don’t do that. Please. Hannah loves her job.”
“Maybe she should have thought of that before she headed off to Raguva, pretending to be you.” He started for the bedroom door, but paused to turn to look at the princess who still sat frozen on the edge of the bed. “And I’m not sure why you’re packing. I don’t know where you think you’re going, or how you’re getting there. Because you’re in my desert, my world, princess, and you’re stuck here with me.”
And then he was gone, leaving the apartment with his emotions running high, temper hot, feeling even angrier and more punitive than he had an hour before.
There would be consequences. And she would not like them.
EMMELINE’S legs shook as the door closed behind Makin. She’d been shaking ever since he’d confronted her in the bathroom with the truth. Shaking with fear.
But now he was gone and she was glad. Glad he’d left her alone. Glad the truth was finally out. She’d hated lying to him. Hated pretending to be his perfect Hannah. And now she didn’t have to lie anymore.
It was better now that he knew the truth. Even if it meant he’d never speak to her again. Better this way. Better to be honest about everything.
And he could say what he wanted about her. He could ridicule her and despise her, but she wouldn’t give him the ability to hurt her anymore. Emmeline left the cool serenity of the white, apricot and gold bedroom for the garden.
She paced the private courtyard with the intensely sweet perfume of antique roses scenting the air as the hot yellow sun beat down, heating her skin. For many this palace would be a kind of paradise. But Emmeline had grown up in palaces surrounded by high stone walls and uniformed soldiers who changed position every four hours. She’d never been the tourist on the outside, admiring the pageantry and elegance. She’d been the captive royal inside the palace walls, locked in for her own protection.
And now, Kasbah Raha was just one more beautiful gilded cage.
One more luxurious but secure building to hold her, confine her, trap her.
And Makin was one more powerful man who thought he could intimidate her. Belittle her. Control her.
But she was done being manipulated and controlled. It was time she grew up. Wised up. Opened her eyes and used her brain. She had a good brain, too, and at twenty-five it was time she owned her life and made decisions for her future.
A future with a baby. Her baby. And how she loved her baby already. Her baby was the most important thing now.
“You look like a tiger in the zoo.”
Emmeline jumped at the sound of Makin’s deep voice and turned to see him inside the doorway, in the cool shadows of the air-conditioned living room. “So much for privacy,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.
He shrugged. “You didn’t answer the door.”
“So you just let yourself in?”
“If I’m concerned about the safety of one of my guests.”
“And so now you’re concerned about me?”
He shrugged again. “I’m responsible for all the guests in my home.”
The edge of her mouth curled up. “Did you forget something? Or have you thought of another way to humiliate me?”
“I don’t have to, Your Highness. You do a great job of humiliating yourself.” He gestured toward a bench in the dappled shade. “But I do have news. Sit.”
She bristled inwardly at his sarcasm but refused to let him see how much he affected her. There was no reason for him to affect her. She told herself she didn’t care for him. Certainly didn’t need him. They were equals. And adversaries. “I’d rather stand.”
“You’re seven weeks pregnant. I’d rather you sit.”
It was clear from the curt tone that he expected her to obey, but he forgot that he had no power over her. “You might, but I’d ask you to remember that I’m not Hannah—”
“Trust me, I do,” he cut her off with a sigh. “So sit. There is something I must tell you, and it’s not easy.”
Emmeline’s stomach fell and her knees went weak. Alarm shot through her. “Alejandro?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
She put a hand to her belly, sixth sense telling her that Makin’s news wasn’t good.
Crossing to the marble bench in the dappled shade, Emmeline sat down, feeling the tug of the lace skirt around her hips and how her ivory silk blouse clung to her damp, warm skin.
“I’m sorry,” he said simply.
Emmeline’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach. “What happened?”
“He went into cardiac arrest a couple of hours ago. And even though they had the best doctors and nurses in all of Miami, they couldn’t get his heart beating again.”
It took her a second to process everything. “He’s gone.”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes, besieged by wildly different emotions. Shock, grief, regret. But the grief and sorrow weren’t for herself, or Alejandro. They were for Alejandro’s five children. Their lives would now be changed forever.
“Are you feeling faint?” Makin asked.
She shook her head, opened her eyes. “No.”
“This must be quite a blow.”
“Yes.”
“I am sorry.”
She pushed a loose tendril of hair back from her face. “You didn’t like him.”
“He was a father.”
She nodded. “I feel for his children,” she answered, realizing now that her child would never have the chance to know his or her father. “I wonder if they know yet. I wonder if his wife knows.”
“Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?”
“What?”
“To pretend you care about his family …?”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“You chase Ibanez, sleep with him—”
“I didn’t know he was married until you told me, and I didn’t chase him. He chased me.”
“So that makes it okay to sleep with a married man?”
“No! Heavens, no! I’m
