Surgeon Prince, Cinderella Bride

by Ann Mcintosh

  He led her up the curved staircase from the high-ceilinged entrance hall, into a huge, bright sitting room. Sara looked around, and then instinctively moved straight out through the open French doors onto the wide verandah beyond. From that vantage point she could see the pool below through the boughs of the flame trees and, in the distance, the glistening water of the ocean. A warm breeze tickled her playfully, working a few strands of hair loose from her bun to blow across her face, and birds called back and forth from the trees.

  Spreading her arms wide, as though to embrace it all, she said, “This is paradise. I could live here forever and be absolutely happy.”

  “Me too,” Farhan replied, a strange note in his voice. Strange enough to make Sara spin to look at him.

  His expression made her legs weak in an instant. Intent, his gaze, which was revealed by his having taken off his dark glasses, was the same as just before they’d kissed.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “MISHA WILL BE up to serve you lunch at one o’clock, so you have time to go swimming or snorkeling if you want.”

  Sara had been so focused on Farhan she hadn’t noticed Okello coming up behind him, and from the way Farhan started, he hadn’t noticed the other man either.

  “Thank you,” Farhan replied, not taking his eyes off Sara, leaving her shaken and suddenly completely aroused.

  How could he do that with just a look?

  “And Trinka was asking if you’ll be coming by while you’re here.”

  Who the heck was Trinka, and why did she expect a visit from him?

  As Sara spun around to put her back to him, Farhan said, “Tell her I said hello, but I doubt I’ll have time this visit. We’ll be back soon, though.”

  Was it her imagination or did Farhan sound a little curt? It wasn’t like him, so Sara risked a glance over her shoulder and caught him giving his friend a glare.

  “Okay. Give me a shout if you need anything.”

  Okello grinned before melting away as quietly as he’d appeared, and Sara quickly went back to staring at the scenery. The thrilling cord of awareness that had stretched between Farhan and her had been severed by the other man’s arrival, and she wasn’t sure whether to be happy about it or not.

  “Hey, do you want to change into something cooler, or go for a swim?”

  Ugh. She’d been dreading this moment from when it had first crossed her mind; Farhan seeing her in a swimsuit. Knowing he’d spent most of his adult life in Australia, she’d pictured him dating tall, willowy blondes like her sisters, and knew she couldn’t compete in the body department. Yet what did it matter, in the grand scheme of things? Theirs wasn’t a real marriage, so she shouldn’t be silly about it.

  Besides, the four swimsuits Mara had insisted she buy were all custom made and gorgeous. When she’d tried them on, even she’d thought she looked pretty good. She’d been dying to wear the emerald one. Whatever Farhan thought of her in it, he could go fly a kite.

  But her internal pep talk didn’t really help.

  “A swim in the pool would be nice,” she replied, trying for a distant tone, so as not to reveal her nervousness.

  “We have snorkels and scuba gear if you’d rather go down to the beach. Do you scuba dive?”

  The little snort broke from her lips before she could stop it. “I’d never even seen the ocean before coming on this trip, much less learned how to scuba dive. I think I’d like to go down to the sea, though, as long as it won’t be boring for you.”

  “Of course not,” he replied. “I love the sea. Let’s get changed and head down.”

  They shared a suite in the northwest wing, consisting of a sitting room and two bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom. Because of where the villa was built, all the bedrooms had wonderful sea views. On their shared balcony was a double-bed-sized swing, hung with sheer mosquito netting, suspended from the ceiling, and it called to her.

  “There isn’t one spot in this place that isn’t perfect,” she said, going over and trying it out immediately.

  He came and stood beside the swing, a little smile playing around his lips.

  “This place was a refuge for me, especially after Ali died, when I had to decide whether to follow what my father said, or give up my training and stay, the way I thought I should. But even before that, I’d spend most of my summers here, while my brothers traveled or stayed in Huban. There’s something about the air here that makes all the colors brighter, and gives me so much peace of spirit.”

  On top of being gorgeous and a fine surgeon, he also had the soul of a poet.

  How could she resist that combination?

  Right then she wished he would come and lie on the swing with her, pull her close, kiss her again. Never before had kissing seemed so important to her, but with Farhan it took on a whole new importance. And never before had she wished she was more experienced when it came to men and how to seduce them.

  Get a grip, Sara!

  Jumping up off the swing, she said briskly, “Let’s get going, so we aren’t late for lunch.”

  They changed into swimsuits, packed the golf cart with all they’d need and drove it down to the beach. Once there, Sara fussed over which of the lounge chairs she’d use, putting her bottled water and towel on it before, in a little flurry of action, tugging off her cover-up and dashing into the sea. Running in until the water was deep enough, she plunged in up to her neck, amazed at how warm it was, in comparison to the lake water she was used to in Canada. There, even in summer, most of the lakes were cold.

  Turning to say as much to Farhan, she was just in time to see him pull off his shirt.

  The warm sea suddenly felt like it was boiling, or perhaps she was spontaneously combusting?

  His back and arms rippled with muscles, and since he was wearing just his swim trunks she was also treated to the delectable sight of his strong legs and truly luscious butt. When he turned to walk toward the surf’s edge, Sara’s temperature rose another five degrees.

  That chest!

  Those abs!

  The entire package should damn well be illegal.

  Needing to cool off, she dipped her head under the water, uncaring that it would undo all the careful pampering Mara had been doing to her hair on an almost daily basis.

  And came up spluttering.

  “You okay?”

  Farhan’s voice was so close, Sara tried to open her eyes even before she’d properly wiped her face, and got another horrid surprise.

  “Ugh, I didn’t realize just how salty it would be. And it stings the eyes.”

  As she pushed back her hair, which was flopping in her face, gentle fingers wiped her eyes, and she opened them again to blink up at him, her breath catching in her throat at his nearness.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you’d never been in the sea, were you?”

  “N-no.” She cleared her throat as best she could before continuing, “My parents would take us camping sometimes at the lakes, but never had money for vacations out of province.”

  “Hmm,” Farhan said, reaching behind her head with one hand, the motion bringing him even closer. The action of the waves rocked their bodies together briefly, and Sara’s insides melted. If he wasn’t careful she was going to throw caution to the wind, reach up and grab him.

  “You’re about to start shedding hairpins.”

  Disappointment sliced through her arousal as she reached to take the errant pin from his hand, not knowing what she’d do with it.

  Farhan held onto it, the brush of their fingers sending a zing of current through her skin.

  “Let me,” he said, sliding the pin onto the front of her suit, just above her right breast. “It should stay there.”

  She couldn’t reply, trying as she was to keep her breathing level when his scent was filling her head and the innocent sensation of his fingers on her chest was givi
ng her anything but innocent thoughts.

  Then he reached both hands back behind her head, and started pulling the rest of the pins out of her hair.

  No use trying to regulate her breath now, not with his chest lightly rubbing back and forth across her breasts, those gorgeous arms bracketing her head. And his lips, slightly pursed in concentration, were just within her eyesight, stealing her concentration for themselves.

  “I’ve never seen you with your hair down, or in a bathing suit. It’s a day for firsts.”

  His fingers were searching for any stray pins, and her entire scalp was tight and tingling from the attention, and it wasn’t alone. Even through the padded swimsuit top, her breasts grew ever more taut with each brush of his chest, and delicious, unwanted lust heated her entire body even more. Sara bit the inside of her lip to stop the moan rising in her throat from escaping. If Farhan wasn’t careful, she’d melt away to nothing, get washed out past the reef, and disappear.

  Apparently satisfied that he’d removed all the pins, he gently untwisted her bun and fluffed her hair until it fell free.

  Then, just when she thought her torture was through, he started putting the other pins with the first, warm fingers lightly running over her skin with each placement. Shivering despite the fire rampaging through her veins, she closed her eyes and felt as though she was floating away.

  “I like this color on you. It suits you so well. But, then, I’ve yet to see you look bad in anything you’ve worn.”

  That made her snicker, despite the arousal careening through her body. At least having a laugh would take her mind off his proximity, right?

  “Nobody looks good in scrubs,” she countered, proud that she didn’t stutter, although there was a decided hitch in her voice.

  “You do.”

  He really needed to stop saying those types of things, or she’d just have to jump him.

  “How about my ratty winter coat when we first met?”

  He didn’t answer immediately, not until he’d placed the final pin. Then he cupped her cheeks and lifted her face so she was forced to meet his gaze.

  “Sara, the day you opened that door and I saw you there, laughing at the dog, I thought you beautiful. And I’m not saying that for any reason other than it’s true.”

  Again he stole her breath, and with it her voice. His eyes were darker than usual, his face stern, wreathed in what she’d always thought of as arrogance but now wondered if it masked something else.

  Farhan inhaled deeply, his lips firming briefly before he spoke again.

  “I like you, think you’re beautiful, smart, an amazing person. When my father instructed me to find you and marry you, I did it out of duty, but I couldn’t be happier with the person I found when you opened that door.”

  Sara drew in a shaky breath, gob-smacked by his words, not knowing how to answer. But Farhan wasn’t finished.

  “I’m also very attracted to you, physically. Being around you all the time is difficult, because I want to touch you, kiss you, make love with you, but I don’t know whether any of that is what you want.”

  He took another deep breath, and, if anything, his face got sterner.

  “So I’m leaving it up to you to decide. If you want things to stay the way they are, with us as friends, then that’s how they’ll stay. Just let me know.”

  Her heart was pounding so fast her head spun, but she forced herself to breathe, slowly. Once. Twice.

  His honesty was more effective than any soft words or calculated seduction could be. Knowing he wanted her, hearing him say it so plainly, made her want him even more in return.

  Yet was it enough? Would she be able to share that kind of intimacy with him and walk away unscathed?

  She wasn’t sure, and until she could be, it would be wise to wait. But she owed him the same honesty he’d offered her, no matter how embarrassing it might be to admit.

  Gathering her courage, and with a cold ball of fear gathering in her stomach, she said, “I’m not sure what I want, Farhan. The truth is, I’ve never slept with anyone before.”

  His eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t pull away, just smoothed his thumbs over her still overheated cheeks.

  “I didn’t realize,” he said. “But I’m glad you told me.” Then his brow creased slightly. “Is there a reason for that? Religious, or—?”

  “No,” she replied quickly. “I just always thought of sex, and marriage too, to be honest, as something that would happen one day, sometime in a nebulous future I didn’t give much thought to.”

  He nodded slowly, then bent and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

  “Then I was doubly right to say you have to make the choice, especially since I suspect beneath it all, the real reason you waited is probably far more romantic in nature.”

  She considered that, searching within herself, then said, “If you mean I wanted to be in love before sleeping with someone, I hadn’t given it much thought. I wanted a connection, to be attracted, of course, but really I was simply too busy with school, and then work, and my family to put in the effort relationships need. As for marriage, yes, I always thought I’d fall in love before taking that step, but here we are.”

  Farhan’s lips tilted at the edges. Not a smile but something gentler. Almost tender.

  “Yes, here we are.” For a moment she thought he wouldn’t say any more but, with that characteristic lift of his chin, he continued. “But if you decide to take this further, you know what to expect. I can’t promise you something I don’t have to give.”

  He meant love. She didn’t want his love anyway, so it was moot.

  Or was it?

  She pushed that thought away and gently disengaged from his hold. Then she stepped back, needing some distance so she could start processing all he’d said.

  Farhan’s arms dropped to his sides and he smiled, but she thought there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

  “I’ll think about what you’ve said, Farhan. And...”

  He waited patiently while she sorted out exactly what she wanted to say. Everything they’d spoken about swirled in her head, but there were a couple of things that stood out.

  They were, indeed, friends, despite the strange way they’d met, their sham of a marriage, and having him acknowledge that filled her with happiness.

  Secondly, he was allowing, no, insisting she take the lead in whatever happened next between them. The relief she felt was heady.

  Finally, she found the words she needed, the most important, which she’d almost forgot to say.

  “Thank you.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  FARHAN MADE A concerted effort to put aside the seriousness of their talk in the water and, after a short time, Sara seemed to do so too. It felt amazing to be away from the official business of state, the life and death stress of their medical practices, and just enjoy the sun and surf.

  Just before one o’clock they packed up the cart and went back up to the villa, where they found Okello’s daughter, Misha, had the table set and lunch ready.

  “Your Highnesses,” she said, when they walked into the dining area, but then she grinned and gave Farhan a huge hug. “Uncle Farhan, it’s been too long.”

  Farhan held her by the shoulders, giving her a searching look. “When did you receive royal permission to get so grown up, Misha? Didn’t I specifically tell you to stay five years old forever?”

  The young woman just laughed, and set about serving their meal—a simple one of deliciously prepared fish, vegetables, and tomato rice—all the while answering Farhan’s questions about school and her plans for the future.

  Then she slipped away, telling them to ring for her if they needed anything.

  It was just the way he’d requested, since he’d wanted a completely relaxing couple of days, without people hovering over them all the time. It was a rare enough occurrence t
o be refreshing.

  Just as they finished lunch, there was the slam of a door downstairs and then pounding footsteps. Okello came through the door like a torpedo.

  “Farhan, Trinka just called. A retaining wall collapsed on one of the workers and she’s asking if you’d come. It’ll take the ambulance at least twenty minutes to get there.”

  He was on his feet in an instant, tossing his napkin onto the table.

  “Do you know how badly hurt he is?”

  “No. They were still digging him out when she called.” Okello was already heading to the staircase as he spoke. “I’m going to get the car. Pick you up at the side door.”

  “Sara, I’ll be right back,” Farhan said, turning and realizing she was already on her feet too, and halfway to their suite.

  “I’ll come with, since you don’t know how severe his wounds are, and an extra pair of trained hands might come in handy.”

  It was said over her shoulder, as she went through the door into the hallway beyond.

  “Five minutes,” he called out after her, hurrying to catch up and go change, glad she was going with him, hoping she’d be ready by the time Okello got back.

  She was, with two minutes to spare, although she had her sneakers in one hand, medical bag in the other, and her hair was twisted into a rather precarious knot.

  Hopping on first one foot and then the other, she got her shoes on just as Okello’s SUV came barreling down the drive.

  They scrambled in, and the vehicle was in motion again almost before the doors closed.

  “Where did it happen?” Farhan asked.

  “Back behind the grooming shed. Trinka noticed the other day that a tree up on the hillside was pushing out some of the rocks, so she decided to cut it down and repair the wall. I’m not sure what happened after that.”

  They rocketed through the gates, which Okello must have called ahead to have open, and turned onto the park, not toward the main road but north on a gravel side road. Farhan glanced back to see Sara trying to better secure her hair, now unruly after her swim.