Bound by the Sheik's Ring

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “I know! I’m a mess! I should be in class right now, but I just…” she wiped more tears away, irritated that she was acting like such a ninny. “But Fluff, he comes by here every month and takes me out to dinner! He listens to me. Really listens to me! I think I’m in love with him, and he thinks I’m the annoying little sister of his best friend that he has to check on!”

  The horse moved, nudging her shoulder. That was his signal that he was ready to ride.

  “I don’t think I can, Fluff,” she admitted, patting his neck.

  He nudged her again, stronger this time. He was sure she could.

  “Fine!” she sighed. “We’ll ride, but only because I know that you need the exercise.”

  Fluffy faced the door to his stall in anticipation, waiting for her to saddle him up. It took no time at all to get the saddle on him and tighten the bridle.

  “Just a slow ride,” she told him.

  A shake of Fluffy’s head warned Sada that he disagreed. Sure enough, right out of the gate, Fluffy pranced around, obviously relieved to have his cat coming back to him, plus more. Sada had no idea if her horse understood, but he certainly seemed eager and excited.

  Ten minutes into the ride, Fluffy was ready to run! And Sada let him go, needing the release and the relief. As the wind blew through her hair, she laughed. And cried. Because one thing was certain. She was in love with a man who thought of her as a little sister to his best friend.

  But who wouldn’t love a man who rushed a pregnant cat off to the vet, allowing the cat to ruin his expensive clothing? There was no point in continuing to deny it, Sada knew that she was madly in love with Zahir.

  Chapter 3

  Another two years later…

  “I made reservations at the new restaurant on the west side,” Zahir said, as they walked to the limousine.

  Sada stopped and looked up at him. “You mean, my friend’s new restaurant?” she asked, her mouth forming an “O” of surprise.

  “Yes. You mentioned that you hadn’t had a chance to get over there yet, so I had my assistant make reservations.”

  He said it as if it were no big deal. But looking at him, she felt her heart melt even more for this strong man who listened. He really listened to her! Her comment about Mark’s new restaurant had been just a casual comment over dinner several months ago. But he’d remembered.

  Sada was so touched, she couldn’t speak for a long moment. Swallowing hard, she got her emotions back under control. “You didn’t have to do that, Zahir.”

  “Do what?”

  Just like every conversation lately, Sada’s feelings for Zahir intensified a notch. No one else listened like he did.

  And no matter how hard she tried, Sada couldn’t seem to banish the extreme reaction she had every time he called. The sensation lasted until the moment he arrived. Several times, she’d had to hide the giddiness she’d felt bubbling through her as she watched Zahir walk up the stone pathway to her building. Peering at him from the windows above that pathway, she always noticed all the small details about him; the broad shoulders, the dark hair…even his long, soft, dark lashes that were such a contrast to the harsh planes of his features, were fascinating to her.

  And Sada enjoyed talking with him, being with him, making him laugh, and feeling that bubbly sensation when he told her something funny. The newspapers called him harsh and brutal in his financial dealings, but Sada had never experienced that side of him. He was always kind and funny with her and she….

  That knowledge, as well as the end of every evening with him, morphed into a deep, painful sadness as the time neared for his departure. She sighed quietly at the thought, and jumped when Zahir cleared his throat.

  Startled, she realized that he was waiting patiently for an answer. “Well, for starters, you don’t have to swing by to take me out to dinner every month,” she told him, her throat tightening at the thought of not seeing him.

  Every month, he came to take her out to dinner, made her laugh, and listened to her. It was both heaven and hell, but she wanted…needed…to break out of this cycle. She needed to move on with her life, to find someone to fall in love with. She needed to stop this pathetic pattern of eager anticipation before he arrived, elation during every meal, and the sadness that gripped her for more than a week after he left, because she knew that she wouldn’t see him again for so long.

  She needed to start dating, to meet other men. Unfortunately, the men in the real world, in her world, couldn’t compare to Zahir. They didn’t have his presence or his charm. He was like a Greek god, too good to be true. He was kind, compassionate, and made her laugh. What normal human being could compare to that?

  She looked up at him as he led her to his guards who opened the door to the limousine. “I know that your time is valuable and, although it is incredibly sweet of you and I enjoy our dinners, you probably have a thousand other things that need your attention.”

  “I enjoy our evenings together.” He leaned in closer. “Besides, you’re my best friend’s sister. I couldn’t come to London and not take you out to dinner.”

  The thrill that shot through her with his first comment died a painful, fizzling death at his second. “Right,” she sighed and looked down. “I’m sure my brother greatly appreciates your updates on my welfare.”

  She started to duck into the limousine, but he stopped her with a gentle touch. When Sada looked up into his dark eyes, she wanted to sigh with both pleasure and pain. She loved him so much, and every moment in his company caused her feelings to intensify. At the end of every evening with him, she promised herself that it would be the last. That she would have the strength to tell him no the next time he called to let her know that he would be in town.

  But every time he called, her heart begged for just one more night in his company.

  So, here she was, all dressed up and eager to see him. She’d worn the blue earrings that he’d sent to her last week. She was wearing the perfume he’d sent her from Paris last year, which she wore only when he came to town. She was even wearing the pearls that he gave her for her eighteenth birthday, and the blue sweater he’d sent her last year.

  He probably had no idea how much his gifts meant to her. And even knowing that his assistant probably chose and had all of them shipped to her, Sada still loved every single one of them. Sometimes, they were sweet and funny, sometimes clothing or jewelry, or just a small token. It didn’t matter what it was, she always loved it.

  And yet, she knew that she needed to stop them from coming. She needed to stop him from coming to visit her. But knowing that and making it happen were two completely different things.

  Sada waited until they were settled in the limousine before she continued. Or changed the topic, she thought with resignation. “I’m so excited that I can introduce you to Mark tonight. He’s truly a brilliant chef. I’ve admired him for a long time, and used to love having dinner at his place before he opened his restaurant.”

  He scowled down at her. “I didn’t know that your friend was a man,” he grumbled.

  Sada laughed, reaching out to touch his arm. “Mark’s a great guy and he’s truly a wonderful chef. I’m so thrilled! Mark’s going to be surprised to see us!”

  “Perhaps we should find another place,” he commented darky. “Some place less…crowded.”

  “Nonsense!” Sada laughed, practically bouncing in her seat. “You were able to get reservations at Mark’s new place! Do you know how impossible that is? He’s been written up in all of the food review columns, rave reviews all around! How on earth did you manage to get a table there?”

  His expression said clearly how silly a question that was. She chuckled softly and leaned back against the soft leather of the limousine. “Thank you. I know that Mark will really appreciate you showing up. He’ll love the fact that a real, live prince is dining in his restaurant.”

  Another strange look came her way as he said, “You’re a princess. Why doesn’t that count?”

  She laughed
again, waving the idea away. “Oh, Mark only knows me as his study partner. We used to spend hours in the library at night, working through the economics formulas, testing each other. His father only agreed to set him up in business if Mark obtained a business degree. He’s wanted to own his own restaurant for years!”

  Zahir stared at the woman who had invaded his dreams all too often lately. He really should stop coming to see her, but she was such a beautiful, fascinating woman. Coming to see her had become the highlight of his month. Zahir refused to admit, even to himself at times, that he organized his travel schedule around his visits to London just so he could see Sada. There was something about her smile, the sparkle in her sky blue eyes that called, soothed, and excited him in ways he tried not to think about.

  Unfortunately, nothing could come of their relationship. She was Tavon’s sister and completely off-limits, except as a friend. A good friend. A friend he’d….

  Zahir wished he could say he’d never entertained thoughts about more than a simple friendship with Sada. He would prefer a world where he wasn’t haunted by her smile. And he would truly love to be released from his feelings for her, feelings that had hindered his pursuit of other women. It had been a long –painfully long– time since he’d even wanted a woman. And it was all because of this slender beauty with her smiles, her laughter, her challenging conversations, and…okay, he couldn’t discount the way her figure filled out the soft, blue sweater. A better man wouldn’t have noticed. A better man would respect his best friend’s sister and not notice the way her wool skirt curved faithfully around her pert bottom. A better man would…

  Unfortunately, Zahir wasn’t a better man. Because he noticed all of it. He loved the delicate pink that stained her cheeks when he teased her, and the fire in her eyes when they debated. He wished he could focus on her words instead of her tender lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss her, to feel those lips against his.

  But none of that was possible. Sada wasn’t for him. She was a beautiful woman that would age into the type of beauty that legends were made of. Add in her quick wit and her sharp intelligence…any man would fall for her.

  And yet, the idea of this Mark person being with her late at night made him furious, ready to find the man and…well, some sort of physical violence might be in order. The way Sada talked about him made their meetings sound innocent. But no man could look at Sada with her long, dark hair cascading down her back or her red lips and long, dark lashes and not think of sexual thoughts. Not think about how incredible it would be to kiss those lips. Or hold her in his arms, to finally know what she felt like pressed up against his body.

  Allaena! Those thoughts were wrong. She was like a sister to him.

  How many times did he have to remind himself of that?

  They entered the restaurant, which was just as crowded as anticipated. The lights were dim inside, but bright on the street outside, luring potential patrons into the softer lighting. Sada explained that Mark had hired a lighting and color specialist before designing the restaurant and, as he looked around, Zahir acknowledged that it had paid off. The lighting was very welcoming, warm and cozy but not so dim that one couldn’t see the food.

  As soon as Sada stepped through the doors, the hostess recognized her and rushed over. The two women shrieked slightly as they embraced warmly. Zahir stood back as Sada gushed about an event that the two had obviously enjoyed together. Watching her, Zahir was once again struck by how Sada made everyone feel special. Even as she talked to the hostess, Sada turned and glanced at Zahir, letting him know that she was completely aware of him, acknowledging his presence. As the two ladies laughingly pulled apart, Sada gestured him over. “Ruth, this is Prince Zahir of Ditara.”

  The brunette’s eyes widened and her pretty smile grew eager as she turned to Zahir. “Goodness, this is the man you’ve been dating for the past several years?” Ruth asked, her eyes wide with awe. “No wonder you’ve been keeping him a secret!”

  Zahir felt Sada stiffen. Dating? Interesting word choice. What had Sada said to her friends about their outings?

  He glanced down at Sada, who was studying her shoes, and took in the pink tinge of her cheeks. He had an insane urge to drag her out of the crowded restaurant and kiss her!

  His thought stopped dead at her frantic expression.

  “No! No, we, uh… no.” Sada shifted her feet uncomfortably as her hair swung down and hid her face. “We haven’t been dating, Ruth,” Sada rushed to explain. She finally glanced up at him, obviously looking for help. Zahir only lifted an unhelpful and curious eyebrow. She hurried on, her cheeks turning that adorable shade of pink he loved so much. “He’s friends with my brothers. Zahir often has business here in London. He started taking me out to dinner years ago, back when I was in boarding school, because I was homesick. One night, Tavon had to cancel, but Zahir was available.”

  Once again, she looked up at him, hoping for confirmation. But since that was only half the story, he remained silent. “Anyway, he just…well, he’s only being kind when he takes me out to dinner. Our dinners together definitely aren’t a date. Not in any way. I mean…” She trailed off and sighed as she glanced beseechingly up at him. Zahir had to suppress the chuckle that rose in his throat. She turned back to her friend, waving her hand dismissively with a laugh, but her next words came out nervous and tense. “I suspect that he thinks I have no social life at all and I only go out on the town when he takes me.”

  Ruth snorted. “Right! You home alone! Like that ever happens!” She took two menus out of a compartment of the hostess stand. “Okay, so you’re not dating this big, handsome guy…” She tilted her head for a moment, pausing before leading them through the noisy crowd. She paused in a space between four tables that looked slightly larger, looking at Sada, then at Zahir. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you date anyone. No wonder you’re friends with everyone.” She paused, obviously thinking about that, and looking at Zahir, but with a speculative look this time. “This way. And order the shrimp tonight. I tried it earlier and it’s amazing!” With that, she led them through the tables of the restaurant to a place near the back. It was a cozy table overlooking a courtyard and, further out, the lights of London sparkled in the nighttime darkness.

  “Enjoy your meal,” Ruth announced, giving Sada another hug before hurrying back to her post.

  There was a long silence at the table, broken only by the low hum of conversation from the surrounding diners. Sada hid behind her menu, wondering what Zahir thought about Ruth’s comments. She didn’t want to know. But perhaps it would be better to just get it out in the open.

  Sada debated back and forth on how to handle her friend’s misconception that she was dating Zahir. She knew that she should say something, to qualify Ruth’s comments somehow. But she was just too stunned and…well, horrified. Did all of her friends think she had a thing for Zahir? Is that how they perceived her? Could that be why no one asked her out?

  Better to just get it out there, she thought numbly and put the menu down.

  As soon as she did that, she realized that Zahir was watching her. Had he been waiting patiently for her to come out from behind the menu this whole time? How pathetic did she seem now?

  Blazing honesty was usually best, she thought. “About Ruth’s comment,” she began.

  Zahir interrupted with a question of his own. “Why aren’t you dating anyone?”

  Sada opened her mouth to answer, but closed it again, realizing she didn’t have a plausible response. Telling him that the men in her classes simply didn’t measure up to him wasn’t a good way to explain away Ruth’s comments. The truth was, none of the men in her classes could even come close to his charm or brilliance. But that wasn’t something she could tell him. No, she couldn’t do it. It would be too embarrassing.

  So instead, she changed the subject. “What are you doing in town this time around? Anything exciting? I saw that the stock prices on several of your companies went up. Is there a
secret announcement about to hit the news?”

  Zahir watched her closely, trying to figure out what was going on in her head. Why was she changing the subject? She was beautiful, sweet, intelligent, and witty. Not to mention, she was sexy, appealing and…just about every positive adjective a man could apply to a woman. She was perfect.

  “Sada, why aren’t you dating anyone?”

  She sighed and leaned back in her chair. He tried to keep his eyes from shifting to the V in her sweater, but he was only human. The sweater followed her curves faithfully, making his hands itch to follow the same journey.

  “When we go out to dinner, there’s practically no topic that’s off limits.” She waited for his acknowledgement. When he tilted his head in agreement, she continued. “I appreciate our time together. And I love that you respect me enough to talk about anything and everything. But my love life is not something I’ll discuss with you or with anyone.”

  He had to admire her firmness. Her voice indicated that there was no wiggle room on the subject. Not that he was going to accept her dictate. As she’d said, every subject was open. “Why is that?” he pried.

  She leaned forward, enhancing the soft shadows of her cleavage. It took enormous effort to pull his eyes upwards again.

  “Because the last time you found out that I had a love life, you almost pummeled my boyfriend. Word got around, Zahir. No one would talk to me. They wouldn’t even come near me. If I sat down next to a male student, he would change seats!”

  A possessive spurt of satisfaction hit him. He tamped it down and tried to focus.

  “I don’t remember pummeling anyone, Sada,” he disagreed, smirking slightly at the memory. He hadn’t pummeled him, just squeezed him a little.

  “The stables? Remember when I was eighteen? Manny was waiting for me at the stables. That morning was supposed to be my first kiss. It never happened, because of you.”