by Lexi Blake
She gave him her most polite smile. It was the one she’d learned to use on every single woman who came by to make sure Piper was taking proper care of little Mindy. Most of them had called her Cindy because they didn’t really care about anything but causing trouble. “I appreciate your coming by. It’s so good to meet my husbands’ family.”
Piper was deeply pleased to see the way Khalil’s cheeks flushed, and he stood, his fists at his sides. “We’ll see about that, Miss Glen.”
He strode out of the room.
“That’s shaykhah to you, sir.”
A burst of applause caused her to turn, her heart nearly stopping.
* * * *
Kade watched Piper turn, his whole body filled with pride for her. Rafe stood at his side, silent, but Kade could feel his emotion.
She’d stood up to that fucker. She’d been a queen, so much stronger than he’d imagined. It wasn’t that he’d believed her to be weak. He’d just thought she would need more time. Not his Piper. She’d risen to the occasion.
“Where did you come from?” Her voice was breathless, so unlike the commanding tone she’d used the moment before to completely dismiss his cousin.
The day had dragged on, every hour pure misery. He’d talked to the press, plastering a fake smile on his face as he talked about their courtship and how happy he was, all the while praying she didn’t simply flee.
“There is a separate stairway. It leads from the rooms below. They’re usually used as nursery rooms.”
Her skin flushed, a sweet pink coloring her cheeks. “Oh.”
Rafe stepped forward. He’d been Kade’s partner in misery. “We thought you might be sleeping. We did not wish to disturb you.”
She frowned. “Your cousin disturbed me enough. I don’t like that man. He was trying to run me off. He doesn’t know how hard it is to run off a Texas girl. We can be stubborn.”
Thank god for Texas pride. “He’s wrong about Talib. Tal was never serious about the other women. He’s been putting this off for many years because no woman moved him.”
Her arms crossed over her breasts. “I don’t know about that. Khalil might have ulterior motives, but he was right about one thing. This marriage is Talib’s duty. I don’t know that I like being a duty.”
Kade wanted to hold her. The early evening light brought out the gold and reds in her hair. “It was not a duty to love you last night. You can’t imagine that. No man could have performed as we did for simple duty.”
Rafe frowned. “We made love all night, Piper. There was nothing of duty in that.”
“It’s too fast,” she said, her head shaking.
Frustration welled. “Do you have a timetable? How long should I wait to love you? How many more days or weeks before you’ll believe me?”
He nearly took back the words, afraid that he’d frightened her with his harsh comments. But she didn’t move an inch.
Her eyes narrowed. “How about giving me the courtesy of honesty, Kadir? Then maybe I’ll give you a timetable.” She sighed and turned, dismissing him as easily as she’d dismissed Khalil.
He stared at her, his blood pressure rising. She thought she could dismiss him?
Rafe walked after her, passing her and disappearing into the hall. What the hell was he doing? Kade prayed he wasn’t getting Talib because this was his fight.
“I was honest with you, Piper. I told you I love you. I would never have made love to you if I didn’t intend to spend my life with you.”
She turned back slightly. “Oh, I seriously doubt that. Do you think I didn’t look you up, Kadir? I’ll admit I’ve been naïve up to this point, but I did a quick search earlier today. You seem to prefer blondes. Lots of them.”
He really wished he’d been more circumspect in his younger days. “I cannot change my past. I am just a man.”
“Did you ask all of them to marry you? Wait. You don’t ask. You just take advantage of the fact that your women don’t speak the language. Is that why you like the Swedish girls so much?”
She was pushing him. Anger started to rattle his cage. “I can only apologize for my past.”
“And the present? Do you apologize for that as well?”
“No. Had we been honest, you would have run. You would never have even tried. But Piper, can’t you see how well you handled Khalil? You have nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid, Kade. If I decide to be a shaykhah, I will be the best I can be. Don’t you ever underestimate me. I know I come off as a little naïve, but I’ve been responsible for myself for a very long time. I had to raise my little sister, work a job, and put myself through college. I think that’s what bothers me the most. I can’t see how you can possibly love me when you think so little of me. You tricked me into this. You didn’t even think I would be smart enough to ever figure it out.”
“That is not true. We were just desperate. How can you think that? And how can you not see why we wanted to avoid this? Not even a day into our concubine period and Khalil is trying to persuade you to leave. He won’t be the only one.” Why couldn’t she see? She didn’t know this world the way he did. “I wanted to spare you the trouble.”
“You weren’t going to spare me anything, Kade. Trouble like this isn’t something you can hide from. It was just waiting. This would always have happened. You can’t just sneak a new bride in and expect no one to notice.”
They were standing toe to toe, her face turned up to his, a pretty flush on her cheeks. Even her frown turned him on. If he moved just an inch closer she would be able to feel his erection. The minute he’d entered the room, his cock had hardened and pointed her way. He was addicted to her. And she was challenging him. “It isn’t their business.”
“It’s their country, too, Kade. You can’t treat it like your private playground. And you can’t treat me like a toy.”
“You’re my wife. I will treat you anyway I like.”
“I am not your wife, and quite frankly the more you talk the less likely it is that I will ever be your wife.”
“Yes, so please stop talking, brother.” Rafe strode back in, three servants moving behind him. They carried platters of food and pushed a cart of drinks. Rafe walked right up to Piper and got down on one knee. “Habibti, please eat. I’ve heard from the servants that you wouldn’t touch a thing. I am begging you. I fear for your welfare.”
She looked down at him, her lips curving up slightly. “I don’t think I’m in danger of starving anytime soon, Rafe.”
Kade watched in horror as his brother put his cheek to her hand. “Please, my darling. I’ve brought all of your favorite foods. And I brought the wine you enjoyed the other night. It will help relax you. It, perhaps, will take your mind off the fact that my brother is acting like a caveman.”
“Well, you’re acting like a lapdog.” What the hell was Rafe doing? They needed to fight this out with Piper.
“I am trying to act like a husband,” Rafe shot back. “I believe it will work better than yelling at her.”
Piper’s eyes narrowed, casting a suspicious glance at Rafe. “Is this how you get me to agree that none of this disaster is your fault?”
Rafe shook his head. “Absolutely not. It is entirely our fault. We made terrible mistakes and can only hope that somewhere in your heart you can forgive us.” Rafe kept spitting out loads of crap, but Piper was following him as he got up and began to lead her to the couch. When he offered her a seat, she took it. Rafe was right back on his knees, her delicate foot in his hand. He quickly tossed off her shoe and began rubbing. “I intend to spend the rest of my life making this up to you.”
It only took a moment before Piper’s eyes closed, and she relaxed against the couch, practically purring. “God, you really are the smart brother.”
Kade sighed. Rafe would probably be the only one in her bed tonight, too, if Kade didn’t take his cue. He walked around to the back of the couch where her lovely face was turned up and stroked her hair. “I really do love you. I know I h
aven’t shown it as well as you might wish, but I do. Can you give me another chance?”
She didn’t open her eyes, but she didn’t turn him away either. “It won’t work without Talib.”
He knew that, but he wasn’t sure how to fix it. “He needs time.”
“We’re almost out of time, Kadir.” Now those gorgeous eyes opened and kicked him straight in the gut. “I have to make a decision in a couple of weeks. I don’t think he’s going to fall in love with me that quickly. I understand what’s at stake. I do. But I don’t think I can marry a man who doesn’t love me.”
“Rafe and I can love you enough for all of us.” The thought of losing her made his stomach clench. For the first time, he had to really think about what he would do if she said no. Would he truly be able to let her go? Would he ever be able to accept another bride? There was no time left. They would be forced to choose from one of the women they had overlooked for Piper. He was sure one of them would be willing to sell herself for the wealth of the al Mussad name, but suddenly Kade wasn’t so sure he would do the same.
“I don’t know, Kade. I don’t know anything right now.” She sat up, her foot coming out of Rafe’s hand. “Can I have the tea, please? I don’t know that I need alcohol right now.”
Rafe grabbed her tea cup, placing it in her hand. “Anything you want, Piper. And you don’t have to make a decision today.”
He sat on the couch beside her. Kade decided to follow his brother’s lead for once. Rafe had played this so much better than either he or Talib. And maybe it was time to tell Piper a little about her wayward sheikh.
Kade lowered himself to the sofa beside her. “You need to get to know us better.”
She huffed a little. “It was easy to get to know you. I just had to search your name on the internet to come up with a thousand and one al Mussad girlfriends.”
He deserved that. And it was probably more than a thousand and one, but he appreciated the irony. “I wasn’t talking about that. I want to just spend time with you. To hear your stories and to tell you mine. Though I won’t be telling you the dating stories since you already know them.”
Rafe gave her a smooth smile, the one that let Kade know he was about to be thrown under the bus. “I did not date as much. I was too busy with school.”
Kade let his eyes roll. “Yes, he’s the perfect angel, Piper. Whatever you do, don’t look up the words Rafiq and Spanish night club.”
His brother huffed. “You did not have to tell her that.”
“Already seen the video.” Piper sipped her tea, calm once more. “I can’t believe you didn’t get arrested.”
Rafe shrugged. “The police in Barcelona are very forgiving when the bribe is big enough. And I could not know they had cameras behind the DJ booth. I thought we were alone.”
“Yes, it was just him and three girls. Totally alone.” Kade grew serious. “No. I wasn’t talking about our past scandals. I was thinking about what happened to Talib and how it still affects him today. Piper, if you would just give him time. He’s been through a lot.”
She turned to him, her face blanching a bit. Her hands shook lightly as she put the tea back on the tray. “Are you talking about the rebels taking him captive?”
It was inevitable she would read about that. The family had attempted to keep it quiet, but the radicals had released videos of Talib al Mussad broken and battered and silent.
“Yes.” Kade sighed. Though it happened years before, he could still feel the panic of the day. “Tal had gone to one of the drill sites. He used to do it once a month. He prefers to be hands on, and he enjoyed being with the workers. Our fathers had us working rigs by the time we were sixteen. Tal especially enjoyed getting his hands dirty. They found out where he was going to be and they showed up with twenty men. They killed Tal’s security detail and many of our employees. They took him and his personal assistant.”
Lily. A pretty British girl he’d met at University. Kade had brought her back to Bezakistan. He’d never been serious about her. She’d been too needy for Kade, but he’d known what she could give his brother right away. What he didn’t tell Piper was that Lily had been more than an assistant. She’d been Talib’s submissive for many months before they had been kidnapped. After his release, Tal had never spoken of her again, but Kade had read the reports.
“She died.” The words fell out of Piper’s lips like a lodestone pulling her down. She shook her head. “Sorry. I got a little dizzy just thinking about it. Do you think he had to watch?”
Rafe took her hand in his. “Yes, habibti. I believe they forced my brother to watch her torture. It was part of his own.”
“Did he love her?” Piper asked.
Kade shook his head. She picked up on much more than he gave her credit for. “Not at all. He cared about her, felt responsible for her. He had a relationship with her that went beyond mere employment, but he didn’t love her.”
She put a hand to her head, her voice trembling just a bit. “The articles I read about the kidnapping all said Tal was fine.”
“We kept the press far away. The American military helped. A SEAL team was sent in. They fought their way in, lost a few men. When it all shook out, my brother and one of the SEALs, a man named Cole Lennox, got separated from the team. They were pursued for days until Cole was able to get him back into the country.”
“He wasn’t being held here?” Piper asked.
“No. He was taken to a neighboring country. It’s why the American military was so willing to keep it quiet. No one wants this part of the world to destabilize,” Rafe explained. “So the story the press got was that Talib was able to escape on his own about two weeks after his actual rescue. We cleaned him up, and he didn’t go in front of a camera until he could smile and be something like his old self.”
Kade thought about the hollow shell his brother had been those days after his rescue. He’d sat in his bed, silent and unblinking for days as though trapped in a private hell. “I don’t think he’s recovered even today, habibti. So, please, give this some time. Please give us a chance.”
“I don’t know.” She tried to stand. “I need a minute.”
Kade stood with her. “Piper, sit back down, please. You look so pale. Rafiq, she needs to eat.”
“I can’t. Oh, help. I think I’m going to…”
She never finished the sentence. She passed out, her body dropping like a marionette puppet that had just had its strings cut. Kade caught her in his arms as Rafe shouted for help.
Chapter Eleven
Talib looked down at his concubine as she lay sleeping. She was frail, more fragile than he’d ever seen her. He realized one of the things he loved about Piper was her strength.
Liked. He liked that about her. He wasn’t going to love her at all, damn it. He couldn’t.
“She is fine, Your Highness.” The doctor who had delivered him stood at the head of his bed. Dr. Haumoud was someone Tal trusted implicitly. “I took some blood. I’m going to have it tested for toxins, but I believe she has just had a couple of very stressful days. Her heart rate has returned to normal. She is resting now.”
Yes, she was resting, but he doubted this was anything so simple as stress. The future shaykhah becoming violently ill on the day after her betrothal was far too coincidental for his tastes. “Thank you, Doctor. We will take very good care of her. Please contact me the minute you know anything at all.”
Piper’s chest moved up and down in a graceful symphony of life. Tal couldn’t help but stare down at her and wonder what she was dreaming. Was she wondering what her life would have been like if they hadn’t brought her here?
He stepped back out into the living area of the suite he now shared with his brothers and Piper. It was full. Rafe and Kade paced, both of his brothers pale with worry. Alea stood near the window. Dane and Cooper were talking quietly, conferring together. Landon leaned against the wall, his eyes on Alea. The big guard didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything except Alea.
&nbs
p; Tal couldn’t even think about that problem right now. He moved toward Dane, Rafe and Kade joining him the minute they realized he was there. Dane looked up, his shoulders squaring.
“Sir.”
“What have you discovered?”
Dane’s mouth was a flat, straight line. “Not much. By the time we got here, someone had cleaned everything up. Landon went down to the kitchens, but even the dishes had been washed and put away by then. I don’t think we would get anything off them even if we knew which ones had been used.”
Rafe paled. “I’m going to kill him.”
And thereby set off a huge political incident. “We don’t have any proof Khalil was responsible.”
Kade’s fists were clenched at his sides. “He was sitting in here with her when we came up. The bastard just walked into our apartments and talked to our wife without bothering to confer with us. We don’t need fucking proof.”
Talib took hold of his temper since his brothers seemed so determined to lose their own. And they needed several facts pointed out to them. Facts that had been running through his head from the moment they had told him Piper had taken ill. “The press is watching us, Kadir. All eyes are squarely on this family. Do you see the headlines? She isn’t our wife yet. They will talk about the barbarians who killed a man because he merely spoke to their concubine.”
Khalil had a hand in this. Tal didn’t care what the doctor said. She’d been perfectly fine all day, stressed, yes, but not ill. He just couldn’t prove anything yet.
“We’ve questioned the staff. No one remembers who brought the tea up here,” Dane said
Rafe scrubbed a hand across his face. “Ahmed put together the food for the shaykhah. He has been with us since we were children.”
“It wasn’t Ahmed,” Tal returned. “And I’ve just informed the staff that the shaykhah doesn’t eat anything that Ahmed doesn’t approve.”