The Sheikh's Matchmaker Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 9)

by Cara Albany

  Shahid smiled. "Too many," he replied.

  Here they were talking about cars, as if she were his new girlfriend and he wanted to impress her in the usual way that Aliyah thought that worked in Shahid's world. But, she wasn't his girlfriend, was she?

  Aliyah saw Shahid glance back up toward the palace. She glanced up, saw Nadyah on the faraway balcony and instantly knew they were being watched. What did everyone think they were doing? Couldn't they just leave Aliyah and Shahid alone, at least for a little while?

  Nadyah lifted her hand to the side of her head as if she was holding a phone and then pointed to Aliyah. She saw Nadyah mouth the words, "I'll call you." Aliyah nodded to Nadyah and turned to Shahid. She saw him glance up toward Nadyah and shake his head, smiling with good humor written on his features. He already knew what his sister was like.

  Aliyah strode to Shahid's car, trying hard to make it look as if she was visibly impressed with the car. Appearing as calm and disinterested as possible, Aliyah slid into the low seat and watched as Shahid closed the door. The car smelled deliciously of fresh leather. She watched as he walked casually around and got into the car by her side, closing the door with a resounding, soft thump.

  Shahid smiled at Aliyah. "Ready?" he asked.

  Aliyah nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she replied.

  Shahid powered up the engine and hit the accelerator, picked up speed and steered the car away from the palace and out the open gate. The road stretched ahead of them, a thin, straight asphalt line that reached to the distant horizon. Aliyah glanced back at the palace. It looked like a shining jewel amongst the broad expanse of the desert.

  Aliyah thought of Lucy and the new life that awaited her in that palace as Azim's wife. She thought about how amazing it must seem to someone from a small town in America. Marriage could transform people's lives in ways that were almost unimaginable, she told herself. She'd seen that miracle happen so often in recent years. She wondered, for a moment, if she would ever experience it for herself.

  Aliyah glanced at Shahid and saw that his attention was fixed firmly on the road ahead. His brows were dark ridges of concentration. He looked thoughtful, and she wondered if he was preparing something, trying to find the right words for some purpose. What did he have in mind?

  Aliyah gazed out through the windows at the golden sands stretching as far as the eye could see. The bright sun made the landscape shimmer like something out of dream. Aliyah felt herself pushed back into the seat as Shahid pressed his foot down.

  "What do you think?" he asked over the noise of the engine.

  "Of the car? Or what happened back at the palace?" she asked.

  Shahid glanced at her and raised a brow. "My siblings, of course," he replied.

  "Who knows," she replied. "Your sister's not stupid. She won't be fooled that easily."

  "I wasn't aware we were trying to fool anyone," he said softly.

  "I thought we were trying not to do anything to distract attention from Azim and Lucy," she said.

  "Looks like we failed at the first attempt," he said.

  Aliyah smiled. "I think we were being watched."

  "Why are they so interested in us, do you think?" he asked.

  Aliyah shrugged. "Why wouldn't they be?" She laughed. "Maybe they're thinking they can do to me what I've done for so many people."

  Shahid looked at her quizzically. "What's that?"

  Aliyah felt a stab of panic at the realization she had probably gone too far by hinting at what Nadyah might be up to.

  Marriage? With Shahid? What was she thinking of, even mentioning that?

  She felt her throat tighten and she drew in a sharp breath. Time to change the subject. Immediately.

  Shahid was glancing back and forth from the road ahead to Aliyah, waiting for her response.

  "Maybe they'll forget all about us once the wedding preparations really kick in," she said, grateful for the change of subject.

  Shahid's brows furrowed, as if he hadn't been entirely convinced by her reply. Then he shrugged. "I guess you're right. We'll see." He gazed ahead. He cleared his throat and then his voice assumed a bright tone. "In the meantime, can I make a suggestion?"

  Aliyah looked at Shahid. "Sure," she said wondering what he was going to say.

  "Dinner?"

  Aliyah felt the nerves in her stomach tingle at that suggestion. "Dinner?"

  Shahid nodded. "At my place?"

  Aliyah's insides tumbled at that suggestion. His palace was a half hour from Azim's. Aliyah started to wind her hair around a finger. She started to frantically search for the right words, how she could refuse his offer. Because, she had to refuse. Didn't she?

  "Well?" he asked quietly. He glanced at her, and she could see the hope in his eyes.

  "But what if they find out?" Aliyah asked knowing that it was a poor attempt at getting out of the invitation. In any case, she wasn't even sure she wanted to refuse.

  "How are they going to know?" he asked. He leaned toward her. "It'll be our secret," he added with a grin.

  Aliyah smiled at him. Did he have any idea how wonderful he looked when he smiled like that? Of course he did, she told herself. Shahid was the kind of man who was completely comfortable in his own skin. There was a natural confidence about him. He was so different when he was alone with Aliyah. Back at the palace he'd seemed defensive, hesitant. Here, though, in the confines of the car, in his own world, with his hands around the wheel, he looked like a different man, entirely.

  Aliyah lifted a brow. "Secret?"

  She thought about that for a moment and concluded that she liked the sound of that. In fact, this whole escapade with Shahid was turning out to be pretty exciting, in its own way, she concluded.

  "I like the sound of secrets," she said with a smile.

  Shahid grinned. "I thought you might," he said. "Does that mean you accept?" he added.

  Aliyah made as if she was weighing up the invitation, her mouth pouting slightly, her brows furrowing. Best to let him wait a bit before giving him an answer.

  "I'll think about it while your driving," she replied.

  "You look cute when you pout. You know that, don't you?" he teased. His eyes were bright with good humor and she knew he was playing with her.

  Aliyah felt her face flush at the sudden compliment. She narrowed her gaze witheringly at him and shook her head, trying not to smile.

  "You're seriously making me wait for an answer?" Shahid asked almost disbelievingly.

  Aliyah nodded. "What do you think I am? A pushover?"

  Shahid glanced away from the road. She saw him run his gaze quickly down the length of Aliyah's petite figure. "One thing you're not is a pushover, Aliyah. That's not the word that comes to mind when I look at you."

  Seeing the sudden hunger in his eyes made something tighten in her middle. There was that feeling again, she told herself. Every time he looked at her, all it took was one glance from his intense, dark eyes to trigger something inexplicable in her, something no man had ever come close to triggering in her.

  She forced herself to smile at him. "Just keep your eyes on the road," she ordered him.

  "Now, that's not going to be easy. You know that, don't you," he declared with a grin.

  Aliyah sighed and shook her head. Was this what it was like to be in Shahid's world? Speed. Intensity. Excitement. Emotion.

  If that was the case, then she had a decision to make before they arrived back in Qazhar city. Should she take the chance and go to Shahid's palace? Or should she take the safe route and demand that he drive her straight back to the safety of her family home?

  Chapter Six

  They were coming up to the junction and he knew they would have to make a decision. Shahid felt the tension building inside himself. She was making him wait, playing with him, just like she'd always done. He had to admit he found it kind of enjoyable, in a childish way. But he wouldn't tell her that. There was no point in encouraging her.

  She'd been quiet f
or the last few minutes, perhaps sensing that they were coming to a crossroads in more ways than one. He wondered what she was going to say. She could be so unpredictable at times and, once again, he realized that was another thing her liked about her. But, with Aliyah, that unpredictability wasn't the same as it was with the other women he'd known. With her, the surprises she caused always made him feel better about life, better about himself.

  He glanced across at Aliyah. She was so stunningly beautiful, he could hardly believe she was here, in his car. It was the first time he'd ever driven her anywhere.

  Alone.

  That simple fact amazed him. Every other time they'd travelled anywhere in Qazhar, they'd always been accompanied by some family member or friend. Being alone with her felt so very different.

  For some reason, despite their family connections, they had always lived in separate worlds. Maybe that had been for the best, he thought. Perhaps it was just as well she didn't know the kind of life he'd been living. But he was turning his back on that life now. Wasn't he?

  Looking at her there, her gorgeous, petite body nestled into the leather car seat, she looked so calm, so self-contained. And that was one of the things which was special about Aliyah. She had a natural calmness, an ability to focus which Shahid knew he himself lacked.

  Aliyah was so unlike any other woman he'd drawn into his life. And perhaps that was the reason why she had invaded his thoughts so completely in recent times. She was utterly fresh and new in every possible way.

  Back in Azim's palace, he'd had to contain his delight on hearing Nadyah's suggestion that he drive Aliyah back to town. He could have thanked his sister right then and there for doing that. In spite of his best efforts, he was sure everyone had noticed his delight.

  Right now, he didn't care about that. All that mattered was that Aliyah was right by his side. That was where she belonged. Where she would always belong, as far as he was concerned. But only if he succeeded in winning her, claiming her.

  One moment, weeks ago, at the wedding had forced him to see the truth. And today, all it had taken was a kiss in the garden to remind him just how much she meant to him. He could hardly believe it. Especially when he thought about his other life, the one he was determined to turn his back on, now that there was a chance he could be with Aliyah.

  In that other life, simple moments like he'd savored with Aliyah would never have happened. The people in that world needed so much more than simple, honest emotions and genuine feelings. They needed constant novelty, fresh new stimulation of their jaded senses. Holding someone close and feeling a true connection had no place in that world. He'd learned that lesson the hard way.

  Shahid gazed ahead. The crossroad was almost upon them. He took his foot off the gas and the car began to slow. There was no other vehicle in sight. They were alone in the midst of the vast, golden wilderness.

  The car slowed to a stop, the engine turning over with a low rumble. To the right the road stretched north leading in a short while to his own palace. Straight ahead would take them to Qazhar city and Aliyah's family palace on the outskirts. To the left the road stretched away toward the distant coast, where the sea would shimmer blue and bright, and where there would be the thin line of the beach that ran as far as the eye could see.

  The engine growled, idling like a waiting beast and Shahid looked at Aliyah. The sound of the machine matched the feeling that simmered inside him.

  "Well?" he asked simply.

  He saw Aliyah look from one stretch of road to the other, evaluating, deciding.

  Then, to his utter amazement she pointed to his left. "That way," she said grinning at him.

  "What?" he replied turning to look along the southern road. "You want to go to the beach?"

  Aliyah's brows lifted and she nodded. "Yup. What's the matter? You don't want to go?"

  Shahid hesitated, not quite sure how to respond. He sighed and shook his head. "If that's what you want. Who am I to disagree?"

  "I love the beach," she announced. "Don't you remember?"

  Shahid narrowed his brows. "No."

  Aliyah frowned in good humor. "Surely you haven't forgotten."

  Shahid laughed and cleared his throat. "Don't tell me. I did something stupid ten years ago, and you still haven't forgotten," he stated.

  "Right," Aliyah said, a triumphant look on her face. "How did you guess?" she added with a quirk of her mouth.

  Shahid tried not to laugh, but he couldn't contain himself. He was going to have to get used to this. Aliyah was obviously determined to remind him of every humiliating episode from his childhood.

  He sighed again. If that was what it was going to take to get closer to Aliyah, then he was going to have to put up with her teasing. The problem was, Aliyah was awfully good at teasing him. Still. If he was honest, he was starting to enjoy it, although he knew he daren't tell Aliyah that. Then, there would be no stopping her.

  "What was it?" he asked.

  Aliyah shook her head. "You'll have to wait before you find out. Unless, of course, your faulty memory starts working properly," she said.

  "Maybe I've been having too many late nights," Shahid said, immediately regretting his words because he knew they threatened to break the mood they had just built. "I probably need more sleep," he added quickly.

  Aliyah didn't respond to that, and the blankness of her face reminded him he would be well-advised to think before speaking next time.

  "Let's go before I change my mind," Aliyah ordered.

  Shahid liked the sound of Aliyah telling him what she wanted. "Okay, my princess," he said.

  Aliyah rolled her eyes and scowled. "Please, don't call me that," she stated firmly.

  Shahid shifted gear and turned the car onto the road that would take them to the beach. "Why not. It's true, isn't it?"

  Aliyah shook her head. "I'm no princess," she said.

  "Is there something you haven't told me?"

  Aliyah squinted at him. "What do you mean?"

  Shahid pressed the accelerator and the car picked up speed. "If you're no princess, does that mean you've got some dark secrets you haven't told me about?" he asked glancing across at her.

  She shifted nervously in her seat. "That's not it at all," she replied. "The only one who's got secrets here is you."

  "Really? And who told you that?"

  Aliyah peered at him. "I hear things, Shahid."

  He nodded, trying to maintain his playful demeanor, but he had to admit he was concerned at the sudden shift in the conversation. "What kind of things?" he asked.

  "Never mind," she said bluntly.

  "No. I'm intrigued. What have people been saying about me?" he said, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know. How much had Aliyah learned about him?

  "You don't need me to tell you, Shahid. What did Nadyah say?" Aliyah's eyes lifted as she tried to recall. "That's right. Nadyah said you have a reputation."

  Shahid nodded patiently. "And that's a bad thing?" he asked giving Aliyah a wolfish grin.

  She frowned at Shahid. "You tell me."

  "You always knew I was a bit of a bad boy, Aliyah," he said.

  "And now? Are you still living that life?" Aliyah asked, and he could hear a sudden note of emotion in her voice. By the sound of her voice, he thought she was trying to hold something back, perhaps something along the lines of what she'd said to him in the garden, much earlier.

  Shahid sighed. What could he tell her? The truth, of course. With Aliyah he would always be truthful. He'd already made up his mind about that.

  He shook his head. "That's all behind me now, Aliyah. I've had enough of all that."

  He saw a flicker of what looked like pleasure on her features. Had he said the right thing? Was that what she had wanted to hear him say?

  "Why?" she asked.

  Shahid gave her a puzzled look. "I thought it would have been obvious," he said. She still didn't look convinced, so he continued. "You," he added simply. The word sounded emphatic in the confined sp
ace of the car.

  Playfulness turned to shock on her face, and she turned quickly away from him. He saw her hand snake nervously through the thick tresses of her hair. Right now, he wanted to reach across and take some of those beautiful dark locks in his own hand, lift them to his face and inhale the sweet aroma, feeling the tender strands between his fingers.

  The car swerved slightly, and he twisted the wheel, straightening the vehicle. Aliyah made a little yelping nose as she bumped against the inside of the door.

  "You okay?" Shahid asked quickly.

  "You just keep your hands on that wheel," she ordered.

  "Yes, ma'am," he replied smiling.

  He saw her settle back against the seat and she was suddenly very quiet. He didn't mind that one bit. Sharing a quiet moment with Aliyah was just about the best thing he could think of, right now.

  It took them less than a half hour to reach the coast. The car crested a high ridge and then he saw the bright, shimmering sea and the golden beach stretching away into the distance.

  Shahid heard Aliyah emit a satisfied sigh.

  "Beautiful," he said glancing from the beach to Aliyah. He loved the way the sun reflected off the sea, brightening Aliyah's smooth skin.

  They followed the road until it curved and began to run parallel to the beach. This coastal route had been added recently to the inland road, connecting villages that were scattered along the coast.

  Shahid parked the car on the side of the road. The beach was a hundred yards away, and it already looked enticing.

  Shahid got out of the car and went quickly around to Aliyah's side. He opened the door and extended a hand to Aliyah. "Want to come for a walk?" he asked smiling down at Aliyah.

  She peered up at him and smiled back, lifting her hand. "Sure," she said. "I could do with some fresh air. The smell of this leather is a bit overpowering, after a while."

  "There's not much I can do about that," he said, laughing as he helped her out of the car, and then she was standing right next to him, the wind from the sea blowing through her hair. She shifted the loose strands away from her face and he could see the anticipation on her face. She gazed out across the wide expanse of the beach. "It's gorgeous here," she said looking up at him. Her eyes were shining with a simple joy that was so typical of Aliyah.