The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(63)

“They don’t know we’re coming. I’m afraid they would refuse to help with this project if they did.”

“You never know. People have a way of surprising you, especially when it comes to family.”

“Yeah…” Kaye said, staring out at Al Rayyan.

She felt Amir’s hand press against her arm, and she looked back up at him.

“Why did you bring me here?” she asked.

They stared into each other’s eyes, a wealth of unspoken words crossing between them. Amir let his hand drop with a sigh as he stepped back, gazing out once more.

“I thought you might enjoy a view of the city without cameras in your face, just for a moment. I have come to deeply value our friendship, Kaye. I hope you know that.”

“I do now,” she replied, doing her best not to sigh as well.

They looked out together as the sun crossed the sky, the bustling city brimming with life.

“The reason I left Al Rayyan is a little complicated,” Amir hedged. “I lived in such a shadow, all my life. As the youngest of so many children, even with an age gap between us, there was so much that I had to live up to. I never really had the chance to make my own mark on the world. To be honest, I think that’s why we’re as scattered as we are. My eldest siblings are successful and established here, and the rest of us just needed to find out who we were.”

“And did you?” Kaye asked.

He shrugged, turning away from the city and walking back in the direction of the motorcycle.

“In a way. I found my own success, and I established myself in a new way. Here, I will always be the royal couple’s youngest son. In America, I can be Amir Al-Asfour, producer and Hollywood success.”

“Don’t forget reality TV superstar,” Kaye added, attempting to lighten his mood.

It worked. He turned back to her with a helmet in his hand, tossing it at her. She caught it easily, cradling it under her arm as she approached him.

“Well, yes. That too,” he agreed with a tiny smirk. “Now, I suppose we have to go face the music. We will finish whatever last-minute filming the crew wants to accomplish before we get back on a plane tomorrow, and you can tell me what your childhood was like.”

“If my parents even let us in the house,” Kaye murmured ominously.

“I don’t think it’s going to be nearly as bad as you imagine. Still, it might be worse if you pop in on them unexpectedly. Perhaps a phone call would be a good idea.”

“I don’t think so. Let’s just go with this plan—and hey, if we need to, we can hire a fake family to play the part.”

Amir’s eyes were somber.

“You think I would go through all the trouble to marry a complete stranger for this show and then have fake in-laws? We’re kind of into integrity here. At the very least, it will make for some great television.”

“Well, there’s always that,” Kaye replied, not bothering to keep the disdain out of her voice.

Amir straddled the bike, sliding his helmet on. Kaye did the same, settling back behind him, miffed that he would be so callous about her relationship with her family. How could he not understand just how hard it was going to be for them, a simple country family, to put themselves on national television? Before she had time to dwell on it, he kicked the bike into gear and sped off the dune, winding his way carefully back down into the streets heading toward the palace.

As they looped their way back into the garage, an enraged Merle stood at the doorway, his face the color of raspberries.

“You better have a damn good explanation for this little escapade, Al-Asfour.”

His voice was muffled as he spoked through his teeth. Kaye almost didn’t hear him over the rumble of the bike, but she knew if Merle was using Amir’s last name, it couldn’t be good. Amir shut the bike off and waited for Kaye to dismount, which she did, pulling off her helmet as she did so.

“Whatever you did could have been caught on camera. What were you doing, if I may be so bold as to ask, before I fire both of you?”

Amir chuckled.

“You’re not going to fire us. You don’t have time to reboot this project, and we’ve spent enough on it as it is. We have dealt with a grueling filming schedule, and we deserved a little break. That’s all.”

“And I trust nothing in the contract was broken? I don’t have time for legal issues to come up either, you know.”

His meaning was clear, and Kaye felt the heat of her blush, even though nothing had happened between them. For a moment, when he was staring into her eyes above the whole world, she thought he might throw caution to the wind and kiss her.

She was glad that he hadn’t. She would have so many opportunities, such a better life, if she could just resist him for the next few weeks. That’s all it would take, after all. Just a few more weeks, and they’d be done.

She could resist him. She knew she could.

“You know I would never risk the professional integrity of one of my colleagues, Merle. Don’t insult us with your insinuations.”

For a moment, Kaye saw the version of Amir he played up for the show. His eyes were stormy as he glared down his co-producer, and after a heavy pause, Merle shrugged and turned back to the house.

“The crew is waiting for you to film out the rest of this visit. I suggest you stop wasting all of our time by going on these ‘breaks,’ Amir.”