One Hot Desert Night (8 page)

“We will dine here before we return.”

Spending a few more hours in his presence in this secluded place wasn’t such an awful prospect. Not in the least. Maybe she wouldn’t even have to wait to fulfill her fantasies. “We can stay.” She pointed at him. “And you better really have a tray from the palace, not serving me something from one of those cans on the shelf.”

His grin arrived full-throttle. “You will find the fare more than adequate.”

She found him utterly irresistible. “Out of curiosity, exactly where are we having dinner? Next to your bed?”

“No.” He lifted her hands and brushed a soft kiss on each of them, like some chivalrous Arabian knight. “Per my original plan, we shall dine beneath the stars.”

Normally, she didn’t require romantic gestures, but with Rayad, she wasn’t quite herself. “That sounds wonderful.”

“Rest assured, it will be,” he said. “And afterward, I will safely escort you back to the palace.”

As far as Sunny was concerned, she didn’t care if they were detained for the evening, as long as he made good on his promise to fulfill all her fantasies. In doing so, she could experience one very
hot
desert night.

Seven

T
hey would not be returning to the palace tonight.

Rayad dreaded telling Sunny the news for fear she would not believe him. Prolonging the inevitable would not change the situation, and that truth sent him from the radio station to seek her out in the sleeping quarters where she had retired two hours ago.

When he entered, he found her on a bunk curled up on her side, her eyes closed against the dim overhead light. She looked so peaceful, he hated to wake her. Instead, he perched on the edge of the narrow bed next to hers to watch her a few moments, while she was unaware.

He had never known anyone quite like the courageous journalist. He had rarely been so quickly affected by a woman. His craving for her was both foreign and undeniable. Even now, the temptation to strip out of his clothes and join her lived strong within him. He refused to do that for many reasons. Although she had insisted she would gladly welcome him into her bed, he still had reservations. Should she ever discover the capacity in which he served his country, she would never view him the same way again. She would undoubtedly never trust him again.

Perhaps he should reconsider their evening together. Perhaps he should have returned her to the palace immediately before it had been to late to do so.

Yet when Sunny began to stir and after her eyes fluttered open, all thoughts of what should have been disappeared And when she greeted him with a soft smile., he could only consider how badly he desired her. “How long have you been sitting there?” she asked, her voice hoarse from sleep.

“Not long.”

She stretched her arms above her head and sighed. “What time is it?”

“Sixteen hundred hours.”

Her smile disappeared. “I’m still not fully awake. Regular time, please.”

“4 p.m.”

“Really?” She sat up against the metal headboard. “I didn’t mean to nap that long. You should’ve woken me.”

He had wanted to do that very thing in some very creative ways. “You were tired from the day’s activities.”

“True. So what’s on the agenda between now and dinnertime?”

“I will be traveling to the closest village to the south to purchase supplies. Feel free to continue your nap in my absence.”

“What about the dinner you brought with you?”

The time had come to reveal the weather issue. “I received some recent news from Rafiq that prompted my decision to travel to the village.”

“Are you buying souvenirs?”

“No.”

Her green eyes widened. “Is the baby coming?”

“He did not mention the child or his wife, so I assume not.”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m not in the mood to play a guessing game, so just tell me what he said and why you have to go shopping when it’s obvious you have tonight’s meal.”

He leaned forward, rested his arms on his legs and laced his fingers together between his parted knees. “It appears the storms are worse than first predicted. The flooding has been extensive, and it has required ground troops to evacuate the villagers to higher ground.”

“Is anyone in the palace in danger?” she said, her tone hinting at alarm.

“The palace is elevated enough not to suffer any ill effects. However, the roads into the village are currently impassible.”

“That means we’re stuck?”

He did not care for the word
stuck
. “We will be confined here until the passage is clear.”

She fell back onto the pillow and studied the stone ceiling. “How long before we can go back?”

“Three days minimum. Possibly longer.”

“Great.”

Her annoyance did not please him. “Do you find spending an extended period of time with me completely unpalatable?”

She sent him a sideways glance. “I didn’t say that. I just feel bad that I haven’t spent much time with my sister. Not to mention I only have two days’ worth of clothes. Unless you have a laundry hidden somewhere, that could pose a problem since washing my stuff in the aquifer isn’t exactly eco-friendly.”

Her reasoning gave him some measure of relief. “I will purchase what you need in the village.”

She seemed insulted by his offer. “I have my own funds, Rayad. Of course, if they don’t take credit cards—”

“They do not. Therefore, you will need to allow me to assist you. Or perhaps you would like to borrow clothing from me.”

“If your clothes fit me, then I seriously need to consider a diet.”

She was perfect in every way that counted, in his opinion. “My shirts might be large, but they would adequately cover you.”

“Yes, but there is the underwear issue.”

He almost proposed she not wear any. “Again, you will find all you need in the village. I will escort you there first thing in the morning.”

“Fine, but that doesn’t ease my guilt over abandoning Piper when she was so kind to invite me.”

Knowing Sunny would be leaving soon gave him cause for concern, though he could not say why. He had known all along that her departure was inevitable, as was his return to his duties. Still, their parting bothered him on a level he would have to examine later. “You will have ample time to visit your sister, unless you plan to immediately return to the States once we arrive back at the palace.”

“I’ll be staying for another couple of weeks.” She pushed off the bed, rifled through the bag set on the floor and withdrew a brush. “If you’re going shopping, then I might as well go with you now to pick up what I need. Besides, I don’t want to stay here alone because I’m still not convinced I won’t come across a bat or two.”

He would like nothing better than to have her company. “Then you are not angry with me over the delay?”

She stroked the brush through her silken blond hair several times before contacting his gaze. “You have no control over the weather, Rayad. You might be a powerful guy, but you’re not that powerful.”

He had a powerful urge to kiss her—after he divested her of the white shirt and brown shorts. “I promise you will not have to concern yourself with my behavior during the remainder of our time together. You are still in complete control.”

She paused the brush midstroke and smiled again. “I’m not sure I can promise you the same thing when it comes to my behavior. You have a way of making me lose control.”

If he did not retreat soon, he would not be able to disguise his burgeoning erection, compromising his dignity. “We should travel to the village now while it is still daylight,” he said as he stood.

Sunny tossed the brush back into the bag, slid her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss on his lips. “I’m ready to go shopping. And I’m really ready for our dinner beneath the stars.”

So was Rayad. He only hoped he could keep his baser urges in check long enough to finish their meal. After that, he would make no promises.

* * *

The small village marketplace had been surprisingly crowded with men dressed in traditional
thawb
and women wearing
abayas
. Sunny had only seen a handful of vehicles, but a lot of livestock—from cows to camels. The smells of spices and grilling meats coming from small tents set up by vendors had made her incredibly hungry. Her darkly handsome escort had also fueled her appetites that had nothing to do with dinner.

Several times during the trip, Sunny had almost lost Rayad in the crowd. The language barrier had hindered her ability to understand his conversations with the locals, and he’d had plenty. Yet one thing she had understood— they’d called him Basil. Later this evening she would answer her curiosity and ask him why they didn’t use his proper name. Why they seemed to treat him like a fellow commoner, not well-heeled royalty.

Right then, she had to haul all the supplies out of the Mercedes while Rayad opened the secret door. Cave, sweet cave. The thought made her smile.

“What do you find so humorous?” he asked when he joined her at the rear of the vehicle.

“Nothing,” she said. “Just glad to be back and glad I have my own personal pack mule.”

He faked a frown when she handed him two of the burlap totes. “Are you calling me an ass?”

“Not at all. But I do like your ass.” She topped off the comment by patting his cargo-pant-covered bottom and heading toward the entry.

By the time they made two trips up and down the stairs, Sunny wanted nothing more than to take a bath. “Am I supposed to clean up in the reservoir?” she asked as she laid the caftans Rayad had bought her on one bunk.

“You may, or you may use one of the showers.”

Clearly he’d been withholding pertinent information. “You said you didn’t have a shower.”

“Not adjacent to my quarters.” He pointed across the room at a closed door. “You will find one in there. The pressure is adequate although the water will be cold.”

She swept one arm across the perspiration beading on her forehead. “A cold shower sounds perfect. I’m still trying to recover from the heat.” He wouldn’t help her body temperature one bit if he kept standing there with his arms folded across his chest, the short sleeves of his black tee revealing biceps that should be registered as lethal weapons. Yep, a cold shower was definitely in order.

“I will leave you to your bathing now while I prepare our meal.”

She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until he’d mentioned that. “Great. I shouldn’t be long since I didn’t pack the hair dryer.”

He smiled before he started away then paused and faced her again. “Perhaps at some point in time during our stay together, I will join you in the shower.”

With that, he left the bunk room, closing the door behind him, and leaving Sunny with all sorts of questionable ideas and mental images. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him under the night skies. She couldn’t wait to see what might transpire after dinner. Then again, she could be disappointed if he brought out the honor card.

Fortunately, she had ways to convince him to take the next step, beginning with making herself fresh and presentable. She made quick work of the shower that was more of a stream, thankful she brought shampoo and bath gel. She then grabbed a towel from the metal locker, dried off and returned to the room to retrieve her favorite sleeveless gauze caftan.

As she held it up, she did a double take when she noticed the wide silver necklace intertwined with deep coral beads that perfectly matched the color of the dress. She had admired it, but she certainly hadn’t purchased it due to her lack of cash, not to mention the rarity of the stones that carried a hefty price tag. Instead, she allowed Rayad to buy her a pair of sterling hoops that were much less expensive after he insisted.

No doubt he’d been the jewelry culprit, and she would definitely thank him, argue it was too extravagant, and then maybe show her appreciation with a big, fat kiss.

After she twisted her damp hair into a loose braid, Sunny slipped into a pair of the recently purchased sheer white muslin underwear that looked like men’s boxers, only shorter. Not exactly sexy, but functional. Luckily, the dress didn’t require a bra. She then applied a little mascara and lip gloss using a compact mirror, slid the earrings into her lobes, clasped the necklace around her neck and marveled over the fact she had morphed into a girly-girl. Piper would be so proud. Piper would also hate that her twin didn’t have a pair of spiky heels at her disposal. Thank heavens. Barefoot seemed to be the way to go in lieu of sneakers, although she worried she might wind up with a stubbed toe, or step on a snake.

Satisfied everything was in place, Sunny walked into the corridor to find Rayad standing by the entry to the cavern. He’d changed into a plain white tee and dark blue cargo pants, and it appeared he had shaved his beard down to a shadow. One gorgeous, gorgeous man at her disposal. Lucky her.

She executed a corny curtsey. “Good evening, Your Highness. You clean up good.”

He nodded slightly. “As do you. The dress fits you to perfection, yet I knew it would.”

She figured he’d had a lot of experience with gauging a woman’s size. He’d probably had a lot of experience with a lot of women. “Thank you,” she said, her face flushed. “Since it’s getting fairly late, is dinner ready?”

“It is,” he said. “Now if you will follow me, I will show you to our private dining room.”

Sunny wasn’t too thrilled to have to climb yet another flight of stairs. But the effort was well worth it when they emerged at the top of the rock formation and stepped onto a sandy plateau. Her attention immediately turned to the host of diamond-like stars spread out as far as the eye could see, and the near-full moon hanging high overhead. An amazing panorama and the perfect start to an equally amazing night. “I’d forgotten how incredible the night sky looks in such a remote place.”

Rayad slid his arms around her from behind. “I am sorry we missed the sunset, but perhaps we will see that before we return to the palace.”

She didn’t even want to consider leaving this place, or him. Leaning back against his chest, she caught a whiff of what must be his soap, a heady scent that reminded her of exotic incense. Not only did he look great and feel great, he smelled great. “Who needs the sun when you have all these stars?”

“We both need sustenance.”

She turned into his arms and smiled. “That would probably be a good idea. Otherwise, you might have to carry me back down those steps.”

He feathered a kiss on her forehead. “That would be my pleasure. Yet I would not want to stop until we reached my bed.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t want you to stop.”

“That is good to know, as long as you are certain that is what you wish.”

She couldn’t quite peg why he continued to need reassurance, unless it had more to do with his reticence. Regardless, she would provide it. “Believe me, that’s exactly what I wish.”

He kissed her then—a long, lingering kiss that made her forget all about dinner. She focused on the feel of his tongue softly exploring her mouth and his palms roving up and down her back before coming to rest on her bottom. She remembered their sexy interval in the pool and realized if they didn’t quit now, they might ignite the sand beneath their feet.

As much as she hated to do it, Sunny broke the kiss and said, “Maybe we should grab a bite to eat.”