He shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine. Then I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”
With that, he started to walk away and Harper panicked. “Wait!” When he half-turned, looking back at her with that sardonic dark eyebrow lifted in inquiry, she had to bite her tongue to keep from snapping at him. “Look, I have a terrible need to know secrets. So, please, what’s on that page? An economics lesson?”
He chuckled softly. “No. It had nothing to do with their lesson plans.” He turned back, leaning a shoulder against the wall. “You know what you have to do if you want to appease your curiosity, Harper.”
She sighed with frustration, not wanting to give in, but every time she started to say no, her gaze dropped to that notebook. She really wanted to see what had entranced Elsa and Ellora! But still, she just couldn’t give in to his blackmail! She was just…Harper knew that she was stubborn. “Listen, you’re just pushing me not to use your name, Your Highness. I’m stubborn about things like this.”
He laughed! An actual laugh and the sound was beautiful, reverberating against the walls. “Poor Harper. What are you going to do? Whatever is on this paper, it might keep you from sleeping tonight, won’t it?”
He waved the notebook slightly.
Her gaze dropped to the notebook, then up to him, pleading. “Just…!” she grumbled under her breath, something about men and their irritating control issues. Then she huffed a bit more and turned to face him. “Fine! Amit! There! I said it, now show me what’s on the darn page.”
He clucked a bit. “You have a bad temper, my dear.” He moved closer. “It’s a good thing that I like the rest of your personality, Harper.” Then he turned the notebook around.
It was a drawing. A caricature of Ellora and Elsa, both with huge, sparkling eyes and giant bows in their hair…she couldn’t fully process the image in her mind.
Her hand lifted, trailing over the picture just as Elsa had done. Stunned, she looked up at him. “Did you… draw this?”
“Of course,” he replied, then flipped the notebook back around. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight, Harper.”
And he was gone, leaving a stunned and confused Harper staring after him.
A drawing! The great and powerful Sheik of Izara had drawn a silly, goofy picture of two sweet, funny girls!
Chapter 10
Harper smiled happily as she stepped into the palace again that afternoon. As bad as yesterday had been, today had been wonderfully productive. She’d met with several teachers today who had some truly innovative ideas. She was eager to research the details and incorporate them into a broader teaching plan. In fact, the ideas could be applied to other aspects of family therapy!
But just as she’d done yesterday, Harper first made her way through the seemingly endless palace hallways, eager to speak with the twins and talk to them about their day. Maybe today was the day that they’d speak to her. She’d planned on spending several hours with them this afternoon, just coloring or some other activity where they worked with their hands while she talked to them. And hopefully, today was the day that they decided that their world was safe enough that they might talk back.
Of course, it would help if…!
She stopped in the doorway to the nursery, spotting the tutor and the nanny having a cup of tea together. That was strange, she thought.
“Where are the girls?” she asked, setting down her tote bag.
“The girls went riding with Prince Gaelen,” the nanny explained. “Their ponies were excited to see them, apparently.”
Riding? Harper’s heart sank. Riding meant horses and horses meant big, scary teeth and powerful feet that could crush a person easily. Harper definitely wasn’t a fan of horses!
“Oh, well, that’s good!” she replied. Stables. Horses. Ick! Definitely not her thing. Grabbing her tote bag, she hurriedly left the nursery.
Even if she didn’t want to be near the horses, that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate their beauty…from a safe distance. So instead of returning to her suite, Harper headed down the hallway that would lead to the stables, eager to see the girls ride.
But as she passed one of the courtyards, Harper spotted the stunning woman she’d met the previous evening.
Although, this wasn’t the vital, gloriously stunning woman she’d seen before. This woman’s head was bowed and she seemed to be crying.
Harper considered her options. She really should go to the woman and ask if she needed to talk. But…Princess Talia probably had dozens of friends and relatives to talk to. What could Harper do that those others couldn’t do better?
And yet, Harper was aware that some extroverts led a very lonely existence. Add in the princess’s public image, and that probably compounded her need to present a different face to the world than her personal reality.
So Harper banished her jealousy and stepped into the courtyard.
“Your Highness?”
The woman’s shoulders stiffened and she turned her head away, obviously not wanting anyone to notice she’d been crying.
Harper bit her lip, torn between her desire to help, and the woman’s obvious desire to hide her pain.
Going on instinct, Harper stepped into the beautiful courtyard filled with flowering plants and large, shady trees. “Your Highness, I’m sorry to intrude on this private moment and you can tell me to go away if you’d prefer privacy, but…” Harper stepped closer, her fingers curling around the strap of her tote bag nervously, “I’m a stranger here in the palace. If you need someone to talk to, someone who can offer you absolute discretion and a sympathetic ear, I’d be happy to help.”
The lovely princess turned those huge, hazel eyes, so like her brothers’, up to look at Harper, the pain evident in those lovely depths. Talia wiped her tears with a piece of embroidered linen and the gesture seemed to enhance her beauty. When Harper cried, her face turned all blotchy and read, her eyes swelled and mascara usually smeared her cheeks.
When Princess Talia cried, her eyes sparkled and her skin looked almost luminescent. Life really wasn’t fair. Still, Harper moved closer, drawn in by the pain in the younger woman’s eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asked, prompting Talia gently.
The woman lifted a damp handkerchief in the air in a sign of desperation. “I never really knew her!” the princess blurted out, a fresh wave of tears adding more sparkles to those amazing eyes.
“Knew her?” she echoed, not really understanding.
“My sister,” Talia explained, staring down at her fingers, twisting the lovely piece of linen with the embroidered flowers. “Orella was so much older than me. I never got to know her. And I’m so angry with her for not bothering to get to know me, for not taking the time to be my sister.” She sniffed, blinking and Harper could have sworn that those incredibly long lashes caused a hurricane to form somewhere. “And even worse, I used to want to be like her. I thought that Orella was amazing! She was so adventurous, so eager to face danger head on.”
Harper thought that Princess Orella sounded like a self-centered pain in the neck. But she smiled gently. “I’m sure that your sister was a good person inside.”
Talia laughed, shaking her head. “She wasn’t.” There was a long sniff. “She was so self-centered and…” she sobbed, wiping a fresh tear. “She was mean. So mean to me. She hated coming home and having to be around the rest of us.” She sighed and looked up, her normally-straight spine slouching with the weight of her words. “My parents would get news of one of her stupid screw-ups, or Orella would get arrested in some foreign country. Diplomats would have to get involved, her security team was admonished, even though they all swore that they’d tried to stop her from doing whatever crazy stunt she’d thought up. Orella basically created chaos wherever she went.” Talia sighed as if she’d just released a huge weight off of her shoulders. “I hated her so much and, at the same time, I wanted to be just like her.” Talia turned to face Harper, stunned to hear those words spoken out loud. “I’m sorry,” she gasped, s
haking her head again. “I can’t believe I said that!”
Harper’s heart melted. Placing a hand over the young woman’s, she said, “I know you’re not going to believe this, but I understand.”
Talia laughed, sort of. “Well, then could you explain it to me? I know that you’re a professional and this is your job and all. But it still feels wrong to say such things to a stranger.” She bit her lip. “I just…Amit would be furious if he knew I felt this way. And I know that it’s wrong to hate one’s sister. Maybe I don’t actually hate her. Maybe I’m just angry that she’s not here anymore.”
Harper nodded. “Yeah, I suspect that your oldest brother wouldn’t like any sort of crack in the family picture that might fracture how the world sees the family.”
Talia smiled, but the expression quickly turned serious. “You’re probably right, but please, don’t think badly of him.” She smiled and the change lit up her whole face. “I know there’s something going on between you two. I think it’s wonderful.”
Harper pulled back, horrified. “No! There’s nothing going on between us,” she asserted firmly. Perhaps too firmly, she thought, as Talia’s lips curled upwards slightly. It was a surprising expression, so similar to her brother’s that it was oddly disconcerting. “I mean, yes, he’s a handsome man, but…” she stopped when Talia’s mouth curled up into a full out grin. “Right. We were talking about you,” she replied and shifted slightly. “I want to tell you a theory that I have about older siblings that might help.”
“Okay. What’s your theory?”
“Older siblings are a bit like super-heroes in the minds of younger siblings. They can do no wrong. For instance, if my older sister told me that the sky was purple, I would walk around telling everyone else that the sky was purple. It didn’t matter that I knew that the sky was blue. My sister told me that the sky was purple, so it was purple.”
Talia nodded, but obviously she didn’t understand, so Harper continued. “Older siblings don’t realize how much power they have over us younger kids. Many younger siblings try to annoy their older siblings, by pestering or invading their bedrooms or personal space. When that happens, the older sibling yells and fumes at the younger sibling’s invasion. It might be out of anger or irritation, but to the younger sibling, it doesn’t matter. They’d still gained the attention of their older sibling and that’s all that they needed. It’s a weird dynamic, but younger siblings idolize the older ones.”
“That’s definitely true about my relationship with Orella. Every time she’d come home, I’d hurry into her room, eager to hear about all her adventures, all the men she’d met and fallen madly in love with, only to have her slam the door in my face.” Talia grimaced at the memory.
Harper nodded with understanding. “That’s typical.”
“But…?” Talia started, only to slump forward again, shoulders bowed.
Harper smiled slightly, looking out at the flowers and trees. “I have a secret weapon I tell to every older sibling that complains about their siblings annoying them.”
Talia slowly turned her head, sniffling a little as she looked at Harper with barely concealed excitement. “A secret?”
Harper smiled. “Yeah. So many older brothers and sisters are horrified when I tell them initially, but it’s like a magic bullet.”
Talia was almost vibrating with curiosity. “You’ve got to tell me!” she whispered. “What’s the secret?”
Harper glanced right and left, as if ensuring they were alone. Then she looked at Talia. “It’s…” she paused for dramatic effect, “a hug!” she whispered.
Talia blinked at Harper, confused. “A hug?”
Harper laughed. “Yeah. Think about it. What would you have done if Orella had given you a hug when she arrived home? Or when you’d go into her room?”
Fresh, painful tears poured down Talia’s cheeks at the thought. “Yeah. That…” she choked and scrubbed at her face with her handkerchief. “That would have been magical.”
Harper nodded. “I remember wearing a pink dress one day. I was probably around eleven years old. I was so proud of that pink dress. I thought I looked pretty and incredibly fashionable in that dress.”
Talia blinked. “A dress?”
Harper grinned. “A pink dress!”
Curiosity replaced the pain in Talia’s eyes. “What happened?”
“My sister told me that I looked prissy in pink.” Harper laughed with derision. “There was such disdain in her voice when she’d said it.” She turned to look at Talia. “I didn’t wear pink for ten years afterward.” She nodded. “Older sibling superpowers,” she explained, watching as Talia’s mouth fell open in surprise. “They don’t understand the power they have. Just one disdainful comment eliminated that color from my world for more than ten years.”
“That’s awful!” she whispered. “So…?”
“Yeah, my sister didn’t understand the power she had. I don’t think younger siblings understand their older sibling’s power either. But it manifests itself in many ways. And yet, every time I have a family come into my office, many of them talk about how their kids don’t get along, how the fighting in the house is becoming overwhelming…as soon as I tell this secret to the older sibling, peace reigns supreme. Younger siblings desperately need approval and love from their older counterparts. Most of them don’t figure that out until they reach adulthood.” She turned to look at Talia. “You and Orella never reached that understanding. And I doubt she ever hugged you, did she?”
Talia blinked rapidly, but Harper’s words didn’t stop the flow of tears. They spilled over those long lashes, forming a river of diamonds down her cheeks. “You’re right. A hug from Orella would have been…,” she paused, looking down at her hands. “It would have been really nice.”
Harper lightly touched the other woman’s forearm. “Talia, its okay to be angry with your sister. And it’s healthy to admit it. Feel free to admit, if only to yourself, that you are angry with her. For the way she treated you, for the loss of a friendship between you, for the way she died and the selfish way she lived…all of it.” She paused, looking into Talia’s eyes. “I’d encourage you to acknowledge your anger towards your sister, work through it and talk about it, maybe with your brothers because they might feel it as well.” She took Talia’s hand and squeezed it lightly. “Once you get over that anger, I’m betting that you’ll start to remember the good things about Orella. But that won’t happen until you work through the anger.”
Talia smiled, then impulsively, she leaned forward and hugged Harper, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you!” she whispered. A moment later, she released Harper and hurried off, disappearing into one of the hallways that created this massive maze they called a home.
Harper smiled, thinking that the young woman was going to be okay. It might take a while, but eventually, Talia would start to heal. Then she’d remember happy memories of her sister.
Standing up, she was about to head towards the stables again when she froze. There, standing off to the side in the shadows, was Amit. And he was looking at her as if she were some sort of magician.
He didn’t say anything, but he stepped forward, a determined gleam in his eyes. Harper didn’t have a chance to speak before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It wasn’t a brief, thank-you sort of kiss either. It was a take-your-breath-away kind of kiss. A deep, soul-drenching, body tingling, mind-boggling kiss that had her curling her body around his, pressing her soft curves against the hard planes of his chest, stomach, and thighs. She wanted to climb his body and never stop kissing him. She wanted to find out what it would be like to do more than kiss, to feel his hard, strong hands explore her body.
Unfortunately, a slamming door somewhere in the distance disrupted the moment and he pulled away. For a long moment, they stood there, staring at each other, their breathing ragged as the moment pulsed with something almost tangible.
He took several steps backwards. “I’m not sorry,” he told her.
Then that dratted, ever-efficient Rashid stepped through the doorway, bringing Amit’s attention back to reality.
Harper lifted a hand, pressing her fingers against her lips, trying to ease the odd tingling sensation. Staring up at him, she wondered if he felt it too, but his hazel eyes only glared back at her, warning her that this, whatever this was, wasn’t over.
A moment later, Amit walked away with Rashid rapidly explaining whatever problem had occurred. It wasn’t until they walked through one of the palace doors that Harper released the breath she’d been holding. Could one kiss do that? Could one kiss from a man she…didn’t really understand…create such chaos in the world?
With shaking fingers, Harper scooped up her tote bag and hurried out of the courtyard. The intense chill of the palace startled her and she paused, trying to get her bearings. She was in a different section of the palace now, one that was unfamiliar to her.
Flustered, she turned, trying to find her suite, but after several moments, Harper knew that she was going the wrong way. “This is ridiculous!” she grumbled, turning around.
Eventually, she found her way, still irritated that Amit had flustered her so badly. And for what reason? Just to rile her?
No, that was stupid. Was it because Harper had spoken to Talia?
She wasn’t sure, and until she asked him, she wasn’t sure she’d figure it out. What had he said before walking away? “I’m not sorry.” That was it. What had he meant? Should he have apologized for something? For kissing her?
Unfortunately, as she made her way towards the stables, Harper made a vow that she wasn’t going to speak to the man again.
Granted, her response might be construed as petty. Perhaps even a bit childish. But good grief, the things that he could do with just a kiss! Harper was supposed to be a professional and yet, she’d become flustered from just one freaking kiss! How ridiculous was that?!
Chapter 11
The charcoal pencil flew over the paper and Amit lost himself in the details, trying to recreate the memory so that he could preserve it forever. He remembered the way that Harper had looked that afternoon, the sun shining down on her blond hair, her lips soft, slightly open…her blue eyes staring up at him as if she wanted him to never stop kissing her.
Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family Book 1) Page 7
