The Sheikh's Last Mistress (Harlequin Presents)

by Rachael Thomas

  ‘You smell good,’ he whispered against her lips and her stomach flipped over, making her knees so weak she wondered if they’d be able to keep her upright. ‘It is a change to find a woman who is happy not to be permanently doused in perfume, living life to the full.’

  Destiny pulled back and looked sceptically up into his face. ‘I’m not sure the last bit is a compliment or not,’ she teased.

  ‘Your sweet scent, so distinctly you, cannot be doused even as it mixes with leather and horse,’ he said with a hint of a smile on his lips. Those heady words said by any other man would have sounded strange, but from Zafir, the man she desired with increasing need, they were like dynamite. The explosion of desire within her sealed her fate. She was already his.

  ‘And that is good?’ she teased him, emboldened by the fact that he had even noticed such details.

  ‘Oh, it’s good.’ He feathered a kiss across her brow. ‘I admire a woman who doesn’t feel she has to be dressed in finery and decked in jewels. You’re so different from any woman I’ve met before.’

  Destiny couldn’t help the image of what his past lovers must have been like coming into her head. Had any of them been the kind of woman he loved? Or was he referring to his sister? Maybe if she knew more of Tabinah she could not only help Majeed but satisfy her curiosity.

  Finally that curiosity got the better of her and the words slipped from her lips before she could think of the consequences. ‘What was Tabinah like?’

  Zafir’s body went cold and rigid against her instantly and she regretted her impetuous words. Surely there had been another way of asking the question. His arms dropped away from her and he stepped back.

  ‘What Tabinah was like has no relevance to you or your work here.’ The words snapped angrily from him and she cursed her stupid timing, but felt angered by his inability to open up to her, to allow her in. ‘You have seen where the incident took place, where my sister was found. You do not need to know any more.’

  ‘That is where you are wrong.’ She said the words a little too quickly and moved farther away from him. If distance was what he craved, distance he’d get. ‘I need to know so much more than you are willing to tell if you want me to help Majeed.’

  ‘You do not, I repeat, do not need to know about my sister or my relationship with her.’

  His eyes glittered as if the sun were shining on thousands of tiny diamonds. It should have served as a warning to her but she didn’t see it, didn’t want to see it.

  ‘I’m making a connection with Majeed. He’s letting me close, giving me his trust and it’s a shame his master can’t do the same.’

  Before he could answer she marched from the stables and back towards the courtyard and the long wide corridor which led to the palace, not bothering to wait for her escort. Anger boiled inside her. How could he bring her here to help a horse he had no intention of helping himself?

  Once inside her room she shut the door, leant her back against it and only then allowed her nerves full rein. Her body shook as if she was cold, her legs so weak she couldn’t stand any longer and she slid down the door. It was not the way she’d spoken to the Sheikh, the ruler, or even the fact that he’d held her so tenderly, kissing her gently yet with barely concealed passion. It was the way she’d responded. From that first teasing moment in the desert when she’d all but begged him to make her his lover, to the way she’d allowed his mouth to claim hers.

  She was doing exactly what she knew she shouldn’t, what could only bring heartache and trouble. But she couldn’t stop herself, couldn’t help the fire that burned deep within her just thinking of him.

  She was falling for the Sheikh, the devil of the desert.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  FOR THE LAST two weeks Zafir had adhered to all the rules he’d mentioned at the beginning of their ride that morning in the desert, although that day they had both briefly thrown those rules to the wind as the horses had raced homeward. Destiny could still feel his lips on hers, still wanted so much more, but, just as he obviously didn’t wish to, she wouldn’t give into the attraction. Since their ride he’d been the perfect gentleman when they’d met and had ensured they had company at all times.

  Zafir had allocated her a maid and she was certain it was to ensure they didn’t find themselves alone again. Although the older woman had seemed initially in awe of her, she had found a good friend in Mina. Soon after had come the generous gifts of gorgeous silk abayas and other garments worn by the women of Zafir’s kingdom and she kept telling herself he just wanted her to feel comfortable, to fit in and be part of life in the palace.

  Each time she’d met with Zafir in his office to report on her progress with Majeed, he’d had at least one of his aides present, making it clear he’d inadvertently crossed boundaries and had spent the last two weeks erecting higher barriers between them.

  In the thrill of the moment that morning, flirtation had taken over and she’d recklessly agreed to just one night. She’d agonised over how she would tell him she’d never spent one moment intimately with a man, let alone a night. But that now appeared a needless worry. Not once had he done anything to make her think he was still serious about spending a night with her.

  For the last few hours Destiny had been at the stables with Majeed and she was shocked at the dishevelled state in her reflection as she passed the ornate gilt mirror in her suite. Her hair was wild, looking as if she hadn’t been near a hairdresser for years, not weeks. Her face was streaked with dust after working with Majeed in the school; the long white blouse she’d worn for modesty was now grimy and dirty.

  She’d looked as dishevelled the morning she and Zafir had returned from their ride, but he had seen past that then. She’d really believed he’d seen her for who she really was, that he’d wanted her in the way she’d wanted him. Doubts assailed her as she unbuttoned her blouse, dropping it to the marble floor and heading for the shower. She turned on the jets of warm water, discarded the remainder of her clothes and stepped under the soothing warmth of the water.

  As she was dressing in one of the cool outfits Zafir had provided for her to wear when she wasn’t working, Mina knocked and entered. The big smile on the woman’s face showed nothing but approval for her choice of pale blue silks adorned with gold. ‘His Highness has requested that you join him for an outing to the town.’

  Destiny’s heart jolted before hammering out a steady beat. Zafir wanted to take her out. It would be a welcome change from working each day and, feeling like an excited child, she clasped her hands together in front of her chest in a way that had a lot more to do with the man who was taking her out rather than the outing itself.

  ‘Do I need to change?’ she asked Mina, wondering where they were going and if what she now wore was suitable.

  ‘You have chosen well. I will be happy to be seen with you,’ Mina said as she moved forward and fussed with the vibrant blue silk.

  ‘Be seen with me?’ she queried, the rush of anticipation at spending time with Zafir becoming clouded.

  ‘It wouldn’t be good for His Highness to be seen alone with you.’ Mina stood back to survey her efforts, unaware of the confusion that ran riot inside Destiny’s head. ‘Now, if you are ready, we shall go.’

  She followed Mina along the cool corridors, trying all the while to hide her disappointment that she and Zafir were to be accompanied. She wondered if this chaperone was intended for her sake or his. Then all her thoughts jumbled as they entered a large room where Zafir, deep in conversation with his aide, was dressed in robes befitting a king. The white robes, layered with a fine gold cloak, accentuated his potent masculinity and undoubted power, making her stomach knot and a heavy throb of desire pulse deep inside her.

  She couldn’t take her eyes from him. And from the fire within his, the question of their one night together still lingered tantalisingly between them. Had he kept his distance purposefully in an attempt to make her want him more?

  Mina stepped into the background, as did his aide, and
suddenly it was just the two of them again. His steady gaze held hers, forcing her heart rate to accelerate wildly. She’d never known such an attraction before and the hot desire in his midnight black eyes was almost too much.

  A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, as if he’d read her thoughts, heard her secret appraisal of him. ‘I thought you would like to sample life in our city,’ he said as he moved farther away from the other man, coming to join her. His gaze slid down her body and she tingled all over as if he’d actually touched her, a ragged breath escaping her as she tried to speak.

  ‘Thank you, Your Highness.’ She managed to sound demure even though her rampaging emotions were making her want things she shouldn’t. If they were to be chaperoned she’d better conform to the expected etiquette when addressing him in public. ‘It will be nice to see more of your country before I return to England.’

  He quirked a heavy dark brow at her words, his gaze holding hers for just a little too long, causing his aide to cough politely behind him. ‘I shall be honoured to show you.’ Then he bowed his head quickly and turned, his white robe swirling around him, the gold cloak shimmering in the light.

  It all felt surreal and Destiny wondered if she was dreaming as they were ushered out into the heat of the day and into a waiting car. She looked around as the door closed them inside the luxury of his car. She and Zafir were alone. No aide and no chaperone.

  ‘They will follow in the car behind,’ he offered as if he’d read her thoughts.

  She drank in the image he created as he sat tall and proud, even though he couldn’t be seen through the tinted windows. Her body ached for him, craved his touch, his kiss. The weeks since that snatched moment in the stables had done little to quell the throb of desire whenever he was near. The memory of his kiss still burned in her mind and on her lips.

  He leant closer and for one moment she thought he was going to kiss her again. Instead he said softly and so quietly only she could hear, ‘Do you remember what we spoke of the morning we rode out?’

  She’d thought of nothing else. It was what she wanted. Did this mean it was a serious proposition instead of fun flirtation?

  When she didn’t respond to his question he leant a little closer. ‘Do you still want me, Destiny?’

  ‘Yes.’ The cracked whisper which came from her sounded unreal and so unnatural.

  He smiled a satisfied and very sexy smile, sending her senses into overdrive, but how their one night was ever going to happen, when either his aide or Mina was present each time they met, she didn’t know.

  He reached out and stroked the back of his fingers down her cheek, forcing her lashes to close and a soft sigh to escape her lips. He was speaking, she realised, but in Arabic, which served only to highlight how different their lives were. She pulled back and for a moment their gazes locked, the challenge and desire in his clear.

  ‘Will Royal protocol be happy with us travelling together?’ she couldn’t resist teasing as she sat back, feigning indifference to him.

  * * *

  ‘It is only a short drive.’ Zafir’s gaze wandered over her as she looked out of the window, anywhere but at him, it would seem. The heat created moments ago by her whispered admission that she wanted him was only intensified by her apparent lack of interest in him. She was aloof, so superior and a far cry from the passionate woman he’d held far too briefly in his arms two weeks ago. Since then he hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her, wanting so much more than a kiss. ‘And we do have a driver, although he does not understand English.’

  ‘So why the escort? Why any of this?’ She turned and faced him and he fought hard to remain straight and upright in his seat, resisting the urge to reach for her and pull her close. He wanted to feel her body against his, touch her, taste her and kiss her in a way he’d never done with any woman before.

  ‘I thought you’d want to see more than just the palace. Having an escort is not only what my people would expect, but also for your own good. I do not wish to tarnish your reputation in any way.’ Zafir felt her gaze travel over him, leaving a trail of fire that set light to the desire he’d tried to deny since he’d first seen her working the horse at the stables in England.

  ‘Oh,’ she whispered, as if aware of how she was affecting him. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve caused you a problem.’

  The only problem she’d caused him was awakening his long ignored libido, leaving him unfulfilled and as ravenous as a man breaking a fast. And this was a problem he intended to redress fully once the hours of darkness had fallen. He’d tried to dismiss whatever it was between them but he couldn’t ignore her or his need for her any longer.

  Tonight she would be his.

  He knew he shouldn’t want her, but he couldn’t resist her any longer. In a matter of weeks he would be expected to announce his engagement, but still he hadn’t made any final decision, despite being urged by his aides to do so. He pushed the unsavoury thought of marriage aside, his senses clamouring for the satisfaction he knew only Destiny could give.

  ‘It is not a problem, just our way.’ He watched as she looked down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap, something he’d seen her do on that first night at the palace. It made her appear vulnerable, a trait he had no intention of looking for in his future wife, but one he found himself drawn to in Destiny. He wanted to look after her, protect her from hurt and even, he conceded, protect her from himself—and right now that was what she needed most.

  The car stopped at the hotel he’d planned on and as the door opened he couldn’t help but find pleasure in her smile. The noisy bustle of the streets filled the car and he watched as she got out carefully, mindful of her new garments.

  ‘Come,’ he ordered. ‘We shall walk to the market before taking some light refreshment.’

  ‘You actually walk in the street?’ The incredulity in her voice forced him to stem his laughter.

  ‘How else am I to show you my city?’

  ‘But I hadn’t thought... I mean...’ She floundered and he wanted to touch her, to ease her discomfort. But in public, protocol had to be followed. No matter what.

  ‘That I wouldn’t do such a thing? They are my people and I am privileged to walk among them. It is expected.’

  As they walked on, her attention was captured, or so she’d have him believe, by the hustle of the town as they made their way through the busy streets. He smiled as she looked from side to side, desperate not to miss anything. Spending a few hours with her would be enjoyable, even if they did have the constant shadow of Mina over them. It would also heighten the anticipation of the night he had every intention of spending with her.

  Negotiating the busy streets proved to be somewhat of a distraction, but Zafir had the constant urge to keep Destiny safe, to maintain contact. The need to touch her was so great it was driving him crazy and with his hand almost permanently moving to the small of her back before being quickly withdrawn, he showed her the wonders of his city while they mingled with the crowds.

  ‘This is such a wonderful place.’ She turned her face up to his and smiled—a wide carefree smile that he’d not witnessed on her lips until that moment. ‘The colours, the smells, the noise. It’s just wonderful.’

  He looked down at her face; excitement was sparkling in her eyes. She was so beautiful, so vibrant that she cast everything around her into shadow. Did she have any idea what she did to him? He wanted her so badly, but what if he hurt her, made her unhappy or, worse, let her down as he’d let Tabinah down? What if by being with him, even now, here in the market, she would be exposing herself to future unhappiness?

  ‘Zafir?’ she queried. ‘What’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’

  Perhaps I have. The thought ploughed into him like a runaway horse. Perhaps I’m seeing the ghost of the man I could have been if we were both different people.

  ‘No, everything is fine. I’m pleased you are enjoying yourself. You’ve been working hard with Majeed.’

  She smiled shyly at
him before looking away. Was she so unused to praise? He stifled a deep sigh, acknowledging but not accepting he was not what she needed. There might be chemistry between them, but she needed more than that, much more. Something he couldn’t give. Something he didn’t want to give.

  ‘When you are ready we will have our refreshment before returning to the palace. It’s hotter than I’d anticipated.’ The words were all but snapped from him as he tried to prevent the guilt he felt at letting Tabinah down from surfacing. Destiny didn’t need to know all the sorry details of his last exchange of words with his sister, despite what she thought, because if she did she’d never see him the same way again.

  * * *

  ‘You’re right,’ Destiny said as she turned to look at some bright red silk, desperate to hide her disappointment at his withdrawal from her. She’d felt him retreat, felt the hot passionate man she’d glimpsed in the back of the car fade away. His eyes had grown hard and cold, his body had tensed as the totally-in-control ruler had returned. ‘It’s hot. I’m ready to return to the palace now, please.’

  Moments later she was once again in the back of his car as it made its way out of the busy streets before heading back to the palace. Beside her, Zafir was a dark brooding presence.

  ‘I have work to attend to now.’ He kept his gaze focused ahead, as if he couldn’t even bear to look at her. Had she misread the signals yet again?

  The car stopped outside the palace and she knew she had to say something. ‘Zafir?’ She hated the question in her voice, but it caught his attention and he turned to look at her as his door was opened. She lost her nerve as his dark eyes locked with hers. ‘Thank you for a nice afternoon.’

  No, not that. In her mind she screamed the words as he appeared to digest what she’d said without a trace of emotion on his regal face.

  ‘My pleasure,’ he said sharply and left the confines of the car, speaking rapidly to his staff, his words fast and flowing.