The Royal Wager

by Kristi Gold

  “Yes, I did. It’s a memory I had of Azzril when I was a little girl. I remember feeling very insignificant in all that open space.”

  “It’s very good,” he said, then strolled back to the counter and reclaimed his place across from her. “Do you support yourself with your art?”

  She crossed her arms and propped them on the counter. “No. I teach at a small private college. I have a master’s in art history. And you still haven’t answered my question. What did your letters say, and what are you doing here?”

  “I am here at the request of your father.”

  Her eyes narrowed, flashing anger. “This better not have anything to do with that archaic marriage arrangement.”

  “I assure you it does not. As far as I am concerned, that no longer exists.”

  She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Try telling that to my father. I’m sure he’ll have something to say about it.”

  “You will have to take that up with him when you see him in the next few days.”

  She straightened. “Papa’s coming here?”

  “No. Your father wishes you to come to Azzril immediately. He sent me to escort you back.”

  She sighed. “Dharr, I’m an adult, not a child. I don’t just up and leave when my father says so, I don’t care what he wishes.”

  “What if it is your father’s final wish?”

  “I don’t understand.” Raina sounded unsure and looked almost as forlorn as the child in the painting.

  Dharr had hated saying something that he did not exactly believe to be the truth, but Idris Kahlil had insisted Dharr present a dire situation to convince Raina to come to Azzril. Yes, the former sultan did have a potentially serious illness, yet suggesting he was pounding on death’s door was somewhat an exaggeration.

  “Your father quite possibly has a heart condition, Raina. He has been restricted to bed rest at this time.”

  Her face was shrouded in disbelief. “He was just here to see me two months ago.”

  The revelation took Dharr aback. As far as he’d known, the sultan had not been in contact with his daughter beyond phone calls. “He has been here?”

  “Yes. Every year, sometimes twice a year, since I left Azzril. The last time I saw him, he looked fine.”

  “He’s not a young man, Raina.”

  “But he’s so strong. I can’t believe…”

  Dharr thought he detected tears before she lowered her eyes. He felt compelled to provide comfort and took her hand into his, somewhat surprised when she failed to pull away. Her long, delicate fingers seemed fragile in the well of his palm and he experienced a surge of protectiveness toward her, as he had many years before. “You are his only child, Raina. His only family. He needs you to be with him during his recovery.”

  She raised her gaze to his, optimism replacing the distress on her beautiful face. “Then he’s going to recover?”

  Undoubtedly he would, Dharr thought. The sultan was not a man to let illness restrain him for long. “The physicians are not certain about the extent of his condition at this time, but he’s in no imminent danger. They are being cautious and watching him closely. He has been resting comfortably since his departure from the hospital.”

  She pulled her hands from his grasp, leaving Dharr feeling strangely bereft. “He’s not in the hospital?”

  “He was. For a day after he suffered the chest pains. Though they advised against it, he insisted he did not need their care.”

  “He’s so damn stubborn,” Raina muttered.

  Dharr recognized that Raina was very much her father’s daughter. “Yes, and it would help greatly if you could convince him to rest.”

  Her laugh was without mirth. “Short of chaining him to the bed, I doubt I could keep him there if he doesn’t want to cooperate.”

  “I am hoping you can persuade him.”

  She stared at some focal point above Dharr’s head for a few moments before saying, “School doesn’t end until next month. I’d have to find someone to take my classes.”

  “Is that possible?”

  Raina seemed to be running on automatic, her eyes unfocused, most likely from the unanticipated news. “Yes. And I would need to pack, of course. I should probably call Mother, but I can do that when I arrive in Azzril. Otherwise, she might try to talk me out of going.”

  “Then I assume you have decided to come with me?”

  She frowned at him. “What choice do I have? If Papa needs me, then I have to be there for him.”

  Dharr was pleased—and surprised—she had not presented any real resistance. “We can leave in the morning. I have my private jet awaiting instructions for our return.”

  “I want to leave tonight.”

  Another unexpected revelation. “Would it not be best if you had a decent night’s sleep?”

  “It’s a twenty-hour flight. I can sleep on the plane.”

  “If that is what you wish.”

  “It is.” She pushed away from the counter. “I’ll take a quick shower and then make a call to the school’s headmaster. If you want something to drink, you’ll find it in the fridge.”

  He greatly wanted to join her in the shower, another unwise idea. She rushed into the bathroom, this time closing the door, leaving Dharr alone to make his own calls from the cellular phone. After he’d arranged for the flight to leave tonight, he took the opportunity to look around while Raina prepared for the trip. She had several other oils on display aside from the one of the girl, but the painting set on an easel in the corner drew his attention. Although it was not complete, he had no trouble discerning it was a partially nude woman with long light brown hair staring out to sea, a man standing next to her, his face turned into her temple, one arm laid across her back and his hand resting at the top of her buttocks in a show of possession.

  Dharr experienced an unexpected stab of jealousy that perhaps this man was Raina’s lover. Perhaps they had stood near this very place, taking in the view after having made love. But he would not confront her with his suspicions. He’d had no reason to expect her to remain celibate. She had been free to do as she pleased with whomever she pleased. She still was.

  Even though he had no plans to have Raina Kahlil as his wife, he could still imagine what it might be like to have her in his bed.

  And those fantasies should remain as such—only fantasies. Yet he was about to embark on a twenty-hour journey with a woman who had undeniably captured his interest. A true test of his fortitude. He would not succumb to baser urges, even though one definite part of his anatomy might be telling him otherwise.

  It was absolutely huge.

  Raina had been expecting some kind of a smaller private jet, not an enormous hunk of flying metal with a 7 in its identifying number. But why was she so surprised? Dharr Halim wouldn’t settle for halfway in his chosen mode of transportation or anything else he endeavored.

  Still, she hated flying with a passion. In fact, she hadn’t flown since the night she’d left Azzril for America. If it hadn’t been for her father’s illness, she would never have stepped on a plane again. But she did step onto this plane, immediately greeted by a steward dressed in a tuxedo. “Welcome, Miss Kahlil and Sheikh Halim. I will be available to tend to your needs.”

  Not exactly in the mood to be overly polite, Raina sent him a smile and a muttered, “Thanks.”

  “We will contact you when we are ready for dinner,” Dharr said from behind her.

  As Raina walked the plane’s aisle, Dharr followed at a minimal distance, making her more nervous with every step they took. He’d always made her nervous, even when she’d been a girl—the kind of discomfort that stemmed from being in the presence of a man too magnetic for his own good. Too gorgeous to ignore with his unreadable dark eyes and a body that would make many a woman fall at his feet and kiss the expensive loafers he walked in. And in part, because she’d known from the time she was a child that he’d been chosen for her. She’d recognized his charisma long before she’d admitted to liking boys
of any kind. But she’d been quick to deny she’d had a minor crush on him, even if she had.

  But she couldn’t allow any attraction to him at all. They were too, too different. Her mother and father had never worked through those differences, and their estrangement had almost destroyed Raina. She loved them both to excess, but she’d grown up as a pawn in their war of wills—until recently. Now she was on her own and she would make her own decisions. That did not include bending to her father’s insistence that she marry Dharr Halim, in accordance with tradition. She had no desire to do anything with Dharr Halim.

  Okay, that wasn’t exactly true. The minute she’d discovered him standing on her deck, looking imposing and as breathtakingly handsome as he had the last time she’d seen him, she’d imagined doing a few things with him that didn’t involve matrimony. More like consummation.

  Two men in dark suits stood as she passed by an area that looked like a lounge with eight white seats, two facing two others on her left, the same on her right, televisions suspended above each group of chairs.

  The men—bodyguards she presumed—offered her courteous smiles and nodded at Dharr as he moved around her and told them in Arabic, “We are not to be disturbed.”

  Raina was disturbed. Very disturbed. She didn’t like the thought of being hidden away with a man whose every move showcased his sensuality, his power. But she followed him anyway when he glanced over his shoulder and said, “This way.”

  He paused to shrug off his coat and tossed it on one row of seats but left the white kaffiyeh, secured by the ornate gold and blue band indicating his royal status—the one thing that differentiated him from the rest of the occupants on the plane, setting him apart from most men Raina had known, aside from her father. It served as a symbol of prestige, wealth and all the things Raina had cast off since she’d gone to America as a teenager. She preferred keeping company with surfers and recreational sailors, common folk, not crowns or kaffiyehs.

  Yet she couldn’t help but notice the way Dharr’s black slacks adhered to his really nice butt, the expanse of his wide shoulders and the breadth of his back covered in a white tailored dress shirt, the way he moved with a hint of cockiness as if he expected everyone to bow and scrape in his presence. Raina didn’t do bowing or scraping or drooling even though her mouth was oddly starting to water.

  Obviously she was hungry. That was it. She hadn’t had dinner.

  Dharr led her past a few other groupings of chairs and a spiral staircase. As they ascended, she grasped the rail tightly so she wouldn’t slip and fall since she continued to secretly regard his rear-end. When they reached the top, he opened a door to reveal…a bed? A queen-size bed covered by an ivory satin spread, built-in cabinets positioned on either side of the bulkhead. A regular recreational vehicle with wings.

  Raina stopped and stared at Dharr who was now facing her. “That’s a bedroom.” And that was a brilliant observation.

  His half smile showed a glimpse of perfect white teeth. “Yes, it has a bed, but it also has a sitting area and serves as my office. We will be afforded more privacy here.”

  More privacy was a problem, Raina decided. She didn’t think she should get anywhere near a bed with Dynamic Dharr in the room, especially behind a closed door in a plane with no way out aside from an emergency exit. She refused to sit up all night with a bunch of bodyguards or ride on the wing for the majority of the trip if he got out of hand.

  She was being silly. Dharr hadn’t made any overtures other than taking her hand, and that had been a comforting gesture. He certainly hadn’t indicated that he wanted to get her into bed. And why was that whole concept of getting into bed with him making her shaky and sweaty all at the same time?

  That didn’t matter. She could do this. She could go into Dharr Halim’s traveling bedroom and keep her distance.

  When she failed to move, he asked, “Are you coming?” in a low, dangerous voice. The image of him saying the same thing to her in the throes of passion vaulted into her brain and took away her breath.

  She shifted the yellow nylon bag from one shoulder to the other, the bag Dharr had insisted on carrying but she hadn’t let him. Right now it felt as if it were weighted with bricks, not the few things she’d thrown together for her brief stay.

  She encouraged her feet to move forward, move toward the room, and once inside, she was relieved to find that to her left, a table and more seats did exist, along with a built-in desk.

  After dropping her bag on the floor and nudging it beneath the edge of the bed with one foot, she perched on the mattress and tested it with a push of her palm. “This is comfy.”

  “Yes, it is. Very accommodating.”

  She looked up to see Dharr’s eyes had turned jet-black, sending her off the mattress as if she’d been shot out of a rocket launcher.

  He indicated the two side-by-side chairs opposite the bed. “We will need to be seated here for take-off. After the pilot gives the clearance, you will be free to do as you wish, and sit—or lie down—wherever you wish.”

  Sitting seemed to be the smartest thing to do.

  On that thought, Raina occupied the seat away from the window. She despised take-offs and landings the most. Her father had recognized her fear of flying, the reason why he’d come to California instead of expecting her to make the long trip to Azzril. But tonight, she would have to face her fears in order to make sure her papa’s illness wasn’t serious. As frustrating as he could be at times, as unbendable, she would die if anything happened to him.

  Dharr settled into the seat beside her without giving her a second glance. He smelled great, like a forest after a rain, clean and fresh and full of secrets to behold.

  She stared at him for a moment, wondering if his hair was still as thick and dark as it had been all those years ago. “Is that necessary, your kaffiyeh?”

  He looked insulted. “In business, yes. It commands respect.”

  “But you’re not on business now.”

  “True.” He raked the covering from his head and tossed it onto the table not far away, confirming that his hair was still as gorgeous. Then he turned his deadly grin on her. “Is there anything else you wish me to remove?”

  Her skin threatened to slink off her body with the pleasant thought of him taking everything off. “Very funny.”

  “I’m glad I have amused you.”

  He wasn’t amusing her at all. In fact, he was making her perspire even more with his toxic smile and his bedtime black eyes.

  A voice came over the intercom announcing they’d been cleared for take-off, shattering the moment and startling Raina.

  Dharr sent her a look of concern as he fastened his seat belt. “Are you afraid of flying, Raina?”

  She didn’t dare admit she was afraid of anything, even if she was. She stared straight ahead so he couldn’t see that fear when the plane began to back away from the gate. “I’m not fond of planes. Obviously—”

  “Raina—”

  “…they were designed by men, if you consider their shape.”

  “Raina—”

  “Giant phallic symbols with massive engines.”

  “Raina.”

  She shot a glance at Dharr. “What?”

  “Fasten your seat belt.”

  Great. The only thing protecting her from getting tossed around like rag doll and she’d almost forgotten to put it on.

  After she snapped her belt and secured it, she sat back and gripped the arms of the seat. The plane taxied toward the runway while Raina did her best to think positive thoughts, to no avail. She loathed feeling so out of control.

  “I think I should cut holes in the floor and run to help this thing get off the ground,” she muttered. “It’s unnatural, expecting something so big to take you airborne.”

  Dharr leaned over, his warm breath wafting across her cheek. “Some say that size can be important when it comes to achieving greater heights.”

  She gave him a mock-serious look. “You haven’t changed a bit, Dharr H
alim. Always the tease. But it seems you’ve graduated from tormenting me about my bony knees to delivering questionable innuendo.”

  He raked a slow glance down her body. “And you have graduated from the bony stage. If you recall, you were the one who compared the plane to a phallic symbol. I was simply following your lead.”

  Before Raina could deliver a retort, the engines whined to life. She closed her eyes, bracing for the moment when the tube of steel raced down the narrow strip of asphalt and hurled them into the air, hopefully without incident.

  The louder the engine roared and the faster the plane went, the harder Raina gripped the arm of the seat. “Come on, come on, come—”

  Dharr’s mouth covered hers, cutting off her nervous chant and her random thoughts of doom. Raina didn’t remember this being a part of the in-flight safety instructions. Didn’t remember ever getting this kind of service—service with a capital S. In fact, she didn’t even remember her name.

  He introduced his tongue slowly, concisely, in a feather- soft incursion between her parted lips. She felt light-headed, breathless, when he pulled her left hand out of its death grip on the seat’s arm and twined his fingers with hers. She melted more and more into mindlessness with every foray of his sinful tongue. Her heart rate started climbing and climbing with the plane, but she wasn’t concerned with the plane. She wasn’t concerned about anything as the kiss continued, growing deeper, more insistent with each passing moment. She only cared about Dharr’s mouth moving gently against hers. His scent, his taste, his skill.

  Dharr finally pulled away and sent her another heat-inducing smile. “I believe we have successfully completed the take-off.”

  Raina leaned over to look out the window, seeing nothing but sky, the setting sun and wisps of clouds. She had no idea how long the kiss had lasted or why she’d even allowed it. And she was fighting mad that Dharr had taken advantage of her fear. “Why did you do that?”

  “To bring your mind and body to another plane aside from this one.”

  She had to admit, he’d done that, and quite sufficiently. “That wasn’t playing fair.”