by Cara Albany
She was determined to find out.
SEVENTEEN
In the afternoon, it eventually came time for Lori and Zafar to leave. They'd enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Leila. Lori had heard some beautiful memories of Leila's time with her dear, departed husband. It had been delightful to listen to Leila's recollections. Lori saw for herself just how much the reclaimed mural meant to Zafar's aunt.
Zafar hadn't provided any further explanation for what he'd done. At one point, Zafar had excused himself, telling them that he had to make a phone call. That had left Lori and Leila alone for a while. Before long, they'd been laughing together, swapping stories about their past.
All of that came as a genuine relief to Lori. She would never have forgiven herself if, by uncovering the mural, she'd caused any distress to Leila. Now that Leila's harsh public mask had been taken away, Lori could see that, underneath that stern demeanor, Zafar's aunt was really a warm-hearted woman whose main concern was for the wellbeing of her entire extended family.
Zafar included. Lori couldn't fault Leila for being like that. Family was important. And, after all, this was a royal family into which Lori had been thrown.
It was undeniable that Zafar had placed Lori in a potentially unpleasant situation. He'd used her. It was that simple. Or had he just wanted to use any opportnity to bring Lori to him? To his palace.
She thought about it as the afternoon passed. How did that even make sense, especially considering how close she and Zafar had become these past few days? There had been something almost calculating in the way Zafar had done this.
Lori and Zafar eventually left in the middle of the afternoon. Aunt Leila stood on the steps in front of the palace and waved them both goodbye. Lori had promised to come visit, but right now, she wasn't sure she'd ever get a chance to keep that promise.
As the car drove away from Leila's palace, Lori leaned back against the leather seat of Zafar's limo. She thought for a short while, considering how she would approach the subject with Zafar. Finally she decided to come right out with it. To express her concerns directly to him, just as she'd always done.
"How could you do that to me?"
Zafar narrowed his eyes. "Do what?"
"Put me in such an awkward position."
"I wasn't aware it would be difficult for you," he said. "If I'd thought that for one moment, I would never have asked you to come to my aunt's palace."
"I don't believe that," she replied. "You weren't straight with me."
Zafar narrowed his eyes. "I didn't deceive you, if that's what you mean."
"You did," she stated firmly.
He sighed. "I didn't intend for it to be uncomfortable for you. Not in any way."
"Really? Did it ever occur to you that your aunt might not have been so nice about it? Once she found out the real reason I was there? You just assumed everything would work out fine."
"But it has worked out, hasn't it," he said. "I haven't seen my aunt look that happy in years."
Lori shook her head. "That isn't the point, Zafar. And you know it."
Zafar shook his head. "I didn't even know what was behind that wall. I just wanted to know more about it."
Lori folded her arms and frowned. Could that be true? That he had brought her to this place to try and answer a question? To satisfy his own curiosity? "I don't believe that."
"It's true," he continued. "All I knew about that room was what I'd heard when I was growing up. That there was something special about the room. But I had no idea about what that painting meant to my aunt and uncle. That it had such sentimental value."
Something about the way he said that struck her as insincere. He'd probably just used this as an excuse to get her to come back to him. After the way they'd parted, after the presentation, she was sure he would have resorted to anything to have more of her. To have her with him again. A lifetime of getting his own way had created some bad habits in him. Like assuming women existed just for his own pleasure. That they could be moved around at his every whim.
Lori shook her head. "You tricked me. It's that simple. You knew that I could do something useful for you. Give you something. " She glared at him. "Or was it just that you needed any excuse to bring me over here? To bring me to your palace. Was that it?"
Zafar frowned. He looked steadily at her, as if measuring his next response. "If I'd only wanted you to come to my palace, I wouldn't have had to resort to lies or deception, Lori." He slid closer to her. She didn't move. She felt tension twist in her body, but she wasn't going to let him see how he was affecting her.
Zafar sighed. "If I'd only wanted you to come to me, I would have just made it happen. You know I can do that, don't you," he murmured.
He leaned closer to her. She saw his jaw tighten, saw how his nostrils flared slightly as he gazed at her. "It's true that I wanted you in my bed," he continued in a low growl. "And I know one thing for sure. You wanted that, too," he added. He lifted a brow, "Didn't you?"
In spite of her anger at him, the deep vibrant sound of those words triggered a familiar warm sensation in her middle. Her mind was a sudden blank in the face of his intense gaze, the sheer power in those eyes, the barely contained power in his body. Her nerves tingled uncontrollably.
She forced herself to ignore those sensations and gazed at him. "That's beside the point. What you did was wrong."
He shook his head. "I hardly think so. We all got what we wanted."
"Is that all that matters to you, Zafar?" she objected. "That everyone gets what they need?"
"I need you, Lori," he murmured, his voice shaking her to her core. It was such a simple declaration, but it was one that made the breath ease treacherously out of her lungs. She shifted back against the corner of the seat. She suddenly knew what an animal must feel like when it was being stalked by a hungry predator. Because, right now, that was what Zafar looked like. A hunter who would not be denied his prize.
As if seeing how shaken she was, he continued, changing the focus of his words. "You saw how much it meant to my aunt. She was genuinely moved."
She felt a sudden lessening of her tension. "I did. And, I guess she's happy," Lori admitted. "In fact, she even seems to like me. Just a little, anyway," she said granting him the hint of a smile.
"We did a good thing, Lori. You and I. Together," he said. "Doesn't that mean something?"
She nodded reluctantly. "I guess it does," she admitted quietly.
"And I think my aunt has become quite taken by you," Zafar said.
Given the way that Leila had spoken to Lori during their first encounter, the idea that Leila approved of Lori seemed almost unthinkable.
"I think I've got a long way to go before your aunt thinks that well of me," Lori said.
"It's more than that, Lori," Zafar said.
"What do you mean?"
"She's seen the way you and I have been together these past few days," Zafar said. "I'm sure she's come to her own conclusions."
"Which are?" Lori asked.
Zafar lifted a brow. "Do I really have to answer that. After what has happened since you came here?"
Lori wasn't sure she liked what he was suggesting. She knew he was referring the passion they'd shared. The incredible nights. All through the last three days, she'd pushed thoughts of any consequences firmly out of her mind.
All thoughts of the future.
Everything had been moving so fast. She didn't want to think about any of that. Not right now. She changed the subject.
"She's never going to like me that much, Zafar. There's no use pretending. I'm an outsider. She even said as much to me."
"Not any more," Zafar replied. "I think what you've done has changed her opinion of so-called outsiders. Possibly forever." Zafar shifted closer to Lori. "She's even change her mind about Alaya and Kadir."
She squinted at him. "What do you mean?"
"She thinks Alaya will make the perfect wife for Kadir."
Lori gasped and stared at Zafar incredulously. "You a
re joking, aren't you?"
Zafar shook his head. "No. I called Kadir this morning, thinking I'd tell him. But, he was one step ahead of me."
"How?"
Zafar smiled. "Kadir asked Alaya to marry him, this morning. He told me he wasn't going to wait any longer."
"That's fantastic," Lori exclaimed.
Zafar shrugged. "Seems like he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way."
Zafar seemed genuinely pleased. Almost as happy about the news as Lori. Maybe he was relieved that a heavy burden had been removed from his shoulders.
Lori leaned her head back and laughed. "I am so happy for Alaya. She and Kadir are so perfect together."
"Just them?" Zafar asked softly. He gazed at Lori.
Lori sighed. "Let's not make this about us, Zafar," she said. "I'm still mad at you."
"Really?" Zafar said, lifting a skeptical brow.
"I don't believe what you say about why you brought me here. I don't think it was only about making a good impression on your aunt."
"I admit I was curious," Zafar said. He drew in a deep breath and then sighed. "And I also have to admit that I had some selfish motives for bringing you here."
"See," she snapped. "I knew it."
He lifted a querying brow. "Was that a bad thing?" he asked. "To want you near me? After what happened at Kadir's, I would have thought it would be the most natural thing in the world."
He lowered his head and gazed darkly at her. There was need in that look again. Determined need that she knew would not be contained for long. "To have the most beautiful woman I've ever known come back to me," he murmured softly. "Was I wrong in wanting that? In wanting you?"
Lori felt the breath halt in her chest. Felt her face turn red. She dragged her gaze way from him and looked out at the desert. What was he trying to do to her? Where was he going with all of this?
Even as she played with that thought, a quiet voice at the back of her mind whispered an answer. It was a terrifying thought, one she'd toyed with in the darkness of the night while she had lain next to him. She sighed, ignoring that tempting notion. She knew it was impossible. Knew it would never come to pass.
"You wouldn't be the first woman to come to Qazhar and find love," he said.
Lori felt her mouth open. Heat flushed her face. She was momentarily lost for words. He was doing what he always did in situations like this, she told herself. He was trying to press his advantage. He'd seen her reaction to his words, and he thought he was within touching distance of some kind of victory.
But what kind of victory? What did all this mean to him? What could it mean for her?
Zafar reached out a hand and stroked the side of her face with the back of his fingers. "Habibti," he murmured.
Lori turned and faced him. Saw the same look in his eyes she'd seen so many times over the past few days.
Habibti.
He'd said that word to her over and over during the last seventy-two hours. She knew just what it meant. He'd explained it to her.
Precious one. Beloved.
Was that how he thought of her?
Her heart was beating faster now. She gazed into his eyes and saw familiar dark desire in them.
Then he dipped his head and kissed her. Sensation flooded her body. She'd become so used to his ways, the way he kissed her, his soft touch, that the reaction of her body was instantaneous now.
Every nerve ignited. She felt his hand gently cup the line of her jaw, holding it with care. His kiss was tender and went on for a very long time.
Then he moved his head back and regarded her with the limpid pools of his eyes. He looked satisfied, as if he already thought he'd succeeded in winning her over. But, she knew that wasn't the case. Not at all.
She blinked and drew in a sharp breath. "This wasn't how it was meant to be, Zafar," she said. "You know that."
His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"We hardly know each other. It's only been a few days."
Zafar shook his head emphatically. "A few days can be an eternity, habibti," he objected. He stroked her hair. "You know that is true. You've felt it as much as I have. The power of fate has drawn us together."
She swallowed and gazed at him, wondering if he really meant those words. Or perhaps they were just carefully rehearsed phrases he'd used many times before. But, even as she said that to herself, she knew he meant every word.
Lori could see the truth of the words in the way he was looking at her. With such obvious and genuine affection. With more than just affection, she admitted. But she could hardly bring herself to admit that to herself. What that might mean for her. For both of them.
She knew exactly how he'd made her feel these past few days.
More alive than she'd ever felt in her life.
And, during that time, she had experienced such incredible emotions about this amazing man. This man who had turned her world upside down. The prince who had shown her a new way of living. A new way of feeling.
But doubt still hovered, an unwanted presence in the background. She wondered if she would ever be able to rid herself of that uncertainty.
He'd swept her off her feet.
It was that simple. He'd come into her life, an unstoppable force. And he'd transformed everything for her. Nothing could ever be the same again. No matter what she chose to do.
"I better be getting back to Kadir's," she announced. She glanced down at the floor. Her bag was there between her feet. "I have everything."
Instantly she saw him frown. "Why do you want to go back there?"
"It's for the best," she said in a flat voice. "And I need to see Alaya."
She didn't want to tell him that if she stayed here she didn't know what could happen. What would happen between them, now that her job had been completed and there was no reason for her to stay.
"My job here is done," she stated.
Zafar squinted disbelievingly at her. Did he think she was just talking about what she'd done at his aunt's palace? Or did he fear she was really talking about their relationship?
He leaned closer. "On the contrary," he murmured. "I'd say you still have every reason to stay here." His gaze was melting, hotter than it had ever been. "With me," he murmured.
He ran the tip of his finger down the edge of her jaw. His touch sent tingles racing through her body. She felt her throat tighten, her heart pounding even faster now. Did he realize what he was asking her?
He leaned closer. She inhaled his intoxicating scent as he leaned in and kissed her. His lips tasted sweet.
Lori gasped quietly and gazed at him. "You don't mean that."
He nodded. "I do, Lori. I want you with me." And then he added one momentous word, spoken in a low growl. "Forever."
Lori saw him glance toward the front of the limo. She followed his gaze and saw that, up ahead, they were about to come to a turning in the road. To the left, the road headed east back in the direction of Kadir's palace. Toward her life as it had been before Zafar had come into it.
To the right, the road would lead to Zafar's palace. And inevitably to a new future for herself and for him. She knew that there was a choice to make, even before he looked back at her.
"Which way do you want to go, Lori?" he asked softly.
Lori looked at Zafar and saw the love in his eyes. The same look she'd seen every night since she'd come back to him. She also saw a hint of barely disguised apprehension in his gaze.
He was putting on a brave front. The mask which she had hated so much on first meeting him, was now being put to a different use. To disguise his fear of the worst possible choice. His uncertainty. He didn't want her to see how much this moment meant to him.
Did it mean that much to him? Had she always meant this much to him? Even from that first night? And would that continue into whatever future they could share together?
Lori sighed. She felt the car slow slightly and, through the glass, she saw the driver turn his head as if awaiting the prince's order.
Her prince, she told herself. Because that was what he was. He was the prince who had come into her life and taken possession of her. Claimed her. Wanted her.
Forever.
Lori gazed at Zafar. She saw that he was holding himself very still. His entire body looked like it had become rigid with tension.
Lori breathed out slowly.
Suddenly she knew there was no way on earth she was going to deny herself any longer. Moments like these came once in a lifetime.
Even as she readied herself to say the words she knew would change everything, she felt a calmness take hold of her. She'd made her choice, and she'd never been so sure of anything in her life.
Lori smiled at Zafar. "You know what I'm going to say, don't you," she murmured.
He came to her, and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close to him. He kissed her, and then leaned his head back, gazing deeply into her eyes. He didn't say anything. Just waited. He already knew what she was about to say.
She knew she only had to utter a few words. "Take me to your palace, Prince Zafar," she said softly.
His eyes brightened and he smiled. And then he kissed her.
As her body leaned into his, she felt the limo turn toward the west and head in the direction of their future.
THE END
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading The Sheikh's Royal Bride. I hope you enjoyed it. There will be further volumes of Sheikh romances and other titles over the coming months . If you would like to know when future books are available please sign up for my new release email newsletter.
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CARA
The Qazhar Sheikhs series
The Sheikh's Forbidden Bride
The Sheikh's Pretend Bride