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But Kasim ignored the warning. ‘The answer to your question is a simple one, Dr Smith. I lived in the palace as a boy, because I was the old Sheikh’s bastard son.’
Kasim was Zane’s brother!
Cat dropped the pencil, her fingers going numb as she did a double take between Zane and Kasim. It seemed so obvious now, the striking similarities between their features, why Kasim had called him brother when they arrived. It wasn’t some special form of tribal address. They were brothers. Or rather half-brothers.
Why hadn’t Zane told her when she’d asked? And why did he look so angry now?
‘My mother was a Kholadi prostitute. She died giving birth to me,’ Kasim continued as Zane swore softly.
‘You’re not putting that in the damn book,’ Zane told her, his voice curt.
‘Of course,’ Cat said. ‘I won’t put anything in there that—’
‘I am not ashamed of my origins, brother,’ Kasim interrupted her. His wide lips had drawn into a tight line, the relaxed smile gone, as he glared at his brother. For the first time, he looked as tense and annoyed as Zane. ‘Why should you be?’
‘Damn it, Kasim, you know that’s not it,’ Zane said as the tension snapped between them.
Standing up, Zane reached down and helped Cat to her feet. ‘I need to have a conversation with Kasim in private,’ he said, the muscle in his jaw working overtime. ‘It’s time you went to bed.’
She nodded, feeling hideously responsible for the tension. ‘I’ll go back to the tent.’
Kasim stood too. ‘There is no need for her to go,’ he said.
‘It’s okay, Kasim. I’m exhausted anyway,’ she said, desperately trying to smooth over the argument that seemed to be brewing between the two men... The two brothers. ‘Thank you so much for a marvellous meal. And for your invaluable help with my research.’
Kasim watched her for a moment, then nodded. He escorted her to the entrance to the tent, making a point of leaving Zane behind them.
He whispered instructions in Kholadi to a burly man dressed in traditional garb.
‘Ajmal will escort you to your sleeping quarters,’ he said before bowing over her hand to kiss her fingers again. ‘It was my great pleasure to meet you, Dr Smith.’ The warmth in his eyes suggested he wasn’t just being polite.
‘I’m so sorry if I caused a problem...’ She could see Zane bristling, his stance rigid with annoyance as he stood back, waiting for Kasim to bid her goodbye.
‘You are not the cause of this problem,’ Kasim murmured, but the twinkle of amusement had returned to his dark eyes. He bowed again. ‘I must return to my brother before he threatens to kill me for spending too long with his woman.’
‘But I’m not...’ Cat began, but Kasim had already left her standing in the doorway to the tent.
His woman.
Ajmal led her back through the camp, to the tent she had left earlier, the two handmaidens appeared to help her prepare for bed. She dismissed them, feeling too agitated for company, and donned the exquisite sleeping robe they’d left out for her, which turned out to be completely transparent.
Thank goodness I’m not sharing a tent with Zane.
But as she drew the curtains closed around the tent’s bed and lay on the mass of pillows, the events of the evening kept running through her head.
If only she hadn’t given in to her curiosity and asked that personal question.
But why had Zane reacted so violently to Kasim’s announcement? Surely he couldn’t be ashamed of being Kasim’s brother? From everything she’d learned about Zane during her time at the palace, he treated his staff and his subjects as equals, not subordinates. He wasn’t a snob. And it was clear there was a bond between the two men. They had greeted each other warmly when she and Zane had arrived.
She watched the torchlight flicker and glow through the bed’s curtains, the scent of incense drifting on the cooler night air, and tried to still her thoughts. But then her hand strayed to her belly, sliding over the thin silk.
What if Zane’s baby is growing inside me?
A heavy weight crushed her lungs, making it hard for her to draw a breath. What would she do? She didn’t know if she could be a mother, and she certainly didn’t want to become one in these circumstances. So why did the possibility not feel like as much of a catastrophe as it should?
She forced her hand away from her flat stomach.
Get real, Cat. You’re not pregnant. You’re just tired and out of sorts after the long ride and the extremely tense end to the meal with Kasim.
