she knew that much, and was still there with him. He turned his face to press his mouth to her palm for a moment, deciding what he wanted to say.
“Then you know I dated a woman who some people thought was not the kind of person a prince should be dating. It wasn’t as though we had anything more than a casual relationship, but the media hounds ran with it, as they love to do. Since my face had been plastered on television and tabloids quite a lot the past couple years, there was more uproar than usual back home.”
“Do you care about it? And if you do, why do you do things you know the media will have a field day with?”
At first, he thought she was judging him, and the pain of that stabbed his chest. But when he looked into her eyes, really looked, he could clearly see that she was just asking, not judging. Her hand still softly caressed his cheek, and the touch weakened him. Or made him stronger, he wasn’t sure which. Either way, he realized he actually wanted to talk to her about it, which surprised the hell out of him.
He drew in a fortifying breath before he spoke. “First, half the stuff said about me isn’t true. Or is greatly exaggerated. Second, if I read that stuff and worried about it, I’d spend all day doing it and I have more important things to think about.”
“So why hide out at all?”
Good question, and one he wasn’t sure how to answer. “My parents get upset about it. And this time the hubbub was so loud they demanded I lie low and keep my face out of the press. And since I’m a grown man and can do as I please, my only explanation of why I did so is that I care about their opinion of me. Because their opinion’s been pretty low for a long time, and I guess that’s always bothered me.”
His words rang in his ears, and it was like being given a good whack on the side of the head. Apparently there was some part of him deep inside that was still that boy who was the second prince. The spare heir. The one who didn’t always follow rules and had embarrassed his parents when he’d left the kingdom to become a doctor. The one who refused to ever marry, despite having very good reasons for that.
The son they were always disappointed in, whether he lived up or down to his reputation in the media. Pathetic that it hurt that they felt that way, but there it was. The truth.
“What do you mean, their opinion of you is low? That’s ridiculous.”
“Not ridiculous.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and let them stay there, because the simple connection felt good. “I told you before that they wanted me to stay in the family business, so to speak. They never understood or approved of my wanting to be a doctor, and were more than disappointed when I did it anyway.”
“Rafael.” She grasped his face in her hands, and he felt a little like he was drowning in the sweet sincerity of the brown eyes staring into his. “I don’t know your parents. But I have to believe you’re wrong about a lot of this. Maybe they wanted you to do more traditional duties at home, but surely they’re proud of the hard work you put in to be a doctor. Of the lives you save and the good you do. When you go home, promise me you’ll talk to them. Share how you’ve felt, and clear the air. I bet you’ll be surprised at how they respond.”
Gabriella knew a lot about human nature—hadn’t he seen it first hand in so many ways? That didn’t mean she knew a thing about his family situation, but he realized he didn’t have anything to lose by talking things over with his parents. Who knew, maybe they could come up with a relationship less full of stress and more full of the kind of closeness he’d seen in other families. Including royal ones like those of the Sheikh they’d met today, who obviously cared deeply about his extended family.
“I don’t expect anything would change, but for you I’ll think about it.”
“Not for me, for you. Because after another week or so we won’t see each other again.”
A good thing for her. Not so much for him. She was the most special woman he’d ever known, and he wished they could spend more time together. But he was a man who generally disappointed the people in his life, and she was a woman who’d already been badly disappointed by someone else. She deserved someone who believed in love and happy-ever-after. He definitely didn’t, but maybe she’d somehow find that one day.
The thought made his chest feel oddly tight and he stood to end the torture of being with her when he shouldn’t be. “We have an early morning. The Sheikh wants to get going as soon as we check once more that his wife’s not in labor.”
Her gaze stayed on his as she slowly pushed to her feet. Searching. Questioning. Not a surprise, since moments ago he’d been kissing her like a man on a mission to get horizontal with her as soon as possible.
Much as he still wanted that more than his next breath, she deserved better.
They walked in silence to their rooms, which were connected by an interior door, and Rafael knew he wouldn’t get much sleep, thinking about her warm, soft body curled into a bed so close to his. The same way he’d been unable to sleep the night he’d tucked her into the guest room of his house, and he hadn’t even known her then.
Now that he did, now that he knew the attraction was mutual, staying away from her would require Herculean strength, but for her sake he could do it.
Stopping at the door to her room, he somehow managed to kiss only her cheek, though he knew his lips lingered there too long. “Good night, Gabriella.”
“This is totally unfair, you know.”
“What is totally unfair?”
“Getting James to include me on this trip, then making me sit close to you, look at you, feel the touch of your hand while we drove, and it was all so distracting I barely noticed the gorgeous scenery. Then you took me on a romantic balloon ride with your arms around me, which was the most incredible thing I’ve ever done. More romance and kissing and touching by a fire under the stars. And now you dump me like a hot rock in front of my door?”
The flash of fire in her eyes, the annoyance in her voice and her words were so surprising and adorable he couldn’t help but laugh, even though having to leave her now wasn’t in the least amusing. “Dumping is a strong word. I’m simply dropping you off after a wonderful day together.”
“Why?” A challenge in her brown eyes joined that single word.
“For the reasons we just talked about outside, Gabriella,” he said quietly, hoping she’d understand. “You deserve so much more than someone like me can give you. I’m leaving soon, and I don’t want to be another man who disappoints you.”
“You can’t disappoint me if I’m not expecting anything.” Her fingers slid up the front of his jacket to grasp his neck again, on up to trace his jaw and cheekbones, and even that simple touch made him want her even more. “You’ve made me see that I’ve been living in a cocoon this past two years. Hiding. But unlike you’ve had to do in these past weeks, I haven’t been hiding from outside forces. Haven’t been hiding because someone asked me to. I’ve been hiding from myself, and now I know it’s time to change that.” Her eyes softened, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Being with you tonight is all I want. Breaking out of my shell to enjoy just one more incredible night with an incredible man. Is that so much to ask?”
He didn’t even realize he’d wrapped his arms around her until his hold tightened and he couldn’t make himself let her go. He warred with himself about the right thing to do. “Gabriella—”
She
