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Reaching out, he smoothed his hand down the camel’s side. ‘Easy,habibti,’ he murmured, then grimaced. Another endearment he couldn’t utter without thinking about her and what had just occurred.
Her uninhibited responses. That tinge of wonder that made him speculate what sort of relationships she’d been in that could’ve left such traces of innocence.
He growled again as another sensation stirred within him.
Jealousy.
Ridiculous, he told himself. He was a sheikh, the supreme ruler of a prosperous kingdom.
True. But he’d been drawn to this one right from the start.
Yes. And she betrayed you. Remember that.
Curiously though, the insistence was less powerful, the hint of a question at the end of that warning disturbing enough for him to quicken his steps, hoping it would dispel the thoughts pursuing him.
Yes, Lauren might have betrayed him. They would never be friends but how many of his past lovers had he been friends with?
His jaw clenched as he summed up the number on one hand. As his mother had taught him, he’d ensured his liaisons were transactional. Guaranteed pleasure on both sides, followed by a tasteful gift and assurance that the involvement would remain discreet.
And that was a thing to be proud of? Like baring the details of his relationship with his parents, something he’d never discussed with anyone but his younger brother?
He swallowed as his discomfort intensified, as the true depths of his revelations settled on him. Lauren was the only woman he’d acted out of character with. Should she choose to make public the intimate details he’d shared with her as she had twelve years ago, he would deal with it.
With compulsion he was starting to resent, his gaze swung back to her.
What was it about this woman that made him act out of character? It couldn’t simply be her ravishing body. Her brilliant mind had also been a thing of awe.
But he’d met equally brilliant people in his time as Prince and many more since he took the throne. None of them had impacted him so deeply.
So what was it...?
He gladly gave up pursuing his chaotic thoughts as he walked through the gates of the sprawling riad.
This time when he helped Lauren off her camel, he ensured there was minimal contact, striding off the moment her feet touched the ground. He curled the hands that itched to touch her, relive those moments at the springs, and took a step back.
‘You’ll be shown to your rooms to refresh, but the game isn’t done. See you in ten minutes.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
LAURENWATCHEDHIMwalk away, her thoughts churning faster with each step he took away from her. As at the camp, beautifully dressed female attendants surrounded her, the matron introducing herself as Nesa.
Unlike the desert, however, these women were less smiley, the contemplative curiosity in their eyes more solemn than their nomadic counterparts. They also moved with purposeful briskness, ushering her away with quick, firm strides.
Lauren felt like a goldfish in a bowl as she trotted after them, her eyes goggling at her stunning surroundings.
Several arched mosaic-tiled hallways bordered large courtyards overflowing with potted palms, cacti and colourful groupings of seats.
After the sixth such courtyard, she knew she’d need a map to navigate her way around the villa.
They finally stopped before a set of soaring double doors made entirely of what looked like carved petrified wood. Had she been alone, Lauren was sure she’d have run her fingers over it, explored the gentle bumps and dips carved by time and the deep gold handles in wonder.
But then she was being ushered into a breathtakingly beautiful private living room. On the floors, large, exquisite Persian and Berber rugs muffled the sound of their footsteps. The ocean-blue colour scheme was repeated in the velvet sofa, the multitude of cushions and benches stationed around the room and the mosaic patterns etched into the walls and ceilings.
A queen-sized bed was equally exquisite, with posts and white muslin curtains currently drawn back and held by silk woven rope. On the opposite side of the dressing room, she was beckoned by another colourful room.
The walls of the bathroom were painted a jewelled peacock green with gold and copper accents including a large tub that made her yearn for a dip. Dragging her gaze from the inviting sight, she followed through into a dressing room, slowing to stop at the sight that greeted her.
No.
