The Sheik and the Pregnant Bride (11 page)

His mouth twitched. She balled up her fist and socked him in the arm. “You’d better not be laughing at me.”

He chuckled, then pulled her against him and kissed her. His mouth brushed hers once, twice, then he released her.

“You are a unique woman,” he told her.

“Uniquely unqualified to be a mother.”

He took her hand and led her to the rows of books. “If you do not know what to do, you can learn about it.”

“Oh, right. Books.” She picked up one and scanned the title. “I need one for women who have no experience with children. Something like—‘You’ve never had a baby before, but that’s okay.’ Do you see that title?”

He held up several that weren’t even close, but she grabbed them all. Something to fill her nights, she thought.

Qadir insisted on paying for the books—which was only going to fuel speculation, she thought as they left. When they were back in his car, she turned to him.

“Thank you for being so nice,” she said. “You’re really easy to be around.”

“You are, as well,” he told her. “I enjoyed our outing.”

“Even though there’s going to be an article or two in the paper tomorrow.”

“Even though.”

She told herself to say something else, to look away, to make a joke. But she couldn’t. She seemed caught up in his gaze, in the power of the man. Breathing was difficult and thinking was impossible. What on earth was wrong with her?

“You were brilliant,” Maggie told Victoria as they walked back to their rooms. “I had no idea what to get a princess for her wedding shower. The lingerie was beautiful.”

Victoria had suggested they go in together for Kayleen’s present and had offered to do the shopping.

“She didn’t register, which was probably about her marrying a prince. I’m guessing the royal set would see that as tacky. Plus, hey, what could a princess want? Cookware? So I went with the easy gift. Something sexy.”

“More than sexy.” The lace and silk nighties had been stunning. “Kayleen looked happy.”

“An important consideration,” Victoria teased. “One wants to stay on the good side of a future royal.”

Maggie knew her friend was right, but the whole situation was beyond imagining. “A month ago I was in Aspen working for a friend in his garage. I’d never been out of the country. I’d barely left the state. Now I’m here, having just attended a wedding shower for a future princess. We’re in a palace. There is a seriously surreal quality to my life these days.”

“I know,” Victoria admitted as they took the stairs to the second floor. “Most of the time I’m totally used to all this, but every now and then I look around and wonder how a girl like me landed here. It’s a question I haven’t answered yet. Of course, I don’t have your complication.”

Maggie knew what the other woman was talking about. “Qadir isn’t a complication.”

“Oh, really. What would you call him?”

“My boss.”

“Whom you’re pretending to date, while pregnant.”

A good point, Maggie thought.

“Just be careful,” Victoria told her. “Watch yourself.”

Maggie knew that was good advice. A couple of weeks ago she would have brushed it off. Be careful for what? She was fine. But now…

Victoria paused on the landing and looked at her. “What?” she asked sharply. “You’re not telling me I’m worrying for nothing. You’re not saying he’s just your boss.”

“He’s just my boss.”

“Oh, that was convincing.”

Maggie climbed the rest of the stairs. Victoria followed. Once they were in the corridor, Maggie shrugged. “He might be a complication.”

“Okay. Why?”

“I don’t know. I feel funny when I’m around him.”

“Funny as in slightly sick to your stomach mingling with a strong need to throw yourself at him and beg to be taken?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh, man, that’s not good.” Victoria looked at her. “You like him.”

“He’s a great guy. I enjoy his company, that’s all. It’s just that I don’t have a lot of friends here.”

“Great. He turns you on
and
you’re trying to rationalize the situation. That is never good. I was going to say you’re falling for him, but I think it’s too late for that. You’ve fallen and hard.”

Maggie wanted to protest that wasn’t possible, but there was a sense of rightness in her friend’s words. A rightness that scared her down to her bones.

“I can’t fall for him,” she whispered. “It would be a huge mistake. He’s a prince. I’m pregnant. Worse, I’m a mechanic. Guys like him don’t marry women like me. They marry socialites and beauty queens.”

“Get out while the getting is good,” Victoria told her.

“I can’t leave. I need the money. My dad’s cancer totally wiped us out financially. I have nothing in the bank. I need the money from restoring the car to help me get through the pregnancy and beyond. I won’t be able to work right after.”

“I have some money saved,” Victoria began.

Maggie smiled at her friend. “Thanks, but no. You’ve worked hard for what you have. I just have to be sensible. I can pull back. I wasn’t paying attention with Qadir. He’s funny and caring and I let myself get sucked in. I won’t do that anymore. I’ll be on guard.”

“A good plan,” Victoria said slowly. “There’s only one problem. I’ve never heard any of the princes being described as funny and caring.”

“Maybe I’m seeing a side of him he keeps hidden.”

“Or maybe you’re in more trouble than you thought.”

That night Maggie couldn’t sleep. There was too much on her mind. Every time she thought about her conversation with Jon she got annoyed all over again, which didn’t help with relaxing. But when she tried to think about something else, her thoughts wandered to Qadir.

She appreciated Victoria’s warning. Maggie hadn’t realized she was in danger. Now that she understood the problem, she could do a better job of protecting herself emotionally. No more long lunches or shopping trips. She would be his mechanic, nothing more.

Around midnight, she gave up pretending she would doze off, pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, but no bra, and stepped out onto the balcony.

The night was clear and balmy with a hint of the summer heat that would soon follow. She could see stars and smell the sea. There were sounds in the distance, but the palace grounds themselves were quiet.

She moved quietly through the night to one of her favorite spots—a seating area that jutted out over the water. During the day there were often people there, drinking coffee, talking, but at this time of night, the space was empty.

Maggie ignored the cluster of chairs and walked to the railing. She leaned against it and stared down at the dark, swirling water. The sound of the sea soothed her. It reminded her that whatever her problems were at the moment, life went on. She could ride the tide or she could fight it, but in the end, the tide would win.

“We’re going to figure this out,” she whispered to the tiny life inside her. “Don’t you worry. I’m working on a plan.”

“Do you need help with it?”

She turned and saw a tall man behind her. It was too dark to see his features, but her heart recognized him all too well.

“Qadir.”

“I could not sleep,” he told her. “When that happens, I come here.”

She didn’t know what to say. They were having a fairly normal conversation, so words should come easily. But her recent talk with Victoria had changed things. She was aware of her possible growing feelings, of how she no longer thought of Qadir as just her boss. She was afraid her interest would show and he would be kind. Sometimes kindness could be the worst.

He stepped closer. “Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded.

“What troubles you?”

“Nothing,” she murmured. “I’m fine.”

A light wind blew a strand of hair across her face. He reached out, probably to tuck it behind her ear. But the second his fingers brushed against her skin, she felt her whole body go up in flames. Need pulsed through her, a heady rhythm that blocked out the sound of the sea.

She stared at him, wanting to get lost in his dark eyes. While he didn’t promise to be a safe haven, she knew he would protect her for as long as she was in his arms. Right now that seemed like more than enough.

She wanted him to touch her, to hold her, drawing her close, taking her with a passion that would leave them both breathless.

He cupped her cheek. “In a foolish attempt to be honorable, I will tell you that I am no longer willing to walk away from the temptation you offer.”

Meaning she should be the one to leave. That if they started something, they wouldn’t stop.

Her heart fluttered and her skin burned. Anticipation swept through her making her melt from the inside out.

“Maggie.”

He said her name with a low growl that made her shiver.

Two clear choices. Be sensible or give in. She knew what she
should
do and what she
wanted
to do. In the end, it wasn’t a choice at all.

Slowly, carefully, so there could be no question of her intent, she rose on tiptoe and kissed him.

M
aggie waited what seemed like a lifetime before Qadir responded to her kiss. She was just starting to think she’d made a huge mistake when he drew back and stared at her.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he admitted.

Relief was as sweet as it was intense. “I can handle it,” she said with a smile.

“So you claim.”

“Test me.”

He took her hand in his and led the way to an open French door halfway down the long balcony. They stepped inside what she assumed was his room, but didn’t get much of a chance to explore.

The second the door closed behind them, he pulled her close and claimed her with a kiss that burned her down to the soles of her feet.

His lips took all she offered and more. His tongue swept inside, exploring, claiming, urging. She met him stroke for stroke as need grew, filling her, making her ache and want.

He touched her everywhere, first up and down her back, then down her rear where he cupped the curves. She moved against him, feeling his erection, loving how hard he felt, wishing he were inside her already.

He broke their kiss long enough to pull off her T-shirt, then he cupped her bare breasts in his hands.

Even as his fingers worked their magic on her sensitive nipples, he kissed her all over her face. His mouth moved along her jaw, then down to her neck where he licked and nipped and made her gasp.

Liquid desire poured through her. She was already wet and swollen and when he bent down to suck on her breasts, she gasped her pleasure.

She touched him where she could. His hard muscles rippled in response to her caress. She was about to tell him to take off his shirt when he dropped to his knees. At the same time he unfastened her jeans, then jerked them and her panties down to her ankles.

She was trapped by her clothing, unable to step away or spread her legs very far apart. Still he kissed her stomach, then parted her with his fingers before kissing her intimately.

The feel of his lips and tongue was exquisite. She had to hang on to him to keep from falling to the floor. He found her center and licked it over and over again as he moved his hands behind her and squeezed her curves.

“Qadir,” she breathed, wanting what he was doing to go on forever, but needing more. A bed, she thought frantically. A sofa. The floor.

Still loving her between her thighs, he helped her out of her shoes, then eased her clothes from her body. She opened her legs more, giving him access, desperate to give in to the building pressure.

She put her hands on his shoulders and hung on for the ride. But just as she was about to surrender and lose herself in pleasure, he stood.

“You can’t stop,” she gasped.

“I’m just getting started.”

He led her down a hallway, into a large bedroom. She had a brief impression of dark, masculine furniture and a bed that could sleep twenty. Then Qadir pulled back the covers, turned to her and began to touch her.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured, stroking her back. “All of you. It’s maddening to watch you prance around in your coveralls with those little fitted T-shirts. I have dreamed about you in that T-shirt and nothing else.”

Heat filled her as his words aroused her to the brink. He’d fantasized about
her?
Was that possible?

“I don’t prance,” she said, trying to tease rather than give in to unexpected tears. She couldn’t figure out why on earth those words would make her want to cry, but they did.

“You excite me beyond what I can say.”

He was doing a pretty good job of exciting her, as well.

She reached for the buttons on his shirt, but he pushed her hands away. As she watched, he undressed, revealing his hard, honey-colored skin.

As he pushed down his briefs, she saw his arousal—all jutting maleness that called to her. Her pulled her close and they tumbled onto the big bed, a tangle of arms and legs and need.

Even as he took her breast into his mouth, he reached between her legs and stroked her.

He found that one sensitive spot instantly and circled it. She didn’t know what to think about first—his mouth or his fingers. Both were exquisite, pushing her higher, driving her closer to her release.

The steady rhythm—his sucking, his touching, her body pulsing—threatened to push her over the edge. She held back, not wanting to give in so quickly. Then he shifted so he was between her thighs, kissing her with his tongue again. He pushed a finger inside of her, circling, thrusting, rubbing and she was lost.

Her release carried her to the edge of the world and let her go. Every muscle shuddered with pleasure, making her cry out. On and on until she floated back to earth, back to his bed where she opened her eyes and found him watching her.

Despite the fact that she might never be able to move again, fire still burned. Without saying anything, she held open her arms. He eased between her legs, his hardness filling her, stretching her, making her cling to him.

He made love to her like a man starved. Deep thrusts claimed her as his and she held on for the ride of her life. His excitement pulled her along, making her hungry, as well. Her body tensed and ached and when he stiffened, she, too, cried out, feeling more satisfied than she’d ever been before.

Later, when they were together under the covers, her body pressed against his, his hands stroking her head, he kissed her.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I tried to hold back. I did not want to hurt you.”

“You didn’t.”

“I took you roughly.”

He wouldn’t meet her gaze, as if he was ashamed.

She rolled on top of him, pressing her body to his, then kissed him. “Qadir, didn’t you feel me responding? I’m not saying I want to be hurt. Your passion excited me. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

“I should have more control.”

She smiled. “No, you shouldn’t.”

He put his hands on her hips and eased her down. He was hard again. She slid over him, taking him inside of her. She gasped at the pleasure of it.

“Perhaps if you were in charge,” he told her, need once again burning between them.

She braced herself on the bed. He reached for her breasts, then lightly teased her nipples. Sensation shot through her. She rode him up and down, then moving faster and faster. They both groaned.

It was, she thought as her body clenched in anticipation, going to be an amazing night.

Maggie supposed that technically she walked back to her room the next morning, but in truth it felt like floating. Her whole body seemed to hum with contentment as individual cells continued to sigh their pleasure.

Qadir sure knew his way around a woman’s body. She felt as if she’d stepped onto a new plane of sensual pleasure and she couldn’t wait to go back again.

“Not a good idea,” she told herself as she stepped through the French doors and back into her room.

Last night had been amazing and fifteen kinds of a mistake. She’d been determined to hold her heart safely out of reach. Making love with Qadir for hours on end was not going to help her cause.

She couldn’t get over how concerned he’d been about hurting her. He hadn’t, of course, but the worry had been sweet. And the passion had been mind-altering.

“I am a mature woman,” she told herself as she headed into the bathroom. “I can handle this.”

She didn’t have much choice. Despite how amazing the lovemaking had been, nothing had changed. She was still who she was and Qadir was still a prince.

She showered, then dried off and dressed. After combing out her hair, she reached for the blow-dryer, but before she could turn it on, someone pounded on her door.

She moved through the living room and opened it. Victoria stood in the hallway.

“There you are,” her friend said. “What is going on with you? I’ve been calling and calling and knocking and you haven’t…” Victoria’s blue eyes widened. “Oh my God. What happened?”

Maggie felt herself flush even as she said, “Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. There’s something totally different about you.”

Was that possible? Did last night show?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she lied.

Victoria leaned closer and stared into her eyes. “I swear, there’s something. It’s—” Her mouth dropped open. “No way.”

The flush increased. Maggie stepped away from the open door and returned to the bathroom. “I have no idea what you’re going on about.”

“You are so lying. You were with Qadir last night. You were with him big-time.”

As she spoke, Victoria trailed after Maggie into the bathroom. When Maggie tried to turn on the blow-dryer to drown her out, Victoria simply pulled the plug.

Maggie looked at her in the mirror. “It just happened,” she admitted. “It was probably crazy, but I can’t regret it.”

“I want details,” Victoria said. “Even more important, I’m here for you.”

“I appreciate that, but I feel fine.”

“You won’t for long.” Her friend took a deep breath. “Jon is here. He arrived in the middle of the night and he’s been raising hell downstairs, trying to find you.”

Maggie wished she were the kind of person who could faint on command. This seemed like an excellent time to pass out. But she stayed annoyingly conscious as Victoria led her to the private room Jon had been assigned.

“How much hell?” Maggie asked, not sure she wanted to know.

“When we couldn’t find you right away, he started accusing the palace guards of holding you prisoner. They didn’t know who he was or what he wanted. When he started on the ‘I’m an American’ rant they called me. I assured him you were fine, which he almost believed, but then I couldn’t find you, either. Honestly, I never thought to check in Qadir’s room. I thought you were with the car, or taking a midnight jog or something.”

“I can’t believe he’s here,” Maggie muttered. “I can’t believe he’s here
now
.”

“At least your life isn’t boring.”

“I wouldn’t mind boring,” Maggie said, refusing to feel guilty for what had happened with Qadir. She was sorry everyone had been put out because they couldn’t find her, but she had the right to a life. Jon had sure moved on. She could, too.

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me he was coming,” she said.

Victoria stopped in front of a door and pointed. “Good luck.”

Maggie didn’t want to go inside by herself. “You could come with me.”

“I could, but I think you need to do this on your own.” She hugged Maggie, then hurried away.

Maggie stared at the door. She had a feeling she knew why Jon had arrived in El Deharia. After last night, she would have said gathering the energy to fight was impossible, but knowing Jon as she did, she was going to have to get her mad up or he would be making all the decisions. The last thing either of them needed was a situation that would impact the rest of their lives. Of course the pregnancy had already done a good job of that.

She knocked once and the door flew open. Jon stood there, looking as he always had.

“Where have you been?” he demanded. “I got here hours ago and no one could find you. Are they keeping you hostage somewhere? What’s going on here, Maggie?”

She stepped into his room, a space much smaller than her own. It faced the garden rather than the sea.

She looked at him, at the kind brown eyes, the mouth that curved into a crooked smile, the unruly brown hair he kept cut short so it didn’t get too wild.

This was Jon. He’d been the boy she’d grown up with, the man she’d fallen in love with. She deliberately remembered good times they’d shared and buried herself in those memories. She dug through her heart and felt…nothing.

Until that moment she thought it was over, but she hadn’t had proof. She did now. Whatever she and Jon had once shared had changed and faded until there was only a friendship she hoped would never go away.

“I’m sorry you were worried,” she said. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“It was a last-minute decision,” he admitted.

She thought about pointing out that there were no direct flights to El Deharia. That he had to stop somewhere and he could have easily called. But he had obviously wanted to surprise her. Which he’d done.

“I’m here now.” She crossed to the sofa and sat down. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re here.”

She spoke calmly, hoping she was wrong in her assumptions.

“You’re pregnant, Maggie,” he said as he paced in front of her. “I’m here to bring you home. You don’t belong here. You should be home. With me.”

“Married to you,” she clarified.

“Yes. We’ll get married.”

She wanted to hold on to her temper. Getting angry wouldn’t help either of them.

“I’m not leaving anytime soon,” she told him. “I came to El Deharia to do a job and I’m going to complete it.”

He looked at her, impatience tightening his features. “It’s just a car.”

That really pissed her off. Her hands clenched, but still she held on to her calm. “It’s my work,” she corrected. “It’s what I do. Prince Qadir is paying me a lot of money to restore his car and I will finish the work before I leave.”

“I won’t allow it.”

That got her to her feet. “Fortunately it’s not your decision to make.”

“You’re having a baby. You shouldn’t be around cars.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’m restoring a car, not working in a toxic waste dump.”

“Come home with me now.”

“No.”

They stared at each other, a small coffee table between them. But the distance felt much greater.

Had Jon always been like this? she wondered. Had he always tried to boss her around? Why hadn’t she noticed before?

Her anger faded as sadness took its place. “This isn’t what I want,” she said quietly. “If nothing else, we have to stay friends.”

“I’m not interested in being friends.” His voice was a growl. “I’m here to marry you.”

“You keep saying that and I keep telling you no.” She walked around the coffee table and touched his arm. “Jon, just stop. We don’t have to be like this. I’m only a few weeks pregnant. We have months ahead of us. No decisions have to be made today. I appreciate your concern, because I know what this is about. You want to do the right thing. That’s the kind of man you are. But there are a lot of different right things we can do. Let’s explore them. Take a breath. Go home. I’ll be back in a month or so and we can figure out what we want to do.”