Unapproachable. A king.
Genie sucked in a cool breath. The desert air was frigid at night, but it was beginning to warm as the sun crept upward in the sky. Soon it would be too hot ever to believe it had been cold only hours before.
Zafir threw one leg over his horse’s head and jumped to the ground. “Let us walk before we return to the camp,” he said.
Genie dismounted and fell in beside him. They walked along the top of the dune without speaking. The sand made it difficult to go fast, so they took their time—almost as if it were a companionable morning stroll.
Like they’d used to do when they’d get up early and make the walk to the bakery first thing in the morning. “Should we get the donuts or the sunflower bread?” she said, and then wished she hadn’t. How ridiculous to bring that up!
But he glanced over at her and smiled. “The donuts, of course.”
“That was a simpler time,” she said softly, not looking at him. Simpler because she hadn’t known what was expected of him, because she’d believed they shared something deep and meaningful. How wrong she’d been.
“Indeed. But everyone grows up, Genie. Life does not sit still because we wish it to.”
“No.”
He stopped and turned toward her. His face was limned in the dawn light, the hard planes and angles both harsher and more beautiful because of it. Dark eyes gazed at her intently.
“There is no reason why we can’t recapture some of that feeling,” he said.
Her heart thudded in her throat, her temples. A few hours ago she’d been Dr. Geneva Gray, renowned archaeologist. Now, she was Genie Gray, the lovesick student who’d once had a passionate affair with a desert prince.
And he was tempting her with the promise of more. How could she want him again when he’d hurt her so deeply?
“I’m not sure that’s wise,” she said.
But he closed the distance between them, his body so close, so vibrant in the cool morning air. “Why wouldn’t it be, Genie? We are adults, and we still want each other. This is not a crime.”
“No, but it feels too much like digging up the past.”
His smile was almost mocking. “Ah, but isn’t this what you like to do? Dig up the past?”
“Not all things need to be dug up,” she replied, her pulse hammering in spite of how calm she tried to sound.
His head dipped toward her in slow motion. She knew she should move away, but she closed her eyes automatically, waited for the touch of his lips against hers.
It didn’t happen.
She opened her eyes again, to find he’d stopped only inches from her mouth.
“I do not believe what you say, Genie Gray. And neither, it seems, do you.” He straightened and turned toward his mount. “Come, we must return to the camp before the sun is up.”
Chapter Four
GENIE had never been to Al-Shahar before. Though the city was ancient, and rife with ruins to be explored, Zafir’s father had not allowed any excavation to take place. Nor had the previous kings before him. Zafir was the first to suggest it was possible, and she had to admit that the prospect excited her. She had to hope that he would still allow her to do so, regardless that he’d claimed she first had to sleep with him in order to get the commission.
He’d not mentioned it since last night, and she wondered if perhaps he’d merely been angry and acting on emotion from the past instead of truly intending to force her into his bed.
Not that it would take much to force her, she thought disgustedly. In spite of everything—the hurt and pain and anger—she still felt something in his presence. Something she’d never felt with anyone else. Was she adult enough to handle a casual affair? To know he was a king and that he could never, ever have a real relationship with her beyond the physical?
She turned her attention to the city as they passed through the ancient gates at one end. The ruins of the old temples sat on a point that was higher than the rest of the city, with the exception of the palace. She could see them clearly in the distance as she sat up straighter and pressed her face to the glass.
“You want very much to get your hands into the dirt there, don’t you?”
She turned to the man sitting beside her. He was still dressed in the robes of the desert, but the ceremonial dagger was gone. And he was still as breathtaking as he had been from the first moment she’d seen him again.
“You know I do. It’s a fabulous opportunity, Zafir.”
She expected him to tell her that she knew what she had to do to gain the commission, but he said nothing of the sort.
“I would not have offered it to just anyone—no matter that it’s past time this city’s history was explored and preserved for future generations.”
Warmth blossomed. “I appreciate your confidence in me.”
He shrugged and turned away. “You must be very good at what you do.”
“Must be?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you find out before you hand over this commission to me?”
His gaze was sharp, assessing. “Should I give you this commission, there will be no need.”
“I’m not sure how you can say that. It’s important work, and you should get the best to do it.”
And why was she saying this? Why place any doubt in his mind?
Because she wanted him to know she was the best, not just to give it to her because she was the only archaeologist he knew. Assuming he did so, of course.
Zafir gave her a hard look. “Your work is the most important thing in the world to you. More important than anyone or anything. No one would sacrifice so much without being determined to succeed.”
A pang of hurt throbbed to life inside her. “It’s not the most important thing. There’s my mother, my friends—”
“But not a lover, yes?”
“I don’t need a lover to prove I care about things other than work.”
He merely shrugged again. “As you say, then.”
“Are you going to give me the job?”
“That depends on you, Genie.”
Genie tamped down on the irritation uncoiling within her. She wasn’t about to ask him what he meant. She didn’t need to.
She turned to watch the city glide by. Al-Shahar was more modern than she’d thought it would be. Cars rolled down wide streets with tall glass and steel buildings. There were sidewalks, manicured trees and plants, and designer shops lining the streets on both sides. It was still early enough that people populated the sidewalks—the men in business
