Thank you for helping my countrymen.
In her line of the medical profession she would rarely use a stethoscope so he doubted she had brought one with her. Especially since she had asked to borrow one that day at the clinic.
Nasser had provided him with daily reports. He had said Laurel seemed pleased with the gift. He also said she had been keeping long hours at the lab and that more than once he’d had to insist she leave at midnight.
Tariq worried she would burn herself out or become ill. He could not remember ever experiencing this much concern for anyone besides his family. Perhaps he felt responsible for having brought Laurel halfway around the world, away from all she knew and loved. Whatever the reason, he was not comfortable with these new feelings whirling in him.
He had corralled his temptation to go to Laurel’s room when he had arrived home tonight, believing it was too late to disturb her, plus he did not want to appear overly eager to see her.
So, to burn off some frustration he had decided to come to the pool. He slowed to an easy glide. If he could not shut his mind down then maybe his exhausted body would override it.
The rustle of leaves and a movement to his right caught his attention. He trod water, watching the spot. A person stepped into the moonlight. Laurel.
His heart beat extra quickly, much to his dismay. He was a grown man who had seen and experienced enough of life that he should not be reacting to a woman this way. As one normally in command of his emotions and any relationship, this was a new situation for him. Around Laurel, though, he was off the path as if following a special star in the desert sky, unsure where he was headed.
She turned to go back the way she’d come.
“Don’t go.”
“Tariq?” She stepped closer.
“Yes.”
“I was not told you were home.” There was a note of confusion in her voice, but there was also an unmistakable tone of excitement.
“I got back about an hour ago.” He swam closer to her.
“Oh.”
“I would have let you know, but it was so late.” She looked amazing in the moonlight. A sleeveless long dress with a scooped neck clung to her curves. If he were to guess, she was braless. “I thought you would be asleep.”
“I love this garden so, I come here for a few minutes each night before I go to bed. It’s so lovely.” She advanced to the edge of the pool in a tentative manner. “I’m usually alone.”
“Would you like me to leave?” He waited for her answer, watching her closely.
“No. After all, it’s your pool.”
That wasn’t the answer he had been hoping for, but he would take it.
She stood over him. “Thank you for the stethoscope. It was really thoughtful. Now I won’t have to borrow one. I will pay you back.”
He had wanted to do something special for her. Could she not understand that? “Can you not accept a gift?”
She focused on something behind him. “I can, but I don’t generally get them from employers.”
Tariq crossed his arms on the deck of the pool. “I am more than that. I am your husband, if only in name. If that is not sufficient reason, then accept it from a friend.”
She looked down at him. “I would like for us to be friends.”
Her soft words flowed in the sweet fragrance of the air. “Come and join me, Laurel.”
“I didn’t think to pack a swimsuit.”
He wanted to tell her she did not need one but that would frighten her away. “At least sit on the side of the pool and tell me about your week.”
Laurel regarded him a few seconds, her moonlit face giving no hint of her thoughts, before she gathered her long dress up and around her thighs. She had amazing legs. Maintaining her modesty, she sat, letting her bare feet dangle in the water.
From his vantage point Tariq determined he had been right. She wore no bra. Her nipples pushed against the fine knit fabric. His manhood twitched in reaction to the teasing view.
Laurel swished her feet back and forth. “It’s so cool.”
“It is so because it is fed by a spring. This used to be the palace well. The palace was built here because of it. Modern improvements have made the palace increasingly efficient, reducing the amount of water diverted from the spring’s source. Now there is enough to keep the pool refreshingly full.”
“Your ancestors were smart.”
Tariq moved back in the water so he could see her clearer. The only light came from underwater illumination around the pool and the moon. “I like to think so. I understand you interviewed my brother and his family while I was gone. Zara and Roji as well.”
Her shoulders straightened. “Yes. The King invited me to dinner. Everyone seemed open to my questions. Thank you for seeing to it. I know it wasn’t your wish.”
“I also understand that it was the only night you actually came home from the clinic at a reasonable hour.”
Even in the dim light he could see her eyes narrow. “Has Nasser been informing on me?”
Tariq swam toward her. “It’s part of his job to answer my questions.”
“Nothing about you is repentant, is it?”
Tariq cupped her heel in his hand. She hissed softly but did not pull away. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her ankle bone. Her attention remained on his hands as he answered, “I have nothing to be repentant for. I was concerned about you, Laurel.” He waited until she looked at him. “I missed you.”
Laurel’s heart beat at the same rate as one of her spinning blood test machines. She contained a moan just behind her lips. Tariq’s wet hand moved up her calf then slid back to her foot. She gripped the edge of the pool to quell the impulse to slip into the water with him. Tariq lifted her foot out of the water and placed a kiss in the arch.
“What’re you doing?” The words came out as a squeak.
“I’m showing you I desire you. So soft. So smooth.” His hand repeated its travels.
“You don’t desire me. I’m just convenient. I’m not even your type.”
“Normally I would agree. But the fact is you interest me, Laurel Al Marktum.” He put emphasis on the last name. “A great deal.”
“The great bachelor Prince could only want me for one reason.”
“And that would be?” His voice was deep and sultry like the warm night air.
“As a conquest.” She’d been that before but never again. She wanted a love for a lifetime.
“Laurel, what happened to make you so cynical?”
“Let’s just call it college life.” This was a subject she had no interest in sharing with anyone, especially him. She had only confided to her roommate and her sister what Larry had done to her, and hadn’t talked about it in all the years since.
“It can sometimes be difficult.” Tariq let go of her foot and moved beside her. Seconds later he lifted himself out of the water, twisted his hips and sat beside her in all his bare-chested glory.
Her hand craved to touch. She bit the tip of her tongue to keep from licking a rivulet of water from his shoulder. Laurel had never seen a more enticing man. Tariq’s muscles rippled under his dark skin with every movement. His broad shoulders tapered to lean hips where his swimming trunks rode low, leaving no doubt he was all male. His thighs were thick and his athletic calves narrowed to sculpted feet.
He was the complete package of what Laurel believed a man should look like. Why was she so superficial that she would let his looks affect her so? She knew well that appearances could be deceiving. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. She was no Red Riding Hood anymore.
Water sluiced off him. She shifted, pulling her dress out of the way of a stream of water. “You’re getting me wet.”
“Stop evading the question. What happened when you were in college?”
“Nothing I wish to share.” Using her big toe, she splashed wa
ter into the center of the pool.
“I would like you to tell me, since it affects me too.”
She glared at him. He watched her, eyes unreadable. “Just how does it affect you?”
“Because you are projecting whatever happened onto me. Not giving me a chance.”
Had she really been doing that? Was she keeping Tariq at arm’s length because of Larry? “Very well, since you insist.”
“I do.”
Laurel couldn’t believe she was about to confide in Tariq of all people. Maybe it was because she knew of his secret guilt over not having hemophilia, or perhaps it was her belief he was an honorable man, but regardless she was only going to tell him the big-picture parts. “My college boyfriend was on the football team. I never understood why he had picked me. The girl with the glasses who studied all the time. Nevertheless, I was crazy about him and he acted the same about me until I went to bed with him. He dumped me that very night and had no further use for me. I later overheard some guys on his team laughing about how he had won a bet because he had taken my virginity.”
The tendons in Tariq’s arms stood out from him gripping the ledge of the pool so tightly. He said something in Arabic that she guessed was a foul word. She had no idea what the expression meant but she would agree. “Now are you satisfied?”
“Satisfied? I will not be until the day I punish him for hurting you. So you let this idiot of a man-boy dictate to you how you see all males?”
“No.”
“I think you do. You do not trust me because of this. You judge me by him. Because of this reptile you have hidden away in a lab and missed out on life. You are afraid to trust.”
“That’s not true.” Laurel looked into the pool, watching the ripples from a slight breeze. She hadn’t been doing that, had she? Wasn’t she just dedicated to her work?
“Then prove it. Spend the day with me tomorrow. We both have earned a day off. I will show you Zentar City. We will have dinner, just the two of us. I will show you how a man treats a woman. With respect.”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” She was afraid to spend time with him. Not because she didn’t trust him but because she didn’t trust herself.
“I promise that it will be because I wish to be with you and not because I have made some juvenile bet.”
“Why would a man like you want to spend time with me?”
With his index finger under her chin he turned her head so she had no choice but to look at him. His gaze met hers. “You really have no idea how refreshing you are to be around, do you?”
She shook her head. “I guess not.”
“You are. Let’s go tomorrow and have a good time and see where it leads. We will go to the marketplace and I will show you the sites around the city. What do you have to lose?”
Her heart? He studied her with a sincere expression she recognized as genuine. Could she give him a chance? “Okay. As friends.”
“For as long as you want it that way.”
In one lithe movement Tariq stood and offered his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. Her body brushed his as she moved. He put some space between them. “I will see you in the morning in the dining room for breakfast and then we will start out. Now, off to bed with you.”
Laurel headed down the path, even though her body begged to stay and be held against his. As she started through the foliage Tariq called, “Do not forget your sunscreen and a hat. Goodnight, habibti.”
CHAPTER SIX
TARIQ SAT AT the table the next morning, finishing his second cup of coffee. He had waited for Laurel long enough to start wondering if she would show up. Had she gone to the lab without letting anyone know? He checked his watch once more. If she did not make an appearance in ten minutes he would send for her. He was already debating whether or not to go to her room.
“What are you so nervous about? She will come.” Zara buttered her bread with a smile on her face.
“I’m not nervous.” Tariq came close to snarling. He was not used to anyone commenting on his emotional state. In fact, he generally concealed it.
Zara’s grin grew wider. “Tariq, you forget I have known you for a long time. This woman matters to you. I’m glad to see it. Rasheed would be too, if he were here.”
“He would also find humor in my actions.” Tariq’s brother had often made unmerciful fun of him.
A sad smile covered her lips. “That he would.”
The soft pad of feet in the hall drew his attention. Laurel came through the doorway. Her hair was pulled back, as always, but it was loose otherwise and bounced becomingly about her shoulders as she walked. He itched to see it down and flowing over her slender, pale shoulders.
Those dreams were better left in a locked box in his mind. Today was about showing her that all men were not brutes.
She wore a simple T-shirt, jeans and flat, functional shoes. Her ever-present oversized bag hung over one shoulder and she carried a wide-brimmed hat. Behind her glasses her large eyes were glowing with eagerness. Her shirt was tight enough to accentuate her full and tempting breasts. If he did not harness his libido now, he would be in trouble. Laurel had no idea how attractive she was, despite her lack of attention to her appearance.
He had carefully calculated their day, wanting to show her all the sights and sounds of his city. Then he had a nice dinner planned for them. Tariq resisted the urge to coax more than that from Laurel. His goal was for her to start trusting him.
“Good morning.” He stood.
“Hi,” came her shy reply. “Sorry. I slept in. Which I never do. Hello, Zara.”
“Good morning.” Zara looked at him, then at Laurel and back again. “I should check on Roji.” She took her bread and went out the door.
Zara would have some teasing comment when next he saw her, he was sure. To Laurel he said, “You have had a busy week.”
“I guess I was more tired than I thought.”
“Come and have a seat.” He held a chair for her next to him. “Are you ready to see my city?”
She sat. The smell he loved so much surrounded her. “I believe so.”
Laurel put the wide-brimmed hat in the empty chair next to her.
“I see you followed directions about a hat. Did you put on sunscreen?”
She nodded. “Don’t let that go to your head. The me following your directions part.”
“I am sure you will manage to see that it does not.” They were bantering, he realized with amazement. Since when did he do that with a woman outside his family? Why did being around Laurel make him act oddly? “You need to eat a hearty meal this morning because we will be doing a lot of walking.”
One of the staff entered with a cup of tea in one hand and a muffin in the other.
Laurel smiled. “Thank you, Marcus. How’s your wife feeling?”
Why did it not surprise Tariq that Laurel would ask the man a personal question in the presence of a member of the royal family? She did not stand on ceremony.
Marcus glanced at him. Tariq nodded. Trying to conceal his relief, Marcus said with subdued politeness, “She is much better, thank you, Your Highness.”
Laurel looked at Tariq as she picked up her muffin. “I saw Marcus’s wife at the clinic the first day. They’re expecting a baby.”
He looked at Marcus. “I did not know. Congratulations.”
The man grinned. “Thank you, Your Highness.” He slipped quietly out of the room.
“Do you mind if we stop by the lab for a few moments this morning?” Laurel popped a piece of muffin into her mouth.
“I do. I have a busy day planned that does not involve work for either one of us.” Tariq leaned back in his chair and picked up his coffee cup, expecting fireworks from the chair next to his.
“Not even thirty minutes? I have tests to check.”
“No, not even th
at. Your work is important. I wish for you to do it, of course, but it is just as important that you take time for yourself as well.”
She picked up her tea cup and gave him a direct look. “So says the Prince who jets all over the world and is never without a stack of papers in his hands.”
“So we are going to start our day in an argument?” Tariq liked debating with her, enjoyed seeing her eyes flash with emotion. Sometime very soon he would like to see passion in her gaze when she looked at him.
“No, I was just stating a fact.”
Tariq looked at her over the brim of his cup. “Yes, but I believe I also told you I make sure to take time off.”
They lapsed into a silence he found surprisingly comfortable.
When Laurel had finished her muffin Tariq pushed back his chair. “We should be going. The market will be hot if we wait until the middle of the day.”
A few minutes later they were making their way down the hall. As they walked he asked, “Is there anything special you would like to do that you have heard about?”
He was on the verge of repeating himself when Laurel said, “I’d like to see the seashore. I miss Lake Michigan.”
“I will put that on the schedule.”
They exited into the courtyard. He had asked Nasser to have his personal car brought around.
“Are we going in this?” Laurel’s voice held a note of awe.
Tariq put on his sunglasses. “It is my car. So yes.”
Laurel trailed a finger down the side of his shiny black two-seater convertible.
“It’s gorgeous. I’ve always wanted to ride in one.”
Tariq chuckled and opened the passenger door. “Then get in.”
Laurel continued to surprise him. She looked at the car in the same way he sometimes caught her looking at him, as if he were a piece of her favorite candy. He was not sure he wished to share that with a car. He preferred being the center of her attention.
The Sheikh Doc's Marriage Bargain Page 9