Page 32 of Lone Spy (Starstruck Thrillers #2)

"Possibly. Hard to say in this modern age.” Omar shrugs, casual. We are just bantering here. Nothing serious. “It used to be there was nothing more unacceptable than the wrong marriage." He smiles.

"I'll admit, my knowledge of the royal family is limited."

"You don't follow the scandal rags?" he asks, smiling.

"Only the ones I'm featured in."

He laughs. "King Edward the VIII had to abdicate his throne to marry the woman he loved."

"How romantic," I say. "And sad."

"Turned out he was a bit of a Nazi, so the old rules on royal marriages did the country a favor."

"A bit of a Nazi?" I say, trying to keep my voice light. Trying not to think of how the Nazis murdered my grandmother's entire family and left her broken, bitter, and incapable of love. But I can’t keep the faded numbers tattooed onto her arm from flashing across my mind's eye.

"A sympathizer for certain," Omar says. "I think Hitler hoped to install him as a puppet king. Historically, nothing was as unacceptable to the British royal family as the wrong marriage partner. Next worse thing would be cozying up to a dictator. I suppose they felt that a supreme leader should be installed by lineage, not violence.”

I don't let my respiratory rate increase. I smile like we are still flirting. As if we have not strayed into the exact conversation I was sent here to have. “You said historically; is that no longer true?”

“The queen is a traditionalist.”

I can’t ask about the future king. It’s too obvious. Too blatant. “What about Jordanian royalty?" I ask.

Omar drops his gaze to his now-empty teacup.

"The difference between a traditional monarch and a dictator is somewhat opaque.

" His gaze rises to mine again, his smile almost sad.

"One inherits their power, the other takes it through force—or lies.

Usually a combination of both. But in either case you end up with a leader who has absolute power. "

The fire is suddenly less cozy, more suffocating.

The heat coming off of it is scorching. The tea and whiskey in my stomach war with the light lunch I ate on the flight.

"That was a nifty way to avoid the question," I say with a smile as if I don't care about his answer.

As if this entire conversation is just foreplay.

He grins, his expression wicked. "I'm sure my father would not stand for any member of his family creating close ties with our enemies. As the Nazis were to Britain."

"But what if King Edward the VIII had been installed as a puppet for Hitler by force or lies, or a potent mix of both? Would your father accept such an ally?" I'm probably treading too close here.

"Angela," Omar's voice drops. The way he says my name sends a shiver up my spine and I’m not sure if it’s fear, lust, or both. "The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will work with whoever we need to in order to maintain peace and safety for our people."

Well, when he puts it like that…

"What about marriage?" I ask, eager to change the subject. I'm not here to weasel information out of him. I'm here to talk to Victoria. I'm here for my own purposes, not anyone else's.

Omar shrugs, leans back, steeples his fingers.

"My father would be very disappointed if I fell for the chauffeur.

" I laugh. Omar grins. "There are rules, of course—expectations.

My wife must be a Muslim. She must be capable of handling the public attention.

" His lips curl into a smile, but it's edged with sorrow.

Almost like he feels bad for his future bride.

“My mother converted to Islam to marry my father. She was a well-known fashion model, British.”

“Are they happy?”

Omar nods. “Yes, I think so.” The fire crackles, and I lean forward to pick up my tea again. Sipping the spiked, sweet warmth.

A comfortable silence falls. Omar is the one to break it.

“So much of politics, of power, is artifice. Being able to control the narrative.” I look over at him.

He’s still leaning back in the chair, long legs parted, hands gently curling over the ends of the armrest, looking for all the world like a man with immense power.

Like a king in his throne. “That’s part of why royals so often marry actors.

They need partners who can help tell the story they want told. ”

“Is that why?” I ask, teasing, trying to steer this conversation back to flirting and away from power and artifice. “I thought it was all about our hotness.”

Omar laughs, the sound warm and easy. He shifts forward, hands coming to clasp in front of him, the fire dancing over his face.

“It doesn’t hurt.” His eyes track over me appreciatively, coming back to my face.

“But beauty is not enough on its own to make a marriage work.” He holds my gaze.

“Someone who can present a story with their body, their face, someone who can create a truth, is very powerful.”

I make sure to keep the chill sneaking up my spine off my face. Does he know about me?

Omar shrugs, sitting back again. “That is one of the reasons Benjamin is such a good partner for Victoria—he can help her tell any story she wants told.”

“The love between them seems genuine.”

“I believe it is.” He smiles, eyes twinkling again. “I'm afraid that love would not make my father's list of reasons for marriage.”

I laugh. “Does it make yours?"

“I want her to be a woman I can respect above all else."

"Respect is more important than love to you?"

"Love has been known to fade." His eyes drift to the fire.

"A relationship built on respect and mutual interest can last longer.

" Omar's attention comes back to mine. "Falling in love is dangerous—there is falling involved, after all.

" Humor glints in his gaze but fades. "When it comes to a life partner I'd rather be on solid ground.

My marriage is not only mine. It's a nation’s.

I must pick a wife who will help Jordan thrive. "

Silence falls between us, the fire sputtering to the fill the void. "I get that," I admit.

"You do?" His smile is pleased.

"Falling is dangerous." I smile. "Especially for a woman. It's easy to become trapped. To be disappeared by devotion. I've worked too hard to get where I am to risk that."

"We are similar creatures then. Pragmatic in our ways."

“Yes,” I agree. “In some ways.” I don’t mention that I may also need to marry for reasons that have nothing to do with love…