‘Jamal and his followers are against change and want Zenhab to return to feudal isolation as it was in the past,’ Mabel said grimly. ‘There have been plots to overthrow Kadir, and two years ago he survived an assassination attempt. A gun was fired by someone in a crowd, but fortunately the bullet narrowly missed him.’
The conversation turned to other matters, but later, as Lexi walked in the palace gardens, she could not forget Mabel’s revelation that an attempt had been made on Kadir’s life by his enemies. Far from being the playboy prince she had believed him to be, he was a dutiful Sultan who had dedicated his life to his kingdom.
The sun was sliding below the horizon, staining the sky flamingo-pink, and the fiery hues were reflected in the ornamental pools and many fountains in the formal gardens. Lexi strolled along an avenue of palm trees, but a familiar voice drew her from her thoughts, and her heart gave an annoying flip when she watched Kadir get up from a bench and walk towards her.
He had changed into a traditional white robe which skimmed his powerful body. As he came closer, Lexi could see the shadow of his black chest hairs beneath the fine cotton. He halted in front of her and smiled, revealing his perfect teeth, as white as his keffiyeh which framed his darkly tanned face.
‘The gardens are so beautiful,’ she said, looking around her because she dared not look at him, searching for something to say while she frantically tried to control her racing pulse.
‘My father had them landscaped as a gift for my mother. She fell in love with the gardens at Versailles on their honeymoon and Baba wanted to re-create them at the palace. Unfortunately, the project took longer to complete than my parents’ marriage lasted,’ Kadir said drily.
He indicated a carving on the trunk of a palm tree, and Lexi saw the shape of a heart inscribed with the words Judith will love Khalif for ever. ‘My mother made the carving. After she left, my father used to come and sit beneath this tree every day. He loved my mother until the day he died. When I look at the inscription I am reminded that people often do not mean what they say.’
‘How true,’ she said flatly, thinking of the many times people had let her down.
The emptiness in her voice stirred Kadir’s curiosity. ‘Why did your engagement end?’
For a moment Lexi did not answer. She rarely opened up about her private life. She did not understand the connection she felt with Kadir, but for some reason she felt drawn to confide in him.
‘I met Steven when we were serving with the RAF in Afghanistan. Living in a war zone is a strange experience,’ she explained ruefully. ‘Your emotions are heightened by the constant threat of danger. When Steven proposed, I accepted because I longed for a settled life, a home and a family. We planned to marry as soon as we finished our tour of duty, but he had failed to mention that he had a girlfriend and a baby in England. He told me by text message on the evening that we were supposed to be holding our engagement party that he wasn’t free to marry me.’
Beneath Lexi’s tough exterior was a vulnerable woman who had been badly hurt, Kadir realised. He felt guilty that while they had been in Europe he had succumbed to the sexual chemistry between them and kissed her, knowing that he wasn’t free to have any kind of relationship with her.
‘Mabel reminded me that six months is a long time to be away from home,’ he said abruptly. ‘You are welcome to invite your friends and family to the palace. I thought you might like to ask your parents to visit.’
‘They wouldn’t want to come. But thanks for the offer.’
He was puzzled by her offhand response. ‘It sounds as though you don’t have a close relationship with your parents.’
Lexi shrugged. ‘It’s true that we’re not close. I’m adopted. My parents believed they couldn’t have a child but, after they adopted me, my mother fell pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, which rather made me redundant.’
Once again Kadir heard a note of hurt in her voice and he felt an unexpected tug on his heart. ‘I’m sure your parents did not think that.’
‘As a matter of fact I overheard Marcus tell another relative that he and Veronica—my adoptive mother—would not have adopted a child if they had known they could have a child of their own,’ Lexi said flatly. ‘From the age of eight I knew I was an inconvenience when my parents packed me off to boarding school so that they could concentrate on Athena.’
‘I wondered why you and your sister do not look alike. Did you resent Athena because your parents gave her more attention?’
Lexi thought of her awkward, accident-prone sister and gave a rueful smile. ‘It would be impossible to resent Athena. She has the sweetest nature, and actually I think she has struggled to meet Marcus and Veronica’s expectations.’ She frowned as she recalled her misgivings about Athena’s intention to marry Charles Fairfax.
While she and Kadir had been talking, day had turned into night as quickly as Lexi remembered from the desert in Afghanistan, and a sliver of silver moon was climbing the sky accompanied by the first stars. She wondered what he was thinking. His hard-boned face was impossible to read, but she seemed to be acutely sensitive to his emotions and sensed that his mood had darkened.
‘Tomorrow I will require you to fly me across the desert to the old city of Sanqirah in the mountains,’ he said tersely. ‘The northern territories are much hotter and drier than here, where we are closer to the coast. You will probably be more comfortable wearing appropriate clothing rather than your pilot’s uniform.’
Lexi’s stomach plummeted as if she was riding a big dipper at the funfair. She knew that Princess Haleema lived in the mountains. And Mabel had said that Kadir’s uncle Jamal had been pushing for him to honour his marriage agreement. Pride demanded that she kept her voice unemotional. ‘What time do you want to leave?’
‘Early, and we won’t return until late.’ Kadir’s jaw tightened. Since he had received a phone call from Haleema’s brother, Omar, to confirm their meeting tomorrow he had sensed that his freedom was ending.
He felt no joy at the prospect of taking a girl he had never met as his bride, but it was necessary to prevent his detractors and Jamal’s supporters from challenging his rule and creating civil unrest in the kingdom. The time had come for him to honour his promise to his father. But the future seemed bleaker since he had been plucked from the sea by a woman who challenged him at every opportunity and made his blood run faster through his veins.
‘Lexi...’ Kadir watched her walk away from him and could not prevent himself from uttering her name in a low, driven tone.
She turned to him, her face serenely beautiful. Her long blonde hair seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. ‘Yes.’
Her voice was not quite steady, and Kadir knew then that the night air, thick with the scents of jasmine and orange blossom, was bewitching her senses as it beguiled his. He saw wariness in her eyes as well as a hunger that she could not hide, and he knew he should walk away from her.
She had been hurt by her ex-fiancé and by her adoptive parents. He had no right to play with her emotions when he knew that it could only lead to him hurting her too. But she was so lovely. He had never wanted any woman as fiercely as he wanted her and he could not stop himself from walking towards her.
‘Was there something else you wanted?’ she asked innocently.
‘Just...this...’
‘No.’ Lexi’s soft cry was crushed by Kadir’s mouth as he pulled her into his arms and claimed her lips. Her protest was carried away on the breeze that stirred the fronds of the palm trees. She had not expected him to kiss her and she had no time to muster any resistance, or so she tried to kid herself. But she was already lost to his magic, swept into his sensual spell as he swept her hard against him so that she was conscious of every muscle and sinew in his body, every beat of his heart.
His lips sipped from hers as he kissed her with a hunger that matched her own. Desire blazed white-hot, but underlying their passion was something indefinable, a connection between two souls as their two hearts thundered in
unison.
Lexi gasped as Kadir skimmed his lips down her throat. The stubble on his jaw grazed her sensitive skin and the exquisite pleasure-pain sent a shudder through her. She arched her neck as he threaded his fingers into her hair and almost purred with pleasure when he cradled her head, angling her face so that he could plunder her mouth again and again until she felt boneless.
She could feel the solid ridge of his arousal pushing against her pelvis, and the evidence of his need excited her. But it was wrong. He had promised to marry another woman.
‘No!’ She tore her mouth from his, noting that he made no attempt to stop her. ‘No more games,’ she said quietly, proud that her voice was steady, even if her legs were not. Somehow she forced her feet to move, although it felt as if she had severed a limb when she stepped away from him. ‘What do you want from me, Kadir?’
‘Everything.’
The single word detonated between them as his harsh voice resonated with a depth of emotion that shocked Lexi. His eyes were black in the darkness. Kadir clenched his hands into fists to prevent himself from reaching for her. She could never be his and the knowledge felt like a knife blade through his heart. ‘But I cannot take your beauty and your fire. And I can offer you nothing. I should not have brought you to Zenhab.’
The tortured expression on his face made Lexi’s insides twist with a shared pain, and she suddenly knew that if she stayed in Zenhab they would destroy each other.
‘Then let me go,’ she whispered. ‘This situation is unbearable for both of us. And it will be unfair on your young bride. Haleema may have led a sheltered life but she will notice the way we look at each other.’ She swallowed. ‘Steven made me an unwitting accomplice when he cheated on his girlfriend who was waiting for him in England. Our desire for one another is wrong, and the only way we can end it is for me to leave Zenhab and we will never see each other again.’ The thought was agonising, but Lexi knew it would be even more painful to remain at the palace and watch Kadir marry his Princess.
Lexi was right. He had to let her go, Kadir acknowledged heavily. His duty to his kingdom and his promise to his father must come before his personal desires. ‘I still need you to fly me to Haleema’s home in the mountains tomorrow. My meeting with her brother, Sheikh Omar, is arranged and it will be seen as a great insult if I fail to attend. But after that I will release you from your contract...and you will be free to leave Zenhab,’ he said harshly.
It was for the best, Lexi told herself. The madness had to end. Without a word, she turned and fled from Kadir, her chest aching with the leaden weight of her heart. As she ran through the dark gardens she did not notice one of the palace staff watching her from the shadows.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE SULTAN WAS dressed in his robes of state, although he was not carrying a sword or a ceremonial knife in his belt, Lexi noted. The embroidered jacket he wore over his white robe was encrusted with dark red rubies which reminded her of droplets of blood.
She gave herself a mental shake, impatient with her fanciful imagination. But she could not tear her gaze from Kadir as he walked across the palace courtyard to the helipad, and she was conscious of his gaze skimming over her desert boots, khaki combats and vest top. She had tied her hair into a ponytail and the peak of her baseball cap cast a shadow over her face which she hoped disguised the dark circles beneath her eyes, evidence of her sleepless night.
‘You said I didn’t need to wear my pilot’s uniform,’ she reminded him, taking his silence as censure.
‘You should bring a jacket. The temperature in the mountains can drop twenty degrees once the sun sets in the evening.’
Silence stretched between them, tightening Lexi’s nerves. She could still taste him on her lips from when he had kissed her the previous night. ‘Is it safe for you to go to the mountains?’ she burst out. ‘Mabel said that the northern tribes are your enemies and there has already been one attempt made on your life.’
His brows rose ‘Why, Lexi, would you care if someone took a pot shot at me?’ he drawled.
In her mind, she was back in Helmand province in Afghanistan, watching her co-pilot Sam jump out of the helicopter and run to the aid of an injured soldier. The sniper’s bullet seemed to come from nowhere. One second Sam was running, the next he was lying lifeless on the desert sand. Death had been delivered in the blink of an eye. Lexi would always remember Sam’s cheerful grin and zest for life.
She stared at the blood-red rubies spattered over Kadir’s jacket and pictured a faceless figure in a crowd, aiming a gun and pulling the trigger. ‘Of course I’d care, damn you,’ she said thickly.
‘Lexi.’ Kadir swore beneath his breath.
She turned away from him, afraid he would see the raw emotions he evoked in her. ‘Why do you have a different bodyguard?’ She glanced at the man sitting in the front passenger seat of the helicopter. ‘Where are Nasim and Ashar?’
‘Ashar is away visiting his family. Nasim called in sick this morning.’
Lexi frowned. ‘What’s wrong with him? He seemed fine in the gym yesterday.’
Kadir closed his eyes and tried to dismiss the vision of Lexi’s bottom in tight pink shorts moving up and down as she performed push-ups in a competition with his bodyguard. ‘Your concern for Nasim is touching,’ he said curtly. ‘But no doubt you will strike up a friendship with Fariq.’
‘I’m not so sure.’ Lexi couldn’t explain why she had not warmed to the replacement bodyguard, or why her nerves felt on edge. She looked around the empty courtyard. ‘Where are Yusuf and your other advisers who usually accompany you?’
‘I am going to the mountains alone, and I am not carrying my ceremonial weapons to show my host, Sheikh Omar, that I come in peace.’ By the end of today he would be officially engaged to Haleema and Zenhab would be looking forward to a royal wedding, Kadir thought with grim resignation.
Lexi held open the door of the helicopter and was gripped by an inexplicable sense of dread. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this trip.’ She shrugged helplessly. ‘I wish we weren’t going today.’
For a split second, emotion flickered in Kadir’s dark gaze, a look almost of pain, before his thick lashes swept down like curtains hiding the windows to his soul.
‘I have to go,’ he said harshly. ‘This is my destiny.’ He glanced at the gold watch on his wrist. ‘It’s time we were on our way.’
The AgustaWestland was a dream to fly, and once Lexi had taken off she turned the helicopter towards the desert and prepared to enjoy the spectacular view. Beside her, the new bodyguard seemed restless and ill at ease and although the cabin was air-conditioned he was sweating profusely.
Lexi glanced at him. ‘Are you nervous about flying, Fariq?’ she asked him, speaking into her headset.
‘No. I’m not afraid, but you should be.’
Puzzled, she turned her head to look at him and her heart catapulted against her ribs when she saw a gleam of grey metal and recognised the barrel of a pistol partly concealed in the bodyguard’s jacket. ‘Don’t make a fuss,’ Fariq said softly. ‘Fly the helicopter to these new coordinates.’
Lexi glanced at the piece of paper he placed on her knee. On the video screen she could see Kadir in the rear of the helicopter, putting on his headphones, and she guessed he was unaware of the situation. Her eyes jerked to the pistol that Fariq was aiming at her ribs. Her mouth felt dry, but her military training kicked in and she suppressed her fear by forcing herself to think logically and remain calm.
Moments later, Kadir’s voice came though her headphones. ‘Why are you heading towards the coast? You’re flying in the wrong direction.’
The bodyguard turned around and pointed the gun at Kadir. ‘There has been a change of plan, Your Highness. Hand over your cellphones, both of you.’
Kadir froze, and his first thought was that he should have questioned, as Lexi had, the fact that Nasim had unexpectedly been taken ill. Clearly, someone had wanted his protection officer out of the way and he prayed that N
asim had not been killed.
‘Whatever it is you want, there is no reason for you to involve my pilot.’ He spoke calmly to Fariq. ‘Let Lexi land the helicopter. You can keep me as a hostage, or kill me if that is your plan. But let her go.’
‘No!’ Lexi felt a rush of emotion at Kadir’s attempt to protect her. ‘You can’t kill the Sultan,’ she told the gunman. ‘You’ll never get away with it. If you allow him to go free, I’ll fly you to wherever you want to go and no one will know about this incident.’
Fariq laughed. ‘Your determination to protect each other is touching,’ he sneered. He stared at Kadir. ‘The rumour that the western woman is your mistress is obviously correct. Nobody will get killed as long as you do as I tell you. Continue flying to the coordinates I gave you,’ the gunman ordered Lexi, ‘and don’t try anything clever because I swear I will pull the trigger and we’ll all go down.’
She could tell he meant what he said, and she could also tell he was nervous, which made him volatile and likely to panic. There was nothing Lexi could do but fly to the new destination. After fifteen minutes, during which time the mounting tension seemed to suck the air out of the cabin, they flew over the coast.
The sea was sapphire-blue and sparkled in the early morning sunshine. Did the world seem more beautiful because she had a gun aimed at her? Lexi wondered. She was conscious of her heart beating hard and fast in her chest as adrenalin pumped through her veins. On the video screen she could see Kadir sitting behind her. What if the gunman did actually intend to kill him?
Fear stole her breath. She could not bear to lose him! She couldn’t bear to kneel by his lifeless body as she had knelt beside her best friend, Sam, desperately searching for a pulse but knowing it was too late.
Kadir is not yours to lose, whispered a voice in her head. And in a heartbeat she discovered that she wished he was.
Below them, a small island came into view, white sand and green palm trees rising up out of the sapphire sea. ‘Land the chopper down there on the beach,’ the gunman instructed.
Sheikh's Forbidden Conquest Page 10
