She slipped a thigh across his hip, holding him closer still. “I have tried very, very hard to keep your life exciting.”

“And I appreciate the effort.”

She smiled into his eyes. But suddenly she was overcome with the enormity of leaving him tomorrow.

They both slowly sobered, their breathing synchronized. The overhead fan whirred off the seconds, and his thumb drew circles on her palm.

“Do you feel married?” she asked him.

It took him a minute to respond. “A little bit.”

She nodded. “Me, too.” Then she paused. “It’s funny. I didn’t expect it. There was no dress, no ring, and they could have been reciting the Declaration of Independence for all I could tell.”

“They weren’t,” he said, his voice low with conviction.

Then he unexpectedly rose from the bed.

She was suddenly cold, almost frightened. “Harrison?”

But he came back quickly, something shiny in his hand.

She blinked it into focus and realized it was a diamond ring.

Her stomach contracted in a rush of emotion.

“It’s an heirloom, but we’ll need it tomorrow,” he said, reaching for her hand.

She watched him slide it over the knuckle of her ring finger, where the large, empress diamond sparkled against the henna pattern.

“I wish you hadn’t done that,” she said, feeling almost weepy.

“I don’t want any glitches going through Immigration,” he responded. “A bride without a ring may raise questions.”

She nodded.

That was very logical of him, and she was being silly in letting it get to her. This was still a marriage of convenience, and a very temporary one at that. Harrison belonged to Brittany, not to Julia.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked, peering into her eyes.

She shook her head and forced a smile.

He stretched back out on the bed, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into the cradle of his body. She all but melted into his strength as his kisses found the crook of her neck.

She turned to face him, offering up her mouth. They melded together as their lovemaking took on a sense of urgency.

Deep in sleep, Julia whimpered in Harrison’s arms.

She twitched against him and thrashed her head to one side of the pillow.

“Shh,” he whispered in her ear, smoothing her hair, trying to soothe away her nightmare. “You’re dreaming.”

She whimpered louder.

“Julia,” he tried. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

Her foot kicked and she struggled to cry out.

He spoke louder. “Julia.”

She stilled. Her eyes blinked open in the dim light.

“You were having a dream,” he repeated.

In response, she turned and clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder, muffling her voice.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“We were in the helicopter again,” she hiccuped. “You were falling. And Muwaffaq was laughing and laughing.”

She drew a shuddering breath, and Harrison realized she was more rattled by the experience than he’d thought.

“Everything was in slow motion,” she continued. “I reached for you. I could see the patterns on my hands. They were codes. And I knew, I just knew, if I could only read Arabic, I could save you. But I couldn’t read Arabic, and you were falling…”

Harrison hugged her tight, his heart aching, her body feeling fragile in his arms. She’d been through so much, and she obviously hadn’t had enough time to recover. And he still felt the need to protect her. It wasn’t some kind of an on-off switch.

How could he send her away all alone?

“You’re safe,” he reassured her. “Nothing can happen here. I have security all over the stable.”

She nodded, but she was still shaking.

“And I’ll take you home,” he said, making up his mind.

He’d planned to buy her a first-class ticket to Lexington. But he’d take his own plane instead.

She drew a breath. “You sure the passport thing will work?”

“It will work,” he said, drawing back to reassure her with his eyes. “Besides, I’m coming with you to make sure.”

“You mean to the airport?”

He rested his head on his own pillow so they were eye to eye. “To Lexington.”

She didn’t say anything, simply blinked at him quizzically.

“I want to talk to the Prestons,” he lied.

While he did want to talk to the Prestons, there was no need to do it in person. His telephones were working just fine.

Truth was, he simply wanted to stay with Julia. He had no intention of examining the reasons why. He was just going with his instincts.

He’d get her safely back to Lexington, then he’d come back to Dubai and find out who the hell had attacked them in the desert, and why the police were interested in her. The subject wasn’t closed, not by a long shot. But he was getting her out of harm’s way before he stirred up anything else.

After a pause, she said, “I’m really glad you’re alive.”

He smiled at her. “So am I.”

“Who do you think they are?”

“Nobody who can get to you now.”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” she said. “Why are they scared of me?”

An excellent question. One Harrison had been pondering himself. “Maybe Muwaffaq poisoned Millions to Spare, and he knew you could identify him.”

“But why did he poison Millions to Spare? And how did he get the police to help him?”

“The same way I got the police to help me. Money.”

“He bribed them?”

Harrison didn’t believe for a second that Muwaffaq had the power or wherewithal to bribe the entire police force. “It could be that simple,” he told Julia.

“I’m glad he’s gone,” she said. “I’d rather he was in prison,” she hastily added. “But I’m glad he’s gone.”

“I’m glad he’s gone, too,” said Harrison. And he didn’t particularly care that the man was dead. Muwaffaq had likely murdered his horse. And it had been him or them, simple as that. Harrison would do it again if Julia was in danger.

“Nothing like this ever happens in Kentucky.”

He smoothed her hair back from her face, giving himself an excuse to touch her.

“Tell me about Kentucky,” he said, hoping to turn her mind to happier topics.

“It’s green,” she responded, relaxing into her pillow. “And it smells fresh all year long. There’s a creek off my deck, with trails along both banks. If I didn’t travel so much, I’d get a dog. He’d love the outdoors, and we’d walk for miles and miles.”

“What kind of a dog?”

“A Dalmatian. Or maybe a Labrador. Something with lots of stamina. I’d throw sticks in the water and Herman would retrieve them.”

“Herman?”

“It was my grandfather’s name.”

“Oh, in that case, great name.”

“What about you? Do you like dogs?”

“We have two golden retrievers at the house in Windsor.”

“Windsor?”

“It’s a borough just outside London. We have a lovely, little country estate there. It’s perfect for dogs and horses.”

“What are their names?”

“Alpha and Epsilon.”

“You don’t think that’s a little pretentious?”

“Maybe compared to Herman.”

She nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t you be messing with Herman. He’ll be sleeping with me long after you’re gone.”

“Maybe, but I suspect I’m a better kisser.”

She made a show of considering that statement. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

“So, aside from kissing dogs-” he kept the conversation going “-what else do you do in Lexington?”

“Tennis.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “There are courts in the park down the street, and a group of us in the condo development that like to play.”

“We’ve got some nice courts in Windsor.”

“On the little estate?”

Was it his imagination, or was there a thread of disdain in that question?

“Yes, on the estate. Do you have something against private tennis courts?”

“They take up a lot of space.”

“We have a lot of space.”

“I don’t. But I’m thinking of putting in a gazebo some day.”

“We have a nice gazebo.” He couldn’t stop himself from hoping she’d decide to come for a visit.

“Is there anything you don’t have in Windsor?”

He could think of one thing. Her. But he wasn’t about to say that out loud. “We don’t have an orchard.”

She sighed expansively. “How do you manage?”

“Quit being such a reverse snob. It’s a nice estate.”

“Apparently it needs an orchard.”

“Cherry trees,” said Harrison decisively. “Acres of little white blossoms followed by plump, purple, Bing cherries.”

“You could hang a swing from one of the trees.”

“That would be nice.”

“And your perfect daughter, in her little white dress and patent leather shoes, could swing back and forth while she watched you play tennis.”

“I’d beat you,” he said, putting Julia into the fantasy. “I’ve had lessons, and I have a longer reach.”

“You think I’m coming all the way to Windsor to play tennis?”

Harrison immediately realized what he’d done.

“Or I could come to Lexington,” he offered, to cover up the blunder.

“How often do you play?”

“Once or twice a month.”

“Ha! You’re on.” There was satisfaction in her voice. “I play three times a week.”

“Really? I’m up for a match. Care to make it a little interesting?”

She leaned up on her elbow. “What did you have in mind?”

He matched her posture. “You win, I build you a gazebo. I win, you name your dog Harrison.”

“You’d build me a gazebo? As in, cutting boards and hammering nails?”

“More along the lines of write a check to a carpenter,” he said honestly. “But, yes, I’d build you a gazebo.”

She smiled, and he realized in that moment that he’d do pretty much anything to make her happy. The realization was both exhilarating and frightening.

Julia struggled against cold, hard terror as they crossed the airport terminal, heading for the security check-in. She was about to present herself to the very people who’d been hunting her down. And all she had for protection was a little red book, along with Harrison’s assurance that the men with the guns would respect it.