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‘What is the event?’ she asked hurriedly to smother the feelings rampaging through her.
His lips twitched, the first genuine hint of amusement that wasn’t wreathed in censure or mockery. ‘I’ll leave you to discover it on your own tonight, I think.’
Very few things surprised her any more so when the element of surprise became a possibility, it was always a thrill. Or was she just feeling this way because of the man delivering the surprise? ‘How will I know how to get ready, then? What to wear?’
A look crossed his eyes and was gone before she could decipher it but his gaze remained as fiercely incisive. ‘While you are under my roof, you need not worry that you’ll lack for anything.’
There was courtesy in those words. But there was also the undeniable belief in his power and might, which was...intoxicating. And a little perturbing because Lauren would’ve thought she was the last person to be attracted to such raw power.
But truly, wasn’t Tahir much more than that? Weren’t the intriguing layers of his personality what had drawn her to him twelve years ago?
Still drew her to him now?
Watching him rise to his feet dispensed the need to examine the last question. ‘Come.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Does it matter? It’s my time, is it not?’ he said, then, catching her questioning look at the hourglass, added, ‘We’ll be back in time.’
She rose and fell into step beside him.
Then Tahir did the last thing she’d expected. He showed her his desert palace, trailing her through exquisite miniature orange and lemon groves, an all-white meditation room, a receiving hall made entirely of blue-veined marble, cobalt-blue pillars and a giant beaten silver fountain stunningly lit by a soaring chandelier that made her jaw drop. But her favourite room by far was the windowless library. It was lit by another grand chandelier, but all four walls held floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with books.
‘The lack of sunlight is to protect the books,’ Tahir murmured, standing close to her as she spun slowly on her heel, her head thrown back to better admire the incredible space.
Drawing closer to one shelf, she read the spines of a few books and gasped. ‘Some of these are...over two hundred years old.’
‘My father was zealous about acquiring first-edition masterpieces. Every royal residence has such a library, but this is the largest.’
‘I could spend an eternity in here,’ she murmured, then her breath caught all over again when she saw the glimmer in his eyes. ‘This is where you spent most of your time during your year here, isn’t it?’ she asked, regret tingeing her voice.
‘Yes,’ he responded simply. ‘And before you pity me, I gained a lot of perspective during that time.’
She bit the inside of her lip. Had he gained other things too, like the hard edge she didn’t remember him having twelve years ago, or had that come from ruling? And, considering most of his counterpart Arabian Peninsula monarchs and sheikhs were long married by Tahir’s age, she wondered if her actions twelve years ago had contributed to his unattached status.
‘Why aren’t you married?’ She blurted words she totally hadn’t meant to ask.
He stiffened, anger flashing through his eyes before it grew cool and neutral. ‘You think you had something to do with that?’
Her heart pounded hard. ‘Did I?’
His lips slashed in a wide smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘You give yourself too much credit.’
The words stung. Deeply. But then she only had herself to blame, didn’t she? Needing space, she wandered away on the pretext of admiring the rest of the library, but she could barely focus, both from the prickle of tears clouding eyes and from the fact that Tahir, having delivered that low blow, had seemingly shrugged it off, and was back to host mode, tracking her movements until she wanted to scream.
It was a relief to leave the library and step out into the fresh air on the second level. Tahir led her to an immense open terrace, drew her to the northern edge and pointed to the distance. ‘That is your surprise,’ he said.
Lauren stared at the horizon but all she could see were distant mountains and endless sand dunes. But squinting, she saw what he was pointing out. The faintest billowing of a cloud that hung too low to be in the sky. ‘My surprise is an approaching sandstorm?’ she asked, confused.
One corner of his mouth twitched. ‘No, it’s not a sandstorm, but it’ll be here in a matter of hours,’ was all he said before they were interrupted by a young staff member bearing the hourglasses.
Tahir took them and set them on the table.
As if caught in the strange time warp, they watched the grains run out, Lauren feeling as if something vital was slipping away. When the glass finally emptied, Tahir covered it again, spun the tray and watched as she made her choice again.
Forty-five minutes.
On they toured, each room in the palace more spectacular than the last, each revelation making her gasp in wonder. But the strange sensation lingered, the notion thatshewas running out of time, not Matt. That unless she acted, she would regret it.
