Desert Rogues Part 2 (44 page)

They made their way into the restaurant with only a few more flashes in her face. Once inside, the elegant and quiet atmosphere instantly calmed her.

“Prince Jefri,” the maître d' said with a smile. “Thank you for dining with us this evening. We have your table ready.”

Jefri nodded for her to follow the man. She leaned close and whispered, “What? They're not going to put our names on a sheet of paper and then call out when our table is ready?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Restaurants do that?”

She grinned. “You need to get out more.”

He chuckled and took her hand.

Billie liked the way he laced his fingers with hers as they walked into the dining room. They wove through the well-dressed patrons seated at beautifully set tables. The smell of the food made her mouth water.

“Will this be acceptable?” the man asked.

“It's fine—” Jefri started before Billie interrupted with a soft shriek.

She stared at the table next to the empty one where the maître d' held out a chair.

“You're not here,” she said, both furious and humiliated.

Doyle picked up his glass of wine in a salute. “Hey, kid. You should try the house salad. It's really good and you know I'm not much of a salad guy.”

She couldn't believe it. Her brother? Here?

“You have no right to do this,” she told him, careful to keep her voice low.

“Is there a problem?” Jefri asked.

“Yes. Him.” Billie pointed at Doyle and wished she could incinerate him with her gaze. “He's spying on us.”

“She's right,” Doyle said, sounding amazingly cheerful. “I called your assistant and asked where you two were having dinner.” He put down his wine. “Just so you don't behead him or anything, I told him my sister had asked me to check because she has food allergies and wanted to make sure there was something she could eat.”

Fury filled her, making her mad enough to spit. “I do
not
have food allergies.”

“I know.” He grinned. “I was being creative.” He motioned to their table. “You two should have a seat. The food here is great and the wine list is impressive.” He winked at Jefri. “You probably know all this, don't you? You come here a lot.”

Billie glanced from her brother's table to Jefri's. They were barely two feet apart. Doyle would hear everything she said, which was probably his point. While intellectually she understood he was trying to protect her, emotionally, she was outraged.

“We could ask them for a different table,” Jefri said. “Or would you prefer to leave?”

Billie thought of how the patrons would be watching them through the entire meal and how she would be aware of Doyle sitting so close.

She sighed. “I'd rather go back to the palace.”

Doyle's gaze narrowed. “Billie—”

She cut him off with a shake of her head. “Stay out of it. You've already done enough.”

“You know why.”

“That doesn't excuse it. I'm all grown-up, Doyle. It's time to let go.”

 

An hour later Billie and Jefri sat on the floor of her suite, leaning against the sofa and looking over the leftovers brought up from the king's formal dinner the previous evening.

“Better?” he asked as he poured her a glass of wine.

Billie stretched out her bare legs and wiggled her toes. Okay, even though the dress had been great, she was far more comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt.

“Much. Although my hair and makeup is a little overdone for the setting.”

Jefri, who had also changed into more casual clothing, looked her over. “I would say you're exactly right.”

She grinned. “You do have a way with words. Do princes have special classes in that sort of thing? Charming women and dealing with annoying photographers?”

“We are taught many skills. Being charming is one of them.”

“You're not all that,” she said.

He leaned close and smiled. “Too late. You have already admitted to being impressed.”

“Maybe.” She grabbed a shrimp and dipped it in the sauce. “So does the press usually follow you around?”

“Not as much as they used to. I would guess that you were the attraction tonight.”

“Hardly. Why would they care about me?”

“They would be interested in
my
latest interest.”

“Ah.” Is that what she was? His interest? Was that like dating? She desperately wanted to know but was afraid to ask.

“When I was younger, the press trailed me everywhere,” he said. “My father was able to exert some control here, but when I was in Europe or America, things could be difficult. We were given peace only when we were at school.”

“Must be tough being so popular.”

“There are compensations.”

“Sure. Like access to any available female you want. Kind of makes you wish there was still a working harem in this place.”

He picked up his glass of wine. “You exaggerate my reputation.”

“I don't think so. Are you telling me anyone has ever said no?”

She happened to be looking at him as she asked the question. For a split second something dark flashed through his eyes. Then he smiled.

“I would never tell you that,” he said.

Interesting, she thought. Something from his past. She might have to do some checking on the Internet and find out if there had been a woman Jefri had cared about. She couldn't imagine anyone leaving him, though. Not just because he was a prince, but because he was a great guy and someone any woman would enjoy being with.

“What about you?” he asked. “What are your romantic secrets?”

Billie froze in the act of offering a piece of chicken to Muffin. Her Yorkie took matters into her own paws and jumped up to grab the morsel.

“Secrets?” Billie asked, hoping she sounded casual rather than nervous and faintly foolish. “I don't have that many.”

Jefri's dark eyes seemed to see into her soul. “You must have some. While I applaud your brother's concern, I believe it stems from more than fraternal worry. I think there is a reason he keeps such close watch on you.”

“I…You can't know that.”

Jefri shrugged. “We were to dine in a very public restaurant tonight yet Doyle felt it necessary to be there to watch over you. Why is he so afraid for your safety?”

She debated telling him the truth for all of eight seconds, then sighed.

“I had a couple of bad experiences when I was younger,” she admitted without looking at him. “When I was nineteen, I went out with a group of pilots we were training. It was the first time one of my brothers hadn't tagged along. Everybody drank too much, except me. Even though I was above the drinking age, I hadn't developed a taste for anything really alcoholic. Even now I really only like wine, so I barely ever even get very tipsy.”

He touched her bare leg. “Billie, as entertaining as I find your stories, perhaps tonight you could stay on topic.”

That was easy for him to say. He didn't know what the topic was. She reminded herself that she was nearly ten years older and wiser. She'd learned to handle herself and to not put herself into those kind of situations anymore.

“Okay. Sure.” She wiggled her shoulders in an effort to relax. “Well, you can imagine. Five guys, me and a lot of liquor. They got too friendly and when I tried to stop them, it didn't go well. Two of the guys dragged me back to the van and tried to…well, you know.”

She felt him stiffen. Rage tightened the muscles of his face and his expression became frighteningly determined.

“They didn't rape me,” she said quickly. “Doyle and Xander drove up before they'd done much more than scare the crap out of me. The guys took off and my brothers brought me back to the base.”

Jefri wondered how much she did
not
say. There was more to a rape than actual penetration. Had they hurt her? Marked her? Bruised more than her body?

He looked at her delicate features, her pale skin and the trust in her blue eyes. Fury filled him until he wanted to destroy those who had dared to attack her in such a way.

He swore, even as he struggled for control. “What was done to them?” he demanded.

“My brothers pounded them into quivering bloody masses, then they were kicked out of the program.”

He felt some small measure of satisfaction at that. But it was not enough. “They should have been thrown into prison.”

“I know. I wanted to press charges, but we were in a foreign country and the laws were different.” She shook her head. “It's okay. I'm better now.”

He touched her cheek. “You should not have anything to get better from. Tell me their names. I will bring them here and visit Bahanian justice upon them.”

“Which involves what?”

“Prison. Beating. Perhaps death.” He liked the idea of them dead.

Her eyes widened. “Death?”

“No man has the right to defile any woman. Ever. It has been that way here for nearly three hundred years.”

“A really good reason to take up residence,” she murmured. “Look, I appreciate your concern. Really. It's very sweet of you to worry, but I'm okay. It was nine years ago. I'm over it.”

He heard the words but did not believe them. He read a fragility in her eyes that told him those ghosts still had the power to haunt her.

“I see now why your brothers are so protective of you,” he said.

“It made sense at first,” she told him. “I was nervous and scared, but things have changed. I can take care of myself.”

Perhaps she could, but she should not have to.

Billie used her fork to scoop up some rice. “Can we change the subject?”

“Of course. You should try the fish. It is caught locally.”

She took a bite, then offered some to Muffin. As the dog licked her fingers, Jefri deliberately turned his mind from what had happened before. As much as he wanted justice, it was not his place.

But he wanted it to be, he realized. He wanted to have the right to defend her with all the power at his disposal. Deep instincts, born in the darkest parts of the desert, still lived within him. He wanted to protect her as much as he wanted to claim her as his own.

He watched her move, her long bare legs a temptation no man should have to bear. He ached with his need, but whatever plans he might have had for the evening had changed. He needed time to come to terms with her past and decide how it changed things. If nothing else, he would have to move more slowly with her.

He offered her bread, then watched her take a bite. How many men had there been since that disastrous night? How many lovers?

Not many, he decided. As amazing as he found her, there was still an air of innocence about her. Between her past and her brothers, he wondered how innocent she might be.

“What?” she asked, narrowing her gaze. “Tell me exactly what you're thinking.”

He shrugged. “Nothing of importance.”

“Why do I know you're lying? I shouldn't have told you about what happened. You're going to get completely freaked out, aren't you?”

“Freaked out?”

“You're going to start acting as if I'm made of glass or something. This is just so typically male.”

“You appear to be upset, but I have no idea of the cause.”

She rose to her knees and glared at him. “You're completely weirded out and you're not going to kiss me or touch me or anything, are you? I should have guessed.”

He did his best not to smile. “Is that what you think?”

“Absolutely. You're afraid I'll act funny or think you're attacking me. Well, I won't. That was a long time ago and I'm completely over it.”

“You think you know everything about me.”

Her mouth twisted. “You're not that hard to read.”

“Then I will have to prove you wrong on several accounts.”

Before she could respond, he pulled her to him and kissed her.

W
hile Billie had to admit that Jefri held her as if she were something precious, she wasn't sure any part of that was about her past. Judging from the possessive way he pulled her against him and the deepness of his kiss, she thought maybe passion had a part in it, too.

As his hands stroked her back and his mouth claimed hers, she found herself wanting to relax against him and let the moment unfold. She wanted to tell him he could touch other places than just her back, and that maybe they could do more than kiss.

Her own desires excited her as much as they made her blush. Still she didn't move away or in any other way discourage him. She wanted this man more than she'd wanted anyone in a long, long time.

Jefri tilted his head and deepened the kiss. The more he touched Billie, the more he wanted her. Her curves called out to be explored and pleasured in a thousand different ways. When his fingers tangled in her long hair, he imagined her kissing his bare chest and her long hair tickling his sides. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and her breasts pressed against him, he thought about cupping those curves, then tasting the hard, tight nipples.

Desire and need made him ache. He was hard to the point of pain. Still, he did nothing more than kiss, despite the invitation in her kisses. For one thing, he could not be sure her brother wouldn't arrive to check on his sister, and when Jefri started to make love with Billie, he did not want any interruptions. For another, he wanted to test her, to be sure she had fully recovered from her experience. If there were still scars and tender spots, he wanted to respect her boundaries.

Still, she was difficult to resist when her breath caught and she bit on his lower lip.

“You are a temptation,” he said, pulling back slightly and staring into her wide eyes. “Difficult to resist.”

“The same could be said about you.”

He smiled. “Then we will practice self-control together.”

She pouted. “Do we have to?”

“For now.”

“Is that a tease or a promise?”

“Which would you like it to be?”

She took his hand and put it on her breast. The full curve burned him down to his soul. His arousal flexed in anticipation as he brushed his thumb across her nipple.

They both sucked in a breath.

Jefri reached for her as she moved toward him. He pushed away the coffee table so they could drop to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs and violent desire. She rolled onto her back and he braced himself on one elbow so he was above her. When he slipped his hand under her T-shirt, she smiled in obvious anticipation.

A loud knock at the door interrupted them.

Jefri held in a groan. “I will guess that is your brother,” he said. “I had a feeling he would check on you.”

“What?” She pushed into a sitting position. “You're kidding?”

There was a second knock, followed by, “Billie, it's Doyle. I wanted to check on you.”

“I'm fine. Go away.”

“No. Let me in.”

Jefri stood and pulled Billie to her feet.

“I'll get rid of him,” she said.

He shook his head. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“But…”

He took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. “Soon,” he promised and walked toward the French doors where he let himself out onto the balcony.

Billie watched the prince go and could have cheerfully thrown the coffee table after him. She understood
why
he left, but she didn't have to like it.

After smoothing the front of her T-shirt to make sure everything was covered, she walked to the door and jerked it open.

“What do you want?” she demanded.

Doyle lounged in the doorway. “I'm checking on you. Dinner was great. You should have stayed.”

She stalked into the center of the room, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You made that impossible. Get off of me. I mean it.”

He walked toward her, stopping only a couple of feet away. “I can't help worrying.”

“I appreciate that, but keep your worries to yourself. I'm a big girl. I've had sex before.” Okay, only once and it had been fairly uninspiring, but her brother didn't have to know that.

Doyle winced. “Jeez, Billie. Don't tell me that.”

“Why not? Isn't all this about protecting my virtue? Don't you think the prince has his choice of women? Isn't it unlikely he's going to have to force himself on anyone?” Certainly not on her. She'd been more than willing. Based on just the kissing, the event would have been fairly spectacular. Talk about lousy timing.

“I'm not worried Jefri's going to attack you. But he could break your heart. You're playing way out of your league.”

“I refuse to take relationship advice from a man who has never had a serious relationship in his life.”

Doyle grinned. “I run too fast to let them catch me.”

“I suspect there's a deeper reason but right now I'm too tired to figure it out. So here's the thing. I'm going to keep seeing Jefri as long as both of us are interested and you can't do anything about it. And if you continue to bug me, I will make good on my threat to leave and get a job somewhere else.”

His blue eyes, the same dark shade as her own, studied her. “You're not kidding, are you?”

“No. It's bad enough being the only girl in this family. I won't be treated like an idiot as well.”

Her brother's shoulders slumped. “Okay. You win. No more following you on dates. I promise.”

As Doyle had never gone back on his word before, she decided to believe him.

“Good,” she said. “Now I don't have to kill you.”

He grinned, then his gaze slipped past her to the coffee table. “Leftovers, huh? Anything good?”

“Didn't you just have dinner at that restaurant?”

“Sure, but I can always eat.”

 

“Bank left,” Billie said into the microphone of her headset. “Bank, then roll. That's it, that's it. I've got you now, you thick-headed mutant.”

She heard chuckling in her headset.

“I wonder how much of your intensity has to do with making your brother suffer for what happened two nights ago.”

As always, Jefri's rich voice made her tingle. “There's a little of that,” she admitted as she kept her gaze on the instrument panel where she watched as the four planes converged.

“Get him,” she said cheerfully. “We'll do a double tone-lock. That will be very cool.”

“As you wish,” Jefri said.

Seconds later she heard Doyle swearing as he clicked on to their communication channel.

“You did that on purpose,” he complained.

“Doyle got beaten by a girl,” she said in a singsong voice.

One plane instantly disappeared from her radar. Seconds later the door to the simulator jerked open and her brother glared at her.

“Don't ever say that to me again,” he told her, doing his best to look fierce.

Billie wasn't the least bit impressed. She stuck out her tongue. “Beat you in twenty-seven seconds. That's pretty pathetic.”

He muttered something under his breath and stalked off. Jefri took his place in the doorway.

“Remind me not to annoy you,” he said. “You do not seem to forgive and forget.”

“Not where my brothers are concerned. We did very well this morning.”

“I agree. I find I much prefer flying with you than against you.”

She grinned. “A wise man.”

“I thought we might try dinner again tonight. Are you available?”

She was more than available, she was practically at the point of begging. “I could make the time.”

“Good. I have a plan to avoid the press.”

“Which is?”

“We are going to another country.”

 

That evening they flew over the desert in a private luxury jet, although neither of them were at the controls. Billie fingered her curls, hoping her hair was big enough for the significance of the event and took the glass of champagne Jefri offered.

“So this is why we're not flying ourselves,” she said.

“Absolutely.”

She took a sip and tried not to read too much into Jefri's smoldering looks, while ignoring the way her thighs kept going up in flames.

It was all too much, she thought as she took in the rich leather interior of the jet. Too much luxury, too much man and way too much class. He looked amazing in his tailored dark suit. After the last debacle, Billie had given up on original and had slipped into a simple, black cocktail dress. She felt she looked good, but what did she know about a prince's expectations?

“So, where are we going?” she asked more to distract herself than because she cared about the destination.

“El Bahar.”

“Oh. They're not that far away.”

“Agreed, but no one should bother us there.”

“I've never been, but I've heard it's very beautiful. Too bad it's night, we're missing the desert.”

“You can fly over it any time you would like.”

“Not all of it,” she said with a smile. “There is some very restricted airspace out there.”

Oddly enough in the middle of nowhere. She'd noticed it the first time she'd planned her flight in to Bahania.

“What on earth are you keeping hidden in the middle of the desert?”

She expected a teasing response. Instead Jefri studied her intently. “It is a secret.”

“What kind? Military?”

He shook his head. “We think of it as a treasure.”

She tried to imagine what it could be. What kind of treasure could exist such that planes couldn't fly overhead?

As she sipped more champagne, she thought about her research on the area and recalled mention of a fabled city—The City of Thieves.

No. That wasn't possible. A secret city?

“Is it bigger than a bread box?” she asked.

He smiled. “Much.”

“If I drove there instead of trying to fly there, could I see it?”

“What would you like to see?”

“I'm not sure.”

“When you decide, we'll talk about it.”

“You're not exactly what I expected,” she told him. “I thought a prince would be different.”

“In what way?”

“I'm not sure.”

“I am simply a man, like many others.”

“Actually, you're not, but that's okay.”

He leaned close and brushed his mouth against hers. “I am glad.”

 

Billie wasn't surprised to find a limo waiting for them at the airport. They'd come into a private field next to the main international airport. Jefri had warned her to bring her passport, but their trip through customs was a simple walk past uniformed officials who bowed and offered greetings of welcome.

She and her royal date were whisked into the center of the brightly lit city where they stopped in front of a small restaurant.

“No cameras in sight,” she said as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. “I like this much better.”

“Many women enjoy being the center of attention,” he said.

“Then I say they should go for it. I'm not into the whole ‘center of a crowd' thing. I get nervous.”

They walked inside and were quickly shown to a private table tucked into an alcove. Billie did a quick visual search of nearby tables before she took her seat.

“No paparazzi and no brother,” she said. “This is my idea of a good time.”

“I am glad you approve.”

Jefri ordered wine, they discussed the menu, but all the while, she couldn't stop thinking about how amazing this was. She was out to dinner with a man who had flown her to another country for the meal because he was a prince and they couldn't go out to eat where he lived. Jefri was royal, as in his daddy owned a palace and everything.

“What is wrong?” he asked when the waiter had left with their order. “You have gone pale.”

“I think I just completely grasped who you are.”

“In what way?”

She waved her fingers. “Let's start with something easier. Who
I
am. My father owns a successful company. We've always done well, but we're not exactly rolling in money. I grew up surrounded by planes and burly mechanics. I did my entire high school education by correspondence. I know more about going Mach 4 than ballroom dancing and in stressful social situations, I usually put my foot in my mouth.”

He leaned toward her and captured her hand. “What is your point?”