AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As much as she tried to push the sensation away, it clung, growing stronger and tighter by the minute. It was still there when the servant made another appearance, murmuring to his liege in Arabic. When he left, Tahir turned to her.
‘Come, our lunch is ready.’
She followed him, acutely aware that he’d never answered as to why he hadn’t yet married.
Lunch was an indulgent feast, Tahir content to spend his forty-five minutes introducing her to his kingdom’s delicacies, a pleasurable pastime heightened by the visual passage of time. And by the increased level of excitement within the palace as their meal grew to an end.
When it was time to choose again, Tahir’s eyes gleamed with brazen satisfaction as she drew the silk from the two-and-a-half-hour hourglass. His gaze rested on the contraption for long seconds before snagging hers. ‘Between us we have five hours. That is more than enough time.’
‘For what?’
‘To do whatever we want.’ Tahir rose to his feet. ‘But I suggest you return to your rooms. Your attendants are waiting for you.’
With another intense look, he left without further elaboration.
Lauren discovered the reason for the staff’s excitement one hour later when she heard the growing sound of musical cries, steady drumbeats and the peculiar lyrical clicking she discovered were from finger cymbals striking in rhythm.
Standing on her terrace, she watched the large crowd edge the western plain of Tahir’s villa, their voices raised in decadent, spine-tingling music as several performed jaw-dropping acrobatic moves.
‘What...who are they?’ she asked Nesa, who’d spent the better part of the last hour primping and styling Lauren’s hair and make-up, all without giving away what it was she was getting dressed for.
The woman, who’d been courteous but slightly aloof, now gave a small smile, her gaze warming. ‘They’re a group of nomadic traders and performers. They always pass through when His Majesty is in residence.’
Lauren’s gaze flittered over the gaily dressed crowd, her own excitement building at their carnival-like exuberance. ‘How long will they stay?’
‘Just one night. Which makes it even more special.’
Lauren found herself nodding, aware she was experiencing something unique. She looked down at her own clothes.
It was another saffron-coloured outfit, but even more elaborate, with a wider band of jewelled stones etched into the neckline and the hem of the top that sat just above her belly button. The skirt was heavier too, again with rows of crystals marching down the long overlapping slits on the sides that parted to show a bit of leg when she moved.
Her shoulder burn was much better, and the light chiffon wrap protected her from the worst of the sun’s rays. Her hair was caught up in an elaborate style of coiled braids and jewelled pins and she didn’t need another look in the mirror to recall the understated but stunning make-up Nesa had created to make her eyes look huge and her cheekbones stand out. Somehow her favourite perfume had also been conjured up and she only needed to move a fraction to catch the scent of the fragrance.
Her gaze once more swept over the crowd and, for some unknown reason, her heart raced faster as she wondered if Tahir was down there, greeting his visitors.
‘His Majesty would like you to join him downstairs,’ Nesa said, as if she’d read her mind.
Several deep breaths, hallways and courtyards later, Lauren stepped into an immense, open-air receiving room. Consisting of several seating areas partly sectioned off by muslin curtains, it gave the aura of privacy while also holding a large gathering. Diamond-shaped black and white mosaic tiles drew the feet into the heart of the room while small fountains provided a soft background of serenity.
But serene was the last thing she felt as she approached the man who stood to one side of the room, his hands tucked behind his back. He was dressed from head to toe in a white kaftan,thawbandkeffiyeh, the only contrasting colour the black rope holding his turban in place. With his height and breadth of shoulders, Tahir took up the whole room, commanding every scrap of her focus as his gaze latched onto her.
Lauren barely saw Nesa melt away as Tahir’s eyes grew heated, gaining ferocity as they travelled over her, lingering for long moments at her neckline, the bare skin at her midriff, then finally on her glossed lips.
‘My colour looks good on you,’ he rasped, an indecipherable note in his voice.
Her eyes widened. ‘Your colour?’ Why did she sound breathless? ‘You chose this colour for me?’
The barest hint of a smile twitched one corner of his mouth, then he was back to ferocious intensity again, even as one thick shoulder lifted in a shrug. ‘Someone on my staff knows my favourite colour and has rightly guessed you would do it justice.’
Before she could read too much into that, he was breaching the gap between them, driving her breathless. ‘You’ve seen the crowd outside?’
She flicked her gaze over his shoulder, towards where the sound of revelry was steadily increasing. ‘It must be nice to have your own personal carnival,’ she said, attempting to tease. Anything really to lighten the atmosphere that seemed laden with...something.
‘They’re their own entity. They merely grace me with their company for a time.’ Again, there was a peculiar note in his voice, his gaze lingering on hers after he spoke, enough to make further sensation tingle down her spine. ‘I also know it’s best to welcome them now rather than later, before things get a little...out of hand. You’ll come with me.’ He held out a hand in an imperious gesture that left little doubt as to his desire.
But the shock of the request stilled her. ‘You want me to meet them with you?’
Something flashed in his eyes, gone far too quickly. ‘Do you object to that?’
