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She reached for a slice of pizza, her appetite increasing as all her fears and insecurities faded away. “I have much to learn about your people and their customs, your country—and you.”
He blinked. “So you’re willing to stay?”
Try keeping me away!
She cleared her throat. “Yes, as long as you are willing to tell me about your past, the good, the bad and the ugly.”
He took another sip of his juice. He clearly wasn’t hungry. “I never wanted to be Sheikh of Imbranak. But I realize now it’s because I’ve never felt good enough for the role.”
She frowned. “What makes you think that?” she asked, before she bit into the pepperoni pizza.
“Childbirth killed my mother. Instead of all of Imbranak celebrating the birth of a second son, there was mourning and deeply felt loss. She was loved by all. My father could barely look at me as I grew up and my older brother never forgave me for taking away our mother. He often reminded me I should never have been born.”
“What?”She dropped the pizza back onto her plate. “Your mother’s death wasnotyour fault!” Her heart constricted. “Not even the best doctors in the world can always prevent someone from dying. Please tell me you don’t believe your brother anymore?”
“Ardon is no longer around to make me feel guilty. He died in a helicopter accident, making me next in line as sheikh.” His gaze dropped for a moment. “I’m coming to terms with my past now. Sobriety has forced me to face things head on.”
“So you’re really serious about staying sober now?”
He nodded. “I wanted to do it for you. But I soon realized I needed to do it for myself. I needed to slay my personal demons.”
It was as if a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders, all her fears allayed. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that. You’re a good man, Hamid Al Wahed.”
“And you’re a good woman, Holly Petersen.”
She winked. “Just so you know, I knew you were never going to leave me behind in the desert, despite my initial fright. I’m a very good judge of character and knew you weren’t a bad guy.”
“Even though you thought I was a desert rat?”
“In all honestly, I enjoyed your anonymity as a desert rat.” She sighed. “And I miss your plaits.”
“Then I’ll grow them back.”
“You’d do that for me?” She pinched some crumbs off her pizza crust. “Careful, Hamid. You’ll have me thinking you really do like me.”
“I more than like you, little flame. I love you. I think I fell for you from the moment I spotted you in the desert with your red hair, flamboyant clothes and sassy attitude.”
Warmth radiated through her, but she still couldn’t help but remind him, “Even though you said your heart belongs to no one?”
“I was in denial. I’d never felt this way about anyone before. It scared me.”
“And now?”
“Now I couldn’t imagine life without you in it.” He stood and walked around the table, then crouched beside her chair. Withdrawing a velvet box from out of his thobe’s pocket, he opened the lid to reveal a stunning diamond ring inside.
Her breath caught. That it was a precious little star-shaped stone and wasn’t something gaudy and over-the-top pretentious made it all the more perfect.
“Will you do the honor of marrying me, little flame?”
She pressed a shaky hand to her mouth, then threw herself at him until they were both on the floor laughing and holding one another.
“Yes!” she finally managed to answer, and though her hands were shaking he managed to push the ring onto her finger, then kiss her knuckles with more than enough tender possessiveness to warm her from the inside out.
How had it taken her so long to realize that being with Hamid was her true destiny?
“Nothing and nobody will ever come between us again. I love you,” he said hoarsely.
Her vision blurring with happy tears, she whispered, “I love you, too.”
