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‘I’m finished.’ Zayed spoke tersely. ‘I will work in my room. I don’t wish to be disturbed, please.’
Jahmal glanced at Olivia again, a frown marring his forehead. ‘Very well...’
‘Miss Taylor is helping me with a matter.’
Jahmal’s frown cleared. ‘The message to Sultan Hassan?’
‘Yes. Leave us now, please.’
Jahmal sketched a short bow and strode down the hallway. After a few tense seconds Zayed expelled a low breath and then leaned against Olivia again; she took his weight, wrapping her arm around his waist.
‘Get me to my room,’ he said through clenched teeth. ‘Before I humiliate myself even further.’
‘There’s no shame in pain.’
‘You are wrong in that, at least for me.’
They didn’t talk further; all their energy was expended on making it down the hallway.
‘Here,’ Zayed said when they were in front of an arched door that looked like any one of the dozen others along the corridor.
‘How do you...?’
‘I counted.’
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Olivia turned the handle and the door swung open into a room that was sparsely furnished and masculine in every detail. She led him to the king-sized bed in the centre, and then guided him down onto the soft mattress. Zayed stretched out with a groan, one arm thrown over his eyes.
‘Let me get you something,’ Olivia suggested quietly. ‘A damp cloth? Some tablets?’
‘There’s medicine in the bathroom.’
‘All right.’ She went into the sumptuous en suite, feeling as if she were invading his private space as she rifled through his medicine cabinet looking for the painkillers. She shook two out of the bottle and then poured a glass of water from the tap. She found a flannel and dampened it, and then brought it all back to Zayed.
‘Here,’ she said, perching on the edge of the bed. She pressed the tablets into his hand and then guided the glass of water to his lips. He swallowed in one powerful gulp and then subsided back onto the pillows. ‘And this too,’ Olivia said, and she gently laid the damp cloth across his forehead.
Zayed reached out his hand and found hers, lightly squeezing her fingers. ‘Thank you.’
‘I wish there was more I could do.’
‘This has been more than I deserve.’
Deserve? It seemed an odd turn of phrase. ‘Surely everyone deserves care when they’re hurt?’ Olivia said quietly.
‘That depends,’ Zayed murmured. Her hand was still encased in his. Olivia watched his powerful chest rise and fall in steady breaths. Outside the sun was setting, sending streaks of light sliding across the floor, the sky lit up with the most vivid pinks and purples she’d ever seen. She wondered if she should go, if Zayed wanted to be left alone.
As if sensing her uncertainty, he squeezed her fingers again. ‘Stay,’ he entreated in a low voice. ‘Stay with me.’
Something warm and wonderful unfurled in Olivia’s heart, like a hug from the inside. She realised how much she’d wanted to stay, wanted him to want her to. ‘Okay,’ she said softly. ‘Of course I will.’
She settled herself more comfortably against the pillows and Zayed drew her hand to his chest, still in his, so she could feel the thud of his heart against her palm.
His eyes were closed, dark, spiky lashes feathering the rugged planes of his cheeks. His mouth looked surprisingly lush and mobile on that harsh face, now softened as his breathing evened out. It could have been an hour or only a few minutes, but eventually Olivia realised he was asleep.
She’d lost track of time, of herself, in watching him, taking in every beautiful detail of his face and form, along with things she hadn’t noticed before—a scar on his temple, another by his ear, both now faded to pale white streaks. Beneath his button-down shirt she could see the ridges of his chest and abdomen, perfectly and powerfully muscled.
She remembered how those muscles had felt under her questing hands, and she closed her eyes, trying to banish the memories for her own sanity, even though they were so achingly sweet. She’d never felt as treasured, as important, as she had in Zayed’s embrace. Which was foolish, considering how she would most likely never see him again after the next day or two. The thought brought pain when Olivia knew it shouldn’t, just as she knew every moment she spent in his company was dangerous because each one bound her closer and closer to this man—a man she would come to care for, if she let herself.
