“Leaving? What are you talking about? Sam! What’s going on here?”
Sam had caught up with her, and breathless, stammered, “I just asked Aliyah if she wouldn’t prefer to have her own house, outside the palace.”
“What?” Osman thundered. “Leave the palace? Never! Aliyah is our family, and so are her children.” He wrapped his big, strong arms around her and held her to his chest like a father. “Don’t cry, Aliyah. Sam, what were you thinking? You can see she’s devastated.”
Aliyah sobbed, unable to stop herself. It was all too much lately. She’d tried so hard to be strong but her emotions were all over the place. And none of these people had any idea of the indiscretions she had committed right under their noses. If they knew, even Osman would probably want to put her out on the street.
“I’m so sorry, Aliyah. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“People in Ubar don’t want to move away from everyone and put up a big fence, like they do in America.” Osman shook his head. “Extended families live together under the same roof. It’s completely normal here. We actually enjoy it.”
“I’m so sorry, Aliyah.” Sam put a hand on her shoulder. “I feel like an idiot. We really do love having you and your girls here. I only wanted you to be happy.”
Aliyah’s chest was still heaving, but now it was more from guilt about the things they didn’t know, rather than the shocking insult she’d just endured. She had to remember that Sam didn’t understand their culture. Maybe she really did think she would be happier living on her own with the girls—which was a strange and lonely concept.
“I’m sorry. I think I overreacted. It’s just that…I thought we were growing closer—” Her voice broke. She really shouldn’t talk about growing closer to someone she was deceiving.
“We are, Aliyah! I don’t know how to apologize.” Sam squeezed her arm.
Aliyah managed to extract herself from Osman’s embrace and dry her tears on her veil. “I’m sorry. Maybe I overreacted.”
“I don’t think you did at all. I’m very mad at Sam.” Osman lifted a brow at his wife, though Aliyah could see he wasn’t really angry. “She never discussed this with me at all, or I would have told her in no uncertain terms that both you and I would be appalled by the idea.”
“I apologize to both of you,” said Sam, looking genuinely contrite. “I’m still learning to understand Ubarite culture.”
“Well, next time you have the bright idea to throw my family members out on the street, please check with me first.” Osman put an arm around Aliyah’s shoulders.
Sam grimaced. “I’m mortified. I had no idea that’s how it would sound.”
“Me either,” said Ronnie, who’d joined them. “And I blame myself because I’m so excited about designing a traditional Ubarite house that I suggested the idea to Sam in the first place.”
Aliyah sucked in a breath. “It’s okay. I understand.” She managed to smile. “I’m sorry I’m such a crybaby.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Aliyah. Got that?” Osman’s voice boomed through the orchard.
“Got it,” she murmured, with a shaky smile.
“And nor are your lovely daughters. They’re the light of the palace and I can’t wait to see them run and play with our own child.”
“Me either,” said Aliyah. She was starting to grow calm again. Maybe it was a simple misunderstanding. Americans were very strange. These girls had both moved thousands of miles away from their own families! It was truly hard to understand other cultures sometimes. “And it was sweet of you to think of my needs.”
“Even if we were horribly wrong about what you would want.” Sam stroked her arm. “Can we forget this ever happened?”
“Of course.”
“Great.” Sam heaved a sigh of relief. “Then maybe we can all discuss the food for the tournament event. Will you come sit down again?”
“Okay.” Aliyah followed them back. She glanced around, looking for Gibran. She hadn’t seen him all day. Hopefully he hadn’t witnessed her embarrassing outburst. Of course he could be just a few feet away and no one would be any the wiser. It wasn’t easy having a lover trained in stealth.
A lover. She had a lover.
“Would you like some limeade?” asked Ronnie.
“Sure, that would be great.” She took the glass with trembling hands, and swigged a deep gulp.
She really shouldn’t have cried like that. She was all on edge. A year ago she’d still been married to an old man who could order her death at any moment—she’d been through so much change and uncertainty that sometimes it was hard to remember which way was up.
Suddenly they both looked over her head. “Gibran!” called Sam. “Come and join us.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Aliyah wanted to rub her eyes to make sure the last traces of tears were gone, but Gibran was staring right at her so she held herself steady. Her heart pounded as he approached and she vowed to act as normal as possible.
“Good afternoon, ladies.” He bowed his head slightly, and they all called out a warm response. Aliyah managed to say, “Hello,” herself—in English—so as to be as much like the others as possible.
As he sat, Gibran shot her a quick glance that almost made her heart stop, then he turned his attention to the waiter who brought him a plate. How could she act normal around him when last night his big, bold hands had roamed uninhibited over her naked body? When she’d shivered in his arms, convulsed with passion she’d never dared to dream of?
She covered her confusion in a sip of her limeade.
They were all seated now, as the staff brought out tiny cakes and fruit. Zadir still wasn’t back with the girls, but he’d likely show up any minute, too. Amahd was probably busy working, as usual. He generally only showed up for dinner, if even then.
“How’s your investigation going?” asked Osman, as a waiter poured him a tall glass of water.
“Making progress. Like everything in Ubar it’s slow and meandering, but we have some leads. I’ve had men traveling through Ubar and the surrounding countries showing people their photos and we have a lead on the pilot. He appears to be from a village in southern Satya.
“So the license you found on him was genuine?”
“No. He has a different name and origin.”
“How did you get people to talk?” asked Sam, curiously.
Gibran looked sheepish. “I instructed the men to say he was due an inheritance.”
“I approve.” Osman passed a plate of figs to Sam. “Whatever it takes to stop this is fine with me. They’ve lied to us and tried to kill and injure us, so the ends justify the means to a certain extent.”
“I plan to go interrogate them myself to see if I can dig up more details about what he told them he was doing. They claim they don’t know and that they have no idea where he is right now, which isn’t surprising as we kept the arrests very quiet.”
“Excellent.” Osman smiled. “This is the most progress we’ve made. And there hasn’t been an attack in some time. Their network may be crippled by the arrests we’ve already made.”
“I certainly feel safer already.” Sam smiled at Gibran. “You have no idea how much we appreciate you being here.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Gibran snuck a quick glance at Aliyah as he said the word pleasure. She froze, and tried to keep herself from reacting while her pulse rate shot up and her skin tingled. It really wasn’t fair for him to be so handsome. He knew the power he had over her.
“Mama! We rode a horsey!” Nasri’s sweet cry was the most welcome distraction she could imagine.
“Did you, sweetheart?” She rose from the table and hurried to her daughters, who each held one of Zadir’s hands. “That’s so exciting. You must tell me all about it over lunch.”
At least now she had an excuse to look somewhere other than at Gibran. For now. Later tonight was a whole other story and she had no idea what would happen then.
Aliyah prepared for bed that night with a mix
of excitement and trepidation. She put on her prettiest pale yellow nightgown and brushed her hair until it shone.
She and Gibran had made no plans. For all she knew she wouldn’t see him or hear from him at all. She had a phone that she used to keep in touch with her family in Nabattur and the village, since Osman had recently upgraded phone service in the whole country, but as far as she knew, Gibran didn’t have the number.
He’d never asked for it, and it would be probably risky for him to call her as then their contact might be traceable.
Would he show up uninvited? Gibran was totally the type of man to do that.
The prospect of a midnight visit made her nerves jangle, but also brought heat to parts of her that had been lying dormant her whole life. The sensations she’d experienced last night had opened a new dimension for her. Finally she knew the kind of intimacy and excitement other people enjoyed within the confines of marriage. It was a shocking revelation.
Though of course she wasn’t married.
She was committing an act of indiscretion that would shock and alarm her Al Kilanjar family, just when she was beginning to grow closer to them. They probably already thought she was a little demented after her outburst today.
On the other hand Ronnie and Zadir has shared a room for some weeks—months even—before their wedding. She wasn’t sure about Sam and Osman, since they’d married very suddenly during the annual three-day wedding ceremony—Sam claimed to be very surprised to find herself suddenly married to a king she’d just met—but for all she knew they’d at least kissed before they were properly man and wife.
Aliyah didn’t watch much television, but she knew that men and women were…intimate in other countries outside the bounds of marriage. In Ubar, of course, it was unheard of. The annual marriage ceremony was created to get men and women married off at a young age before they had a chance to get into trouble with the wrong people.
Aliyah was climbing into bed when a scraping sound on the roof made her jump. Then she chastised herself. It was probably a bird. Now that Gibran had already enjoyed his fill of her, maybe he’d lost interest.
Her heart clenched at the thought.
He’d made no promises of love or even the most minimal commitment. All he’d said about the future of their relationship—if you could call it that—was, “I guess we’ll find out eventually.” Hardly words to hang the rest of your life on. And he’d made it clear that no one should count on him for anything—except perhaps a job well done when it came to matters of security.
Two brown boots thrust through the window and Gibran appeared in her bedroom. It happened so fast that if there had been a puff of smoke she might have thought he was a djinn.
He turned and closed the shutters behind him, and she enjoyed the sight of his broad back flexing under his dark gray T-shirt.
He’d come.
She climbed out of bed and hurried across the floor, excitement rippling through her. She ran into his outstretched arms and he lifted her off the floor before pressing his lips to hers and kissing her with all the passion that had built up between them during their day apart.
She drew in his rich, masculine scent and enjoyed all that strength wrapped around her. “I missed you,” she confessed.
“I missed you, too. I heard Sam made you cry by suggesting you move out.”
“Who told you?”
“Osman. He was really mad at Sam.”
“I know.” She laughed, still embarrassed. “I overreacted, though. Sam thought I’d like to go live somewhere in my own house.”
“And you wouldn’t?” Gibran looked curious. She loved the way the skin crinkled slightly around his eyes when he smiled.
“No! That would be so weird.”
“My mother has her own place. She has a few servants of course, so she’s not completely alone, but she enjoys it.”
“She doesn’t have any family?”
“Other than me, no. Her parents died when she was young. That’s why she became a household maid. She worked in the palace from when she was fourteen or so. I think she’s glad to be somewhere that no one can tell her what to do.”
“I guess that’s understandable. Still, I bet she wishes you would live with her and create a family for her.”
Gibran shrugged. “Maybe she would. I don’t know. She says she’s happy. She knows I won’t ever settle in Ubar again.”
“Or anywhere.” Aliyah raised a brow. “Since you seem to have taken to the life of a nomad. Always traveling, never arriving.”
“Maybe it’s in my blood.” He kissed her softly, and warmth flooded her veins. How could she enjoy his kiss so much and revel in the security of his arms around her when he’d as much as said he’d be moving on soon?
“I’m glad you’re camping here tonight.” She stroked his rough cheek.
“Me, too.” His big hands pressed into her robe, and she could feel their heat against her skin. He ran his palms over her back, then lower to cup her backside.
Already she found herself shivering with anticipation. She craved the feel of him inside her, and her fingertips clawed at his T-shirt. Bolder than yesterday, she unbuttoned his pants and reached for his thick erection. He groaned slightly when she wrapped her fingers around him.
He slid his hands inside her robe and caressed her skin, feeling her breasts and belly. Excitement crackled between them in the warm night air, and soon they were tugging each other’s clothes off.
Last night had given her confidence and soothed away her fears and worries. She eagerly welcomed him inside her and moved her hips to deepen the sensation. Gibran’s kisses unleashed something wild, and as they moved together on the bed, she felt herself letting go of a lifetime of inhibitions. Soon they were trying different positions, which sent strange new sensations careening through her and made her stifle cries of pleasure and surprise by pressing her mouth to his strong body.
Her climax, when it came, was fiercer and more powerful even than last night. Since she now knew what was happening, she let it crash over her and sweep her away on a tide of pleasure. Gibran’s release shook them both, and he hugged her to him with force that threatened to make her cry out.
Her heart pounded against his chest, filled with emotions she couldn’t name and had never experienced before. She felt so close to him right now, like she could say anything. “I’m going to miss you when you’re gone.” It felt safer to acknowledge that this was just temporary. She didn’t want her heart to get too deeply entwined with his.
“Who says I’m going anywhere?” His hot breath on her cheek soothed her.
“You. You’re always talking about leaving, one way or another.”
“I’m not leaving right now.” He stroked her cheek.
“No, but you will.” Oh no. She hadn’t wanted to do this. Hot tears pricked her eyes. She felt so much for Gibran right now that her chest ached. She couldn’t bear the thought of him driving off over the horizon, and leaving her here to continue her lonely existence.
His brow had furrowed and she could see his chest heaving. Gibran didn’t know his own feelings. In a way this was probably as new and different and scary for him as it was for her.
“What do you think the others would say if they knew?” She whispered as quietly as possible, because she knew the guards were close, somewhere outside the windows.
“They’d be shocked as heck.” His chest rose and fell. “They’d think I was taking advantage of you.” He ran his thumb over her mouth, and her lips parted. “But I know you’re enjoying this as much as I am. Who knows? Maybe they’d approve. I doubt it, though. They see you as quiet, innocent little Aliyah, whose greatest pleasure is reading stories to her children.”
She bit her lip. “That’s who I was a few days ago.”
“Things change.”
“I know. Change is scary. I really was comfortable with my little routine existence. A world where anything is possible is a lot more frightening. I think that’s why I reacted so strongly to Sam�
��s question about leaving. Limitless possibilities could lead you into limitless trouble.”
“Or limitless pleasure.” He lowered his head and sucked gently on her nipple, which thickened and sizzled under his hot mouth.
“Osman wouldn’t approve of us fooling around like this.”
“It’s none of his business.
“You’re a rebel by nature. If someone tells you to do something, you probably want to do the opposite,” she accused gently.
“There’s some truth in that. And I suppose Osman is my boss right now, as well as my brother.”
“That must be weird.”
“No weirder than the rest of my life.”
She shoved her fingers into his hair, trying to fight the strange tangle of feelings rising inside her. “You’d be bored living a normal, happy life.”
He inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly. “Maybe I wouldn’t be bored. Maybe I’d like it.”
Aliyah blinked. Was he suggesting that in fact there could be a future between them, even though he’d only just said he’d never settle in Ubar?
“You’re impossible.” She stared at him in the darkness, though only the bold lines of his face were visible in the shafts of moonlight sneaking through the windows. She could see his dark eyes gleaming. “You don’t know what you want. You don’t know what you need.”
He sighed. “I do know one thing I need right now.” He kissed her so gently that it made her heart squeeze. “You.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The next morning Gibran took Aliyah for another “driving lesson.” He even admitted that she didn’t really need one, but she wasn’t about to miss out on a chance to spend time with him when they had a perfectly good excuse to do so. Parsia and Nasri begged to come along, so she boldly—or rashly—decided to drive to her village and show off her newfound skills to her family.
Desert Kings Boxed Set: The Complete Series Books 1-6 Page 57
