Pregnant by the Desert King

by Susan Stephens

  The tension between them was unsustainable, Lucy thought as she quickly explained, ‘I just tire easily.’

  ‘And must be hungry, I’m guessing.’

  Before she could answer this, he tugged a bell pull on the wall. ‘And then a siesta, I think.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ Lucy protested. ‘I’m not staying that long.’

  A discreet knock on the door heralded the arrival of a parade of stewards, carrying all sorts of tempting delicacies into the room. And she was starving.

  Somehow eating made everything seem normal again, and the tension between them evaporated, leaving them free to discuss the future of their child. Tadj was keen that both cultures were given equal weight, and that they must both have a say in every decision.

  ‘A say?’ Lucy queried, worrying that her opinion might carry no weight. Tadj held all the financial cards, making it impossible for her to fight him through the courts.

  ‘Don’t look for trouble,’ he warned. ‘You’re the child’s mother, so of course your views will be listened to and implemented if we agree they’re beneficial. And, yes, I did use the word we,’ he confirmed.

  This was a massive adjustment for Tadj, and he hadn’t finished surprising her yet. ‘What’s this?’ she asked as he handed her a document.

  ‘Read it and you’ll see.’

  Tadj would uphold Lucy’s right to independence in deciding how best to mother her child. ‘You’re giving up all your rights,’ she said.

  ‘Because I trust you,’ he stated frankly.

  Her heart clenched tight, but she had to be sure of his motives. ‘Does this mean you don’t want the responsibility?’

  ‘Quite the opposite. I intend to take a full part in the upbringing of our child, but it’s important that you feel secure. You mustn’t ever feel threatened at any point. Carry on working for as long as you feel able to—do everything that makes you you.’

  She didn’t need anyone to tell her what this must have cost Tadj in time and effort when it came to changing things in Qalala, or how far he’d come in personal terms.

  ‘I just have one question,’ he said. ‘Do you trust me?’

  This was such an important moment, crucial for Tadj, yet an image chose this moment to pop unhelpfully into her head. She had never imagined making such a vital pledge while heavily pregnant with grease around her mouth, having scoffed every bit of food in sight.

  ‘Lucy...?’

  Turning away, she mopped her mouth with a napkin, which gave her chance to draw a deep, steadying breath. ‘Yes, I trust you,’ she said with absolute certainty. ‘I trust you with my life. And, more importantly, with the life of our child.’

  ‘Then, I have something to say.’

  He sounded so formal now, more like the Emir than Tadj.

  ‘Can you say it after that siesta you mentioned?’

  Tadj seemed surprised. ‘I’m not sure I can wait.’

  She stared into his face and a quiver of arousal ran through her. ‘You could join me.’

  ‘If that’s what you want.’

  He sounded so stern, but as he picked up her bag and coat she saw a look in his eyes she recognised. ‘It is what I want. We could share the bed?’

  Tadj threw her a look that sent her senses into freefall. ‘How accommodating you can be.’

  ‘When the offer promises so much, why would I hesitate?’

  ‘Good news for me,’ he said dryly.

  He was back. The man she’d fallen in love with was back. ‘What was it you wanted to say to me?’ she remembered as they left the room.

  ‘It can wait,’ he said, and, linking their fingers, he led her to his suite.

  * * *

  He’d barely shut the door, when he brought her into his arms and kissed her. ‘Marry me,’ he said while she was still gasping for breath.

  ‘Are you serious?’ Lucy exclaimed, taken completely by surprise.

  ‘What do you think this is?’ Tadj growled as he backed her towards the bed.

  ‘Evidence that you’re pleased to see me after all?’

  He laughed, and with a new freedom, she thought as he demanded, ‘Can you be serious for a moment?’

  ‘If I must.’

  ‘I think you must.’

  ‘Marry me, and all this—’ he glanced around ‘—will be yours.’

  ‘I don’t want anything but you.’

  But he didn’t appear to hear her. ‘The Blue Stone is only one of many assets I own across the world—take your pick.’

  I choose you, she thought. The rest is unnecessary. I don’t need it. The type of riches he was describing were better suited to a princess, or an heiress, not a working single mother with no time on her hands to appreciate them. They should belong to a woman with expectations, and all Lucy wanted was love.

  ‘I’m sorry. I can’t marry you,’ she said. ‘I can’t allow you to do this, when we both know I bring nothing to Qalala’s benefit.’

  ‘You bring everything,’ Tadj argued fiercely. ‘You’re everything I’ve ever wanted and everything Qalala needs.’ Cupping her face in his hands, he stared deep into her eyes. ‘I’m bringing Qalala into the modern age, and with you at my side I can achieve that faster. And I know you don’t expect an easy ride.’

  ‘I never have,’ she said. ‘But marriage is a step too far. You don’t need to feel sorry for me.’

  ‘Sorry for you?’ he said. ‘I know what you’re capable of, which is why I’m asking you to be my wife.’

  Lucy shook her head. ‘I love you too much to see you sacrifice everything for me.’

  ‘I don’t have to. If you love me, it’s enough.’ Tadj went on to explain how the constitution of Qalala had been amended to allow the Emir to marry a wife of his choosing, rather than accept a bride chosen by committee. ‘You do love me?’ he confirmed.

  ‘More than life itself,’ Lucy admitted with her customary bluntness.

  They stared at each other, and then Tadj said, ‘So you’ll marry me.’

  ‘Is that any way to ask?’

  The tension broke and they laughed.

  ‘Excuse me, my lady,’ he said, making her a mock bow. But as he got down on one knee, he made a fatal error. ‘As our marriage is already arranged, I should, I suppose, ask you formally.’

  ‘What?’ Lucy exclaimed, in no mood to hear anything more. ‘If our marriage is arranged, you’d better unarrange it.’

  ‘And have our child raised out of wedlock? Surely, you understand I can’t allow that.’

  ‘I don’t see that it makes any difference at all,’ Lucy said as he sprang up. ‘Our child will be brought up with love—what else matters? A child needs to feel loved, and secure and happy. Do you think it cares about a piece of paper?’

  ‘A royal child will be under scrutiny.’

  ‘True, but you could have asked me first—warned me that plans for our wedding were already under way. It is usual.’

  ‘Do you expect me to be patient now?’

  ‘You?’ she queried with a glimmer of grim humour. ‘No. But I do expect you to grant me an equal say over everything we do. That is what you promised.’

  He should have paced things differently, given Lucy more warning and a better build-up to his proposal. He’d be there for her and their child whatever her answer now. But her answer had to be in the affirmative ‘This is the best,’ he said. ‘How can it be otherwise? Do you propose to live on the opposite side of the world?’

  ‘So your concern for appearances has driven this proposal?’ she exclaimed. ‘Silly me, when I thought you were in love and being romantic.’

  ‘I am being romantic,’ he blazed, or he was doing his best, anyway. ‘What about you and me? Don’t we deserve happiness?’

  ‘No one deserves happiness,’ she countered hotly. ‘It has to be earned. And never at th
e expense of anyone else.’

  ‘You can play the saint all you want,’ he exploded, ‘but please don’t expect me to do the same!’

  Frustration was hammering at his brain and Lucy was equally heated. Grabbing him, she wrestled hard, rubbing her body against his in her passion. If this was fate, he was destined to get the best workout every single day of his life.

  Fate had thrown them together, and now demanded action, Lucy thought as she ripped at Tadj’s clothes.

  ‘Slow—careful—don’t forget your condition,’ he insisted as she battled to get him naked.

  ‘I haven’t forgotten anything!’ she flared. Pregnancy had made her mad for sex, mad for him. Knowing pleasure was only a few deep thrusts away made her fiercer than ever.

  ‘No,’ Tadj said firmly. Standing back, he refastened his jeans. ‘Not here like this...’

  Hormones snapping left her ready to scream he couldn’t frustrate her like this, but, scooping her up, he carried her to the bed. ‘Now,’ he murmured with that annoying half-smile of his tugging at one corner of his mouth. ‘Where were we?’

  Stripping her efficiently, he positioned and controlled her buttocks with his big, slightly roughened hands, and then took her with the utmost care, but with the utmost thoroughness too, she was happy to report. One deep thrust with a sensational massaging motion of his hips at the end of it was all it took to tip her over the edge into screaming pleasure. While she responded in time to each powerful spasm, Tadj continued to move steadily, ensuring the next release was upon her before the first had even ended.

  ‘So, what’s your answer to my proposal?’ he demanded the moment she was quiet.

  ‘It hasn’t changed,’ she said, dragging in some much-needed air. ‘You belong to Qalala and I belong here—well, as close as damn it when I move.’

  ‘Move?’ Tadj demanded. ‘Move where?’ Releasing her, and withdrawing, he swung her around. Horns locked, they glared at each other, until something changed in Tadj’s eyes. Had he finally accepted the gulf between them was too wide?

  She should have known better. Lifting her, he carried her into the bathroom, where, stripping off, he switched on the shower. ‘I need an answer, Lucy.’

  His eyes were black, and his body was magnificent. And she, unusually, was lost for words, so she shrugged. ‘I’m moving out of my bedsit,’ she managed finally. ‘It’s too small...’ She gasped as he backed her into the shower. Turning her to face the wall, he nudged her legs apart with his, and made sure that this was the very best shower she’d ever experienced.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  MUCH LATER, WHEN they lay entwined on Tadj’s bed, Lucy turned her head to say, ‘Even after everything you’ve told me about the changes in the constitution of Qalala, I can’t marry you.’

  ‘Because?’ Tadj queried, his voice made husky by the exertions of love.

  ‘I can’t because I’m not equipped to be the wife of an emir.’

  ‘I beg to differ,’ he said, reaching for her. ‘I’d say you were extremely well equipped. And as for your use of the word can’t? It doesn’t suit you. I’ve never known you to give up so easily.’

  ‘You’ve never known me in love before,’ Lucy confessed. ‘I can’t agree to anything I think might hurt you.’

  ‘You’ll hurt me if you don’t marry me. Who else will I have to argue with?’

  Swinging her beneath him before she could answer, he pinned her hands above her head in one big fist. Teasing her stubborn lips apart, he kissed her, and remained looming over her. ‘You’re everything to me,’ he said bluntly. ‘You don’t hurt me. You challenge me, and I need that. You opened my eyes to more possibilities for Qalala. The country needs you more than it needs my money.’

  ‘As I do,’ she said. ‘So stop offering me castles and country homes, when all I want is your heart.’

  ‘You’ve got it,’ Tadj said fiercely. ‘My people need love, and that’s what you give them.’

  ‘How do I do that?’

  ‘By being you. You make people happy. I’ve seen you in action, remember?’

  ‘At the party in the mountains?’

  ‘Everywhere. People trust you—as I do,’ Tadj admitted.

  ‘And is this how you intend to persuade me?’ she demanded as he rasped his stubble against her neck.

  ‘Yes.’ And showing no sign of remorse, let alone tiring, Tadj took her again.

  Tightening her muscles around him, she evened things up, bringing him to a thundering climax within...um, maybe half an hour. A long time later when her limbs were so heavy with contentment she could barely move, Tadj asked her to marry him again.

  ‘I haven’t changed my mind. You’ve made a good case, bringing Qalala into the modern world, and raising our family together, but—’

  ‘But nothing,’ he said. ‘We belong together. And if you want me to prove it again...’

  ‘You’re not exhausted?’

  ‘Should I be?’ Binding her close in his arms, he said, ‘Now it’s your turn to listen to me. Neither of us has been idle while we’ve been apart, and I’ve made the choice of my bride.’

  ‘Do I have a say in this, or is that a command, Your Majesty?’

  ‘Well, it isn’t a humble request,’ Tadj admitted.

  ‘I imagine not,’ Lucy agreed dryly. ‘That would be so unlike you. But I do have one request.’

  ‘Name it.’

  ‘I get to organise my own wedding.’

  ‘Granted,’ he said, acting stern. ‘Though the royal ceremony—’

  ‘Will require expert input,’ she agreed. ‘That’s where you come in.’

  ‘Don’t tempt me. Oh, okay,’ Tadj conceded. ‘I’m tempted...’

  There was quite a lengthy interlude before they got back to talking business. ‘Be warned, you’ll be taking on a lifetime of duty,’ he said.

  ‘Don’t forget love,’ Lucy added. ‘Right now my heart feels ready to explode.’

  ‘Indigestion?’ Tadj queried.

  ‘Love,’ Lucy said firmly, thinking how sexy Tadj looked when he narrowed his eyes like that. ‘Love,’ she repeated softly, knowing she would stand by this man through thick and thin.

  ‘I ask nothing more of you,’ he said.

  ‘Will you marry me for love?’ she asked softly.

  ‘Is that a proposal?’ Tadj asked, eyes glinting with amusement as he tipped his head to one side.

  ‘Could be...’

  ‘I have something for you,’ he said when he’d kissed her.

  ‘What a coincidence,’ Lucy replied. ‘I have something for you.’

  ‘Show me,’ Tadj insisted.

  Slipping out of bed, she grabbed a throw, and, padding across the bedroom, she entered the stateroom where Tadj had left her bag.

  ‘What’s this?’ he asked when she returned and handed him an envelope.

  ‘Open it and see...’

  Tadj stilled as he recognised the significance of the black and white image in his hand. ‘It’s your baby...our baby,’ Lucy explained.

  ‘And this is the only time you’ll ever see me cry,’ Tadj assured her.

  ‘Are you pleased?’ She came to join him on the bed.

  ‘You should have warned me,’ he said.

  ‘I don’t think anything can prepare you for that,’ Lucy murmured as she stared over his shoulder at the blurry image of their unborn child.

  Tadj couldn’t tear his gaze away from it, but finally he looked up. ‘You’ve made me the happiest man on earth,’ he murmured. ‘I said I had something for you, but it seems worthless compared to this.’

  Holding the fragile image to his hard-muscled chest, as if he couldn’t bear to part with it, he reached for a small velvet box in the drawer in the nightstand.

  Guessing what it might be, Lucy protested, ‘But I really don’t need anythi
ng else, when I’ve got you, and our child.’

  ‘Which is a hell of a lot more than you must have expected when you walked into that café that day.’

  Lucy’s heart overflowed with love as Tadj stole another glance at the black and white image. Placing it on the nightstand, he brought her into his arms. ‘I think we both got a lot more than we bargained for that day.’

  And every day from now on, Lucy thought as Tadj teased her lips apart and kissed her again.

  * * *

  ‘No. Absolutely not. I can’t accept this!’ Lucy protested many hours later, when they had showered and dressed, and Tadj’s arms were loosely linked around her waist as they stared out across the winter scene on the marina. He had just slipped the most amazing ring onto her finger.

  ‘You must,’ he insisted as she stared in disbelief at the fabulous lustrous blue sapphire with its circle of flashing diamonds. ‘If you don’t, the world will think the Qalalan sapphires aren’t good enough for my bride.’

  ‘What a line,’ she said. ‘If you think you can convince me.’

  ‘I can and I will,’ Tadj assured her.

  The ring was very beautiful—stunning, in fact, Lucy mused as she stared into its rich blue heart. Qalalan sapphires were as blue as the ocean on a sunny day, and the diamonds around its blue depths sparkled like sunlight on the waves.

  ‘I really can’t,’ she insisted. ‘This ring is the centrepiece of the touring exhibition. We open on Valentine’s Day in London, remember?’

  ‘How clever of you to have this most amazing sapphire and diamond engagement ring as the highlight of the tour,’ Tadj commented straight-faced.

  ‘You don’t even sound surprised,’ Lucy noted with suspicion.

  ‘I’m not. Clever of my craftsmen to ask you to try it on, don’t you think?’

  ‘You—’

  ‘I intend to stay one step ahead of you,’ he informed her with a wicked grin.

  ‘I wish you joy of that.’

  ‘Something tells me I’m going to need it,’ Tadj agreed.

  ‘The ring stays with the exhibition,’ Lucy insisted. ‘And I won’t change my mind,’ she added as Tadj sank to underhand tactics when he rasped his sharp black stubble against her neck.