by The Sheikh
Too bad. She twisted her hands together. “I didn’t know what to do about staying here. Should I? Do you want me to move to one of the guest rooms?”
Reyhan pulled his tie free of his shirt collar. “No. Stay here. I’ll sleep in the second bedroom.”
Supreme happiness crashed in and burned in a tenth of a second. “There’s another bedroom?” she asked, because the alternative was to ask why he didn’t want them to sleep together.
“I have a small office at the other end of the suite. I’ll have a bed brought in. We’ll have to share the living quarters and the bathroom, but I’ll make every effort not to get in your way.”
“But I…But we…” She swallowed and took a step toward him. “Reyhan, what’s going on? Why are you acting like this?”
He pulled his shirttail out of his trousers. Her gaze dropped to his belt and she had the sudden fantasy that he was going to get naked in front of her.
Wouldn’t that be a treat?
His expression turned weary. “It is only two months,” he said. “Surely you can endure my company that long.”
“Enduring your company isn’t the problem. Last night…” She cleared her throat.
“Reyhan, we made love.”
He turned away and crossed to the French doors. “It will not happen again.”
Stark words that clawed at her heart. “Because you don’t want me?”
Because it wasn’t good? Hadn’t she pleased him? Last night she’d been so sure, but now…
Her throat tightened, as did her chest. Her legs felt heavy and thick, as if they belonged to someone else.
He bowed his head briefly. “Two months, Emma. That is all. At the end of that time, you can return to Texas where you belong.”
And he would stay here, marry another woman and have children with her.
“But I thought…”
He turned to her. She’d never seen such coldness in a man’s eyes before. Such rejection. “You thought wrong.”
“I swear, there should be a law allowing wives of princes to lock their husbands in chains once a month. Just to keep them in line,” Princess Sabrina said, grinning.
“Would you want to beat him, too?” Cleo asked as she reached for a slice of cantaloupe.
“Only when he really makes me crazy. Probably every third month.”
“Works for me,” Princess Zara said cheerfully. “Not that I’d ever want to hurt Rafe, but threatening him from time to time would make me really happy.”
The three women laughed with delight. Emma smiled, knowing however big they talked, none of them was anything but completely in love with their husbands.
She’d sensed it from the first moment they’d met.
Cleo had arrived that morning to invite her to lunch. “Without your folks,”
she’d insisted. “Not that they’re not great, but you need a break.”
Sabrina and Zara, both daughters of the king, although by different mothers, had been charming as they’d welcomed Emma.
“So you’re the mystery woman Reyhan married,” Sabrina said as she passed around a plate of tea sandwiches. She was seven or eight months pregnant and a beauty with dark eyes and dark brown hair highlighted with red.
Zara, equally pretty but in a more quiet way, looked like her sister. She was pregnant, as well, but not so far along.
“I don’t consider myself a mystery,” Emma said, which was true. Compared with being a princess, her life was pretty boring.
“Reyhan never said a word,” Sabrina told her. “Not that any of my brothers are the chatty type. But a wife. That’s a big secret to keep.” She tilted her head and smile. “Then you appear out of the blue. Are you completely freaked?”
“Pretty much.”
“I would be, too,” Zara told her. “Sabrina grew up with all this, so she’s used to it, but for the rest of us it’s been a challenge.”
Cleo laughed. “It’s true. Zara resisted being a princess for the longest time.”
“So did you,” Zara reminded her.
“For different reasons. You were one by birth. Sadik wanted me to be one by marriage.”
Emma was confused. “Didn’t you want to marry him? You’re so in love.”
“It’s complicated,” Cleo told her. “A story for another time.” She leaned over the back of the sofa in her suite and checked on Calah. “This is the best baby in the universe. She never cries, she sleeps like a dream and I swear she has an IQ of about two hundred.”
Sabrina and Zara rolled their eyes. Emma laughed.
“She’s very smart,” Cleo said, sounding huffy. “You guys wait until your babies are born. You’ll see what I mean.”
“Sure, Cleo,” Sabrina said. “I’m guessing we’ll all be as goofy as you about our children.”
“You mock me now, but just you wait.”
“Watch yourself,” Sabrina said to Emma. “There’s something about this palace.
It’s pregnancy central. Be careful or you’ll catch a baby of your own.”
The three women laughed and Emma tried to join in, not that she was very successful. It was hard to joke when she’d just realized that she and Reyhan hadn’t used protection when they’d made love.
She sucked in a breath and tried to stay calm. It had only been one time, she reminded herself. A quick calculation told her the day had been safe, relatively speaking. So she was unlikely to be pregnant. Based on how he was avoiding her, she wasn’t going to be in a position to have a second chance at getting pregnant, either. Which was good. Right?
She was happy not to have to deal with an unexpected baby. Except she could easily picture herself with Reyhan’s child. Holding him or her and overwhelmed by love. That would be wonderful.
She knew Reyhan wanted children, just not with her. Which made her wonder why.
He’d been willing to marry her before. Why was he so determined not to be married to her now? She didn’t think there was anyone else in his life. He’d said he would accept an arranged union. So she—
“Earth to Emma,” Zara said. “Are you still with us?”
Emma blinked and saw all three women looking at her. “Sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“I bet I know who was starring in that fantasy,” Sabrina said teasingly. “It would be romantic if it wasn’t my brother.”
Emma felt herself coloring. “No, really. It was nothing.”
As she’d never been a very good liar, she wasn’t surprised when they didn’t buy her story.
“Maybe there’s more going on than we know about,” Cleo said. “Which could be interesting.”
“We’d love to have you as part of our princess sisterhood,” Zara told her.
“Think about it.”
“Thanks.”
She appreciated the invitation more than she could say. She’d always wanted a sister. But staying or not staying wasn’t just up to her. Reyhan had a part in it, and based on what she’d seen so far, he couldn’t wait to have her gone.
Chapter 10
Two days later Emma accompanied her parents down to the stable. The king had suggested Reyhan take them out into the desert to show them some of Bahania’s natural beauty. She was relatively sure her husband had agreed to the outing because he didn’t have a choice. Ever since they’d shared that one night, he’d made it more than clear that spending time in her company was about as pleasant as root canal sugery.
What hurt her was that her feelings were so different. Since sharing a bed, she couldn’t stop thinking about being with him in other ways. She wanted to talk to him, get to know him, laugh, tease, make memories. She wanted him to hold her close instead of stiffening every time she was near.
“Are you sure this is safe?” her mother asked as they crossed the stone courtyard leading to the stable. “Aren’t there robbers and pirates in the desert?”
“Pirates are on the ocean,” her father said gently. “However, we’re going to have to deal with robbers.”
Emma held in a
sigh. She loved her parents very much but in the last couple of days they’d really started to get on her nerves. They weren’t open to any new experiences and, despite the wonders of the palace, they kept talking about how much they wanted to go home. When she encouraged them to make plans they refused, telling her they wouldn’t leave without her. The thought of two months in such close quarters made her teeth ache.
But that was a problem for another time. Right now she had to worry about the fact that Reyhan stood by the front of the stable, and upon seeing him she felt her heart rate quadruple while her thighs began to quiver.
“Good morning,” Reyhan said as they approached.
He wore riding boots, dark slacks and a loose white shirt. Despite the short hair and freshly shaven face, Emma had the thought that he looked as dangerous as the pirates her mother feared.
But as appealing as she found him, he didn’t seem to return her interest. He neither looked directly at her nor acknowledged her personally. He motioned to a large open vehicle—part roofless SUV, part topless van. There were three rows of seats.
“You’ll be comfortable for our trip out to the oasis.”
“Is it safe?” her mother asked. “Are there a lot of wild people and robbers on the loose?”
Emma winced. “Mom,” she said quickly, “Bahania is a very civilized country.”
Reyhan’s expression didn’t change. “The laws of the desert offer hospitality to all who enter. You will be welcomed by my people and treated as an honored guest.” He motioned to the vehicle.
Emma’s parents exchanged a glance before cautiously stepping inside. She hung back, wanting more than an impersonal trip with a man who was doing his best to become a stranger.
“I thought we’d be riding,” she said.
He looked at her for the first time that morning. She felt the impact of his gaze all the way down to her already-curling toes.
“Do you know how?”
“I’ve had a few lessons.” When she was twelve. “I’m a whiz on horses made of wood, but I can probably handle the real thing if he or she is gentle and doesn’t think tossing me would be good for a chuckle.”
Reyhan’s dark eyes didn’t flicker, not did his mouth even twitch. When exactly had he turned into a man of stone?
“Wait there,” he said, and walked into the stable.
“Emma, what are you doing?” her mother asked fretfully.
“Reyhan and I are going to ride.”
Both of her parents shrank back in their seats. “You can’t.”
“Sure I can. It will be fun.”
Her father frowned. “When did you get so adventurous?”
She considered the question. “I can’t give you an exact date,” she admitted, knowing her change of heart had something to do with finding out nothing in her life was as she had first thought. Her parents weren’t perfect. In fact they’d lied and kept the truth from her. Sure their actions had been in the name of keeping her safe, but she’d been an adult. The decisions hadn’t been theirs to make. Not only that, but she’d been married for the past six years and hadn’t had a clue. Information like that was bound to produce a change.
Reyhan returned, leading a beautiful white stallion. Emma might not know much about horses, but she’d heard rumors.
“Isn’t he going to be too much for me to handle?” she asked, trying not to back up as Reyhan and the horse approached. Up close the animal seemed extremely large.
“He can have a temper, but he’s very fond of the ladies.”
The horse in question tossed his head, then seemed to give her the once-over. He looked large enough to pound her into the ground with just one hoof—the thought of which didn’t exactly give her a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
“Great,” she murmured. “A sexist horse. What’s his name?”
For the first time in days, Reyhan smiled at her. “Prince.”
“How appropriate.”
She approached the powerful horse and tentatively stroked his nose. Prince stepped in close and rubbed his head against her arm, then bumped her side and exhaled.
“Is he flirting with me?” she asked, not wanting to know what the big animal would do if he lost his temper.
“Yes. He likes you. We’ll ride out and take the Jeep back.”
Reyhan murmured something to the horse, then moved to its side and made a step by lacing his fingers together. Emma remembered enough from her long-ago lessons to know she was expected to jump right up in that saddle. She sucked in a breath for courage and put her foot in his hands.
Not only was Prince’s back about four hundred feet from the ground, the English saddle she settled in offered about as much protection as a handkerchief.
“There’s nothing to hang on to,” she said rather desperately as Reyhan handed her the reins.
“You’ll be fine.”
She would be maimed and possibly crippled, she thought, fighting fear. Reyhan disappeared into the stable, presumably to get his own horse.
“Emma, you can’t ride that beast,” her mother said. “It’s not safe. Come down right now and sit with us.”
The order gave her the impetus to stiffen her spine and smile brightly. “I’ll be fine. We aren’t going to go all that fast.”
At least she hoped they wouldn’t. It was a long way to the ground.
Reyhan returned with an even bigger gray stallion and mounted easily.
“The Jeep takes a longer route using the main road,” he told her. “We’ll cut across the desert and meet your parents at the oasis.”
“Works for me,” she said, thinking time alone with him might give them a chance to talk.
He waved off the driver and the Jeep pulled out. Reyhan gave her a few instructions, then watched her ride in slow circles. She found that her lessons from long ago came back to her and she quickly settled into the horse’s rhythmic gate. After a few minutes, Reyhan led the way off the stable grounds and into the wild beauty of the open desert.
The morning was warm and brilliantly sunny. She was grateful for her hat and the sunscreen she’d slathered on her face. The hard-packed trail was easy to spot.
She and Prince walked along behind Reyhan and his mount. When they went faster, Prince also picked up the pace. There were a couple of minutes of bone-jarring trotting before they settled into an easy canter. Reyhan pulled his horse to the side of the trail so they could ride next to each other.
The wind tugged strands of hair free from her braid. She tossed her head to get them out of her face and nearly slid off her horse. Reyhan shot out a hand and grabbed her arm. She managed to stay in the saddle, but only just. The slick leather seat suddenly felt smaller and more precarious.
“We will walk the rest of the way,” Reyhan called as he tugged on his reins.
She slowed Prince, then glanced at the man next to her. “Sorry to be a bother.”
“The fault is mine. You took to the riding so easily, I thought you were more experienced.”
They walked side by side. Emma chose, then discarded several possible conversational openings. They all sounded forced and stupid, so she settled on the truth.
“I know you didn’t want to do this today. Be with me and my parents, I mean. I appreciate you arranging everything and then coming along.”
“It is important that you all enjoy your time in Bahania.”
Before they left, she thought glumly.
“Seeing the desert will help you understand our ways,” he said. “The desert is filled with tradition. For centuries nomads have wandered through the vastness of these lands. Thieves preyed on those using the silk road.”
“Great. My mother was worried about being robbed.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Those times are long past. Today those who live in the desert protect the oil fields to earn their living. A combination of the old ways and the new.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
He shrugged. “There are those who do not wish to work. They want to take—m
uch like the thieves of old.”
She glanced around at the rolling dunes, the few clusters of scrubby plants.
“Take what?”
“Money. They threaten our oil fields with disaster if we don’t pay them off.”
She caught her breath. “That’s illegal, isn’t it?”
“Yes. We know who these boys are. Most are second and third sons of nomadic chiefs. As they will not inherit, they are locked out of the family wealth.
Instead of earning a living, they seek something more profitable and to their minds, easier. They play at being men.”
“Are you going to have them arrested?”
He shook his head. “I have given my word to their fathers that I won’t lock them up without cause. Mere threats are not considered cause, not out here. So we wait and watch. Sometimes angry young men grow up. Sometimes not.”
“I don’t understand,” she admitted. “Why wouldn’t their fathers want them to go to prison? What they’re doing is wrong.”
“To a man of the desert, there is no greater torture than to be locked away from the sun. I won’t arrest anyone until he gives me a reason. This information does not make my head of security very happy.”
“Hardly a surprise.”
This was the longest conversation they’d had since they’d spent the night together. Emma wondered if Reyhan was thawing toward her or simply making the best of a bad situation.
“I’m sorry this is so difficult for you,” she said. “Having me stay. Having my parents here. All of it.”
“The time will pass.”
Not exactly words to warm her heart. She wanted to remind him that a few days ago he’d wanted her with a passion that had thrilled them both. That he had kissed her and touched her. Remembering their time together made her stomach clench and her body burn.
“What if I just left?” she asked.
He continued to look straight ahead. “Nothing would change. When you returned, the ticking clock would continue. My father can be most stubborn.”
She thought about how Reyhan avoided her as if she had some disease he didn’t want to catch. How he barely spoke to her and never laughed anymore. The stubbornness seemed to be an inherited trait.
