He hung the towel back on the rack and walked toward his dressing area. Liana was already up and sitting on the edge of the bed. She’d pulled on a nightgown after they’d made love the previous night. The low-cut silk garment exposed creamy cleavage that made him think about filling his hands with her breasts and kissing them until she moaned and writhed, so close that it only took the lightest touch to send her over the edge.
Her hair was mussed, her face pale, but he still thought she was lovely. Just looking at her now as she poured herself a glass of water from the carafe on the nightstand made him want her again. He could feel himself hardening. No matter what, he always wanted her.
He was about to say something by way of an invitation when she pulled a small plastic container from her nightstand drawer and popped out a tiny pill. He frowned. Was she feeling ill? Was there a problem he didn’t know about or had she—
Truth slammed into him. She was taking birth control pills.
Without bothering to dress, he stalked into the bedroom. “I thought we were going to discuss starting a family.”
She swallowed her pill then looked at him. No humor or desire lurked in her eyes. Instead she looked incredibly sad. “Be realistic, Malik. There aren’t going to be any children.”
Her words were enough of a blow to send him nearly to his knees. Only by supreme force of will did he remain standing. “We talked about them,” he said, his voice low and strained. “You agreed.”
“I agreed to a lot of things I shouldn’t have.” Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t give in to them. Instead she raised her chin and blinked them away. “I was wrong to say I would stay with you, because I can’t. Bethany and I are leaving.”
He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t breathe. The darkness approached like a judgment from God, and he could only endure the chilling emptiness and know that it would last forever.
She set her glass back on the nightstand. “I was too young when Chuck and I married. Actually we both were. We grew up and learned hard lessons. One of the most important for me was that I have to feel as if I’m an equal partner in my marriage. I was never that with Chuck. He didn’t want a partner—he wanted to do things his way and have sex available. He wasn’t interested in responsibilities or any future past next weekend’s big race.”
“I’m nothing like that,” Malik told her, although he knew it wasn’t going to do any good. She was leaving and he didn’t know how to make her stay.
“You’re right,” she admitted. “You’re not Chuck. Instead you’re a prince and one day you’ll be a king. Because of that, you and I will never be on an equal footing as far as making decisions on how we should live our lives. But that makes it even more important that there is give and take in our personal relationship. It can’t be one-sided.”
Frantic need filled him. He had to find a way to make her understand. “Do you want to return to teaching? I’d let you do that. Or you can go to college or work in the palace. You’re not trapped here.”
She brushed away a single tear. “You still don’t get it. Malik, I don’t need you to let me do anything. Not return to teaching or even give me a child. I already have that. What I need is for you to care about me and my daughter. I need you to love us.”
She stood up and faced him. “I would have risked it for myself,” she said. “I meant what I told you before. I do love you and I would be willing to stay. But I can’t now. I’m not the only one who lost her heart to you. Bethany did as well. As a grown woman I can take a chance on you changing your mind and admitting your feelings. As a mother, I can’t let you continue to hurt my daughter. You’ve destroyed her, Malik. She thinks you’re just like Chuck. That you made her promises that you’re not going to keep. It’s ironic. I came halfway around the world to find a man so like my ex-husband.”
“I am not him,” he growled, insulted by her comments. “I’ve kept every promise I made to your daughter.”
“But you won’t tell her you love her, and that was an implied promise. I hoped you would be able to remember what it was like when you were young and project those feelings on to her. Like the time you broke your arm and one of the ministers thought you were being a crybaby. You were sent to your room and not taken to the doctor until the next morning.”
The memory threatened, but he pushed it away. “I would never do that to her.”
“I know, but she needs more than responsible parenting. She needs to be loved. The way things are now, I could hire a nanny to do what you’re doing with her.”
He took a step toward her. “How dare you insult me in this way?”
She didn’t back down. “How dare you hurt my child? I would have forgiven you everything. I would have waited. But the day you made her cry was the day I knew we had to leave.”
The bottomless abyss threatened, but he ignored the cold fear tickling the base of his spine. He turned his back on her. “Go if you must. I don’t give a damn.”
“I know,” she whispered. “That’s the point.”
Malik stood at the top of the palace and watched the black limo pull away. The rooftop garden retreat had changed from the last time he’d seen it. Probably because of Liana. He’d heard that she’d taken to spending part of her afternoons up here.
As the dark car disappeared around a curve in the driveway, he tried to find some part of her presence still lingering near him, but she was truly gone, and there was no way for him to bring her back.
He should have told them good-bye, he thought. He should have said something to Bethany. But he couldn’t face the pain in her small face, or the disappointment in her mother’s expression.
The irony was that a single phone call would prevent both of them from leaving the country. But to what end? Liana had made it clear that she didn’t want to be here any longer, and he couldn’t blame her. A heavy yet familiar weight settled on his shoulders. Once again he’d let his people down. News of his wife’s departure would spread quickly, and everyone would know he’d failed again.
He should never have married her, he told himself angrily. She knew nothing of the pressures of royal life. He should have allowed his father to arrange a suitable match with someone appropriate.
But despite all that happened, he could not regret his time with Liana. Given the chance, all that he would have changed was the fact that he had hurt Bethany.
He closed his eyes and wondered how it had all gone so wrong. She was a young child—he knew what it felt like to be abandoned and alone. Telling himself she had her mother wasn’t an excuse, so he didn’t allow himself to take comfort in the fact. He had thought he was a good ruler, a decent man of strong character. Ironic that it had taken a nine-year-old girl to show him that he was really nothing more than a selfish bastard.
“There you are, my son.”
Malik turned and saw that his father had joined him. The king walked over to the edge of the garden and stared at the view of the palace grounds.
“Liana is gone,” the older man said unnecessarily. “The women are up in arms. Fatima is raging and I suspect Dora and Heidi of plotting. Already Jamal and Khalil are concerned they will have no peace from their wives until this matter is settled.”
Malik shrugged. “They will get over it in time.”
“Perhaps. But their accusations weren’t all directed at you. Some of the sharpest barbs were thrown directly at me.”
Malik glanced at his father in surprise. The king was nearing sixty, but still stood tall and strong. Gray blended into the dark hair at his temples. His mind had never been quicker, his health was excellent and he could easily rule for another twenty years.
But that had never been his plan. He’d often talked about giving Malik time to get his personal life settled and grow comfortable with his responsibilities. Then Givon would step down while Malik was still relatively young. It had been that way in El Bahar for a thousand years.
“Why are they angry with you?”
The king shrugged. He touched the iron bal
cony railing. “Do you remember your mother much?”
The odd question surprised Malik, but he searched his mind for an answer. “She died when I was eight so I should, but I never saw her much after I turned four, so no. Not really.”
“She was a wonderful woman. Beautiful, intelligent, caring.” The king sighed. “Her greatest flaw, perhaps her only flaw, was that she adored me to the exclusion of all else. She denied me nothing. Not even my oldest son when I came to take you away.”
He looked at Malik. “I believe we have many wonderful customs in our country, but the practice of taking the Crown Prince away from his mother and siblings is wrong. I hated it when it happened to me, yet I did it to you. I’m sorry I didn’t change the old ways, but it’s not too late for your son.”
Malik grimaced. “I doubt I will have one.”
“Because Liana is gone?”
“Yes.”
Givon studied him. “You could marry again. I can arrange it.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Malik said, staring into the distance. Was she at the airport yet? In a matter of hours she would be gone and he would never see her again.
“Would it matter if I told you that I am proud of you and I believe history will find you one of the greatest leaders of our country? That I’ve often wondered how I was so fortunate to be blessed with such an heir. I don’t worry about the people or the country. You will always do the right thing. But I do worry about your heart, my son. I have always loved you and I never told you before.”
Malik didn’t dare look at his father. He felt odd inside. His chest tightened, and yet he felt as if some heavy burden had lifted. He swallowed. “I, ah, thank you, Father.”
A strong hand settled on his shoulder. “I loved your mother, as well. Loving her made me strong, just as loving Liana will make you strong. Love is what holds us together in times of trouble. It heals us and gives us the courage to try to be better. I would have walked through the fires of hell for her if she’d but asked, and I have never regretted loving her.”
Malik finally faced the king. “Is that why you never remarried?”
Givon nodded. “My ministers pressured me for a time, but I already had you and your brothers. I didn’t need more heirs. I have had companions over the years, but I could not imagine taking another woman for my wife. My heart had been given away, and I didn’t have it to give to someone else. I suspect you would experience the same problem if you tried to marry again.”
His father’s words flew around him, stinging and buzzing until they finally started to make sense.
“I didn’t have a choice about losing the woman I loved,” his father said. “You do. Bend on this matter, Malik. Bend and speak the truth. Then you will know a strength and peace of mind you can’t begin to imagine.”
“I don’t want to go,” Bethany said, tears running down her cheeks. “I want to stay in El Bahar.”
It was all Liana could do to keep from crying as well. They were already seated in their plane and about to push back from the gate.
She hugged her child close and wished she had words of comfort to offer. What she’d told Malik was true. If it had just been her, she would have taken the chance of making him fall in love with her. But she couldn’t play with her daughter’s feelings. Ever since Bethany had figured out that Malik didn’t love her, she’d been like a broken doll. She refused to go riding, barely ate and wasn’t sleeping. Liana knew it would take time for her to recover, but the process would go a whole lot smoother when they’d left El Bahar.
“Mommy, don’t make us leave,” her daughter begged.
“It will be okay,” Liana promised, understanding Bethany’s conflicting emotions. Liana felt them as well. On the one hand she knew in her head that leaving was the best thing for all of them. But in her heart, she thought she was going to die.
She didn’t know how she was supposed to survive without Malik in her life. He’d become her husband, her lover and the keeper of her heart. For Bethany, he was the only father she’d ever known. And what about Malik himself? Liana hated to think about all that he would have to go through as news of her departure spread throughout the kingdom.
But she didn’t have a choice. He’d hurt Bethany and she couldn’t allow that to happen again.
The plane moved slowly backward as they were pushed away from the gate. Liana continued to hold her daughter close and murmur soft promises of better times ahead. Her own eyes filled with tears as she wondered how long it would take to stop loving Malik. What other man could measure up to the glory that was her handsome prince?
She had a bad feeling that she would love him forever. She would grow old with only her memories for company. She thought of the condoms they’d used and birth control pills she now swallowed faithfully and had the fleeting regret that she wouldn’t have his child.
Bethany looked up at her. “Maybe he would have learned to love us back,” she said. “Can’t we give him another chance?”
“I wish we could,” Liana said. “But some people don’t change. He hurt you, sweetie, and I didn’t want him to go on hurting you.”
“I’m better,” her daughter said through her tears. “Please, Mommy. Just one more chance?”
Liana was tempted to jump up and demand that they let her and Bethany off the plane. But she resisted the impulse. “It will be easier when we get home. You’ll see.”
The lie tasted bitter. Being home wouldn’t help. Nothing would help for a long time. But eventually time would start the healing process and they would—
“Mommy, look!”
Bethany pointed out the window. Liana stared, then blinked. In the distance a group of men on horseback rode toward the plane. Dust billowed up around them until they reached the paved runways. The plane lurched to a stop.
“Ah, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. There’s been a slight change in plans.”
He continued talking, but Liana wasn’t listening. She recognized the man on the lead horse. Despite the robes and headdress, she knew his face, his body, even his heart. Gladness filled her. More tears spilled over, but these were of promise and joy.
“He’s not letting us go!” Bethany screamed in delight. She unfastened her seatbelt. “Hurry, Mommy. Let’s meet him at the door. Oh, I knew he wouldn’t let us go.”
Liana gave a slight smile to the stunned passengers sitting around them. She and her daughter slid into the aisle and started toward the front door. As it opened, a stunned flight attendant tried to stop them.
“You’ll have to return to your seats,” she said in a stern voice.
“Don’t mess with her,” Bethany said. “She’s gonna be the queen.”
Liana didn’t say anything. She simply maneuvered herself and her daughter past the woman. But before they reached the door, a tall handsome man entered the plane. His dark gaze found her at once, and his hard expression softened.
Her heart rose in her chest, and her body began to shake. Her love for him filled her.
“I couldn’t let you go,” he said, then looked at Bethany.
To Liana’s surprise and great relief, he crouched down to child level and held open his arms. Bethany cried out his name and barreled into him. She wrapped her thin arms around his neck and clung as if she’d never let go.
“I’m sorry,” Malik said quietly. “I was very wrong to hurt you, and I promise to do my best to keep it from happening again. Of course I love you. You are the daughter of my heart. You will always be my sweet Bethany.”
“Are you my daddy now?” she asked.
Malik looked at Liana as if waiting. She nodded.
“Yes,” he told the little girl. “If that is what you want.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
Malik’s eyes closed briefly as he held her tighter. “I love you too, daughter.”
Then he rose to his feet. Still holding Bethany’s hand, he reached for the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen. I’m sorry for the delay in your d
eparture. You’ll be on your way shortly.” He paused, then set the microphone back in place and turned to Liana. “You left me because you thought I did not love your daughter.”
“You’re right.”
“You said you were willing to take a chance on me if you didn’t have to worry about her.”
“I still believe that.”
“So you will now stay?”
“If that is your wish.”
He smiled. “Liar. You want more. You want it all.”
Her joy grew. “Of course.”
“Very well. I am Malik Khan, Crown Prince of El Bahar. This is my land and these are my people. You are Liana Khan, wife of the Crown Prince. Your place is at my side. Stay.” He held out his free hand to her. “Stay because you are the possessor of my heart. Stay because I need you. Stay because I love you now and will for all time.”
As her daughter had before her, Liana threw herself at him. He caught her against him and held her close. “I love you,” she whispered as spontaneous applause broke out among the passengers. “And I will stay with you forever. On your land, with your people.”
“My wife,” he said gently and kissed her.
For Malik, the sense of homecoming was complete. The last crystal of ice surrounding his heart melted, and he knew that he’d found the one thing he’d been searching for all his life. As he acknowledged his love for Liana and Bethany, he felt the peace and strength flowing through him.
Years from now, Bethany Khan would tell her grandchild about that day on the airplane when a future king had become her father and how his great love for her mother had been the start of a visionary dynasty that would rule for a thousand years. But that is a different story altogether.
The Sheikh and the Runaway Princess
by Susan Macias-Redmond
Contents
Chapter One
The Desert Rogues Part 1 Page 63
