England. While there are excellent schools here in El Bahar, my father was concerned about exposing us to other ways of doing things. El Bahar is a successful blend of East and West, old and new. He has created that balance and works very hard to keep it in place."

She had to bite back her "I know" and quickly replace it with "He sounds wonderful. I would imagine it's very difficult for a son to follow his father and be king."

"It is," he said, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "I wouldn't want Malik's responsibilities for any amount of money."

She had trouble concentrating on the conversation, mostly because of the fact that his fingers felt so strong and warm as they held her own. Plus, he'd angled his chair toward her, as if he wanted to focus all his attention on just her.

"Ah, Malik is the crown prince, right?"

He nodded. "As the oldest, he's had to learn about all areas of government. But it doesn't stop with El Bahar. Malik will have to take our country forward in a time where everything is changing. Our father has done much to prepare him-soon it will be up to Malik alone."

Heidi had never much thought about what it must be like to be the heir to an entire country. She was grateful that Jamal's responsibilities weren't as great. He was in charge of the financial state of the family and worked with the economic council to form and maintain El Bahar's economic policy.

That seemed like more than enough for any man.

Jamal stroked his thumb against the back of her hand. "Father was always much tougher on Malik than on the rest of us. Khalil and I were allowed to skip lessons from time to time so we could ride or play, but not Malik. He had to attend long, boring meetings, even when he was little." Jamal stared off in the distance.

"He was not allowed to show any weakness," he continued. "No matter what happened, Malik was expected to be strong."

Jamal seemed plenty macho to her, Heidi thought. She could only imagine what Malik was like in private.

"Where was your mother in all this?" she asked without thinking then wanted to call the question back. She didn't know anything about the king's late wife, except that no one ever spoke of her. Even her grandfather had been strangely silent on the topic.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"There's not much to say," Jamal told her. "She died about a year after Khalil was born. I don't remember her at all. Malik might because he's the oldest." He paused as he thought. "What I do remember is my father being lectured by an assortment of government officials, each of whom wanted him to remarry. He always refused. He said that he had loved one great woman, and he was unlikely to find another similar. Because he didn't want to subject a second wife to constant comparisons in which she would surely fall short, he chose to remain a widower."

Jamal gave her a slight smile. "As he had three healthy sons already, there wasn't much they could say in the way of argument with him."

"I see." Heidi hesitated. "Your father must have loved her very much."

"She was his entire world, or so I've heard." He squeezed her hand. "My father is the kind of man who loves with his whole heart, but he loved only once."

Heidi didn't know what to say to that. She wanted to ask if it was a family trait-if he, Jamal, was the same way. Did he love only once, and was that one great love Yasmin? Heidi didn't want it to be so. If it was, she labored in vain because Jamal wouldn't have any of his heart left over to give her. She was beginning to worry that friendship and passion weren't going to be enough for her-but was she going to get a choice in the matter?

"What are you thinking?" he asked unexpectedly.

"About your late wife," she said truthfully, although she was not going to tell him anything specific. Then she remembered she was supposed to be ignorant about Jamal's past. "I mean I, ah, read in an article that you were married before."

"Yasmin is off-limits to you, young lady." He gently squeezed her fingers.

"Why?" Didn't he want to talk about his great love? "

Because it's only polite," he said. "Your past is off-limits to me, as well. I doubt you are the kind of woman to kiss and tell, right?"

"Of course," Heidi said easily, even as she wondered if that was true.

After all, she didn't have any kissing to tell about, except for his, so she hadn't actually been tested.

"So you won't tell me about all your dozens of lovers?" he asked, his voice teasing.

"Dozens is a slight exaggeration."

"So it's less than fifty?"

Fifty?Heidi laughed."Definitely less than fifty."

"Less than twenty?"

"Of course."

He studied her, his dark eyes appraising. "I want to guess less than ten, but you're so beautiful. Men must be a problem for you wherever you go."

Oh, yeah, right. She practically had to step over them just to get to her car, she thought humorously.

"You would be surprised," was all she said, however.

Wait a minute. Had he just said she was beautiful?Beautiful?For real? And she barely thought of herself as pretty. Did he mean it? If only she knew a way to ask.

"Still," hesaid, standing, then pulling her to her feet. "You're here now...in my power, so to speak. I have a sudden desire to make sure you never get away."

He was making it impossible for her to breathe.Really. Her throat was all tight, as was her chest, and if her heart beat any faster, it was going to self-propel itself out of her body.

She couldn't think of a single thing to say in response, so she allowed him to pull her close. He wrapped his arms around her. She knew exactly what was going to happen next and found that she couldn't wait. She desperately wanted him to kiss her the way he had before.All hot and passionate with tongues brushing and hands exploring.

Now, standing so close to him, staring up into his dark eyes and handsome face, she couldn't imagine why on earth she'd been afraid of being intimate with a man. Jamal made her want to find out everything and do it over and over until they got it right.

"Now what are you thinking?" he asked as he leaned close and brushed his mouth against hers.

"Nothing important," she murmured,then brazenly licked his lower lip.

He shuddered at her touch, which made her shudder in return.

"It must be important," he said as he nibbled on her jaw. "You were blushing."

"No. I never blush. It's the lighting in here."

"Liar."His voice was low and seductive. "But if you don't want to tell me what you were thinking, maybe you'd like to hear what I'm thinking."

She shivered again, but this time as much from apprehension as anticipation. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Jamal could shock her in forty-seven different ways if he tried. The trick was going to be for her to act blase, because she was, after all, the experienced-mistress type. At least Honey was.

He trailed soft, damp kisses down her neck and followed the curve of her top until he reached her exposed cleavage. Once there, he dipped his tongue into the valley between her breasts.

Her breath caught and her knees nearly gave way. She clung to him, praying he would never stop.

"Do you want to know?" he asked.

"Huh?"

He laughed-a satisfied male laugh. "Do you want to know what I'mthinking.

"Oh, ah, sure."

Right now she would agree to anything as long as he kept touching her, she thought hazily, her head lolling back so that he could easily reach all of her throat.

"I have a fantasy," he admitted. "I've had it for years and not once have I ever had it fulfilled."

That got her attention. Heidi straightened and stared at him."Never?"

"No." His dark gaze met hers. "It's probably going to sound a little silly to someone as sophisticated as

you."

"I doubt that," she said honestly. "Tell me."

She wanted to hear any fantasy he'd had for years-especially one that hadn't been fulfilled by Yasmin.

He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "I would love to see you do the Dance of the Seven Veils for me."

She blinked."Dance of the Seven Veils?Like in the movies?"

He licked the shell of her ear."Exactly."

He kept licking her and nibbling on her lobe, which made it impossible to think. Still she forced herself to respond to his request. "Isn't that where the woman ends up naked?"

"Yes. Then she and the handsome sheik make love." He straightened and smiled. "You'd be a terrific dancing girl."

And Jamal had the handsome-sheik part down cold. Now if only the thought of doing that for him didn't make her stomach head directly for her throat.