Enormous peals of wails rang through the room, causing everyone to freeze in surprise. Grace bent down to assure him, but Samir was there first, lifting Jacob up and speaking soothingly to him in English and Elameran. He took Jacob away from the group, slowly pointing out things that might interest a toddler. A carving in a pillar, the view from the enormous windows that ran the length of the room on one side. Which left Grace with precisely little to do or say to these people who were, inevitably, to become her family.
Like one person, they moved towards her, and she scanned their faces. “We are sisters, and cousins,” one of the women said, a smile on her face that Grace found truly reassuring.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she smiled in a way that encompassed them all. And a few of them returned her smile. Most were simply curious. One or two she thought seemed downright disapproving.
“I am Nadia, the youngest sister,” the first one who had spoken said again, and she surprised Grace by kissing her on both cheeks. “I am sorry the palace is so intimidating. Samir will take you to his home, soon, which is much more comfortable.”
“He doesn’t live here?” Grace asked, forgetting she was supposed to be madly in love with the man.
If Nadia thought it odd, she didn’t react. “Only half of the time. Like you, he finds these trappings a little ridiculous.”
“I don’t find them ridiculous,” Grace rushed, careful not to cause offence.
“Come, let me introduce you properly. My mother you have met. You may call her Your Highness or Mother or Fatima. Whichever you are most comfortable with.” Then, with a whisper that reminded Grace so much of Samir, Nadia said quietly, “She is perfectly nice. I know she looks like she might have a heart of stone, but she is truly the softest and kindest woman you’ll ever meet. She is anxious to meet Jacob, of course, but she will also welcome you with all her soul. You are, after all, the woman who has finally succeeded in taming my wild brother.”
“Your brother, wild?” Grace said with a face. “Hardly.”
“At least untamable, then. Certainly by women.” The allusion to his past, which she could only imagine was peppered with liaisons, left her feeling cold.
“My sisters, Kalila and May. May is blonde like you. I know she will appreciate having an ally in the hair stakes.” Grace looked with curiosity at the sister who did, it was true, have a completely different complexion to the rest of her family. “And our cousins.” Nadia continued to introduce the women, but it was only when she got to the woman at the end, Irena, that Grace felt her confidence slipping.
Surely this had to be the same Irena Samir had been intending to marry until a week ago. Nadia, apparently gifted with her brother’s skills of perception, felt the beautiful English woman stiffen beside her. “Come, let’s share some refreshments while Jacob dazzles the family. There will be time for you to do likewise later.”
Grace nodded, her face filled with gratitude. Nadia linked her arm through the crook of Grace’s elbow and guided her out of the marble room and down the wide corridor. At the end, it opened out onto a perfectly elegant and enclosed courtyard. With heels that click clacked across the stone ground, Nadia crossed to the wall and spoke into a concealed intercom.
“Coffee will be brought. Have you ever had our cinnamon brew?”
Grace shook her head. “But I love coffee, so I am sure I will enjoy it.”
“It’s quite strong and sticky, but I can’t drink western coffee anymore.”
Grace shook her hands out, trying to find an inner calmness.
“You are so nervous. I understand. Samir has a habit of telling only half the facts. He seems to think he has everything so well controlled that details don’t matter. I dare say he didn’t tell you we would all be here, like vultures ready to descend.”
“Not exactly,” Grace agreed with a grimace.
“Ah, my brother is thoughtless sometimes.” But her smile was so full of warmth that Grace knew her affection for Samir was enormous. “Have you ever been to Elaminar?”
Grace shook her head.
“You will enjoy living here. I have spent much time abroad, but Elaminar is my favorite place in the world.”
“A view in which you are shared by your brother,” Grace remarked thoughtfully.
“It would hardly be fitting for him to feel otherwise,” she joked.
“Nadia,” she bit down on her lower lip. But she had to know. “Was that, Irena…”
Nadia squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Grace. That was insensitive of us. You do not need to be jealous. While she was intended for Samir, it was always his right to choose his own bride. She will make peace eventually with the fact he has chosen you.”
Grace felt a strange nausea in her stomach. The other woman’s eyes, almond shaped and filled with pain, floated into her field of vision. “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“Of course you didn’t. She has been raised to love my brother; and to think of him as her husband. But she will adapt.”
Grace paced the length of the courtyard, her equilibrium close to snapping. “Nadia, I think I need to take a moment. Do you mind if I go for a walk, on my own?”
Nadia frowned. “Of course not, Grace. You are not our prisoner. You must begin thinking of this as your home.” She took Grace’s hands in hers. “Come, I’ll show you the best garden.”
She led the way through the courtyard and around a corner. An arched wall led to a manicured lawn that seemed to stretch for miles. “This is private land. You may explore to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you,” she said gratefully, and impulsively she wrapped her arms around Nadia and gave her a hug of appreciation.
Nadia chuckled. “Go. Wander. I will make sure mother has not pinched Jacob’s cheeks off.”
Grace burst onto the lawn with body-wide relief. She slipped her high heels off and placed them carefully by the wall. She walked and walked, forcing herself not to think about the situation. Not to think about anything. She walked until she’d almost reached the edge of the lawn. She turned slowly, to regard the palace from a distance. They’d approached the royal residence via a long tunnel and she had only caught a faraway glimpse of it as they’d travelled from the airport.
Now, she looked at it steadily. It was clearly enormous, and very old. The walls were a bright white that seemed to glow in the evening sun, and each minaret was topped with a spiked cupola. There were windows everywhere, all shaped a little like inverted tear drops. She turned away quietly. This was her home now. At least it was if she wanted to be a part of Jacob’s life. She had no doubt Samir had everything at his disposal to keep their son in the country.
In the distance, she saw another building, much older looking than the palace, and she walked towards it curiously. It was super tall but not particularly big, perhaps three or four stories high, and at the very top, there seemed to be an open space beneath a flat roof. Fascinated, and keen for distraction, she increased her speed. She circled the bottom and finally located an opening carved into the blocks on the farthest side.
Stepping inside, she realized she might die of a dust infestation, but other than that, the staircase looked perfectly serviceable. Slipping out of her jacket and hooking it over the banister of the steps, she began to climb, pausing only once she was almost at the top to catch her breath and let the wave of heat sickness pass. A few more steps and she was there.
She let out a sound of pleasure as she surveyed the views. A complete rotation showed the palace in one direction, and beyond it the mountains. Cragged, imposing, and snow capped. She remembered Samir describing them to her and she had to admit, they were spectacular. In another direction, she could see the glimmer of the ocean, and as she followed it around, the city of Labasha, the capital.
It was remarkable. She had expected a shanty town. It was ignorant of her, really, given that Labasha had been steadily building a reputation as a shopping destination filled with designer boutiques and five star resorts. She had friends
who had holidayed in Labasha, and yet still, she’d imagined it to be small and old. Provincial, even. But it wasn’t. High-rises that seemed to kiss the sky were jammed together. Majestic and mirrored, making the skyline look as though it could have been a short stroll from Manhattan.
She pressed her elbows onto the cool stone railing and leaned forward, taking in slow, deep breaths and trying not to focus on the fact she’d been tricked and trapped into this life. Nor the fact Samir’s intended fiancé was painfully glamorous.
“You seem to have left me a trail of breadcrumbs at least,” Samir’s voice, rich with amusement, made her jump. She spun around guiltily to find him holding her shoes in one hand and jacket in the other.
“Sam,” she exhaled jumpily, then corrected. “Samir. Or should I call you Your Highness?”
“How about, dear husband?” He said thoughtfully, moving to stand beside her. She pulled her face away from him, unable to look at the man who still had the power to make her body groan with desire.
Dusk had fallen, and as the sky turned a deeper shade of peach and purple, the buildings in the distance sparkled with lights being flicked on.
“What do you think of my city?”
“A city’s a city,” Grace lied, intentionally keeping any note of pleasure out of her voice.
Samir knew her objection was token. “You will see it for yourself soon enough. And then, I’m sure, you’ll sing a different story.”
She shrugged. The reality of their marriage was impossible to contemplate. “Where’s Jacob?”
“Being kissed and cuddled to death by my mother and family.”
Grace froze. “Including Irena?”
Samir turned to look at his fiancé thoughtfully. “Irena. Yes, including Irena.” He frowned. “Does that bother you?”
She threw him a bitter look. “It bothers me and it probably bothers the hell out of her. I can’t believe you lectured me about Rupert, when your ex-fiancé was here waiting to meet the woman who’d taken her place.”
“Irena and I never became formally engaged.”
“Oh, that’s bull,” Grace snapped. “I saw the way she looked at me. She hates me, Sam. Nadia said she was raised to think of you as her husband. How can you be so insensitive?”
“It was wrong of my sister to speak so freely to you.” He said sharply, his eyes scanning her face.
“It was wrong of you to lie to me.” She snapped, gripping the railing behind her for support.
“I did what was necessary,” he returned, straightening his back.
“Says you,” she responded wearily.
“Grace, I gave you your choice. You could have been half way back to England by now.”
“Without my son?” She snapped, rolling her eyes at him.
“Without our son,” he corrected.
“You are an unfeeling jerk.” She spun away from him, but it was difficult to enjoy the view now, through the veil of tears.
“I am anything but unfeeling,” he growled, coming to stand behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.
His proximity made her whole body explode with sensation. She was so angry with him, yet there was a yearning deep inside her that she couldn’t ignore. With a sob, she felt her body press back into him, relaxing against the man who had once meant so much to her.
“I don’t want to want you,” she said quietly, still facing the city.
“I know.” He slipped his hands under the straps of her dress, sighing when he felt her bare skin.
“I mean it, Sam. I hate you for what you’ve done.”
He half hated himself for what he’d done, so he could hardly defend himself, could he? Besides, there were far more pleasurable ways than talking to explain his actions. He moved his hands to her hips and gently yet firmly twisted her body, so that she was facing him, encircled by his strong arms. The strength of his arousal was pressed against the pit of her stomach, and memories, erotic and intense, flooded through her.
And while she might have hated him, she hated herself too, for the way her body responded to his. As though her limbs were being controlled by someone else, her feet moved to widen, so that he had greater access to the triangle between her legs. Recognition and desire flared in his eyes as he lowered his head and kissed her with all the passion he felt. She was trembling in his arms as slowly, carefully, he lowered the zip of her dress and slid it off her shoulders.
He lay it on the stone floor and then tugged at her hand, pulling her to the ground, out of sight of any of the security who might happen to undertake their regular boundary inspections at that precise moment.
Grace was too flooded with need to object. Why would she want to? For more than two years, she’d been desperately craving this. And whatever else happened between them, she needed to be loved by him. Physically, at least.
He brought his body over hers, marveling at how little she had changed despite having carried their child. Her breasts were a little fuller, and there were several spidery lines across her stomach, almost invisible now. He pressed delicate kisses against each mark, worshiping the body of the woman who had given him a son.
“I did not want to do this until we were married,” he said quietly, removing her bra and taking her breasts into his hands and feeling their weight.
He felt her take in a deep breath of hunger. “I did not want to do this at all,” she said honestly.
“And now?”
She stared up at him with eyes that were bright with emotion. “I need you to obliterate every thought from my mind except this.”
He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments. She wanted him to make love to her because she couldn’t bear to face the reality of her life. And though he craved her body, the last thing he needed was another black mark against his name. It was not enough that she wanted him to help her forget. He wanted her to want him, and to want him with a happy heart.
With a slow groan of frustration, he pulled away from her. He stood, and stared unseeing at the city lights in the distance. “Get dressed, Grace.”
Grace, her mind clouded with the lure of sexual release, pushed up on her elbows. “Huh?”
“You will have to find another way to forget your troubles.”
She glared at him angrily. “You are my troubles.”
“I am aware of that. And I do not want us sleeping together to be yet another thing you throw at me in anger.”
“Of course not. I suppose you’ve got Irena to soften the disappointment, anyway.”
When Samir looked at her, his face was filled with a quiet fury. “Do not speak of her like that. Our relationship has never been of an intimate nature.”
Grace stood up, uncaring that she was half naked. Samir, however, was aware that she would be visible to anyone who happened to look and he reached down and grabbed her dress up with a possessive anger. He thrust the dress at her but she merely took it and held it in her shaking hands.
“I find that hard to believe,” she yelled, thrusting her hands onto her hips.
Samir turned away. “Get dressed, Grace. This is not a private location.”
She frowned, so deeply that her brows knitted together. But she did as he said, and pulled the dress on quickly. With effort and some strange bodily contortions, she was able to zip it up in double quick time.
“According to your sister, your conquests have been many and varied,” she snapped, and she knew she was trying to anger him. She was spoiling for a confrontation now. If he wasn’t going to let her get her frustrations out in a pleasurable way, then she’d just yell at him until her anger was spent.
“I see Nadia spent no time opening her heart to you,” he said with an impatient frown. “She is a sweet girl, but still just a girl.”
“Oh? How old is she?”
His frown deepened. “Twenty three.”
“A year younger than I am?”
“You are different. She has been sheltered all her life.”
“I’m only different because you want
me to be,” she said crossly.
“You are a mother,” he reminded her. “And you’ve worked for many years. Nadia is a student, with a habit for stirring mischief.”
“Well, I liked her.”
“I am glad. She will be your sister in law soon enough.”
“Do you really expect me to marry you?” Grace said after a beat, heavy with sadness, had passed between them.
Samir raked her with his eyes. “Yes.”
A sob escaped from her. She could hardly recognize this man, compared to the person she had fallen in love with. “Please, Sam. Please don’t do this to me.”
His eyes were blanked of emotion, his face like stone. “The heir to Elaminar will be raised here.”
She swayed a little, as his words clawed at her breaking heart. A combination of the oppressive heat and exhaustion made her suddenly weak, and as dizziness swirled through her, she stepped backwards, trying to steady herself. Only she moved in the wrong direction, and her foot landed half on the top of the stairs, and half in the air. Her hands reached for something, anything, to steady her, but only her nails made contact with the wall.
Samir lurched forward but he was not fast enough. He watched in horror as Grace fell and landed like a broken sack of potatoes on the landing below.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The sound of machinery was punctuating her dream with a strangely pleasant rhythm. She tried to open her eyes but it felt as though they were welded shut with craft glue. Her throat was razor sharp. Her whole body felt stiff, and she tried to lift her hand but it wouldn’t cooperate. A wave of exhaustion rolled over her, taking her with it to a land of sleep.
Hours later, she stirred again, this time, because voices broke through her strangely discombobulated brain. One person had been there for her all her life, and she tried to say his name now, but she wasn’t quite sure if her mouth was saying what she wanted. Her eyes were still too heavy to open.
Samir froze as Grace, her face black and blue, her eyes swollen from where she’d smacked her head hard against the bottom step, croaked something into the state of the art hospital suite. He didn’t need to lean closer to know what she had said. She was asking for Rupert.
One Night with The Sheikh: An accident of fate brought them together, and it would bind them for the rest of their lives. Page 11
