by Cara Albany
"We must do what we should have done three years ago." There was an imperious and emphatic tone to Zaheer's voice.
Becca's mind whirled as emotion seized hold of her. After a few moments, clarity took hold of her. She knew what he meant by that. Of course she did. She remembered a similar conversation three years ago. And even then, although the circumstances were different, it had seemed as unreal as this.
"If Abby won't accept help from me, then she will surely accept it from you," he said.
"And that means what?" she asked, although she could already guess what was coming next.
Zaheer's head eased closer. His lips were almost upon hers now and when he spoke it was in a whisper. His gaze was possessed by hunger and determination.
"If she won't accept help from a stranger, then surely she'll accept it from you. Especially, if you are that stranger's newly-wed wife."
CHAPTER FOUR
"Are you asking me to marry you, Zaheer?" Becca gasped. Even as she said the words, she knew they sounded ridiculous. Unreal. She felt as if all the breath had been knocked out of her.
Becca leaned her head away from Zaheer and stared at him. Zaheer didn't move a muscle. His gaze was fixed on Becca. It was a steady gaze, firm and unmoving.
He was being serious, Becca realized. This was no joke.
Becca's breathing quickened and she lunged for the door, only to find it locked.
Becca glared at Zaheer. "Let me out, Zaheer," she grunted. "Right now."
Zaheer reached across and tried to place his hand on Becca's arm, but she pushed it roughly away. Zaheer's eyes widened. Did he have any idea how she was feeling right now? How dare he even think about keeping her in this limo.
Becca pulled on the door handle. "Open the door. This has gone far enough," she exclaimed.
"Please, Becca. Hear me out," Zaheer said.
"I don't want to hear any more of this," Becca said firmly. "I've heard enough."
Zaheer moved closer and Becca backed away from him.
"Stop playing games with me, Zaheer," she said.
"This is no game, habibti," Zaheer said.
The sound of that last word caught Becca by surprise. She hadn't heard it in three years. The memory of when he'd said it to her in Qazhar rose into her mind.
Habibti.
Beloved.
She remembered lying next to him in his palace bed, his fingers tracing lines down her naked body, his gaze drinking in the sight of her body. She recalled the feel of his warm body alongside her, the scent of it, the power of it.
And as he did so, he had murmured the word over and over.
Habibti.
My beloved.
The blaring of a car horn dragged her back to the present. Becca placed a hand on the glass of the limo's window. "Don't say that, Zaheer," she blurted out.
His gaze was unflinching. "Why not? It is true."
"It might have been three years ago, but not any more," Becca retorted.
Zaheer's brows furrowed and he moved closer. She watched him advancing and felt sensation flicker to life in her middle.
"That's history, Zaheer," she said her voice cracking slightly.
Zaheer shook his head as he placed his hand on her shoulder. His touch ignited waves of familiar sensation in her. She swallowed and peered at him.
"History is about to be rewritten," Zaheer said. There was a confidence about his voice, a certainty. Had he been planning this all along? Had this been why he'd searched her out in the first place?
Becca glared at him. "You think that's funny?" she asked.
Zaheer merely shook his head. He wasn't smiling. Not at all. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life, habibti," he said.
Becca gasped. "Stop calling me that," she groaned, emotion welling up inside her.
"You always will be my beloved, Becca," Zaheer said softly. His voice had dropped to a low growl. "We have been apart for too long."
Becca stiffened and leaned toward Zaheer. She was so close to him, she was sure she could almost feel the heat of his body. "We are over," Becca declared, her voice rising.
Zaheer didn't move a muscle. He smiled at her and shook his head slowly. "You know that's not what you really want," he said
Becca glared at Zaheer. "And what would you know about what I want?" she demanded.
Zaheer lifted a hand and caressed the side of her face. Treacherous emotion flickered into life as his soft fingers traced a slow line down her cheek. Her throat tightened as she gazed into his dark eyes, seeing the sheer adoration in the way he was looking at her. Questions flashed into her mind. Was he being serious? Did he really want her as much as he said he did?
Becca glanced toward the driver. Even through the dark tinted panel, she was sure he must know what was going on in the back of the limo.
Becca's attention was dragged back to Zaheer as he drew her closer to him. "You know how I feel about you, Becca," Zaheer murmured.
Zaheer took her shoulders and held Becca as if he intended to kiss her. She stiffened and lifted her chin, glaring at him. Who did he think she was? Some kind of plaything he could toy with?
Becca met his gaze defiantly. "No. I don't know how you feel about me," she retorted. "I thought I did. Three years ago."
Zaheer shook his head. "That was an eternity ago. We were both different people back then."
Becca snorted and glanced dismissively at his hands on her shoulders. "Seems like some things haven't changed," she snapped. "You still think I'm just like any of your other women."
Zaheer's eyes widened and she saw a flash of indignation there. She'd touched a raw nerve. He released her and propped his arm against the seat. He leaned forward, peering into her eyes, and shook his head. His lip curled sardonically. "Still fighting me? Still refusing to believe me?"
Becca drew in a deep breath. "I haven't forgotten, Zaheer."
"Why can you not accept what you mean to me?" he demanded, voice dropping even deeper. "Why can you not believe how much I need you? How much I desire you?"
His voice flamed with need and desire. His nostrils flared and his gaze darkened. It was as if she had awakened a slumbering beast, a feral force that he'd somehow held in check for the whole evening.
She'd definitely exposed one of his wounds, she told herself. Back in Qazhar, it hadn't taken long for Zaheer to reveal his possessive side to Becca. His darkness. The sheer power of his desires. Back then, he'd wanted her by his side every moment of the day. And night.
At first that had been exhilarating. Thrilling. She'd felt as if she'd been claimed in some primal way by a man who was a force of nature. She'd felt like the luckiest woman alive.
Then, the strength of his needs had led him to become too dominant. It had been something she hadn't known how to deal with. And, one day, when she'd told him she wanted some time to herself, some time to think about what had happened in their whirlwind romance, Zaheer's mood had darkened.
They'd argued. For the first time. The only time.
And Becca had felt as if something had broken. In an instant, what had been a dream come true had turned into its opposite. Something to escape from. Whatever was inside Zaheer was untameable, and she wasn't even going to try and heal him. That hadn't been what she signed up for when she'd flown to Qazhar on that wild impulse, seeking fun and pleasure.
And here, right now, in front of her, Becca could see that same untameable shadow which had driven her to leave Qazhar three years before.
"You haven't changed, Zaheer," Becca said evenly. "Have you?"
His jaw tightened and he shook his head. "Of course I have," he retorted. "And, after the evening we have just shared, I can see that you have," he said. His gaze drifted down the length of her body and he smiled. "Although, I have to tell you this." He drew in a deep breath and sighed. "You are even more beautiful than three years ago."
Emotion surged in Becca as she heard those words. Why was it that her body seemed determined to ignore all common sense? She wasn'
t going to submit to Zaheer. Not after everything they'd been through. And especially not now. Not in this limo.
He tried to move closer, but she lifted a hand and placed it on his chest. She pushed him firmly back, watching as he frowned. Becca shook her head. "No, Zaheer," she said emphatically.
Zaheer sighed and straightened. He settled alongside Becca on the seat, facing toward the driver, and tugged on his jacket, apparently trying to regain his composure.
The sudden transformation took Becca by surprise. She sat up, relief that this episode seemed to have come to a close. But, there was still one issue they hadn't straightened out. The fact that he'd suggested marriage to her.
Zaheer was still gazing forward, almost as if he was resisting looking at Becca. Was he embarrassed by what he'd just done?
Becca sighed. "So, let me get this straight. You'll help Abby, but only if I agree to marry you?"
Zaheer turned and looked at Becca. She saw the same determination in his eyes as she'd seen when he'd made the proposal. Because that was what it had been, right? A proposal.
Zaheer shook his head. "What do you think your cousin will think if you tell her that one of your former boyfriends is willing to bail her out of her financial troubles? You told me she is a proud woman. What if she refuses? Then what?"
Becca exhaled. "If I explain it to her, she might just put everything to one side. Especially if it is for the baby's benefit."
Zaheer gazed at her intently. "But what if she doesn't? Are you telling me you are willing to allow that to happen? You told me you'd do anything to help your cousin," he said.
Becca frowned at Zaheer. "I didn't think that included agreeing to marry you," she exclaimed.
Zaheer's brows furrowed and he turned to face Becca. "Is that such a terrible thing?"
Something shifted inside Becca when he said that. In spite of everything that had happened, despite all her hesitation and concern about Zaheer's wounded soul, she knew that there was a part of her that didn't think being Zaheer's wife would be the worst thing in the world. It was a secret corner of her heart which she had built a wall around the day she had left Qazhar.
She'd never admitted her secret to anyone since that time. There had been times over that last three years when she had wondered what it would have been like if things had turned out differently between her and Zaheer. Becca had played with the notion of being a sheikh's wife on more than one occasion. But, those had been idle fantasies with no hope of ever coming true.
Well, now he was back in her life and tempting her with the promise of making those daydreams into a reality.
But, she'd never, in a million years thought it would come down to this. Sacrificing herself to help the dearest person in the world. Because that was what he was asking her to do, wasn't it? To pick up where they had left off three years ago, as if nothing had happened.
The limo continued forward through the traffic. They'd be at the station soon. She had to make a decision now, or else she knew she never would. And then what? Regret? Guilt? That she'd refused her cousin and her baby a future, just because the man who could solve all their problems in an instant was untameable, wild and wounded?
Zaheer leaned closer. "What are you thinking about, Becca?" he asked quietly.
Becca peered at Zaheer, trying to gauge his mood. He seemed more reflective now. Had he already admitted defeat?
She knew what she had to say. Knew she had no choice.
"I won't marry you, Zaheer," Becca said evenly.
CHAPTER FIVE
Zaheer felt a sudden heaviness in the pit of his stomach. She'd refused him. Becca had turned him down. He could hardly believe it. Had he misjudged this whole situation so badly?
He stared at Becca, incredulous about what she'd said to him. She looked steadily back at him, a defiant expression on her face, her gaze fixed and determined.
She'd meant what she'd just said. He'd failed. Again.
"I won't marry you," Becca said. There was a very long pause and then Becca spoke again. "Under those conditions," she added.
She shifted in her seat and faced forward, her body language making it clear this wasn't something personal, something he wasn't going to manipulate with the force of his character. He'd tried that and failed.
Then he realized just what she'd said.
Zaheer peered at her. "Conditions? What do mean?" he asked.
Becca lowered her head and seemed suddenly thoughtful, as if searching for just the right words. Then she looked at him, and what he saw shocked him.
This was a different Becca. Not the fun-loving woman he'd seduced and fallen head over heels in love with three years before. The expression on her face was that of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and how she was going to get it.
"I'm going to make sure Abby gets the help she needs," Becca said. "One way or another, I'm not going to let her down."
Zaheer watched Becca closely as she continued.
"There's one thing you don't know about me and Abby," Becca said looking at Zaheer. "When we were young, we each made a promise to one another."
"Promise?" Zaheer asked.
Becca nodded. "We both made a vow that, no matter what, we wouldn't let anything bad happen to each other. That we would do everything in our power to help the other if they ever got into trouble." Becca paused, her eyes narrowing. "Whatever that meant," she added sternly.
Zaheer frowned and thought for a moment. Then, a nagging doubt which had tugged at him since he'd called Becca for the first time in three years, flared into a hard certainty.
Zaheer peered incredulously at Becca. "You knew I'd offer to help, didn't you. That's why you agreed to meet me for this dinner date. So you could find out if I could help you and your cousin?"
"I'd hardly call it a dinner date, Zaheer. After all, you came with your own plans. Did you think I wouldn't know what you were up to?"
Zaheer snorted and tried to restrain the impulse to laugh out loud. He'd believed he was in control of this situation when, in fact, Becca had been testing him all along.
What an arrogant fool he'd been, he told himself.
He gazed at her with a suddenly strengthened appreciation. He'd been right about this woman, he reflected. There was something about Becca that called to him, that spoke to his soul, that awakened life in his spirit.
For too long he'd wasted the vitality of his existence on pointless liaisons, brief affairs that led nowhere. He'd spent too long with women who merely wanted him for his money, his influence, his power.
Ever since he'd met Becca for the first time three years before, Zaheer had known she was different. Special. And for those three years he had tormented himself with the mistake he'd made in driving her away, of allowing his emotional wounds, his wildness to harm the one thing which had brought true joy into his life.
Becca was that source, and he had acted like a fool by letting her go.
Zaheer gazed at Becca. "And remind me what my so-called plan was," he said slowly.
"You found me, how I was living, and also, in the course of doing that, you found out about Abby. Maybe you thought twice about coming after me."
Zaheer scoffed. "I wouldn't put it like that," he said defensively.
Becca frowned. "But, that's what you decided to do, isn't it? Come and find me. Try and finish what you started three years ago."
Zaheer sighed. "That's not what this is about, Becca."
Becca ignored his remark and continued. "Then you thought I'd just roll over and things would be like they were before. You and I together again. On the same terms." Becca lifted a brow. "Wasn't that it?"
Zaheer shook his head. "No. You don't understand."
"I think I do," she replied. "But then you realized it was more complicated, so now you're trying to put me in a difficult situation by suggesting a marriage of convenience."
Becca scowled at Zaheer. "You've been playing your old games with me all night," she accused.
Zaheer shook his head
. "I didn't just want to see you again for one brief get-together. I wanted much more than that."
Becca lifted a brow and shook her head.
Zaheer leaned closer. He saw her eyes narrow. "I didn't come to offer a mere marriage of convenience, as you put it," he said. Her gaze flickered with ill-concealed emotion.
Zaheer breathed deeply, feeling his desire rising, his need becoming more urgent. He gazed deep into Becca's beautiful blue eyes. "I came to take you back. Forever," he murmured.
Zaheer saw her eyes widen and he heard her gasp imperceptibly. She looked genuinely shocked.
"Come with me, to Qazhar. Let me show you how much I want you. Let me prove to you how much I need you in my life."
"But you haven't changed a bit, Zaheer," she said. "How can you expect me to go there with you, if I don't believe you've changed?"
"Give me one chance. That's all I ask," he said.
Becca's mouth opened slightly and he felt a surge of need, the burning desire to claim her lips with a hungry kiss. He saw her cheeks flush with a delicious pink that told him everything he needed to know, a sign of her own secret need.
Zaheer leaned forward and claimed Becca's lips with a gentle kiss. Sensation ignited in him and he had to struggle to restrain the urge to take his pleasure even more. But, this wasn't the moment for that. Right now, all that mattered was that he was kissing Becca and that she hadn't pushed him away, hadn't rejected his advances.
He felt her mouth open slightly, but he contained the impulse to probe her mouth, to satisfy himself with the taste of her sweet mouth. It was enough that every one of his nerves was tingling, every muscle tensing with barely contained longing.
Then, as quickly as she had submitted to his kiss, Becca leaned away from him and gasped. Her eyes narrowed, and he saw a sudden annoyance there. Her lips tightened into an angry, but very cute, pout. Was she annoyed at him for kissing her? Or was she disappointed in herself for submitting to him?
It didn't really matter. All he cared about right now was that he had claimed her once again. With a kiss. And that he had confirmed something. Becca still felt something for him, in spite of her denials. Her words had said one thing, but her body had revealed so much more.
