don’t marry women like me. They marry socialites and beauty queens.”
“Get out while the getting is good,” Victoria told her.
“I can’t leave. I need the money. My dad’s cancer totally wiped us out financially. I have nothing in the bank. I need the money from restoring the car to help me get through the pregnancy and beyond. I won’t be able to work right after.”
“I have some money saved,” Victoria began.
Maggie smiled at her friend. “Thanks, but no. You’ve worked hard for what you have. I just have to be sensible. I can pull back. I wasn’t paying attention with Qadir. He’s funny and caring and I let myself get sucked in. I won’t do that anymore. I’ll be on guard.”
“A good plan,” Victoria said slowly. “There’s only one problem. I’ve never heard any of the princes being described as funny and caring.”
“Maybe I’m seeing a side of him he keeps hidden.”
“Or maybe you’re in more trouble than you thought.”
That night Maggie couldn’t sleep. There was too much on her mind. Every time she thought about her conversation with Jon she got annoyed all over again, which didn’t help with relaxing. But when she tried to think about something else, her thoughts wandered to Qadir.
She appreciated Victoria’s warning. Maggie hadn’t realized she was in danger. Now that she understood the problem, she could do a better job of protecting herself emotionally. No more long lunches or shopping trips. She would be his mechanic, nothing more.
Around midnight, she gave up pretending she would doze off, pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, but no bra, and stepped out onto the balcony.
The night was clear and balmy with a hint of the summer heat that would soon follow. She could see stars and smell the sea. There were sounds in the distance, but the palace grounds themselves were quiet.
She moved quietly through the night to one of her favorite spots-a seating area that jutted out over the water. During the day there were often people there, drinking coffee, talking, but at this time of night, the space was empty.
Maggie ignored the cluster of chairs and walked to the railing. She leaned against it and stared down at the dark, swirling water. The sound of the sea soothed her. It reminded her that whatever her problems were at the moment, life went on. She could ride the tide or she could fight it, but in the end, the tide would win.
“We’re going to figure this out,” she whispered to the tiny life inside her. “Don’t you worry. I’m working on a plan.”
“Do you need help with it?”
She turned and saw a tall man behind her. It was too dark to see his features, but her heart recognized him all too well.
“Qadir.”
“I could not sleep,” he told her. “When that happens, I come here.”
She didn’t know what to say. They were having a fairly normal conversation, so words should come easily. But her recent talk with Victoria had changed things. She was aware of her possible growing feelings, of how she no longer thought of Qadir as just her boss. She was afraid her interest would show and he would be kind. Sometimes kindness could be the worst.
He stepped closer. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded.
“What troubles you?”
“Nothing,” she murmured. “I’m fine.”
A light wind blew a strand of hair across her face. He reached out, probably to tuck it behind her ear. But the second his fingers brushed against her skin, she felt her whole body go up in flames. Need pulsed through her, a heady rhythm that blocked out the sound of the sea.
She stared at him, wanting to get lost in his dark eyes. While he didn’t promise to be a safe haven, she knew he would protect her for as long as she was in his arms. Right now that seemed like more than enough.
She wanted him to touch her, to hold her, drawing her close, taking her with a passion that would leave them both breathless.
He cupped her cheek. “In a foolish attempt to be honorable, I will tell you that I am no longer willing to walk away from the temptation you offer.”
Meaning she should be the one to leave. That if they started something, they wouldn’t stop.
Her heart fluttered and her skin burned. Anticipation swept through her making her melt from the inside
