Tara laughed. “But I get the distinct feeling that the four of you like challenges.”
Storm shook his head, grinning. “Thorn is the one who like challenges. We prefer things to be made easy for us.”
Tara laughed again as she came to stand before them in the center of the room. “Sorry, I don’t do easy. Nor do I do hard, just to set the record straight in case you might be curious. I’m not looking for a serious relationship nor am I looking for a nonserious one. In other words, I’m not into casual affairs. I’m single and although I’m a die-hard heterosexual, I’m not interested in a man at the present time. Do we understand each other, guys?”
Dare nodded and smiled. “Yeah, you’re definitely a challenge, so we’ll leave you for Thorn.”
Before Tara could open her mouth and give him the retort Delaney knew was coming, the doorbell sounded. Giving Tara a quick glance, she grinned and said, “Hold that thought,” then crossed the room to answer the door.
She opened the door and drew in a breath so sharp her heart missed a beat and a wave of dizziness swept over her. “Jamal!”
Jamal took a step inside and closed the door behind him. Without saying a word and without noticing the other people in the room he pulled Delaney into his arms and kissed her. Automatically Delaney molded her body to his and placed her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
The intimate scene shocked the other five people in the room; four in particular.
“What the hell is going on!” Dare’s voice bellowed, almost shaking the windows and causing Jamal and Delaney to abruptly end their kiss.
“No!” Delaney shouted when she saw the murderous expressions of anger on the faces of her brothers when they began walking toward her and Jamal. She leaned back against Jamal, blocking him, and felt him stiffen behind her before he gently eased her to his side.
Her four brothers stopped then, looking Jamal up and down as if he was someone from another planet instead someone dressed in his native Arab garb.
Likewise, Jamal sized them up. He immediately knew who they were. The gaze he gave each one of them was dispassionate, but his features were fierce, sharp, lethal. He was letting them know he would protect Delaney, even from them if he had to.
“I can explain,” Delaney said quickly, trying to defuse her brothers’ anger before the situation got too far out of hand.
“You can explain things after he’s taken care of,” Stone said furiously. “Who the hell is this guy? And what is he doing kissing you like that?” And then, noticing Jamal’s arms firmly around Delaney’s waist, he met the man’s dark stare. “And take your damn hands off of her.”
“Stone, stop it!” Delaney all but screamed. “The four of you are acting like barbarians, and you’re an officer of the law, Dare, for heaven’s sake. If you give me a chance I can explain things.”
Delaney stopped talking when suddenly a wave of dizziness and queasiness swept over her and she leaned against Jamal. His sharp gaze left her brothers and concentrated on her, turning her quickly into his arms. “Are you all right?” he whispered in concern.
She muttered a barely audible response, saying softly, “Take me to the bathroom, Jamal. Now!”
Reacting with unerring speed, Jamal picked her up in his arms and followed Tara out of the room, leaving the Westmoreland brothers too shocked by the whole scene to speak.
As soon as Jamal placed Delaney on her feet in the bathroom and locked the door behind them, she sank weakly to her knees in front of the commode and threw up for the fourth time that day. When she had emptied her stomach completely for what she hoped would be the last time, she flushed the toilet and tried standing, only to find herself engulfed in powerful arms.
Jamal picked her up and walked over to the counter and sat her on it. He then took a washcloth and wet it and wiped it over her face. Moments later he placed her back on her feet and while he held her around the waist, giving her support, she stood in front of the sink and brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth.
After that, he picked her up and sat her back on the counter and stood in front of her. “The prince is already causing problems, I see,” he said softly, as he tenderly wiped her face again with the damp cloth.
Delaney gazed up at him still amazed that he was actually there with her. Breath slowly slipped through her teeth as she gazed at him. If it was possible, he was more handsome than before. The dark eyes that were looking at her were gentle yet intent, and his chin was no longer clean shaven but was covered with a neatly trimmed beard that made him look as sexy as sin.
She inhaled deeply. She had so many questions to ask, but what he had just said suddenly came back to her. “What did you say?” She needed him to repeat it to make sure she had heard him correctly.
He looked amused but answered her, anyway. “I said the prince is already causing you problems.” And this time he placed a gentle hand over her stomach.
She met his gaze. “How did you know I’m pregnant?”
His smile widened. “I had a feeling that you were. I’ve been dreaming about you every single night since we’ve been apart, and the dreams were so real that I would wake up in a sweat and sexually spent. And each time we made love in my dreams, I flooded your womb with my seed, which reminded me of the times I had actually done so at the cabin. I believe the dreams were Allah’s way of letting me know of your condition.”
Delaney nodded and looked down at his hand on her stomach. “Is that the reason you’re here, Jamal? For confirmation that I’m having your baby?”
He lifted her chin. “No. I’m here because I was missing you too much to stay away and couldn’t think about marrying another woman. So I told my father I loved you and wanted you as the woman in my life.”
Delaney’s eyes widened. “But what about the princess from that sheikhdom who you were to marry?”
Jamal stiffened. “It seems the princess needed to marry quickly since she was secretly with child from someone else. It was her dishonorable intent to try and pass the child off as mine.”
“And what about Najeen. Was she well?”
Jamal lifted a brow, knowing what Delaney was trying to ask him in a roundabout way. He decided to rest her concerns in that area. “I didn’t see Najeen. The first night I returned I told my stepmother to make sure she returned to her homeland. She is no longer my mistress.”
Delaney reached out and touched his cheek, remembering how he had once said he would never give his mistress up. “Do you regret sending her away?”
He met her gaze and smiled. “The only thing I regret is leaving you, Delaney. I was so miserable without you. The only thing I had to survive on were my dreams,” he said, his voice soft and husky.
She smiled. “And I had mine, too. And when I discovered I was pregnant I was so happy.”
“How long have you known?”
“I had an idea when I missed my period last week, and then when I started experiencing bouts of sickness throughout the day I thought I’d better check things out. I took a pregnancy test this morning which pretty much confirmed things. I’ve made an appointment to see the doctor in two weeks.” She traced her fingertips softly around his features, especially his lower lip. “How do you feel about me being pregnant, Jamal?”
He grinned. “The thought that you carry my child inside of you makes me extremely happy, Delaney. I didn’t intentionally get you pregnant, but I was more lax with you than I have been with any other woman, so I think subconsciously I wanted you, and only you, to have my heir.”
Happiness flooded Delaney. “Oh, Jamal.”
“And you are the woman that I want for my princess, Delaney. Please say that you will marry me and come live with me in Tahran. There are a number of Americans in your military and private businesses living close by in Kuwait, and if you get homesick we can always come back here to visit at any time. We can even live in your country half the year and in mine the other half if that pleases you. I see my father being king for a long time, which means I
won’t I have to live permanently in Tahran for a number of years to come.”
He leaned over and kissed her lips. “Say yes you will marry me so I can be yours exclusively.”
Delaney knew there was no way she could refuse him. Her love for him was too great, and she knew she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.
“Yes, Jamal. I will marry you.”
Filled with joy of the richest kind, Jamal leaned in closer, and captured her lips with his, feeling a jolt of desire shoot down his spine at the contact. His hand moved to the back of her neck, and he ran his fingers through the thick, glossy curls before holding her neck firmly in place to let his mouth make love to hers, wanting to consume her.
He wanted to be reunited with her taste, and he focused his attention on the bone-melting kiss he was giving her. His tongue explored inside her mouth as he licked everywhere before taking her tongue in his and sucking on it in a way he knew would make her scream.
But he didn’t want her to scream, or else he would have to hurt her brothers when they broke the door down to see what was going on. So he gentled the kiss, not quite ready to end it. He wanted to taste her some more. He needed to make sure this was the real thing and not a dream.
Jamal continued to let his tongue mate with hers, reacquainting himself with the pleasures he could find only with her.
“What the hell is going on in that bathroom?” Dare asked in a loud, sharp voice as he paced the floor. “I can’t believe we’re out here and not knocking the damn door down to find out for ourselves what’s happening.”
Tara glared at him, the same way she had been glaring at the other three since that man had taken Delaney into the bathroom and locked them in. “You’re acting just like Delaney wants you to act, calm and civilized, and not like barbarians. She has a right to privacy.”
“Privacy hell, she was sick,” Stone implored. “And why is he in there taking care of her instead of one of us? We’re her brothers.”
Yes, but he is the father of her child, Tara wanted to tell them, now that she had figured things out. She sighed deeply. The least she could do for her friend was to keep her brothers under control. “While the four of you are waiting, can I get you to help me with something? I need help with this piece of exercise equipment I’m trying to put together.”
They looked at her as if she was crazy. “Nice try, Tara, but we’re not moving until we know for sure that Laney is okay,” Dare said, smiling at her.
Tara shrugged. “All right. I’m sure it won’t be too much longer before they—”
Everyone stopped talking when the bathroom door opened. Everyone who had been sitting down shot up out of their seats. “Laney, are you all right?” Storm asked with a worried look. He glared at Jamal when he saw the man’s hand was back around his sister’s waist. “I thought you were told about your hands,” Storm said, filled with hostility.
Delaney actually chuckled. “Storm, that is no way to talk to your future brother-in-law.” Before anyone could recover from what she had just implied, she said, “I never got around to making introductions. Everyone, this is Sheikh Jamal Ari Yasir of Tahran. We met last month at the cabin and fell in love. Before we could make plans for our future he had to leave unexpectedly to return home. Now he’s back and has asked me to marry him and I’ve accepted.”
Mixed emotions went around the room. Tara screamed out her excitement, and the Westmoreland brothers stood frozen in shock.
“Marry!” Chase finally found his voice enough to ask, almost in a shout. “Are you nuts! He’s not even from this country. Where in the hell will the two of you live?”
Delaney smiled sweetly. “Although we plan to spend a lot of time in America, we will mainly live in Tahran, which is located not far from Kuwait. All of you are welcome to visit anytime.”
“You can’t marry him!” Stone stormed.
“She can and she will.” The room suddenly became quiet when Jamal spoke to everyone for the first time. The tone of his voice reflected authority, certainty and invincibility. “I appreciate all the care and concern you have shown to Delaney for the past twenty-five years and I find your actions nothing but admirable. But as my intended bride, the future princess of Tahran, she now becomes my responsibility. At the exact moment that she consented to marry me, she fell under the protection of my country. My father, King Yasir, has given his blessings and—”
“Your father is King Yasir?” Dare asked in total amazement.
Jamal lifted a brow. “Yes, do you know him?”
Dare shook his head, still semishocked at everything. “No, of course I don’t know him, at least not personally, anyway. But a few years ago while I was in the Marines stationed near Saudi Arabia, I got the honor of meeting him when I was in charge of security for a political function he attended. That meeting left me very impressed with the way he carried himself and the care, concern and love he bestowed on his people.”
Jamal nodded. “Thank you. I will pass on to him your compliment.” He then studied Dare a moment before asking. “So you have resided in the Middle East?”
“Yes. I was stationed there for two years and I must admit the entire area is beautiful and the Persian Gulf is simply magnificent.”
Jamal smiled. Pleased at the compliment given to his homeland. “You must visit there again. Delaney and I will have private quarters in the palace and as she has indicated, all of you are welcome to visit.”
“Damn,” Storm said. “An actual palace?” He grinned. “That day when you told us those tire tracks belonged to a prince, we thought you were fooling.” He laughed. “Nobody on the squad is going to believe my sister actually nabbed herself a real-live prince. John Carter walked around with his chest poked out when his sister flew to Tampa and married a professional football player. Just wait until I tell them that Laney is going to be a princess.”
Chase frowned at his brother, then turned his full attention to Delaney. Uncertainty and concern were etched in his features. “Are you sure this is what you want, Laney? I have to know that this is what you want, no matter what he wants,” Chase said, looking at Jamal. “Is marrying this guy going to make you happy? What about your career in medicine?”
Delaney glanced around the room at her brothers. The deep love and concern she saw in their eyes touched her. Although she had whined and complained about their overprotectiveness through the years, deep down in her heart she knew they had behaved in such a manner because they loved her and had cared for her well-being.
“Yes,” she whispered softly, yet loud enough for all to hear. She glanced up at Jamal before turning back to everyone. “I love Jamal, and becoming his wife will be my greatest joy.” As well as being the mother of his child, she decided not to add. Her brothers had to adjust to the idea of her getting married. She didn’t want to complicate matters with the news that she was pregnant, as well. “And as for my career in medicine, I’m sure it will come in handy in some capacity in Tahran.”
“I’m so happy for you, girlfriend,” Tara said, smiling brightly and going over to Delaney and giving her a fierce hug.
Storm laughed. “Well, I guess that’s that.”
Dare shook his head solemnly. “No, that’s not that. Thorn doesn’t know yet. And, personally, I don’t want to be around when he gets in tomorrow and finds out.”
Fourteen
That evening Delaney left her brothers in Tara’s care while she and Jamal went out to dinner. Although he had invited everyone to join them, she was grateful they had declined, so she could spend an evening alone with him.
However, they had indicated to Jamal, engaged or not engaged, they expected her to sleep in her bed and alone tonight. They had made it clear that until there was a wedding they intended to protect their sister’s honor. It had been hard for Delaney to keep a straight face at that one. And eye contact across the room with Tara indicated that her friend had figured out her condition and would keep her secret and would do everything she could to help keep the West
moreland brothers busy until she returned—which Delaney intended to be rather late.
She nervously bit her bottom lip when she thought about Thorn. He could be rather irrational at times and was more overprotective than the others. She would have to talk to him privately just as soon as he arrived in the morning.
“Are you ready to leave, Delaney?”
Jamal’s question broke into her thoughts, and she lovingly gazed across the table at him. Earlier that day, after getting nearly everything straightened out with her brothers, he had left to change clothes and had returned two hours later to take her to dinner.
Tonight he was dressed like a Westerner and looked absolutely stunning in a dark gray suit, white shirt and navy blue tie. She smiled, thinking he was certainly a very handsome man. His dark eyes held her seductively in their gaze and had been doing so all night. “Yes,” she said softly. “But it’s early yet. You aren’t planning to take me straight home, are you?”
He stood and walked around the table to pull her chair back for her. “No. I thought you might be interested in seeing the town house I’ve purchased to live in while I’m here.”
Delaney raised a brow. “You’ve purchased a town house? But you just arrived today.”
He nodded. “Asalum is most efficient when it comes to handling business matters. He took care of all the details and made the necessary arrangements from the jet while we were flying over here.”
Delaney shook her head. She doubted she would ever get used to such extravagance. “Must be nice.”
He chuckled. “It is nice, as you will soon see.” He took her hand in his as they walked out of the restaurant. “And there is another reason I want to take you to my town house.”
Delaney had a good idea just what that other reason was but wanted him to tell her, anyway. “And what reason is that, Your Highness?”
Jamal leaned down and whispered in her ear. Even with the darkness of her skin, she actually blushed, then smiled up at him. “Um, I think something like that can be arranged, Prince.”
Delaney's Desert Sheikh Page 14
