His Reluctant Bride (9 page)

Miserably Katie moved back down the corridor trying to hide how hurt she was by his actions after all what right did she have to be upset? She had known from the moment he forced her in to marriage what he was like and she had known that she wouldn’t have a say in anything he did but for some reason it still hurt that out of all the women in the world he had chosen Amber.

Katie had never been one to lay back and mope though and so she took a deep breath, picked herself up and made the decision that if he could take a lover then so could she. After all he could hardly expect her to live the life of a nun while he flaunted his mistress under their own roof. No wonder he had tried to whisk her away to the desert.

“You should be resting!”

Katie spun round at the sound of her cheating husband’s voice and had to slow the sudden thump of her heart at his close presence.

“I felt much better,” she said quietly glancing past him to see if his lover had followed him out here though there was no sign of her.

“It is for the doctor to decide whether you are well enough to be wandering around,” he admonished and Katie rolled her eyes.

Honestly, there’s no need. I feel completely fine. Anyone would think I was running a marathon the way you’re carrying on,” Katie responded flippantly and Tariq’s gaze narrowed on her searchingly as though he sensed that something was amiss.

“You are suffering from heatstroke and need to be taking things easy. You need to be keeping yourself in good health for when you are carrying our child,” Tariq told her and Katie took a deep breath and held it.

“I don’t think my health matters much considering the fact that I will never be carrying any child of yours,” Katie informed him coolly and Tariq gritted his teeth in frustration at his wife’s continued insolence.

“We have been through this Catherine,” he reminded her and she shrugged unconcerned at the fact that she was inviting his wrath upon her.

“And I have told you that I won’t be carrying any children of yours. If you choose not to listen to me then that is your problem not mine,” Katie responded trying to keep all emotion from her voice though she suspected that he saw more than she wanted him to.

“I am your husband Catherine and Sheikh of Darlaya. You will be carrying my heirs and soon but I do not want this animosity between us for their sake. We will start our marriage over!” Tariq declared and Katie frowned at him wondering if he was for real. Did he honestly believe that she could just forget the way he had treated her or the fact that he had taken her away from her old life and forced her in to this fake marriage?

“No,” she replied turning to go back to her room only to come to an abrupt halt as he reached out and caught her around her wrist bringing her round to face him.

“What do you mean no?” he demanded looking completely shocked that anyone would say no to him.

“I have no intention of making this easy on you after you forced me to marry you and dragged me away from my family and friends,” she informed him and he looked even more stunned by this declaration.

“I hardly dragged you away from your family and friends. You are allowed to visit them. I am not a total monster, Catherine,” he assured her and she gave him a tight smile.

“So, if I wanted to go back to London to visit Gareth and Dave?” she asked innocently and watched his face become thunderous at the mere thought.

“I must insist that you do not go back to London. Your home is here now but naturally you are allowed to visit your parents and any other friend in Darlaya that you may wish to visit,” he replied firmly and Katie gave a short laugh.

“I’m sure my parents would be just thrilled to see me,” she told him sarcastically for they had never bothered with her before her marriage and she saw no reason why they would bother with her now. As for friends in Darlaya, she had none. She had spent as little time as possible here growing up and there wasn’t a single person that she would call a true friend or someone that she wanted to go and visit voluntarily.

“I am certain that your mother must be missing you,” Tariq agreed and Katie almost burst out laughing. Were they talking about the same woman? She had never done anything but disappoint the woman who had given her life and she saw no reason why things should be any different now.

“Perhaps, but I am not missing her,” Katie told him firmly as she tried to pull her arm from his grip but he merely tightened his hold.

“You are being incredibly stubborn,” he informed her with a frown at her behaviour and Katie gave him a smile. He thought this was stubbornness? He hadn’t seen anything yet.

“You know I think you’re right. I should get out of the palace and go visit my parents,” Katie said suddenly and Tariq’s gaze narrowed as though he sensed that she had caved too easily.

“Perhaps I should come with you,” he suggested and she shook her head in disbelief.

“You said I should get out and visit people but you don’t trust me to go alone? So I am a prisoner?” she asked and he sighed and ran a hand through his hair which was growing longer and more wild with each passing day.

“You are not a prisoner,” he denied automatically and she shrugged.

“Well either I am a free woman and able to visit my family without a chaperone, or I am a prisoner. Which is it?” she asked with her most innocent look though she doubted she fooled him.

“Very well. If the doctor says you are well enough then you may visit your family though I must insist that a bodyguard accompanies you,” he said as though he were doing her some great favour and she considered that for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Fine,” she answered as she finally managed to pull her arm back and immediately turned and stormed back to her room refusing to look back.

Why hadn’t she confronted him about Amber?

Because honestly she didn’t want to think about him with her and she didn’t want to confirm her own fears. It was one thing to suspect that they were sleeping together but to have it confirmed would only make things so much worse.

Besides what was that saying? Don’t get mad get even? Well she was certainly going to get even. Her foolish husband might trust her to visit her family but what he didn’t realise was that she had spent many years as a child sneaking out of places including her family home. Ditching one bodyguard should be no problem and she may have learned her lesson about running away but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t perfectly prepared to cheat on him the same way he was cheating on her. Maybe then he would realise what it felt like.

Time seemed to drag for Katie once she was safely back in the confines of her room. There was nothing to keep her entertained and she found herself pacing the room with anger and frustration swirling around inside her. She would have gone to explore but she didn’t want to accidentally run in to her arrogant husband or his slut of a mistress.

She needn’t have bothered hiding though as it was barely an hour later when the door opened and Katie swung round all set to confront her cheating husband only to discover that it was not him.

“Well this is a quaint little room. I had no idea the palace had any this small,” Amber offered by way of welcome as she stalked gracefully around the room. She trailed slender fingers over the few clothes that hung in the wardrobe and sent Katie a pained look as though she couldn’t bear to be around such cheap, sensible clothes. Though considering that she was dressed like a hooker, with her extremely short black dress that left nothing to the imagination, it was no wonder she felt that way.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Katie demanded wondering how she dared to walk in here like she owned the place.

“In the palace? Well, I’m a special guest of Tariq’s,” Amber said practically purring over the special part.

“I meant why are you here in my room?” Katie demanded through clenched teeth choosing to ignore the statement that practically confirmed she was sleeping with Tariq.

“I just came to offer some friendly advice,” Amber informed her as she examined her perfectly lacquered nails.

“Friendly advice,” Katie repeated incredulously and Amber sent her a smug smile.

“Don’t be getting too comfortable. Tariq may have married you for the duty of his country but the second you give him his male heir he will be free of you and he will come straight back to me,” Amber announced spitefully while Katie gaped at the woman’s audacity.

“I think that’s for Tariq to decide, don’t you?” Katie asked pulling on all her royal training to hide how much the words really affected her.

“I would say he already has,” Amber replied with that smug smile still in place and Katie itched to smack it off.

“And yet I’m the one wearing his ring,” Katie reminded her while Amber gave a sharp laugh in response.

“While I’m the one warming his bed,” Amber said with another smile.

“Was there an actual purpose to this visit?” Katie demanded coldly and Amber simply shrugged.

“Just to deliver some advice as your friend who cares about you. Back off because Tariq is not going to suddenly fall in love with you just because you throw yourself at him,” Amber informed her before she gave one more of those smug little smiles and left the room without a single backward glance.

Katie meanwhile stayed right where she was stunned that Amber could sink to such depths especially when it wasn’t even true. She wasn’t throwing herself at Tariq and he didn’t even know she existed except as a slight annoyance to his perfectly organised life.

The encounter only strengthened her decision to find someone who would appreciate her and show her husband exactly what it felt like to be cheated on.

It was yet another hour before Tariq dared to show his face and he was accompanied by the doctor. In that time her anger had increased to the point that she was practically burning with it. Not that she let either of them realise that as she reigned it in and pinned a smile to her face acting for all she was worth.

“You seem much better. I don’t believe you require any more medical attention,” the doctor offered once he had examined her and Katie sent him a grateful smile for she had never liked playing the part of invalid.

“So I’m well enough to travel?” she questioned and he sent her a soft smile.

“As long as you take things easy I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to do all the things you normally do,” the doctor informed her kindly while Tariq did not look happy at the news. Instead his face slowly darkened as she was given the all clear and by the time the doctor left he looked more forbidding than ever.

The second the door closed behind the doctor a heavy silence fell and neither one of them seemed inclined to break it.

“Perhaps you should visit your parents tomorrow. It’s getting late,” Tariq suggested finally and Katie turned stormy eyes on him as she realised why he had delayed bringing the doctor to check on her.

“That’s why I’ll stay the night,” she replied and Tariq’s expression became stony.

“No,” he automatically refused and Katie stared at him in disbelief.

“That’s it? Just no?” she responded when he didn’t say anything further and he sighed as he ran a rough hand through his dark hair.

“You are my wife,” he said as though that should mean something. And if this were a real marriage perhaps it would have.

“And I will still be your wife in the morning,” she replied automatically though that may not be strictly true if her plan worked out.

“Why the sudden need to see your parents?” he asked suspiciously and Katie tried to look as innocent as possible.

“It’s not like I’ve had much chance to see them recently and besides I think it would do us some good to take some space for a night and re-evaluate,” she said quietly making Tariq frown in silent thought.

“Very well, Catherine. One night and then we begin our marriage over with no more animosity between us,” he informed her and Katie readily agreed though she doubted after tonight he would even want them to have a marriage anymore.

Tariq paused for a few moments observing her before he turned and stormed from the room clearly not happy with the decision he had made but unable to take it back now.

Katie was ready in record time and she had taken extra care when dressing discarding one boring outfit after another until she had finally settled on a long black flowing skirt that stopped just above her ankles and revealed her very visible mark. She had matched it with a black vest top that showed off her other marks which seemed to appease Tariq’s temper when he saw her displaying his ownership, which had been her intentions. It worked a charm and he even managed a smile as he helped her in to the waiting car.

It was a relief to finally be free of his presence and for the drive to her parents Katie felt a sense of freedom return to her for the first time in weeks.

At least until they pulled up outside her parents and all of those feelings of entrapment came rushing back making her sigh at the loss of her freedom once again.

“Sweetheart, this is a surprise,” her mother said as she came out to the car to greet Katie who offered a weak smile.

“Didn’t Tariq tell you I was coming?” she asked coolly and her mother frowned.

“Well of course he did. But you are married now and we didn’t expect to see you so soon,” her mother offered as an explanation making Katie roll her eyes at the judgemental tone.

Why did everyone just assume that she should be connected at the hip to Tariq just because they had been forced to marry? Her mother of all people should know her feelings on the marriage.

Katie spent several hours catching up with her parents at least attempting the illusion that she honestly wanted to be there even if the reality was the complete opposite and she wished that she could be far away from the people who had created her. But her bodyguard seemed to buy it and that was all that mattered.

He seemed to believe without a doubt that this was just a night for her to reconnect with her parents and he was quite happy to stay in the background accepting cups of tea when offered but always with one eye on her making sure that no harm came to her.

“I’ll help you,” Katie suggested as her mother began making the final drinks of the night and her mother gratefully accepted.

“You know you really should have stayed with your husband tonight,” her mother admonished once they were alone and Katie rolled her eyes as her mother began listing the ways that she was going wrong with her marriage already.

Luckily her mother was so focused on listing all the bad things she thought of Katie that she didn’t notice Katie slip something in to each of the teas. It was something that she had stolen out of the doctor’s bag when he was distracted and would put them to sleep for several hours which should give her enough time to do what she had to.

She crossed her fingers that it would work.

Luck seemed to be with her and by the time they all went to bed her parents were yawning their heads off. It was absolute agony to wait in the dark for an hour but Katie wanted to be sure before she made a move. At the end of the hour she silently opened the door to her room and gave a satisfied smile at the sight of the sleeping guard outside.

Changing quickly in to the tightest black dress she could find in her old closet that caressed her every curve and clung like a second skin. She added a thick bracelet that covered her marks on her wrist and took a deep breath before catching up her heels and bag then crossing to the window and opening it slowly.

It had been years since she had been home and even longer since she had snuck out but she remembered the locations of the conveniently placed footholds and she carefully made her way down until she reached the ground below. Slipping on her heels she cast one last look at her parent’s house before she made her way down to the local bar remembering the way even though she had only been there once.

The place looked as shabby as she remembered. It was only popular with those new to town and those too drunk to care which was what she was counting on. Hopefully nobody there would recognise her and if they did they most likely wouldn’t care.

She wasn’t disappointed. They barely spared her a glance as she entered and Katie wondered for a moment if she was making a big mistake. But that passed as soon as she saw a familiar face that hadn’t seen in a while and hadn’t expected to see ever again.

“Rafe?” she asked as she came up behind him not quite believing that he was actually here.

“Katie?” he said as he spun round staring at her in disbelief.

They had been close friends when they were younger. Long before she had gone to the school and they had remained close during the holidays she was allowed to take at home. She had once even thought herself to be in love with him but her parents had made sure to put a stop to that and she hadn’t seen him since. Yet here he was again and it felt strange to see him.

They chatted for ages and it was like going back in the past to a day when she had foolishly thought that she might be able to escape her future wedding and actually marry for love.

It was such great timing finding herself here at the same time he was and she had a moment to wonder if this was fate intervening on her behalf.

She didn’t even hesitate when he asked her to go back to his house with him even though she knew where he would want it to lead. She wanted it to. Or rather she thought she did. The reality of stepping out in to the cool dark night with him was something altogether different and she shivered though she wasn’t sure whether it was from the cool night air or from nerves at what she was about to do.

She wanted to punish Tariq so much for what he had done to her and for what he was still doing to her. Forcing her to marry him was one thing but flaunting his mistress before her was something else entirely and she wanted so much to punish him for that. But she wasn’t sure she could. She wasn’t that sort of person and if she couldn’t condone cheating from him then how could she do it herself?

All to soon they were at Rafe’s place and as he leaned closer she had a split second to decide. Was she really going to go through with it? Could she honestly cheat on her husband?