The Sheikh's Desert Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 8)

by Albany,Cara

  The inside of the tent was scented with a riotous combination of smells, perfumed and sweet. Two small candles in glass globes cast a gentle light. The space was about twenty feet square and there was a long, plush, red couch in the middle. Soft cushions were strewn around the floor in front of the couch. There was a small, makeshift dark wood table in front of the couch.

  Off to one side, separated by a hanging drape, was a sleeping area. Inside the space she saw a narrow bed. It had obviously been quickly tidied, the multi-colored bed covering tucked neatly into the bed's sides.

  She planted her hands on her hips. So, this was where she was going to sleep tonight. This was what it had come down to. Separate tents. She suppressed a smile at that thought and wondered what Azim would be doing right now, in the tent next door. She raised a hand to her face. But, there was no-one here to see her grin.

  She went to the couch and flopped down on it, grateful to be sitting at last, after the long ride, first through the mountains, and then alongside Azim across the desert. Of course they'd talked during the afternoon's ride. But, Lucy had made sure that there had been no hint of a conversation about how she and Azim had split. The desert was no place for a discussion about breakups. In fact, there wasn't anywhere in the world where she wanted to talk about what had happened two years. There was still too much pain lurking inside her. What about Azim? Did he still feel hurt?

  Here in the relative calm of the cool tent, her mind drifted back to her time two years before with Azim. They'd met at a fancy function in Qazhar city to promote the cultural work being done in the region to protect ancient artefacts from theft or damage. It had been Lucy's first visit to Qazhar and she'd been impressed by the sheer opulence and scale of the city. Its modernity contrasted starkly with its long and ancient traditions. All the great and good had been on display at the expensive event, for which the NGO Lucy had been working for had obtained an invite. Her employers carried some clout in the region and had managed to get her an invite.

  Lucy hadn't been impressed with the wealth on display. It just wasn't her thing. It had seemed tacky, even tasteless considering the seriousness of what was happening to the treasures of the country's history.

  But there had been one person who had impressed her at the event. And that was an understatement.

  Azim.

  She'd been aware that he'd been watching her all evening, and she'd had to admit to being impressed by the panty-melting gorgeousness of the sheikh. It took only a few casual inquiries for her to find out that he was one of the Al Mahrez family who, along with the Al Kharif family, were the main benefactors of the work being promoted.

  Azim had really captivated her. At the end of the evening he'd invited her for dinner. He'd claimed it would enable them to discuss her work in more detail. But, Lucy had sensed right from the start that what he really wanted to know more about was her. The feeling had been mutual, she'd had to admit. Up close, Azim had been even more devastating than he'd been from a distance. Lucy had found herself utterly and totally captivated by him.

  From then on her life had been turned upside down, as Azim had inexorably drawn her into his life. Those weeks had been the most amazing of her life. He'd wooed Lucy and eventually won her heart, breaking down all her barriers.

  He'd introduced Lucy to influential people involved in her work. He'd done everything possible to make her feel like the most special woman in the world.

  No matter how hard she'd tried to keep things formal between them, no matter what she did to try and keep him at bay, Lucy's heart eventually succumbed to Azim's skilful persuasions and before she knew it she was in his bed. Nights of lovemaking followed which drove her to heights of passionate abandon she'd never known possible. Insane ecstasy had consumed her night after night until she'd reached a point where she wondered if she was the same person who'd arrived in Qazhar weeks before.

  She'd felt a closeness to this incredible sheikh, an intimacy she'd never felt with any other man. He was unique, an astonishing man, someone who seemed determined to claim her, make her his own in every possible sense. She'd felt possessed by a kind of madness during those weeks, and she'd been aware that she'd almost abandoned her work, the very reason she'd come to Qazhar in the first place.

  Finally he'd introduced to his wonderful family who were beyond sweet, the most delightful people she'd ever met, she'd thought. They had welcomed her into their life and made her feel like she was already a part of their special, unique world.

  And that was where the problems had started for Lucy. That was when she'd realized the seriousness of Azim's purpose, what he'd intended to do, if she had given him the chance. She'd felt as if invisible walls had been closing in on her. She'd tried to communicate how she'd felt to Azim, and he'd been compassionate, but apparently undaunted in his determination to make Lucy much more than just a casual acquaintance.

  No matter how many times she'd tried to tell him that things were moving too fast, that she felt hemmed in by everything, that she desperately needed time to think, Azim seemed to simply carry on as if everything would work itself out. As if it was destiny that they should be together, as if he was fated to have this beautiful American as his wife.

  Lucy leaned back on the sofa and gazed up at the roof of the tent. She sighed as she recalled just how close he'd come to making the ultimate proposal to her. Azim had arranged a "special dinner", as he'd described it. She'd guessed exactly what that would involve. All during the day she'd prepared for the planned evening which he'd scheduled in the most exclusive restaurant in Qazhar city, complete with a view out over the sea.

  But, before his limo had arrived she'd made sure she was gone, already at the airport waiting for the flight back to the States. As she'd sat in the departure lounge she'd been sure he would appear, desperation on his features, get down his knee and make the proposal he so obviously, so desperately, wanted to make. The one that would change her world forever. But she couldn't allow that to happen. She'd known that, felt it in her bones, even if she knew that deep down she loved him, knew that he was someone she would never forget.

  What a thought!

  How could she ever forget those nights, his scorching lovemaking, the ecstasy he'd driven her to?

  But, he hadn't raced into the airport; he hadn't ordered the plane to halt on the runway; hadn't stopped all air traffic to prevent her escape. Because that was how it felt. Escape.

  Even as she'd sat on the plane as it had risen into the sky and watched the lights of Qazhar city fall away into, she'd known she was probably making the biggest mistake of her life. She'd known she was possibly going to spend the rest of her life regretting her decision.

  And it was all of that she was battling with, here in the quietness of this tent, while outside the man who had transformed her life in so many ways, was preparing to continue to tend to her every need. She shouldn't be surprised at that. Lucy already knew just how determined Azim could be. It was a wonder that she'd managed to maintain some distance between them these past twenty-four hours.

  She wondered how long she could keep up her resistance, hold back his obvious and clear advances. She'd seen the need in his eyes, witnessed the obvious desire he still felt for her. And, if she was absolutely truthful there was a part of her that was glad that he still had those feelings for her.

  Even though they'd been back together for over a day now, she was amazed that he still hadn't demanded an answer from her. Hadn't forced her to tell him why she had run out on him.

  Lucy wasn't even sure she could tell him. The act she'd taken had been born of sheer gut instinct, some unknowable force which had made her panic at the prospect of losing everything she told herself she'd won for herself in the battle of life. Wasn't being tied down everything she'd rebelled against back in her home town. If she'd wanted to settle down, she could have taken up her father's offer of security or ended up in her mother's bakery.

  Wasn't it that she was running away from? Was it simply that she didn't
want anyone tying her down? Not even Azim, the most incredible man she'd ever known. Possibly the most amazing man she would ever know.

  "You hungry?" she heard Azim call to her from outside. She noted that he didn't even enter her tent, instead waiting respectfully outside.

  Lucy stood and straightened her shirt, running a hand over her face. She didn't want him to notice the emotion she knew was etched on her face.

  "I'll be right out," she replied.

  And then she started to make her way out, determined that he wouldn't see that the memories of the past still had a capacity to move her.

  CHAPTER TEN

  They finished eating as the sun was starting to settle on the distant horizon. Under any other circumstances, Lucy told herself, this would have been one of the most romantic things she could ever have done. A meal with a gorgeous sheikh in a desert encampment while watching the sunset, seated on a blanket atop a high dune.

  But, that wasn't how it felt.

  Lucy drew in a slow, quiet breath and felt her nerves quiver. This actually felt like exquisite, painful torture, she told herself.

  She glanced across at him, gauging him, assessing him as best she could. He looked calm, even pleased, she thought. Azim had been a thorough gentleman throughout the meal. He'd made no reference to their earlier disagreement. In fact, he seemed to take an almost innocent, simple pleasure in her company. How could he have forgotten what she'd put him through? Didn't he harbor even the smallest amount of resentment? Surely he had every right to feel something. Anything.

  Lucy realized that his pleasant demeanor must simply be an act, a determined mask he was putting on. Azim was too proud to show any petty feelings to Lucy. During their previous time together she'd seen plenty of examples of his self-control. Whenever he'd been around other people, that was.

  It had been a whole different thing whenever he'd been alone with Lucy. It had been during those solitary moments when Lucy had witnessed the sheer power that Azim possessed, not only as a lover, but as a man who was capable of making a woman the whole focus of his existence, as if nothing else in the world could possibly matter. That had been the private Azim she had been accustomed to seeing.

  Lucy glanced across at Azim as they sat on the mat he'd laid out next to the oasis. No. This Azim was a different man from the one she'd known. Back then, in a situation like this, Lucy would have been left in no doubt about just what Azim felt for her.

  Was the explanation simply that he no longer cared? Could it be that those occasional comments he'd made to her had just been slips of the tongue? That he wasn't as consumed by her as she'd thought? Had his attitude toward her cooled?

  Once they'd reached the safety of the city, would he simply air-kiss Lucy and wish her well? As she chewed on another mouthful of food, she tried to make herself believe he would do that. But, remembering how things had been between them, she found it incomprehensible.

  Once they'd finished their food they spent a short while chatting. It was idle talk about inconsequential things, but she could tell that he didn't really want this kind of conversation. The sun was finally almost dipping below the horizon when he surprised her by leaning forward and kissing her politely on the cheek.

  "I'm sure you must be tired, Lucy. It's been a long day," he said in an even voice.

  Lucy was sure she gazed at him with an expression of disbelief on her face. "I suppose you're right," she replied.

  The light from the distant sunset made his skin appear warm, enticing, and she realized she wanted to reach up and run the back of her fingers down the edge of his jaw, feel the hard dark stubble against her skin. But she knew that if she did that there would no knowing where things would end up. She felt a curious, confusing relief when she saw him turn away from her and mutter. "Goodnight."

  "Goodnight, Azim," she said to him and she watched him walk slowly back down the side of the dune to his own tent, open the flap and duck inside.

  Lucy folded her arms around herself, feeling the welcome coolness in the air. Why had Azim just walked away from her like that? But, more importantly, why was she feeling like this after watching him disappear into his own tent for the night? Was this what it had all come down to? Lucy gazed westward across the desert. She suddenly wished she was already there, far away in Qazhar city, getting ready to leave again, putting all of this behind her once and for all. Instead, she was stuck out here, facing a long night with little sleep.

  Lucy felt a sudden need to cleanse herself of these awful feelings, wash away the sand that was clinging to her, making her feel unclean. She peered down toward the oasis' pool, clear and cool and so very inviting. Dare she plunge into that pool, cleanse her body, scrub her mind of these tormenting thoughts? Of course. It was the only thing that would make her feel different, rid herself of these troubling sensations.

  She raced down the dune and into her tent. She was stripped in minutes, wrapping her body in a towel she'd found in the sleeping alcove. She walked barefoot across the carpeted floor and opened the flap of her tent, gazing out. The sky was darkening, a deep shade of blue. There was still time.

  Lucy stretched her head out for any sign of Azim. Finding the coast clear, she stepped out onto the sand, feeling the warm softness between her toes. She padded quickly across toward the pool a few yards distant.

  Once at the water's edge she turned her head again, looking back. She could barely comprehend what Azim's reaction would be if he emerged from his tent and found her standing by the pool, getting ready to plunge into its welcoming coolness.

  There was still no sign of him.

  She gazed down into the water, still holding the towel tight around her body. She could see the sandy bottom of the pool. It didn't seem any deeper than her own petite height.

  Lucy squatted down and traced the tips of her fingers into the water. It felt cool and inviting.

  She stood and, with one last glance back toward the tents, she slipped off the towel. It dropped to the sand, piling around her bare feet.

  Lucy felt utterly exposed and instinctively placed her hands across her breasts and middle. Feeling foolish because of the realization that there was no-one to see her, she took one step closer to the edge and dipped the toes of one foot into the water. She rested her foot into the sand beneath the surface. The sand shifted, obviously looser beneath the water than it was by the water's edge.

  The angle of the incline beneath the water was sharper than she'd thought and, as she took a few steps into the water, she felt the sand move loosely beneath her feet. Her muscles tightened, maintaining her balance and she thrust her arms out, as she took a few more steps. The water was up to her knees now and Lucy started to get a sense of how cooling the pool would be. She felt the cold make its way up the length of her body. She drew in a sharp breath and smiled. It felt so good.

  A few more steps and she was up to her waist in water. She gasped with the coldness and playfully scooped up some water with her hands. The sound of the splashing water, the loudness of it in this quiet place, reminded her that it would be wise to keep quiet. One more glance back toward the tents told her she was still alone.

  Lucy smiled. She felt like she was winning some kind of secret victory and wondered if she should tell him about it in the morning. How would he react? She didn't care about that now. All she cared about was the wonderful cooling, cleansing water enveloping her body. She felt all the grime of the past few days ease off her skin.

  Then, she took a few more tentative steps into the middle of the pool, stretching her legs, sinking deeper, testing with her toes, feeling the sand at the bottom of the pool. With a final push forward she was floating in a chilled ecstasy, her arms stretched out by her side, leaning her head back, feeling her hair float behind her head.

  She drew in a deep breath and had to suppress a giggle as she gazed up through the branches of the trees at the darkening sky. Stretching out completely, floating on her back, Lucy felt the delicious weightlessness, buoyant and free. It was m
ade even more intense by the sheer, welcoming softness in her muscles.

  She kicked her legs, feeling like a child as she splashed her feet on the surface. She suppressed yet another giggle. She sighed, sensing the water around every part of her body.

  Lucy closed her eyes and gave herself over completely to the sensations. Her mind emptied and it was as if every troubling thought had been washed away. She sighed loudly, letting all the tension ease out of her, emptying herself of all her doubts and worries. All she wanted was to be here now, in this moment. All thoughts of the future and past had vanished. There was only the purifying, icy welcome of the water.

  For a while she just floated on her back. Then she turned and started to swim across the width of the oasis pool, glancing every now and then toward Azim's tent. She still saw no sign of him, taking that as encouragement to swim a little while longer. The truth was, she hadn't enjoyed anything as much as this in a long while. Her initial decision to take only a brief dip in the pool now seemed more than a little foolish. She could probably afford to stay a little longer, she told herself.

  As she swam she found her mind drifting. Thoughts of Azim crept into her awareness and there seemed to be nothing she could do to stop them. They were wickedly tempting images of how Azim would look stretched out on his bed, every part of his body on full display, his smooth flesh, his muscled torso, his long legs, his tautly toned middle.

  Lucy stopped swimming, feeling all her muscles tighten as she floated in the middle of the pool. A curious mixture of cold and warmth settled across her body. She started to move her limbs quickly, desperate to drive the sensations away, regain the calmness of moments before. She desperately wanted to regain that childish sense of fun she'd enjoyed moments before.

  After a few moments she halted, taken aback by the noise of the splashing water in the quiet confines of the desert oasis. Maybe it might be time to get back to her tent, she told herself. Trying to calm herself, she closed her eyes one last time and drew in a long, deep breath, savoring the sensation of the cooling water one last time.