Duty Bound Desire: The Sheikh's Forced Marriage (Desert Desires Book 1)

by Jennifer Jansen

  The sun outside the old woman’s tent was bright and a feeling of happiness that should have been there was now gone. Yasmin felt the rage of resolve even more now. Her determination to further develop the health system for the residents here was now a fire in her soul.

  That day, Yasmin worked alongside the female doctors, getting as much information from the women who came to the medi-tent as she could. She felt good, loved being able to make a difference no matter how small at this point. However, she also heard no ill-will or anger in their voices. There was an acceptance there, even though there was also pain. Yasmin was in awe of these people’s strength and their resilience.

  By late afternoon, Nabil had mostly completed his meetings with the elders and others around the Bedouin camp. This day, however, he had trouble focussing. His mind was assailed by thoughts of Yasmin. Why did she have to be so difficult? And beautiful. And intelligent. And… He had to mentally shake his treacherous thoughts.

  Feeling unnerved, he excused himself and walked outside. Standing in the sunlight for a few moments, he took in some deep breaths. He so loved being here. Always had. Ever since he was a young child. He could walk freely and without worries here.

  His long strides took him along the oasis where he greeted and was warmly greeted by more people. Small children came up to him and wanted him to play. He stopped for a few minutes, kicking a ball around with a few youngsters.

  Onward and Nabil wandered over to the medi-tent that had been set up the day before. Pushing the flap back slightly, he spied a familiar figure. There she was. Yasmin. She was wearing a white coat and had a stethoscope around her neck, the same as the other medical staff. She fit right in, he noticed, working in unison with the others, each well aware of their job and working with clockwork-like efficiency. She looked so happy. She looked so professional.

  And so un-royal.

  But Nabil stood and continued to watch as Yasmin administered medicine to a toddler, speaking to him in soothing tones and calming the youngster. She was so good with children. Why did she want to delay having their own?

  She placed the toddler on the table and carefully placed a syringe in his arm, then attached it to a drip. The youngster cried but Yasmin had anticipated his reaction and brought out a small bottle. Nabil watched as she worked her magic, quickly removing the top and blowing bubble around the small boy who became so entranced by them he forgot about his pain.

  She was magnificent, he thought. But it wasn’t her place anymore. There was royal protocol to adhere to, regardless of training or individual desires.

  Nabil returned to their tent to wait for her. This needed to be addressed. He didn’t have to wait long.

  Yasmin returned to the tent. He looked at her as she came in realising she was looking a little tired but seemingly really fired up. He knew that look. It was the look of someone who loved what they did. He felt that way oftentimes when making broad-reaching decisions that would positively affect his people.

  ‘It seems my wife has developed a huge fan club in a very short time.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said obviously having been caught by surprise. ‘What do you mean?’ Yasmin questioned, a bit perplexed by the comment.

  ‘Some of the Bedouin women approached me to express their gratitude and mentioned you specifically,’ he said as he stood and came closer.

  Yasmin smiled. ‘These people are magnificent, Nabil,’ she said with enthusiasm. ‘They have made such an impression on me. Despite their hardships, they have a serenity about them I’ve never seen before.’

  ‘Hmm,’ was all he said and nodded.

  ‘What does that mean?’ she asked.

  He moved closer to her and, even though his first impulse was to pull her into his arms and move her body close to his, he resisted this urge. This was now about business.

  ‘There are important things for us to discuss, Yasmin.’

  Her look changed from one of a fired up individual to trepidation. ‘And what are those things?’ she asked.

  He moved his hand over his chin, rubbing it slightly.

  ‘Yasmin, do you remember what I told you before we left the palace the other day?’

  ‘Regarding what?’ she asked.

  He looked down at her seriously. ‘Regarding your role here.’

  The expression on her face told him she didn’t quite understand what he meant. ‘Your role here is as my advisor.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘And?’

  ‘And?’ he repeated, feeling his blood pressure rising slightly. She was going to push back against him again. ‘And, that’s not what you’re doing, is it?’

  Yasmin just looked at him, her lips held tightly together.

  ‘Your role is not to be working in a…’ he paused for a moment. ‘Hands-on capacity.’

  Her chest rose as she took a sharp inhale of breath.

  ‘You are a royal princess, at any time could become queen. Do you understand that?’

  The look in her eyes changed to one of anger and defiance. He knew he would have to nip this in the bud quickly.

  ‘How am I supposed to advise,’ she said, drawing out the word, ‘Unless I know exactly what’s needed?’

  He didn’t like her tone. ‘You can watch and ask questions and get that information,’ he coldly stated.

  She threw her hands up in the air. ‘Oh well, why didn’t you just say so? I could’ve done all this from the comfort of my palace suite!’

  ‘Don’t get snippy with me, Yasmin.’

  She moved closer to him then, and he could smell the scent from her cascading hair which she’d taken down after coming into the tent. He remembered she had it up in the medi-tent.

  ‘We spoke about this,’ she said with irritation in her voice.

  ‘What we spoke about was keeping each other informed,’ Nabil snapped back a little more crossly than he intended. ‘What we spoke about, Yasmin, was you being an advisor. What we spoke about was a readdressing the timeline. Nothing more, nothing less. What part did you not understand?’

  She whirled around then heading in the other direction. Then stopped. She turned. ‘What the hell happened to the man I was speaking with last night?! You speak about respect. You speak about keeping your end of a deal. Where’s that man, Nabil?’ she spat back.

  Those words inflamed him. He could feel the wrath building inside him. She was using what was of utmost importance to him against him. Never had a woman driven him to such distraction. He had to gain some sense of control.

  ‘I believed we were getting closer,’ she then said, softening her tone. ‘Was I so completely wrong?’

  He paused for a moment, considered her. ‘We are getting closer, Yasmin. But that doesn’t mean either one of us can do whatever we like.’

  ‘I am sick and tired of being treated like a child, of being scolded like a child, of being spoken to Like. A. Child.’ She spit out the last three words in staccato just for the effect. But they had no effect on him. He wasn’t going to buy it.

  ‘Then stop behaving like a child,’ he said coolly.

  It was then she snapped. He knew her anger had given way. And she was so incredible sexy when she was all fired up like this. It pulled him out of his own rage. She looked up at him, obviously seeing the slight smile tugging at his lips. He couldn’t help it. She looked so damn irresistible.

  Her eyes flashed fire. She was breathing rapidly now. Looking around the tent she sprang for a goblet on one of the trunks. Grabbing it, she turned around quickly and hurled it at him.

  Nabil just moved his head to one side slightly, dodging the object, and arching an eyebrow. ‘And you have just proven my point,’ he said calmly.

  ‘Do you have any idea how difficult my life is right now?’ she asked in a quiet but rebellious voice.

  ‘Your life is difficult?’ Nabil burst into a loud guffaw. ‘Oh, Yasmin, your life couldn’t be difficult even if you tried.’

  She tried to give him the death stare but he continued unfazed. This wasn’
t going to work on him. ‘Your life, Princess, has been exactly what it should be – royal. Your duty is exactly what it should be – royal. And your behaviour should be exactly that – royal. You knew from the beginning that you had duties. Marrying me was one of them, despite it being unexpectedly hasty. And now, you have others. Hardly a life of any difficulty.’

  He paused for a moment. ‘We all have duties, Yasmin. I do not always like the things I must do but I do them anyway. Do you know why? Because it’s my responsibility. It’s my duty. And,’ he stalked closer to her, ‘I will never let my people down by not doing my duty – whatever that may be. I will never let my people down by seeming to be un-royal in any way. Standing around in a white robe with a stethoscope around your neck, as noble as it may be, is not royal. We already have doctors here. The people need a strong leader. In our case, strong leaders. Respect that. Remember who you are, Yasmin. You are the royal princess, soon to be queen of this land and mother to future leaders. There’s nothing more to say.’

  She stood, shaking. ‘I know who I am Nabil,’ she said, her voice quivering. ‘And I have done my duty for my country. Now I’m doing my duty for yours. But even with all that aside, all I have ever wanted was…’ she trailed off, the despondent look in her eyes a tell-tale sign she was speaking about something else entirely now.

  The subject had dramatically changed. He knew what she wanted from him. He didn’t want to go through this again. She should know by now the way things were going to be.

  ‘Yasmin,’ he said frustrated beyond measure now. ‘Take what I am offering you. I can’t give you any more than that. I’ve told you this before. Please don’t make me say it again. Isn’t my respect enough?’

  He raked his fingers quickly through his dark hair, letting out a frustrated sigh as he did so. She stood silently. He considered her for a few moments. There was nothing he could do if she wasn’t willing to accept their current reality. Then without another word he turned and left the tent.

  Chapter 7

  Yasmin had dragged herself out of bed that morning. After the conversation with her husband the night before, she had awoken more dispirited than she had ever felt before. It was as if her life had been sucked out of her. A dull ache had well and truly taken hold in her head and her stomach was in knots. She hadn’t slept well, her mind going over and over their conversation and her life. Was she being unreasonable? Or was Nabil? He did make it clear what the marriage contract was from the beginning and she had agreed in order to save her own people. For a few moments, she even entertained the idea that he might have a point. Her mind was swirling. She couldn’t tell anymore. Being married was a vice.

  Stepping outside, she put her hand over her eyes as the sun had well and truly risen. It was going to be another hot day. Royal staff was ready were rushing back and forth. Cargo was being packed into the cars, except for what medicines were being left in the medi-tent. Children came running around Yasmin as soon as they saw her but even for them she felt flat. People had gathered to send them off with a fond farewell.

  She spied Nabil a little further away near one of the white four-wheel drives. He was speaking with Mahir. No doubt discussing the schedule and logistics for the day. He was ever capable and despite her anger at him, Yasmin had that feeling of security knowing that he was in charge and everything was being taken care of.

  Once inside the four-wheel drive, Yasmin tried to take in as much of the oasis as possible, for she didn’t know when she would return. Nabil had promised her they could return any time she wanted, but she no longer trusted his word. Of course, once the building of the hospital got started she assumed she would regularly visit, perhaps without him. Hopefully without him. She would be able to perform some medical duties if he wasn’t there constantly watching over her. The simplicity of life and the strength and warmth of the people had really touched her heart and reminded her of the people she had worked with in her own land. But her heart was aching. Aching for the work she longed to do. Aching for a husband who would respect that work.

  Nabil entered the vehicle. This time, he wasn’t driving. He sat in the back with her and another two men came into the front. Yasmin didn’t look at him. She was still seething from yesterday.

  Nabil leaned over and quietly whispered in her ear, ‘Behave, Princess. We are not alone.’

  She wanted to turn and whack him one in the face. In the most princess-like manner, of course. Instead, she said nothing, shut her eyes and took a deep breath. The walls that had slowly been coming down at the oasis, Nabil was clearly rebuilding again and she was too. That much was clear. She could feel his distance once again returning and the fledgling emotional connection they had started to make was being pushed aside once more. And she hated that.

  Three hours into the drive and they were getting closer to the capital. Still there was another hour to go and Yasmin was so tired she began to nod off. She could vaguely hear the voices of her husband and the two others who rode with them discussing their trip and details of when and how they could get things started.

  All of a sudden, Yasmin could hear the voices rising. They became more urgent. She was roused from her sleep and opened her eyes. Something was definitely wrong. Sitting up she looked ahead. She was confronted with the image of a huge truck and bus overturned on the highway ahead. There were another four or five cars. One was crushed completely, the others rolled onto their sides.

  Oh, dear God! What happened here?

  Nabil was on his phone barking out orders. A helicopter and other evacuation procedures were being put into place. Then, like a flash, he was out of the car before the driver could even come to a complete stop. Yasmin jumped out too. She ran behind him. They would need a lot of assistance at this scene. Medical personnel were running to the area carrying the medical equipment they had taken to the oasis. The security personnel stayed close to her and her husband.

  As she came closer she could see the full extent of the damage.

  So many people.

  Immediately, Yasmin went into autopilot. She ran over to a child who was lying on the ground, blood all over his body. He was howling in pain. She called out for one of the doctors who turned, and upon seeing the child dashed over and was by his side in a heartbeat.

  Yasmin assisted in checking the child’s vital signs and then she proceeded to check what injuries he had in co-operation with her colleague. The other doctor looked around as she heard more screaming. ‘Go and tend to others,’ Yasmin said, her words quick and clipped. ‘I’ve got this.’

  She had to insert a tiny needle into the boys arm so she could administer some pain relief. She managed it quickly and easily and soon had the boy on pain killers. He was moved onto a stretcher from their medical cars and taken to an area off the road and away from the danger.

  Yasmin looked around to see who else she could assist.

  Nabil was by her side. She didn’t see him before. ‘We need to work quickly,’ she said to him. ‘Time is of the essence in such situations.’

  Seeing a man who seemed to be a civilian trying to lift and move another man, she ran over to immediately stop him from doing so.

  ‘Wait! Don’t move him until I can check his injuries. It could be dangerous to move him,’ she said.

  The other man, eyes wide open, realising who was standing next to him, began to bow but Yasmin put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. ‘Now is not the time. We must work quickly,’ she said to him, urgency in her tone.

  She worked on the injured man, ensuring he was stabilised when she looked over her shoulder and saw her husband jumping on the side of the truck that had rolled over, attempting to get to the driver.

  There was already someone there trying to open the jammed door, but to no avail. She saw Nabil, his strong frame pulling and moving the wreckage, and she could see his muscles working hard under the thin, white shirt he wore. He was so strong, so capable, she couldn’t deny how remarkable he was.

  The truck was on its side. Yasmin coul
d see Nabil’s face straining as he jumped onto the side where the door was and finally pulled it open, hearing it creak and scrape loudly as he did so. The doctor who was beside Nabil quickly jumped inside and immediately began examining the driver.

  Then she heard someone yell out as the truck caught fire. Yasmin inhaled in panic, the air burning her lungs. Nabil was on the truck. The driver and doctor were inside the truck. The other staff scrambled to get the injured people from the cars away from the scene, but considering some of them hadn’t been checked over by the doctors, it was a real risk moving them. There was no choice though now that the truck was on fire.

  The flames began to grow, shooting up higher and higher, but the driver still hadn’t been moved out of the truck. Her heart almost stopped when she saw Nabil climbing into the truck, he and the doctor now inside the cabin with him. She could hear Nabil as he called out for more help to lift the driver. Men ran over to assist.

  They hauled the driver out through the wreckage, while Nabil waited to help the doctor get out. Yasmin looked over to see her husband still on the truck and the truck still on fire. Petrol was running out from the side. She began to panic. Her heart beat so fast she thought it would explode, just like the truck was about to do.

  Oh God, it will only be a matter of seconds!

  ‘Nabil!’ she screamed out at the top of her lungs. ‘NABIL!’ But he wasn’t moving without the doctor. Fear. She felt fear like she’d never felt before. Her heart thundered in her chest. Oh dear God.

  She could see Nabil pulling the driver out of the truck, doctors taking him immediately. Then he reached in to help the doctor out. He was bleeding. Yasmin didn’t understand what had happened. Maybe it was the truck driver’s blood, she thought, because he seemed to be moving alright.

  Yasmin’s legs began to move of their own volition, running towards the truck. She had to get to him. She had to help her husband. He looked up, saw her. She could hear him yelling at her to stay back, his face contorted with frustration. But she kept coming. His eyes turned to what was as close to panic as he would ever get and he roared loudly to security, ‘Keep her back!’