Luke“I do mind,” he said. “Everyone is too worried about me. I feel okay. And you have a big decision to make. I want you to clear your head before you make it.”I knew he was talking about taking over as king, but he didn’t say the words. Since returning this week, he hadn’t hounded me about it. Did he already know what I was going to do? He had always said I would make the right choice. Was this him allowing me to do so?“I’ll still be here when you get back,” he said.I swallowed. I didn’t know that for sure, but he was right that some business matters needed to be dealt with. I’d left England too quickly when I found out Father was sick. I had a lot to do while I was there. The sooner I left, the sooner I could return. “Okay.”Father took my hand, and I held it between both of mine.“I love you, son,” he said. “You know I only want what is best for you, right?”“I know,” I said, kissing the back of his hand. “I know.”***I stayed with Father for a little while longer until enoug
SophiaRolling over, on the verge of dream and wake, I reached my hand out and felt the cool side of the bed, void of anyone other than me.Lazily opening my eyes, my suspicions were confirmed. Last night hadn’t been a dream, but the sexy man who I had made love to was nowhere to be found.I grabbed the note on the pillow next to me and cracked my eyes open against the sunlight streaming in through the window to decipher the words.“Went to see my father. Be back soon.” Luke’s handwriting was fit for a king; it was neat enough that it could have been typed. Most of the male reporters I knew had trouble reading their hieroglyphic scribbles after an interview. That was why I always recorded an interview, along with jotting down notes.I stretched my arms over my head, feeling the small ache in my lower back from the fantastic sex last night. Even with the stiffness, my body was refreshed and ready for the day.Last night, I had taken it to another level with Luke. He had only intended t
SophiaInside Luke’s room, I wasn’t sure what to do while waiting for him. If he was having a private discussion with his mother over me, then I couldn’t go back out there and pretend I hadn’t heard anything.To keep my hands busy, I made the bed and straightened up the room. Our clothes were thrown on the floor, and at that moment, I was glad I came back. If the servants came into the room with it looking like this, they would know what happened between us last night.My cheeks burned with the memory. When the door opened, I jumped and clutched my chest.Luke walked into the room and smirked. “Did I startle you?”For some reason, I couldn’t meet his eye. “You did.”He strode over to me, and before I could say anything else, he kissed me. The strong minty taste of his toothpaste swirled in my mouth, and the scent tickled my nose. I lifted up on my toes to deepen the kiss. Even last night, my mind numbed every time Luke kissed me. He had a power over me, and I wasn’t sure if I would ev
LukeWith the long flight and the time change, Sophia and I arrived in England late in the afternoon. The flight home was much different than the last flight we had together. Previously, she’d been distant and cold with me. Presumably, it was because of the conversation she had with my mother at the banquet, but we were way over that. I hoped she knew Mother’s dislike of her existed only in Mother’s mind. Abir and Father liked Sophia just fine, and I loved her. My opinion was the only one that counted anyway.Even though we’d had plenty to eat on the plane, I was anxious to blot out the last date we had, when she picked up and left for America without another word.Since we slept on the plane, we were wide awake, and I had already called in a reservation for a place near my flat.“What is the dress code?” Sophia asked.“Don’t worry about that,” I said.“Of course, I’m going to worry. I want to look good for you.” She smirked.If we weren’t about to disembark from the plane, I would ha
LukeAfter Katherine packaged all the clothes and I paid for them, I instructed our driver to take us back to the flat to get ready. Dinner wasn’t for another hour, and I wanted to see Sophia in that red dress again.When we reached my flat, my pulse spiked. As much as the palace had been my home for the majority of my life, bringing Sophia to my home in England took our relationship to the next level.Sophia got out of the car, and I watched for her reaction. She looked up at the building then tore her eyes away to glance at me.“Nice place.”I grinned. “The inside is even better.”Her eyebrows lifted. “I can imagine.”I asked the driver to remain outside while we changed. While I wanted to take Sophia inside and strip her down, there wasn’t much time before dinner. I didn’t plan on getting up early in the morning to get back to work, so there was time for us to get intimately acquainted with my second home.I adjusted the hardness between my thighs and walked over to Sophia, taking
SophiaTrying on the little black dress again created a wave of tingling to move across my skin. Seeing my reflection in the full-length mirror in the bathroom showed a whole other Sophia. Surrounded by expensive fixtures, marble tiles, and the sparkling surfaces, I felt like a princess about to meet her prince for the ball.Smearing one of my more daring shades of lipstick and adding another pop of color with my shoes, I felt a little more like a Southern lass. Even in this unreal situation, I had to be myself as much as possible. I didn’t intend on shedding my roots, but the more time I spent with Luke, the more I wanted to be a part of his world.Stepping out of the guestroom, I wobbled on my heels a little. My best friend Matt’s voice popped into my head, along with his smiling face. If he saw me, he would call me out on being a bit of a tomboy. Though going out with Luke, I would have to get used to wearing fancy things. At least in the UK. In Qatar, it was perfectly acceptable t
Sophia“Is that why you came back?” he asked. His eyes were wide, as if he could see through into my soul. I glanced at the empty plate in front of me as if it held all the answers.“I wanted to see you,” I said. It was as honest as I could be at the moment. “It was stupid of me to run away in the first place.”“You’re here now,” Luke said, raising his glass of champagne. “That’s all that matters.”The bubbles popped over the rim of my glass as I lifted it to touch his. I had promised Mr. Fraser an article, and I was going to get him one. I would have to rely on inspiration, though, because at that moment, there was nothing about Luke that I wanted to expose. He’d done so much for me. It was only fair that I repaid the favor by not revealing his family’s secrets to the world. “Have you put any more thought into becoming king?” I asked. I hoped I didn’t sound too much like a reporter, but I was genuinely interested. The last time I left him, he was close to saying yes, but he hadn’t d
LukeI wasn’t sure if it was due to jet lag or how comfortable I felt sleeping next to Sophia, but after a repeat of the other night, we fucked twice before we both passed out, and then neither of us woke until early evening on Sunday.I awoke too late to get any real work done, but I called Maddox to figure out what needed to be done before I left again. Then I checked in with my father, who was still feeling good and energetic.While I took care of those responsibilities, Sophia insisted on preparing dinner for us. Having her in my house, flitting around the kitchen as if she belonged there all along was playing tricks with my mind. This was the life I wanted, but choosing this life was no longer an option for me.I tried to conceal my disappointment at that fact, while keeping it from Sophia. As much as I preached to her about being honest, she didn’t need to know about the worries going through my head. Forcing my insecurities upon her over and over might end this relationship bef