Page 12 of At the Sheikh's Bidding
She nodded, suddenly remembering Rosana’s brief mention of the tensions between her country and Sifra. Maybe it was best not to mention her again.
“A little.” It was no lie. Rosana kept herself to herself. “Anyway, this place is amazing.”
“Glad you came?”
Her smile emerged, despite herself.
He laughed. “I knew it.”
As the server took their order, Janey leaned on the balustrade which divided the terrace from the beach and cast a sweeping gaze over the sea. She’d missed it. Goodness knows how much she’d missed it and she’d only just now realized it. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh salty sea air and thought about her home country so far away on the other side of the world. She felt a wave of homesickness come over her, mingled with regret.
“You look thoughtful,” said Amare, passing her a flute brimming with effervescent pale gold champagne.
She opened her eyes and glanced at him, feeling embarrassed at being caught out.
“A little.” She cleared her throat and looked out at the bright horizon, squinting slightly in the bright sunlight.
He echoed her stance and leant on the stone balustrade and looked across the sea. “Care to share what your thoughts?”
She shook her head. “Not particularly.”
He sighed and then turned to her, his elbows still propped on the wall, the picture of casual elegance. “Let me guess.”
The heart sank. “If you must,” she muttered.
“You’re thinking of another beach, on the other side of the world.”
She twisted her lips and blinked. She supposed it was an educated guess, given that they’d met on a beach, on the other side of the world. It was also an accurate one.
“But more than that, you look wistful, homesick even,” he continued.
She glanced at him, surprised he’d read her so well, before looking away again.
“And now you’re wondering how I came to that conclusion,” he said with a laugh. “Well, I can tell you. You have the kind of look on your face that my brothers have whenever we’re away from Sifra and someone talks about the place of our birth. It’s all there, in your eyes.” His brow lowered over narrowed eyes. The movement intensified his gaze. She could have sworn she felt it as if it were a physical thing. It was unnerving.
She plucked up the courage and turn to him. “You think I’m homesick?” She shook her head. “You didn’t know my home.”
He frowned, realizing that she was no longer talking about the place, but something more. She didn’t want to talk about her family. There was no way she wanted to even think about them.
“It’s true,” he said. “I don’t know you well.”
“You don’t know me at all.”
He shrugged. “Maybe not, but we can remedy that. Why don’t you tell me about your home?” She moved away, but he took hold of her hand and the sudden touch stopped her instantly. “There’s nowhere for you to run, now, Janey.”
She looked up at him and what she saw scared the life out of her. Gone was the charming Amare, and in his place was the man of steel. And in that moment, she knew he was right. Her years of running had just come to an end.
CHAPTER6
Amare stepped away, his charming facade once more intact. “Not that you’d want to run away on an empty stomach,” he said. He walked toward the table, which was now laid out with fried eggs, roasted vegetables, mushrooms, sausages, which were specialities of the area, cheeses, breads, and—what she needed straight off—strong black coffee.
She sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee, trying to steady herself after the shock of realizing that when she left Sifra, she’d be a changed woman. She didn’t know in what way, but if Amare had anything to do with it, she wouldn’t return to England the same person. He wouldn’t allow her. And yet she felt a peculiar sense of relief which, in part, countered the fear which remained at his words—there’s nowhere for you to run.
They echoed in her head as she sipped her coffee, trying to quieten the tremble in her hand as Amare looked on, finishing his champagne. He held up the empty glass to the sunlight ruefully before pouring himself another glass.
“Out of respect, I don’t drink at the palace, but I have to say I miss it.”
She was relieved the conversation had become less intense, less personal.
