by The Sheikh
“Am I?” He looked at her. “You up and disappeared, you lied to us about where you’d gone. For all we know, they’re brainwashing you.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Reyhan take a step forward. Outrage darkened his features. She didn’t want to think about how much her father had just insulted the king.
“I’m not being brainwashed,” she said, then realized it was a foolish argument.
If she was, would she know?
“As your daughter’s husband, it is my duty to care for her,” Reyhan said stiffly. “I assure you, her safety and well-being are my primary concern.”
“Some concern,” her mother said tartly. “You’re the reason she’s here in the first place. If you hadn’t carted her off back then none of this would have happened. She was just a child.”
“I was eighteen,” Emma reminded her. “I loved him.”
“You don’t know what love is,” her mother told her, still glaring at Reyhan.
“You seduced her and then ran off,” her father added. “What kind of concern is that?”
Reyhan glared at the older man. “I attempted to contact her on several occasions. You’re the ones who kept me from her.”
“Good thing we did. Who knows what would have happened if we hadn’t?”
She would have come to Bahania, Emma thought. She would have been Reyhan’s wife.
They would have had children.
“This isn’t accomplishing anything,” she told her parents. “I married Reyhan and now we all have to deal with it. I don’t want you interfering. You already got between us once. It won’t happen again.”
Her mother stared at her. “You said you were here to get a divorce.”
“I am, but—”
“Then there’s nothing to get in the way of, is there?”
“No, but—”
Her mother narrowed her gaze. “We’ll be taking our daughter with us this afternoon. If you would have someone pack up her things.”
“I’m not leaving,” Emma said. “Not yet.”
“Why not?” her father wanted to know. “You can’t possibly plan to—”
“Silence,” the king said.
His voice wasn’t especially loud, but something in the tone got everyone’s attention. They all turned to him.
He smiled at her parents. “You are my honored guests for as long as you would like to stay in Bahania. Or you may leave at any time, as may your daughter.”
That surprised her. Reyhan also looked startled.
“The divorce,” he said.
His father nodded. “That is a separate matter.” The monarch paused.
Emma felt her inside clench in panic. Suddenly she didn’t want to hear what King Hassan had to say. Was he granting the divorce a few days early? It made the most sense, but she didn’t want him to. Things were too unsettled between herself and Reyhan. She needed to understand what last night had meant and why he’d been so cold this morning. She wanted to know what the fluttering when he was near meant. Was it just about sexual attraction or was there more?
Time. She needed time.
The king looked at her and it was as if he could read her mind. His kind eyes seemed to tell her that everything would be all right. To trust him. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.
“Despite Reyhan’s request for a divorce, I am not convinced it is the right course of action,” the king said.
“No!” her mother protested.
“This is an outrage,” her father said.
Reyhan was completely silent and Emma felt only a sense of relief.
“It is my decision that Reyhan and Emma must get to know each other again.
Something drew them together enough for them to impulsively marry. Was it a youthful prank or true love? Only time will tell. Therefore they must spend two months in each other’s company. Not a day or a night apart. At the end of that time we will speak again. If they still both wish to divorce, I will grant it and their marriage will disappear as if it had never been.”
Chapter 9
Emma felt both relief and panic at the king’s proclamation. Two months in Reyhan’s company. If there were more nights like the previous one, that would hardly be difficult duty.
She glanced at the man who had married her. It was as if his expression were made of stone. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, nor could she see anything friendly or welcoming in his dark eyes. One thing she was sure of—he didn’t look happy.
Without saying anything, Reyhan turned and left the room. Emma watched him go and tried to ignore the knot that returned to her stomach.
Beside her, her parents continued to protest.
“There has to be some legal court we can take this up with,” her father said heatedly.
The king appeared more amused than insulted. “Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, please.” He opened his arms in a gesture of welcome. “You are honored guests in my country.
I would ask you to stay here in the palace as long as you would like. Visit with your daughter. Get to know my people. You will find things very pleasant. As for your daughter—” he smiled at Emma “—she is a charming young woman. You must be very proud.”
Her mother sniffed. “Of course we are. She’s a very good girl.”
Emma felt like a wayward puppy who had finally been pronounced housebroken.
“I do not wish to be unreasonable.” The king turned to her father. “You are right—there are courts and laws. They state all royal marriages must be approved by the king. Reyhan defied me when he married your lovely daughter. Having met Emma, I can forgive his impulsiveness. Who could blame him?”
While she appreciated the compliment, she thought he was laying it on a little thick.
“This isn’t her world,” her mother said. “She belongs home, with us.”
“She is a grown woman. Perhaps it is time for her to say where she belongs. In two months she will have that opportunity.”
He beckoned someone from the rear of the room. Emma saw several servants approaching.
“Show the Kennedys to their quarters,” he said, then nodded and left.
Emma’s mother huffed. “Just like that. You have a life. Has he forgotten that? Responsibilities. A job.”
Emma blinked in surprise. Honestly, she’d forgotten all about that. Her world back home. Funny how it had faded from her memory so quickly.
“You’re right. I’ll have to take a leave of absence.”
“They won’t like that,” her father told her. “You’ve not even been working there a year.”
Good point. “I’ll have to explain things,” she said, not sure how she was going to. Would anyone believe her? “If I do get fired, I’ll find another job when I get home.”
“A very cavalier attitude,” her mother said. “You were raised better than that.”
“Mom, I know you’re worried. I appreciate that, and I know you only came here because you care about me. But I’m twenty-four. It’s time to let me live my life my own way. If I make mistakes, then I’ll recover from them.”
Her mother’s mouth dropped open, while her father seemed equally surprised. She took advantage of the silence and smiled at one of the servants.
“Okay,” she said. “Lead the way.” She linked arms with her parents. “You two are going to love this place. The rooms are amazing. And the views, even better than when we went to Galveston my senior year of high school.”
Her mother sighed. “I don’t like any of this, Emma. It’s not you.”
“I know. But from what I can tell, I don’t have a choice. The king has to give his permission for a prince to get a divorce. So I’m stuck here until that happens.”
Two months with Reyhan. What would that time bring? Would she learn to understand the man she’d married so impulsively? Would she be eager to leave when the time was up? Or would she find herself falling in love? And if it was the latter, would he love her back or would he still want to get rid of her so he could marry someone else?<
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Reyhan didn’t return to his offices. Instead he walked to the garages where he took the keys for a Jeep and drove out of the city. An hour later, surrounded by desert, he stepped out into the warm afternoon and raised his face to the sky.
He wanted to yell his frustration, to rip and tear something. Anything. He wanted to travel north, deep into the inhospitable land and become someone else.
Two months. It was an eternity. How could he survive spending his days and nights with her? How could he be close to her and not reach for her?
Last night had been paradise. A miracle. When he’d left her bed this morning all he’d been able to think about was how much he wanted her. Having her had only increased his need. When she’d walked into his office, he’d held on to his control with every ounce of will he possessed. Just a few minutes longer and he would have snapped.
“I am Prince Reyhan of Bahania,” he yelled to the heavens. “I am a man of power, of substance.”
Yet in the presence of a mere woman he was weak. He would travel any distance, complete any task, risk life, limb anything, just for Emma.
He clutched the side of the Jeep. There had to be a solution somewhere. An
answer, a trick, a way to survive two months around her without going mad. He couldn’t give in and take her into his bed. If he did, he would never let her go. And if she stayed…
He sucked in a breath as he considered the possibility. To have her stay was to love her. To give her his very soul. Then he would be nothing but a shell of a man. A spineless creature—a parasite.
No! That could never happen. Somehow he would conquer this. He would find the strength to turn away from her. To resist her. When the time was up, he would let her go. It was the only way. The alternative was unthinkable.
Emma went with her parents to the guest suite. It was similar to the one she’d had and even the ever sensible and conservative George and Janice Kennedy were impressed.
“You can see the ocean,” her mother said as she stared out the large French doors.
“It’s the Arabian Sea,” Emma told her. “Bahania has some beautiful beaches.
Tourism is an important industry.”
Her father opened the suitcase one of the servants had left on the bed. “I can’t believe they wanted to unpack for us. Like we’re invalids or something.”
“It’s not that they thought you were incapable,” Emma said. “It’s part of the service.”
“I’ve always done my own cooking and cleaning,” her mother reminded her. “I never did understand those women who pay someone else to come in and clean their dirt. It’s not right.” Her mouth pressed together as tears filled her eyes.
“None of this is right.”
Emma took her hand and led her back into the large living room. Her father followed. When the two of them were seated on the sofa, she curled up in the wing chair across the glass-topped coffee table.
“We have to talk about it,” she said.
Her mother pulled a lace-edged hankie out of her sleeve. “There’s nothing to say. That man was trouble before and he’s trouble now.”
“Don’t distress yourself, Janice,” her father said gently. “We’re here now and we’ll make sure our girl is safe.”
“I know. It’s just…This place. It’s so big and fancy.”
“The palace is amazing,” Emma said, trying not to get sucked into a familiar pattern of panic when she upset her parents. Knowing she made her mother cry was enough to give her a stomach ache for three days. But she couldn’t keep giving in. King Hassan had been right when he’d said it was time for her to make some decisions about her life.
“All this is happening now because we didn’t straighten things out six years ago,” she said.
Her father sighed. “We went over this, kitten.”
The familiar name made her stiffen. For years she’s loved that he called her that, but now she wasn’t so sure. A kitten was hardly a force to be reckoned with.
“You should have told me what was going on,” she said quietly. “I had the right to know that Reyhan had tried to see me.”
Her mother started to speak, but Emma held up her hand to stop her. “If I was old enough to get married, I was old enough to know the truth.”
“But you would have gone away with him,” her mother wailed. “We would never have seen you.”
“Is that what this was all about? Keeping me close?”
Her parents looked at each other, then at her. “We only wanted what was best for you,” her father said. “We love you.”
Why had she been afraid of defying them for so long? she wondered. They were just people. Misguided, maybe. She might not agree with their decision, but she believed they’d done what they thought was right. Their motivation had been selfish, but only because they cared about her.
“Emma, we should have said something about the money,” her mother admitted. “It was such a large amount. It’s not that Reyhan was bad, it’s just that he wasn’t like us. You were so sad. When you were happy again, we wanted to keep you that way.”
Emma didn’t know what to feel. Loss for what could have been. Although would she and Reyhan have had a chance all those years ago? At eighteen she’d barely been able to take care of herself. How would she have handled a husband, and maybe a child?
“It’s done,” she said, wanting to move on. “We can’t change it and now we have a different situation to deal with.”
Her mother sighed. “I can’t believe the king is going to insist you stay here two months. That’s barbaric.”
Emma smiled. “You can call living in the palace a lot of things, but not that.
Besides, I want a chance to get to know Reyhan again.”
Her parents exchanged a look of worry and panic. “Is that such a good idea, kitten?” her father asked.
“I don’t know. I loved him once.”
“You were just a little girl.”
“Legally, I was an adult,” she said, silently admitting that on the inside she’d been a child. “But that’s not the point. As King Hassan said, there’s a reason the two of us ran off.”
Her mother pressed her lips together. “We all know what his reason was. He was little more than an animal.”
Emma thought of what had happened the previous night. A little more animal-like behavior would be fine with her.
“You two have loved each other for nearly fifty years. Don’t you want that for me?”
“Not with him,” her father said. “Can’t you find a nice boy back home? Emma, you’re only twenty-four. You have years before you have to settle down and get married.”
“I’m already married. I’m staying the two months, and I’m going to take the time to get to know Reyhan again.”
Her mother’s eyes welled with tears. “But what if you fall in love with him?”
Would she? “It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
“Oh, Emma. He broke your heart before. What’s to stop him from doing it again?”
Good question. “I have to risk it. I’m sorry. I know you want to protect me but this time you can’t. I have to do it on my own. So I’m going to ask you to trust me.”
Her elderly parents stared at her. She sensed their misgivings and fear. Then they looked at each other and nodded.
“All right, kitten,” her father said. “If this is what you really want, we’ll stand by your decision.”
“When he destroys you, we’ll be here to pick up the pieces,” her mother added.
“We’ll take you home and you can move back into your own room.”
Talk about motivation to make things work with Reyhan, Emma thought. Still, she wouldn’t let her parents sway her one way or the other. The king had granted her the gift of time and she intended to take advantage of it.
Emma spent the afternoon with her parents. She took them on a tour of the palace, the gardens and the chapel. They seemed to enjoy the dozens of cats more than anything. An hour before dinner, she
returned to the room she now shared with Reyhan and called her supervisor back in Dallas. Fifteen minutes later she found herself on indefinite leave and accepting good wishes that it all work out for the best.
If only, she thought as she hung up the phone.
She leaned back on the sofa and tried to figure out what to do next. She was having dinner with her parents. There would be a more formal event with the king and several ministers the following evening, and a party later in the weekend.
“A whirlwind of social events,” she murmured to herself, trying not to feel nervous as she watched the clock and waited for Reyhan to return. However much he might want to avoid it, they had to talk, and the sooner the better.
Thirty minutes later, she’d given up trying to read her book. Sixty minutes later she was pacing the room with the intensity of an athlete training for an Olympic event. When the main door of the suite finally opened, Emma nearly stumbled in shock.
Elation, excitement and trepidation coiled together in her stomach as she searched Reyhan’s face, hoping for a clue as to what he was thinking. There wasn’t one.
“Good evening,” he said when he saw her. “Are your parents settled?”
Not the words of a man overwhelmed by passion and desire, she thought sadly as she fought her own visceral reactions to being in the same room as the man who had taught her what all the fuss was about.
“Yes. They love their rooms.” A slight exaggeration, but he was unlikely to press her. “How are you?”
“Fine.”
He walked past her into the bedroom. She trailed after him, wishing he’d said a little more. “I’m having dinner with my parents tonight,” she said. “You’re welcome to come, but you don’t have to. I know they probably make you uncomfortable.”
Reyhan shrugged out of his suit jacket. “I would think the situation would be the reverse.”
That he made them nervous? Probably. “Would you care to join us?” she asked. “Do you have to because of what the king said?” Days and nights together. She still wasn’t sure what that meant.
He loosened his tie. “My father’s statement was meant to keep me from taking an extended business trip. We are not required to spend every waking second in each other’s company.”
