The Sheikh's Enemy Lover (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 12)

by Cara Albany

  Khalid refused to accept that. He moved closer and took gentle hold of Belle's arms. "Belle. You can't let him stand between us. I won't let him do that."

  Belle tilted her head and sighed. "He's so bitter. You can see what he thinks of me." She peered into Khalid's eyes. "Of us being together."

  Khalid's mouth opened and she saw disbelief in his gaze. "What are you talking about?"

  Belle exhaled, exasperation welling up within her. "He obviously doesn't approve."

  "So what," Khalid declared. She could hear the frustration in his voice.

  Belle dragged her gaze away from Khalid's face. She couldn't stand the way he was looking at her. Her throat tightened. Suddenly everything she thought they'd achieved over the past two days, ever since she'd met Khalid, seemed in jeopardy.

  Belle had thought the barrier had been broken down. But, she'd been mistaken.

  The real barrier wasn't Khalid's father. Or even Khalid's deep seated frustrations. The real barrier was the impossibility of her relationship with Khalid. In spite of what they'd shared these past couple of days, maybe there was just no way this was ever going to work out.

  Her heart was pounding and she felt nerves flame in the pit of her stomach at the thought of what she had to do. What she had to say. The encounter back inside the palace had shocked her.

  Maybe some things just weren't meant to work out, no matter how right they felt. No matter how wonderful the time spent together.

  Confusion seized hold of her mind and emotion raged inside her at the prospect of what was going to happen. But, she knew the truth. She'd already felt doubts. Back at the ruined palace, when she'd sensed what Khalid really wanted. Where all of this was leading.

  What Khalid wanted was her. It was that simple. But, it seemed like everything in Qazhar was conspiring to make that impossible. Maybe she'd been right. Perhaps Qazhar wasn't the place for her, after all.

  Belle turned to Khalid. "I need time to think," she said evenly.

  Khalid's expression was of outright incredulity. "What?" he demanded, his voice shrill.

  Belle shifted herself free of his tender grasp and wrapped her arms around herself. "I want a chance to think all of this over," she declared.

  She was sure she heard Khalid gasp in disbelief. Was she cruelly wrenching a prize from out of his grasp? Judging by the incredulous look on his face, it certainly seemed like that.

  There was a long silence between them. Repeatedly she glanced at Khalid, trying to sense his reaction. He was breathing heavily and his eyes flickered from side to side as he tried to come to terms with what she had said.

  It was more than just words, though. She knew that. It was what she needed. Time to think. But would he see it that way?

  Finally, he nodded. "Fine. If that's what you want, Belle. Who am I to stand in your way?" His voice had a finality to it that she hadn't heard before. It wasn't defeat, because she knew it would take more than this for him to admit defeat. But he was hurting and she felt that hurt too.

  He nodded. "I'll fetch the driver."

  And with that simple statement made, Khalid made his way back into the palace, leaving her standing alone at the top of the steps, wondering if she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Khalid stood at the foot of the steps and watched the limo drive through the open gates at the far end of the driveway. He could see Belle through the back window of the limo. Her face was turned resolutely away from him. She didn't look back.

  He'd lost her. There was a heavy, sinking feeling in his gut. He'd blown it. Or rather, Khalid's father had placed himself decisively between Khalid and Belle. Just like he'd tried to do with Erin and Karim.

  He couldn't allow that to happen. Would not let it happen, he told himself. His jaw tightened. Rage and frustration rose within him. Rage at his father for being so stubborn, as if he hadn't learned a single thing from all that had happened.

  Abdullah surely must have reflected on all of this while he'd been in exile in England. Khalid could hardly believe that his father still harbored ill will toward the Summers family. Perhaps Abdullah would never accept the simple truth that Qazhar had changed forever. He couldn't spend the rest of his life holding onto a dream of the past.

  Khalid suddenly thought about Karim. How this must have felt to him as he'd courted Belle's sister Erin. It couldn't have been easy for the sheikh to deal with Abdullah's attempts to interfere in his marriage to Erin. Especially on the grounds that an American woman was no fit bride for someone like a sheikh. As far as Abdullah was concerned anyway.

  For the first time, Khalid could see things from Karim's point of view. He had a sense of just how difficult it must have felt to have someone try to stand in the way of claiming a true love. A once in a lifetime love.

  Karim's resentment of Khalid and his father seemed suddenly more understandable. Even inevitable, Khalid admitted to himself.

  Khalid drew in a deep breath and tightened his fists into tight balls. This was not going to happen. His father had to understand that the time for this madness was over. It had to end. He was not going to lose Belle because of this.

  Khalid strode up the steps and into the palace. Back in the sitting room, he found his father standing on the terrace. Abdullah faced out toward the garden, his hands clasped behind his back, his shoulders tightly defiant. For a moment Khalid thought his father looked triumphant. Did his father believe he'd won an important victory by driving Belle from the palace? Because that was what he'd managed to do.

  Indignation welled up inside Khalid as he strode out onto the terrace.

  Abdullah turned. "Has she gone?" he asked insolently.

  Khalid gasped in disbelief at such effrontery. "What's wrong with you, father?" Khalid demanded.

  Abdullah's eyes narrowed. "I'm merely ensuring you don't make the same mistake that Sheikh Karim made by choosing an American as his woman."

  "What are you talking about?" Khalid exclaimed.

  Abdullah moved closer to Khalid and peered at him. "I can see she has managed to burrow her way into your mind. Like all women of that kind. You're not thinking as a sheikh should, my son. You have nobler things to consider," Abdullah announced. "A higher destiny to claim."

  "Nobler things? Like holding grudges that will lead nowhere," he roared at his father. "Like being intolerant? Like holding onto the past as if it were something fixed in stone?"

  Abdullah advanced on Khalid, but Khalid held his ground, staring his father down. Abdullah halted. Khalid could see the frustration on his father's face.

  "You dare say such things about our honorable tradition," he accused.

  Khalid shook his head. "And another thing. Belle is a fine woman. How dare you describe her the way you just did."

  Abdullah lifted his chin. "I tell it as I see it." He glared at Khalid. "That is how it used to be. The truth can hurt sometimes. But, a real man knows that."

  Khalid snorted. "Are you suggesting I'm not a real man?"

  Abdullah peered at Khalid. "You are my only son. The last of a noble line. If we still occupied the palace in the mountains, we would not even be having this conversation. Your duty would be clear."

  "What? To marry one of the local girls and be grateful?" Is that what you're saying?"

  "There is nothing to be ashamed of in taking a true born Qazhar woman as a bride. You know my thoughts on that subject. If we were in the mountains..."

  Khalid interrupted his father. "But we're not there any longer. That is the past, father. We both know those days will never return. We have to move on. Make a new future. Seize the opportunities that destiny lays in front of us."

  Abdullah shook his head. "There is no honor in taking a foreign bride. It would have been a cause of shame to take a woman from another tribe."

  Khalid sighed heavily and paced back and forth, trying to make sense of all of this. How was he ever going to convince his father that life was different now?

  Khalid
halted in front of Abdullah. "Have you seen the palace recently? Have you seen what it's like now?"

  Abdullah shook his head. "There is no need to see. It is locked in my heart," he said lifting a hand to his chest. "That is where the truth of our family tradition belongs."

  "Really?" Khalid snapped. "You believe that?"

  Abdullah nodded. "That is something no-one like your young friend could possibly understand."

  Khalid felt a surge of emotion. "That's where you're wrong, father. Belle understands. More than you could ever know."

  Abdullah scowled. "What are talking about? She is not of Qazhar. She could not possibly know these things. What they truly mean."

  Khalid smiled sardonically. "But she does, father."

  Abdullah's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" He paused and examined Khalid closely. "What have you done?" Abdullah's face paled suddenly. He reached out a hand. "You haven't asked her to be your bride," he exclaimed breathlessly. His eyes were wide with desperation.

  Khalid snorted. "No. I haven't. I was about to." He glared at his father. "You'll be pleased to know you had a hand in stopping me."

  Abdullah's shoulders sagged and Khalid heard him sigh with relief. "Fate has spared you from making a terrible mistake," Abdullah observed. "That woman would never have understood what it means to be the wife of a sheikh."

  Khalid advanced on his father. They were now mere inches apart. "That's where you're wrong, father. More wrong than you'll ever know."

  Abdullah's brows furrowed as Khalid continued.

  "Belle and I paid a visit to the mountains," Khalid stated evenly. "Yesterday."

  Abdullah's eyes widened. "You did not go to the palace." He seized Khalid's arm. "Tell me you didn't take her there. Not one such as her."

  Khalid grinned. "I did," he announced.

  Abdullah groaned. "You should not have done that."

  "I did. Because I knew it was the right thing to do."

  Abdullah scowled. "She doesn't belong there." Abdullah loosened his grip on Khalid's arm. "For her, it must have been nothing more than a tourist trip to an exotic place. A curiosity. Nothing more," he snapped, waving a dismissive hand.

  Khalid shook his head. "That's where you are wrong. Belle understood why I took her there. I was trying to show her where we came from. Help her see the truth. Show her what our family once had." He moved closer to his father and lowered his voice. "What we lost by coming to live here," he said softly.

  Abdullah glared at Khalid. "You showed her that?" he gasped. "How could you do such a thing?"

  Khalid leaned closer. "Because I love her. That's why, father."

  Abdullah growled. "You cannot love one such as her."

  Khalid shook his head. "I can and I do," he declared. "She will be my bride and my princess." Khalid placed a hand on his chest and peered defiantly into his father's eyes. "As I am your son, I tell you she shall be my wife."

  Khalid gazed resolutely at his father, daring Abdullah to contradict him. There was a long pause during which neither man said a word.

  Finally, Abdullah took a step away from Khalid. "I refuse to believe you would do such a thing. If your mother were here today, she would say the same."

  Khalid shook his head. "There's where you are wrong. And that's why I gave Belle mother's bridal amulet."

  Abdullah gasped and he stared disbelievingly at Khalid. "You did what?" he demanded.

  "While I was in the throne room of the palace, I bound her to me by placing the amulet around her neck."

  Abdullah's brows furrowed. "But, you know what that means. You know that was the way brides were chosen in the past." Abdullah gasped. "Why did you do such a thing?"

  "Because I love her and she will be mine. And there is no power on earth which will stop me from claiming her as my bride."

  Abdullah paced back and forth, wringing his hands. For long moments he was lost in thought. Khalid knew that Abdullah understood the importance of what Khalid had done. While at the palace Khalid been aware of the ancient tradition through which brides were designated. It was an ancient ceremony carried out on that very same throne dais where he'd placed his mother's bridal amulet around Belle's slender neck.

  For Khalid it had been merely symbolic. He knew it carried no legal significance now. All that was in the past. But, for Abdullah, this must surely mean so much more. Perhaps Abdullah would realize that Khalid was serious about Belle. By doing what he'd done, Khalid had shown Abdullah that his love for Belle was no mere casual attraction.

  Abdullah halted in front of Khalid. "And it was your mother's bridal amulet?" he asked in a measured tone of voice. He seemed to have calmed slightly since Khalid had revealed that to him.

  Khalid nodded slowly. "Mother's amulet. Belle was overwhelmed."

  Abdullah nodded slowly. "You know what this means, my son."

  "But you said Belle couldn't become my wife."

  Abdullah laid a hand on Khalid's shoulder. "By doing this you have changed everything."

  "But it was only symbolic," Khalid replied. "You said yourself, father. Belle couldn't possibly understand such rituals and traditions from the past."

  Abdullah lowered his gaze and seemed lost in thought for a few moments. He looked at Khalid. "How did she react?" Abdullah asked Khalid.

  Khalid thought for a moment, recalling the way Belle had responded. "She was humble and very honored. Especially when I explained who the amulet belonged to. She took it as a great honor."

  Abdullah nodded. He thought for a long moment. "And you say you love this woman?"

  Khalid nodded. "Destiny has graced me with a precious gift," he said. "I will not lose her."

  Khalid felt resolute, determined to seize what fate had granted him. Belle belonged to him. All that remained was for him to take the final steps to truly convince her, to bind them together forever.

  Abdullah sighed. "Your mother was the finest woman in Qazhar," Abdullah said slowly. He peered into Khalid's eyes. "You know that, don't you, my son."

  "I know that, father," Khalid agreed. It had been many years since his mother had passed, but he still felt her absence keenly. As did his father. He knew that and could still see it in his father's melancholy gaze.

  Abdullah stretched an arm around Khalid's shoulders. "You and I must talk a while. Perhaps we can walk in the garden and you can tell me about this woman you intend to make your wife."

  Khalid peered into his father's eyes. "It will be my great pleasure," he said.

  Then, father and son headed slowly toward the garden. It was going to be a long conversation, Khalid told himself. There was so much he needed to tell his father about Belle.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  "Belle!" her mother exclaimed as Belle made her way across the hallway in the embassy. Belle paused, her foot on the bottom step of the staircase. She turned and watched as her mother made her way toward Belle from the open door of her office.

  There was obvious concern on her mother's face. Particularly given the fact that Belle was still dressed in white traditional robes. In the limo she'd realized that, leaving Khalid's palace in such a hurry, she'd actually left her party dress behind. The security guard had given her a curious look as the limo had entered the grounds of the embassy.

  "Mom," Belle replied. Her mother ran her gaze up and down the length of Belle's frame. She didn't ask why Belle was dressed like that, but Belle knew she wouldn't get away without giving her mother an explanation.

  "We were wondering where you'd gotten to," Annabelle said.

  Belle bit on her lip and considered how she could explain the last two days to her mother. One of the embassy staff wandered slowly by and looked startled to see the ambassadors daughter dressed like a Qazhar tribeswoman. Belle had to admit it must look incongruous.

  "Sheikh Khalid offered to take me sightseeing," she said, realizing that didn't sound convincing. Not at all.

  Annabelle lifted a brow. "Sightseeing," she said dryly.

  Belle nodded. "He took
me to the desert by helicopter. Then we went to the mountains to see where his family used to live."

  Annabelle tilted her head. "That sounds like quite an adventure," she observed calmly. "Almost as exciting as Nicole's," she added caustically. Belle knew that last part wasn't intended to be a compliment on her judgment about taking secret trips to the desert with sheikhs. Then again, Nicole's had turned out well enough, she tried to reassure herself.

  "Come inside," her mother ordered, gesturing toward her office.

  Belle followed her mother into the office. Annabelle sat down at her desk, but Belle resisted the clear hint that she should sit opposite her mother and reveal all the gory details about the last couple of days.

  Right now, that was the last thing Belle wanted to do. She was still trying to come to terms with the way she had left Khalid. She was still trying to figure out why Khalid's father had treated her the way he had. Maybe there was no way around that, she told herself. Belle paced slowly in front of the desk.

  "I spoke with Erin yesterday," her mother said, interrupting Belle's thoughts.

  "Really?" Belle replied, feeling instantly worried.

  "She told me you and Sheikh Al Rasareh are apparently quite good friends."

  Belle halted her pacing. "She said that?"

  Annabelle nodded. "She also told me you and he have been seeing each other for quite a while."

  Belle's shoulders sagged. Erin could never keep a secret. But, it didn't matter anymore. Belle and Khalid were history, again. Weren't they?

  "Khalid wanted to keep our friendship private," Belle offered as an explanation.

  "Private? Or secret," her mother probed.

  Belle flopped down onto the seat in front of her mother's desk. "Both, really."

  "Why?" her mother asked.

  Belle snorted. "You know why, mom. It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

  Annabelle nodded. "His father."

  Belle nodded. "Right. What was Khalid supposed to do? If everyone found out he was dating the daughter of the ambassador, who knows what people would have said. After what happened with Erin and Karim."