by Various
‘I think he’s sulking because Amira almost beat him in the race.’ Bella watched as the stallion’s ears twitched. ‘Are you afraid of being beaten by a woman, Batal? Just like your master. That’s why I had to let him win in the pool. To protect his male ego.’
‘My ego needs no protection,’ Zafiq drawled, and Bella narrowed her eyes and shifted in her saddle.
‘Race me again, then. No favours. The gloves are off.’
‘You are incapable of racing fairly. I can guarantee that the moment I’m about to start, you will remove your top or smile at me.’
Bella laughed. ‘Am I that bad?’
‘You are the most maddening, infuriating and seductive woman I’ve ever met.’
Her stomach flipped. They weren’t words of affection, but hearing that he found her seductive was better than nothing.
Flustered, she changed the subject again. ‘So shouldn’t we tell the stables that Amira is safe with you? They’ll think she’s been stolen.’
‘They know she’s with me.’
‘How can they possibly know she’s with you? Does she have a homing beacon or something? Satellite tracking device?’
‘I used the phone.’
Bella frowned in confusion. ‘But you told me you didn’t have a phone!’
‘No. I said I wouldn’t contact anyone to have you taken to civilisation.’ He delivered the facts in typically masculine style. ‘Unfortunately my position makes it impossible for me to be truly out of contact. The phone is for emergencies.’
‘Your horse was an emergency?’
‘She is a valuable animal. If I hadn’t contacted them there would have been a search party and many people would have been inconvenienced—’ he hesitated ‘—also, they would have come looking for you. And that would have led them to me.’
‘So people really don’t know exactly where you are.’
‘No, but they know they can contact me in a crisis.’
‘Can’t they handle it without you?’
‘I hope so.’ Cool and unconcerned, he guided the stallion to the right, reading the ground and avoiding potential dangers. ‘My brother is in charge—’
‘Don’t tell me—he’s always been jealous that you’re the eldest,’ Bella improvised wildly, ‘and while you’re away he’s gathering together all his supporters so that he can overthrow you. Maybe he’s the one who wants Batal to lose the race.’
Zafiq’s eyes gleamed with amusement. ‘My brother feels nothing but relief that the burden of responsibility is mine. He is a mild-mannered, overly sensitive, generous-spirited young man who lacks confidence. And he has charge of my stables.’
‘Sensitive and lacking in confidence? And he’s related to you?’ Bella rubbed her hand over Amira’s neck, a smile on her face. ‘You’re obviously at different ends of the gene pool.’
‘He is my father’s son by his second wife.’
‘Oh—’ Her smile faded. ‘I’d forgotten you had a wicked stepmother too.’
‘You had a wicked stepmother?’
Bella thought of Tilly and Lillian and flushed. ‘No,’ she said quietly. ‘Not wicked.’ But neither had loved her, had they? Even her own father struggled to look at her. And now she understood why. Everything had been revealed on the night of the Balfour Ball. ‘So he’s your half-brother.’
Zafiq frowned, as if the term somehow offended him. ‘I think of Rachid as my brother in every sense of the word.’
Bella’s heart fluttered as she thought of what had happened the night of the ball. ‘So, you don’t think it matters that you have different biological parents?’
‘We were brought up together. We were raised as brothers.’
It was a different situation, Bella told herself numbly. His family didn’t involve lies and deceit. ‘You were really fond of your stepmother, then.’
Zafiq’s mouth tightened. ‘Didn’t you suggest that we drop this topic?’
She glanced at his profile, stunned by the sudden change in him. He was remote and intimidating, very much the ruling sheikh. Clearly things weren’t as smooth in his family as she’d first thought.
‘Sorry, I thought—’
‘Enough talking. I agree with your earlier suggestion—let’s ride.’ Without waiting for her response, he urged the stallion into a gallop, and Bella’s mare threw up her head in excitement.
‘At a guess I’d say he wasn’t that fond of his stepmother,’ Bella muttered, letting Amira have her head. ‘Which just goes to show that families have a lot to answer for.’
She rode into the camp just a few seconds behind him, the heat closing in on her and her mouth dry from the dust. Sliding off the mare, she patted her and took her across to the water.
Almost immediately she felt Zafiq behind her. His strong hands closed over her hips and he wrenched off her tunic and trousers, his mouth on her neck as he stripped her naked.
‘I have been waiting to do this all evening. Watching you on the horse has been driving me mad.’
Bella gasped, liquid heat pouring through her body and pooling low in her pelvis. Her knees buckled and she felt a rush of embarrassment because she wanted him so badly and she knew she shouldn’t. She turned in his arms and kissed him hungrily, her hands sliding over his bare torso, her mouth locked against the fierce demand of his. They fell to the ground, onto the rug that still held the remains of their earlier meal, not even bothering to make it the last few metres to the tent.
In the background Bella could hear the horses drinking and a faint splash as something fell and disturbed the stillness of the pool. Somehow the sounds of the open air were more evocative than any romantic music had ever been.
I’m never going to forget the desert, was her last coherent though before he sank into her in a single determined thrust that joined them completely.
She groaned his name and his hand cupped her face.
‘Look at me,’ he demanded huskily, and Bella stared up into his eyes and realised she’d never experienced intimacy before this moment. Never before had she stared into a man’s eyes as he made love to her, never before had she felt what she was feeling now. It was so real.
And yet how could it be real when they both had to return to their real lives?
How could it be real when he didn’t even know who she really was?
ZAFIQ stood with the satellite phone to his ear, listening to the panic in his younger brother’s voice. After making a few soothing noises, he sorted out each problem one at a time, issuing instructions and commands with cool authority. Only once did he falter and that was when his brother asked if he could cut his trip short by a day and return home early.
Zafiq’s hand tightened on the phone, the fact that he didn’t want to cut it short saying a great deal about his current state of mind.
Weakness, he thought grimly, cutting the connection and staring at the white canvas of the tent. The fact that he’d succumbed to her in the first place was a sign of weakness.
‘Who were you talking to?’
Her voice came from behind him and Zafiq felt a stab of guilt as he turned.
She was standing in the opening of the tent, watching him with a smile.
The fact that her smile made him want to strip off her tunic and flatten her to the bed reinforced the decision he’d made.
‘My brother needed to speak to me urgently.’ He knew he was going to hurt her and he was surprised by how badly he didn’t want to do that.
‘What about? Is something wrong?’ She strolled across to him, her feet bare, the dampness of her hair telling him she’d been enjoying the pool while he’d been on the phone. She slid her arms around his waist and Zafiq felt his body respond with predictable force. Heat erupted through him and he closed his hands around her arms and lowered his head.
Staring into those gorgeous blue eyes, something hard and uncomfortable formed inside him.
Was this how it had been for his father?
With a rough curse he put her away from him, like
an addict denying a fix.
‘Zafiq? What’s happening? Why are you looking at me like that?’
‘You’ve achieved your wish.’ Stunned by the need gnawing at him, Zafiq reached for his robe and drew it over his head, forcing himself to ignore the urge to tumble her back onto the bed. ‘I’m taking you back to civilization, habibiti.’
Silence greeted his announcement and when she did speak there was a frantic note to her voice. ‘What? When?’
‘Right now.’ Before he gave in to the wild, ravenous craving that was threatening to snap his self-control.
‘But I thought we had another day.’ There was panic in her voice and the hand that pushed her hair away from her face was shaking. ‘It’s just—you said you were here for five days.’
She’d been counting.
Zafiq picked up his knife, his knuckles white as he grasped the handle. ‘I am needed at the palace.’
‘But—’
‘I am needed!’ He didn’t look at her and it shamed him to admit even to himself that her influence over him was so great that he didn’t dare look her in the eye in case he gave in to temptation.
Life gave you difficult choices, he reminded himself grimly, and the important thing was to make the right ones. ‘We’ll return to the city before dark.’
‘That soon? We could stay one more night and go in the morning—’ Her voice faltered and Zafiq took a step backwards, battling a powerful urge to take her in his arms.
‘I’ll prepare the horses.’ Determined that this was one test he was not going to fail, he forced himself to ignore her slumped shoulders and strode out of the tent.
Chapter Seven
THE horses walked through dusty streets, past a souk selling brightly coloured silks, spices and jewellery and finally through an arched gateway that took them within the palace walls.
From the moment they’d entered the magnificent desert city of Al-Rafid they had been accompanied by mounted guards and Bella felt a rush of nostalgia for the simple life they’d led by the oasis. Astride his prancing black stallion, Zafiq was unmistakable as a man of power and authority and Bella had never felt more removed from him than she did now.
It didn’t help that he hadn’t once glanced in her direction since they’d reached the city.
Consoling herself that she was at least still by his side, Bella stroked Amira, taking comfort from the warmth of the mare’s shiny coat.
Zafiq rode into a beautiful courtyard dominated by a central fountain and swung out of the saddle. Reluctant to leave Amira, Bella stayed on the mare but he turned to look at her, his dark gaze unreadable.
‘The Retreat have sent your things. Your passport and travel documents are all intact. You have your wish—you are back in civilisation. There will be no charges for the theft of the horse. You are free to go.’
Go? Bella felt her insides drop. He was sending her away?
For a moment she thought she must have misunderstood him.
He couldn’t possibly be saying it was over, could he?
For the past four days they’d been as close as it was possible for a man and a woman to be. They’d shared everything.
Well, almost everything, she thought uncomfortably, thinking of all the things she hadn’t told him about herself.
But this couldn’t be about that. He couldn’t have found out yet, could he?
And Bella admitted to herself that she was dreading that moment.
For once she’d been able to live her life outside the persona that the media had created for her.
And she’d never been happier.
Perhaps he didn’t realise that she didn’t want to leave. After all, she’d gone on and on about hating the desert and wanting to get back to civilisation, hadn’t she? Perhaps he didn’t realise that she’d fallen in love with the desert—and him.
Bella froze with shock.
No. That couldn’t be right. Not love. She didn’t do love. Men fell in love with her. Men made fools of themselves over her. It didn’t happen the other way round.
With a shiver of panic, she touched the mare’s neck, feeling the animal quiver in response.
‘Miss Balfour?’
Hearing her name, Bella turned automatically and saw an elderly man studying her. He knew who she was. Her eyes flickered nervously to Zafiq but he was surrounded by people and she suddenly realised that up until this point she’d had no real sense of just how important he was. In the desert he had seemed like a strong, powerful man. Here, he was a ruler.
For a moment her mind flickered back to the unsmiling, cold man who had rescued her and then she remembered how he’d laughed with her, how they’d held each other in passion.
Suddenly she was desperate for him to smile at her again—
‘I am Kalif, His Royal Highness’s chief adviser. If you come with me, I can make the necessary arrangements.’
Still staring at Zafiq, Bella craned her neck to get a better view through the crowd, only half listening to the man. ‘Necessary arrangements for what?’
‘For your journey home.’
Arrangements to have her removed from the Sheikh’s life like some diseased piece of flesh.
She wasn’t a suitable woman for a sheikh to consort with in public.
Knowing that she was not being given a choice, Bella swung her leg over the horse and dismounted. ‘Thank you.’ Determined to maintain her dignity, she followed Kalif across the courtyard, struggling not to look back. It felt as though someone was pulling at her head and it was almost a relief when Kalif led her through a heavy door and into an ornate corridor.
‘Your things were forwarded from the Retreat, Miss Balfour. I have them here.’ He led her into a large airy room, dominated by an antique desk and large, colourful tapestries depicting desert scenes.
Bella stared at her designer suitcase, feeling as though it had come from a different life. A few days ago she would have been desperate to lay her hands on it, but now?
Wordlessly, she crossed the room and yanked the zip down. Inside was everything she’d been craving. There was her laptop, her phone, her iPod, a mirror, make-up—all the things she’d learned to live without.
She had everything. She stared at the contents blankly, realising that the only thing she wanted was Zafiq.
That feeling of being wanted. That feeling of being connected with someone.
Confronting the unpalatable fact that for him it had just been sexual, Bella gave a twisted smile. When had men ever wanted anything else from her?
Kalif cleared his throat. ‘The owner of the Retreat asked me to deliver a message to you.’
Staring down at the stark reminder of her real life, Bella barely heard him. ‘What was the message?’
‘He said that he hopes you will find peace.’
‘Fat chance,’ Bella muttered, zipping the bag closed so violently that the mechanism jammed.
‘Bella Balfour?’
Zafiq’s hand whitened on the newspaper article. Dropping it on his desk, he picked up the next one, this time a glossy gossip magazine with a stunningly beautiful blonde snapped arriving at Balfour Manor for the annual ball. The headline was Bella of the Ball and the girl was wearing a shocking dress so short that it barely skimmed the top of her incredible legs. Her blonde hair gleamed like a sunflower on a summer day and her bold blue eyes flirted with the camera.
She was so impossibly glamorous he barely recognised her as the girl who had plaited her hair and tied it with the leaf of a date palm. The girl who had galloped across the sand, an expression of sheer happiness on her face.
Kalif cleared his throat. ‘As you can see, Your Highness, she is extremely high profile.’
Zafiq gave a hollow laugh as he flicked through the magazines.
Fashion icon.
Party queen.
He only needed to briefly scan what was in front of him to know that the woman he’d become obsessed with bore a striking similarity to his late stepmother.
With no qualm or
conscience, Bella Balfour had flirted with him and slept with him. He couldn’t even blame it on misunderstanding because she’d actually given him a false name.
None of the emotions she’d expressed had been genuine.
Shock held him rigid, the raw tension in his powerful frame the only outward manifestation of his inner pain.
For the first time ever, he’d let a woman close. And not any woman—this woman.
‘The newspaper editors must have felt as though they’ve been operating in their own desert over the past few weeks without Bella Balfour to give them material.’ Somehow he kept his voice level. ‘There must have been a panic when she disappeared. It’s fortunate I contacted the Retreat. I’m surprised her family didn’t have a search party out looking for her.’
‘It appears that Miss Balfour has a reputation for being involved in somewhat wild goings-on,’ Kalif murmured, his expression neutral. ‘Her disappearance caused nothing more than a few raised eyebrows.’
Digesting that piece of information, Zafiq stared sightlessly out of the window. Wild goings-on.
It was like listening to the complaints he’d heard about his stepmother.
‘Where is Miss Balfour now?’
‘I have had her taken to a bedroom suite, Your Highness. Given that there is no flight to England until tomorrow afternoon, it seemed like the best plan. Miss Balfour seemed rather subdued.’
‘Subdued?’ Zafiq gestured to the newspapers with a sweep of his hand. ‘Are we talking about the same woman?’
Kalif hesitated. ‘She looked pale after the ride through the desert. I took the precaution of asking the palace physician to examine her.’
Clearly she was worried that her lies had been exposed.
And the fact that she was still in his palace disturbed him more than he wanted to admit.
Somewhere, right now, she was probably standing naked under a shower, letting the water cool her beautiful body as she’d done so many times over the previous few days.
Picking up another newspaper, Zafiq stared at the headline in blank silence.