Page 39 of Kismet

More than a half hour ago, Marrakech had been a small strip on the horizon, but now it loomed large enough for him to easily identify the Koutoubia Mosque. He saw Allegra glance over her shoulder at him, her face filled with panic. Bending over Ahmar Jinn’s neck, she slapped the reins against the stallion’s hindquarters and urged him on to a breakneck speed that made Shaheen’s mouth go dry with fear.

If the stallion stumbled, she’d never survive a fall. With a soft word to Tarek, he urged his mount to increase their speed. Lathered with sweat, the Arabian dug into the ground at a blistering pace, eating up the distance between him and the tiring red stallion. As he pulled even with Allegra, she tried to swerve away from him, but failed as his hands grasped Ahmar Jinn’s reins.

As Shaheen gently pulled back on the reins of both animals, her nails raked across the back of his hand in her effort to break his grip on the leather. The sting of the scratch made him grimace, but he continued to tug on the reins so both horses slid to a halt at almost the exact same instant. When he looked at her, the desperation in her face was so powerful that he froze beneath the guilty weight of it.

In that split second, she leaped from Ahmar Jinn’s back and ran in the direction of Marrakech. Unable to forget the look on her face, he watched her flee. Should he let her go—say to hell with his cousin discovering his identity? No. If the treaties collapsed, the tribes would return to warring amongst themselves, meaning more bloodshed. Once his cousin returned to England, he would send her back to Marrakech. He tried to suppress the taunting laughter in the back of his head, and the voice that called him a liar. Dropping Ahmar Jinn’s reins to the ground, he rode after her. In a few short strides, he leaned over in the saddle and lifted her with one arm to set her in front of him. With an angry cry, she struggled hard and her fist caught him in the jaw. The blow sent pain ricocheting through his face and toward the back of his head.

“Enough, god damn it,” he rasped. “Enough.”

“Let me go!” When she swung her fist at him one more time, he ruthlessly pinned her arms against her sides as he tucked her tightly in his grasp.

“I’ll let you go when I’m good and ready.” Glaring down at her, he wavered between relief that she was safe and fury at her recklessness. “I ought to beat some sense into you. That little stunt of yours could have easily gotten you or someone else killed.”

Her mouth drawn tight with mutiny, she met his gaze with defiance before turning her head away to stare out at Marrakech. The rebellious expression on her face disappeared as she studied the city she’d been trying so desperately to reach. Long, dark lashes brushed against rose-hued skin as she closed her eyes. Vanquished in her quest for freedom, she was the image of vulnerability and fragility. His forefinger caught a single tear that rolled down her cheek. Despite her despondence, Allegra displayed her contempt for him by jerking her head away from his touch. Her sorrow and anger edged across Shaheen’s senses with the sharpness of a steel blade.

Damn it to hell, in the space of seconds, the woman had managed to erase his anger and leave him dangling in the wind. Once again, he considered letting her return to Marrakech. It was a fleeting thought. He turned Tarek around and headed toward camp. Jamal had caught up to them, and the Bedouin had Ahmar Jinn well in hand. As Shaheen rode past his friend, Allegra twisted violently in his arms.

“If you won’t give me my freedom, the least you can do is let me ride with him.”

She tossed her head in Jamal’s direction, her anger a tangible force in the rigidity of her body. Ignoring her, he replied by prodding Tarek into a smooth canter. Her sharp inhalation of anger made him look down at her face. Gone was the defeated, vulnerable woman he’d seen seconds before. In her place was the stubborn, haughty courtesan who captivated and infuriated him in one breath.

His jaw clenched tight with anger, Shaheen glanced away from her. Hadn’t his experience with Frances taught him anything? Last night Allegra had lied to him, out of self-preservation perhaps, but she’d lied nonetheless. And she’d used that incredible mouth of hers to try and persuade him to release her. It had been a deliberate attempt to manipulate him. She might not be as devious as Frances had been, but she hadn’t hesitated to use her body to achieve her goal.

Still, he couldn’t deny there was something special about her. Frances had been a shallow creature, but Allegra had hidden depths to her. And he admired her spirit. Few women would have stood up to Nassar the way she had. Then there was that amazing ride just now on Ahmar Jinn. No woman he’d ever met would have done either of those things, let alone defy him in the matter.

Beautiful, spirited, and brave. A hazardous combination in any woman, but in a courtesan—lethal. Grimacing, Shaheen barely suppressed his snort of irritation. He now had the unpleasant task of curbing that spirit of hers. Allegra had defied him in front of the tribe. It wasn’t something he could let go unpunished. Any of the men or women in his tribe who disobeyed his orders would be dealt with harshly. If he were to ignore Allegra’s defiance, it would undermine his authority. The tribe would view him as weak, and his men would silently begin to question his decisions. Goddamnit, the woman had made things that much worse. If Allegra detested him now, she was going to loathe him when they got back to camp.