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He grinned, then drew back. “Sorry, my insatiable little flame, but as much as I’d clearly love some late morning sex, there’s no time. We both overslept and now the helicopter is waiting for us.”
She blinked, her mind whirling. “Wait. What? Are we meant to be going somewhere?”
He nodded. “Yes, but it’s a surprise.”
He climbed off her, his buttocks deliciously rounded and paler than the long length of his tanned back that flexed and rippled with every movement. God, he could have been an athlete. Then he stalked into the walk-in closet to get dressed, calling out, “You might want to hurry. And don’t forget your camera.”
That was enough for her to jerk out of bed. “I’m taking photos?”
“Yes, that’s the general idea.” He stalked back out in his thobe and sandals, his clever hands making quick work of some plaits in his hair. “I’ve arranged a picnic basket so we can enjoy a late lunch once we land.”
Her stomach gurgled. She was already hungry, but it wouldn’t hurt her to miss breakfast just once. “Will there be people where we’re going? What do I wear?”
“Dress for the desert,” he said simply. “Sunscreen, a hat and long sleeves.”
Fifteen minutes later she was climbing into the helicopter with him and gazing with delight out at the palace as they rose into the air. The huge building shimmered under the midday sun, the twin turrets of its rooftop then disappearing beneath them as the helicopter veered away sharply to reveal an endless expanse of desert and not much else.
When they finally landed once again, it was back at the oasis where at least half of his men had remained along with all the camels. She smiled as Essam half-ran toward them while bent over, clutching at his headgear so that the force of the spinning rotors didn’t tear it off his head.
He opened the door and Hamid nodded at him as he climbed out with the picnic basket in one hand before he turned to offer Holly his other hand. She accepted it, then ducked and laughed as they raced out of the swirling particles of sand stirred up by the rotors. Only once they were safely inside Hamid’s tent did the helicopter lift into the air again and disappear.
Essam bent his head. “Sheikh Hamid. Holly. It’s good to see you both again.”
Holly smiled and Hamid nodded and said, “You too, Essam.”
“Everything has been prepared, as requested, with Camille saddled up and ready to go.”
Hamid nodded. “No sign of the brigands?”
“No, I doubt we’ll ever see them again. And it’s unlikely any more brigands are around, not knowing those ones we dispatched were ruling this part of the desert.”
Holly pressed a hand to her chest, her heart stuttering erratically. She’d had a couple of nightmares about the man with the blade at her throat, her psyche not yet over the ordeal. That she’d been brought up in a violent environment seemed only to have underscored her deep-seated fears.
“You’ll be fine,” Hamid said, his shrewd eyes reading her distress. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt you.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” she said in a shaky voice, then laughed a little off-note as she added, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m looking forward to this camel ride.” Her eyes widened as comprehension dawned. “We’re going to that same place you promised to take me before the brigands attacked us, aren’t we?”
Hamid smiled, but his eyes were still sharp and assessing at her change of subject. “We are.” Placing her camera so that it was nestled in a rug inside the picnic basket, he drew her with him from their tent toward Camille. The camel was kneeling on the sand already saddled and bridled. “I never make promises I can’t keep, and this way you’ll get some more photos for your exhibition.”
She smiled, but a different kind of anxiety now pinched at her innards. She had so much yet to do. Choosing and printing her photos, deciding which ones to make glossy or matte, panoramic or square, black and white or color, and which ones to frame. Then there was the task of hanging them and lighting them.
The work ahead was endless and yet here she was going on a mini-working holiday with her lover.
Their mount bellowed when she saw Hamid, her blinking, long-lashed eyes and hoarse welcome making Hamid chuckle. “You missed me, didn’t you Camille?”
Holly grinned. How had she ever imagined her lover was anything but a gentleman? Oh, he had his violent side; she’d witnessed it firsthand when he’d protected her from the desert brigands. She also had a feeling he’d be ruthless if needed for his country.
What about when he drinks?
She shivered, but managed to ignore the little voice inside her head. He’d stopped drinking for her and that was good enough until or unless he proved otherwise. She couldn’t control him. She could only trust in him.
She climbed behind Hamid and wrapped her arms around his waist, enjoying his corded strength. She was far more comfortable and confident now as Camille rocked into a standing position, and it was relief when she and Hamid didn’t bang heads. How he balanced the picnic basket in front of him though, she had no idea.
She stayed calm until the moment Hamid commanded their camel into a gallop that ate up the ground, the oasis and camp soon far behind them and nothing but sand and dunes to be seen.
Camille seemed comfortable in her stride, and Holly let loose with a joyoushootas adrenaline and excitement pumped through her. That the sand blurred either side of them made her realize how fast their mount was traveling. Hamid laughed as he slowed Camille, bringing her from a rocking gallop into a bone-jarring trot and finally a long, bouncy walk.
He looked back at her and winked, “Enjoying the ride?”
