The Sheikh's Pretend Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 2) (16 page)

Ella stepped onto the mosaic hallway floor, her bare feet making no sound. She was sure Raz had no idea she was standing in the hallway.

Ella took a few steps and started to make out what Raz and Aliya were saying to each other. Ella felt suddenly guilty. It wasn't right she was eavesdropping like this. Ella stopped and turned, intending to go back upstairs and leave Raz to talk with his sister.

But, then one statement caught her attention.

"It's serious this time, isn't it?" Ella heard Aliyah ask Raz.

Ella froze, awaiting his reply.
 

Nothing.

The silence created an ache of impatience in Ella's middle.

"Well?" she heard Aliyah ask. "She's not like the others, is she?"

Ella heard Raz gasp. "Oh, no. She's not like the others at all," he heard. Ella suppressed a smile.
 

Aliyah started to speak again. "It's just that mother was talking yesterday. We were wondering where you were. Then Zayed mentioned that you had spoken to him about her. And, mother got really excited."

Raz groaned. "Not again," he said.

Ella frowned. She wasn't sure she liked the way this conversation was going. Maybe she should head back upstairs before she heard something she might prefer not to hear.

"You know what mother's like. She wants us all married off as quickly as possible."

Married!
 

The word hit Ella like an express train. She reached out and grabbed the stairway banister.
 

Raz's mother was trying to marry Raz off?

Had that been what all this had been about? Finding a suitably gullible woman to become a convenient wife for the unwed sheikh?

"You know what she's always said in the past, Raz," Aliyah said.

"What's that?" he asked.

"That all of your girlfriends are just pretenders, hoping to become your bride."

Ella heard Raz grunt. "Pretend brides? Now, there's a thing," he said. "Well, she must be happy, now that Zayed and Chloe are man and wife," Raz said to Aliyah.

Aliyah sighed. "She won't be happy until we're all married," she replied.

And then Raz said something that shook Ella to the core. Especially after what had happened only hours before.

"Mother's got a long wait ahead of her, if she thinks I'm going to be wed. It's not going to be that easy."

The words slammed into Ella.

There it was.

The truth.

It hit her with all the impact of a boxer's right hook. Ella grasped onto the banister, unable to believe what she had just heard. Raz had only been playing with her, after all. Ella's suspicions had proven to be correct. It had all been a game, an elaborate charade devised by a bored sheikh determined to ignore his mother's dearest wishes.

Ella's departure would be put down to just another girlfriend passing through, like sand between the sheikh's fingers.

Ella sank down onto the bottom stair. The conversation in the other room continued, but she didn't want to hear any
 
more of it. The words that Raz had spoken felt like glass against her skin.
 

How could she have been so foolish? Raz had been so persuasive, his attentions so intensely overwhelming that Ella had barely been able to resist him. And now this was the result. The one that she had resisted from the start. She was no more than a notch on his bedpost. He'd never had any intention of making her a part of his life for the longer term.

Ella felt stupid for even considering that such a thing could have been a real possibility.

Ella wanted to go upstairs, pack her bag and leave. She had what she needed. The video files and photos were on her laptop. The samples could be obtained later. Ella had done her best and found what she had come to Qazhar in search of.

The best thing she could do would be to graciously make her exit. Raz wouldn't be surprised, nor would he be disappointed to see her leave. She was sure of that.

Aliyah could drive her back to Qazhar City. It would be so simple.

Then why did she feel like her insides had been torn out?

Ella forced herself to stand and started to walk toward the door to the sitting room. The voices of Raz and Aliyah gradually became louder, but still she couldn't process what they were saying to each other. There was a roaring in her ears, and she began to doubt if she could say what needed to be said.

She was sure her face was deathly pale. Her legs felt unsteady, and there was an unpleasant tingling sensation at the tips of her fingers.

Finally, she reached the door and saw Raz freeze in mid-sentence, staring wide-eyed at Ella.

Aliyah whirled around, and Ella saw the beautiful woman's mouth form into a circle of surprise.

Ella drew in a deep breath and forced herself to smile at Aliyah, who was already starting to move toward Ella, arms open in greeting.

"Hello, Aliyah," Ella said. Her gaze shifted to Raz, who still hadn't moved. Did he look ashamed or simply uncomfortable?

"Ella!" Aliyah exclaimed hugging Ella. "How nice to see you," Aliyah said smiling at Ella. Unless she was mistaken, it appeared to Ella that Aliyah was genuinely pleased to see her. Only moments before Aliyah and Raz had been talking about Ella as if she were of no consequence. It seemed almost unreal.

Ella looked at Aliyah. "This is a surprise visit. Isn't it?" Ella glanced again at Raz, who just smiled nervously. How things had changed and in such a short space of time.

"My mother sent me," Aliyah explained. She turned and frowned good-naturedly at Raz. "She was worried she hadn't heard from Raz. And, she wanted to know how you were doing with all that business up at the border."

"That's all sorted out," Ella said in a flat voice. "There's no reason for me to wait here any longer."

On hearing those words, Raz frowned and took a step forward, but Ella fixed him with a burning, hot glare that halted him in his tracks.

"Really?" Aliyah said turning to Raz once again. Ella was sure there was an expression of surprise on Aliyah's face. Ella saw Raz's eyes narrow at his sister and then he looked at Ella. "Are you sure?" he asked.

He couldn't wait for her to leave, she told herself. Something hard formed inside Ella. She glared at Raz.

"I have everything I need, Raz," Ella said.
 

On hearing his name, Raz drew in a deep breath. "But, maybe you can stay here a while longer. There is much that I can show you. You've only seen a small part of my estate here," he said.

"I've seen everything I need to see," she replied coldly.

Aliyah cleared her throat. "Well. Isn't this nice," she said hesitantly, looking embarrassed.
 

Ella looked at Aliyah. "Can I ask you to drive me back to the city?"

Aliyah's eyes widened, and she hesitated. Finally, she said: "Why. Yes. If that's what you want."

"I can take you," Raz said quickly.

Just as quickly, Ella cut him off before he said anything else. "No," she said simply.

Raz's face paled visibly.

"No," Ella repeated. "I think I'd enjoy a chance to chat with Aliyah," she said firmly. "Also, the environmental conference opens today. I think there's something for me to do there."

There was a long and very awkward pause. Eventually, Raz spoke, and his voice cracked with emotion. "If that's what you'd prefer," he said.

Ella nodded vigorously. "It's what I want. Thank you, Aliyah. I'll get my things."

Ella turned and left the sitting room as fast as she could. From behind her, there was only silence. In front of her were the stairs that she would walk up for the very last time.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Ella and Aliyah left a very short time later. Aliyah had come in her own car, an elegant BMW. The interior was air conditioned so Ella could settle back into the seat and feel the cool air while gazing out at the scorching hot desert. She leaned her head against the window and tried not to look toward the sea. That reminded her too much of the past two days and nightS. She wanted her mind filled with the emptiness of the desert.

Before they'd left the palace, Raz had tried to come to Ella's room, but she had kept it locked while she prepared to leave. There was nothing to be said, as far as she was concerned. She'd heard all she needed to hear downstairs. Raz had tried to speak to her through the thickness of the door, but the real barrier that had risen up between Ella and the sheikh would never be broken down.

Eventually, Ella had emerged from the room with her bags in hand. He had tried to say something to her, but the feverish look in her eyes had stopped the words in his mouth. Raz had looked genuinely shocked that Ella was leaving in such circumstances. Raz had stood in the corridor and stretched out a hand to carry her bags for her, but she had firmly declined, gripping the handle of the suitcase tight.

Raz had walked by Ella's side as she had made her way to the courtyard, where Aliyah had been standing by the open door of her car.

Goodbyes had been brief and very polite. There was so much she had wanted to say; so many things she'd wanted to declare to him, accuse him of doing. But, in the end, the wisest thing to do was to get in the car and leave. Which was what she did.

Ella didn't even look back at the palace as the car drove through the gates and on down the road.

Now, she was miles away, and the palace was already beginning to seem like a strange, distant memory. But, what had happened in her bedroom the previous night refused to budge from her mind, no matter how hard she tried.

Aliyah respected Ella's wish for quiet. At least for a little while. But, eventually, Raz's sister couldn't resist the urge to speak with Ella.

"Do you mind if I speak with you about my brother?" Aliyah asked tentatively.

Ella closed her eyes and wished the silence would answer for her.

But, Aliyah wasn't someone to be that easily deterred. "I don't know what happened between the two of you..." Aliyah started to say.

Ella whirled around. "Nothing happened, Aliyah," she interrupted. "Absolutely nothing of any consequence."

Aliyah nodded, and Ella saw the woman's lips purse thoughtfully. After a moment, she tried again. "I know Raz. I know what he is capable of. I've met many of his women friends."

"That's reassuring," Ella said, immediately regretting the harsh tone of her voice.

Aliyah carried on as if she hadn't even heard Ella. "I've seen what Raz can be like. He is a difficult person and a very proud man."

"I think you're right on that score," Ella said. "Difficult isn't the word I'd use."

"But, there are reasons for that," Aliyah said quietly.

There was a pause during which the only sound Ella could hear was the soft rumble of the car's engine. Dare she probe Aliyah about those reasons? Did Ella really want to know anything about Raz's past?

"What kind of reasons are you talking about," Ella asked eventually.

Aliyah sighed and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "Raz had a difficult time growing up. Our father was a harsh taskmaster. All the boys had to deal with that. But, Raz always was someone who seemed to feel things more than others did."

"How so?" Ella asked.

"Raz grew up to be a bit of a rebel. He was always getting into trouble of one sort or the other. He never was the most favored son. That honor fell to Zayed, being the eldest. Now that Zayed is married, there are certain pressures that come with being the next in line to assume marital responsibilities."

"Are you saying Raz is under pressure to get married?" Ella asked.

Aliyah shrugged. "We all are." She turned and smiled at Ella. "Even me," she added.

"What kind of trouble did Raz get himself into?" Ella asked.

"The usual kind that young, rich men get into," Aliyah replied.

Ella frowned. "Nothing too serious, I assume. Or, surely his father wouldn't have let him take over the oil business," Ella said.

"No. All Raz's problems in recent years have been with women," Aliyah said, making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm not sure I want to know any more," Ella said.

Aliyah laughed. "Oh, it was nothing too dramatic. Let's just say, Raz never was one for any kind of commitment."

"Once again, I'm not surprised," Ella retorted.

"I know. All men are alike. Aren't they?" Aliyah said smiling at Ella.

"You're telling me," Ella replied.

"But, the thing is, I love my brother very much," Aliyah said. "I only want to see him happy. I've met most of the women he has consorted with in recent years, and none of them impressed me."

Ella snorted. Everything was being confirmed. She had done well to escape an involvement with Raz Al Kharif. Even his own sister was making that crystal clear.

Aliyah continued to speak, her gaze fixed on the road ahead. "None of them, until, that is, I met you," she declared in a soft voice. "You're different. And, I've never seen Raz behave with someone the way he behaves around you."

Ella felt her face redden. Aliyah turned to Ella and peered knowingly toward her, searching for some response.

Ella tried to maintain her composure. It wouldn't do any good to let Aliyah get any sense of how those simple words had affected Ella.

Aliyah didn't say anything for a while after that. Ella was sure the wily young woman was letting those thoughts sink into Ella's consciousness. What was going on? Was Aliyah trying to apologize for what had been said back at the palace? Was she trying to protect Raz's reputation?

After a while Ella replied. "How do you know that's how he feels about me?"

Aliyah squinted at Ella. "Simple. He told me."

"But..." Ella started to object, but Aliyah cut her off.
 

"Every woman who ever got close to Raz before you made it so easy for him. They always worked hard at pleasing him, never disagreeing. Because that was what they thought Raz wanted. But, it was never like that. Raz isn't that kind of man."

"You're telling me he likes me because I argue with him?" Ella asked slightly incredulous.

Aliyah laughed. "Of course not. But, he told me, he is fascinated by your spirit and determination; by your commitment to helping others; by your selflessness."