by Laura Wright
Sweat dripped down Zayad’s temple to his jaw as he wielded his sword. Slashing left, then right and right again as he moved across the hardwood floors. His breath coming heavily, he made a quick turn, shot the blade to the ceiling and thrust it back down, halting just centimeters from the curve of a ripe apple.
He grinned. Yes, his son would do well with this sword.
The thought of Redet brought on more thoughts of family, and as Zayad reached for a towel on a side table, he realized that just two days remained until his sister returned. He had found out much from Mariah and was ready to know Jane for himself, ready to tell her the truth and take her back home.
He had not left room for her to refuse him and her title. He could not. Duty remained above all else, and Jane must understand this fact, too.
He held up the Scottish sword, turned his wrist to see its lines.
He recalled something his father had once said. “The heart of every blade is the steel from which it is forged.” This blade was a combination of iron and carbon, a perfect blend that allowed him power and flexibility. In the ancient days, power had been most important. But as times changed and people opened their minds to new ideas, a balance was needed. Zayad and his people also had changed to serve the times.
Zayad glanced out the bay window to his right. Afternoon had melded into sunset without his knowledge. It was always thus when he took his exercise.
In that moment, his mind left politics and focused on something far more pleasing. Mariah. He had only two days left with her and he wanted them to be as wonderful and as pleasurable for her as possible. Surely when she found out why he was here and why he had not been forthcoming about his identity, she would want nothing more to do with him.
His gut clenched. He was a fool, but he did not want her to know who he was. He wanted things to remain as they were.
For the first time in his life someone was not aware of his role, his fortune, his title. Mariah cared for him as a man, not as a prince. And for that he would always be in her debt. Starting with her court case.
“Dinnertime.”
Zayad turned, and his body went rock hard, fast.
There she stood, moonlight at her back, draped in a thin white cotton tank and little white cotton shorts. She looked ready for bed, not for dinner.
But then again, he mused as he walked to her, he could always be persuaded to eat dessert first.
Twelve
“I was wondering where we’d end up,” Mariah said, burrowing deeper into the warmth of his chest.
Last night they had forgotten all about dinner and had gone straight to bed, where they’d quickly stripped back the sheets, then stripped each other bare.
Two hours later they’d fallen asleep. Two hours after that Mariah had woken Zayad up with a kiss in a very sweet, very sensitive spot.
Needless to say, the rest of the night had pretty much followed this pattern.
Zayad kissed the top of Mariah’s head. “What is this ‘end up’?”
She laughed. “Between our two apartments. I wondered if we were going to end up in your bed or in mine.”
“Ah, well, as long as we are in bed together, yes?”
“Oh, yes.”
Dawn broke with resplendency outside her picture window, and Mariah sighed. She watched the morning’s creamy yellow light creep in and hint at a beautiful day. A bright sunny day was always in favor, but for Mariah it really wouldn’t matter if a hurricane blew in. She wasn’t about to let anything bring her mood down. She was savoring the time she had left. She had just one day with her man until Jane returned and things got different and…well, back to normal. There would be questions asked—questions she didn’t even want to look at, much less answer right now.
Since the day she’d smashed into this amazing man, she’d been having the time of her life. And as long as the fantasy kept rolling along in this perfect manner, she had a ticket to ride.
She let her hand trail down Zayad’s chest to his belly, let her fingers brush over his navel. “I like sleeping in the same bed with you,” she said, having no fear of how vulnerable she sounded. “I thought I’d never like sharing a bed. I’ve grown accustomed to being alone, sleeping alone, living alone.”
“You do not live alone.”
“I wasn’t talking about sharing space. I meant inside my heart. I’m alone inside my heart. By choice, of course, but…”
“There is comfort in being alone at times. Even in the heart. Sometimes such detachment protects us, no?”
“You bet.” She sighed, slid her knee across his thigh, the weight of her boot slowing the process a bit. “I spent four years protecting myself, maybe longer.”
“And now?”
“I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“Even if that means being hurt again?”
“Even if that means getting my heart shredded to bits.”
Zayad put a hand to her face and tilted her head, looked at her with complete bewilderment. “How can you say this after all you have been through?”
“Because I’ve been slowly dying these past four years. Sure, I was protecting myself all the while. But a life built out of fear is no life at all.”
“I try not to think such thoughts.”
“Why? Because you believe that things shouldn’t change or because you’re afraid of what will happen if they do?”
He stiffened, and the light, loving mood of a moment ago was lost.
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “That was wrong and pushy of me. It’s your life, your choice.”
He gave her a dusty, glum smile. “We do what we must. And our changes come in our own time.”
She nodded, then put her head back on his chest. He was right. Even though he had been the impetus to her change, her acceptance of life after a hideous divorce, maybe he wasn’t ready to move away from his tricky history. Maybe, like her, he needed to fall in love to get there.
Her heart actually squeezed with pain, but she mentally shook it off. Zayad may not love her, but, unlike her ex and the losers in the courtroom, he had integrity. He’d never promised her anything, never told her he loved her, then snatched away her trust by cheating and lying.
No. He just wasn’t ready.
She came up on her elbow, gave him a winning, playful smile. He had done so much for her, been a caretaker, a friend, a lover. If he was going back home in the next week or so, she wanted to make sure he wouldn’t forget her—or the time they’d spent together.
“Any plans for today?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Oh.
She looked away. Of course he had other things to do. Not every day could be a play day. And she could use the time to work and clean up the house and…
His hand was on her cheek, his thumb brushing over her lower lip. “After my physician takes a look at your beautiful ankle, I have plans with you, mi’nâr.”
“Are you going to tell me what that means?”
“Perhaps one day.” His sexy black eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned. “I was thinking about the beach.”
Her heart skipped and she smiled in return. “A picnic lunch?”
“Yes, with a little wine perhaps.”
“And sand-castle making.”
His brow furrowed. “What is this sand castle?”
“You don’t know what a—” She waved her hands, tried to look aghast, but just ended up laughing. “I’ll show you. You’re gonna love it. After all, it’s an artistic endeavor.”
Zayad sat back in the warm sand and smiled. He was excessively proud of his work, but today that did not seem to be enough.
Curious.
He had never needed anyone’s approval.
He glanced at Mariah, magnificent in a pale blue bikini, her curves making him tight with need, her smile making him wonder if true happiness might not be possible after all. She was different from any woman he had ever known. He would admit this much. He also would acknowledge that he wanted her opini
on, her praise.
No. He needed it.
Gesturing toward the shape he had created in the sand, he asked, “How does my structure look?”
“Fabulous,” she said, her hair whipping in the breeze like a golden sail. “It looks like something out of a Disney movie.”
“Does it? Well, this is no imitation of a movie set, mi’nâr. This is the sultan’s palace in Emand.”
“Really?” She looked impressed.
“Without the wondrous gardens, swimming pools and other exterior additions.”
“Of course.” She laughed. “Well, it’s pretty fancy, not too mention insanely enormous. The sultan must get lost just getting up to brush his teeth.”
“I am sure he knows his way.” Zayad’s gut clenched. This charade had started out with purpose and understanding, but now it had turned into a lie. A cover-up. He was not proud of this. He did not want to continue deceiving Mariah. He cared for her too much now. He would tell her the truth. Tonight.
For a moment he wondered why he had not revealed himself sooner. He knew it was not because Mariah would tell Jane before he had his chance. Well, it might have been initially. But over the past few days he had wanted nothing to interfere with their affair. Nothing. Not even his duty, not even his honor.
The knowledge clawed at him like a Feron scorpion. He had deliberately cast aside the good of his country for this woman, and his principles for their pleasure. Perhaps it was good he was leaving soon.
“Is this a new palace,” Mariah asked, tugging him from his thoughts. “Or one of those ancient places you read about in the history books?”
“To the people of Emand, it is timeless. The royal family has lived in the palace for centuries.”
“Do you know their history pretty well?”
“I do.”
“The current sultan—is he old? Does he have several wives and many kids?”
“Actually he is unmarried. And in Emand, though the old customs are still accepted, the royal family has always taken just one spouse.”
She smiled as a wave crashed behind her. “I like that.”
“Yes, most Americans do.”
She laughed. “And I like you.”
His chest went tight at the compliment. A simple compliment. But it held great truth and significance. This woman did not know that the man they spoke of, the wealthy prince who lived in a golden palace, was the very same man who had made love to her all through the night, the same man who wanted more than anything to make love to her again right here, right now.
No.
She thought him an ordinary man and she liked him.
He took her hand and kissed the palm. “What else do you wish to know?”
“Have you seen this sultan up close?”
“I have.”
“What’s he like? Dictatorial, fierce, demanding?” Her eyes shined with intrigue.
“He has a country to watch over, Mariah. There are times when he must be all of those things.”
She nodded. “Of course. It’s funny, we make royalty sound so romantic, but it isn’t always that.”
“It is rarely that…I imagine.”
“What an incredibly hard job. But I’m sure he has many advisors to help him.”
“Many, but surprisingly they are not as competent as he would like.” He knew he should stop at that, but he did not. It was glorious to speak of such matters with a true friend. “This can be a source of frustration for him. Emand has many social-rights issues he wishes to address. It is not easy to turn around centuries of fears and prejudices and foolish ideas. But things are slowly coming along.”
She grabbed a bottle of suntan lotion and squeezed a bit out into her hand. “This sounds like one forward-thinking sultan.”
Her admiration pleased him. “I am proud to say that he is.”
She dabbed the sunscreen on her cheeks and nose. “To right many wrongs, to help closed-minded people see beyond their senseless fears—that’s a great job.” Suddenly her shoulders fell, and she sighed. “It was the job I set out to do.”
“You have.” He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “And you will continue to do this.”
“I hope so.”
“Enough of these low spirits now.” He helped her to her feet, grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Do you not like surprises, mi’nâr?”
Mariah warmed at this new and wonderful endearment Zayad kept calling her, and she squeezed his hand. “I never have liked surprises much, but the ones you keep cooking up are slowly changing my mind.”
He turned to her and gave a little bow. “I hope that I may always grant you extraordinary surprises.”
All thoughts of work and fears of failure were snatched away in the salty breeze. Mariah shivered with excitement as they walked away from the seaside and their castles and into the beach grass.
“I found this place the day after I moved here,” Zayad told her as he led her down the side of a smallish sandy hill.
The sound of the waves crashing against the shore still clung in the air, but no longer were they amongst the public. Zayad had found a private refuge, a lovely cave.
The hollowed-out rock before them beckoned for strangers to enter, and they did. Mariah had no clue what to expect—damp, smelly, dead fish…who knew?
But she couldn’t have been more wrong.
All the seaweed and wet earth and rock she’d expected had been cleared away. In the center of the cave, sitting atop clean sand, was a large and very colorful carpet. And on top of the carpet was a picnic lunch. Actually it was a feast. Meats and cheeses, salad and fruit and cake and wine. She could see this very well indeed, as there were several gashes in the rock wall where seductive little shards of sunlight peeked in.
She’d never seen anything like it and imagined she never would again.
Zayad urged her to sit on the carpet, a shaft of warm sunlight piercing her shoulder and thigh. “I thought we should have our privacy,” he said, falling down beside her.
She took in his hard chest and sinewy thighs and fairly sighed with desire. “How did you do this? When did you do this?”
He grinned, took a piece of melon from a plate. “I asked a few…friends to assist me.”
“Nice friends. This is incredible.”
“I am glad it pleases you.” He guided the sweet melon into her mouth.
Didn’t he understand that he constantly pleased her? “You’ve spoiled me for other men, Zayad.”
She hadn’t meant to say that aloud. She’d been trying to be playful, complimentary—and maybe, in some crazy way, honest about how much she cared for him, how over-the-moon in love with him she was.
But there was nothing playful in those black eyes of his. No, they burned with ire.
“I do not want to think of you with another man,” he said gravely.
“Neither do I.” Hell, she didn’t want to think about another guy for the rest of her life. “Or you with another woman.”
“I want no other woman.”
“I know. Not now, but—”
He put his hand on hers. “Please. Let us eat, yes? I despise this subject.”
So did Mariah, but she couldn’t stop herself from going there, from thinking about his future and hers without him in it. But she knew she must. If only to preserve their last day together. “This spread is something else. And I’m starved.” She grinned, leaned in and kissed him, hoped that her gesture would inch them toward playful once again. “I’ve worked up an appetite building that palace.”
He tossed her a wry grin. “Did you now?”
“Yep.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Fine, I wasn’t actually involved in the building part, but I did haul all that sand and water. You got to give me that.”
“Yes, I give you that.” He looked as though he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. He filled a plate with food and handed it to her. “Come. Let me serve you.”
Mariah cleared away the dishes and placed them at the entrance to the cave. When she returned to the carpet, she eyed Zayad, looking all too handsome with his black swim trunks, mussed black hair and fiery gaze. “Looks like we’re not going anywhere for a while.”
The left side of his mouth tipped up. “Are you content with this?”
“Being stuck with you, you mean?”
He nodded.
“I think so.” She turned coy and flirtatious and sank to her knees at the edge of the carpet, her fingers playing with the straps of the modest bikini top she’d bought on her way to the beach this morning. “But what shall we do?”
With a full-fledged grin attached, he crawled toward her, an animal stalking its prey. “I can think of several things.”
She scooted back playfully. “Like what?”
Quick as a cat, he had his arm about her. He flipped her to her back and rested his chin on her belly. “This.”
He kissed her hot skin.
“That’s nice,” she said, her breath in her throat.
He tugged down her bathing suit bottom, grazed his teeth over her hip bone. “And this.”
“Yes.” It was more of a squeak than a word, but she didn’t care. She loved when he nibbled and suckled and tasted, made her forget everything and just enjoy. Unable to stop herself, she squirmed beneath him, thrust her hips up.
And he answered her call.
His eyes on hers, he eased down her bathing suit. “And this.”
“Yes, Zayad. Please.” Never in her life had she begged for something, especially something so intimate. Maybe she’d always thought she didn’t deserve this kind of love, that she wasn’t sexy enough, desirable enough…
Zayad’s gaze flickered to the tuft of soft curls between her legs. “Yes, this could keep me occupied for hours.”
Mariah could say no more, think no more, as he eased her apart and slid his tongue inside her. Deep and deeper still, until she couldn’t breathe. His hands slid under her buttocks and he squeezed.