her husband’s full attention with the alluring pose. “Possibly you should have a word with the king, in order to assist him with the proper choice for his princess. I am certain he would appreciate your counsel.”
Azzam glanced back to Layla, his attention captured by her words and not her pose. “Are you suggesting that the adopted daughter of the king could present a threat to my rule of my own Sorajhee throne? Power doesn’t come through princesses.”
Layla uncomfortably thought about Rose Coleman and the four boys she’d delivered. Why couldn’t Layla have been so blessed by Allah? Moreover, why couldn’t Layla have won Ibrahim in the first place, rather than Rose winning his heart? All the years of secrecy, pain and betrayal had begun in the moment the American Rose had stolen Ibrahim’s heart. If he had chosen Layla, she would have had the sons, the heirs to the Sorajhee throne.
All she’d gained in the years since she’d had Ibrahim assassinated and Rose incarcerated in the asylum was fading looks and declining power in the region. Even if she had the Balahar ruler assassinated, there was a crown prince. And Serena, and a possible new marriage to an El Jeved prince, according to her palace spy. There were many problems that stood in her way.
Particularly if the Coleman-El Jeved princes ever came to press their right to the throne.
She glanced at her husband as a maidservant assisted him with his robes. He wasn’t the young, vibrant male she’d married with great hopes. Sometimes she thought he was content to allow King Zakariyya Al Farid to rule both Balahar and Sorajhee. How could he be so complacent! Being number two had never sat well with Layla.
And now the new information of a rumored marriage for Serena Al Farid. The girl was of age. A marriage was not what bothered Layla. King Zak had not bothered to discuss the union with Azzam, a fact of importance that seemed to escape her husband. The secrecy and planning of the marriage meant that evermore the Balahar throne slipped further from Azzam, leaving him with only the smaller country of Sorajhee.
Layla sighed. Once again she would have to assist her husband. Behind the scenes, as always, a fact which galled her. Surely she had not erred by stealing Rose Coleman’s youngest son and secretly giving him to King Zak and the now-deceased Queen Nadirah—as a seeming gesture of caring—to raise? This irony unsettled her. Until she realized that King Zak could be planning to marry off his daughter without consulting Azzam, she had not thought her husband’s position as supreme ruler was in jeopardy. But with the queen dead and Zak unwilling to seek solace amongst his harem, possibly he was feeling all his powers waning from him and was setting out to shape the new destiny of the country—without consulting the rightful king.
Azzam should be king of both countries, and she should be queen, set far above the petty scurrying she was forever forced to do to maintain their importance in the Balahar-Sorajhee union.
One day, Layla vowed, she would be queen, with subjects who adored only her.
IF THERE WAS ONE THING that occupied Mac’s mind more than what Cade was attempting on his behalf, it was the unfinished business he’d left behind the night of his cousin Jessica’s graduation. What had he been thinking by spending a night with one of his cousin’s friends?
But the lady he’d met had been so pretty. She was gentle and quiet, with brown hair like a baby deer and eyes so blue he felt he could see Texas heaven in them. Cade had been right: Mac did take life seriously. He didn’t sleep around, and he didn’t treat women like interchangeable dates.
Something had happened to him when he’d met the woman the night Jessica graduated. Sizzle hotter than fire and electricity more powerful than a horse’s kick had jump-started him into believing that maybe there was a woman out there for him, a sweet woman who was as different from his ex-fiancée as he could possibly find.
And then she’d been gone. Before he’d had a chance to know everything about her that he desperately wanted to know, the girl he’d known for only a stolen interlude of lovemaking had vanished with the dawn.
He should be happy. No promises, no strings.
But a spark had touched his heart when he least expected it, and when his mother had mentioned him marrying a princess, he’d felt his heart open a none-too-healed wound.
With this new worry that his mother was intent upon securing a royal match for him—and knowing that the time Cade was buying for him was all too short—Mac needed to do something he had steadfastly avoided doing.
He had to try to get Jessica to reveal the name of her friend without her figuring out what he was up to. This would be no easy accomplishment. Jessica was smart and quick and merciless with teasing where her cousins were concerned, a payback for all the years they’d lovingly teased her about the two-colored eyes she possessed. If she thought a woman was on his mind, Jessica would ferret out who, what, when and where.
That could be a disaster. Knowing Jessica, she’d probably conjure up the dream girl for him. Which didn’t seem quite fair, since he wasn’t positive the girl would want to see him. They had, after all, rendered a tacit agreement between them to let the night of pleasure be enough for both of them.
He was not a man to go back on his word, spoken or unspoken.
But he had no choice. Jessica was the only one who held the information he needed.
Going to the stables, he found her grooming the stallion Jabbar. Older, but still a handsome Arabian, Jabbar tolerated very few people near him. Jessica and Jabbar seemed to have an understanding about how much grooming a male could tolerate. Jabbar certainly didn’t mind her light touch.
Of course, Jabbar didn’t have to put up with anything but gentle coaxing and praise from Jessica. Mac, on the other hand, was of no mind to be on the teasing side of her tongue.
“Jess,” he said quietly, so that he wouldn’t startle her or the stallion.
“Hey, Mac.” She sent a smile his way but continued single-mindedly with her task.
Maybe this was the best time to quiz her, when her attention was fully engaged elsewhere, Mac decided on a hopeful note. “I was looking at some pictures from your graduation today.”
She smiled but didn’t look up. “Were you?”
“Yeah.” He scratched at his chin. “I was surprised you graduated so high in your class.”
A snort greeted his words. “I was surprised that you graduated at all.”
He smiled. This light banter covered his deeper mission. “I was somewhat amazed you had so many friends. Obviously they got to see a side of you we never do.”
“Shut up, cousin. I reserve my best side for you.”
“Ahem.” Nonchalantly he peered into another stall before glancing at Jess’s stoic face. “Wondered if you were planning on having any of your friends out to the ranch. If you’re missing your buddies, you know you’re welcome.”
She shook her head. “I’m going on a girl’s-only trip with a bunch of them soon. One of them is getting married, so we’re going to have a bachelorette vacation. If everybody’s going to start getting married, this may be the last time we can all get together like this.”
His heart fell into his boots. “Really? Who’s going down the aisle?”
A curious glance came
