“How can I help?” His voice was soft, urgent. “I think it’s bedtime.”
Lise fought the urge to take over. She could take Jake right out of his arms, if she wanted—it would be within her rights. But the way Raed cradled him so confidently gave her pause.
“You can take him upstairs, if you’d like. Pajamas are in the top drawer.”
Oh, it was weird, not having to do anything at bedtime. She checked on the dishes—drying—then poured herself a glass of wine. No sound came from upstairs. Lise perched on the edge of the sofa and sipped at the wine, on alert. But then—footsteps on the stairs. Raed appeared a moment later, a satisfied smile on his face. “He’s down.”
“He went down for you that easily?”
Raed shrugged. “I’m still a novelty.” He came and sat next to her on the couch, letting out a sigh of relief. “It was a good day.”
“You’re sure Jake didn’t distract you from your work on the foundation?”
He cracked a smile, and Lise’s heart leapt at the sight of it. “No, of course not. The foundation is in its beginning stages. Even a toddler as busy as Jake couldn’t knock it down now.”
She sat back on the sofa, drinking her wine. “And it’s going to be about education, this foundation of yours?”
“Yes, and much more. The concept is venture philanthropy. When it’s all in motion, we’ll be investing capital into parts of the world that need it most and helping them create value. Monetary value, of course, but also educational value. Pride. That’s what the foundation will do.”
“Tailored education, like what I’m offering, would be good for that,” Lise mused. It was so nice having an adult to talk to, outside of her colleagues. An adult who smiled at her son. Who played with him easily. Who was so handsome that it stole Lise’s breath.
“I agree.” Raed leaned forward. “We should talk about it over the course of our time together, don’t you think?”
She laughed. “Was there something else you wanted to do?” The words were out of her mouth before Lise could stop them, and only then did the double entendre hit her. “I mean—like watch a movie.”
It had been years since she watched a movie with someone else, on a sofa like this.
His eyes burned into hers. “Yes. I would love to watch a movie with you.”
Raed chose one from the selection on the TV. An action movie, by the look of it. Lise made a small sound in the back of her throat, and he studied her face intently.
“Not an action fan?”
“The plots are so convoluted,” she said. “But I’m game.”
“I’ll tell you all about it.” And with that, Raed put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. The warmth of him had her heart pounding. It was like the way they’d cuddled together two years before—so like it. Her body relaxed into him. They weren’t like that now, but it felt so right, it felt so good—she couldn’t resist.
Raed dropped a casual kiss on the top of her head and took a deep breath. “All right. This is our hero, coming up on the screen right now. And his mission is to—”
She let herself sink into his voice, and her eyelids grew heavy. It was so hard to stay awake, even with the sounds of battle washing over the room. Raed was close. She was safe. The movie dropped away, and all that was left was a pleasant darkness.
Lise woke with a start. The TV had been turned off, but the light in the kitchen was still on.
Raed was nowhere to be seen.
She pushed off the blanket and a note fluttered to the floor. Lise grabbed it with a yawn.
“Thanks for dinner,” it read. And it was accompanied by a drawing. A silly one, of her sleeping on the couch, a trail of Zs above her head. She rubbed a hand over her face, mortified, but then she found herself smiling into the dark.
He’d kissed her.
And it had felt so good.
6
The video conference was going as smoothly as a video conference could. Raed sat straight in his chair, trying to keep his eyes on the camera. It wasn’t his favorite when people stared too long at their own videos on the screen. At this meeting, he wanted to look as engaged as possible. Because he was engaged. The screen in front of him was filled with images of several of the high-ranking board members from Georgetown University, which he’d attended as a young man.
“We’re so honored to be considered for your first initiative, and we have some ideas,” continued one of the board members, whose eyes shone with excitement. “The first item for funding would be a set of scholarships for students in need. I’ve been working with my staff on coming up with criteria, but we’d like to take a holistic approach. We would take into account financial need, academic excellence, and of course socioeconomic diversity. And the second item for funding—” The man flipped a page in binder on his desk, glancing at the screen. “That second item would be founding a center for international education and development. And I want mentoring and counseling included in that to maximize success. These students shouldn’t just be left on their own once they arrive here.”
Afternoon sunlight streamed in from his office window, and Raed resisted the urge to bask in it. This was going well. He had Lise and Jake living on the palace grounds, where they’d be safe, and things were proceeding as they should be for the foundation. No one would ever be able to say that Raed hadn’t left a legacy of good when he stopped being a working member of the royal family. This foundation would outlast him. It would be a credit to his family. To the country, even.
Which was why he had to keep his focus on this meeting, and not on the memory of Lise sleeping so peacefully on his shoulder the previous night. Her body had molded to his, relaxing so completely, and when the movie ended, Raed hadn’t wanted to leave. He’d spent a good fifteen minutes allowing himself to play out the fantasy in his mind. Picking her up in his arms. Taking her up the stairs to the cottage’s master bedroom. Undressing her...
Lying down next to her. He’d imagined the rest he’d get just sleeping next to her, and the pull had been intoxicating.
But no. That wasn’t the plan. He’d been invited for dinner, not to spend the night.
Focus.
“Yes.” Another board member leaned into her computer. “Support is essential once students reach the collegiate level, especially if they don’t have strong family bonds or other people willing to step in. If you’ll let me be so bold, Sheikh Al-Qasha, these types of initiatives seem to be a perfect fit for the stated aims of your foundation.”
“I agree with you.” He smiled into the screen. “Give me more details.”
They went through the binder page by page, each board member pitching in. The excitement was palpable even from across the city.
“We’d publicize the scholarships via multiple channels,” said the first board member. “Newspaper ads, so that parents of eligible children would have a chance to hear about it. Online advertising. Social media. All of it will be co-branded as the university and your foundation, and we’ll include that information in our materials.”
“I think we should also discuss—” One of the men on the call cut in, then waved it off. Raed searched for the man’s name. Bradley. Bradley Taylor. He’d been in Qasha for a couple of weeks. Board members had mentioned him several times, but although he was supposed to be the official liaison between Raed and the university, they hadn’t been able to schedule a meeting. “Perhaps for another meeting.”