When she approached him, his gaze was filled with challenge.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” she said, her stomach exploding with butterflies.
How was this man able to make her whole body react with one word, one twitch of his lip? He was amazing in every possible way, and Steph walked a little closer to him than normal as she fell into step by his side. They walked down a hallway until they reached a door to the outside, where Steph saw a helicopter waiting for them.
“What?” she asked, incredulous.
Mehdi slid on a pair of sunglasses, turning into sexiness personified. His rugged smile had her heart doing somersaults.
“When I promise an adventure, I don’t go small.”
“I see that,” she breathed as he placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward the helicopter.
Steph slid inside and buckled herself in, taking the proffered headset Mehdi handed her so they could communicate on the way. Once they were strapped in, the helicopter whisked into the air, and Steph grabbed on to Mehdi’s arm as they soared over El Farah, the country exposed in its entirety as they lifted higher and higher into the sky.
Mehdi pointed out the cinnamon forests to the north, as well as some other distinguishable landmarks that Steph had a hard time caring about as she clung to his bicep. They left land behind, flying over smooth, blue waters for a short time.
Mehdi looked down and pointed, and Steph turned her head in that direction. They were flying toward a small exotic island that was shaped exactly like a leaf. It was unlike anything Steph had ever seen.
As the helicopter began its descent, Steph watched with wide eyes as they approached turquoise-blue water surrounded by silky white sand. They landed on a small helicopter pad, gently touching the ground before the blades ceased turning and they were able to step out onto solid ground.
Steph gazed all around her at the secluded island, and then she turned and grinned at Mehdi.
“Okay, this is seriously cool.”
The Sheikh’s grin was wide as he took her hand in his and thanked the pilot before escorting her off the helicopter pad. Steph’s heart soared at the gesture, and she laced her fingers with his as they walked toward a small, boutique resort.
Inside the main building, there was a small concierge desk with a woman standing behind it. When she glanced up, her eyes widened.
“Your—” she began, but at the look on Mehdi’s face, she stopped herself.
“Hello, sir. It’s a pleasure to see you here today! What can we do to accommodate you?”
“Hello,” Mehdi said, greeting her warmly. “My friend and I would like a private cabana, some sunscreen, and a picnic basket with your finest offerings for the day, please.”
“It will be ready in just one moment. You can enjoy the beachfront while you wait, if you’d like.”
“Thank you,” Mehdi said, steering Steph in that direction.
As they stood waiting for their provisions to be ready, Steph glanced up at Mehdi with a curious stare.
“Why don’t you like people addressing you by your title?” she asked. “And how do they know not to do so?”
Mehdi glanced down at her before he gazed out at the shimmering, crystal-blue waters.
“I would rather not be singled out in that way. People still tend to treat me better than they would others—it kind of comes with the territory—but I have made it known that I prefer not to be addressed as anything other than sir, if one must be so formal.”
“You are quite a man of the people for a royal,” Steph said, and Mehdi’s thoughtful look turned jovial once again.
“Yes, I am quite unusual, I’m afraid. Do you think I’m strange?”
He gazed searchingly into her eyes, and she held his gaze.
“Not one bit. I think you are the perfect monarch, and I am grateful that I can call you mine.”
Hearing the implication of her words, Steph blushed and began to backtrack. “I mean my sheikh, or ruler, or whatever. Obviously…”
Mehdi’s gaze was warm as he looked at her, and he leaned down, about to say something, when the concierge approached them from behind.