“Wadi Sarene?”
“The name of the oasis.”
“It has an airport?” Melissa pictured the place in the middle of the desert, alone and isolated. How far off was her imagination if it had an airport?
“No, we’ll land in a nearby town, and then drive to the oasis.”
When they walked to the plane, Melissa realized Surim was the pilot. She was fascinated by this side of him and watched avidly as he did the preflight check, burning every moment into memory. The flight itself was different from the big jets she was used to. They could see the city, and watch as it gradually gave way to less-populated areas until they were flying over golden sands. Here and there were settlements, mostly surrounding oil derricks. Surim pointed out the sights and gave her a running history of his country as they flew west. Soon even those scattered settlements were left behind and only the timeless desert unfolded beneath them.
Some time later Surim pointed out the small group of buildings in the distance. Slowly they drew closer as he descended. The airport was a packed dirt runway with a bright orange air sock indicating the wind direction. He brought the plane down in a soft landing and taxied to the small building that served as the terminal.
“That was fabulous!” she exclaimed as she stepped from the small plane. “I was able to see so much of Qu’ Arim.”
“From a distance. Come, the Jeep there is mine.”
“Kept ready in case you drop by?” she asked as she walked beside him to the car.
“No, I called ahead to arrange things. It should be packed with food and supplies for tonight and tomorrow.”
It was almost sunset before they reached the oasis. A small stand of palm trees rose from the desert. When they drew closer, Melissa saw the huge tent near the trees, and even heard the bubbling of the spring.
A breeze blew, cooling the air, highlighting the silence of the expanse. In every direction she looked, Melissa only saw empty desert. She and Surim were alone.
“It’s beautiful,” she said softly, drinking in the serenity and peace.
“I like it.” He pulled the Jeep near the tent and stopped.
The canvas structure was unlike any Melissa had seen before. It had to be at least twenty feet long, with flaps tied back as if unveiling a masterpiece. She got out and headed for the opening, pausing a moment in the archway, then stepping in. She felt like Alice.
The interior was unexpected. Thick Persian carpets covered the sand. Chairs and a table were to one side, already set for a meal. A bowl of fruit spilling over. A divan with plump pillows sat in the back. A low brass table before it. Hanging panels of rich tapestries divided the sleeping areas from the main part. Brass lamps glowed, illuminating the space, though the sunlight still seeped in through the opening.
Turning, she smiled in enchantment. “This is the most fantastic thing I’ve ever seen,” she whispered.
Surim came to stand beside her, looking around his tent as if through her eyes.
“The tent reminds me of our roots. The interior of how far we’ve come.”
“Thank you for bringing me. I shall never forget it.”
He gazed into her eyes. “I’m hoping you’ll come again. I’ve never brought anyone else here, Melissa. It’s my special place. I never thought I’d share it. But I wanted you to see it, hopefully to like it. It’s somewhere we can escape to when life gets too complicated.
“Marry me, Melissa. Spend your days and nights with me. Grow old with me.”
“Surim.” How could she continue to refuse? Yet how could she settle? Wasn’t that a mistake?
“After careful consideration and consultation, I have to admit I had not fully thought through my proposal at the hospital. Now I have and can say with all assurance that I love you.”
“What? Impossible!” She stared at him, astonished. That was the last thing she’d expected him to say.
His eyes danced in amusement at her response. “Why so?”
“You don’t believe in love.”
“Didn’t. I’ve had it pointed out to me clearly that the tangle of emotions I feel for you are all combined in one called love.”
“Who pointed it out?”
“Max.”
“You talked to Max Valentine about me?”
Surim kissed her gently, then passionately. It was some time before Melissa could speak again. But once she could, she narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him.
“So you think you love me?”
“I do,” he said.
“Since when?”
“I believe since the night you started making demands in exchange for agreeing to stay.”
“That first week?”
“You have fascinated me from the beginning. Then enticed me. Then beguiled me.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Try, Yes, Surim, I will marry you.”
“It’s about the children, isn’t it?”
“No. This is about you and me. The children will grow up and move out. I want you with me as long as I live. I love you, Melissa. Say you love me.”
She was silent, trying to believe, feeling the warmth of his words fill her, the honesty of his tone reaching her. Her heart felt as if it would burst with happiness.
“Oh, Surim, if you’re sure you love me, I’ll marry you in a heartbeat. I love you beyond anything!”
The gleam in his eyes shone as he caught her in his embrace and kissed her again.
“Affection grows in marriage,” he said, “but I didn’t expect to feel such strong passion before.”
“Love explodes,” she said, hugging him hard. “Are you sure? I’ve loved you for weeks, but hid it because you were going to marry some suitable woman approved by the Qu’ Arim ministers.”
“You are now in Qu’ Arim and I’m marrying you and no one else. And we’ll get the ministers to celebrate the marriage. What more could we want?”
“I’m not so suitable.”
“If I say you are most suitable, who is going to argue with me?” he countered.
Melissa laughed joyfully. She didn’t know of anyone who would argue with the sheikh of Qu’ Arim. Certainly not her—at least on this subject.
He took a deep breath and held her close. “I want you, Melissa. I want you in my bed every night, you and me and nothing in between. I want to make love to you until we are both too old to remember what it means. I want you at breakfast, chiding me about neglecting the children. I want you at dinner, making sure the children practice good manners. And in the evening when it’s just you and me reviewing our day, I want to see you in pearls, and laughing with me, and looking at me with the love in your eyes that you give so freely to the children.”
Her heart began to pound.
“I want you with all the passion in my soul. I never thought I’d care for anyone the way I do you. I’ve come to love those children, but it doesn’t hold a candle to what I feel for you. When Max asked me to envision my life without you, I could not do it. You have become a part of me. I can promise you I’ll love you and be faithful forever. I’ll do all in my power to keep you happy throughout all our life together.”
“Oh, Surim,” she whispered. The man who had lacked so much in his life was promising to make hers wondrous beyond belief. “I thought you wanted me for the children.”
“I want to have children with you—a little girl with her mother’s green eyes. Or a little boy to grow in the ways of our culture to assume a leadership role some day. Or become a doctor if he’d prefer.”
“What?”
He smiled. “I’ll explain another time. I do want children, Melissa, but only with you. And once they are grown, it’ll be you and me for the rest of our lives. I couldn’t imagine spending those years without you. I love you; how can I prove it?”
“You have no need to prove anything. I believe you. And I love you too.” She had tears in her eyes at his impassioned declaration. Her heart was overflowing. He’d brought her, and only her, to his special place,
this magical oasis. He’d proposed to her as she’d never dreamed of being asked. Her heart was so full she could hardly stand it.
“So, what do you think about our life together?” he asked, gently brushing an escaping tear from her cheek.
“I want all that as well,” she replied simply, glowing with love for him and the future he painted. ‘As long as you love me forever.”
“Forever and a day,” he said, kissing her to show her just how much.
ISBN: 978-1-4603-6711-7
THE NANNY AND THE SHEIKH
First North American Publication 2007.
Copyright © 2006 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Barbara McMahon for her contribution to The Brides of Bella Lucia series.
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