Pregnant by the Desert King

by Susan Stephens

  ‘You need me to teach you the benefit of restraint,’ he argued softly.

  ‘Just a bit more,’ she begged in what she hoped was her most appealing voice.

  ‘And have you lose control?’ Tadj asked. He gave her one of his looks.

  ‘Why shouldn’t I lose control? Isn’t that what this is about?’

  ‘As I said, you have a lot to learn,’ he told her. ‘You will lose control, not once, but many times, if you listen to my instruction. Hold your legs open for me,’ he commanded.

  He only had to brush his fingertips across that painfully sensitive place to send her screaming off the edge. Arcing her body towards him, she thrust mindlessly in a rhythmical pattern that was an age-old hunt for union with her mate.

  Tadj coolly denied her his hand. ‘Wider,’ he insisted.

  By this point she was glad to do anything he suggested. ‘More,’ she managed on a shaking breath.

  He brought her to the edge again, easing into her fractionally. When he withdrew, the agony of frustration was indescribable. Reaching out, she clamped her hands around his buttocks.

  ‘Not yet,’ he warned.

  ‘I’m done with waiting,’ she said fiercely, and as she spoke she claimed him. Tadj could have held her off with ease, but a line had been crossed, and they both knew it, and with a growl of triumph he pressed her into the bed, and took over.

  However much he wanted this, wanted Lucy, he was determined to go slowly, so she would remember this for all the right reasons. However eager she might be, he would hold back. His body cried out for immediate satisfaction, but he ruled it ruthlessly. Pinning Lucy’s hands above her head on the soft bank of pillows, he took her slowly and deeply, taking his time to make sure she savoured every moment of pleasure. His reward was that she lost control immediately, and as she bucked wildly beneath him he held her in position to ensure she explored what was possible.

  Making love to Lucy was as natural as breathing. They each responded without the need for words, and grew closer, in amusement, in pleasure, in trust, in ways he’d never imagined possible with a woman, after knowing each other for so short a time. When she finally fell back exhausted, he smiled to think that the erotic hangings above the bed were tame by comparison with this.

  ‘Do you never tire?’ she asked when he stroked her into awareness again. Smiling into the pillows, she gave him an engaging sideways look. Curled up on the sheets like a contented pussycat, she made his stone heart long for the impossible, and so he took her again, turning his thoughts from complications to pleasure.

  A long time later, he realised he was murmuring words in his own tongue to Lucy, and these were words he had never said to anyone. Whatever difficulties faced them, she was part of his life now. He had claimed her as she had claimed him, and, settling back with her safely nestled in his arms, he closed his eyes and they slept.

  * * *

  Dawn light woke Lucy when it streamed into the Golden Suite. Tadj lay sprawled across the bed. She had slept contentedly through the night in his embrace. He was so beautiful, she thought, staring down.

  Hearing noises on deck, she was instantly alert. The consequence of being on board when the Sapphire left dock struck home forcefully, and, slipping out of bed without waking him, she went to peer out of the window. Her heart lurched as her worst fears were confirmed. The Sapphire was about to sail. Racing to drag on her clothes, she only knew that she had to get off before that happened, and there wasn’t a moment to lose. Last night had been a wonderful dream, but she had always known she would wake up at some point. They both had their lives to live, and she didn’t belong in this very different world. Tiptoeing back to the bed, she stared down wistfully, but some things could never be. Putting the past behind her had meant striving to move forward every day, and how could she do that if she stayed here? Wrenching her gaze away from the only man she could ever love, she left her heart with him, and hurried out of the room.

  Tadj would move on when he tired of her, Lucy’s sensible self insisted as she bolted down the gangplank. Life would continue as normal for the Emir of Qalala when the Sapphire sailed, while Lucy didn’t have the luxury of taking time out.

  Turning in response to the shouts of the sailors tossing ropes from shore to ship, she knew their strident voices were the death knell to the dreams she had so foolishly tucked away in her heart.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Three months later...

  FROZEN TO THE spot on the tiled floor of the restaurant where she was working her second job on King’s Dock, Lucy was stunned to see Tadj again. How many more shocks could she take?

  As many as necessary, she told herself firmly after taking a few steadying breaths. Only an hour or so ago she had received a panicked phone call from her mother, to warn Lucy that her stepfather had unexpectedly received parole, and was due to be set free from prison, which meant they were both in danger. She had felt sick inside knowing there was an unborn child involved now.

  And now this...

  ‘Get away from here,’ her mother had pleaded. ‘It’s the only way you can help me. You have to get out of the country, because if your stepfather finds you, he’ll find a way to hurt me through you. Our lives are in danger, Lucy. I can’t rest until I know you’re safely out of his reach.’ This was no exaggeration. Lucy knew only too well from past experience how dangerous her stepfather could be, and how utterly ruthless.

  Holding Tadj’s gaze steadily, she stamped on the urge to tell him everything right away. She knew her eyes might give her away. Tadj had always been able to read her, and the fact that she was carrying his child couldn’t be hidden for long. She didn’t want to hide it—she was happy to think that in a few months’ time there would be a baby—but she wasn’t so certain how she felt about the fact that a child would bind them together for life, whether either of them wanted that or not.

  ‘We meet again,’ the Emir of Qalala intoned without a flicker of emotion on his dazzlingly handsome face.

  She knew immediately that this was not the fun-loving guy from the café, but a very different animal, as Tadj regarded her as coolly as if they’d shared nothing more than a passing acquaintance. He’d drawn to a halt just a few steps away, and she could see nothing of the man she’d known in his eyes, yet somehow she must persuade this hostile stranger to take her away from here. This wasn’t just a shock encounter, but a lucky quirk of fate that she must take advantage of. She’d go to Qalala, if she had to—whatever it took to keep her mother and baby safe.

  All these thoughts were jangling in Lucy’s head as they confronted each other. She would have liked more time to frame her argument and persuade him to take her with him, but there was no time.

  With an almost imperceptible nod of his head, the Emir of Qalala summoned the maître d’. ‘Lucy and I haven’t seen each other for some time,’ Tadj explained, ‘and would appreciate your giving her the night off.’

  This wasn’t a question, but an instruction, Lucy thought as the maître d’ gushed a response. Of course she could leave. ‘Whatever suits you, Your Majesty,’ he insisted.

  The lift of one ebony brow was all it took for Tadj to remind the maître d’ that the Emir of Qalala was eating in his restaurant incognito, and that he didn’t welcome reference to his royal status. This sent the hapless maître d’ into a tailspin. ‘I’ll get your coat,’ he told Lucy, rushing off.

  At least fate was on her mother’s side, Lucy thought as Tadj continued to stare at her. She’d had a genuine reason for leaving him three months ago, and could only hope that he didn’t harbour grudges for long.

  The distinguished gentleman who had been sitting with Tadj at the table made no complaint when his dining experience was brought to an abrupt end. Bowing politely over Lucy’s hand, he excused himself, and within moments she noticed an official limousine sweeping away. So far, so good, she thought, as Tadj indicated that she shoul
d now sit down. ‘We won’t be staying long,’ he told her. ‘A glass of water, perhaps?’

  If it hadn’t been for her condition, a stiff brandy might have been more appropriate, Lucy reasoned, trying to dredge up some humour from what was a not so funny situation. Tadj’s mention of leaving the restaurant was an additional reminder to keep a clear head. ‘A glass of water would be nice,’ she agreed, swallowing down her apprehension on a dry throat.

  ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ Tadj frowned. Cold as he was towards her, he was fundamentally a decent man. ‘The shock of seeing me again hasn’t been too much for you?’

  The irony in his tone was the only warning she needed to be cautious, and she shot him a sharp look. Tadj’s expression remained stony, while she remained silent. They had so much to say to each other, but the door of communication between them had slammed shut, and the mouth that had kissed her into oblivion remained set in a harsh line. Obviously, he was angry that she’d walked out on him. Who would do that to the Emir of Qalala? Who did that to anyone without a word of explanation? Lucy reflected unhappily, knowing she had to find a way to make this right, or the opportunity fate had so unexpectedly provided, to escape the country, and tell Tadj about their baby, would be lost.

  She downed the water gratefully, and then plunged right in. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye that night on the Sapphire, but you were asleep.’

  ‘And you didn’t think to wake me?’

  He wasn’t going to make this easy for her, and more than anything she wanted to tell him about the baby, but not here in a busy restaurant. It was such momentous news, she wanted to tell him in private so they could both take in what it meant.

  ‘Perhaps you need something stronger than water?’ Tadj suggested, in a way that warned he could read her easily.

  Determined that she would not be bounced into blurting out the facts, she stated firmly, ‘I never drink on duty, and I still have work to do.’

  ‘You won’t be working again tonight, so I don’t see that’s an issue.’ His black stare dared her to disagree as he added, ‘In my opinion a drink might settle you.’

  ‘I hardly drink at the best of times,’ she pointed out.

  ‘And this isn’t the best of times?’

  Irony dripped off his every word. Sitting up straight, she came to a decision. No one could accuse her of being a coward. She had stood on her own two feet for long enough; she was about to become a mother. Not only had her stepfather failed to crush her spirit, she refused to run scared, and would do whatever it took to protect both her child and her mother, and when it came to defending herself she would fight. Drawing a deep breath, she said, ‘I’ve got something to tell you.’

  ‘You’re pregnant,’ Tadj stated without emotion.

  Shock sucked the breath from her lungs. He’d guessed before she’d had chance to say anything. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘I know you,’ he said. ‘Three months?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So my child,’ he confirmed.

  ‘Well, no other,’ she said hotly.

  The realisation that Lucy was expecting his child had hit him like a punch in the gut. He was about to become a father. What did he know about that? Precisely nothing. If he followed the example set by his socialite, uncaring father, the future of his child was grim.

  Memories flooded back as he remembered how it felt to be the only child left sitting on his suitcase when the school holidays came around. Staff at the boarding school he’d attended had always done their best to make up for the neglect of his parents by calling Abdullah, a man who had cared for Tadj since Tadj was one of many in the nursery, to collect him from school. Being welcomed into Abdullah’s happy family home had proved how children could live, not in palaces, but surrounded by love. How he’d longed for Abdullah to be his father, rather than to have been born a royal prince to parents who couldn’t care less about him. Horror filled him at the thought that he could ever do that to a child. Stifling the dread, he moved on to practicalities that called for decisions, rather than maudlin recollections. He could have everything he wanted, including a ready-made family and a woman who had engaged his attention from the start, but this child would bind them together for life, which he hadn’t planned for.

  Lucy’s face was pale and creased with worry as she waited for his reaction. His world had been jolted, but his logical mind had quickly kicked in. Safeguards must be put in place immediately for both mother and child. Three months ago, sex had been the only thing on his mind. He and Lucy had been lost in an erotic jungle, but they were back with far more than they’d set out with. He had no trouble accepting that he was the father of Lucy’s child. No birth control was one hundred per cent effective. And on a positive note, the position of mistress was filled. He hadn’t reckoned on a pregnant mistress, but putting Lucy and the child under his protection was vital, so the sooner he could get her away from here, the better.

  Decision made, he stood. ‘We’re leaving,’ he said, waiting for her to join him.

  ‘Leaving?’ Lucy flashed a glance outside, where another sleek black limousine had drawn up at the kerb.

  ‘For my country house, and then on to Qalala,’ he explained. ‘We need to talk, and I’m not prepared to do that here.’

  ‘Your country house?’ Lucy queried, her voice shaking as if she was not quite in command of it. ‘And then Qalala?’

  Was he mistaken, or had she brightened at the prospect of leaving the country? No...she wasn’t just pleased, she was relieved, he thought, as suspicion twisted inside him. ‘We travel to my country house first, so that plans can be made for your arrival in Qalala. My staff need prior warning.’

  Don’t rock the boat, Lucy thought, though Tadj’s tone was chilling, and hardly boded well if she went with him now, but however cold he felt towards her for leaving him three months ago, and however shocked he might be about the baby, leaving the country was a priority, to keep her mother and her baby out of danger. What could be safer than leaving under the protection of the Emir of Qalala? Diplomatic protection would provide a safeguard from her vicious stepfather, leaving no loopholes for him to snake through.

  Decision made, she stood, but then saw black-clad figures stepping out of the shadows. For a moment she thought her stepfather’s thugs had found her, but when Tadj sent them off with a nod she realised they were his men. Out of the frying pan into the fire? she wondered.

  ‘You don’t need guards to make me come with you,’ she told Tadj. ‘I’ll come quietly,’ she added in a lame attempt at the humour they’d once shared.

  Tadj said nothing, and seemed, if anything, more remote than ever. She had to give him a chance to get over the shock of learning she was expecting his baby, Lucy reminded herself. She wasn’t the only one who’d been sent reeling with shock this evening.

  ‘Now,’ he prompted in a quiet, firm tone, glancing at the door.

  She wasted a few more seconds, searching in vain for some sign of the warmth they’d once shared. Leaving the safe and familiar with a man she thought she knew, but suddenly couldn’t be sure of, was quite an intimidating prospect. It was one thing knowing that Tadj was the Emir of Qalala, and quite another to feel the brush of his power.

  ‘Get in,’ he snapped when his chauffeur opened the door of the official limousine.

  He joined her in the luxurious interior, but sat with his face averted as if he couldn’t bear to look at her. Or, maybe he was deep in thought, Lucy reasoned. ‘Are you kidnapping me?’ she asked in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

  ‘Are you over-dramatising?’ he asked coldly as his driver closed the door.

  No amount of luxury could soothe her in this confined space with a man who seemed so hostile. It takes two to tango, she wanted to tell him, but, so soon after her mother’s alarming phone call, Lucy couldn’t afford to rock the boat. This was the perfect opportunity to leav
e the country, and she couldn’t allow anything to get in the way. His manner suggested that trust was a huge issue for Tadj, and if he suspected she was using him to escape her stepfather and keep her mother safe, she doubted he would ever forgive her.

  ‘What have you been doing these past three months?’ he demanded.

  Jolted rudely back to the present, she turned to face him, and held his harsh stare steadily. ‘I’ve been working...studying.’ The moment she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d secured a second job at the restaurant close by the laundry, and was working hard to complete her studies at college. Her schedule didn’t leave much spare time, but she’d needed the extra money for the deposit on a small garden flat she’d found close to King’s Dock. With a tiny garden, this was where she had hoped to raise her child, but now her stepfather was free, she had to change her plans.

  Everything had happened in such a rush, with Tadj appearing out of the blue and Lucy leaving with him. She would have to contact her employers, and talk to them both to explain that she was going away for a while. Luckily, college had broken up for the holidays, so that was one problem out of the way.

  ‘Why, Lucy?’

  ‘Why what?’ Tadj’s voice had shocked her tense and upright.

  ‘Why did you walk out on me? Why have you taken so long to tell me about the baby? I thought we trusted each other.’

  ‘We did—we do,’ Lucy insisted.

  Tadj’s tone was harsh, and his black stare chilled her. She had the sense of clinging by her fingertips to any chance of having him take her out of the country where her stepfather couldn’t find her, and use Lucy to blackmail her mother into allowing him back home.

  Tadj’s mouth twisted with scorn. ‘Really?’

  As he speared a disbelieving stare into her eyes, she hated the changes between them, and wished she could do something to bring back the man she’d met three months ago. He was so hostile she felt increasingly uncomfortable.

  ‘You said we were going to your country house before we leave for Qalala. Is it much further?’ She stared out of the window as the limousine sped along, only now realising how distracted she’d been, and how far they must have travelled.