Steph slid inside and buckled herself in, taking the proffered headset Mehdi handed her so they could communicate on the way. Once they were strapped in, the helicopter whisked into the air, and Steph grabbed on to Mehdi’s arm as they soared over El Farah, the country exposed in its entirety as they lifted higher and higher into the sky.
Mehdi pointed out the cinnamon forests to the north, as well as some other distinguishable landmarks that Steph had a hard time caring about as she clung to his bicep. They left land behind, flying over smooth, blue waters for a short time.
Mehdi looked down and pointed, and Steph turned her head in that direction. They were flying toward a small exotic island that was shaped exactly like a leaf. It was unlike anything Steph had ever seen.
As the helicopter began its descent, Steph watched with wide eyes as they approached turquoise-blue water surrounded by silky white sand. They landed on a small helicopter pad, gently touching the ground before the blades ceased turning and they were able to step out onto solid ground.
Steph gazed all around her at the secluded island, and then she turned and grinned at Mehdi.
“Okay, this is seriously cool.”
The Sheikh’s grin was wide as he took her hand in his and thanked the pilot before escorting her off the helicopter pad. Steph’s heart soared at the gesture, and she laced her fingers with his as they walked toward a small, boutique resort.
Inside the main building, there was a small concierge desk with a woman standing behind it. When she glanced up, her eyes widened.
“Your—” she began, but at the look on Mehdi’s face, she stopped herself.
“Hello, sir. It’s a pleasure to see you here today! What can we do to accommodate you?”
“Hello,” Mehdi said, greeting her warmly. “My friend and I would like a private cabana, some sunscreen, and a picnic basket with your finest offerings for the day, please.”
“It will be ready in just one moment. You can enjoy the beachfront while you wait, if you’d like.”
“Thank you,” Mehdi said, steering Steph in that direction.
As they stood waiting for their provisions to be ready, Steph glanced up at Mehdi with a curious stare.
“Why don’t you like people addressing you by your title?” she asked. “And how do they know not to do so?”
Mehdi glanced down at her before he gazed out at the shimmering, crystal-blue waters.
“I would rather not be singled out in that way. People still tend to treat me better than they would others—it kind of comes with the territory—but I have made it known that I prefer not to be addressed as anything other than sir, if one must be so formal.”
“You are quite a man of the people for a royal,” Steph said, and Mehdi’s thoughtful look turned jovial once again.
“Yes, I am quite unusual, I’m afraid. Do you think I’m strange?”
He gazed searchingly into her eyes, and she held his gaze.
“Not one bit. I think you are the perfect monarch, and I am grateful that I can call you mine.”
Hearing the implication of her words, Steph blushed and began to backtrack. “I mean my sheikh, or ruler, or whatever. Obviously…”
Mehdi’s gaze was warm as he looked at her, and he leaned down, about to say something, when the concierge approached them from behind.
“Here you are, sir! Enjoy your time on the island.”
With the spell effectively broken, Mehdi forced a smile for the woman before taking a large picnic basket and holding out his arm for Steph to take.
“Shall we?” he asked.
She placed her hand on his arm without hesitation and looked ahead at the beautiful scenery. “Absolutely,” she said, enjoying the feel of the sand beneath her sandaled feet as they walked over to a private cabana.
Inside, there was a misting fan and a refrigerator, as well as a couple of comfortable lounging chairs. Mehdi made quick work of filling the fridge with a series of foodstuffs Steph didn’t recognize before tossing her the sunscreen.
“You’ll want to put this on. The sun is much stronger here than in the northern climes you’re used to,” he said.
Steph caught the sunscreen and opened it, applying it liberally to her arms and legs. When it came time to get her back, she hesitated, but Mehdi was right there.
“Allow me,” he said, squirting some of the lotion onto his hand and rubbing it along the back of her shoulders.
If Steph could purr, she probably would have in that moment. Mehdi even massaged her shoulders a little as he applied the sunscreen, and when he was done Steph fought back sharp disappointment at losing his warm touch.
“Can you get mine?” he asked, turning around.
Steph turned, taking the sunscreen from a side table and filling her hand with plenty. She ran her fingers all along his shoulders and back, savoring the feel of him as she tried to think about anything other than doing this in a bed somewhere.
“I’m surprised you need sunscreen, since you’ve lived here all your life,” she said, trying to bring up anything that would distract her from how good it felt to run her hands along his muscular back.
When he turned, she caught her first glimpse of his perfectly sculpted abdomen, and she averted her eyes lest he catch her staring.
“It’s important to care for one’s skin, no matter how adept it may be at absorbing the sun’s rays,” he said, taking the lotion she dangled from her fingers.
“Now, your next lesson in El Farah geography is this: How warm are the waters of our ocean?”
Steph grinned. “I don’t know, but I bet I’ll find out before you do.”
With that, she dashed out of the cabana and straight toward the water, not looking back. She laughed as a cool breeze danced along her face, the sun not nearly as intense on the island as it had been back toward the desert. She heard Mehdi laughing before she cried out, her legs swept up from under her.
Mehdi carried her all the way into the water, and they both laughed as he dove in, taking her underwater with him.
As they went beneath the waves, Steph opened her eyes and was surprised that it didn’t sting her eyes to do so. Around her she saw a few of the colorful fish she had seen in the aquarium on her first day in El Farah, and she laughed underwater, a bubble of air popping out of her mouth and floating to the surface.
Swimming upward, she crashed back to the surface, where she saw Mehdi floating along, his body perfectly flat along the water.
“This has got to be the cleanest water I’ve ever seen,” Steph said, running her hands along her wet hair to keep it out of her face.
“I think we do a pretty good job of maintaining it,” Mehdi said. “Now look behind you.”
Steph turned in the water, feeling it flow between her fingers as fine silt encased her toes. Across from them, a small, rocky island protruded sharply from the water. When she looked back at Mehdi, she saw the gleam of competition in his eyes.
“You want a real race?” he challenged.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“Ready, set, go!” Mehdi called before striking the water with his arms as he swam fast as a shark toward the island.
Steph dove in after him, quickly catching up. Mehdi caught her eye, realizing she was right alongside him, and even as they swam she saw the surprise and delight on his face as they made stroke after stroke toward the other island. As they approached, Steph picked up her speed, running to the shore and collapsing on the sand just before Mehdi, who landed right beside her.
They breathed hard as they laughed.
“You never told me you were an Olympic swimmer!” Mehdi said between deep breaths and laughter.
“I guess it just slipped my mind,” Steph said. “You know, with that pesky arranged marriage and all.”
They took a moment to catch their breath as they lay on the sand staring up at the clear blue sky. When they finally recovered, Mehdi sat up, holding out a hand to help Steph do the same. She took it gratefully.
“There is a reas
on I wanted to bring you here,” he said, glancing behind them.
Steph followed suit and saw several stone archways that led to a series of caves. Something was glowing inside them. Something she couldn’t wait to explore.
When she looked back at Mehdi, he was grinning from ear to ear.
“Well,” she said, “what are we waiting for?”
Chapter 11
Steph
Steph grinned at Mehdi before dashing over to the caves, continuing their race. She heard him laugh behind her before he easily caught up, jogging alongside her. When they reached the cave’s entrance, Steph stopped.
“Is it safe to go in there?” she asked. As much as she had longed for an adventure just like this, she was still a cautious person. Wasn’t she?
Mehdi nodded, allaying her fears. “Perfectly. Come on,” he said, reaching for her hand as he stepped forward into the cave.
Inside, the clear blue waters turned translucent beneath the cave ceiling, which was glowing a neon cyan that sparkled above the reflection of the water.
“What is this?” Steph said, amazed.
Mehdi gazed around them, his eyes bright in the glowing light.
“It’s a type of algae that’s particular to this region. The salt from the water evaporates into the air, causing the unique glow.”
They stood hand in hand, staring in wonder at the beauty of nature. After the initial shock passed, Steph became acutely aware that she was holding the Sheikh’s hand, and she suddenly felt awkward about it. Should she let go? She knew better than to let things go too far.
Taking a breath, she tried to focus on the magnificence of the cave around them. Overthinking would just dispel the dream that much faster.
“Would you like to take a dip?” Mehdi asked.
Steph nodded, taking that opening to release his hand, which she did with great reluctance.
They spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in warm waters, alternating between the cave and the open ocean, talking about nothing in particular. Mehdi continued his lessons on El Farahn culture and life, doing the best he could to help prepare her for living there, if she chose to do so. Steph realized then that the Sheikh had given her that choice back. With no marriage, she could easily head back to Vermont and live her life there…but did she really want to?
As the afternoon wound down, Steph found herself feeling famished, so Mehdi proposed they return to their cabana for dinner. Rather than racing, they swam back to the main island at a leisurely pace. Back in the cabana, Steph pulled her towel from a chair and sat down while Mehdi headed to the main building for a few minutes. When he returned, he was followed by two staffers, who quickly set up a table on the beach before making a swift exit.
“Shall we?” he asked, gesturing toward the table.
“Of course,” Steph said, beyond ready to eat.
Mehdi opened the fridge, and together they loaded up the table with fruits, cheeses, cold meats and a bottle of sparkling white wine. Steph filled her plate as Mehdi popped the cork and filled their glasses before he raised his.
“To a perfect day,” he said, a glint in his eye.
Steph wanted to meet him there. She wanted to indulge in feeling the way her heart and her body clearly wanted to. Her mind was tugging at her, nudging her, reminding her quietly that there was a world outside this island that she would have to go back to. As she told that voice to shut up, she raised her own glass and clinked it against Mehdi’s.
“To a perfect day,” she agreed, and they both took a sip.
“You haven’t told me much about what you did at the bank,” Mehdi said.
Steph took another sip before she answered. “It wasn’t exactly exciting,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t know. I hear finance can be very exciting.”
Steph laughed. “Hardly. Maybe if I had gone into investment, like my dad, it might have been exciting, but I have no interest in any of it, really.”
“Then what are you interested in, Steph?”
“Fashion. I love designing clothes, and I would love to run my own line someday.”
“Why don’t you?”
Steph hesitated. She hadn’t even asked herself that question. It had always just seemed so impossible.
“After the market crashed and we lost everything, my parents didn’t have the money to put me through school. They didn’t want me to get into loads of debt, so my dad finagled the bank position as a way for me to take care of myself until I could settle down. I guess the truth is that I don’t have the education for it.”
“How many actors go to college for acting? How many professional surfers go to college for surfing? It is not always necessary, if you have the talent.”
“Perhaps,” Steph said, not entirely believing that.
Mehdi placed a hand on top of hers, his eyes intent. “Steph, an arranged marriage is not the only answer for you. You could open up a boutique here in El Farah. Fashion is huge here! The women adore couture.”
Steph grinned at his enthusiasm. “You haven’t even seen anything I’ve designed. That’s quite a bit of confidence you have there.”
“I have perfect faith that you are the most talented designer the world has yet to know. You simply need to take a chance on yourself.”
Mehdi sat back, removing his hand from hers. They ate in silence for a moment, and Steph thought about how she had gotten there.
“The truth is, the only reason I agreed to the marriage was to have an adventure,” she said, her voice small.
“Don’t you think you could make your own adventure?” he asked.
Steph looked up from the table and into his eyes. Even with the sun setting next to them, she could still catch those sprinkles of green. He was the perfect man…who had shown up at the wrong time.
Wasn’t that always the case?
When she didn’t answer him, Mehdi cleared his throat. Their meal finished, he looked out at the sunset.
Steph looked out, too, thinking about her parents. They were probably beside themselves with worry. And what about her fiancé? Even though he didn’t know her, he had to have been a little worried when she didn’t show up. What must he think of her?
She needed a chance to explain herself. There was so much she had to atone for, even though she would never for a second regret it.
“Shall we get our feet wet one more time?” Mehdi asked, and Steph nodded; the longer she could prolong this perfect fantasy, the better.
They stood and stepped into the gently lapping waves, the water the perfect temperature in contrast to the air around it. The sun melted into the shimmering water, causing the sky to bloom with purples, pinks, and oranges as a cool breeze came in off the sea. Steph shivered.
Noticing this, Mehdi turned her to him, rubbing along her arms to warm her up. She gazed up at him, and he stopped his hands along hers. Unable to resist, he lowered his head that forbidden distance, claiming her lips in a kiss.
It was wonderful and terrible all at once. Mehdi’s lips fit perfectly against hers, like a missing puzzle piece at long last found, but Steph’s mind spun with guilt as she thought about everything she needed to get back to.
When Mehdi lifted his head, ending the kiss, he ran a thumb along her chin, his eyes concerned.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Steph did her best to memorize every detail of his face in that moment. He looked so deeply concerned, so caring. So handsome. Mehdi was everything a man ought to be, which made it all the more terrible that she had to leave him behind.
“My family,” she said. “I have to get back to them, Mehdi. It wasn’t right, what I did. I’ll never regret these last few days, but I have to go make things right with them.”
Mehdi nodded. “Of course you do. I would never hold you back from doing what you feel is right.”
They stood together, the cascading sunset glorious behind them, holding hands quietly.
“I wish things could be different,” Steph said.
&nb
sp; Mehdi nodded. “I wish I had known about you sooner. I might have considered an arranged marriage myself,” he said with a small grin.
Steph smiled. “I’d have liked that very much.”
“I can have you flown back in the helicopter and driven back to your hotel,” Mehdi said, and Steph sighed.
The spell was broken. It was time to face the music.
They walked back, still holding hands, to the cabana, where Steph dressed once again and then followed Mehdi toward the main building as stars began to twinkle overhead. Steph waited as Mehdi called the helicopter pilot and arranged for a car to meet her when she returned to El Farah’s mainland. Then he turned to her and led the way to the helicopter pad.
When they reached the helicopter, Mehdi faced Steph once again.
“If you change your mind, Steph, I will wait for you. I will wait on the beach just outside the city tomorrow at sunset.”
Unable to hold back, Steph stood on her tiptoes and kissed him one last time.
The helicopter pilot arrived, ending their final moment together. Mehdi released Steph’s hand finger by finger before she stepped into the helicopter and strapped herself in, watching him from the window as they took off. Mehdi stood on the ground, his head lifted as he watched her fly out of sight.
Steph watched until the Sheikh became a tiny dot that eventually disappeared. Then, she looked toward the El Farahn skyline and tried not to cry.
* * *
The noise of the helicopter was all she heard until the pilot landed with a gentle touch. A car was already waiting on the tarmac for her, and Steph nodded to the driver as she stepped inside. He already knew where to go, so she sat back, alternating between thinking about what she would say to her parents and trying not to think about it at all.
The streets of El Farah’s capital city glowed with muted lights, and the world continued on as though nothing had happened at all. Meanwhile, Steph’s entire world had been turned upside down and then tossed from side to side. She tried to wrap her mind around the events of the past few days, but as her car pulled up to the front of the hotel, all she felt was cold dread in the pit of her stomach.
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