Rohan paused, his eyes roving over the carvings. He really wanted to show Priya his favourite cave. Number six. He wanted to watch her expressions as she took in the stone cuttings in the cave for the first time. He wanted to hear her initial, unfiltered reaction. And when he took her through to see what he considered would be the showpiece of the whole island...

  ‘Rohan,’ Priya’s voice called from the cave entrance. ‘Are you okay down there? Aren’t you coming to eat?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll be right out,’ he called back. Whatever he was feeling, he couldn’t let Priya suspect he wanted her. Unless she already did, and that was the reason she was distancing herself.

  He joined her by the rock where she was helping his bodyguard lay out plates and cutlery on a small trestle table. There were also two folding chairs open next to the table. Once they were done, his bodyguard left them.

  As Rohan sat down, he caught Priya’s amused glance.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked.

  ‘Oh, I don’t think I should say,’ she replied, shaking her head with exaggerated fake apprehension.

  ‘Well, now you have to say.’

  ‘When you mentioned you’d organise a picnic lunch for today I was imagining sandwiches on a rug. Not this.’ She gesticulated at the table and glass containers with meat and vegetable curries, luchis, naans and salads. Even though she was mumbling under her breath as she opened one of the containers, he heard her say, ‘I guess the royal bottom can’t sit on the ground.’

  He let out a deep chuckle. ‘I’ll have you know this royal bottom can endure some discomfort.’

  Her eyes widened and colour flooded her cheeks as she realised he’d heard her, but she gave him a shy, embarrassed smile. She was enchanting.

  ‘Of course, we have to take extra precautions here,’ he continued, ‘because the insurance won’t pay out if the royal bottom is injured through careless action.’

  He struggled to maintain his serious expression when her mouth fell open. ‘You’ve insured your...’ she said, waving her hand in his direction.

  He threw his head back and gave a hearty laugh. ‘You’re so easy to tease.’

  She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, but her smiled proved she wasn’t upset. ‘You know you’re lucky there aren’t bread rolls here or I’d have lobbed one at you.’

  He shrugged. ‘That would be treason.’

  ‘It would be worth it.’ She finished opening the last container. ‘Is the royal personage capable of serving himself or would you like me to wait on you?’

  He titled his head pretending to consider her question. ‘Hmm, I’ll be able to manage. In fact, to prove it I’ll serve you.’ Before she could protest, he stood and began holding out dishes for her inspection, enjoying playing the role of butler, hamming it up as if he was performing in a British historical drama.

  They chatted as they ate, their conversation flowing easily.

  It had been a long time since he felt so relaxed with someone, as if he’d known them for a lifetime instead of days.

  She was intelligent, interesting, curious, passionate, beautiful. He liked her. But it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.

  During their conversation they often referred to his royal status—he didn’t usually bring it up outside the family. He never liked to distinguish himself from the people he was with. But with Priya, it was almost a form of protection. A reminder because of who he was he had a duty to marry someone who could help the island improve and grow, he wasn’t free to choose who he liked.

  If it had been any other time he might have asked Priya out for a meal. Perhaps they would have dated for a while. But inevitably it would end, because all his relationships had to. This time there was no point entertaining the thought of a brief relationship. In a few short weeks, guests would be arriving at the palace for a gala event and he would be expected to charm potential brides.

  If he hadn’t been Rohan Varma, Yuvaraja of Adysara, duty-bound to marry someone who could improve the prosperity of the island and improve the quality of life of its people, but just plain Rohan Varma, maybe things could have been different. He suspected the end would always be the same though. He didn’t see any reason to get married apart from carrying out his duty. He wasn’t going to fall in love. It was something he didn’t believe was real or lasting. Sooner or later, just being together wouldn’t be enough and the woman could start to want something he couldn’t give.

  It was a moot point. He wasn’t plain Rohan Varma. His romantic future wasn’t in his control.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  SITTING NEXT TO Rohan in the back of the Jeep, she could feel the anticipation and excitement emanating from him. Cave six was the one he was most excited about, the one he considered to be particularly special. Since all the caves she’d already inspected had been sensational, she couldn’t wait to see how magnificent this one would be.

  She glanced at Rohan and caught him looking directly at her. She gave him a shy smile, but his face was severe. What had changed from only seconds before?

  After today, she didn’t know when or if she would see him again. A huge, painful knot twisted inside her at the thought.

  She would miss spending time with him. If he wasn’t Rohan Varma, Crown Prince of Adysara, she may have tried to keep in touch, found a way of holding on to the phone he’d given her. She wanted to get to know him better still.

  No. She shook the possibility from her mind. It didn’t matter who he was. She wasn’t looking for a relationship. She was wary of them.

  She was only interested in doing her job. Exceeding expectations so she was even in the running for better career opportunities. It’s what she needed to concentrate on now.

  Her attraction to Rohan was an inconvenience she had to ignore.

  But sometimes, with the way Rohan looked at her and the way he spoke to her, she couldn’t help sensing he felt something for her too. Although it was probably wishful thinking.

  Experience, in the form of her last couple of boyfriends, taught her she was difficult to love. Her own father didn’t care enough about her.

  A member of royalty wasn’t going to suddenly develop feelings for her.

  ‘Are we almost there?’ she asked, like a child who’d got bored of a journey.

  ‘Hmm?’ Rohan was obviously miles away from her in his thoughts. ‘Sorry. I missed what you asked?’

  ‘I was wondering whether we were close by.’ She gestured outside the window. ‘I noticed the topography has changed. We’re moving into a more elevated terrain.’

  Rohan looked out the window. ‘Yes, we’re almost here.’ He sat forward in his seat—the excitement and anticipation was back.

  The car stopped. Once again, Rohan gave the driver and bodyguard permission to wander round so they didn’t have to stay with the car.

  They were at a hillside with a number of man-formed entrances carved into the side.

  Rohan reached for her hand. He led her down a narrow gap that didn’t appear to be a cave mouth at first but widened as they went further.

  ‘The main cave is through here,’ he explained. ‘There are a number of interconnected chambers and passageways. Access might be a problem but believe me it will be worth it. We’ll probably need to have restricted guided tours down here.’

  While Rohan spoke about the issues concerning opening the caves to the public, Priya was only conscious of the warmth emanating from her hand, sending sparks along her arms. The sensual thrill should have alarmed her and made her remove her hand, but it felt so safe, and secure; perfectly enveloped by his.

  The stone cuttings she’d examined so far were in excellent condition considering their environment. But the darkness had probably helped delay any deterioration. Once light and heat, caused by a number of visitors, impacted the cave then decay could be rapid if they didn’t get the preservation process right.

  ‘Close your eyes,’ Rohan said, turning to her just before they reached the end of the tunnel.

  ‘What?’ Priya asked. ‘It’s dark enough, isn’t it?’

  ‘Please.’ He looked like a child trying to cajole more chocolate from his parent.

  She giggled. ‘Fine.’ She made an exaggerated showing of closing her eyes, jutting her face out for his inspection. A warm hand covered her eyes. ‘Rohan. Is it necessary? Don’t you trust me?’

  ‘Always.’

  His succinct response touched her. She felt him move so he was behind her, one hand still over her eyes. He put his other hand on her shoulder and gently guided her forward.

  Her skinned burned where his fingers made contact, his body so close she could feel his breath whisper against her with every exhale. Her steps faltered as she tried to control the explosive currents coursing through her.

  ‘Almost there,’ Rohan said after they’d taken a few paces. He carefully moved her and turned her to her right. ‘Keep your eyes closed,’ he instructed as he removed his hand from over her eyes and stepped away.

  Priya felt air begin to circulate around her. She wasn’t sure whether it was because the space around her was larger or because she was no longer in such close proximity to Rohan. She instinctively moved as if searching for him.

  ‘Wait,’ he admonished. ‘Be still. You’re in the perfect spot. Ready?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Okay. Open your eyes now,’ he said.

  Slowly, Priya raised her lids. She was staring at an intricately carved tableau of multiple figures of different shapes and sizes forming a circle around a centrepiece. The carved figures were in rows, with one row standing on the shoulders of the figures below. Each was carrying something—a musical instrument, parchment, baskets containing grass, probably rice, stones, or classical weapons. The centrepiece consisted of a larger bovine creature, not a cow or a buffalo, maybe a mithun. The animal was carrying a small child whose hands were raised up, holding a globe-shaped structure splitting to reveal a tiny plant shoot. The whole piece depicted the variety of people which made up Adysara; which made up a country. It was a celebration of life and death and rebirth.

  There were small, discrete carvings around the rest of the cave which complemented the tableau of the main wall.

  It would be a crime to risk letting this craftsmanship be damaged by the footfall of tourists. But it would also be a crime to keep this hidden from the world. Photos would never do it justice.

  Her hands itched to trace the detailed contours along the carvings, but her professional instincts overrode inclination, knowing the barest trace of oil from her fingers could degrade the work.

  She turned her head to see Rohan, who was watching her expectantly.

  ‘I can see why this is your favourite,’ she whispered, reverently.

  He shook his head, surprising her. ‘That’s not all of it. Come on, I want to show you. You need to close your eyes again but we’re going through another passageway first.’

  Priya’s anticipation mounted. If the crowning glory of the cave wasn’t the tableau in front of her, she couldn’t imagine what lay in store.

  Again she followed Rohan through a dark man-constructed corridor until he told her to stop and close her eyes, at which point he guided her forwards.

  ‘Almost there,’ he said.

  She sensed, from the change of air, they had come through to an open area. And she was certain she could feel the sun on her. Had they walked out of the cave? Was what he wanted to show her outside?

  This time, after he had positioned her where he wanted, he came to stand next to her.

  ‘Open your eyes,’ he whispered in her ear.

  The sensations rushing through her body at the heated breath from his voice rendered her momentarily incapable of movement.

  She quickly opened her eyes to dispel those feelings. Trying to get her bearings, she almost couldn’t take in what was in front of her.

  ‘Priya?’ Rohan said in an uncertain tone.

  She forced herself to focus on the shape in front of her.

  ‘Oh, my!’ she said, as soon as her mind was able to process she was actually standing next to a megalith, carved from the cliff face, of a palace guarded by tigers and lions at each of its corners. She instinctively reached for Rohan’s hand, as if he could somehow ground her.

  She’d had no idea this existed. It was much smaller than the Kailasha temple in the Ellora caves, of course, but it could rival its artistry.

  It felt completely natural to walk around the megalith with her hand in Rohan’s. Occasionally, whenever she squealed because her eye landed on a particularly intricate or unexpected carving, Rohan would squeeze her hand, grinning at her obvious enthusiasm.

  It was almost as if they were just a couple of ordinary tourists, viewing one of the most impressive stone-cut megaliths in the world and she wasn’t Priya Sen, conservator, walking with her kind of client who also happened to be the crown prince of the island.

  With that reminder, she almost flung his hand away. He blinked, but she didn’t miss the brief flash of hurt in his eyes. She stepped towards the structure and pretended to examine the ground for signs of deterioration.

  Why did it have to be Rohan who caused these feelings in her? She’d already decided to focus on her career. She wanted to be project lead on this work. She was trying to prove she was capable.

  She wasn’t looking for romance. And if she was, Rohan would be the last person who would be suitable. Even if he was interested in her, and she couldn’t believe it was a remote possibility, he was so far out of her orbit. He could never be hers.

  Everybody knew he was searching for his future wife—the next Maharani of Adysara. He wasn’t going to give it up to have a quick affair with Priya.

  And she couldn’t let her attraction to him distract her from her goal. Her work was everything to her. It had to be.

  Forcing herself to concentrate on carrying out her investigations she took out some equipment and worked diligently for a while. She came across a section which she could use Rohan’s assistance for, so she turned around to ask him to help.

  He had moved back to stand in the shadow of the surrounding rocks. The powerful set of his shoulders and his broad chest cast a long shadow over the rocks which, though imposing, made her feel protected and safe.

  She wished she had the artistic skills to commit this gorgeous specimen of a man to posterity.

  Something above him caught her attention.

  Without thinking, she leapt in his direction, throwing her arms around him and pushing them both out of the way. She heard a small thud behind her from where the object she’d glimpsed falling towards Rohan had landed. She slowly became aware she had her arms around him and he had, at some point, thrown his arms around her.

  She was in Rohan’s arms. And she felt like she belonged there. She never wanted to leave.

  She was in Rohan’s arms because he had been in danger—the implication of that renewed her alarm.

  She pushed herself out of his arms and began pacing.

  ‘This is dangerous. You shouldn’t be here. If something happened to you...’ Her voice trailed off as her imagination played out the frightening possibilities.

  ‘Nothing happened. I’m all right.’ He reached for her but she kept out of his grasp.

  ‘All right? What if I hadn’t reached you in time. We shouldn’t have come. You shouldn’t have come.’

  Rohan walked over to the stone on the ground. ‘Come over here. Look at it.’

  Priya walked to stand next to him. In the scheme of things, the stone was small and wouldn’t have done any major harm if it had hit Rohan, but that could be luck. There could be larger rocks on the brink of tumbling towards them.

  ‘You should get out of here,’ she said, pushing him in the direction of the exit. ‘There’s no need for you to join me. I can work on my own. It’s too big a risk.’

  ‘It was a small, displaced stone. The cave walls aren’t coming down.’

  Priya shook her head. ‘This could have been so bad.’

  ‘But it wasn’t.’

  ‘If something had happened it would have been my fault.’

  ‘It would have been an accident.’

  ‘I would have been blamed. What if they didn’t believe it was an accident? What if they thought I was trying to assassinate you?’

  Rohan made a choking sound.

  ‘Could I be tried for treason?’

  ‘Priya, nothing happened.’

  ‘You shouldn’t be here. You need to leave.’

  ‘It’s okay. Calm down.’ He pulled her back into his arms until they were standing so close together no light could be seen between them.

  She inhaled deeply a couple of times, her heart rate gradually returning to normal.

  Home.

  The word resounded in her mind. Followed closely by alarm bells.

  Her rational mind told her she had to move. She had to get away from him. This wasn’t her place and Rohan wasn’t her home.

  But he could have been injured. Concern tore through her heart. And it wasn’t because he was a client. And it wasn’t even because he was the crown prince.

  It was because she cared about him.

  She began to tremble. As he stroked her back to calm her, the sensations flooding through her body soon switched from concern to desire.

  ‘Are you okay?’ he asked in a low voice.

  ‘I think so.’ She took a deep breath but a picture of Rohan lying on the ground knocked out by a rock filled her imagination. She tightened her arms around him.

  She felt the lightest touch against her hair. She slowly lifted her head. He was gazing tenderly at her.

  Her lips parted as his head descended, inviting his kiss.

 

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