The Sheikh's Pretend Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 2) (6 page)

Ella wondered whether it was just the effect of the expensive champagne or the romantic setting of the palace garden terrace, that was taking the hard edge off her reaction to Raz's little deception. Surely she hadn't let the man burrow his way into her heart in such a short time. Instant attraction was one thing, but this was something completely new to Ella.

The meal had been delicious, every bit as exquisite as Aliyah had promised it would be. Raz and Ella had chatted with his sister and mother for a while. They were charming people, Ella had to admit. There was a clear family warmth between brother and sister; between mother and son. It was plain to see that they were a close family. So many of her preconceived notions about Raz had been swept away during the brief time in the sitting room, sipping sweet tea and talking about life in a friendly and open manner. It had taken Ella by surprise.

In the face of such friendliness, Ella hadn't been able to resist opening up and telling Raz, his mother and his sister, at least something about herself. She'd told them about growing up in modest circumstances in a suburb of Philadelphia. Her mother had passed away when Ella had been young, so her father had brought her up as best he could. Things had been tough, but her father, Jack, had made sure that Ella had made it through college, emerging with a determination to make a difference in the world. Ella knew her father was proud of her work with the global charity, even if they didn't always see eye to eye on political matters.

As she had been describing parts of her childhood, Ella couldn't help noticing how fascinated Raz had been listening to everything she had said. Now that he knew so much about her, Ella was determined to find out as much as she could about Raz.

Raz put his glass down on the table and looked at Ella. He quirked a brow and the corner of his mouth creased with the crack of a gentle, apologetic smile. "Why didn't I mention our private dinner? To be honest, I thought you might object to being taken to the sheikh's palace, meeting his mother and sister and then being plied with food and drink," he said with a grin. "Seems like I was right to be worried."

Ella frowned. "That's not fair. We hardly know each other. It's just so sudden. I was just being careful."

Raz's brows furrowed. "You don't need to be careful with me, Ella," he growled.

Ella took a quick sip of her champagne.
 

"We did manage to mix business with pleasure," Raz continued.

The mention of pleasure made Ella cough on her champagne. Ella saw Raz gaze at her, gauging her reaction. She figured there wasn't much that Raz did by accident when it came to making an impression on a woman. Because, after all, that was what he had been trying to do, wasn't it? Raz Al Kharif was trying to impress Ella. It was pretty darned obvious.

The entire escapade of bringing her to the palace, meeting his family and this dinner was designed to achieve one thing and one thing only. Ella felt something shift in her middle at the thought of Raz planning all of this. What did he have in mind? How many women had he brought to the palace in just this way? How many women had Raz seduced here in this palace?
 

Looking at him, seeing his extraordinary good looks and having already been subjected to his devastating charm, Ella was sure there had been many women before her. Well, she wasn't going to be just one more in that long line of conquests.

Ella dragged her mind away from such thoughts and stood up. She moved to the balcony's balustrade and gazed out at the garden.
 

It stretched for hundreds of yards, illuminated by sunken lights in such a way that no matter where she looked there was always a stunning moonlit vista to savor. Trees had been planted in neat rows creating a series of narrow pathways. Away in the distance, she saw a large carved fountain, once again illuminated, this time with softly colored lights. The water tumbled across elegant carvings of animals.

She leaned against the cool stone, feeling the soft chill against the skin of her forearms. This was a peaceful place. It was a veritable oasis in the midst of an unforgiving, arid desert. The opulence of the way Raz's family lived suddenly struck her as a painful contrast to the way the indigenous tribe lived far away on the northern coast.
 

Ella reminded herself that was the real reason she was here. Ella felt suddenly guilty for having enjoyed even one moment of her time this evening. She should have been back in the city, planning her activities for the next day. Instead, she had succumbed to the charms of a Sheikh and had allowed herself to be taken to his private place, to enjoy the kind of luxury denied so many.

Ella shivered slightly and drew her arms around herself. She sighed and heard Raz's chair slide on the marble terrace. He moved to her and leaned on the balustrade by her side. Ella was determined not to look into Raz's eyes. She knew the dangers that lay in his gaze. She'd seen the way he'd looked at her in the limousine, and been surprised at herself for welcoming his appreciative gaze. This wasn't like her at all. She'd kept relationships with men on the back burner for too many years now, to suddenly succumb to the charms of the desert sheikh. Even if he looked like something that had emerged out of a fevered dream.

"The garden is beautiful, isn't it?" Raz said softly.

Ella nodded and continued to fight the urge to look at Raz.

"It's my father's pride and joy. He's spent years developing the garden into what it is now." Raz laughed. "When I was a boy it was nothing but a ragged patch of green with a few trees. But now, it looks incredible."

Ella nodded. "He must be very proud of his work."

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked looking toward the garden.
 

Ella felt a sudden rush of sensation at the mere thought of being alone with Raz in the garden. Her first thought was that she couldn't trust herself to be there with him, with no-one watching. Could she trust him? Even more importantly, could she trust herself?

Ella glanced at Raz and saw he was waiting for her reply. His eyes were filled with what looked like hopeful expectation.

Ella allowed herself one more, brief moment of deliberation and then she seized the moment. "Of course, I would. That would be lovely," she said. It would do no good to give Raz the impression that she didn't have the courage to be alone with him.

Raz's eyes lit up, and he reached out a hand, but Ella took one step away from him, eager to maintain at least some kind of respectful distance.
 

Ella followed Raz down the set of steps that led from the balcony and into the garden. They stepped out onto the grassy bank that sloped down to a flat area. It stretched away from them toward a tree-lined pathway.

Ella's heels sank into the soft grass, and she lost her balance for a moment. Raz thrust out a hand, and Ella took it with a reflexive movement that surprised her. Raz's fingers wrapped around her hand the same way they had done when he had helped her out of the car on their arrival. Ella glanced at Raz. "I think I'll take my shoes off."

Raz nodded appreciatively. "Sounds good," he said.

Ella let Raz hold her hand while she stretched down and flicked off her shoes. She hung the straps of her shoes around her fingers. The sensation of her feet on the cool grass was strangely pleasant. Ella curled her toes and smiled at Raz.

"Better?" he asked.

Ella nodded and saw Raz glance down at her bare feet. He seemed to take some simple, primal pleasure at seeing her standing barefoot on the grass.

Raz released her hand, and they started to walk. At first, they said nothing to each other, happy to enjoy the quiet of the garden. Ella glanced back at the palace. From this side, the building looked as imposing as it had from the entrance. She saw how far it stretched back away from the front. There were additional wings and annexes, and she wondered how many bedrooms the place had.

Now, why had she thought about bedrooms? She chided herself and cleared her throat hoping that Raz hadn't noticed the change in her complexion. Her cheeks felt suddenly warmer. She was glad that the light was softer as they made their way into the garden and further from the palace lights.
 

Ella drew in a deep breath and felt the peace of the place settle into her. She inhaled the aroma of the many beds of flowers that had been planted along the pathway. A few steps later and they were beneath a canopy of tall trees that stretched away toward where the fountain was located. The branches moved softly in the evening breeze, creating a background sound like gentle waves settling upon a beach.

This was a magical place. She felt so incredibly fortunate to be here, sharing this moment with a man she realized she still did not know that well. But, he was so very courteous, as if he realized that this must all seem so strange to her. It was as if he were giving her the chance to take it all in, adjust to this exotic place that was as far as possible from the world she knew back in America.

Eventually, they emerged into the open area in the middle of which stood the fountain. Water gushed elementally out of the trunks of carved white elephants. The torrent splashed noisily into the wide base of the fountain. The sound of the water seemed almost out of place in the garden, but Ella realized she was glad to be next to the coolness. The air around the fountain felt almost chilly in comparison to that of the garden.

There was a low bench facing the fountain. Ella went to it and sat down, curling her legs beneath the stone seat. She gazed up at Raz as he stood looking at the fountain.

"It's so beautiful," Ella said.

"It was carved by one of our finest artisans," Raz explained. "The elephants represent good fortune." Raz looked down and gave her own of his devastating smiles. "Or so I have been told."

"I don't think your family have needed much in the way of good fortune," Ella replied gazing around her.

Raz frowned. "What makes you say that?"

He remained standing, looking down at her, and Ella wondered why he hadn't immediately taken the chance to sit by her side.

"The wealth of your kingdom is world renowned," Ella said.

"We're not the only kingdom with such wealth," Raz replied. "There are others with more than us."

"Having more doesn't always mean it is used wisely," Ella said.

Raz sat down by her side, a look of concern on his face. "Wisdom has nothing to do with how much money you have," he said.

Ella nodded. "I know that. My father and I had virtually nothing. Yet, he is the wisest man I've ever known."

Raz's gaze ran over Ella's features and settled finally on her eyes. "He was wise enough to bring up a beautiful daughter."

Ella felt the heat rise to her face. Raz was mere inches away from her, and yet she was sure she could feel the heat of his body against her side. The loose fabric of her dress suddenly seemed like a poor defense against Raz's presence.

Ella dragged her gaze away from Raz. She felt him move closer to her and then his fingers touched her chin, gently and softly, as if her face was the most delicate thing imaginable. Ella felt her throat tighten, and her breath caught. She turned to Raz and saw the desire in his eyes. It was plain to see, and he was doing nothing to disguise it now.

Ella knew that she should move; sensed that the only thing she should do would be to stand and demand they go back inside the palace. But, her body would not do what her mind implored her to do.

Their eyes met, and Ella felt her heart race faster, her blood coursing suddenly quicker through her veins. What was it about this man that affected her like this, she asked herself, even although she knew that there was no answer.
 

Raz leaned his head closer to Ella, and a wolfish grin creased his lips. He looked as if he wanted to devour her.
 

Ella swallowed, even though it took an effort to do so.

"Raz," she said softly.

Raz shook his head. "Don't say anything. There's only us here, now. That's all that matters," he murmured.

Ella could feel his breath against the side of her face. Then his head dipped, and he was kissing her behind her ear, sending spasms of exquisite pleasure coursing through her body. She leaned in against him, inviting him, feeling the pressure of his lips against her skin. She kept telling herself that this wasn't right, that it still wasn't too late to end this. But, she didn't move away from him.
 

Ella raised a defensive hand against his chest, and she was sure she could feel the thudding of his heart. She didn't try to push him away, merely resting her fingers against the smooth material of his white shirt. She could feel the coarseness of his chest beneath the fabric.

Raz touched a hand to her shoulder, drawing her closer to him. Ella twisted slightly on the seat. She closed her eyes, and all she could hear was breathing; her own and Raz's steady pulsing breaths.

Ella opened her eyes, and Raz moved his head, his lips hovering in front of Ella's. At that moment there was a silent, unspoken communication between them both. It was something beyond words, a deep physical connection that seemed to rise up from somewhere inside them both. They hesitated as if waiting for one another to agree to the one thing they both knew was undeniable.

Then, suddenly, from somewhere in the garden, there was a screaming sound, like the keening noise an animal in distress would make. It almost sounded like someone laughing, a mocking noise that made the air vibrate. Someone was here, she thought urgently.

It jolted Ella out of her reverie, and she jumped, startled, shifting quickly away from Raz.

"What was that?" she gasped.

Raz's eyes widened, and she followed his gaze away past the fountain. On the other side of the clearing she saw a large, multi-colored bird standing there, a huge train of plumage stretching out behind it.

"It's a peacock," he explained. His shoulders sank, and he shook his head.

Ella gazed at the bird. Of course, she thought. A bird. The long, thin neck of the peacock shifted from side to side as if showing disapproval.