by Cara Albany
Malik.
They'd continued to make love throughout the night. Malik had proven to be insatiable and unstoppable, his strength a potent, irresistible force. And she had happily given herself over to him.
Completely.
Finally, they'd fallen asleep, exhausted and spent. Lana had never felt such wholeness, such bliss. She had felt utterly complete as she had fallen into the sleep of contentment.
The dreams claimed her, and they were both wonderful and, at various moments, vaguely unsettling. But, all through the blissful sleep, she felt the presence of Malik, lying by her side. His warm presence was reassuring. Perfect.
And then, finally, there came a dream of being carried by Malik across the desert. She felt herself hovering in his arms, floating above the soft desert sand. Lana leaned her head against Malik's shoulders, breathing deeply of his scent, savoring the sheer strength of his arms wrapped around her.
And then, as is so often the case with dreams, Lana began to sense that it wasn't a dream. That she was actually being carried by Malik. A part of her wondered how that could be.
Then she was opening her eyes, realizing that it wasn't a dream, after all. She was really in Malik's arms, and he was carrying her out of the tent.
Lana blinked her eyes in shock, wondering what he was doing. She gazed up at him. She saw his proud jawline, saw the way his attention was fully focused on the way ahead. She wondered what he was doing. Her arm had been draped around his shoulder.
Lana realized she was wearing the nightdress again and that he had put his shorts back on. Other than that, they were almost naked as they had been what seemed like an eternity ago.
The new day was beginning. The sky was still filled with stars, but the rising sun would soon make those glittering diamonds disappear.
She was suddenly reminded of their time at the beach, and how a previous attempt at enjoying a glorious view had turned sour. This time was different, though, she realized. Very different.
Malik noticed she was awake and looked down at her while continuing to stride toward the dune near to the oasis.
Lana laughed and smiled at him. "What are you doing?" she giggled.
She felt him draw her body closer to him, and he grinned. "I thought we'd watch the sun come up. I didn't want to wake you, so I thought I'd carry you until you woke to see the sun."
She crinkled her nose at him. "Aren't I too heavy?"
Malik shook his head. "Of course not," he said. He looked completely comfortable carrying her. He took a few more long strides up the steep side of the dune and then they were at the sandy peak.
Malik leaned forward and placed Lana down onto her feet. The care with which he did that made her suddenly feel like the most precious person in the world. She guessed that was exactly the impression he'd intended to create.
Lana's bare feet sank into the cool sand. She felt him quickly wrap an arm around her waist, drawing her firmly against him. Then his head dipped, and he kissed her, yet again, with a tenderness that lay in stark contrast to the urgent need of a few hours before.
The kiss made her feel as if this was the most perfect place on the planet, a place that would have seemed dangerous without the protection and tenderness of this amazing sheikh.
Her amazing sheikh.
Because, that was what he was. He belonged to her, right here, on the crest of this dune, with the stars fading above and the sun about to rise on the distant horizon. Nothing could be more perfect than this, she told herself.
Nothing.
Their lips parted, and she leaned her head against his bare shoulder. His scent mingled with the aroma of the desert. The morning air cooled her skin, and she could feel his heat against her body. This was where she belonged.
They stood there, saying nothing to each other. The horizon began to glow, a thin line of orange stretching across the sharp line of the desert.
Lana sighed. She felt a sudden contentment, a sense that they belonged to each other. The realization of that startled her slightly, but she drove the vague unease that accompanied the thought into the darkest corner of her mind.
She heard his breathing, steady and even; felt the rise and fall of his chest. She reached up and rested her hand against his bare chest, feeling the dark hair entwining in her fingers. Malik looked down at her and smiled. The silence of the desert was so profound that all she could hear, when she leaned her head against him, was the even pounding of his heart.
The sunrise grew until it was a fiery, beautiful spectacle the likes of which she'd never seen before. Maybe for him, it was commonplace. But, for her, it was one of the most astonishing things she'd ever seen.
They said nothing to each other, content to take in the glorious scene unfolding in the distance. Lana felt as if they were sharing something profound, something she would never forget for the rest of her life.
The sunrise revealed the true beauty and awesome glory of the desert around them. Lana thought they must have both looked like an odd sight, here in this sacred wilderness. The sheikh with the American woman by his side.
She was momentarily glad she had come, pleased beyond imagining with the way things had turned out.
But, she knew it couldn't last. It wouldn't last.
Malik looked down at her and smiled. He kissed her on the forehead. She'd never seen him look so happy, never seen that expression before, one that spoke of contentment and pride. What was he thinking? What was the next thing he planned to do?
"Are you happy?" he asked suddenly.
Lana smiled up at him. "Of course," she replied. "And you?"
She saw his brows furrow imperceptibly. "Of course, I am. How could I not be? Especially after last night?"
Lana felt her cheeks color slightly. Images filled her mind. Welcome sensual images. She cleared her throat and moved slightly away from Malik. He released her, a puzzled expression on his face.
Lana wrapped her arms around herself.
"Are you cold?" Malik asked.
Lana shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
"Do you wish to eat breakfast?" Malik asked.
Lana peered at Malik. "In a little while," she said in an unintentionally flat voice.
Why did she suddenly feel so awkward? What had happened to break the spell of the wondrous moments they had just shared?
Malik faced her. She saw his eyes narrow, scrutinizing Lana. He seemed to be preparing himself, something important on his lips.
Those lips, she thought, glancing at their moist fullness. She recalled how those lips had driven her to ecstasy, had tormented her, had sought to persuade her. What words were they about to utter, now?
Malik appeared pensive, swallowing nervously, his gaze shifting from Lana back down to the oasis below.
Perhaps it was time to go back to the tent. Before he had a chance to say anything.
Lana took one step back in the direction of the edge of the dune. Malik reached out and grasped Lana's hand. His fingers curled around her own. For a moment, she welcomed the touch, sensed the tenderness in the gesture. But, then the reason she needed to get back to the tent came flooding back into her mind.
Malik's gaze held her rooted to the spot, the way it had transfixed her on the bed only hours before. There was that hypnotic quality again, she told herself. His dark eyes burned with intent and she could sense within him the rising refusal to be denied. When he was like this, there was no denying him. Why did she find that notion so compelling? His determination made something primal shift inside her, a feeling of wanting to be possessed by him.
Malik leaned closer to Lana. "I don't want you to leave," he murmured. His voice was even and assured.
Lana hesitated. "I was only going back to the tent," she said after a moments pause.
The corner of Malik's mouth creased with the shadow of a smile. "That's not what I meant," he said evenly.
Malik's brows furrowed into a dark, determined ridge. She felt him draw her closer, and she allowed herself to drift langui
dly nearer to him.
Malik's face was inches from hers. His dark gaze penetrated her, making it impossible for her to wrench her attention from him. Not that she even wanted to, she realized.
"That's not what I meant, at all," Malik added. "In fact, I think you know just what I did mean. Don't you, Lana?"
Lana squinted at him, that vague unease curling again in her middle. She didn't say anything, feeling the tightness in her throat.
Malik's head dipped, and he kissed Lana, his lips a tender persuasion. Lana's treacherous body submitted to the sheikh's powerful gesture. Every nerve in her body quivered with need.
Then, he wrenched his lips from hers and gazed deep into her soul. "I will not allow you to leave, Lana," Malik declared.
Lana's heart juddered, the quickening caused by his kiss halted for a brief, shocking moment.
Malik leaned closer, and she could feel his warm breath against her lips. Then, he murmured one word, the single word she'd told herself she didn't want to hear.
"Ever," Malik said softly. The sound of the word hung in the air between them. His gaze probed her for a reaction, needing an instant answer.
Lana peered into Malik's dark eyes. There was utter sincerity in those limpid pools, an unstoppable conviction. His jaw had tightened into a thin, hard line. Lana felt her heart racing like that of a panicked animal.
Because that was what she suddenly felt like. A vulnerable creature, caught and captured.
The silence between them seemed to last for an eternity. He was waiting, and she didn't know how to respond. What had that single word really meant? Was he asking her what she thought he was asking her?
Her pulse raced, the blood coursing through her veins at an unnatural pace. Her feet felt as if they were sinking into the sand. Why had he asked her such a question? Especially after what they had shared.
Then she realized what had really prompted this. He hadn't been lying when he'd told her the purpose of coming out to the oasis, to this sacred tribal sanctuary. It hadn't been made up at all. Her skepticism had been misplaced. Malik really had brought Lana out here to test her. He really had come here with the intention of finding out if she could be his.
Forever?
Lana tried to take a step back, needing to put some distance between herself and Malik. He held onto her hand, and she froze, looking at his hand with a disapproving sharpness. He saw her sudden irritation and released her fingers.
Lana took a few steps and started to make her way down the dune.
"Lana," Malik roared. His voice drifted off into the vastness of the desert. She halted and turned to him.
"Did you not understand?" Malik asked. There was an urgency in his voice that hadn't been there moments before.
Lana nodded. "Of course, I did, Malik."
She saw his brows rise with expectation. There was an unspoken question on his features.
Lana paused and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling suddenly naked with only the nightdress protecting her rapidly cooling body. Was it the desert wind that had caused the goosebumps on her skin? Or was it something else?
"I don't know what to say, Malik."
Malik's brows furrowed. "You understand what I am asking you, don't you? I want you to be mine. For all eternity, Lana," Malik said.
He started to move toward her, but she shook her head, and he halted.
"How can you ask me such a thing, Malik?"
Malik said nothing in reply, merely opening his arms wide, a gesture hinting that his question had made perfect sense to him. Even if it had taken Lana by surprise.
Hadn't it?
Or had there been some part of herself which had expected this from Malik? He'd been pursuing Lana ever since she'd stepped off the plane. And now, it had come to this.
Her mind was a whirl of confusing thoughts and sensations. She didn't know what she could say.
With a sharp sense of urgency, she knew that saying nothing would be the best response. There was no answer she could give that would satisfy either Malik or herself.
Lana looked at Malik. "We fulfilled our obligation, Malik. We came here and spent one night. I think we got the answer we both needed. Don't you?"
Malik's mouth opened in shock. His eyes widened, and she knew he was about to say something in response to her bold statement. But, before he had a chance to say anything, Lana turned quickly away from him and started to make her way back to the tent.
It was going to be a long drive back to the palace.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Once they'd finally made their way back to the palace, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world for Lana to avoid any contact with Malik. Things were just too busy, with the wedding taking place the next day.
Mia had pressed Lana for details of what had happened at the oasis, but Lana had refused to provide any but the most basic information. She certainly wasn't going to share with anyone what had happened during the passionate night she'd spent with Malik.
The journey back from the oasis had passed in silence. Malik had seemed lost in thought as he'd driven the car across the desert. He hadn't even tried to persuade Lana, and she wondered if he had given up that easily.
Surely not, she had told herself. Had she humiliated him so much by simply refusing to talk to him about what kind of future their encounter at the oasis had created for them? His lengthy, grim silence as the car had sped along the road back to Qazhar city, seemed to suggest that she had offended him.
But, she'd had no choice.
It had all happened so quickly; had all been so intense. And, it brought to mind other incidents in her life, other times when a powerful man had apparently made his feelings clear to Lana. Colton's rejection had made Lana cautious in affairs of the heart. It didn't matter that this was a different man, a different world.
As before, Lana had fallen for a rich, powerful man; had allowed that man into her heart. She'd learned a harsh lesson, and the pain still burned, the hurt still made her wary.
The words he'd uttered back at the oasis had sent Lana running for her safe space, the walled enclosure inside herself where she had kept her heart safe from hurt, kept her feelings cloistered.
No.
She needed time; needed to keep busy, and the impending wedding was the ideal distraction.
All she needed to do was keep away from Malik.
And, since their arrival late in the afternoon on the day before the wedding, there had been no sign of Malik in the palace.
In spite of herself, Lana had found her mind drifting to speculation about where Malik had gone. She assumed that he and Rafiq were busy with their own preparations. Late in the afternoon, during a particularly difficult and bad-tempered fitting session for Mia's wedding gown, Mia had informed Lana that she'd seen Malik and Rafiq together in a distant part of the palace. It was the tradition that the groom avoided seeing the bride for twenty-four hours before the wedding. So, Rafiq and his two brothers had taken refuge in a wing of the palace, safe from the possibility of any unexpected encounters with Mia.
It occurred to Lana that that was quite convenient for Malik, too. He'd be safe from any embarrassing encounters with Lana. Even if she did bump into him, Lana had no idea what she could say to Malik.
As she helped Mia with the adjustments to her friend's beautiful wedding gown, Lana's mind drifted to that conversation back at the oasis.
Had Malik really been asking Lana the most serious question a man could ask a woman? Had he really been edging close toward that one request that held such momentous consequences?
Lana couldn't quite believe that Malik would have been so bold, so determined. Surely it was too soon for such a union. Because, that was what he had been proposing, wasn't it? Some kind of union, something permanent.
Lana dragged her attention back to the present. Mia fussed and fidgeted while Lana and one of the palace servants who had been provided to Mia, tried to make the necessary adjustments. Lana knelt at Mia's feet, trying to put som
e pins on the lower edge of the elegant, draped gown.
"It's no good," Mia exclaimed, standing in front of the mirror. Lana felt Mia stamp her feet. "It'll never fit properly," Mia complained. She grasped the fabric of the dress and shook it.
Lana glanced up at Mia. "Nervous?"
Mia frowned down at Lana. "I guess so. I'm sorry I'm so grumpy."
Lana stood and glanced at the palace servant. The young woman looked at Lana and understood that Lana wanted some private time with her friend. The girl bowed and left Mia's apartment.
Now that they were alone, Lana beckoned Mia over to the long sofa. Both women sat down on the sofa. Lana ran her gaze along the length of Mia's amazing looking wedding dress. "You know you've nothing to complain about, don't you?"
Mia sighed and leaned back on the sofa. "I know. You're right. It's just that I've become a bag of nerves. You don't know what I was like when you and Malik were away," Mia said.
Lana nodded. "I can imagine. Without my calming presence, I'm sure were a right little diva," she said giving Mia a wide grin.
Mia rolled her eyes. "You're right. I'm acting like I'm already a spoiled princess, aren't I," Mia asked.
Lana frowned. "I'm making no comment. Not to a sheikh's future wife."
Mia's brows furrowed and she looked suddenly thoughtful. "That does sound kinda amazing, doesn't it?"
Lana nodded. "Just a little."
Mia's gaze locked upon Lana. "And, am I the only one?"
Lana's mouthed opened, forming a shocked circle. "You've already asked me that once."
"And, I'll keep on asking it, until I get an answer," Mia said with a smile. "You know I don't give up that easily."
Lana cocked her head. "I know that," she admitted.
"Well?" Mia asked expectantly.
Lana shook her head. "Nothing doing," she blurted out. "What happened at the oasis stays at the oasis."
Mia lifted her chin and nodded sagely. "I was right, then. He did convince you," she stated.
Lana frowned at Mia. "He did not. There was nothing for him to convince me of," she said defiantly.
