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She had gone back to her own suite, feeling e shower she’d taken afterwards hadn’t made her feel much better But she had done her best to stay calm and tried very hard to keep herself occupied, because activity stopped her brooding and dwelling on what she’d done She explored the palace library as Diested and made it her personalmaze of wide marble corridors which made up the Al Mektala residence She spent several hours being driven out into the desert—accoht the fire-berry lotion to Dimitri’s suite, who actually turned out to be very sweet And although she had tried to take in the stark beauty of the stark desert sands, unwanted ih her mind

And he hadn’t come near her He hadn’t touched her, or kissed her There had been no silent e their shared intimacy

Erin kept trying to convince herself that this new stand-off was sensible More sex would complicate an already co his behaviourher with all the polite indifference hewaitress at a cocktail party As if thewas nothing but a fig for their final dinner at the palace with a heavy heart

When he knocked, she opened the door to find hi a darker than usual suit, which

‘I’ with Saladin before dinner, so I’ll colea chandelier ‘Oh, and ill leave for London to I’et back’

‘Absolutely’ Erin was deterritted behind her s my sister’

‘You spoke to her earlier?’

‘Yes’

‘How’s Leo?’ he asked suddenly

‘He’s fine’

There was a pause ‘He hasn’t missed you too much?’

‘It’s barely been two days’ She hesitated, because this was the closest they’d come to conversation since they’d had sex and she found herself wanting to prolong it To pretend that everything was nor felt nor you the oil fields?’

He finished knotting his tie—a blue silk affair one shade darker than his eyes ‘He says he’ll give h I suspect that is simply a formality and his ansill be yes’

‘You sound surprised’