by Albany,Cara
She waved a dismissive hand at him. "Don't go embarrassing me."
He squinted at her. "Why not? Isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing?" He gazed upwards, trying to find his next words. "What did you used to accuse me of doing? Driving you crazy? Yes. That was it," he added with a grin.
She narrowed her eyes. "I seem to remember you were pretty good at that, Azim," she said.
"Like last night?" he asked in an even, quiet voice.
There he went again, she said to herself. He wasn't going to drop the subject, no matter what she did.
Lucy went to the pack and he stepped aside as she dug inside, checking her equipment. Examining it, she found that it seemed to be undamaged.
A few minutes later she was back on the horse, leaning into Azim, who'd wrapped his arms right around her. With a flick of the reins they started to head south again, this time faster. She sensed a fresh urgency in Azim as he coaxed the horse to a quicker pace than before.
For a while she simply leaned back against him, gazing out across the rolling dunes. This was such an incredible place, she thought. No wonder he felt so at home. Once its dangers had been tamed, the desert was awe-inspiring. It had the capacity to change a person. Make them feel utterly transformed.
It was part of the reason she'd loved coming to these parts so much in recent times. She'd always enjoyed seeing new places, and this wasn't the first desert she'd traveled across. In other countries in the wider region, she'd ridden by camel, visited isolated encampments and traveled with guides.
But, sitting here, with Azim pressing his sexy body against her, the only thing she felt like doing was sighing with contentment, and just enjoying the moment.
When he heard her sigh, Azim murmured in her ear. "You sound like you're happy." His voice was a low, tempting growl. Her nerves tingled with feel of his breath against the skin behind her ear.
Lucy gazed out across the landscape. "Who wouldn't be happy in a place like this," she replied.
"I know. I can't imagine never being able to come to a place like this." His voice was filled with pride.
Lucy turned her head and looked at him. "It's in your blood, Azim. That's the difference between you and me. I'm just passing through. But, for you, this is life. This is reality."
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
"Say what?"
"That you're just passing through," he said.
She frowned. "It's true. Isn't it?"
She saw his brows furrow and felt him draw in a deep breath. He didn't respond immediately and she worried she'd said the wrong thing. But, wasn't it true? Nothing that had happened in the last twenty-four hours was going to make any difference, was it?
Even as she entertained those thoughts, she knew they weren't true, knew that, deep down, something vital had changed since they'd been reunited back in those mountains.
Finally he spoke again. "I'd have thought last night might have made you see me in a different light," he said.
She tried to smile at him, but she saw how serious he was, so she simply nodded. "I did, Azim," she said softly. She reached a hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. "You know that, don't you?" she added.
She saw him frown, as if what she'd said had only made things worse, caused him more confusion.
"So, what are you saying, Lucy?" he asked, a sudden sharpness in his voice. "You know how I feel about you. How I still feel about you."
Lucy turned and faced away from him, gazing ahead toward the dunes on the horizon. It was going to be a long ride, if this was an example of the conversation between them.
"I know what you're saying, Azim. It's just all so complicated," she said.
She felt his arms tighten around her. "How is it complicated? I thought it was pretty clear how we felt about each other, last night."
"It may have been clear to you, Azim," she said, bristling slightly at his demanding tone of voice. "Things always were black and white for you. That's not how my world works," she said. Still facing away from him she added: "You know I don't live in your world. I never have."
She heard him sigh heavily and felt him ease away from her. "You could have, if you'd wanted," he said. "And then none of this would have happened. You'd have been completely safe with me."
Lucy stiffened and whirled around to peer at him. "Is that all you think about? Keeping me safe?"
"What's wrong with that?" he growled. His brows deepened and there was a hint of darkness in his eyes.
Lucy sighed sharply. "I never said there was anything wrong with it. Just that, I need my space. My freedom. I've worked hard to get where I am."
Azim squeezed her tight and grinned. "And I've worked pretty hard to get you right where I want you," he murmured.
In spite of everything she'd tried to convince herself of, that nothing had changed, she knew he was right. The way her heart was pounding, the insistent throbbing of her pulse as she listened to those words told her that everything had changed. And, it didn't matter how much she tried to rebel against that truth.
"I can't deny that you've gone to a lot of trouble on my behalf," she said, trying to deflect the direction of the conversation. She needed to find a way to make sure he understood she was grateful for his help. But, without encouraging him to think that there was anything for them both to move on to.
"That's generous of you," he said. She turned and saw he was grinning at her.
"And I'm grateful," she said slowly.
He frowned. "Just grateful?"
She nodded.
"That's all?" he asked, his gaze even.
Lucy turned away from him again and let out a huge sigh. Why was he making this so difficult for her?
"I don't know what else I can say, Azim," she said finally.
"How about telling me what you want to do next," he suggested in an even voice. She could tell he was being serious again.
"I thought the next thing was for us to get to your friend's palace on the coast," she said, knowing that wasn't at all what he'd meant.
He cleared his throat. Was he starting to get frustrated? He had every right to be, she told herself. Lucy knew she was probably starting to drive him crazy with her awkwardness about this whole subject.
"I was talking about something beyond that, Lucy. The future. Our future."
The sound of that last word struck her like a physical blow. She didn't dare reply to that. She wasn't sure she could even say the right thing, or find the words to express how that word had just made her feel. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him by saying the wrong thing.
The way she felt right now, she hardly even knew what she was thinking. Her mind was a whirl of jumbled thoughts warring with each other. She felt herself start to shake, and drew in a deep breath, desperate to calm herself.
Once the sensations faded, all she could feel was the movement of the horse as it strode languidly across the warm desert sand.
Why did everything have to get like this? So complicated. Why couldn't her heart just let her accept this wonderful, brief reunion for what it so obviously was? A reminder of a past she'd left well and truly behind. That wasn't too much to ask for, was it?
"Tell me about your friend," she said quickly. "You said he was married to an American."
She heard him sigh. Was that irritation that she was trying to change the subject? He paused, apparently gathering his thoughts.
"Raz is one of the Al Kharif family."
"Who are they, again?" she asked.
"Only one of the most influential families in the kingdom," he explained. "They're involved in some way in most of the top levels of administration. Mostly in an advisory capacity. Raz is involved in environmental protection, especially connected with oil exploration. That's how he met Ella. She was here investigating some kind of toxic pollution spill near the border." Azim grinned. "She's pretty feisty. But, cute nevertheless."
"She sounds like my kind of gal," Lucy said.
"I think you and her will get along
. Looks like you've both got a lot in common."
"Yeah?" she asked raising a brow.
He nodded. "Sexy American women coming to our country to make sure we sort things out," he said teasing her with a grin.
"So, Ella's sexy is she?" Lucy asked, squinting at Azim.
"Raz certainly seemed to think so," he said ignoring her taunt. "It was a whirlwind romance. He proposed after only knowing her a short while. Seemed like love at first sight. At least, that's how everyone saw it. According to what I heard from his brothers when Raz and Ella met at first they fought like cats and dogs."
"What's so unusual about that?" she asked.
Azim peered at her. "Apparently it's more common than I thought," he said with a weary grin.
Lucy ignored that last remark. "So, now Ella's living in her prince's palace by the sea," Lucy said. "Now, that does sound like something out of a fairytale."
Azim gazed into the distance. She saw his eyes narrow. "You'll get a chance to see for yourself. We'll be there soon."
"What are we waiting for, then?" she asked.
"Let's get going," he said coaxing the horse to a faster pace.
Lucy peered ahead at the horizon and thought about what awaited her at Raz Al Kharif's coastal palace. It would be interesting to see how one young American woman had adjusted to life in Qazhar. It sounded like she and Lucy had more than a few things in common. What was it about Qazhar men and American wives? Was there some strange attraction that the sheikhs found irresistible?
One thing was for sure. It was going to be interesting seeing just what it meant to be the foreign wife of a sheikh.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"What do you think?" Azim asked Lucy as he pulled the horse to a halt atop a rocky outcrop, high above the thin line of a tarmac road which wound its way through the steep slopes of ridges. In the distance was Raz's palace, a beautiful, white, huge building perched atop cliffs that faced out over the sea.
"Wow. That's beautiful," he heard her say. And she sounded like she meant it. Azim had to admit the palace, nestling against the low, coastal ridges facing the sea, was impressive. He'd always thought so, every time he'd come out to visit Raz.
In the distance was the shimmering blue of the sea. The fresh wind had a salty scent that was welcome after the dryness of the desert. They'd finally made it through the desert, and he had to admit that he felt relief that they'd made it. After their brief talk, which had almost ended up as an argument, they'd passed the rest of the journey in relative quiet. It had felt so good to have her next to him, to hold Lucy close, savor her presence. And now, they'd reached the end of their journey. He wondered what was going to happen next.
One thing he did know was that he needed to get them to the palace as soon as possible. They were both covered in a thick layer of sand, and he could only imagine how surprised Raz and Ella would be to see Azim arriving, out of the blue, with his former lover. He was sure he could find a way to explain it without it sounding crazy.
As he guided the horse down to the road and toward the welcoming sight of the distant palace, he couldn't help wondering how he was going to persuade Lucy to stay longer. He wanted her to remain and attend his brother Zarif's wedding to Rachel, his brother's amazing English bride-to-be. A knot of jealousy twisted inside Azim at that thought.
He admired Zarif for the way he'd refused to let anything stand in his way when it had come to winning Rachel's heart. He'd heard all about it from Zarif. The way he'd had to pursue Rachel, overcoming her hesitancy about their relationship at every turn.
That sounded all too familiar to Azim, he thought, wrapping his arm around Lucy, who was too busy gazing ahead at the palace to notice Azim nuzzling closer.
They rode alongside the road, staying on the sand by the tarmac surface. He didn't want the horse injuring itself on the hard road surface. He could tell the animal was exhausted after carrying both of them across the desert. There would be good care for the horse up ahead. He knew Raz had a small stable of his own mounts.
Finally they reached the large gate which luckily was open. Azim guided the horse into the courtyard. There was a welcome coolness in the shade of the white buildings. Azim pulled the horse up and helped Lucy slide down onto the stone surface of the wide courtyard.
Azim leapt down next to Lucy.
"It's nice, isn't it?" he said.
Lucy's brows rose and she shook her head. "It's impressive."
Over in the corner Azim saw one of Raz's red sports cars parked. He grinned at the welcome sight, remembering how much Raz liked his cars.
Azim took Lucy's hand and saw her look at him in surprise. Ignoring that, he led her slowly to the high wooden palace doors and pushed one of them open. He stepped inside and called out. "Hello. Raz. Ella. Is anyone at home?"
He stepped into the high-ceilinged hall, holding onto Lucy's hand, and glanced to either side where there were two open doors leading to rooms. He didn't see anyone. He peered up the length of the staircase that stretched high up ahead. "Hello," he called out, hearing his voice echoing around the ornately tiled walls.
Azim glanced at Lucy and shrugged.
Then he heard a familiar male voice call out. "Azim? What are you doing here?" He looked up at the top of the stairs and saw a couple standing there.
"Raz and Ella," he called out, smiling broadly.
Raz and Ella came down the stairs and halted in front of Azim and Lucy. He could see the confusion on their faces.
Azim saw Raz gaze up and down at him. Taking in the sight of white robes covered in sand. He saw Ella look at Lucy with the same expression of confused disbelief.
"What's going on?" Raz asked.
Azim sighed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later. We've spent some time in the desert," Azim said. He glanced down at his robes. "As you can see."
Azim saw Ella looking at Lucy, obviously awaiting some kind of introduction. "Raz. You remember Lucy," Azim said gesturing to Lucy.
Raz seemed momentarily put off his stride. Lucy must have been the last person he expected to see standing by Azim's side. "Of course, Lucy," Raz said. He hugged her and they shared an air kiss. "It's been a while, hasn't it," he added.
Azim flinched slightly when he heard that. He saw Lucy nod hurriedly. "You could say that," she muttered glancing quickly toward Ella. "You must be Ella."
"You're American," Ella said brightly. She smiled at Lucy. "I can tell. It's the accent," she said with good humor and hugging Lucy. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy," she said.
"How did this happen?" Raz asked looking bemused.
Azim waved a dismissive hand. "I'll tell you all about it later. I'm afraid I've left my horse next to your sports car." Azim grinned at Raz. "I hope you don't mind."
Raz smiled. "I'll get one the staff to take care of it."
They were led into one of the rooms. All four of them took their places on two facing couches. Servants brought drinks for Azim and Lucy. They both drained multiple glasses of water from the large pitcher.
Azim wasn't sure how much of Lucy's story he should share with Raz and Ella. He ended up concluding it would be better of if he let her tell them as much as she wanted. Better to leave it up to her.
Azim only spoke about how he and Lucy had made their way across the desert after meeting in the mountains. Judging by the expression on Ella's face, that seemed scary enough. Lucy eventually opened up, telling her own tale. Ella's shimmering green eyes had filled with amazement on hearing some of the details of Lucy's adventures.
As he recounted some of what had happened to them, Azim looked more closely at Raz and Ella. They both looked incredibly happy together. Ella looked beautiful and graceful, her pretty face framed by a thick mane of blonde hair. Raz also looked as if he'd prospered since marrying Ella. He was fitter and more handsome than ever. Marriage had obviously been good for them. The same as it had been for all the Al Kharif brothers.
He felt a tinge of envy as he watched how they joked with each other, teasi
ng one another at every opportunity. He wanted some of that, he told himself. Listening to Lucy tell Ella about how she'd come from the States to document some ancient monuments, Azim could tell just how much it meant to her.
And then, it struck him that she was talking about love, after all. Her love for his country, for the place which had made him what he was. He wondered how he'd been so foolish as to ignore that blatantly obvious fact. Lucy was already a part of his land. Just by caring about it so much she was almost an honorary Qazhar citizen, he told himself.
Some light snacks were brought for them, and then they were led up to rooms which had been prepared for them on the upper floor of the palace. Azim knew Lucy would be glad to enjoy some of the benefits of civilization, especially a well appointed bedroom and bathroom. He had to admit that he was desperate to get out of his robes. He and Raz were the same size, so he was sure there would be something more casual he could wear around the palace.
As they made their way along the corridor toward their rooms, Azim chatted with Raz while Lucy and Emma trailed behind.
Raz paused outside the door to one of the bedrooms. "We've given you this room, Lucy," he said opening the door and revealing a sumptuous interior.
Azim saw Lucy's eyes widen with delight. Emma led Lucy into the room and immediately started showing her around the huge suite.
Raz and Azim waited by the door. Raz glanced at Azim. "How long are you two planning to stay?"
Seeing the hesitation on Azim's face, Raz added quickly. "You know you're both welcome to stay as long as you like,"
Azim smiled. "Thanks, Raz. That's kind of you," he said in a quiet voice. He didn't want Lucy to hear this conversation. Right now, he had other plans. Now that they were in the palace, he knew he had a golden opportunity that he might never get again.
"I think we'll stay for the night. You know Zarif's getting married this coming weekend."
"How could I forget? My sister Aliyah won't stop talking about it," he said with a wry grin.
Azim smiled. He knew how much Raz's sister loved to get involved in anything to do with other peoples weddings. Even if, it seemed, they were only related by friendship.