AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She nodded, the lump in her throat difficult to swallow past. “Frankly, you scare me.”
He frowned, wondering why he hadn’t noticed until then how frail she was. Beneath the oversized clothes she wore, she was slender and fine. Wordle
ssly, he crossed the room, and picked up the heavy cream colored phone. He spoke into the receiver in his native language, then moved back to Phoebe.
“Some food is coming. You should eat.”
When she didn’t respond, he moved closer. “I did not mean to scare you,” he said honestly.
“Didn’t you?” She didn’t look at him. In profile, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her face was delicate and fragile, her eyes haunted. She had an ethereal quality to her, one that made him feel immediately protective.
And yet, everything Etienne had told Hakim about Phoebe made him keep such kindness at bay. He squared his shoulders and mentally toughened his approach. When he spoke, his voice was regal and clear. “You do not need to fear me, Phoebe. I take my responsibilities as your guardian seriously. Under my roof, no harm will come to you; and certainly not from me. You are here simply to take a holiday, and show me that you are grown up enough to handle your affairs wisely. Then, I will sign your fortune over to you, and we need never see one another again.”
He didn’t wait for a response. He strode purposefully from the room, his face a mask that perfectly hid his frustration and impatience. Etienne had been right. There was a dangerous quality to Phoebe, and Hakim could not wait to see the back of her.
CHAPTER TWO
For most of his adult life, Hakim Al Meshuda had limited himself to five hours sleep. Any more was an indulgence he could little spare. His uncle had left him with a country in need of reform; his personality meant he took the task seriously. He intended to achieve great things while ruling Mehran.
It was well after midnight when his head hit the pillow, and his body, and mind, were slack with tiredness. He closed his eyes, letting his long, curled lashes drift over his tanned cheeks, and breathed into the darkness.
A sound instantly roused him, and he stood.
He moved stealthily across his enormous bedroom, to the balcony beyond. He paused in the doorway.
In a black bathing suit, and a long golden plait, Phoebe was unmistakable. He watched as she cut through the water, her arms strong, her stroke like clockwork. Jetlag could have explained her late night appearance in the pool. She cut the water with a fierce movement, and he somehow just knew there was more to it than that. She was… unsettled. Emotional. She swam as though the devil was at her heels, like a woman possessed.
He walked onto the balcony and stood perfectly still in the black night air, watching her.
Etienne had been scathing of Phoebe’s personality. Her looks had pleased him, but Etienne had been perfectly transparent about his fears that Phoebe would turn out to be like her mother, Andrea.
He thought back to the little he knew of Etienne’s marriage. Happy, at first, but it had soured swiftly. Etienne had spent more and more time abroad, his distance from his new wife increasingly apparent. Before Andrea had died, Etienne had confided in Hakim and his father that he was on the verge of leaving her.
Hakim also knew that Phoebe was the result of a one night stand. Andrea had claimed not to know who the father was. The very notion offended every bone of conscience in Hakim. No, Etienne had been determined that Phoebe would be spared that same fate.
Undoubtedly, it was one of the reasons he had selected Hakim as her guardian. Were anything to happen to Etienne, Hakim was one of the only men on earth who would steadfastly protect her and expect the same moralistic behavior as Etienne himself had done.
But Hakim had failed there.
He’d left Phoebe to raise herself, in many ways.
He sighed heavily, feeling a burden of guilt.
For Phoebe Douglas-Cauve had grown into just what Etienne had feared. She was too beautiful to be ignored. Too unknowingly sensual to be passed over by any man. Even Hakim had felt a stirring of desire, whilst talking to her that afternoon. How many other men had looked at her and wanted her, as he had?
She stopped swimming and leaned against the pool coping. Her body was beautiful. Hakim had been with many women, but none could compare to Phoebe.
The certainty that he wanted her sat like a stone on his chest. For he could not act on it. Could he? Surely loyalty to Etienne made it impossible. Yes. He had to behave as his old friend would expect. Which meant no more staring down at Phoebe and wondering what it would be like to peel that wet swimsuit from her body. With a stifled groan of frustration, he moved back into his room, away from the sight of Phoebe.
She stayed in the water for an hour.
With every stroke she tried to push Etienne from her mind. For the first time in years, she’d dreamed of him. A nightmare so real she could feel the pain in her body once more. A nightmare so terrifying, tears had soaked her pillow before she’d woken up. She dived beneath the water’s surface and swam hard and fast to the other edge. She had managed to virtually forget Etienne once before. She could do it again. She simply had to concentrate on not letting him back into her mind. He was dead. His power to hurt her was gone.
* * *
Another morning, another beautiful day cracked its warm yolk over the sandy earth of Mehran.
Phoebe stretched her arms above her head, uncaring that her robe lifted to well above mid-thigh. She was alone.
