we are to give the impression we are married, what better way than to share the same quarters?”
A false impression of holy matrimony. “We could do that without sleeping in the same bed.”
He rimmed the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue. “I don’t recall mentioning sleep.”
And she wouldn’t get much if she agreed, for several reasons. “You have to consider Sam’s needs over ours.”
He pulled back and frowned. “Exactly as I intend to do, but he doesn’t require all our time during the night.”
“He requires quite a bit.”
Framing her face in his palms, Adan looked as if his world revolved around her decision. “Stay with me, Piper. Stay until you must leave.”
Spending time with this gorgeous Arabian prince, quality time, would be a fantasy come to life. Yet it could never be the real stuff fairy tales were made of. If she took wisdom into account, she’d say no. If she was willing to risk a broken heart, she’d say yes. And she suddenly realized this risk would be well worth undertaking now, even if it meant crying about it later.
“All right, Adan. I’ll stay.”
* * *
In the silence of his private quarters, the room illuminated by the soft glow of a single table lamp, Adan had never experienced such a strong sense of peace. He had the woman curled up next to him to thank for that. Granted, he still wanted Piper in every way imaginable—he’d proved that at his mountain retreat—yet he greatly appreciated the moments they’d spent in comfortable silence after retiring to his quarters.
That lack of conversation would soon end once he told her what he’d learned from his brother upon their arrival a few hours ago. “I have to go to the base tomorrow to oversee training exercises. It will require me to stay in the barracks overnight.”
For a moment he’d thought she’d fallen asleep, until she shifted and rested her cheek above his heart. “Gee, thanks. You invite me to reside in your room and then promptly leave me for a whole night.”
The teasing quality to her voice gave Adan some semblance of relief. “If I had to choose between sleeping in the barracks with twenty snoring men and sleeping with you, I would choose you every time. Unless you begin snoring—then I could possibly reconsider.”
She lightly elbowed him in the rib cage. “If I did happen to snore, which I don’t, you’d have no right to criticize me. I thought a freight train had come through the bedroom last night.”
“Are you bloody serious?”
“I’m kidding, Adan,” she said as she traced a path along his arm with a fingertip. “Your snore actually sounds more like a purr.”
That did not please him in the least. “I prefer a freight train to a common house cat.”
“Don’t worry, Prince Mehdi. Snore or no snore, you’re still as macho and sexy as ever.”
He pressed a kiss against the corner of her smiling, sensual mouth. “You are now forgiven for the affront to my manhood.”
She yawned and briefly stretched her arms over her head. “Have you ever been in live combat before?”
The query took him aback. “Yes, I have.”
“Was it dangerous?”
He smiled at the zeal in her voice. “Does that prospect appeal to your daring side?”
“I’m not sure I actually have much of a daring side. I asked because we’re presumed to be husband and wife, so I believe it might be prudent for me to learn all I can about you, in case someone asks.”
That sounded logical, but not all his military experiences had been favorable. “I’ve been involved in a skirmish or two while protecting our no-fly zone.”
“Bad skirmishes?”
This was the part he didn’t speak of often, yet again he felt the need to bare his soul to her. “One turned out to be extremely bad.”
“What happened?”
“I killed a man.”
He feared the revelation had rendered her speechless, until she said, “I’m assuming it was justified.”
“That is a correct assumption. If I hadn’t shot down his plane, he would have dropped a bomb over the village.”
“How horrible. Was he a citizen of Bajul?”
“No. He was a known insurgent from another country. Because the files are classified, I am not at liberty to say which country.”
She lifted her head and kissed his neck before settling back against him. “You don’t have to say anything else if you don’t want to.”
Oh, but he did, though he wasn’t certain why. “It happened four years ago,” he continued. “That morning I received intelligence about the threat, and I decided I would enter the fray. Later I found out my father was livid, but only because if I perished, he would be without a commander.”
“He told you that?” Her tone indicated her disbelief.
“Rafiq informed me, but it doesn’t really matter now. I assisted in thwarting an attack that could have led to war for the first time in Bajul’s history, and that is what matters. But I never realized...”
“Realized what, Adan?”
He doubted she would let up unless he provided all the details. “I never knew how affected I would be by sending a man to his death.”
“I can imagine how hard on you that must have been.”
“Oddly, I had no real reaction to the incident until the following day while briefing our governing council. Midway through the report, I felt as if I couldn’t draw a breath. I excused myself and walked outside to regain some composure. That night I had horrible dreams, and they continued for several months.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said sincerely. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re a very brave and honorable man. Sam is very lucky to have you as his father.”
He’d longed to hear her acknowledge his honor, but he didn’t deserve that praise in this situation. “There is no honor in taking another life. And now that I have a son, I will stress that very thing to him.”
“That attitude is exactly what makes you honorable,” she said. “You were bothered by an evil man’s demise to the point of having nightmares. That means you have compassion and a conscience.”
If that were the case, he wouldn’t have asked her to remain in his quarters for the duration of their time together. Yet he’d not considered anything other than his own needs. And he did need her—in ways he could not have predicted. Still, he couldn’t get too close to her or build her expectations beyond what he could provide aside from being her lover. He wasn’t suited for a permanent relationship, as his family had told him time and again. “We should try to sleep now. I suspect Samuel will be summoning me in less than two hours.”
She fitted her body closer to his side. “I’ll be glad to take care of Sam tonight while you get your rest.”
“Again, that’s not necessary.”
“Maybe not, but I really want to do it, not only for you, but for me. We barely caught a glimpse of him tonight. Besides, I’ll only have him a little longer, while you’ll have him the rest of your life.”
Piper’s words filled Adan with unexpected regret. Regret that, in a matter of weeks, he would be forced to say goodbye to an incredible woman. In the meantime, he would make the most of their remaining hours together and grant her whatever her heart desired, not only as the provisional mother to his son, but as his temporary lover.
He rolled to face Piper, leaving nothing