The Defiant Princess (25 page)

“So, what happens now?”

Khalid took one step to close the distance between them, swept her up into his arms and kissed her passionately. “Now, we enjoy the remainder of our wedding night.”

“Oh.”

“I promised to bathe you,” he told her as his long strides carried them the remaining distance to the tent. “You need to know that I keep my promises.”

Inside her head, questions about Rhajia clamoured to be answered. They could not compete with the awareness of Khalid's strength, of the sensation of his hot, bare flesh against her cheek, or with the sensual promise in his eyes. Having still not recovered her breath from his kiss, each inhalation was short and shallow. Her pulse sprinted toward an uncertain finish line.

Once inside the tent Khalid placed her on her feet and stood close behind her, his arms around her waist. “Welcome to the bridal tent,” he said huskily.

“It's magnificent,” she exclaimed as she surveyed the richness of drapes, wall tapestries, rugs and cushions. “Just like something from an Arabian Nights film set.”

But more magnificent was the man behind her. The faint prick of stubble from his jaw against the softness of her temple was another reminder of his masculinity. Automatically, she leant back against his hard body as his lips trailed along her cheek. Heat suffused through her as she felt the firmness of his erection pressing into her back.

He dropped his arms and caught her hand, leading her to a draped-off section of the tent. Sabrina followed willingly. Tonight, she would follow wherever he led her.
Tomorrow
… She let the thought hang, refusing to go there.

Khalid's seduction of her began all over again. He undressed her slowly, kissing the flesh he exposed and worshipping her with his hands and his eyes. She fell deeper under his spell, his sensual mastery overloading her senses.

“Now, my bride, your bath awaits you.”

The warm, scented water of the deep bath was pure heaven when she stepped into it.

“You're not joining me?” The tub was certainly big enough for two.

“My pleasure will be in bathing you,” he promised.

Her disappointment in bathing alone was short-lived. Khalid's ministrations with the soap and sponge, especially the gentleness he employed when he reached the tender area between her thighs, transported her to another dimension. It was hard to credit that this dominant alpha-male could be so sensitive and generous in his attention to her.

Each of his strokes was sweet torture, building her need of him until she could stand it no longer. She cried out in frustration and didn't try to hide the aching desire for him that she was sure must be mirrored in her eyes. She reached for his shoulders and drew his head down to kiss him. “Make love to me again.”

“You'll be too sore,” he rasped against her mouth.

“No.” She traced his full lower lip boldly with her tongue tip.

A deep throaty sound signalled the snap of his control. He raised her wet body from the tub and carried her out to the large bed. Disregarding the fact that she was dripping wet, he lowered her to the mattress.

Sabrina was lost. He made exquisite love to her with his mouth until she writhed and bucked beneath him as she reached her climax. And, when he would have pulled away, she demanded more. Insisted that he join his powerful body with hers, rejoiced in the size of him as he stretched her newly-discovered flesh. Frantically, she rocked her hips rhythmically with his until they reached their peak together and cried out in unison.

***

Some time close to dawn, with Sabihah snuggled in close to him, her head pillowed against his chest, Khalid felt strangely replete. Sharing a bed in sleep wasn't something he'd done previously. He'd never tolerated the after-sex closeness that his former lovers seemed to crave, yet having Sabihah cradled against him seemed natural. Watching her sleep, he felt an intimacy he'd never experienced.

He ran his fingers over her smooth forehead then along the silkiness of her fair hair, marvelling again at the sheer perfection of her features, the luminescence of her complexion. He couldn't allow himself to wake her—she would be exhausted. Despite the indications that her sexual appetite was just as healthy as his, he would be a beast to possess her again when her previously untried flesh must be sore and sensitive.

He'd already made love to her more often than he'd intended because of her urgings. He hadn't expected his virgin bride to be so incredibly responsive or so willing to learn. Apart from her initial shyness, she'd lost her inhibitions and demanded full access to his body, to know him completely and to learn what pleased him most.

And by God, she
had
pleased him.

She'd wanted to know everything at once but despite being a willing and proficient student in his lessons of lovemaking, he wanted to take things slowly. He would enjoy initiating her into new pleasures over time. They had the rest of their lives to share.

Without conscious thought, he exhaled a deep breath of satisfaction. Some part of his brain cautioned him to pull away from her, but he ignored the warning.

Sabihah was his wife. He didn't need to keep her at arm's length. And this incredible peace he felt in having her sleep in his arms was because his future was settled.

Unlike past lovers, this woman would share common goals with him in spheres other than the bedroom. Once Mustaf was arrested, Khalid would have achieved the goals his father set for him. There would be no threat to Turastan's water supply, Lalita would not have to marry Mustaf's son and Sabihah would assume the throne of Rhajia. Khalid and Sabihah would work together to unite their two countries and ensure peace and stability. That he and his bride were sexually compatible was a bonus. There wasn't anything more to this deep feeling of fulfilment. There couldn't be. He had vowed he would never lose his heart again.

***

Sabrina woke to the touch of Khalid's fingers against her cheek and the sounds of a flurry of activity outside the tent.

“Good morning.” Khalid's voice was as rich as the scent of the freshly brewed coffee he offered her, and every bit as desirable.

“Hi.” She scrambled upright, hoping she didn't look a mess. She registered the heaviness of her limbs as she moved, the slight ache and tenderness of muscles she hadn't realised she possessed. Heat pervaded her body as she replayed Khalid's lovemaking in her mind.

“Would you like coffee?”

His question rammed home the fact that this man, her husband, knew her body more intimately than any other, but didn't know whether she drank coffee in the morning.

“Thanks.” She avoided his eyes but was all too aware of the brush of his fingers against hers as she accepted the cup. Her body was so in-tune with his, so alert to his presence.

“Our plans have changed. We leave today for Rhajia.”

She nodded, understanding why the honeymoon would have to be cut short even though part of her yearned to spend more time alone with Khalid. Rhajia was the priority.

“The border is only an hour's drive from here. We'll travel by car to the capital. It'll be good for you to pass through some of the towns en route.”

“Mustaf is safely behind bars?”

Khalid's teeth clamped together. “He fled the palace before the Arab Council guard could arrest him.”

Sabrina's fingers tightened around the handle of her coffee cup. “He was tipped off?”

“Evidently.” Khalid stood up from the bed, his annoyance revealed in the grim set of his mouth.

“And have you learned who it was that told Mustaf about my existence?”

“No.”

Placing her cup down, Sabrina chewed her lower lip with her upper teeth. “That isn't reassuring.”

“We have every available person working on both the capture of Mustaf and tracking the source of the leak,” Khalid told her. Although he sounded confident on the surface, she picked up on his frustration. “In the meantime our security team will assure your safety.”

“Wouldn't it be safer to fly to the capital rather than travel by road?” Fear squeezed at her heart. Her parents had been assassinated on that road.

Khalid sat next to her again and framed her face in his hands. “I swear on my life, I will ensure your safety, Sabihah.”

She didn't doubt the sincerity of his words, nor did she understand him. He didn't love her, yet he was willing to lay down his life for her.

He brushed a kiss over her lips. “While you have been sleeping, I have reviewed the plans for our journey with our head of security. I can't guarantee that one of Mustaf's extremists won't make an attempt to harm us, but I'm certain we'll both be safe.”

With the strength of Khalid's vow it was easier to conquer her fear than she would have expected.

She placed her hands over his. “I've understood the danger since I was fired at in my living room. I know Mustaf has to be stopped and Rhajia needs a ruler.”

His lips claimed hers and she found herself leaning into his kiss, responding hungrily, wanting to prolong it and deepen it. All too quickly, Khalid pulled away and stood. “You tempt me but you need to get dressed and have breakfast.”

The regret in his voice made up a little for his sudden withdrawal.

He indicated a tray of fruit and yoghurt she hadn't noticed. “We leave within the hour.”

***

The grand palace of Rhajia in the capital city, Shaliadan, loomed before them. Khalid didn't find it as impressive as the palace of Turastan, although it was sinfully magnificent when compared to the buildings around the palace walls. While the palace had become more impressive during Mustaf's reign, the mud brick homes of the ordinary citizens had been left to deteriorate. Some of them looked as though they should be condemned.

Beside him, Sabihah stiffened. He studied her as she looked straight ahead.

“Do you remember the palace?” he enquired.

She closed her eyes and gave a brief nod. He took her hand in his, knowing her return to the palace was distressing her, and hoping his support would provide her with some comfort.

With each hour they spent together, Khalid found his respect for his wife growing. The questions she asked about her birth nation were intelligent. Her mind was quick to absorb the information he delivered and to analyse and appraise the various difficulties Rhajia faced.

At the first village they'd come to, she'd expressed a desire to go and walk among the people. The security team assessed it as safe for her to do so and she'd spent almost an hour there. The villagers had been a little wary at first. News of Mustaf's pending arrest had not reached them. Yet despite rejoicing at the news of the dictator's expected deposition, it was clear they were also celebrating Sabihah's return. Her warmth, interest, and compassion won them over as she walked through the village and conversed with them. They were connecting with her as an individual—not just as the person who would overthrow Mustaf and not simply because she was King Akram and Queen Karen's daughter.

“You were right,” she'd confessed to him as they had returned to the vehicle. “I feel a strong affinity to these people.” She'd shaken her head as though her feelings were confusing her. “I've lived most of my life in Australia, yet there's something about this place—something about the people I've just met—that pulls me. I don't understand it.”

Her words had sat well with him. He felt more confident she would find fulfilment in serving the Rhajian people.

He gave her hand a squeeze now and brushed his lips against her temple. “You're not alone, Sabihah.”

She turned to him. The gratitude in her eyes humbled him. “I'm really confused about a lot of my feelings right now, Khalid, but I have to admit I don't think I could face this without you.”

His heart expanded and his next breath seemed to take more effort than usual. Nobody had ever depended on him to such an extent on a personal level. Had any of his lovers turned to him for emotional support, he would've ended the relationship immediately. They'd known their time with him had been transient, based only on mutual pleasure.

Apart from his one disastrous affair at university, Inaya was the only woman he'd entered a relationship with where he hadn't set down firm ground rules. She was the woman who'd survived longest in his bed, and the one he'd worked hardest at getting to know. But Inaya hadn't relied on him emotionally. That was one of the things that had appealed to him about her.

Even King Hassan was self-contained. He gave Khalid duties, but in his grief over Hazim's death, his father had not leant on his younger son. Lalita had cried on Khalid's shoulder at Hazim's funeral, but after that she'd relied more on her close friends to see her through her grieving.

Sabihah's reliance on him for emotional support felt satisfying at a deep level. She wasn't the only one confused about her feelings right now, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

The large gilded gates of the palace swung open and the first car in their official cavalcade entered the cobblestoned forecourt of the palace. Several Arab leaders and powerful diplomats had arrived ahead of them. These men exited the main entrance of the palace to welcome them.

Khalid named each of them for Sabihah as the car slowed. “They're here to welcome you and attend your coronation. The remaining rulers of the region, including my father, will fly in this afternoon.”

“When will the coronation take place?”

“Early this evening.”

Her eyes widened and her lips parted. “You're kidding, right?”

“No. I told you it was to take place as soon as possible.”

Their vehicle came to a complete stop.

“But surely it takes more organisation than the last few days would have allowed?”

“My father has been making preparations since he learned of your existence.”

She pulled her hand out of his and both hands flew to her temples. “I can't believe how fast this is all happening. This time last week I was in a sleepy town on another continent.”