a stroke of luck the box was present. She had no intention of leaving without the box, but the right thing to do was to speak to Rahim as originally planned, not go behind his back searching for it herself.
‘Of course,’ she murmured when it became clear he was expecting a response.
With a tiny compression of his lips, he nodded. ‘Good. Come this way. Our ride awaits.’
He led her through a wide golden arch straight out of an Arabian Nights tale. Allegra had to content herself with gaping for a few seconds before they emerged into a wide courtyard the size of a football field. The edges were dotted with the ever-present fountains and several sitting areas, but at the end of it, set upon a large stone circle, were sleek helicopters, decorated with the royal colours and Dar-Amanian emblem.
‘We’re travelling by helicopter?’ she asked as Rahim made a beeline for the aircraft, followed closely by two bodyguards.
‘For most of the way, then we finish the journey by Jeep. Sure you still want to come?’ His gaze seemed to intensify on her face as he said that.
Allegra summoned a smile, determined not to give Rahim an excuse to postpone their meeting. ‘Of course.’
She pulled on the hat she carried, thankful that she always made a point of travelling prepared for every contingency, and double-checked that she had her phone tucked into her khaki cargo pants.
They reached the first large black aircraft. A guard held the door open. Before she could climb in Allegra found herself hoisted up by strong arms. Rahim’s solid, overwhelming presence was a wall of heat at her back, shocking her into gasping when his groin connected to her backside for a searing second. The sensation was so alien she froze for a moment.
‘You’re not afraid of heights, are you?’ he asked, his mouth so close to her ear his breath washed over her skin.
She suppressed a shiver. ‘No, I’m not.’
His hand tightened on her arm for a second, before he deposited her in the front seat. Then he rounded the chopper to join her. ‘Good, then you’ll enjoy the experience. Fasten your seat belt,’ he instructed after handing her a set of noise-cancelling headphones.
Allegra did as she was told. She tried not to watch his sure hands as he readied the aircraft, but the elegant grace with which he handled the controls was astonishingly mesmerising. Dragging her gaze away, she saw other guards piling into the remaining choppers.
Her mouth twisted as Rahim pulled back the throttle and the chopper lifted away from the palace grounds. ‘Do you always travel with such a large contingent of bodyguards?’ she asked, glancing at the other two aircrafts that lifted off behind them.
‘I’ve halved my bodyguards in the past three months. I can’t reduce their number any further.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because that would be breaking protocol.’
She raised a cynical eyebrow. ‘A protocol that insists you have almost two dozen bodyguards. Isn’t that overkill?’
He shrugged. ‘I’m good at taking care of myself.’ A shadow clouded his eyes for a second before the hazel depths cleared again. ‘I’ve been doing so for a long time. But laws are laws.’
‘Laws can also be changed, especially if it’s in the interest of your people, can they not?’
His gaze sharpened. ‘Of course. But change doesn’t happen overnight. Most often it’s a long and arduous process.’
‘Only if those who seek to unjustly benefit from it choose to stand in its way. It usually takes someone fearless enough who believes in doing the right thing for true change to happen.’
He nodded. ‘I agree.’
‘You do?’
He took his eyes off the controls to glance at her. ‘You seem surprised, Allegra. Why wouldn’t I agree with such a sound assessment?’
Allegra swallowed the automatic response that rose to her lips. ‘Not a lot of people welcome the views of women, especially when it comes to matters of state.’
‘Then it’s a blessing that I’m not one of them, is it not?’ he said with a smile.
She stared at him, wondering if he was toying with her or cunning enough to think he would get away with voicing such barefaced lies. Especially after the speech he’d made about his dislike of subterfuge.
‘Your Highness...’
‘Rahim,’ he invited softly.
Allegra glanced pointedly at the bodyguards seated behind them.
‘It’s fine. They cannot overhear us unless you raise your voice. Besides, I like the way you say my name,’ he said softly.
She gasped, her face heating up as his gaze raked her body, then settled on her mouth. ‘I don’t think this is appropriate,’ she blurted out before she could stop herself.
A sinfully wicked smile curved his lips. ‘Then I’ll spare your sensibilities and direct my conversation to more appropriate topics. Tell me about yourself.’
‘Why?’ she asked in surprise, all sense of diplomacy gone.
‘I’m hoping it’ll be a much better way to pass the time since other subjects trigger an almost...volatile reaction from you?’
She inhaled sharply at his acute reading of her emotions. Contrary to thinking she was making a decent pass at remaining neutral where Dar-Aman was concerned, Rahim had seen right through her.
And he wanted to change the subject. Her continued disappointment with a man she knew better than to hope was even remotely redeemable deepened. She shook her head. ‘If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you about the reason for my visit,’ she pressed.
‘I’d prefer to wait until I can give you my full, undivided attention. You deserve that. Until then, tell me how you came to start your foundation.’
Effectively stymied, she looked down at the desolate but indescribably beautiful landscape beneath her, momentarily dragged down memory lane.
The memories of her mother had grown hazy over the years, but a few precious conversations had remained vivid in her mind, popping up when she least expected them.
First and always, be your own person. Then your voice will be heard. Don’t be like me, Allegra...
Anna Di Sione had delivered that particular out-of-the-blue warning as a six-year-old Allegra draped herself in her mother’s pearls, content that this was a singular pleasure that she wouldn’t have to compete with her siblings for. It had been one of the precious moments she’d spent with her mother that had been theirs alone.
‘I took a gap year after high school, did the whole volunteering while touring the world thing. I suppose in a way I was finding myself.’ She shrugged, uncomfortable about revealing an important part of what had forged her path in life. When she risked a glance at him, he returned her gaze with nothing but cordial interest. ‘Anyway, I found out very quickly that some of the
