The Sheikh's Shock Child

by Susan Stephens

  ‘I love Miss Francine,’ she volunteered, perhaps wanting to bring the tension level down. ‘So I rarely go out during my holidays.’

  ‘You made an exception for me?’

  ‘Of course I did,’ she said easily. ‘Don’t pretend you’re surprised.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. Being as devastatingly irresistible as I am—’

  ‘You are,’ she said, turning to give him a frank look. ‘At least, to me.’

  She was so open it twisted the knife in a heart that must turn cold towards her, to protect Millie from the reality of their respective destinies. They rode in silence for a while after that.

  ‘During term time,’ she said eventually, ‘I’m far too busy studying to have time to socialise.’

  He was relieved in one way, but not in another. ‘You need a life, Millie.’

  ‘I have a very good life, thank you,’ she returned briskly. ‘And my private life is—’

  ‘Yours to know and mine to imagine?’ he suggested in a relaxed tone.

  ‘Exactly,’ she agreed.

  * * *

  There was only one certainty, and that was that she was in over her head, Millie concluded. It was impossible to be this close to Khalid and not care about him, and her caring ran deep. She was falling a little more in love with him with every passing minute. It was no use pretending. She was his, and she was devoted to him. Maybe she couldn’t have him long-term, but her heart didn’t care about that.

  ‘Look,’ he said, distracting her.

  She turned her head quickly, maybe too quickly as she followed his pointing finger, and just for a moment she felt dizzy and disoriented. It was a strange feeling...something she’d never felt before, but her head quickly cleared in time for her to agree with him that no photographic images could ever have prepared her for the reality of an oasis. They had rounded the base of a dune, and now she could see it spread out in front of her, like a sapphire set in gold. She couldn’t even see the far side, and hadn’t imagined it was so big. The water was so clear she could see the dark rocks underneath. And another Bedouin tent had been erected on the sugar-sand shore. The pavilion might have come straight from her dreams with its billowing blindingly white sides set against the blue of the water and the lush of the green shrubbery.

  ‘Swim?’ Khalid suggested as Burkan began to toss his head at the scent of water. ‘We all deserve it, don’t you think?’

  He didn’t expect an answer, Millie thought as Burkan took off down the dune. She screamed, but with excitement as the big horse almost lost his footing. How they stayed on board, she had no idea. Somehow Khalid managed to control the powerful stallion as it slithered and then righted, before slithering down again, and not for one moment did she feel in any danger. Between Khalid and his big horse, which was almost like an extension of himself, she knew she was safe.

  ‘Okay?’ he asked when they finally arrived panting and snorting—she was panting, horse was snorting—on level ground.

  Laughing with shock, fright, happiness and excitement, she exclaimed, ‘I’m fine. That was amazing.’ This adventure might be reckless, and very dangerous to her heart, but every second was blissful, and she would remember it all her life. ‘I’m better than fine,’ she exulted as Khalid set her safely on the ground.

  ‘But stiff, I imagine,’ he said with a keen look as she took her first staggering step.

  That feeling was back, and with it an overwhelming tiredness. It had been a long ride, she reasoned. What she needed was a dip in that oasis. ‘So long as I don’t stay like this,’ she said, laughing as she added a theatrical groan, ‘I’ll be okay.’

  ‘You need that swim,’ he said.

  ‘I truly do,’ she agreed as they linked fingers.

  ‘Now, take off your clothes while I untack the horse,’ he instructed, yanking her close.

  ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’ She stared up into Khalid’s dark, mesmerising eyes. ‘Do you have any more instructions for me?’

  ‘I will have. You can depend on it.’

  She had no doubt.

  * * *

  When she joined him and he gazed down at Millie’s naked perfection, he thought himself the luckiest man on earth. Showing no fear of Burkan, she scratched the stallion beneath his chin, while the one-man horse, fierce and unsociable, nickered with approval.

  ‘You’ve won him over,’ he said. ‘I’ll make a Bedouin of you yet.’

  ‘Burkan won me over,’ Millie argued, with an approving look at his horse. ‘Maybe I’ll make an engineer out of you,’ she added with a sideways look.

  ‘I mine sapphires,’ he reminded her, ‘and so I always have need of top-notch engineers.’

  ‘So I can tinker with your boats and with your engines in the mine.’

  ‘Why not?’ They both knew this was a game, and would never happen, but why not play it out? ‘You can tinker with anything you want to,’ he said as he brought his robe over his head and tossed it aside. Taking hold of her hand, he drew her close as he led her towards the water.

  ‘Is this a dream?’ Millie asked him of the oasis. She dipped her toes as he sprang onto Burkan’s back. Swinging Millie into his arms, he rode full tilt into the chill of deep water. Millie shrieked with the shock of it, and he laughed and held her close as Burkan lunged forward and began to swim. Steering the big horse towards the shade of the overhanging palm fronds, he urged him up the bank and dismounted. Lifting Millie down, he left the stallion to crop grass and rest.

  ‘This is heaven,’ Millie exclaimed softly as she rested briefly against Burkan’s side to stroke him appreciatively. ‘And if it is a dream, I never want it to end.’

  And neither did he, but it must, he thought.

  * * *

  How could she not respond to a man as brutally masculine as Khalid? And so gloriously naked. Primal instinct would always triumph over common sense, Millie concluded as Khalid looped his powerful arms around her waist. He was holding her in a tantalisingly loose grip that she could have walked away from at any time, but he knew she had no intention of going anywhere. His seduction techniques were many and various, as she had learned, and she hadn’t encountered one yet that wasn’t fiendishly effective.

  They stood in silence for a while, but that silence was so deep and intense, she could hear both their hearts beating as one.

  ‘I want to make love to you,’ he said at last. ‘I mean, really make love to you.’

  ‘What are you saying, Khalid?’ Hope filled her.

  ‘Don’t you know?’

  ‘Not unless you say it.’

  ‘I love being with you, Millie Dillinger,’ he murmured as he nuzzled her cheek and neck.

  That wasn’t what she’d hoped to hear. Get over it. Get real, as her friends at the laundry would say. Urgent pulses of sweet pleasure were teasing her body beyond endurance. Why did she have to think further than that? Of course he wanted to make love—have sex—it was all just terminology; a choice of words. She did too. Their bodies were tuned to each other’s needs, and the urge to mate wouldn’t leave them alone, until they were sated.

  And that dose of reality helped her emotions how?

  ‘I want you,’ she whispered as Khalid backed her towards the shade. ‘So much,’ she added truthfully, feeling tears sting her eyes as he lowered her to the ground.

  The grass was firm and warm beneath her back after the chill of the water. Their faces were close, so close their lips were almost touching. Her mouth was kiss-bruised and tingling as her arousal grew. Knowing this, he smiled and kissed her. She was his to do with as he wished.

  Lowering himself carefully, he brushed his body against hers. Anticipating his weight, his heat, his strength, was almost the best part.

  ‘No,’ he warned as she positioned herself for pleasure. ‘I must protect you first—’

  ‘I can’t wait!’ she pr
otested.

  ‘You must—’

  ‘No!’ It wouldn’t be the first time with Khalid that she’d pushed the boundaries. Passion as fierce as theirs could accept no boundaries or restrictions. Drawing up her legs, she arced her hips and drew him deep. Holding him secure with her inner muscles, she worked him mercilessly. Digging her fingers into his arms, she bit his neck and shoulder, growling to express all the frustration inside her. The end came quickly in a cataclysmic release. Khalid swore viciously as he fell back on the grass, but when she turned to look at him, he was smiling.

  ‘Animal,’ he said, making it sound like the greatest compliment possible. ‘What are you? A sorceress? A siren? A witch?’

  ‘A laundress,’ she said.

  He laughed as he pulled her across to lie on top of him. ‘A very special, and very dangerous laundress,’ he observed, ‘and one whose talents must never be allowed to go to waste.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘We need teachers in Khalifa, experts in their field who can inspire our young people. I can think of no one better than you to fill that role.’

  ‘I’m not an expert yet,’ Millie pointed out.

  ‘But you will be,’ he enthused, ‘and we need you in Khalifa. We have an excellent engineering college—’

  ‘What are you saying, Khalid?’ she interrupted sharply. Couldn’t he see the truth? Her future didn’t lie in Khalifa. ‘I have a course to finish in the UK.’

  ‘And when you have finished, come and work for me.’ The fire of desire and bold intention blazed fiercely in his eyes. Khalid was used to conquering problems, and couldn’t envisage a situation that wouldn’t bend to his will, Millie thought. ‘We’re always looking for new ideas, and ambassadors to spread the word.’

  ‘No,’ she said quietly. How could she be close to him and not part of his life? ‘But thanks for the offer. I really appreciate it.’ She tried her best to sound sincere, and untouched emotionally by Khalid’s suggestion that she could live in his beautiful country, perhaps within a stone’s throw of the palace, and not have her heart break in pieces. She didn’t want to hurt him, or seem ungrateful, but neither could she face the heartache that would bring.

  ‘My loss,’ he said thoughtfully.

  And mine, Millie mused.

  Khalid’s stroking touch was more gentle than usual as he brought her to rest on his chest, as if his thoughts were plaguing him, and he was still on the hunt for a solution. She couldn’t bear it, and had to tell herself not to cry. You can’t have everything you want, and nor can he, she told herself firmly. But she only wanted this, and it seemed so unfair that she couldn’t have it, Millie thought as Khalid stroked her hair, reassuring her, as if he sensed her distress.

  It was as if they were already saying goodbye, she realised. A great surge of distress accompanied this thought, and threatened to overwhelm her. She had to be strong. She would be.

  They swam again, and it was lovely and cleansing, and the tiredness she’d experienced after the long ride had fallen away. But there was sadness too. After a lifetime of carefully guarding her emotions, she was finding it harder and harder to hide them, and this was beginning to feel like the final act in a play. Being alone in the desert with Khalid had undoubtedly strengthened the bond between them. Whether that was good or bad remained to be seen. Feeling like this after making love was wonderful—so why was she crying again? Millie wondered as she floated on her back in the cooling water, gazing at the sky. She had to pull herself together and fast. She’d always known they would have to go their separate ways to live their very different lives. And she would always feel different, as if part of Khalid would never leave her. A sense of rightness and completeness filled her, taking over from the tears. It was a feeling she would have to try and remember for always and ever, she accepted as she tried her best not to think about returning home.

  ‘Come on,’ Khalid prompted when she shivered involuntarily. ‘You’ve had enough swimming for today. You must eat something now.’

  ‘To keep up my strength?’ she teased, wondering why just the mention of food should make her stomach churn.

  Khalid soon made her forget. Drawing her into his arms where she felt safe, he made sure that the only hunger she felt was for him.

  Don’t play with fire.

  Why not? Brushing away the shadows that briefly darkened her elation, she put on the fresh robe that, miraculously, or so it seemed to Millie, had been laid out on the bank for her, together with a robe for Khalid, as well as towels for both of them, and simple sandals to slip on. Millie’s robe was so pretty. Diaphanous rose-coloured silk, it was a perfect foil for Khalid’s stark black. What else would a hawk of the desert wear? she thought as he turned to look at her. Then it occurred to her that there must be invisible helpers, and she glanced around red-faced with embarrassment at the thought that they might have been watched. ‘I thought we were alone,’ she exclaimed.

  ‘We are.’ Khalid shrugged, unconcerned.

  ‘And the gold table covered in a crisp white linen cloth?’ She’d just noticed it now. ‘Did Burkan set the table for us?’

  ‘He’s a horse of many talents,’ Khalid told her straight-faced.

  And the line of tents and portable buildings that had been erected in the shade behind the dune? How had she missed those? She’d been too preoccupied with Khalid, Millie realised. Of course the ruling sheikh of Khalifa would have staff and security wherever he went, and she was naïve for not knowing this from the start. A little more discretion would be required in future, not to mention muffling her screams of pleasure, she thought as Khalid took her by the hand.

  ‘No one will disturb us,’ he promised with a long stare into her eyes. He confirmed this with a lingering kiss, but the shadows were back. What was the point of trying to pretend they were lovers on the bank of an oasis, with nothing to stand between them and their passion, when there was an entire tented city at Khalid’s beck and call, just a few yards away?

  Duty first, duty always, Millie thought as he excused himself to check with his people if there were any outstanding issues to be dealt with in Khalifa before they settled down to eat.

  I love you, she thought as he strode away.

  Turning, she entered the royal pavilion on her own. She’d better get used to that feeling of being alone. She loved him madly, deeply, passionately, but must keep that to herself. Khalid had always made it clear where his duty lay, and, wonderful though this trip to the desert had been, their time together was almost over.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  DETERMINED TO MAKE the most of whatever time was left, Millie kept a lookout for Khalid’s return. She blenched to see him arriving with a group of grandly dressed men. Quickly retreating into the private section in the depths of the pavilion, she remained by the dividing curtain to listen. It could only be a deputation from his court. Khalid brought them inside, and she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was furious.

  ‘I gave clear instructions that I was not to be disturbed while I was in the desert. Speak in English,’ he rapped when the leader of the men, with an obsequious bow, began to say something. Khalid knew she was here, and he wanted her to hear everything. It filled her with warmth and confidence to know he was protecting her even now. Though the sense that they would be parting soon hadn’t left her, and her heart was aching with real physical pain.

  ‘Forgive me, Your Majesty,’ the same man said. ‘Urgent news from the capital.’

  ‘Which is?’ Khalid demanded, looking every inch the hawk of the desert as he spoke, Millie saw as she stood in the shadows.

  ‘Another bridal party has arrived, this time from a Mediterranean kingdom—’

  She heard Khalid’s sound of disgust. ‘Have these people no manners? Are they so desperate to offload their daughter? That’s enough. They have been told not to come, and nothing has changed.’

&nb
sp; ‘We know you had forbidden this, but the Mediterranean royal family decided to bring the Princess, anyway.’

  ‘In direct contravention of my wishes.’

  ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’

  A Mediterranean princess, Millie thought. She could imagine someone beautiful, who had been groomed to rule at Khalid’s side—not a tomboy with oil on her overalls. She had always known this would happen. There was no point in getting upset about it. She shouldn’t feel so brutally let down. Khalid had done everything he could to protect her, and she had always known what she was getting herself into. He had never misled her for a moment. Her broken heart was all her own doing.

  He was still talking, but in a muted tone, and in his own language. To her ears, he seemed calmer, happier. Perhaps the Princess was very beautiful and he’d relented. Digging her fingers into her palms until her nails cut the skin, she was glad he was talking in Khalifan. She couldn’t bear to hear the truth as written by her imagination.

  ‘Take refreshments before you go,’ she heard Khalid say in English. ‘I will follow you back to the palace in due course.’

  She clung to the tent pole, feeling dizzy as she waited for the men to leave. Being hidden in the pavilion should have been wake-up call enough. She could only ever be hidden away. She could choose to be his mistress, even now. The offer had never been rescinded. Think of the engines she could work on, while she waited for him to find time for her.

  Even humour couldn’t help her now, Millie concluded; she was long past laughing at this situation. And she couldn’t fudge how she felt when he came to find her.

  ‘Millie?’

  Her head was swimming. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel strong, or capable, she felt faint, physically, mentally, and it must have shown. As if alarmed by her pallor, Khalid took hold of her arm and drew her to him. The pretence was over. A prospective bride with ironclad credentials was waiting at the palace in his capital city. There was no place for Millie in Khalid’s life going forward. ‘I’ve always known this had to end,’ she said, smiling as she tried to make it easy for him. ‘I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. But,’ she added in a fiercely upbeat tone, ‘better now, and quickly, than death by a thousand cuts.’