hotel now?’
Hating that the inevitable moment had finally come, Bria squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye in the same way she’d faced any unpleasant situation for as long as she could remember.
‘I’d rather head back alone, if that’s okay with you?’
He inclined his head in a strangely formal gesture. ‘As you wish.’
Taking a steadying breath, and battling an annoying burning at the back of her eyes, she said, ‘Take care. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Melbourne.’
His eyes glittered with pleasure, and she took a small step back to stop launching into his arms again.
‘I most certainly did. Thank you for spending time with me.’
‘It was fun.’
Fun? Fun? Could she be any more understated if she tried?
‘Farewell, Bria Green.’
He took her hand and bent over it, placing a soft, lingering kiss on the back of it, and she sighed, wishing she could prolong this moment for ever.
‘Bye, Sam.’
Smiling into his handsome face for the last time, she couldn’t fathom his triumphant expression or the mysterious gleam in his chocolate eyes and, forcing her legs to move, she walked away.
Her kitten heels tapping against the polished veranda-boards echoed in the eerie silence, and she willed herself not to look back despite the overwhelming urge to do just that.
‘This is not goodbye,’ Sam said, his tone sure and commanding, and her steps faltered as a shiver ran up her spine.
She might not believe in fate or premonition, or any of that stuff, but in that second, with the taste of Sam lingering on her lips and the precious memories of their brief time together in her heart, she almost wished she did.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘BREE, over here.’
Bria’s head swivelled to the tall, elegant brunette stepping out of a gleaming silver limousine, excitement making her forget her luggage as she flew across the scorching concrete.
‘Lou! You look amazing!’
Lou laughed and cried and squeezed the life out of her as they hugged, and stepped apart for a second before hugging again.
‘It’s so good to see you, Bree.’
Lou held her at arm’s length, her mischievous blue stare travelling over Bria’s mint-green shift dress and matching shoes in record time.
‘And wearing Prada, no less.’
Bria laughed and slapped her hands away. ‘You haven’t changed a bit. Still the label queen, huh?’
Lou pouted and stuck out a hip.
‘Does this look designer to you?’
‘Actually, no, but it looks divine all the same.’
‘It’s a salwaar kameez. They’re super-comfortable.’
Bria had never seen her friend wearing Middle Eastern clothing, and the long, loose trousers with matching tunic in ice blue brocaded with silver accentuated her elegance.
‘I can’t believe you’re actually here.’
Lou’s eyes welled for a moment, and a shaft of guilt pierced Bria’s happiness.
The two of them had been through a lot, from surviving the strict rules at the stuffy Swiss boarding school her dad had insisted she attend to tearing up London on a yearlong fun fest.
Lou had been there for her through the Ellis break-up, she knew how bad things were with her dad, yet Bria had held off visiting her best friend because of her constant quest to be the best in her career.
Pretty selfish.
‘About time, huh?’
‘Way past time.’ Lou rolled her eyes and enveloped her in another bear-hug. ‘Now that you’re here, what do you want to do? We can spend the night at Burl Al Arab, the most amazing hotel in the world right here in Dubai, or we can head straight to Adhara. Your call.’
‘I’d rather make tracks to Adhara. After all the research material I’ve seen, I’m curious.’
‘Great.’ Lou clapped her hands in a classic excited gesture Bria remembered from all their school exploits—and there’d been many. ‘Bet you’re glad I’m still living at the royal residence.’
‘Too right. I’d much rather stay there than the hotel Ned organised. It’s not every day a girl gets to live in a palace.’
Images of tall, white spires, soft rounded domes and curved mosaic-framed windows set against the backdrop of endless desert sprang to mind. Despite her initial anger at being forced to visit Adhara by a pushy client, she had to admit that seeing the palace pictures Lou had emailed her after she’d told her of her visit had whetted her architectural appetite.
‘Will the prince mind me staying?’
Lou shrugged. ‘I have no idea. We barely see him. Yusif handles some of his business interests here in the Middle East, but the Prince spends most of his time abroad. He’s a real go-getter.’
‘What’s he like?’
Not that Bria was particularly interested, but if she happened to run into royalty while she was here she’d like to be well prepared, and not make any faux pas or cause any international incidents.
To her surprise, a blush accompanied her friend’s smirk.
‘You’ve heard of princes and their playboy reputations? Well, His Royal Highness is something else.’
‘In what way?’
Lou’s grin widened. ‘If you’re lucky enough you’ll find out.’
Bria knew that smile. It was the same goofy smile her friend had worn for years whenever a hot guy had hovered around.
‘So he’s not old, decrepit and wrinkly?’
‘Far from it!’
They laughed and leaned into one another like they had a million times before, and once again Bria was struck by how much she’d missed this, how much she’d missed Lou.
‘Come on. Let’s hit the road. We’ll need to change from the limo to four-wheel drive on the outskirts of Dubai, and it’ll take us another six hours to get to Adhara.’
‘Lead the way.’
Bria froze momentarily as she slid into the limo’s cool leather interior, assailed by recent memories of how refusing to do just this had resulted in a memorable meeting with a man she couldn’t forget, no matter how hard she
