“I’ll get the price down for you.”
“No—” She put a hand on his arm. “He has to earn a living.”
When Rashad told her the notated price, she signed one of her traveler’s checks that paid him three times the amount. It brought a broad smile to the man’s face. He put the boxes in a sack for her.
“Is this the extent of your shopping spree?” he teased.
She chuckled. “Yes.”
“Then let’s walk back to the Almond Tree for a juice drink.”
“I could use one of those.”
Rashad thanked the owner. He caught hold of her hand once more and they made their way through the village like a married couple. By the time they returned to the palace, the sense of belonging to her was so strong he could taste it, and he tightened his grip.
This would be what it was like if he could have a normal life with her. They could live and love to their hearts’ content, sharing all those little things lovers did with no fear of it coming to an end.
A month.
With the sand in the hourglass steadily emptying into the bottom half, each minute meant he was drawing closer to the time when there’d be no more happiness.
He left her at the door to her suite, telling her he’d get in touch with her later because duty called. She eyed him soulfully with those gorgeous green eyes before closing the door. As it clicked, he fought to repress a curse that this thing had happened to him.
Torment didn’t begin to describe his emotions.
Despite the mystery he hadn’t solved, he still had the medallion in his possession so she would not be able to use it against his family. What he should do was have her flown to El-Joktor today!
Nazir could accompany her and personally escort her onto a jet headed for Geneva. If she ever tried to come back, she would discover all borders to his kingdom were permanently closed to her. Knowing she was barred from Rashad’s sight, he might be able to bear going through with his nuptials.
But what if he couldn’t?
Terrified of that answer, he rushed back to his suite, needing to act. He looked around the apartment as if he might find a magic solution to his turmoil. There was none. What kind of a son was he? What kind of a king would he make if a soft traitorous woman with bewitching green eyes and golden hair could reduce him to this state?
At war with himself, he fought the battle for a few more minutes before he picked up the receiver of his land line. Forcing himself to speak, he called the airport in El-Joktor and booked a one-way flight to Geneva for one passenger.
Determined as he’d never been in his life, he rang his mechanic and asked that a helicopter and pilot from his father’s fleet be ready for flight within the hour. Finally he phoned Nazir and asked him to report to his suite.
Within minutes his assistant arrived at the door. Rashad invited him inside. Before he backed down from his intentions he said, “I find it necessary for you to assist me with one more matter concerning Mademoiselle Viret. She’ll be leaving Al-Shafeeq within the hour.” At least that’s what he was saying while he still had a shred of princely honor left.
His assistant looked shocked, but said nothing. Rashad could always depend on the other man’s discretion even if he’d witnessed his secret comings and goings from the American’s room.
“I want you to accompany her to El-Joktor and see that she’s put on the flight to Geneva leaving at four this afternoon. The reservation has already been made. I’ll bring her to the eastern gate and meet you there in a half hour.”
“Very good, Your Highness.”
With Nazir gone, Rashad left his quarters for the garden suite. After being out in the heat, he imagined Lauren would be resting with an icy fruit drink. Little did she know she was about to be scuttled away from the palace into a helicopter and flown far away.
Once her jet was in flight, the camel would be out of the tent.
As soon as Lauren had returned to her room, Farah came by for her and asked if she would like to see the new foal her husband had given her?
Lauren grabbed at the invitation. Watching Rafi walk away just now had come close to killing her. She needed company and enjoyed spending time with the princess. After her hope of finding some kind of information on the royal family had had been dashed by the bookshop owner, she could use some cheering up.
During her travels, Lauren had been to great cities and shrines all over the world and had always come away with souvenir books and pamphlets. But as this was her first trip to the Arabian desert, it was possible that under the laws of the Shafeeq dynasty, nothing official was put in print for the public.
She was sorry about that. If she’d been able to purchase such a book, she would have found an expert Arab translator back home to reproduce it in English for her. Naturally there was generic information in encyclopedias and periodicals on some facet of tribal warfare. But she would have treasured a tome on the royal family. After all, she shared a portion of the blood flowing through Farah’s veins. Some of their DNA was the same.
While they were exclaiming over the adorable new filly, Farah was called to the phone. She was only gone a brief time. When she returned she said, “That was Nazir. He says you are to go to your suite right away.”
A frown marred Lauren’s brow. “Why?”
The princess shook her head. “I don’t know, but it sounded important. I’ll walk you back.”
“That won’t be necessary, Farah. I know my way now. Thank you for bringing me here. I’ll talk to you later.”
Maybe he had a private message from Rafi.
Nazir met her outside the door to her suite. “Thank you for coming so quickly, mademoiselle. If I might speak to you?”
“Of course.”
She opened the door and went inside. He followed. “I am here to inform you that the king is aware of your distress after being caught in the sandstorm. Since he doesn’t want you to have to wait any longer for a caravan, he has given his permission for you to be flown by helicopter to El-Joktor immediately. I will accompany you to your jet which will leave for Geneva at four o’clock this afternoon.”
Lauren reeled, incapable of speech. With these plans having been made, it meant she would never see Rafi again. So that was why he’d taken her on a tour of the Oasis this morning. He’d known her time was up. Her heart shriveled at the realization.
“If you will be so kind as to pack, I will ask the staff to take your personal belongings to the helicopter waiting outside the gate. You have time to eat your lunch. It is waiting on the table. Do you have any questions for me? Otherwise I’ll return in thirty minutes.”
She was so shocked by the turn of events she couldn’t think straight. “Wh-what about my passport?” her voice faltered.
“It will be given to you at the airport. Is there anything else?”
“No,” she whispered in absolute agony. For once her pain was too deep for tears. “I’ll be ready.” She despised the tremor in her voice that revealed her emotions.
“Very good, mademoiselle.”
The second Nazir left, she ran to her bedroom and packed, realizing it was all over. She would fly away, but her heart would remain here. She wondered what Rafi would say if she told him she didn’t want to leave yet.
She wished there were some way she could delay her departure, if only for another day. He’d become the most important thing in her life. Lauren wasn’t ready to be ripped away from him, but fate had decreed it.
When she carried her suitcases into the sitting room, she saw her lunch tray, but couldn’t possibly eat and sank down on a chair to wait.
“Lauren?” Rafi entered the room without knocking.
She looked at him, then glanced away quickly. “Nazir told me the king has arranged for me to leave. I’m glad you came so I could say goodbye to you and thank you for everything.”
He came closer. “You look ill.”
“I’m sorry if you’ve caught me reacting to the news.”
“You don’t w
ish to leave yet?”
“I’m sure that sounds ludicrous to you.”
“Not at all,” he said in a benign voice. “You Americans have a saying. ‘Better to take the hell you’re sure of.’ It’s only natural to cling to what is real to you here rather than return to an uncertain future without your grandmother.”
“Who made you so wise?” She smiled gently at him.
“Perhaps not that wise since I’m not satisfied you’re telling me everything. I insist you unburden yourself.” He hunkered down and grasped her hands. She loved it when he touched her. Lauren never wanted him to stop.
“Why do you think there’s anything more?”
“Because the little nerve in your throat never stops throbbing.”
She immediately pulled one of her hands away to cover the spot.
“You see?” he asked silkily. “One can try to hide, but the body will always give something away.”
“You think I’m hiding something?”
He turned her hand over and made circles against her palm with his thumb. The sensation was so erotic, he had to have heard her moan. “I know you are,” he whispered.
She couldn’t take any more. “There is one thing, but it’s an entirely selfish wish on my part. I wouldn’t want the king to think I was ungrateful for everything he’s made possible. I’ll always be in his debt, and yours, even though you deny much of the part you played in my being well enough to g-go home,” her voice broke.
She didn’t have a sense of home anymore and Rafi knew it. Maybe she really was ill and would need to see a psychiatrist when she finally returned to Switzerland. “Nazir will be here soon. I think I have everything.” She tried to remove her hand and get up, but his rock-hard body blocked any movement.
“Look at me,” he said in a husky tone that sounded more like a command.
Lauren did his bidding and found herself wanting to fall into him.
His gaze fell on her lips. She had the sensation of being kissed, yet he’d done nothing! “What’s the one thing you want?”
The one thing she wanted was to stay here with him, but she knew that was impossible. Still, if she could have a few more days. He couldn’t help but hear the dangerous knock of her heart against her ribs.
“Mustafa mentioned a place called the Garden of the Moon. He said I would especially appreciate it.” She’d already lied about their caravan driver once, but the risk of revealing the real reason she wanted to see it was too great.
“Maybe it’s foolish of me, but after coming all this way, when I’ll never be here again, it seems such a shame not to see it before I leave, but Princess Farah said it’s not allowed.”
His hands tightened almost painfully on her fingers before letting them go, but she welcomed the pain. It made her feel closer to him. “It’s forbidden to tourists, but I’ll make an exception for you this one time.” His words came out sounding like a vow. He rose to his full, intimidating height and looked down at her with glittering black eyes.
She was thankful to be sitting because after hearing that she’d been given a reprieve, her body caved. “But the arrangements to return to El-Joktor—”
“They can be changed. A few more days will make no difference in the scheme of things. Nazir will take care of everything.”
She finally stood up on legs of rubber, staring into his eyes. “You really mean it?”
He cocked his dark head. His male beauty shook her to the core. “You should have said something earlier. It’s a small thing you ask.”
“No, it’s not.” She breathed heavily. “Everything you do for me causes an inconvenience to someone, but I appreciate this more than you can imagine.”
“I believe you.” There was no hint of mockery just then. “Now you have to do a favor for me.”
“Anything.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath, not realizing she might have sounded as if she were being provocative on purpose. “In order to get the full benefit of the garden, you have to see it after the moon comes up. Therefore, I want you to rest and I hope, get some sleep. I’ll come for you tonight at seven-thirty. Eat a filling dinner.”
“I will.”
“Have you ever ridden a horse?”
“Many times.”
Something flickered in the dark recesses of his eyes. “Wear boots and bring your cloak to keep you warm. Today it was hot in the desert, but tonight the temperature will drop.”
She smoothed an errant curl off her forehead. “Don’t you have to stay at the palace on duty?”
A strange gleam entered his eyes. He studied her for a moment. “Several of my staff are always available.”
“But what if it’s an emergency and you’re needed?”
“I always keep my phone with me. If necessary, Nazir would send a helicopter for us.”
He started walking toward the door. She followed him. “Then I’m relieved.”
“Remember to get plenty of rest.”
After his tall, powerful body disappeared out the doors, she walked through the suite to the garden unable to contain her joy. Rafi— Tonight they’d be alone together. She leaned over to smell the fragrance of the huge, rare yellow and white hibiscus. Just one night with him. If it was all he was willing to give her, then she’d take it and be grateful.
She folded her arms and clutched them to her waist. This man had a power over her so complete she knew she would die if she couldn’t be with him tonight. Anyone hearing that thought expressed would tell her she needed some serious therapy. Anyone except her grandmother who’d made a prediction about her a long time ago.
CHAPTER SIX
RASHAD WATCHED THE GREAT ORANGE-RED BALL sink below the horizon. It wouldn’t take long for there to be a drop in temperature that would continue to fall. Night descended fast in the desert. He had no concern. This had been his playground as a boy. He knew all of it. Should the unimaginable happen, such as another sandstorm, the GPS transponder he wore on his wrist would bring help.
He had no idea why Lauren wanted to visit the Garden of the Moon, but before the night was over, he would have his answer. She’d been quiet during their journey from the palace. Too quiet.
He looked back. Her white cloak flapped behind her as the wind blew here and there, tousling her blond curls. She rode as though she’d been born on a horse and allowed her mare, Zia, to follow behind his stallion. Smart woman, smart horse.
Zia was a product of the desert and had learned early to plant her hooves where Jabbar had already displaced the sand. That way she preserved her strength. Both horses had been packed with everything Rashad required for them to spend the night together.
His gorgeous tent intruder was out to seduce him in earnest. When he’d found her waiting in the sitting room, seduction had been on her mind. Unshed tears of a devil or an angel. It made little difference at this point.
Because she desired him on top of the mission she had yet to carry out, he was looking forward to the experience more than anything he’d anticipated in his life. Tonight there’d be a three-quarter moon. By the time they reached their destination and made camp, the lesser light would appear in the black canopy enveloping them.
Halfway there Rashad pulled back on the reins to allow Lauren time to come alongside him. He darted her a searching glance. Heat rising from the sand wafted before their faces. “Would you like to rest?”
“If you’re worried I’m tired, I’m not. But if you want to stop for a minute, that’s fine.”
“I think I do.” He reached for his water bag and drank his fill. She followed suit with her own.
Rashad had made camp hundreds, maybe thousands of times in his life, but never with a woman because he and his men always had to be on their guard. Having her along was an entirely new experience, and it raised the stakes.
As she lowered her bag, their eyes met. He could no longer see the color in hers, but the luminescence still shone through in the darkness. An enchantress. That’s what she was.
Eager to make camp, he tucked in his water bag and rode on without saying anything to her. She caught up to him again and stayed at his side. From time to time he gave her covert glances. To his continual amazement she looked around with an air of suppressed excitement. She seemed too happy. Nothing had ever twisted his insides like this before.
“We’re almost there. After we ride this long dune to the top, we will have arrived.”
“I can’t wait—” she cried, then raced up the slope ahead of him. She rode hard. The sight of her cloak flying behind her was like poetry in motion. Poor Zia had to be in shock.
None of his bodyguards had sounded an alarm. Clearly there were was no one out here tonight except the two of them. On a burst of exhilaration because he had another twelve hours alone with her, Rashad charged after her, bursting the bonds that had held him back.
Just once she looked behind her. When she saw him gaining on her, she laughed and urged Zia on. He overtook her before she reached the top. Feeling like a schoolboy, he leaped from the saddle.
While he waited for her to appear, he drew two parts of one of his tent poles from the camping gear and connected them. Once he’d buried the end of it in the sand, he tethered his horse’s reins to it.
In another minute she came riding up the crest. He walked toward her and reached for Zia’s bit to slow her down.
“That was wonderful!”
She dismounted without his help, sounding winded and carefree. If he hadn’t held her sobbing body in his arms several times, he wouldn’t know this laughing, happy woman was the same person. “What can I do to help?”
Rashad smiled as he led Zia to the pole to attach her reins. “We’ll unload the horses and put up our tent first.”
He’d purposely said our tent, not surprised he didn’t meet with any modest protest. They worked in harmony to get it erected. She exclaimed over the beautiful rug he’d brought to put on the floor of their small tent. More sounds of excitement poured out of her as he layered the rug with silk duvets and pillows.
Her Desert Prince Page 9