Maggie Cox – The Sheikh Who Married Her: One Desert Night / Strangers in the Desert / Desert Doctor, Secret Sheikh (страница 13)

‘Look … I know you’re hurt, and you’re probably just looking for some kind of comfort, but I’m not jumping into bed with you just because—because it happened before.’ If you could honestly forgive me for my mistake in not coming back, Gina thought anguished. If you really believed in the love I thought we shared that night we were together … then nothing could stop me sharing your bed. But I know because of what you now feel about the Heart of Courage’s prophecy—and because you think I rejected you without a single regret—that that’s not the case.

‘I have a proposition for you.’ His dark-eyed glance didn’t waver. ‘That’s what I wanted to see you about.’

‘And that is?’

‘I am not going to waste time play acting and pretending I don’t desire you, so I will get straight to the point. Many wealthy and powerful men in my position take a mistress. I haven’t done so yet because I have never met a woman to meet all my requirements in every way. That is not until you came into my life again, Gina. I would like you to stay here in Kabuyadir. If you stayed you would not want for anything … ever. Anything you wanted that it was within my power to give you, you would have.’

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Beneath her robe her heart thudded painfully. Moving away from the side of the bed, she tucked a loose tendril of shining blonde hair back. ‘I gather I’m meant to take such an offer as a compliment?’

‘At least it shows I am not rejecting you as you so easily rejected me. At least I am being honest about the fact that I want you in my bed again.’

‘Lust is a poor substitute for genuinely caring about someone, Zahir.’ She wouldn’t say the word ‘love’ in his presence … not yet. Not while he was clearly intent on somehow making her pay for not returning to him three years ago. Still she would not close the distance between them, and a soft sigh escaped her. ‘Do you think I should settle for that because you feel I owe you in some way? Anyway, I can’t stay here indefinitely. Once I’ve given you all the information I have on the jewel—and seen it for myself—I’ll be heading home again. I have a job to get back to—a job that I’ve wanted for a long time and worked hard to get. I also have a father who hasn’t been very well lately, so I’m afraid you’ll just have to find someone else to fill the position of Sheikh’s mistress.’ She started to walk across the marble-tiled floor towards the door.

‘Gina!’

His call stopped her in her tracks. Alarmed, she turned to see that Zahir had moved to the edge of the bed and was getting to his feet. She saw him sway a little, and dashed back to his side.

‘What do you think you’re doing? For goodness’ sake, get back to bed before you do some irreparable damage to yourself!’

‘What do you care?’ he retorted sulkily, reluctantly allowing her to help him lie down and rest his head against the stack of plump pillows again. ‘You would leave on the first plane home without caring whether I lived or died.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’

‘You sound just like an old spinster teacher of mine. Of course you don’t look like her in any way. Do you know what torment it is to me to have you so close, to smell your perfume and not be able to touch you the way I long to? It is a double agony for this to have happened to me today. Now not only am I sexually frustrated but I’m in physical pain from a blasted bullet wound, too! It will take more than a strong sleeping pill to make me sleep tonight.’

The strong bronzed brow crumpled a little in obvious pain, and Gina tenderly pushed back the hair from his smooth unlined forehead and frowned. ‘Why did you have to go and deal with this trouble yourself? I wish you’d sent someone else instead—the captain of your army perhaps? Someone used to dealing with these volatile situations?’

‘You think I am incapable of dealing with a physical threat from a few hot-headed rebels?’

‘I’m not questioning your ability for combat, Zahir. You certainly look intimidating and strong enough. But it seems like a reckless thing to have done when you didn’t have to.’

He tensed and gave her a fierce glare. ‘And how would you know what I do and don’t need to do? I am not just some useless figurehead or cardboard cut-out prince who sits in the palace issuing orders. I am a politician and diplomat, too, and after many months of this rebel faction employing their bullying tactics on peaceful villages it was time to step in and demonstrate once and for all that my kingdom is not going to simply sit back and accept it! Who better to bring that message home to them but the ruler himself?’

‘Please don’t get so worked up. I’m afraid you’ll re-open your wounds if you get too upset.’

‘You can go now.’

‘What?’ Taken aback by the curt dismissal, Gina froze.

‘You are both a painful distraction and an annoyance, and what I need right now is some peace and quiet to contemplate the situation and recover.’

‘All right, then. I understand.’

Just as she made to leave Zahir reached for her, curving his big hand round the back of her neck to pull her face down to his. His angry kiss was hot, hard and passionate, with no pretence at being anything other than punishing.

Gina stumbled, her tongue flicking to the stinging spot on her lower lip when he suddenly released her.

‘Now you can go.’

His glittering dark-eyed glance made her limbs feel heavy as lead. Reaching the door, she exited the sumptuous room hardly knowing how she managed it …

A wounded bear was said to be dangerous. The following morning, walking alone in his private garden, Zahir felt his wounds throbbing and painful, and reflected on the crazy rebel who had inflicted them on him and his bodyguard. He was hurt, angry, and liable to lash out verbally at anyone who dared to come near.

Thankfully his servant Jamal intuited his moods well. The man’s patience and understanding seemed to silently embrace even the most unpredictable and sombre shades of his employer’s personality. Earlier he had brought Zahir coffee. Thinking of Gina—and how he had treated her last night—he had irrationally flung the small brass tray across the courtyard. Everything had landed in the previously calm waters of the ornamental pond, but Jamal had immediately hurried to retrieve it all and clean up the mess without batting an eyelid.

In an hour’s time, after he had been examined again by his physician, Zahir was due to address a meeting of his council regarding the uprising by the rebels. But right now the topic that consumed him even more than that was definitely Gina. He had offered her a situation that most women would have grabbed at—but, no. Not her. Instead she preferred to put her job and her ailing father back at home before him … again!

While he privately had a grudging admiration for her loyalty to both her job and her family, it didn’t stop him from feeling intensely jealous and aggrieved that he still clearly featured so low on her list of priorities. But he could not let her leave so easily. He had to find a way of making her stay in Kabuyadir for longer than just a few short days. After seeing her again he knew he would not easily get her out of his blood a second time—no matter how angry he was.

‘Zahir!’

A slight, dark-robed figure was hurrying towards him along the paved pathway, arms extended. As his sister reached him, she all but stole the breath from his lungs when she threw herself into his arms. Zahir couldn’t stop the grunt of pain he emitted as her body collided with the inflamed bandaged wound at the side of his ribcage.

As she stepped back in alarm, he saw the damp smudges beneath Farida’s pretty eyes—evidence that she’d already been weeping.

‘I couldn’t believe it when I heard that you’d been shot. Why didn’t somebody tell me? Was it because you ordered them not to? I’m not some little child you have to constantly protect, you know. I was a married woman until recently, and I won’t fall apart if I hear bad news—even if it frightens me. What on earth possessed you to travel into the heart of the brigands’ stronghold with just a handful of soldiers and a bodyguard?’

Zahir could hardly believe his ears. Here was another woman chastising him for doing his utmost to resolve a situation that was bringing fear and suffering to his people! Had his father’s actions been questioned with such doubt and disbelief? He didn’t think so.

The scowl on his face was inevitable. ‘I had to try and talk to their leader. He’s a hot-headed egomaniac, seeking to gain power by getting a band of similar unthinking idiots to rob and intimidate the villagers. In the end—when I saw that reason simply did not compute with him—I gave him a warning that if there was any more trouble I would imprison the lot of them for life. We were just about to make our return home when he pulled out a pistol and started firing.’

‘You could have been killed!’

‘Yes, but I wasn’t.’ He rubbed a weary hand across his eyes. ‘Please do not fear for my safety so much, little sister. I would hate to think that you were fretting every time I set foot outside the palace walls!’