Royal Temptation: Protecting the Desert Princess / Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation / The Prince's Second Chance

‘It is called Opium,’ Layla explained. ‘It is a rare black ruby that was gifted to me by the King of Bishram on my birth, so I would expect it to be worth quite a bit.’

Mikael said nothing at first. He just stared at the stone that was almost as beautiful as its owner and thought of her walking the streets with that in her pocket. After a long stretch of silence he picked it up and decided to put it in his safe for now, then he sat back at his desk and looked at her. ‘What exactly are you hoping to achieve this week?’

‘There are things that I would like to do before I marry.’

‘Such as?’

‘They are not your concern. All I want is a week of freedom from my duties and a week away from my family.’

‘To do what?’ Mikael persisted. ‘If I’m to ring your brother then I need to know what you intend to get up to.’

‘I would like to dance,’ Layla said. ‘It is forbidden in Ishla. And I would like to try an Irish coffee….’

‘There are other drinks.’ Mikael smirked.

‘My brother mentioned Irish coffee once, many years ago. I thought it sounded nice that the cream stays at the top.’

‘What else?’

Layla looked across the table at Mikael. For the first time in her life she felt a little… Layla tried to decide how she felt. Intimidated? She wasn’t sure if that was the right word, but it had never entered her head that Mikael might say no to her request. More than that, though, the effect of his smile had unsettled her stomach in a way she did not understand.

Certainly she wasn’t about to tell him all the adventures she was seeking—though her eyes did fall to his mouth, which she had briefly imagined upon hers, but then she met again the cool of his gaze. ‘I don’t know you well enough to tell you,’ Layla said.

‘How long have you been planning this?’

‘For quite some time,’ Layla admitted.

‘Would your family have guessed that you were going to escape?’

‘No.’ Immediately she shook her head.

‘‘You’re sure of that.’

‘Very sure,’ she said. ‘I learnt a very long time ago that I get in trouble if I tell anyone my thoughts.’

‘You can be honest here,’ Mikael said, and Layla gave a hesitant nod—though her eyes said that she doubted it.

She did offer a little more. ‘I tried to get my brother to take me to a wedding in London a few months ago—I was going to escape there, but he refused to take me with him.’

Sensible man, Mikael thought, feeling a knot of unease forming at the thought of her let loose in London—or even let loose here, for there was an innocence behind her arrogance, an inherent trust in the good of others that could so easily be shattered.

‘How are your family going to react?’

‘That depends,’ Layla responded. ‘I have made it very clear in my letter to my brother that he is not to inform my father that I am missing. If he does my father will have no choice but to create an international incident. That is avoidable, of course—I just need for you to reassure my brother that I will be safe and that I will return to the hotel one week from now.’

‘What about your mother?’

‘From what I have been told about her, she would approve.’

‘Told?’

‘She is dead, but apparently we are very similar, and if that is the case then she’d approve of my plans.’

‘Where are you going to stay?’ Mikael asked. ‘Have you got friends…?’

‘You will arrange that.’

‘One phone call?’ Mikael reminded her.

‘Two.’ Layla smiled. ‘You are to make sure I stay somewhere nice and you will have to drive me there. I am not taking a taxi again; the man was very rude.’

‘Possibly because you didn’t pay him,’ Mikael said. ‘I’ll ask Wendy to book you somewhere and she’ll drive you to a hotel.’

They went over a few more details. There was nothing uncomplicated about Layla. She was twenty-four, he found out, and he checked that she was healthy, that she wasn’t on any medication, or suffering any illnesses. He wanted to be sure that there was nothing that could be flashed up on the news about her life being at risk.

Physically, it would seem she was healthy—though certifiable, perhaps…

‘They thought that I had seizure once, but I did not,’ Layla said.

Mikael let out a tense breath as out of her lips popped another surprise.

‘I was on my way to select a husband and I started to scream and shout expletives and then I fell to the floor. The palace doctor is kind and she told my father and suitors that anxiety had caused a seizure. But it was not a seizure. I was just cross.’

‘Don’t you ever try that trick on me,’ Mikael warned her.

‘It wasn’t a trick.’

‘Oh, Layla.’ Mikael slowly shook his head. ‘I’m quite sure that you are full of them.’ He ran shrewd eyes over the cunning minx. ‘Why did you choose me?’

‘Because you are not swayed by emotion and you don’t care what others think.’

‘You don’t know that,’ Mikael said.

‘You are hated by many for the people you defend.’ Layla shrugged. ‘Yet you do not look like a man who cries himself to sleep at night. Now, am I wasting my time or are you going to make that call?’

‘Layla…’

‘Princess Layla,’ she corrected.

‘I’d suggest,’ Mikael responded, ‘that if you really want to disappear for a week then you lose the title.’

‘Mr Romanov—’

‘Mikael,’ he interrupted.

‘Mikael,’ Layla amended. ‘I would like you to speak with my brother now.’

‘Very well,’ Mikael said, ‘but you need to understand that I am near the end of a very complex case. I will make one phone call and have you taken to a hotel…’ He briefly closed his eyes. ‘I don’t have time to babysit you.’