for family celebrations and they didn’t need him there. As he made his way back to the palace, he found himself wondering if he would ever be in Wasim’s position, celebrating the birth of his own child. It was what was expected of him as a royal prince and second in line to the throne. Even his father had started dropping hints that it was time he thought about settling down and starting a family, yet he had great difficulty imagining it happening. Although he had known many women—and known them in every sense of the word too—Sam was the only woman he had wanted to spend his life with.
His heart was heavy as he made his way to his suite. He had a feeling that if he did marry, whoever he chose would only ever be second best. How could it be fair to enter into marriage on that basis?
It was shortly before dawn by the time Sam left Isra’s house. Jess had already left but she had stayed behind to make sure that there were no unforeseen complications. Thankfully, the baby seemed none the worse for his traumatic arrival and had taken his first feed. Isra seemed much happier as well and was being looked after by her mother and various female relatives. There was no reason for Sam to stay any longer so she smilingly accepted the family’s thanks then made her way through the grounds, following the path that Khalid had taken the night before.
Everywhere looked very different now, the first pearly grey fingers of light lending a dreamlike quality to the scene. The palace’s towers seemed to float in mid-air, shimmering above the hazy outline of the palm trees. When a horseman suddenly came into view, he seemed as insubstantial as everything else. It was only when he drew closer that Sam recognised Khalid beneath the flowing folds of the burnoose and realised it wasn’t her imagination playing tricks after all.
‘Have you only just finished?’ he asked in surprise, tossing back the hood of his cloak as he reined the horse to a halt.
‘Yes.’ Sam stroked the horse’s velvety muzzle, keeping her gaze on the animal rather than allowing it to linger on Khalid. Her heart gave a little jolt as the horse shifted impatiently, bringing Khalid squarely into her line of sight. He looked so different dressed in the flowing robes, a world removed from the urbane and sophisticated man she knew, that it was an effort to respond naturally. ‘I wanted to stay until I was sure Isra and the baby were all right.’
Khalid frowned. ‘I appreciate that but you must be exhausted.’
‘I’m fine. I’m used to late nights … and early mornings,’ she added wryly. ‘Babies seem to prefer to keep unsocial hours.’
He laughed, patting the horse’s neck when it began to paw the ground. ‘It makes me glad that I opted for surgery. At least there is usually some structure to my working day.’
‘It doesn’t bother me,’ Sam told him truthfully. ‘I’ve developed the knack of snatching an hour’s sleep whenever I can.’
‘That must help, but you were already tired after the journey. Are you going to try and get some sleep now?’
‘I doubt I’ll manage it. I’m far too keyed up,’ she admitted, then wished she hadn’t said anything when she saw his eyes narrow. She hurried on, not wanting him to read too much into the comment. ‘It’s being here in a strange place, I expect.’
‘Probably,’ he agreed, but she heard the scepticism in his voice and went hot all over.
Did Khalid think that he was the reason why she felt so on edge? she wondered anxiously. And was he right? Was it less the unfamiliarity of her surroundings that had left her feeling so unsettled and more the fact that she was with him? She sensed it was true and it was hard not to show how disturbing she found the idea. She didn’t want to feel anything for him but it appeared she had no choice.
‘If you aren’t going straight to bed, why don’t you come with me?’
‘Pardon?’ Sam looked up in surprise and he shrugged.
‘If you can’t sleep then come and watch the sun rise over the desert. It’s a sight worth seeing, believe me.’
‘Oh, but I couldn’t possibly …’
‘Why not?’ He stared arrogantly down at her and she could see the challenge in his eyes. ‘What’s to stop you, Sam? Unless you’re afraid, of course?’
‘Afraid? Of you?’ Sam shook her head, refusing to admit that he was right. She was afraid—afraid of being with him, afraid of getting too close to him; afraid of becoming attracted to him all over again.
‘In that case, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t come, is there?’ He bent down and offered her his hand. ‘Come.’
Sam took a deep breath as she placed her hand in his. She knew she was making a mistake but how could she refuse? Did she really want him to know that he still had a hold over her? Of course not.
Placing her foot in the stirrup as he instructed, she let him help her onto the horse. He settled her in front of him, putting his arm around her waist when the horse began to prance. ‘Shh, Omar. There is nothing to fear.’
Drawing her back against him, he wrapped a fold of the burnoose around her, shaking his head when she opened her mouth to protest. ‘It’s still very cold. You’ll be glad of the extra layer once we’re out in the desert.’
Sam bit her lip as he turned the horse around. If she made a fuss then it would appear that she was overreacting and that was the last thing she wanted, for Khalid to suspect that his nearness troubled her. She forced herself to relax as they rode towards the gates. The guard saw them approaching and opened them, then they were outside, the lush green vegetation closing in around them. Khalid kept the horse to a walk as they made their way along the path and then all of a sudden they came to the perimeter of the oasis and before them lay the desert, shimmering like pewter in the pre-dawn light.
‘All right?’ Khalid asked, his voice rumbling softly in her ear.
Sam nodded mutely. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t seem to find her voice even. Between the raw beauty of the desert landscape and Khalid’s nearness, she was awash with sensations and could barely deal with them. When he urged the horse into a canter, she clung to the pommel of the saddle. The wind rushed past, ruffling her hair and bringing with it the strangely elusive scent of the desert, yet all she could smell was Khalid’s skin, a scent she would have recognised anywhere.
Closing her eyes, she gave herself up to the moment, uncaring if she was making a mistake. Maybe it was madness but being with him was what she wanted.
Desperately.
KHALID SLOWED THE horse to a walk as they neared an outcrop of rock rising out of the desert floor. He always came to this place whenever he wanted to watch the sun rise. His parents had brought him here as soon as he had been old enough to sit astride a horse and he valued the connection it gave him to his childhood. Life had been so perfect before his parents had divorced.
Sadness filled him as he reined Omar to a halt. He’d been thirteen when his mother had left Azad and although now he understood her reasons for leaving, it had affected him deeply. She had returned to England afterwards while his father had remained in Azad, so Khalid had travelled between both countries, spending time with each of them. His older brother, Shahzad, the son of his father’s first wife who had died in childbirth, had tried to make it easier for him,
