Bound by the Sheik's Ring

by Elizabeth Lennox

  “That’s ridiculous. If a man is afraid to fight for you, then he’s unworthy of you.”

  Her response was a sarcastic lifting of one eyebrow, which caused him to chuckle.

  “It was terror, Zahir. You terrified every student in my high school class that year.”

  “He was a boy. He should have stood up to me.”

  “He was half your size, and much younger than you, Zahir!” she came right back. “You put the fear of God in him! He told everyone else and they got the message. I was a social outcast that year. Even some of the girls were scared of you.”

  “You need stronger friends.” He felt relief, and a small measure of guilt, over his actions and her friends’ reactions. He didn’t like anyone touching her, but he shouldn’t like that no one had. Such a contradiction and one he would examine later, when he was alone.

  “My friends are fine.” She crossed her arms under her breasts and he almost groaned out loud at the amount of effort it took to keep his eyes on hers and not look at her full, wonderful, soft breasts!

  He looked at her, trying to remember what she’d been telling him. Boys. Terror. Right! The stupid boys in her life were too afraid to ask her out. “Your friends aren’t fine. Not if you aren’t dating. You are almost finished with university. You’re going to marry once you are finished, correct?”

  His question earned another eye roll, this one big enough to showcase her slender throat.

  “Zahir, why would you assume I’m going to marry? Why not ask me where I plan to work?”

  Work? What the hell was she talking about? “You’re a princess of Altair. You must marry.”

  She laughed and he loved the sound as well as the amused light in her beautiful eyes. “Your sexist opinions are showing. I don’t have to marry, Zahir. Neither of my brothers married after they finished college. I have no reason to marry immediately after I graduate either.”

  “Except that you’re…”

  She held up her finger, stopping his response. “Consider your words carefully Zahir, one more sexist comment, and you’ll regret it.”

  He stopped and stared, then threw back his head, laughing. When his laughter finally died down, he nodded. “Point taken.”

  The waiter arrived with the wine and their conversation turned to other topics. As he described his latest acquisition, she asked questions and absorbed his answers, ready to put his expertise into the research paper she was working on. When he heard about her topic, he gave her more questions to research and then told her that he wanted to read her paper before she submitted it.

  “No way,” she insisted as he walked her up to her apartment.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  She paused underneath the lights lining the pathway to her apartment. “Because you would shred anything that I thought was completed.”

  “And that’s a bad thing because…?” he prompted, moving closer.

  She laughed. “Remember that terrifying issue from earlier tonight?”

  “You’re stronger than that,” he touched her arm, leading her towards her apartment. “Send me your paper.”

  “Not going to happen,” she replied as she unlocked the door, but didn’t go inside. Instead, she turned, leaning back against the building. “But thank you for offering. I’ll incorporate your suggestions though. Thank you for your insight.”

  He leaned forward and Sada held her breath, thinking he was going to kiss her. He never had before, and tonight hadn’t felt any different from their other dinners together. But oh, goodness, it would be lovely if he would kiss her. She’d love to know what it felt like to be kissed by this man.

  The world slowed down, the earth shifted. Even the breath in her lungs froze and she stared, stunned and hopeful and terrified!

  He was going to kiss her! He was going to…!

  And then it happened. He kissed her. But…

  It wasn’t anything like what she imagined. The small peck he gave her fingers as he lifted her hand to his lips was nothing like what she craved. It was a brutal let down. As he released her hand, she tried to hide her disappointment.

  Anger surged inside of her. Anger was easier to deal with than this crushing disappointment. Fury lit her eyes and she hoped that he couldn’t see it in the dim light. Standing up, she shifted and turned, wanting to slam the door in his face, but her manners wouldn’t allow that. Manners and a desperate hope that he wouldn’t ever know how much she’d hoped for something more than a kiss to her fingertips.

  “Thank you very much for dinner, Zahir. I know that you have a busy schedule and you really don’t need to entertain me every time you’re in town.”

  “Nonsense,” he replied smoothly as he stepped back. “I enjoy our conversations, Sada, you know that.” He bowed slightly, maintaining eye contact. But did he just glance down at the V of her sweater? Just for a moment?

  Unfortunately, before she could react, he turned and walked back to the waiting limousine, his bodyguards coming out of the bushes to meet him.

  Sada stood there, staring wistfully out at the night. If only…..

  Chapter 4

  Two years later…

  “He sent a formal summons?” Sada demanded, staring numbly at the note written in her father’s bold hand. She’d been back in Altair for several months, no longer able to continue justifying living in London. She’d finished school and had contemplated finding a job, but she craved the warmth of her home.

  Zimba, the cat she’d finally named, along with her entire brood of kittens that had grown into beautiful cats, prowled around her suite and she absently reached down to touch Zimba behind the ears before she moved off, finished with affection for the moment.

  “Yes, Your Highness,” the servant replied, maintaining that annoyingly passive expression that gave no hints about what was going on.

  Sada frowned at her father’s aide, not sure why she would be summoned to her father’s office. “But…why didn’t he just come and talk to me? Or talk to me at breakfast? We were together only two hours ago.”

  The servant bowed, his face remaining blank. “I believe a phone call came in just a few moments ago.”

  That information didn’t answer any of her questions. “And?”

  The man bowed again. Sada knew that wasn’t a good sign. “If you would follow me, Your Highness, your father will answer all of your questions.”

  That sounded even more ominous, she thought with increasing trepidation. “Fine,” she stood up. But she didn’t follow him. Sada wasn’t a follower! She led the way down the hallway to her father’s office, frantically trying to figure out why he was calling her to his office in such a way. Usually, he came to her or he’d just call or text her directly and they’d share a meal or a few minutes between his meetings.

  The guards moved smoothly out of her way as she approached her father’s doorway. It wasn’t normal to have guards stationed in this manner, but it wasn’t unheard of either. He often hosted important world leaders in his office and the additional security was needed during those meetings. But there hadn’t been any world leaders scheduled to visit today. Or any day this week, she thought. This only increased her panic. Something must be very wrong, she realized and picked up her pace. Was her father in danger? Had something gone wrong with an event? Had the security team detected a substantial threat? One they thought might actually penetrate the security of the palace?

  “Good morning, Father,” she said as she lifted up on her toes to kiss his cheek. She watched him carefully, noting that he appeared to be serious, but not overly concerned. “What’s so important that we couldn’t have discussed it at breakfast?”

  The sudden hard look in his eyes made her stomach tighten with dread.

  “Let’s sit down,” he waved at the chairs by the windows.

  “Okay. But please, spill it quickly. You’re making me nervous!”

  He chuckled. “Impatient as always, aren’t you, dear?”

  It was an ongoing family joke that Sada always
wanted to catch up with her older brothers. Being a “surprise” baby, she was much younger than Jaffri and Tavon. She’d always wanted to be doing what they were doing, even if she was too small to tackle some of their adventures. “Yes. You know it.”

  When they were seated, he leaned forward and took her hand. “You know Zahir of Ditara, correct?”

  She blinked, her grip tightening unconsciously. Feigning a casualness that she didn’t feel, never felt when discussing Zahir, she nodded. “Of course. He’s good friends with Tavon and he often took me out for dinner while I was studying in London.”

  “So, you two are also friends?”

  “Yes,” she replied, blinking at the odd question, as well as the strange look in her father’s eyes. That horrible sensation of impending doom increased, making her stomach churn. “He’s been a wonderful friend to me over the years.”

  Something in her father’s features relaxed slightly. But that only made her stomach muscles tighten further. “You know him pretty well?”

  She shrugged, trying to appear relaxed and open. “Well, as well as any person can know a sporadic visitor.”

  He laughed softly. “Good point.” His smile disappeared and he sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, I have some bad news.”

  Sada pulled away, shaking her head. “No!” But the sadness on her father’s face warned her that it was bad. “No! He hasn’t…!” She stood up and backed away from her father. Something horrible had happened to Zahir! Something bad…and he didn’t want to tell her. Her father was trying to spare her pain and… “No!” she repeated more forcefully, her hand moving to her stomach and she wondered if she was going to be sick. “Zahir didn’t…he’s…is he?!”

  In her pain, she didn’t register her father’s surprise. “No, Sada. He hasn’t died!” Her father took her hands, and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” A kiss on the top of her head emphasized his apology. “No. He’s fine.” With a sigh, he pulled back, holding her upper arms with a firm, but gentle hold. “But his father isn’t. His father was killed by an assassin.”

  Her moment of intense relief vanished. “Oh no! Where is he? I need to…” she stopped, unaware of how her nails dug into her father’s forearms. Her first instinct was to get on her father’s plane and go to Zahir, hold him and help him get through this horrible tragedy. But…she couldn’t go to him. No matter how often he’d come to London to take her out to dinner, Zahir was just an acquaintance. Wasn’t he? But…she loved him! Fortunately, he didn’t know that.

  She looked up at her father, tears spilling over her lashes. “Is he okay?” She shook her head and wiped the silly tears away. “No, obviously, he isn’t okay. He’s probably a mess.” She put a hand to her forehead, pacing back and forth across the open space of her father’s office. “He needs…what does he need?” She stopped pacing, covering her mouth as she tried to think through her panic. “He needs….” She looked to her father, not sure what a man in their position would need right now. “Dad, what can I do for him?”

  Her father walked over to her and took her hands in his. “You care about him, don’t you?”

  She blinked, then quickly hid the pain from her eyes. Her father could never know the depth of her feelings for Zahir.

  “Yes. Of course. He came to see me when I most needed a friend,” she admitted, tears spilling down from her eyes. “He was so sweet when I needed a shoulder to cry on and a friendly face. Then as time went on and he still showed up to take me out to dinner, I grew to…care for him deeply,” she admitted, hoping her father didn’t notice the slight pause at the description of her feelings. “He’s a very good friend.”

  Her father paused, peering at her carefully. “You were upset at school?”

  “Of course,” she laughed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Everyone is homesick at first.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me, honey?” he groaned, pulling her into his arms again. “I would have been there if you’d told me, Sada.”

  “I know,” she replied, leaning her head against his sturdy chest. He was tall, strong, and powerful and she loved her father so much. “But you have so many other responsibilities. I knew that I just needed to get through it and it would get better.”

  “But…”

  She pulled back and looked up at him, laying a hand on his arm. “Dad, I survived. I’m fine. Zahir seemed to show up every time I was truly homesick. He’d take me out to dinner, make me laugh, and we’d talk about home. By the end of the meal, I didn’t feel so alone.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I’m very proud of you. You’ve always been strong and confident. You’re a beautiful person, Sada.” He sighed and pulled back, taking both of her hands in his once again. “And unfortunately, there’s more.”

  She understood the resigned look in her father’s eyes and straightened, pulling herself together. Zahir was hurting and she could help. “What? What can I do to help Zahir? He was always there for me when I needed him. I’ll do anything to help him through this crisis.”

  “I’m relieved to hear you say that, because…”

  She braced herself. The look in her father’s eyes told her that, whatever he was going to ask of her, it would be huge.

  “Anything Dad!”

  She felt his fingers tighten nervously around hers and braced herself. Whatever he needed, it was bigger than she’d anticipated.

  “He needs a wife, Sada. His country is going through a major crisis. His people are scared, not sure what’s going to happen. He needs to marry quickly and show the people in his country that he is stable, their world is stable, and he can rule with a firm, steady hand.”

  Sada heard the words, but could barely breathe through the pain crushing her heart. A wife. Zahir needed to get married. He would be married. A wife.

  She kept repeating the words but the meaning refused to register. A wife. A wife? Zahir was going to marry. Yes, she’d known that he would eventually marry. But in her mind, that had always been a long way off. In the future. The very distant future!

  Unfortunately, out of all the questions swirling through her mind, the only word that came out was, “Why?”

  He sighed, obviously unaware of her anguish. “You know why. A married man, especially a married man with a family,” he emphasized, “appears more stable. Not just to the people in his country, but to the world. Zahir is in a dangerous situation right now. A wife would give him additional credibility.”

  The ringing in her ears got louder. The pain in her chest almost doubled her over. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. It was all too much. She couldn’t handle Zahir getting married, much less another woman having his children.

  Her father was talking, saying something but she couldn’t hear the words over the ringing in her ears.

  Because Zahir was going to be married.

  “Sada?”

  She looked up, trying to make sense of what her father was saying. “Yes?”

  “Will you?”

  Her lips tried to form words, but…the pain! She wanted to crumble. Sada wanted to run to her room and throw herself onto her bed, lashing out at the world through her screams of anger and unfairness.

  But she was an adult now. She didn’t have the luxury of being juvenile.

  “Will I?” she prompted, still not following.

  Before her father could answer, the door burst open and Zahir strode through. He looked magnificent as ever, but there was an intensity about him she’d never seen before. The look in his eyes was…eager. Determined. A little bit intimidating. The look of a man who had his target in his sights.

  She’d seen that look directed at others and had always been grateful that she wasn’t on the receiving end of it.

  “You’ve spoken to her?”

  “Just now,” her father replied.

  “And?”

  “She hasn’t answered yet.”

  Sada glanced between her father and Zahir, trembling and overwhelmed.

  Z
ahir came to her, taking her hands in his just as her father had done moments before. This time, it felt different. With her father, his touch had been comforting. When Zahir touched her, it was electrifying.

  “Sada, I’m sorry for the rush. You deserve so much more than this. Unfortunately, there just isn’t time. I wanted to be the one to ask you but things are happening so quickly.”

  “You know I’ll do anything to help you, Zahir,” she replied mechanically, numb with the overwhelming pain in her heart.

  “Say you’ll marry me.”

  Silence. Sada forgot to breathe for a long moment.

  His fingers tightened around hers and the look in his eyes intensified, making her stomach quiver with unexplainable sensations. “I’ll be a good and faithful husband to you, Sada. But I need an answer quickly. I need you by my side at my father’s funeral. I need the world to see us together during this crisis and then we’ll be married.”

  “Marry you?” she whispered, gasping slightly for air.

  “Yes. I need a wife.”

  For a split second, her heart soared! He wanted to marry her? All of her fantasies changed, shifted. It wasn’t a stranger marrying Zahir, having his babies and helping him rule his country. It would be her! She would be by his side.

  Then his next words sunk in. He didn’t need her. He just needed a wife. He needed a woman to stand by his side and any woman would do. He didn’t need her specifically.

  She stared up into his dark eyes and saw what he wasn’t saying. If she didn’t marry him, then he’d have to find someone else and quickly. He’d find another woman and he would be completely gone from her life. No more dinners. No more lingering conversations where they argued and debated, laughed and teased each other.

  He needed a wife. And he’d take any wife he could get.

  “Of course I’ll marry you,” she answered, surprising even herself.

  “Thank you,” he sighed, squeezing her hand. “We must go.”

  Go?! Huh? What was he talking about? Leaving? She’d just gotten back from school! She’d just graduated and now he wanted her to leave again?