would the Sheikh be like when they finally met?
The drive from the airfield was short and she tried to glimpse the scenery as they passed from the dry desert land to the town. The streets were busy with people going about their daily lives and she longed to be among them—the anonymity, exploring the vibrant market. Soon the imposing walls of the palace loomed ahead of them and her stomach flipped over with nerves.
She was ushered from the SUV up cool marble steps and into the palace, where she was swept along by an entourage that made taking in anything more than a glimpse of the intricate and ornate design of the palace impossible. Her anxiety level rose as two large doors were swept open before them and all but two members of her escort left.
She just had time to glance around the high-ceilinged room, admire the blue and gold designs and the view into what must be the palace gardens before another set of doors opposite her opened.
The relief she felt at seeing the Sheikh’s aide almost made her sigh, but that relief quickly changed to confusion as those around him bowed their heads and stepped back, leaving them alone but for the two men standing like guards by the door she’d entered.
She looked at the handsome face, framed by the white headdress he wore which served only to heighten his handsome features. His midnight black eyes looked directly into hers and she couldn’t say anything as he walked towards her. His robes suited him far more than the jeans and shirt she’d first seen him in. With fine gold cloth over the robes, he looked positively regal.
‘Allow me to introduce myself.’ He spoke with a calm accented voice that had the velvety edge to it she remembered from that afternoon at the stables. ‘I am Sheikh Zafir Al Asmari of Kezoban.’
Destiny fought against confusion, her words almost faltering. ‘The Sheikh’s aide?’
‘No. The Sheikh.’
He had never told her his name, but he had definitely allowed her to believe he was the Sheikh’s aide. Had he been testing her?
‘It would have been nice to have known exactly who I was speaking to when you visited the stables.’
She should probably have spoken with more respect and, judging by his expression, he had expected her to. He took another step towards her and she tried to quell the tremor of attraction she felt for him, just as she had done that day at the stables. Even when she’d believed he was just the Sheikh’s aide she’d known he would never notice someone like her, but that hadn’t stopped the romantic in her dreaming of being swept away to his kingdom instead of being ordered there. Now she knew exactly who he was those romantic notions were about as likely as getting drenched from a storm cloud bursting above her head right now.
Everything about him suggested power and control; she just hadn’t wanted to admit it—not when it put him in the same league as her father. Now it was worse. He wasn’t just an aide to the Sheikh; he was the Sheikh. A leader. A man who should have power, and she despised controlling men. So why did her stomach flutter as his dark eyes locked with hers before his gaze slid down her body? She stood tall beneath his scrutiny, glad she’d opted to dress in keeping with the country’s culture.
‘It was your assumption that I visited on behalf of the Sheikh of Kezoban. I did not intend to mislead you and for that I apologise. Your stepmother made the assumption and I allowed it to continue.’ He moved closer but she remained where she was, determined not to be intimidated by him. ‘I trust we can move forward from the misunderstanding.’
His accented words were faultless English, his ability to use the language impressive, but it only added to his aura of command, the same command that had been absent as he’d talked of the Sheikh’s sister—his sister. She’d assumed he’d been thinking about the stallion as emotion and pain had filled his words in England. He’d seen through her stepmother, making him seem more human, more feeling, and that was something this man, who stood regally watching her, could never be.
‘I am here to work with your stallion, not pass judgement on you.’ She lifted her chin and tried to ignore the sizzle racing around her body as his gaze locked with hers once more.
As she’d accepted the contract to work for this man she’d thought it was like stepping out of the shadow of her father’s iron will and into the furnace of a much greater force. How right that had been. His ability to allow her to believe he was merely an aide to the Sheikh reinforced that, but working for the Sheikh was a gateway through which she must travel in order to start her new and independent life. It was the chance she’d been seeking and one she would take, no matter what.
* * *
When Destiny had been shown into his office Zafir had been overwhelmed to see her dressed modestly with respect for his culture. It should have stopped the hot thud of attraction which had surged through him from the moment he’d first seen her in England, but it didn’t; it only served to intensify it. That day at the stables something had ignited between them and, if he wasn’t mistaken, she was as reluctant to admit its presence as he was. Which only fuelled his ardour and intensified his curiosity to sample the forbidden.
‘You have had a long journey. Tomorrow you will meet Majeed and begin your work. Tonight, as my guest, you will dine with me.’ It was customary for him to dine with visitors but, from the look on her face, it was the last thing she’d expected.
She regarded him suspiciously and he fought the need to smile. This was the first time he’d encountered a woman’s reluctance to dine with him, but then he’d never invited a woman from another culture into his palace. Prior to inheriting the title of Sheikh of Kezoban he’d always kept his affairs confined to either London or New York.
‘Thank you, but I am sure you have far more important things to do than entertain me.’ Again the spark of fire leapt to life within him as her soft voice all but caressed his senses. He must have been living with the weight of duty for too long because he’d almost forgotten what such a sizzle of attraction could do to him. But never had it been so insistent.
‘I always entertain my guests, Miss Richards. You will not be an exception.’
‘Is it absolutely necessary?’ The question was accompanied by the lift of her delicate eyebrows, but the courage of it didn’t go unnoticed. Nobody would dare to address him like that, question his orders. He should be angry, should be making her error known, but he didn’t want to. She wasn’t speaking to him as Zafir the Sheikh but Zafir the man. Since he’d taken on the role of Sheikh of Kezoban after his father’s death, no man or woman had treated him as anything other than that.
‘It is.’ He moved a little closer to her so that he could inhale her light floral scent and wished he’d dismissed everyone from the room. Right now all he wanted was to kiss her, taste the sweetness of those full lips.
He stepped back. What was he thinking? He was a desert ruler, a man of power with a duty to uphold. Kissing this woman, however much he wanted to, was not something he could ever do, especially when she was here in his palace as his guest.
‘Then I look forward to it.’
‘As will I.’ It was the truth; he wanted to spend the evening in her company. ‘We have much to discuss about your intended work with Majeed.’
He walked back to his large and ornate desk, where he turned and faced her once more. Distance was most definitely needed between him and this beautiful Western woman who had stirred the emotions and wild desires of the man he used to be.
‘I appreciate it will be
