The Sheik's Secret Bride (5 page)

Liana stood at the foot of her daughter’s bed and watched the sleeping girl. Her head might be spinning with confusion and exhaustion, but her heart was true and on course, as it had been from the second she’d found out she was pregnant. From that moment to this, everything she’d ever done had been with her daughter’s best interests in mind.

Bethany
was her entire world. She’d come to El
Bahar
because of her daughter, and she would gladly travel greater distances if it was the right thing for
Bethany
.

“I love you,” she murmured, even though her child couldn’t hear her. Then she walked into the hallway and shut the door.

Liana couldn’t remember ever being so tired in her life, yet she didn’t want to go to bed. An odd restlessness gripped her. She walked into her bedroom and thought about taking a bath. Deciding that a shower would be quicker, she first crossed to the French doors that led to the wide balcony. They unlocked easily, and she found herself moving out into the evening.

Instantly she was assaulted by the wonderful scents of the desert. The ocean, the sand and the hundreds of plants on the palace grounds combined to create a unique aroma that energized her. Even with her eyes closed she would know she was in a foreign land.

El
Bahar
. For years she’d heard about the country but hadn’t given it any more thought than the North Pole. She’d never planned to visit. Her budget didn’t allow for much in the way of world travel, and she and Bethany had contented themselves with the occasional weekend trip down to Sea World and the famous zoo in
San Diego
. Then she’d found out about an opportunity to teach here, and she’d seen the job as the answer to so many problems.

So here they were, in El
Bahar
.
Living in the royal palace, if only for the night.
Thinking of the palace made her think of
Malik
and his odd behavior. Why had he brought her here? And why had he told his sister-in-law that they’d been dating? Or had that come from Heidi? She felt as if she’d stepped into the middle of a play, but no one had told her the story or bothered to give her a script.

Who was this man, this Crown Prince who meddled in people’s lives with all the impunity of a child rearranging blocks?

She crossed the width of the balcony and leaned against the broad stone railing. Floodlights illuminated the gardens below. She could make out a large fountain and several paths. Even though the afternoon had been warm, the evening air was cool and carried with it a lovely sea breeze.

Very exotic, she thought, closing her eyes to inhale the sweet scents from the garden.
Magical El
Bahar
.
Just like in her romance novels. Now all she needed was the handsome prince to appear.

“Good evening,” a male voice said.

Liana spun toward the sound and found
herself
staring up at
Malik
. Be careful what you wish for, she thought, not sure if she should laugh or run for safety.

“Are you enjoying the night?”
Malik
asked.

“Sure,” Liana told him, trying not to notice that her body had begun to melt with each step of his approach. If he moved any closer, she was going to be little more than a puddle on the tiled floor of the balcony. “It’s very pretty. What are you doing out here?”

“I willed you to join me.”

He spoke with such seriousness that Liana couldn’t help laughing. “I thought only vampires willed women to do their bidding. Crown Princes can too?”

“Absolutely.”

He stopped next to her and leaned casually against the railing. He still wore his gray suit and it still fit perfectly. The fabric seemed to emphasize the breadth of his shoulders and his white shirt gleamed in the night. His features blended together in the shadows until it was difficult to make out the firm shape of his mouth or the high cut of his cheekbones. Nonetheless, his good looks made him far too lethal for her safety.

“I’m not going to be easily persuaded,” she told him honestly. “I doubt you’ll get what you want from me.”

“Don’t be so sure. I can be very patient.”

They were teasing, right? This was El
Baharian
flirtation? Liana wasn’t so sure that
Malik
knew this was a game.

“Patient?” she repeated, questioning his choice of word. “Whisking me off to the palace before asking my permission is hardly the action of a patient man.”

“Agreed, but it was effective. I’m interested in results, as well.”

“Look, Your Highness, I’m not sure what you’re expecting from me, but let’s clear up a few things. I’m not interested in a fling of any kind. It’s not my style.”

His dark eyes regarded her steadily. He stood close enough for her to inhale the masculine scent of him—and darned if it wasn’t plenty appealing.

“What is your style?” he asked.

“I don’t have one.” She bit her lower lip and figured she might as well get everything out in the open. “Look, I appreciate your attentions. They’re very flattering, even though they make no sense. I mean, I’m not a fashion model, right?”

She went on without waiting for a reply. “The point is
,
I’m not looking for romance. I’m here to do a job.”

“At the
American
School
.
I know.”

“No, you don’t.” She turned until she was facing him. “This job is important to me. I’m a math teacher and I love what I do, but it’s not the greatest paying job. I have a young daughter and we’re pretty much on our own. It’s up to me to provide for her future. When I heard about the school, I was intrigued because the salary is generous and the living expenses are all provided. In two years working here I can save enough to fund Bethany’s college education and still have enough left over for a down payment on a small house back home. That’s what’s important to me—my daughter’s future and our joint financial security.”

“I see.”

Malik
continued to stare into her face. It was most disconcerting, she thought, especially when his attention seemed to become as tangible as a touch. It was almost as if his fingers were stroking her cheek, her nose, her mouth. Her lips actually began to tingle, as if he’d kissed her.

She swallowed against the sudden dryness in her throat. What was wrong with her? Jet lag only explained so much of her wild and strange attraction to
Malik
Khan.

“You have your life planned out,” he said at last. “Very forward-thinking of you, although it sounds lonely.”

She wrinkled her nose. “If you’re talking about love, I’m not interested. Been there, done that.”

“I understand. You’re a widow who mourns the unexpected and premature passing of a much-loved husband.”

She rolled her eyes.
“Not exactly.
I’m divorced and my ex gets on my nerves. I have no intention of going through that again.”

“There’s
a small bench just past that bend
in the balcony,”
Malik
said. “Would you please join me there for a few moments before you retire for the evening?”

His old-fashioned courtesy disarmed her. What had happened to the imperious man who insisted on getting his way? Knowing that
Bethany
was safe asleep, she found herself moving in the direction he’d indicated. Worse,
Malik
put his hand on the small of her back where the individual fingers seemed to burn against her suddenly sensitized skin. She wanted to shiver. She wanted to move closer and rub against him like a cat. She wanted to beg him to touch all of her in the most intimate way possible.

The wayward thoughts made her stumble, and she sat down barely in time to prevent herself from falling on her face. She had to get a grip, she told herself. Okay, so there was a chemical attraction between her and
Malik
. Or maybe it was all on her side. She couldn’t tell. Either way, she had to be very careful that she didn’t make a fool of herself.

“Why did you bring me here?” she blurted before she could stop herself.

“I find you attractive.”
Malik
settled next to her on the bench. They weren’t touching exactly, but he was close enough to make it hard for her to think.

“But I’m not attractive. I don’t wear a bag over my head or anything, but I’m firmly in the average category.”

Malik
shrugged. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that. I find you unique.”

Yeah, right. “Is it a blond thing? I mean, most of the women in this part of the country have dark hair.”

She wore her hair to her shoulders in layers that let the natural wave give the style body.

Malik
had reached forward to touch one of her curls. “It’s not a blond thing,” he told her. “Tell me about your ex-husband. Why are you divorced?”

“Because Chuck is thirty-one going on twelve.”
She sighed at the thought of
Bethany
’s father. “He isn’t a bad
man,
he’s just too caught up in his dreams to be much of a husband or a father.”

Liana allowed herself a small smile. “He was great fun in high school. He always had the fastest car around.” She glanced at
Malik
. “That’s what he wants to do with his life—race cars. He works to raise money to buy new engines and tires and whatever else cars need to go faster than is safe. When we were first married, we had a great plan for our lives. But then I got pregnant, and we found ourselves parents before we’d finished growing up.”

“Your daughter seems very smart and well-mannered.”

“I love her,” Liana said. “For me,
Bethany
was a blessing, but Chuck found being a father too confining. He would head off to the race track every chance he got.” She shifted on the stone bench. “I have some blame in what went wrong. I was raising a child, working and I’d returned to college. I couldn’t figure out a way to make it all work out, so my marriage suffered. Chuck came last more often than not. We’re equally at fault, I think.”

“How did you become a teacher? Did your parents help you?”

“Not really. My mom did some babysitting for me, but my folks are retired and not around much. They don’t have any extra money. I made it happen myself. It took me a long time to get through college and then to earn my teaching certificate, but I did it.”

“You sound like a strong woman.”

“I’m not a quitter. And I don’t believe in fairy tales.”

“Nor do
I
.”

Which brought her back to her earlier question.
Why was she here? But she didn’t ask it this time. She was sitting in the magic of the desert night with a handsome prince. It was a moment she wasn’t ready to completely destroy. If this were
Hollywood
,
Malik
would take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. Unless it was an R-rated movie, in which case he would do a lot more.

She found herself shivering at the thought of being close to him. Chemicals, she decided in an attempt to think her way out of a situation entirely controlled by hormones, were more powerful than she’d ever given them credit for.

If only he weren’t so good-looking. If only she had a little more experience with his kind of man. Although, as a single mom living in a small town seventy miles due east of
Los Angeles
, she hadn’t had much opportunity to run into many princes. So where exactly would she have practiced?

Was he going to kiss her? Was he going to try and make love with her? The thought sent heat flooding through her body. She’d never had a one-night stand in her life, and she wasn’t about to start now. In fact, she’d only ever been with Chuck, but there was something about
Malik
that made her want to throw caution to the wind and….

“Heidi tells me you’re not married,” she blurted out, then could have cheerfully cut out her tongue. Talk about a dumb thing to say.

“That’s true.”

“So you’re the perennial bachelor, using your princely charms to seduce women?”

Unexpectedly, he rose to his feet. “Thank you for your company this evening, Liana. I’ve enjoyed talking with you very much.”

And then he was gone. Liana stared after him, her mouth open,
her
eyes wide. What had she said, she wondered, completely stunned by his sudden departure. Had she insulted him with her teasing? But he did try to use his princely charms on women. Why wouldn’t he?

“The rich really are different,” she muttered as she stood and headed back to her bedroom. “And confusing, and the sooner we’re out of here, the better.”

Malik
paced the length of the living room in his suite. He’d left the French doors open, and the scent of the
Arabian Sea
just beyond the palace drifted in. He drew in a deep breath, hoping to chase away the lingering fragrance of the woman.

Liana Archer.