“I know you are,” he whispered.
She couldn’t take any more. “There is one thing, but it’s an entirely selfish wish on my part. I wouldn’t want the king to think I was ungrateful for everything he’s made possible. I’ll always be in his debt, and yours, even though you deny much of the part you played in my being well enough to g-go home,” her voice broke.
She didn’t have a sense of home anymore and Rafi knew it. Maybe she really was ill and would need to see a psychiatrist when she finally returned to Switzerland. “Nazir will be here soon. I think I have everything.” She tried to remove her hand and get up, but his rock-hard body blocked any movement.
“Look at me,” he said in a husky tone that sounded more like a command.
Lauren did his bidding and found herself wanting to fall into him.
His gaze fell on her lips. She had the sensation of being kissed, yet he’d done nothing! “What’s the one thing you want?”
The one thing she wanted was to stay here with him, but she knew that was impossible. Still, if she could have a few more days. He couldn’t help but hear the dangerous knock of her heart against her ribs.
“Mustafa mentioned a place called the Garden of the Moon. He said I would especially appreciate it.” She’d already lied about their caravan driver once, but the risk of revealing the real reason she wanted to see it was too great.
“Maybe it’s foolish of me, but after coming all this way, when I’ll never be here again, it seems such a shame not to see it before I leave, but Princess Farah said it’s not allowed.”
His hands tightened almost painfully on her fingers before letting them go, but she welcomed the pain. It made her feel closer to him. “It’s forbidden to tourists, but I’ll make an exception for you this one time.” His words came out sounding like a vow. He rose to his full, intimidating height and looked down at her with glittering black eyes.
She was thankful to be sitting because after hearing that she’d been given a reprieve, her body caved. “But the arrangements to return to El-Joktor—”
“They can be changed. A few more days will make no difference in the scheme of things. Nazir will take care of everything.”
She finally stood up on legs of rubber, staring into his eyes. “You really mean it?”
He cocked his dark head. His male beauty shook her to the core. “You should have said something earlier. It’s a small thing you ask.”
“No, it’s not.” She breathed heavily. “Everything you do for me causes an inconvenience to someone, but I appreciate this more than you can imagine.”
“I believe you.” There was no hint of mockery just then. “Now you have to do a favor for me.”
“Anything.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath, not realizing she might have sounded as if she were being provocative on purpose. “In order to get the full benefit of the garden, you have to see it after the moon comes up. Therefore, I want you to rest and I hope, get some sleep. I’ll come for you tonight at seven-thirty. Eat a filling dinner.”
“I will.”
“Have you ever ridden a horse?”
“Many times.”
Something flickered in the dark recesses of his eyes. “Wear boots and bring your cloak to keep you warm. Today it was hot in the desert, but tonight the temperature will drop.”
She smoothed an errant curl off her forehead. “Don’t you have to stay at the palace on duty?”
A strange gleam entered his eyes. He studied her for a moment. “Several of my staff are always available.”
“But what if it’s an emergency and you’re needed?”
“I always keep my phone with me. If necessary, Nazir would send a helicopter for us.”
He started walking toward the door. She followed him. “Then I’m relieved.”
“Remember to get plenty of rest.”
After his tall, powerful body disappeared out the doors, she walked through the suite to the garden unable to contain her joy. Rafi—Tonight they’d be alone together. She leaned over to smell the fragrance of the huge, rare yellow and white hibiscus. Just one night with him. If it was all he was willing to give her, then she’d take it and be grateful.
She folded her arms and clutched them to her waist. This man had a power over her so complete she knew she would die if she couldn’t be with him tonight. Anyone hearing that thought expressed would tell her she needed some serious therapy. Anyone except her grandmother who’d made a prediction about her a long time ago.
RASHAD WATCHED THE GREAT ORANGE-RED BALL sink below the horizon. It wouldn’t take long for there to be a drop in temperature that would continue to fall. Night descended fast in the desert. He had no concern. This had been his playground as a boy. He knew all of it. Should the unimaginable happen, such as another sandstorm, the GPS transponder he wore on his wrist would bring help.
He had no idea why Lauren wanted to visit the Garden of the Moon, but before the night was over, he would have his answer. She’d been quiet during their journey from the palace. Too quiet.
He looked back. Her white cloak flapped behind her as the wind blew here and there, tousling her blond curls. She rode as though she’d been born on a horse and allowed her mare, Zia, to follow behind his stallion. Smart woman, smart horse.
Zia was a product of the desert and had learned early to plant her hooves where Jabbar had already displaced the sand. That way she preserved her strength. Both horses had been packed with everything Rashad required for them to spend the night together.
His gorgeous tent intruder was out to seduce him in earnest. When he’d found her waiting in the sitting room, seduction had been on her mind. Unshed tears of a devil or an angel. It made little difference at this point.
Because she desired him on top of the mission she had yet to carry out, he was looking forward to the experience more than anything he’d anticipated in his life. Tonight there’d be a three-quarter moon. By the time they reached their destination and made camp, the lesser light would appear in the black canopy enveloping them.
Halfway there Rashad pulled back on the reins to allow Lauren time to come alongside him. He darted her a searching glance. Heat rising from the sand wafted before their faces. “Would you like to rest?”
“If you’re worried I’m tired, I’m not. But if you want to stop for a minute, that’s fine.”
“I think I do.” He reached for his water bag and drank his fill. She followed suit with her own.
Rashad had made camp hundreds, maybe thousands of times in his life, but never with a woman because he and his men always had to be on their guard. Having her along was an entirely new experience, and it raised the stakes.
As
