by Albany, Cara
The clacking sound of her shoes echoed in the huge cavernous space as she descended the stairs. Ella was certain someone must be listening to the sound of her passage downstairs. If they'd heard Ella, there was still no sign that they were coming to greet her.
Finally she made it to the bottom step. She paused and cocked her head.
Nothing.
The palace was quiet.
Ella saw two doors on either side of her, both of them open. She walked to the one on her right and peered into the room. A large dining table filled the room with a chair at either end. Ella was momentarily disappointed to notice there was no food on the table.
Ella turned and went to the door of the other room.
She paused suddenly and froze.
Raz was seated on a long divan, and he was fast asleep. He lay stretched out, with his back twisted slightly and his head angled in such a way that the light shone directly onto his face. His thick dark hair glistened in the soft light; his even features were relaxed.
Gazing at Raz, Ella couldn't help thinking he looked like a man completely at peace with himself, the king of all he surveyed. In this light, she had to admit he looked even more handsome than she had realized. There was a regal quality about him, as if he knew that nothing could touch him, or disturb the balance of his life. He was powerful looking. The slash of his strong nose led to the full lips that had just a touch of moistness on them.
Ella stood absolutely still, reluctant to lose the chance to examine the man who had saved her, and who now believed he was her protector. Ella had never needed the protection of any man. Even though Raz undoubtedly had some fine characteristics, Ella knew she had to deny him; that she must not allow what he had done for her to cloud her judgment or alter the course she had set for herself in life.
Ella glanced around the room. It was elegantly furnished with exotically patterned divans, a few chairs with wooden tables and sideboards that spoke of wealth and taste. A wide marble fireplace took up a large part of the wall opposite her. Book-lined shelves covered the walls at the far end. It was a room fit for a prince, she thought. But, it lacked a soft touch. Dare she say, a feminine touch.
Ella sighed and pushed that thought away. The sound of her breath disturbed Raz, and he opened his eyes. His gaze settled on Ella. At first he didn't react, merely staring at her standing at the door. He looked momentarily puzzled.
"Am I dreaming?" he murmured sleepily.
Ella extended her hands to her side. "I don't think you are," she replied. "I believe I'm real. At least I was, the last time I checked," she said with a grin.
Raz sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He cleared his throat. "What are you doing up?" he asked sounding groggy.
"I'm hungry," Ella stated bluntly.
Raz's eyes widened. "Hungry?"
Ella nodded.
Raz leapt up off the divan. "Of course. You must be starving. What time is it?" he said glancing at his watch.
"I think it's around midnight," Ella replied.
Raz gazed around the room as if seeking guidance. Then he peered at Ella. "How did you get down here?"
Ella pointed back in the direction of the hall. "The stairs were helpful," she said cheekily.
"You came all the way down without asking for help?" Raz asked.
Ella squinted at him. "Of course, I did. I'm not an invalid," she said.
"That's not the point. The doctor said you needed to take things easy for the first day or two."
"Well, as you can see, I'm fine," Ella declared. "Maybe I need a second opinion."
Raz made his way to her. He didn't look amused. "Next time call one of the servants," he said firmly. "Or me, for that matter."
Ella grinned at Raz. "You?"
Raz nodded, suddenly looking deadly serious. "The phone next to the bed is linked to the servants. They'll come if you need them."
"I don't need to be waited on hand and foot," Ella said.
Raz sighed and shook his head. "Let me see about dinner," he said.
"But, it's midnight," Ella objected.
"One of the advantages of owning your own palace is you can have dinner anytime you like," Raz said quirking a brow at her.
"Now, isn't that something," Ella teased.
Raz narrowed his eyes, and his mouth creased slightly. She could tell he knew she was baiting him. And, he looked like he was enjoying it.
"Let me speak to them," he said.
As he passed Ella, he brushed against her. He stopped inches away from her and ran his gaze down the length of her dress. "That suits you," he said simply. "It's the right color for you. Sets off your eyes." There was a look of deep appreciation on his features. For a moment, she saw a flicker of something stronger than politeness in his eyes. It was a hunger that was quickly disguised the moment she saw it.
In spite of her best efforts, Ella felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She was sure he could see the effect his compliment had had on her.
Raz smiled briefly at Ella and then made his way into the hall, heading for what she assumed was a downstairs kitchen.
Ella entered the sitting room and ambled slowly around it, scrutinizing what Raz's idea of comfort was. Maybe she could get a better understanding of him, by assessing the kinds of things that were important to him. She'd already seen the motor-yacht down at the jetty. Obviously he still suffered from the same notions of the idle super-rich; with fabulous wealth came fabulous toys, especially if you were the spoiled son of a wealthy oil rich family with a monopoly over a country's natural assets.
Ella chided herself. That wasn't quite fair to the man who had carried her to safety from a wrecked car and who obviously cared for her safety.
No.
There was much more to Raz than what the superficial trappings of his wealth revealed. She'd already had an inkling of the strong passions he had locked up inside himself. It seemed like every time he came near Ella, a fiery desire ignited in him. Ella ran a finger across the line of books on his shelf. Judging by the titles, Raz was an educated man. Ella nodded in appreciation at the breadth of learning the bookshelves revealed.
Ella remained in the sitting room listening to the frantic rush of activity as servants started to bring food to the nearby dining room.
After a short while, Raz reappeared at the sitting room door. "Dinner's ready," he said with a smile.
"Great," Ella replied. "I'm famished." She followed Raz to the dining room. On entering the room, she let out a gasp. The entire table was covered with a myriad of dishes laden with delicious looking food.
Raz went to the end of the table and pulled out the chair. Standing behind it, he looked at Ella with obvious excitement etched on his features. "Would you care to sit?" he asked.
Ella smiled and went to the chair. As she prepared to sit down, she saw him watch her with visible delight. She sat down, glancing up at him over her shoulder. Raz tucked the chair against her legs, and she felt the soft, padded seat beneath her bottom as she sat. She leaned back and felt Raz's hand briefly on her shoulder.
Ella glanced up at him and saw his warm gaze looking down at her. "Comfortable?" he asked.
Ella nodded and looked along the table. "It all looks wonderful."
Raz moved to the other end of the table, his stride slow and deliberate, as if he knew she would be watching him from behind. Which, indeed, she was. Once again he looked like a temporarily tamed animal, restrained from stalking his prey. His bearing was erect and noble, a product, she guessed, of years of formal social events and the need to impress that had been drummed into him by his parents.
Ella watched Raz sit down at the opposite end of the table. Two servants came in and started to serve the exquisite food. One of the servants poured mineral water into the champagne flute at Ella's side.
She glanced along the table and saw that Raz was similarly having mineral water poured into his glass. "You're not drinking champagne?" she asked.
Raz shook his head. "For you, it's doctor's orders.
For me, I thought I might join you in an evening of sobriety," he said with a grin.
"Is that different from what you normally indulge in?" Ella asked.
"I don't enjoy drinking alcohol. Apart from which, our family doesn't really approve."
Ella lifted the glass and sipped the water, the bubbles tickling her nose. "Lovely water," she said.
Raz smiled and took a sip from his glass. "Very nice." She knew he was probably teasing her, but this time she found she didn't disapprove so much.
They worked their way through the various courses, each one more tasty and mouthwatering than the last. There were specially prepared vegetables with spicy dips; baked fish which tasted like it had just been plucked from the sea outside the palace that very day; and finally a delicately prepared sweet made from fresh fruits encased in soft pastry.
By the time she finished eating, Ella felt fuller than she had felt in a long time. Raz was a pleasant conversationalist. He amused Ella with some stories about his life as a sheikh. It was a world she knew nothing about, except what she read in the media, and what she had seen on her brief visits. He made it all sound so appealing, an existence entirely alien to Ella, one that she knew she would never be a part of.
After the meal was finished, they both went to the sitting room. Ella joined Raz on the long sofa in front of the fireplace. A servant brought them a special cocktail made solely from fruit juices. After the sweetness of the meal, it set Ella's tongue alight, and cleansed her palate all at the same time.
It felt good to be sitting next to Raz in the quiet of the sitting room. Ella truly felt like she had entered a fairy tale world of opulence and grandeur. It was Raz's world; the sheikh's domain.
Raz sat close to her, and Ella was acutely aware of his body, his little subtle glances toward her. Nevertheless he seemed to be restraining himself, holding back from getting too close.
Raz held his glass and stretched an arm along the back of the sofa. His eyes were suddenly piercing into her. "Did you enjoy that?" he asked.
Ella smiled. "It was wonderful. Compliments to your chef," she replied.
Raz looked pleased. "I'll be sure to pass that on. They don't usually like staying up past midnight. But, this is a special occasion."
Ella looked quizzically at him. "Really?"
Raz took a sip of his drink and nodded. "Of course it is," he said. "It's not every day I bring someone truly special to this place."
"I didn't realize I was that special," she said. "I thought you brought lots of women here."
Raz frowned suddenly, and Ella knew she had overstepped an unspoken boundary. "Why do say that?" he asked sounding hurt.
"You're a rich oil sheikh," Ella said. She glanced around the room. "This is like something out of a dream." She smiled at him, suddenly determined to rebuild the distance between them both, regain the polite formality. "The handsome prince always has a bevy of beautiful women at his beck and call. Isn't that right?" she said.
Ella saw Raz's brows furrow, and there was a sudden darkness in his gaze. "That's quite an assumption you're making there."
"What? That you have an endless supply of beautiful women available to you?"
Raz shook his head and leaned closer to her. He was so close that she caught the aroma of his exotic, intoxicating scent, a primal mixture that almost made her gasp.
"What makes you think I need a beautiful woman?" he murmured.
Ella's throat tightened slightly. She felt a heat rise to her cheeks. "Isn't that what sheikhs want? A beautiful trophy on their arm?" she said.
Raz's arm slid closer to Ella, almost touching her shoulder. "And you're not a beautiful trophy, Ella?" he asked.
Ella frowned. "Me? A trophy? That's the last thing I'd want to be."
"Not even if the man on whose arm you leaned thought you were the most amazing woman he'd ever met?"
Ella drew in a sharp, involuntary breath. Had he just said that? Was he referring to her?
Ella took a rapid sip of her drink and wrenched her gaze away from Raz. The room seemed suddenly quieter. In the distance, she could hear the rhythmic pulse of the waves against the rocks. Or was that the pounding of her heart, she asked herself? Did he have any clue about the effect of his words on her?
Ella glanced back and saw the curl of his lips, the firm set of his gaze, the slight flaring of his nostrils. Of course he knew how his words had affected her, she thought. This was a man who was used to having his way in all things. No-one ever refused him anything. Ella was sure of that. He was a decisive male accustomed to satisfaction.
She felt a sudden shifting, as if her internal sense of balance had shifted. It wasn't strong enough to make her giddy, but she definitely didn't feel right. Perhaps there had been something wrong with the food she had eaten.
Raz frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Ella placed her glass down on the small, low table in front of the sofa. "I'm fine. Just felt a little woozy for a moment," she explained.
Raz straightened in the sofa and leaned toward Ella. "Maybe the meal was too much for you so soon after the crash," he suggested.
Ella shook her head. "It wasn't a crash," she said firmly. "I just lost control. That's all."
"I saw it all happen. You were run off the road, that's what."
"He was just overtaking me," Ella said defensively. "He got too close. It could have happened to anyone." She really didn't want this conversation now. Not here, and certainly not with Raz.
"You're not just anyone," Raz said softly. Ella gazed into his eyes, seeing the sincerity there again, that now familiar desire to be believed.
"Look, Raz. I appreciate what you've done for me. But, maybe it's time that I left."
Raz's brows furrowed. "Left? And go where? Back to the hotel? North to the border? Seems to me you're not going to be safe in either place. Not until we get things sorted out," he said.
"What do you mean, sorted out?" she asked.
Raz sighed. "I took on board what you said about the situation at the border."
Ella saw Raz glance at her as if gauging her reaction.
"Really?" she asked.
Raz nodded. "I have some people looking into things," he said.
"Who?"
"I can't go into it, right now. Just take it from me that I'm going to find out what's causing the pollution, and put it right. Even if it's my problem. I can't allow a situation like that to persist. The uncertainty is a taint on my family's reputation."
Ella felt herself bristle with sudden indignation. "It's not about your family's reputation. It's about the safety of those poor people up there."
Raz's jaw tightened, and he nodded. "Those are my people you are talking about, Ella."
"Oh, I forgot. You're the wise sheikh, caring for his subjects. That's all a bit old-fashioned, don't you think, Raz?" she said.
Ella saw a sudden flash of irritation on Raz's face. He leaned closer to her. "You think I'm a relic of the distant past, don't you," he snapped. His eyes had darkened, and she knew she had touched a raw nerve.
Ella hesitated. "That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" he demanded. "That you're from a more enlightened place with your Western ways?"
"I'd never suggest such a thing," she said quickly.
"I seem to recall you suggesting something like that when you visited me in my office. Looked to me like you had made your mind up about me even before we met," Raz said.
Ella rolled her eyes and then shook her head firmly. "That's not true, at all. I had no idea what you were like. Now that we know each other better, I realize my preconceptions were mistaken."
"Preconceptions. Sounds like a fancy word for prejudices," Raz stated.
"That's not fair, Raz," Ella said. "I admit we got off on the wrong foot. But, that's changed. Hasn't it?" she said meeting his fierce gaze.
Ella could see the barely contained outrage in his eyes. He was struggling to keep control of himself. After a few moments during which
Ella simply waited patiently, he finally replied. "It has changed. You're right."
Raz eased closer to Ella. She could feel his heat against her hip. His arm slid down off the back of the sofa. She felt his hand slide onto her left shoulder, his arm tightening around her back. Ella heard his breath, coarse and heavy. All his hard-won self-control seemed to have been abandoned as he leaned closer to Ella.
Ella felt a galvanic sensation course through her body. His touch was an electric impulse that jolted her into sudden and surprising pleasure. Ella saw his eyes darken appreciatively. He looked suddenly hungry, even ravenous.
Ella gasped, and her eyelids closed slowly almost against her will. She became unnaturally aware of every nerve in her body; the world seemed to have shifted beneath her; the blood was pulsing faster along her veins.
Ella opened her eyes, hoping that he wouldn't pursue this course of action. Surely it was all happening too fast. Hadn't she been convalescing only a short while ago? Didn't he understand that, or was his pleasure the only thing he could think of at this moment? What about the promises he'd made to keep her safe? Because, right at this moment that last thing she felt was safe with Sheikh Raz Al Kharif.
Raz's hand drifted up, and he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. The touch of the back of his hand against her head sent a rush of sensation down to her middle.
Ella peered into Raz's eyes and smiled hesitantly. His gaze softened, reassured by the look she had given him.
Ella knew this had to stop; knew that it couldn't go any further.
She stiffened, and Raz reacted immediately, his brows furrowing, concern filling his eyes.
Ella shrugged her shoulders, and Raz removed his hand, almost as if he'd received an electric shock. His mouth opened, and he straightened, moving slightly away from Ella.
She rubbed a hand against her forehead. "It's warm in here," she said flatly.
Looking suddenly awkward, Raz nodded. "Perhaps I can open the french doors," he said standing up.
Ella stood and faced him. "No. It's alright. I'm tired after the meal. Perhaps I need to lie down again."