One Hot Desert Night (3 page)

“I am forced to withhold some information for security reasons. Yet when it comes to my attraction to a woman, I have nothing to hide, and I find I am extremely attracted to you.”

She suspected many a woman had willingly given him anything he’d requested with only the crook of his finger and a come-hither look. She had no intention of doing that for many reasons. “Please explain to me how you could even remotely find me attractive after knowing me such a short time.”

“Attraction is at times immediate, and oftentimes without explanation.”

She couldn’t exactly argue since she had to admit she found him illogically attractive, as well. And that in itself could be dangerous. “You’re referring to
physical
attraction.”

“That is the bait that encourages two people to explore the possibilities.”

As Rayad studied her face, his gaze coming to rest on her mouth before trekking back to her eyes, she could imagine several possibilities. Tempting possibilities. Inadvisable and unattainable possibilities in light of her recent past.

Forcing herself back into reality, Sunny pointed the posy at the double doors. “Since it’s getting fairly late, we should probably call it a night. Sleep well.”

He inclined his head and narrowed his eyes. “Do you sleep well, or do nightmares plague you?”

Her entire body tensed with the fear he knew more about her than she’d first assumed. “Why would you believe I have nightmares?”

He leaned back against the stone ledge behind him and folded his arms across his broad chest. “I know you have seen carnage in your line of work. And with that carnage comes images that haunt you in dark and daylight.”

Somewhat relieved he evidently didn’t know everything, she wanted desperately to deny his accurate assumption. But she sensed he possessed an expert ranking when it came to character study, and therefore chose a partial lie. “I’ve had a few bad dreams, but it’s not an every-night occurrence.”

“Then you are fortunate,” he said.

She took a step toward him in an effort to better read his reaction. “I take it you speak from experience.”

He lifted his shoulders slightly in a shrug. “I am not immune to dreams that disturb my sleep.”

“Then you’ve seen your share of horrors.”

“Many in the past, and I expect more in the future.”

Sheer curiosity to dissect this enigmatic man drew her to his side. “At the risk of sounding idealistic and illogical, I don’t understand why the world has to be that way.”

“Evil,” he said, a strong cast of anger in his tone. “I have seen unspeakable acts forced on innocents by those with no conscience.”

“So have I.” She had been the victim of that very thing, though she refused to see herself as a victim. “It has made me rethink my career choice. I’m considering returning to the States when I go back to work.”

“You will never be happy.”

She faced him, leaned a hip against the wall and rested her elbow atop the ledge. “You’re very bold to make that presumption.”

Finally, he turned toward her and made eye contact. “I know your kind. You live for adventure and the thrill of chasing the story. You said in your biography you choose to ignore danger to seek the truth.”

Damn the internet. “Yes, I did, but I’m not sure I feel that way anymore.”

He gave her a look of surprise laced with suspicion. “Has something happened to change your attitude?”

The question had hit too close to home. If not careful, she might start confessing. “Burnout, I guess you could say. And it’s definitely time for me to retire. If I’m lucky, this little jaunt through the snake-ridden garden has tired me out enough to drift off fairly quickly. Thanks so much for the companionship. I truly enjoyed it.”

When Sunny turned and started away, he quickly clasped her hand. The sudden action caused her to wrest away and turn toward him, a knee-jerk reaction she’d developed since the attack.

“I do not wish to harm you,” he said in a tempered tone.

She shivered slightly. “I know, and I apologize for my jumpiness. Just a little fallout due to the job. I’ve learned to always be on guard.”

He pushed off the wall and approached her, leaving a scant few inches between them when he stopped. Then without warning, he reached out and pushed a tendril of hair from her cheek. “I find you very captivating, Sunny McAdams, and I hope I have the pleasure of speaking with you at length again.”

“That’s definitely a possibility,” she said then hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “But if I don’t get some rest, the next time you see me I might be babbling like a mad woman.”

He smiled again. A fully formed smile that lessened the intensity in his eyes, but not his appeal. Not in the least. “Should you require assistance during the night, I am residing in the room next to yours.”

That fact certainly wouldn’t do a darn thing for her insomnia. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“That would be my pleasure.”

The way he’d said
pleasure—
in a deep, sensual tone—prompted some fairly sexual images in Sunny’s muddled mind. And long after she left Rayad to settle into bed, she allowed them to fully form—only to have horrendous memories interrupt the welcome bliss.

She wondered if she would ever move past her fears and resume a normal life. If she would ever forget the harrowing experience. If she would ever be able to trust a man again.

For some reason, she truly wanted to trust Rayad Rostam, but she wasn’t certain she could.

Three

H
e had never met a woman who recoiled at an innocent touch...until tonight. Rayad had pondered Sunny’s reaction as he stripped off all of his clothing and stretched out on his back on the bed, naked.

He had wanted to kiss her and would have attempted it if not for her response. She had not necessarily been repulsed, but she had been afraid. He suspected that fear stemmed from a recent experience. He had seen it in her eyes, heard the wariness in her voice when he had asked about her decision to return home. Unless he knew the cause of her fear, he could only speculate. Yet he truly believed Sunny would not be forthcoming with that information. In that regard, she was very much like him, withholding details due to a lack of trust. However, one person would mostly hold the answers he sought.

Though he should wait until morning to question Piper, Rayad’s thirst for the truth drove him from the bed. He retrieved a guest robe from the closet and slipped it on before entering the hallway. He strode through the corridors and sprinted up the staircase to the living quarters. Once there, he paused and attempted to discern which room belonged to Adan and his new bride. Fortunately, a meek-looking, dark-haired woman walked out one door to his immediate right and met his gaze, obviously surprised to find a nearly-naked man standing in the hallway.

After recognition dawned in her expression, she bowed her head slightly and muttered, “Your Highness.”

He tightened the sash on the gaping robe. “I need to locate Sheikh Adan’s room.”

“At the end of the hall,” she said, keeping her eyes averted as she pointed to her right. “But they do not wish to be disturbed. That is why I am tending to the young prince tonight.”

If he retained any decorum whatsoever, he would take his leave. This mission was too important. “I will make certain you are not held responsible for the disturbance.”

With that, he headed to the designated quarters without glancing back. Once there, he rapped twice on the wooden surface and waited. He had almost given up when the door creaked open to reveal his disheveled cousin, also dressed in a robe. “Bloody hell, Rayad,” Adan muttered. “I hope you tell me we’ve gone to war, the only excuse I will accept for you showing up here in the middle of the night.”

“There is no war, but I must speak to your wife.”

“
My
wife is not presentable at the moment, and why would you need to speak to her?”

“I need to inquire about her sister.”

Adan narrowed his eyes. “If you are entertaining thoughts of garnering permission to seduce Sunny, discard them now. She does not need to have you hounding her under the circumstances.”

Perhaps he could bypass Piper after all. “Which circumstances would those be?”

“She was thrown over by some bastard and has suffered a severe broken heart. Those were my wife’s exact words.”

Siblings had been known to withhold truths from one another before, as it had been often with his cousins Adan and Zain. Or perhaps in this matter a wife was withholding information from her spouse. “And you are certain Piper is not concealing other details pertaining to her sister?”

He presented a stern scowl. “I have no reason not to believe what she told me. Now what is this all about?”

“I sensed there is more to Sunny’s sabbatical than the end of a relationship when I was with her this evening.”

Adan took on a murderous expression. “Define
when I was with her
.”

“We took a walk together in the garden.”

“And where, Rayad, did you end your walk?”

He realized exactly what his cousin was implying. “We ended the walk in the garden, and that is when I realized she has unexplained fears.”

“Of what? You?”

“Indirectly, yes. When I attempted to touch her—”

“
Where
did you attempt to touch her?”

“Her hand.”

“Are you bloody sure you didn’t reach a bit higher than that?”

Adan’s question echoed loudly through the hallway and apparently disturbed his bride, who suddenly appeared in the doorway. “If you two don’t lower your voices, you’re going to wake the entire palace, including our son and the twins. What in heaven’s name has you both so worked up?”

Adan pointed at Rayad. “This cad made a pass at your sister.”

His wife seemed surprisingly calm. “She’s an attractive woman, honey.”

Rayad felt the need to defend his honor. “I only attempted to take her hand, yet her reaction to that innocent gesture has led me to believe she has possibly suffered a recent trauma.”

“I told him it was a traumatic breakup,” Adan said. “With the soundman.”

Piper frowned at her husband. “He’s a cameraman, Adan, and what kind of reaction are you referring to?”

“She startles easily,” Rayad answered. “It is as if she is fearful of many things.”

Piper’s gaze briefly faltered. “That’s understandable considering she throws herself into some fairly precarious situations due to her job.”

Her lack of eye contact, coupled with the slight tremor in her voice, served to support Rayad’s suspicions. “I have seen this behavior before in those who have experienced violence in some manner. It can be indicative of post traumatic stress disorder.”

Adan raised a brow. “It is probably indicative of your penchant for making unwanted advances on an unsuspecting woman.”

He despised having his honor questioned. “I never force myself on unwitting women, Adan. And you have no cause to make accusations. At one time you were much worse in regard to making advances.”

Adan took obvious offense over the affront. “I have always been noble when it comes to the fairer sex, cousin.”

Patience waning, Rayad glared at him. “As have I,
cousin
.”

“Rayad’s right,” Piper interjected, drawing both their attention.

Adan regarded his wife with a confused expression. “Forgive me, Piper, but you haven’t known Rayad long enough to make that character judgment.”

She shook her head. “He’s right about Sunny. Something did happen to her a couple of months ago.”

“Why did you not tell me this before now?” Adan asked.

“Because she made me promise not to say anything,” she replied. “But frankly, I’m worried about her. Even more so now.” She both looked and sounded extremely concerned.

Exactly as he’d predicted. Rayad now needed all the details Sunny’s sibling could give him. “What precisely happened to her?”

“She was in a small village in Angola,” Piper said. “Late one night she went for a walk on the streets. She was ambushed and attacked by some unknown assailants. They held her captive for a few hours before she managed to get away.”

“Was she sexually assaulted?” Adan asked before Rayad had the opportunity.

“No,” Piper stated adamantly. “She was very clear about that. Thankfully, nothing was broken aside from her spirits, but it did take a while for her to recover, according to her. In my opinion, she still hasn’t.”

Two questions weighed heavily on his mind—why had her former lover not sought her out, and had anyone been held accountable? “Did they apprehend the assailants?”

“They never did,” she said. “Sunny told me a lot of people travel there to mine for diamonds, so it could have been anyone from anywhere in the world. She doesn’t expect to ever find out the identity of the responsible parties.”

How well he knew that concept, yet he refused to accept that conclusion. He had lived with his own mystery for many years, and lived his life for revenge. “Thank you for providing this information, Piper. It does explain her behavior. And now I know how I should handle the situation.”

“Leave her be, Rayad,” Adan demanded. “She’s come here to be alone and heal her wounds.”

His cousin’s cautions would not deter him from his goal. “And she cannot tend to that herself. I can provide the support she needs during her visit here in Bajul.”

“It’s your idea of support that concerns me,” Adan said.

“Maybe Rayad’s help is exactly what Sunny needs,” Piper interjected. “She’s not going to listen to me. If he can get through to her, he has my blessing.”

Adan pointed at him. “Do not do anything inadvisable, Rayad.”

He nodded his acknowledgment. “I will handle the situation with the greatest of care.”

And he would, despite his desire for the beautiful, troubled Sunny McAdams. Perhaps this would be his chance to engage in an honorable endeavor. An opportunity to prove he had not completely lost his soul. Perhaps he could save this woman where before he had failed another. Perhaps he could prove to himself that he was a man worthy of salvation—not the soldier who had no hope for redemption.

* * *

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

Frightened and disoriented, Sunny jolted her head up from the pillow and attempted to focus on the figure before her. Thankfully, the familiar face and smile helped calm her raw nerves and bring her back into reality. Not that she was overly happy with her sister’s sudden appearance, nor did she understand why she had her arms full of garment bags.

Sunny threw back the covers, climbed out of the too-tall bed and sighed. “You could’ve knocked, Piper.”

“I did. Twice, in fact. And I’m really sorry if I scared you.”

“I’m not scared.” The slight tremor in her voice belied her confidence.

“It’s okay, Sunny. I know it’s been tough to overcome the effects of your ordeal.”

Her twin couldn’t even imagine what she’d been through. “What time is it, and did you raid the local dry cleaners?”

Piper looked down at the bags as if she didn’t remember what she had clutched in her arms. “It’s close to noon, and no, I did not raid the dry cleaners. I did, however, raid the local boutique earlier this morning to find you something suitable to wear.”

Lovely. Just what she needed after a restless night—wardrobe criticism. “You told me to pack what I normally pack.”

“Yes, but tonight we’ll be attending an event that requires something a bit more formal than cotton and khakis.”

Sunny swept her mussed hair back with one hand and adjusted the top of her sleep shirt to better cover her neck. “What event?”

Clearly bent on avoiding the question, Piper laid the bags across the end of the bed and unzipped the first of three garment bags. “This is my personal favorite,” she said as she withdrew a black, slinky dress.

The plunging neckline would never work, not when she needed to hide the reminders of her recent torment. “Too much bling, and you still didn’t answer my question.”

Piper tightened the band securing her dark auburn hair into a low ponytail before smoothing a palm down her flowing peach-colored sundress. “It’s no big deal, really. Just a simple state dinner Madison arranged several months ago. A few dignitaries hoping to hold court with the king. Some schmoozing. That kind of thing.”

The kind of thing that made her head hurt. “Am I required to attend?”

“No, but you’ll miss a lot of great food.” Piper withdrew another dress and held it up. “What about this one?”

She eyed the satin evening gown that reminded her of a shiny hothouse tomato. “You know I look horrible in red, and I’ve had fancy food before. Just bring me a take-out box after you’re finished schmoozing. Or I’ll scrounge around in the kitchen after the festivities if I get hungry.”

“You can come to the banquet and leave early if you’d like.” Piper brought out the final evening wear selection. “I’m sure Rayad wouldn’t mind seeing you in this one.”

“That’s perfect.” Sunny was caught off guard by the verbal seal of approval that spilled out of her mouth without thought. One mention of the mysterious sheikh, and she was ready to party. What in the heck was wrong with her? “I meant it would work if I decide to go, and it really is immaterial to me whether Rayad is there or not.”

Her sister sighed like she’d lost her best gal pal. “Stop being so stubborn, Sunny. You need to get out and socialize a while. Meet new people. Get to know those you’ve already met, better.”

She needed to stay in and lick her wounds. “Believe me, I had enough socializing to last a lifetime in my youth. I swore at our debutante ball I’d never put on another ball gown again.”

Piper chuckled. “I remember how much you hated being a deb.”

“And I remember how much you loved the attention, although I don’t know why. That has to be the most antiquated tradition in the history of womankind.”

Her sister’s blue eyes sparkled with amusement. “It was worth it seeing you in that hoop skirt. Now promise you’ll attend tonight or I’ll post pictures of that on the web.”

Sunny snatched the gown from Piper’s clutches. “Fine. I’ll put on the darn dress and parade around for fifteen minutes, thirty tops.”

Piper frowned. “Funny, I thought this royal blue one would be your least favorite. And I know how much you detest a high neck.”

Not when she had an obvious scar to hide. She didn’t dare let her sister see the wound for fear she would have to explain, and she wasn’t prepared to reveal the details yet, if ever. “I like the overall cut of the dress. Sleeveless, satin and simple, yet elegant.”

“And also loose fitting,” Piper said. “You won’t be able to show off your figure that I’ve envied since we were teenagers.”

She didn’t care one whit how it looked on her. Much. She admittedly yearned to catch a glimpse of Rayad, and maybe continue her interview. “It’s fine, Piper, and I’ve envied your curves for years. And that you got the blue eyes and I got stuck with green. Besides, I’m sure no one will notice me at all.”

Piper barked out a laugh. “Sure, Sunny. Just keep telling yourself that. I’m fairly certain I know at least one man who’ll be staring at you all evening, just like he did at dinner last night.”

Darn if her sister hadn’t noticed. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Rayad. He eyed you like you were dessert.”

“He did not.”

“Did so.”

Sunny was simply too sleep-deprived to get into this now. “Go take care of your son.”

“Aren’t you going to try it on?” Piper asked, followed by her patent scowl.

Only after she was assured she had complete privacy. “I need to shower first, but I’m positive it will fit.”