The Sheik's Secret Bride (10 page)

And now this.
An invitation to have dinner with him and his family.
At least she assumed
Malik
would be there. Liana briefly closed her eyes and prayed he would be. She didn’t want to have to dine with two princes, their wives, a king and a queen mother, all without the presence of the man responsible for her being there in the first place.

“This is insane,” Liana said, throwing her hands up in the air. “What are we doing here?”

“You’re looking for a dress,”
Bethany
said pointing into the closet. “Wear the blue one, Mom. It makes your eyes sparkle and you want to be pretty for Prince
Malik
.”

“It’s what I live for,” Liana agreed, as she drew the blue dress out and studied it.

The garment was silk and shimmery, with a simple boat neck and long sleeves. The soft fabric skimmed over curves and bulges, which was always a good thing. With her hair pulled up in a fancy chignon and her lone pair of good pearl earrings, she just might manage to get through the evening without making a fool of herself.

Bethany
rolled onto her back and studied her fingers. “Can I paint my nails?” she asked.

It was a familiar question.
“Nope.”

“Can I wear makeup?”

“No again, pip-squeak.”

“Oh, Mommy, why not?
Can’t I be beautiful, too?”

Liana replaced the dress and headed for the bathroom to freshen her makeup. On the way she paused by the bed and leaned over to tickle her daughter. “You are already beautiful without all of that. If I let you become even more beautiful, you’d outshine every other woman so much that we’d turn to stone and you’d be left alone.”

Bethany
shrieked with laughter. “Uh-uh,” she managed between giggles. “I’m not that beautiful.”

“Of course you are. And smart.
And funny.
In fact, I’m going to have to lock you in a tall tower when you turn sixteen, just so the boys don’t steal you away.”

Her daughter smiled and held her arms open for a hug. “I won’t leave you, Mommy. Not for a silly boy. Besides, I’m going to college, remember? And I can’t do that in a tower.”

“I guess not.”

She pulled her daughter close, savoring the familiar feel of skinny arms holding her tight. These were the moments that she would remember when
Bethany
was grown and gone, she told herself.
The bits of magic that made it all worthwhile.
Whatever else she might do with her life,
Bethany
would always be the very best of her.

This dinner was her worst nightmare, Liana thought nearly two hours later. The large table in the family’s private dining room had room enough for all, with
Bethany
sitting next to her and
Malik
directly across from them. The king sat at one
end,
and
Fatima
at the other, with Dora and
Khalil
next to
Malik
and Heidi and Jamal next to
Bethany
. The problem was everyone was being so darned nice, Liana thought frantically as she took another sip of her wine. Not that she wanted them to be rude or mean, but they were acting as if she were already a member of the family, or at the very least, a close personal friend. It was disconcerting.

She wanted to complain about the situation, but what was she supposed to say? “Could you please ignore me?” would be misunderstood by everyone. So she forced herself to keep smiling and was thankful that
Bethany
’s manners had always been exceptionally good.

“I heard a rumor,” the king said, glancing at
Bethany
, “that someone at this table beat
Malik
in a race back to the stables.”

Bethany
laughed. “That was me.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “But I think he let me win. Prince
Malik
is a really good rider and his horse is fast. But I’m getting better and I’m gonna beat him on my own one day.”

King
Givon
nodded approvingly. “If you work hard, then you certainly will. Although I have to warn you, my son is a very good horseman.”

“And not one to be beaten by a girl,”
Malik
teased.

Bethany
raised her chin. “Being a girl has nothing to do with it.”

Malik
glanced at Liana. “That attitude would be your fault, I believe.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” she said blandly, trying not to notice how his dark eyes gleamed with a light that had little to do with humor and instead reminded her of the passion that had flared between them only three evenings before when he’d taken her in his arms and kissed her until she was breathless and shaken.

“I’ve decided we shall have a girl next,”
Khalil
said, placing his arm around Dora’s shoulders. “We have two sons and it’s time for a change.”

Dora turned to her husband. “What makes you think you get to choose?”

He looked insulted by the question. “I am Prince
Khalil
Khan of El
Bahar
.”

“As if that explains anything.”
Dora leaned toward Liana. “The men in this house are insufferable.
Khalil
thinks he can get his way simply by announcing his title.
As if the waters would indeed part simply to please him.”

“They would,” Jamal said cheerfully.
“Happens every time I want them to.”

Heidi, Jamal’s wife, rolled her eyes. “This is
all your
fault, Your Majesty. You’ve turned reasonably intelligent men into impossibly arrogant princes.”

The king smiled. “To quote our honored guest,” he said nodding at Liana, “thank you for the compliment. I am the king of this great country. How else would my sons be?”

“How about warm and sensitive?”
Dora asked.

King
Givon
dismissed her with a wave, but Liana saw the affection twinkling in his dark eyes. He obviously adored both his daughters-in-law. In fact, from what she could tell, the entire family was close.

All three brothers had similar dark hair and eyes. They were tall men, over six feet, with broad shoulders and trim yet muscular bodies shown off to perfection by tailored suits. King
Givon
had a bit of gray at his temples, but he, too, was a good-looking man well into his prime. Liana knew that he had been a widower for some years and wondered why he’d never remarried.

It was quite a gene pool, she thought as she gazed around the table. And both the married princes had chosen American wives. Although she vaguely recalled that Prince Jamal had lost his first wife, who had been from a minor Middle Eastern noble family, in a tragic traffic accident.

As much as they made her nervous, she was pleased to be part of the family, if only for the evening. Being with these warm, generous people made her think of her own parents, although their small, three-bedroom home in an older part of San Bernardino was a far cry from life in the palace. She could only imagine what her sister, the hairdresser, would say about her current living arrangements. Chrissie would squeal and laugh until she fell off her five-inch platform shoes.

Malik
leaned toward her. “How are you adjusting to teaching at the
American
School
?” he asked.

The room went quiet and everyone looked at her. Liana could feel herself blushing. “It’s only been a few days, but so far I’m enjoying it. My students are bright, which makes the school year more interesting, but also more of a challenge. In the advanced algebra class I’m hoping we’ll have time to start learning calculus.”

“You teach mathematics?” the king asked, as a servant entered with a tray of coffee and dessert.

“Yes.
At the high-school level.”

“Have you always wanted to be a teacher?” Queen Fatima asked.

Liana felt like an observer at a tennis match. She had to turn to the other end of the table to answer the Queen Mother. “Yes.
Since I was about
Bethany
’s age.
Math was always my favorite subject. I never changed my mind.”

“Mommy wants to go back to college,” Bethany added helpfully, half distracted by the individual chocolate soufflés being placed in front of everyone. She touched the thick, warm sauce with the tip of her finger and quickly licked the skin clean, then grinned. “It’s yummy.”

“I’m so pleased you like it,” Queen Fatima said, then returned her attention to Liana.
“More college?”

Liana nodded. “I would like to get my master’s and maybe even my doctorate degree.
In theoretical equations.”

“What exactly are theoretical equations?”
Malik
asked, waving away his dessert and taking coffee in its place.

“You don’t want to know.”

He smiled.
A slow smile that was a hundred percent masculine and equally seductive.
Liana had the brief thought that she would be willing to give up her own dessert to see that smile again.
Then she came to her senses and quickly dug her spoon into her treat.

An hour later Liana and
Malik
strolled through the lush gardens of the palace. Heidi and Dora had taken
Bethany
off to see their young children and
Malik
had offered to walk Liana back to her suite. Liana hadn’t been sure if the events had occurred spontaneously or if they’d been planned. She also wasn’t sure if she cared. After all, how many times in her life had she spent time in the company of a handsome prince? As long as she kept her head firmly on her shoulders and out of the clouds she’d be fine. Besides, real princes did not fall in love with schoolteachers, however much she might like the truth to be otherwise.

“What do you think of the gardens?”
Malik
asked as they passed a grove of orange trees. “Parts of them are centuries old.”

“They’re lovely,” she admitted, inhaling the sweet scent of flowers she couldn’t identify.

The evening air was warm and seemed to surround them in a gentle embrace. She smiled, knowing she was being fanciful. While she might tell herself to stay sensible, she couldn’t help hoping that
Malik
would kiss her again. She wanted to know if it had really been that wonderful or if she’d imagined the excitement and desire that had raced through her. Plus, except for that one kiss, it had been years since a man had held her in his arms. She’d forgotten how nice it was to be physically close to someone.

Malik
half turned toward her as they walked. “
Bethany
is doing very well with her riding,” he said.

“So I’ve heard.” She smiled. “She likes to relive the lesson in exquisite detail.” Her smile faded. “You’re being very kind to her. Thank you. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions before. About why you were doing it, I mean.”

Despite the lamplight illuminating the paths through the garden,
Malik
was more in shadow and she couldn’t read his expression. He gave a slight nod of his head.

“I like your daughter. I’m enjoying our time together.”

Liana believed him, although she was a little surprised. She wouldn’t have thought that a Crown Prince would have a good time with a nine-year-old girl. But then, what did she actually know about the royal set and their entertainment requirements?

“She talked a little about her father today,”
Malik
said.

Liana wasn’t surprised. “What did she say?”

“That she didn’t see him much when you were in
California
. That she’s sure he loves her, but he’s not practical enough to do things like send child support or visit regularly.”

Liana stopped in the middle of the path and folded her arms over her chest. “It’s bad enough that I made a mistake with my life, but I really hate that
Bethany
has to pay for it, too.”

“You mean your ex-husband?”

“Yes. While I have a lot of regrets about the marriage, I can’t regret her at all.
Bethany
is my life. But it’s horrible that Chuck is such a jerk about seeing her. I’ve reached the point where I don’t even care about the money, but in addition to not sending child support, he would set up weekends with her, then not show up.”

Liana sighed. “That was the worst,” she murmured.
“Sitting with her by the window while we both waited.
As it got later and later, she would try not to cry. Her effort to be brave nearly broke my heart. She didn’t make excuses for him, but I could see she wanted to. Finally I had to ask him to stop contacting her at all. The disappointments were horrible for her.”

She stopped talking and pressed her lips together. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all that on you.” She wasn’t sure where the confession had come from. She wanted to blame it on the wine with dinner, but she’d barely had half a glass. Maybe the rich chocolate dessert had loosened her lips.