The Sheikh's Impatient Virgin (18 page)

Eva listened to his impassioned words with tears of emotion flowing unchecked down her cheeks. She could not believe this incredible man loved her that much. ‘And I can’t survive without you, Karim,’ she whispered.

‘Then do not cry. I cannot bear to see you cry, Eva. There is nothing to cry about. I see you with a baby in your arms.’

Eva gave a wistful sigh. ‘I hope so.’

‘Hope does not make babies,’ he said, drawing her to him. ‘But I know what does.’

‘You do?’

‘I do,
ma belle,
’ he confirmed, smiling deep into her eyes.

She kissed the corner of his beautiful mouth and rubbed her nose against his. ‘Show me?’

‘I thought you’d never ask!’ he sighed with a grin.

Nine months later Karim was regretting his success in the baby department.

He had read all the books. He had attended all the classes. He had felt confident and well equipped to cope with what was to come; he had been looking forward to it…!

And then Eva had gone into labour and nothing had followed the plan he had helped her write and nobody seemed particularly surprised.

It also quickly became obvious that all the literature skimmed too lightly over the pain part; nothing had prepared him for watching his wife endure agony for hours on end. Amira had been born by a forceps delivery and he had not been allowed in the room.

And the female doctors and midwives appeared to respond to everything he said with the same patronising smile.

And the helplessness, that was the worst—to watch her suffer and not be able to do anything about it.

He closed his eyes as, when urged to push by the doctor, Eva let out a cry that made his blood freeze.

And nobody seemed to act as if this were anything untoward!

It was clearly time he took charge.

‘I think she needs a Caesarean. There are obviously complications.’

The doctor smiled; they were all so damned cheerful. ‘Your wife is doing extremely well, Prince Karim.’

‘Karim,’ Eva gasped. ‘Will you please sit down? I’m trying to concentrate.’

‘But…?’

‘Just do it, Karim.’

Recognising the tone, he did as she requested. He had barely taken his place beside the bed when the doctor said, ‘The head is crowning…the next contraction…push hard.’

In the final stages his fascination overcame his fear, and as Karim watched his son being born his eyes filled with tears. It was the most emotional moment of his life, until ten minutes later when his daughter followed her brother into the world screaming loudly and sporting a full head of bright red hair.

‘Oh, you poor little love,’ Eva said when her daughter was placed in her arms. ‘You got the hair.’ Her son had been born as dark as his father.

Carrying his firstborn, Karim sat down on the bed beside her and looked into the perfect face of his daughter. ‘She’s beautiful,’ he said, raising his voice to be heard above her shrill cries.

‘And loud,’ Eva added with a smile as she lifted the blanket to take another look at their son.

‘You were marvellous, Eva, incredible,’ he said, pressing a long lingering kiss to her lips. ‘That,’ he added, expelling a long shuddering sigh, ‘was the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me.’

Eva looked up at her handsome husband, the love shining like a beacon in her eyes.

‘You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, Karim. Nine months to the day,’ she added with a naughty smile. ‘When you decide to make a baby you really don’t do half measures, do you?’

‘I must admit I did not foresee this level of success.’

Eva, weary but glowing with contentment, leaned back into the pillows. ‘I remember the look on your face when they said it was twins.’ The sheer panic on her normally über-controlled husband’s face had been priceless.

‘It was hot in that room, very poorly ventilated.’ He broke off and grinned. ‘I thought I was ready for this…I was so wrong. I’m sorry…’

‘You were fantastic, the perfect distraction from the pain,’ she added with a teasing smile. ‘Though the staff might not agree,’ she admitted.

‘Shall I fetch Amira?’

‘Please. How about you give that one to me and you go and fetch their big sister?’

Karim placed the baby carefully in the crook of her free arm and, looking back at the picture they made, paused and sighed. ‘I really am the luckiest man in the world. Remind me to give Tariq a raise for drugging me.’

‘Tariq would work for you for free,’ she told him with a laugh. ‘And you know it.’

A few minutes later, with her husband by her side, her babies in her arms and their sister holding their hands with an expression of awed wonder on her face, Eva found herself echoing Karim’s sentiments.

‘
We’re
the luckiest people in the world,’ she said huskily.

Karim bent over and kissed her until he was obliged to stop to allow Eva to attend to her noisy daughter.

‘You don’t suppose she’s going to do that every time I kiss
you, do you?’ Karim asked as he watched Eva put the baby to her breast.

‘Are you all right?’ Eva asked, her eyes on his face.

‘The sheer miracle of it all kept coming over me in waves,’ he admitted. ‘I still can’t believe we came in as three this morning and we’ll go home tomorrow as five.’

‘You promised me a miracle, Karim, and you delivered.’ And he would, she knew, carry on doing just that. Eva gave a contented sigh. She knew she could face whatever the future might hold with her husband at her side.

He looked at her tired face and felt his heart swell. ‘Now I am going to deliver on some sleep. Give me those two,’ he said, consulting his watch. ‘And do not think of moving for the next two hours.’

‘Is that a royal command?’

‘It’s a humble request.’

Eva gave a sleepy laugh. Her husband did not do humble, but he did everything else extremely well indeed, she thought, closing her eyes.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

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First published in Great Britain 2009
Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

© Kim Lawrence 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4089-1307-9