“That’s not necessary,” Jahlil replied, holding up a hand to stop the man’s eager efforts. “I’m not here for a ride.”

  The man bowed again. “Of course.” He looked around worriedly. “How can I assist you?’

  Jahlil felt ridiculous. But he knew his idea would soothe Maya. “The kittens,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I saw them several weeks ago, just after their birth. Are they weaned yet? Or do they still need their mother?”

  The stable manager blinked in surprise.

  “The…kittens, Your Highness?”

  Jahlil wanted to laugh at the man’s obvious confusion. “Yes. The kittens. Are they weaned? I was…I wanted to give one a new home.”

  The stable manager shook his head. “I will happily take care of that, Your Highness. We give them to–”

  Jahlil lifted his hand in the air, gently silencing the man. “I need one,” Jahlil interrupted firmly.

  The man stared for another moment in stunned surprise, but he rallied quickly. “Of course! This way!” and he led Jahlil into one of the stalls where the small kittens were scampering about. They were still tiny little fluff balls, but they no longer needed their mother. In fact, the momma cat was already gone, out hunting or whatever it was cats did during the day.

  Jahlil bent down, examining each kitten. There were five in all and he had to admit that they were all pretty adorable. But which would be best? This was such an important decision. He almost laughed at how seriously he was taking this decision. He could snap off orders with military precision. But the selection of a kitten clearly required more effort.

  One toddled over to him, staring up at Jahlil with huge golden eyes. The kitten meowed demandingly, then jumped onto his bent knee, balancing by digging its tiny claws into his slacks.

  “I’m so sorry, Your Highness,” the stable manager gasped, rushing forward to take the kitten away, as if the tiny creature had done something heinous instead of simply doing what kittens do.

  “Its fine,” Jahlil replied, chuckling as he stood up, the tiny creature cradled in his arms. “This one is perfect,” he told the man. Then turned and walked back into the palace.

  At the abrupt knock, Maya opened the door, feeling a sharp stab of pain when she spotted Jahlil standing in her doorway.

  “Hi,” she whispered, leaning her forehead against the door.

  “Hi,” he replied in his usual commanding voice. “May I come in? I have something for you.”

  Maya’s mouth fell open. “Jahlil, I don’t need…” She stopped when he revealed the tiny ball of fluff he’d been hiding behind his back. “Oh!” she gasped, moving forward to accept the tiny kitten. “You are so adorable!” And then she laughed.

  Laughed! She’d actually laughed! After the past week, a week filled with sobbing, grief, formal funeral events and…seemingly endless visits from the various dignitaries from all over the world…Maya hadn’t thought she’d never laugh again.

  The tiny creature mewed, batting at a lock of her hair. “Where did you come from?” she asked the tiny creature.

  “He…or she,” Jahlil sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, looking as if he felt completely out of place. “I didn’t take the time to check its gender, to be honest. I was looking for other aspects.”

  She turned and looked up at him, once again startled by how handsome and amazingly wonderful Jahlil was. At this particular moment, she thought he looked even more handsome than ever. Behind all that royal harshness and male arrogance, there was a touching hint of awkwardness. It was almost as if he were embarrassed to give her the kitten.

  “What aspects do you look for in a kitten?” she asked, charmed and intrigued as she brought the adorable creature to her cheek. Immediately, the kitten started purring like a jet engine! For such a tiny thing, its purr was loud!

  Jahlil shifted uncomfortably on his feet, looking at something behind her. “Cuteness,” he mumbled.

  Maya was so stunned, she couldn’t react for a long moment. Then she cracked up, her eyes sparkling. “You were looking for cuteness?”

  Jahlil sighed and shuffled his feet again. She watched with amusement as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I picked this one out for you. I know that you’re leaving us today, although I still think you should stay and live in the palace.”

  Maya’s eyes softened. They’d had this conversation several times already and she sincerely appreciated his offer. “You know I can’t do that, Jahlil,” she said, smiling as she cuddled the kitten closer. “I have to go home. I have to get back to my life.”

  “You could have a life here,” he pointed out, pacing back and forth. “I could create a job for you here.”

  She laughed again, tamping down on the swelling of the unnamed emotion that welled up in her throat whenever Jahlil was present. Or not present. It was that same emotion that she refused to define, and refused to examine too carefully. It was an emotion that felt like a betrayal of Sandoor.

  “I appreciate the charity, but I need to make it on my own,” she told him.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked, furious all over again on her behalf when he remembered how she’d lost the job in Boston because the company had filled her position with someone else when she hadn’t arrived on the start date. “I can still call that company,” he offered. “I have enough power to get your job back. You stayed here for Sandoor. You shouldn’t be penalized for the generous gift of your time.”

  Maya lowered her eyes, not bothering to tell him that she hadn’t stayed out of respect for Sandoor. She’d grieved for her lost friend. She’d always miss him. Sandoor had been a wonderful person and one of her best friends. But he hadn’t been the love of her life. She’d known that almost immediately upon arriving here.

  Almost immediately upon meeting Jahlil.

  Okay, that was one of those forbidden thoughts that she didn’t want to have!

  The only thing she’d allow herself to admit was that she’d stayed here in Celina, not for Sandoor, but for Jahlil. He’d never admit it, but he’d needed her. He’d needed her in ways that…again, she wasn’t going to define. Together, they’d gotten through the past month. Day by day, they’d talked about Sandoor. Over dinner, she’d told him about how she’d met Sandoor, the way he’d teased her into leaving her studies to have a picnic. On another morning, Jahlil told her about how Sandoor had climbed too high into a tree one day. Jahlil had climbed up to help his little brother down, showing him step by step how to get out of the tree. She’d laughed at the story, awed by Jahlil’s bravery as well as his obvious love for his little brother. No matter how many times Sandoor got into trouble, Jahlil rescued him.

  And Maya lov…greatly respected Jahlil.

  Coming back to the present, she turned and smiled up at Jahlil. “I know that you have the power to fix just about anything,” she teased. “But my career isn’t something that I need you to fix, Jahlil. I have to do this on my own. I’ve gotten my degree, and now I need to go out into the world and prove to myself that I’m good enough.”

  She saw the muscle flex in his jaw and knew that he didn’t agree with her. He was a lion. A protective lion, who was willing to take her into his household and protect her, even though she wasn’t even a member of his family. “What are you going to do?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I know that you paid the rent on my apartment for the next year,” she stated, watching his features. There was no embarrassment at his generosity being discovered. Just a slight lifting of one of those dark eyebrows, as if challenging her to remonstrate him for that generosity. “And I have some ideas on what I’d like to do.”

  “Care to share?” he asked, an almost teasing note to his voice. But Jahlil never teased. Did he?

  “No,” she laughed, untangling a kitten claw from her shirt. “If I tell you what I’m planning, then you’ll step in and interfere.” She looked up at him. “In a kind and generous way of course. But I’m not going to let you do that. You’ve done more than enough already.”

  As she cuddled the kitten, the sparkle on her hand reminded her of one last thing she needed to do. Slipping the enormous ring off, she held it out to Jahlil. “Here,” she said. “This isn’t mine anymore.”

  “Keep it,” he retorted, folding his arms over his massive chest as that arrogance came washing back into his demeanor. “Sandoor gave it to you. It’s yours.”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s too expensive. And I never married Sandoor. It’s not mine.”

  “It’s yours, Maya,” he replied firmly.

  She smiled up at him. “I’m not taking it, Jahlil,” she said, moving over to the coffee table and setting the huge ring down. “Thank you for the kitten. I’ll bring him back to the stables.”

  “The kitten is yours, if you want it.” His gaze sharpened slightly as he watched the scrap of fluff sitting on her shoulder, batting at Maya’s earring. He sighed. “And you’re flying home on my private plane. My assistant has already cleared the way for you to bring the animal into the United States, so you won’t have to deal with customs.”

  She smiled up at him. “I can keep it?” she asked, awed by the wonderful gift. “Seriously?”

  He chuckled and the sound sent that now-predictable shiver racing down her spine.

  “Seriously, Maya. The kitten is yours if it will help you feel better,” he replied. His gaze turned serious. “You will call me if you have any problems, won’t you?” he commanded. It wasn’t really a question. “You’re under my protection now.”

  She smiled, and did something daring. Moving forward, she snuggled her new kitten against her side as she hugged Jahlil. “I promise, I will call you if anything happens.”

  He hugged her back, and Maya smiled at the awkwardness of his gesture. This man was not hugged enough, she thought.

  Stepping back before she did something foolish, like kiss him…she smiled up at him. “Thank you for the kitten,” she said.

  He looked around, that awkwardness right back in place. “Well, right.” He sighed. “Take the ring. And the kitten. Sell the ring.”

  She laughed. “I’ll take the kitten,” she told him.

  Jahlil growled as he turned and left her suite.

  Chapter 6

  Five Years Later…

  “Uh…Sire?” Ormond interrupted.

  Jahlil glanced up from the report on troop morale that he was reading and glared at his assistant. He wasn’t irritated that his assistant had interrupted his concentration so much as he was irritated that he had to even read this stuff. Seriously? Couldn’t his generals take care of this stuff and summarize it for him? Why the hell had they sent him a ten page document?

  He cared very deeply about the morale in his military. It was essential to have good morale, otherwise, the soldiers wouldn’t fight as hard, wouldn’t care about their mission. But seriously, a ten page report? Couldn’t his generals give him a thumbs up or down, with a list of changes they want to incorporate into the training regimens?

  But Ormond looked wary and, speaking of morale, Jahlil dug deep for a little more patience and cleared his expression of annoyance. “What’s on your mind?” he finally asked of his normally intrepid assistant.

  The man stepped into Jahlil’s office, but continued to hover near the door. Whatever Ormond had to say was bad news. Jahlil braced himself for more long, sleepless nights. Not that he’d had many deep, wonderful full nights of sleep lately.

  Jahlil glanced at the calendar on his computer, wincing when he realized that it had been a month since he’d seen her last. The trees in the Northeast had just started to change color back then as the fall weather creeped in. Thinking of that, he thought about Maya’s beautiful smile as she’d admired the glorious colors on the trees. The Boston area truly was astonishingly beautiful in the fall. The leaves changed from green to brilliant shades of orange, yellow, red, and even purple.

  And fall was Maya’s favorite season. Unfortunately, the following months of winter weren’t as beautiful. Maya hated Boston winters. They were long and miserable, frigid and snowy. There were plenty of places around the world that received a great deal of snow, so he didn’t assume that Boston had a priority on the miserable stuff. But Maya truly hated the shorter days that were overcast much of the time. He suspected that she suffered from a mild case of seasonal affective disorder, but he hadn’t yet figured out how to help her.

  Other than having her come live in Celina. She’d have sunshine all year round, he thought. Yes, that could be the ideal solution.

  But…Maya still wasn’t his woman. She was his responsibility though, and that was why he worried about her so often.

  Jahlil almost laughed at that last thought. Hell, he didn’t think about Maya because she was his responsibility. And yet, she hadn’t truly been his responsibility for five, long, tedious years. He’d love for her to be his responsibility. He’d love to have the right to care for her and tease her into smiling. He’d love to ensure that she ate enough and slept enough…he’d love to take care of her.

  He loved her. He’d accepted this fact about a year after she’d returned home after Sandoor’s funeral. He loved her more deeply than he’d ever thought possible. And it had nothing to do with her previous engagement to his younger brother.

  In fact, he couldn’t ask her out on an official date because she’d been engaged to his younger brother. Damn Sandoor for dying! Damn him for leaving Maya all alone in this world! She’d loved Sandoor so deeply. He noticed her affection for his brother every time they talked during their sporadic dinners together. During every meal, they shared stories about Sandoor and she’d tell him what the two of them had planned for their future together.

  In other words, Maya obviously still hadn’t gotten over Sandoor. Damn him!

  “Your Highness?” Ormond prompted.

  Jahlil’s thoughts snapped back to the present. His assistant was in front of his desk. Apparently, the shorter man had already explained the whole situation while Jahlil had been thinking about Maya.

  “I’m sorry, Ormond,” Jahlil apologized with a heavy sigh. He lifted the report in his hand, pretending as if it had distracted him. Better for Ormond to assume that Jahlil had been thinking about troop morale instead of the reality; that he’d been thinking about Maya. Again.

  “I apologize,” Ormond said, bowing slightly. “I interrupted your reading,” and he bowed. “This was the wrong time to bring this to you.”

  Suppressing another burst of annoyance, Jahlil tossed the report onto his desk. “Please, Ormond,” he said, waving the man forward. “You know my schedule extremely well, so if you felt it necessary to interrupt me, then it must be important. I apologize for not giving you my full attention.” He leaned back in his leather chair, lacing his fingers over his stomach before nodding to Ormond. “Go ahead. You have my full attention now.”

  Ormond clasped his fingers together. “We’ve received word from the Ambassador of Brumadi, Your Highness,” he said softly, looking as if he’d like to back away.

  Jahlil’s attention sharpened. “What’s that bastard done now?” he demanded. He took a deep breath, hoping he was prepared for whatever horrific news was about to be shared.

  “Actually, it’s not the normal ambassador, Your Highness. This person…well, surprisingly this message came from back door sources.”

  That was surprising. Brumadi was one of his country’s most hated enemies. For decades, there had been skirmishes off the coast of Celina with the Brumadi Navy or in the air space. He wasn’t sure if he hated the Brumadi government, or his enemy to the south, Dilaar and the despised Sheik el Moussa more. So, if someone from Brumadi had ventured into enemy territory, and through back channel maneuvering instead of the more abrasive Brumadi embassy, Jahlil was intrigued. “What’s going on?”

  “A summit,” Ormond whispered, as if the idea was too outrageous to contemplate. “A peace treaty.”

  Jahlil was too stunned to speak for a long moment. It took him a moment to make sense of the conversation. “Between Celina and Brumadi?” he asked, his eyebrows rising. “Why? Is el Hasan,” he said, referencing the Sheik of Brumadi, “trying to get me to gang up against Dilaar?” he asked. “Because there’s no way we could–”

  “No,” Ormond interrupted, shaking his head. The man scanned the room as if expecting someone to jump out of the shadows. Was Ormond expecting someone else to be in Jahlil’s office? “All three leaders!” Ormond hissed. “In a secret place for a series of round table meetings to discuss a peace treaty.”

  Jahlil stared at the man, stunned. But, in a moment, he started to calculate the list of issues that would need to be resolved before three very different, powerful countries could come to some sort of peace treaty. There were many obstacles. However, if they could do it…!

  Jahlil stood up, his fists braced on his desk. “All three of us? In the same room?”

  Ormond nodded helplessly.

  “That would be…!” He didn’t say anything more. It was too wild of an idea. He stared down at the papers on his desk. A peace treaty. What would that entail? How could they accomplish such a monumental feat? There would be so many moving parts, so many underlying issues between the three countries.

  But if they could do it, if they could just start heading in that direction…! The money they all could save on defense! And the lives that would be saved! Hell, a peace treaty between the three countries could be…revolutionary!

  Looking up, he realized that Ormond was waiting for a response. “When does he need an answer?”

  The man shrugged. “A timeline has not yet been established.”

  Jahlil stood up, folding his arms as he stared thoughtfully out the window, not really seeing the magnificent mountains in the distance or his beautiful capital city laid out below. He was thinking about Maya. He wondered what she might think of a peace treaty.

  Turning, he nodded firmly. “Yes!” he snapped. “Tell Monfuso,” he said, referring to his own Ambassador to Brumadi, “to feel out the others. If the other two, or even just one of them are willing, then consider us in. But there would have to be precautions.” His mind started whirling. A moment later, he started listing those precautions and Ormond noted them all down in his ever-ready tablet. For the next two hours, he went through the issues, playing out various arguments in his head. Yes, this was a wonderful thing, he thought. It was about time that they worked out their differences. It wasn’t as if the three countries had been enemies for generations. The hostilities between the three of them had been brewing only for the past twenty years or so. That meant that opinions ran deep, but were not yet set in stone in the hearts and minds of his citizens.