One Desert Night (10 page)

The sheer beauty of his sculpted masculine physique made Gina gasp.
Bare, his shoulders, torso, abdomen, hips and long well-shaped legs were pure hard muscle and bone, shielded by supple bronzed flesh, and on his chest swirled dark soft hair. Here and there were healed nicks and cuts that confirmed her opinion that he was a man who revelled in the physical challenges of life—whether it be riding his stallion through the hills and plains, as Farida had told her he liked to do, climbing high into the mountains to fearlessly confront a band of rebels, or practising sword-fighting with his guards.

But any further thoughts were stemmed as he laid her down amongst the satin pillows, passionately stroked his warm tongue into her mouth and kissed her. The deeply stirring caress had the effect of an incendiary device imploding inside her. As she reeled from the impact, molten heat like lava flowed through her bloodstream. She couldn't bear to have her body apart from his for another second.

Moving her hand from the firm flanks between his ribs and hips down to the proud, silky manhood that nudged against her belly, Gina hungrily clasped him. Zahir couldn't suppress a groan, and his answering smile was lascivious and knowing.

Paying her back in kind, he boldly prised apart her thighs, to plunge his fingers inside her moist silky heat. Her breath was all but punched out of her lungs for a moment, and dizzyingly she voraciously welcomed the bruising urgency of their mouths, teeth and tongues as his deeply rhythmic exploration took her higher and higher, winding her so tight that she almost couldn't bear it.

When her violent release came she collapsed, shuddering beneath him, emotion swamping her like an unstoppable tide. Hot, helpless tears streamed down her face, and Zahir gathered her into his arms. As he held her his lips rained kisses on her mouth, cheeks and unbound hair, until the tearful spasms slowly died away. 'It is all right. There is nothing to fear any more, my angel. I am here with you, and I will hold you and keep you safe all night.'

Hiccoughing, Gina laid her head against the warm silky hair on his chest and sighed. Through the weave of the fabric tent walls the dance of bright flame from the fire outside gradually dimmed. Inside, here in Zahir's strong arms, she realised she'd never felt safer. An intense feeling of calm suddenly came over her. The spectre of the man who had sought to abduct her faded away. He wouldn't haunt her dreams any more—not tonight at least.

Her hands drifted idly down over Zahir's flat taut abdomen, then lower still. If she'd thought that her desire had been spent in that wildly emotional release just now, she realised how wrong she'd been. It had merely been simmering, and just the touch of her lover's warm hard flesh would stir it into flame again.

Clasping her head, Zahir stared down soulfully into her eyes. Silently she transmitted her emphatic answer to the question she saw there. Reaching into a hidden pocket of his discarded robe, he sheathed himself with the protection he retrieved, then, returning to Gina's waiting arms, swept her down onto the pillows again.

Joyfully, her spirits soaring, she welcomed him inside her. His thrusts were strong, deeply possessive, and they took her body, mind and spirit into another realm. His demanding masculine possession made her ache even more to have him with her always. She almost cried again when she was reminded he couldn't be...

As soon as he entered her scalding satin heat, Zahir remembered vividly the first time he had taken this woman—remembered how their passionate joining had spun his whole world into another orbit and how it had left him reeling for days, months,
years
afterwards. That world was spinning into another sphere now. It was as though they had never been apart.

With her golden hair spread out on the silken scarlet pillow beneath her, her lovely face and extraordinarily crystal blue eyes dazzling him more that the finest gemstones to be found anywhere, he jealously vowed he would never let her go again.

His heart was full and hot as he thrust deeper and harder. The emotions that flooded him were overwhelming, and so was the pleasure. There was not one other woman he had ever experienced this kind of incredible connection with...only Gina.

Her long slender legs anchored themselves round his middle, and he held back the almost overpowering temptation to just let go, to simply allow the force of his great need to overflow. As his lips fastened onto a softly rounded breast and suckled hard on the rigid nipple he knew she was close to coming again, so he waited...

Her soft moans of pleasure turned to near cries as he took her over the edge, and they filled the tent. Then and
only
then did Zahir let go and spill his seed...

'Gina...'

The sensuously husky whisper in her ear, followed by a warm kiss nuzzled at the side of her neck, woke her from the deliciously restful sleep she'd been having. It was joy unparalleled to wake up and find Zahir's arresting handsome face smiling down at her. The last time they'd been together intimately like this seemed like eons ago.'

'Good morning.'

There wasn't a place on her body that didn't throb from the delights and ecstatic release of their unrestrained lovemaking, but for some reason she couldn't fathom she suddenly felt self-conscious about finding herself naked in his arms.

'Are you blushing?' he teased, gently brushing her hair back from her face.

'No... What made you think that?'

The heat that seared her cheeks made a liar of her, but Zahir was staring at her throat as if hypnotised. The breaking dawn seeping through the stunning elaborate weave of the tent clearly illuminated his shock.

'That bastard really hurt you,' he breathed.

Unable to deny it, Gina sensed her heart bump a little beneath her ribs. 'Let's not talk about that right now.'

'At least he is behind bars now, with his no good brother. No more for
them
the comfort and hospitality of family and friends. Instead they will have to get used to the very different kind of hospitality of a high-security prison—because they will both be there for a long time!'

'I don't understand, Zahir. Who is this man's brother?' She sat up, dragging the soft wool rug that had covered them up to her chest.

His expression was formidably fierce for a second. 'He is the leader of the rebels who shot me. His brother sought to avenge his incarceration by abducting my sister when he saw her in the marketplace. Yesterday evening, in front of the captain of my security forces, he confessed everything. Because you were wearing similar clothes to Farida and had your back to him he mistook you for her. You cannot know how much I regret what happened, Gina. But the fact is my sister made a bad judgement in visiting the marketplace without adequate protection. I was speechless when I found out she'd gone there with just a servant. Especially when I had already been wounded by a crazed gunman's bullet.'

'Farida's intentions were completely good. She's slowly emerging from the pain of losing her husband and wanting to live again—to do the normal, everyday things she used to do before she lost him. Don't you think that's encouraging? She told me everything felt futile before. I thought the visit was a good idea, too, and nobody could have possibly predicted what happened.'

Concerned that if he blamed his sister for the shocking incident that had occurred it might set her recovery back even more, Gina reached out to soothingly touch Zahir's hard-muscled bicep.

'Don't be angry with her. I know how much you love her.'

'It is because I love her that I fear daily for her wellbeing and safety.' He glanced away for a moment, a muscle throbbing in his temple. 'If I were to lose her I would not—I don't think I could bear the pain.'

'I understand.' Keeping her hand on his arm, Gina yearned to reassure him. 'None of us ever want to contemplate losing the people we love. But, as hard as it is to bear, we all of us have to face loss in our lives. We can't live our lives constantly fearing it, because that's no way to live for anyone. By living in fear we only make ourselves suffer more, and we forget the tremendous privilege that life is. Don't torture yourself with thoughts of something bad happening to your sister. Just believe in the good things.'

Zahir shook his head as though amazed. 'And where did you acquire this great wisdom, I would like to know?' Heaving a sigh, he looked thoughtful. 'I extracted a promise from the rebel leader last night that there would be no more violence in retaliation for his imprisonment,' he confided. 'Some of my guards will go into the hills to make sure that promise is kept. They will see that his men go home to their wives and families. I told him things would go better for him if he lets it be known that he wants this, too, and he agreed. But be assured I will be taking no more chances. The fact of the matter is that being ruler of a kingdom means that you sometimes have to make difficult decisions in the name of the greater good. In light of recent disturbing events both you and my sister will have a regular guard. No more will I trust that I can reason with men who see violence as the only way to keep their families fed and clothed. Now, as much as I desire to stay here with you for the rest of the day, my tempting, beautiful Gina, I have my work to do, and you must return to your room and rest. I will give orders for breakfast to be brought up to you.'

'But I don't
want
to stay in my room and rest, Zahir. I want to get on with the inventory.'

'And what if you feel unwell or faint again?' he challenged, a flare of irritation in his glance.

'I won't feel unwell.'

'So you are a seer now? You can foretell the future, perhaps?'

That made Gina smile. 'Of course I can't. But I do know my own constitution, and I'm more resilient that I look.'

'Resilient and determined, I'd say...and clearly extremely stubborn!'

She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. 'I'd rather be occupied doing something that interests me than having time on my hands to frighten myself with thoughts of what happened yesterday.'

'Hmm...' Zahir tipped his head to the side. 'Maybe, in that case, it
would
be better if you occupied yourself with the inventory. All right, then, I will not stop you from carrying on with it if you want to do it—but only on the proviso that you are sensible and do not overtax yourself.'

Giving her a hard warm kiss on the mouth that could have turned lingeringly seductive if he'd willed it, he ruffled her hair with a rueful grin, then got out of their makeshift bed to dress.

J
AKE RIVER'S
door was open as Gina passed by on the way to the terrace for breakfast. It was the first morning since she'd been at the palace that her hunger was really sharp.
Lovemaking with Zahir had certainly given her an appetite.
But that changed when she saw Jake's packed suitcase, lying open on his bed.

She rapped her knuckles lightly on the door, and he called out to her to 'Come in!' in a tone that was agitated and impatient.

"Jake? What's happening? You look like you're leaving.'

He adjusted his glasses on his nose, and his glance was preoccupied as he dropped a couple of folded Hawaiian shirts on top of the already packed clothing. 'You've got it in one. That's exactly what I'm doing Gina...
leaving!
'

'Why?'

'Do you even have to
ask
after what happened to you yesterday?' He jerked his head towards her disparagingly, clearly indicating the light pink chiffon scarf she'd looped and fastened gently round her neck to hide the bruising. 'First the Sheikh gets wounded by a gunshot, then you get half strangled by some maniac in the marketplace! I'm sorry, but I value my own neck far more than any kudos I might get researching the history of that blasted jewel—a jewel which, by the way, His Highness hasn't even had the decency to show us yet, after all our hard work!'

'The man who shot His Highness and the one who dragged me from my chair in the marketplace yesterday are both in a high-security prison now. It was just a localised skirmish, and the rebels are being helped to disband now that their leader has been imprisoned—no doubt they're probably worried about being thrown into jail themselves. Presumably they've all got families to feed. So there's no need for you to abandon your work and run away.'

'And how do you
know
these guys are in prison?'

Feeling her face heat, Gina crossed her arms over her chest. 'The Sheikh told me.'

'Did he, now?' Jake's tone was scathing. 'You two are getting very
cosy
, aren't you? Thinking of presenting yourself as a candidate for his harem, are we?'

'Don't be such an idiot!'

'I'm not an idiot, Gina. I've seen the way his eyes follow you around whenever you're both in the same room. But men in his position don't have serious relationships with women like you...no matter how pretty or intelligent they are. They only want you for one thing. I heard it rumoured that there might be an arranged marriage on the cards for our Sheikh...did you know
that?
'

It was the
last
thing she wanted to be reminded of—especially after the wonder and magic of last night. Desperately trying to quell the hurt that arose inside her, Gina took a long, steadying breath in. 'Have you told His Highness that you're intent on leaving today?'

Yanking down the lid of his suitcase and fastening it shut, Jake dragged his fingers back and forth through his already dishevelled sandy-coloured hair. 'Yes, I told him last night. He was in an all-fired hurry to leave the palace with the captain of the security forces. 'Tell Jamal to arrange it,' he shouted as he left, clearly not caring less. Well, I spoke to Jamal, and he made the necessary arrangements to get me out of here. Needless to say I won't be travelling home first class, as I'll just jump on any flight back to the UK I can get, but I'll willingly forego that particular pleasure to be back safe on home ground again. You should come with me, Gina.'

Not wanting to rub salt into the wound by confessing she'd taken on another job for Zahir, or let Jake see that she was in no way near ready to leave Kabuyadir, she slowly approached his as he stood by the packed suitcase on the bed. Just then he looked for all the world like some distressed and homesick boarding school boy, unsure whether his parents would turn up to collect him or not at the end of term...

'I can't go home yet. I came here to do a job, and I won't leave until I complete it. Besides...' She smiled. 'I really want to see the jewel.'

'Well, good luck with that. And what about your father? How do you think he'll feel about you staying here after you've been hurt, and with such unrest in the Kingdom?'

The question made her insides jolt, as if at the impact of a heavy rock dropped into a river from a great height. 'That's none of your business. The unrest here has been quelled, and I'd seriously advise you against contacting my father to tell him I got hurt. I told you he hasn't been well.'

'It's your call, of course...'

'Yes, it is.'

'Well, I suppose I'd better be off, then. I've got a ride waiting to take me to the cable car.'

'Have a safe journey. I'm sorry that your trip had to end like this. Please give my regards to everyone when you get back to work. Tell them I'll be in touch soon, with a progress report.' Leaning forward she brushed her lips lightly over the side of his jaw. This morning he was unshaven, she noticed. It proved how rattled he was.

Grimacing at the gesture, he glanced uncomfortably away. 'Yes, well—you probably think I'm a terrible coward, don't you?'

Feeling suddenly sorry for him, Gina moved her head, indicating no. 'Only you know what's best for you, Jake. It's not up to me to make judgements.'

'For what it's worth, I think the Sheikh would be damned lucky if you were to grace his bed...
damned
lucky.' Smiling awkwardly, he dragged his hefty suitcase off the bed and left.

'I thought I might find you here.'

Gina hadn't seen Farida all morning, so had got on with work on the inventory by herself. Now, taking a walk in the gardens to get some fresh air, she found Zahir's sister seated on the same bench in the courtyard garden where they'd first met a few days ago. Even before she reached her she had a strong inkling that the other woman's mood was low. The beautiful gardens, with their flowers, emitted tranquility and calm, but Farida's sad-eyed demeanour did not.

'I'm sorry, I didn't come and find you this morning, Gina. I have had a lot on my mind. How are you feeling today? You are not in any pain, I hope? If your bruises are still sore I can apply some of that salve.'

'Don't worry about that. I'm fine.' She absently touched the chiffon scarf round her neck. 'Mind if I join you?'

The other woman moved a bit further down the bench with the briefest glimmer of a smile. 'Please do.'

Out of the corner of her eye Gina saw a palace bodyguard dressed in a dark
jalabiya
and traditional headgear, observing them from the mosaic tiled archway that led into a more formal garden. At the end of the hall, where her room was situated, another similarly dressed bodyguard had been stationed by the narrow window.
Zahir had clearly meant business when he'd promised that she and her sister would have protection.
Right then Gina didn't know whether she welcomed the idea or not. The presence of a bodyguard might act as an unwanted reminder of the incident in the marketplace. She didn't want to walk round glancing over her shoulder every five minutes.

'What's the matter, Farida? You look sad this morning.'

Her companion sighed. 'I did a wrong thing, taking you to the marketplace yesterday. Not only did you get hurt because that man mistook you for me, but now Zahir is furious with me. I fear I have alienated him, when he is the last person in the world I want to be alienated from.'

Automatically Gina reached for one of the slim small hands folded in the lap of the black dress and squeezed it gently. 'I doubt that you could ever alienate your brother, Farida. His love for you is unconditional and devoted. If he blames anyone for what happened I think it's more likely he blames himself.'

The almond-shaped dark eyes before her widened. 'How do you know this?'

A niggle of alarm fluttered through Gina's insides. She must be more careful about revealing her opinions on the man known as His Highness. Farida had no idea that they were having an intimate relationship, that they'd met before, or that her brother had revealed certain fears to her about his sister.

She wouldn't be so indelicate as to suggest that she'd received the information from him personally. It might cut her to the quick that Zahir was happy to take her as his mistress and not his wife, but that was between the two of them and as far as Gina was concerned would remain a strictly private matter.

She retrieved her hand to run it over the blush-pink dress she had donned that morning. 'I'm just guessing, that's all—though I can clearly tell that you're the most important thing in the world to him. It can't be easy being ruler of a kingdom...being responsible for so many important decisions. That's what I meant. Your brother obviously takes his duties very seriously, and it must grieve him when thing go awry.'

'It does.' The other girl's gaze was clearly examining her as she kept it trained on Gina. 'I pray I don't offend you by saying this, Gina, but I have noticed that my brother takes a particular interest in your wellbeing...not just as someone he has hired to do a professional job for him, but as someone he seems to care personally about. Yesterday, when he knew you were hurt, I could see that he was distressed—more distressed that I have seen him for a long time, I think. Am I wrong to suspect there might be something between you...something more than just a strictly professional association?'

There was nowhere to hide.
As much as she wanted to be careful and diplomatic, Zahir's sister had become a friend, and Gina wanted to respond with the same open and honest approach that she had extended to her.

She grimaced a little. A small trickle of perspiration slid down between the valley of her breasts. 'I met His Highness once before...when I first come to Kabuyadir. It was three years ago, and I had been hired to make an inventory of Mrs Hussein's rare book collection. I had just heard that my mother had been taken ill and was in hospital, and I was due to fly home the next day to see her. The Husseins were having a graduation party for their nephew, and your ran into me in the garden. I was upset and he was kind to me. I had no clue at the time who he was.'

Glancing round, in case Zahir himself suddenly appeared, Gina sighed and then carried on. 'We had—we had an instant connection. The kind of once-in-a-lifetime thing that you read about. I'd never, ever experienced anything as strong or profound as I experienced with—with Zahir that night.' Her cheeks flushed with heat for a moment. Farida's glance was growing more and more interested.

'Anyway, we parted after I promised him I would return...just as soon as my mother had recovered. When he rang me the first time I fully intended to do just that. I could think of little else but him. But the second time he rang my mother had died.' She made a movement indicating disbelief. 'My father seemed to age overnight, and I could see that he really needed me. When I told him about Zahir he pleaded with me to stay in England, to carry on with my career and be around so that he could see me. He was worried that I was being completely rash and irresponsible in wanting to be with a man so far away...a man I barely even knew. His argument was so convincing that I questioned my own reason for wanting to go back. All kinds of doubts and fears crept in. Kabuyadir seemed like a dream then, and England harsh reality. So when I talked to Zahir on the phone I told him I wasn't coming back after all...that my father needed me since my mother had died, and wanted me to stay and pursue my career in memory of her wishes. I think it was the hardest, most distressing conversation I have ever had. Even as I said the words to him I felt my heart break at the thought I would never see him again.'

'And how did my brother receive the news that you were not coming back?' Farida's tone was hushed, considered.

'He was...' Gina flinched. 'He was very upset.'

'Three years ago our father died, too. Then Zahir became Sheikh. I remember at the time that he seemed to turn in on himself, as if he was strictly guarding his emotions from any possibility of further hurt. I thought it was just because we had lost our parents. Now I know he must have been grieving at losing you, too, Gina. How is it that you've come back here now, three years later, to do the inventory?'

Linking her fingers, Gina breathed in the warm spicy air for a moment. 'I changed jobs. I went to work for an auction house and the palace approached it for someone to...' She coloured guiltily as she remembered not to mention the Heart of Courage—the
real
reason she'd returned to Kabuyadir. 'Someone to do an inventory of its artefacts. It was a great shock to discover that Zahir was the ruler.'

Restless suddenly, as a sea of desperately suppressed emotion threatened to rise up and engulf her, Gina pushed to her feet.

Farida did likewise, her expression concerned. 'And now?' she asked bluntly.

'What do you mean?'

'Has Zahir not discussed the two of you getting together at last?'

Embarrassed, Gina dropped her gaze to the ground.
Why did things have to be so excruciatingly difficult?
How was she supposed to tell her lover's sister that in the future all he wanted was for her to become his mistress—and after last night hadn't she already complied? As far as Zahir's long-term plans were concerned, he seemed intent on going ahead with an arranged marriage. 'No. Not as such.'

'Why not? If he cares for you, then surely that is the next step?' Throwing her hands up in obvious frustration, Farida shook her head.

Gina was astonished that the other woman seemed to accept the idea of her having a relationship with Zahir so easily. She supposed she'd been half-afraid she might think that she was aspiring way above her station. 'Your brother intends to marry for diplomatic alliance, so I hear. The very idea of a more—a more loving relationship doesn't seem to feature in his thinking at all.'

'You love him?'

She'd revealed so much already. How could she deny the one truth that disturbed her every waking moment? Gina thought. 'I do.' Her steady blue-eyed gaze was unflinching.

One minute Farida was clasping her hands in front of her chest in wonder, the next she'd thrown her arms around Gina to hug her tight. 'You love my brother—truly love him? This is the best ever news I could have heard. It is just what he needs—to have a woman who loves him only for himself, and not because of his status or wealth. It is just as the Heart of Courage prophesied—that all our family's descendants would marry only for love.'