Karim frowned. These days his mind rarely strayed from duty and responsibility, and yet there had been moments on the journey when …
He cut the thought off before it could develop and fixed his eyes on the road that stretched into the distance, reminding himself that his objective was to show the princess the horrors of the desert.
But so far he wasn’t doing very well, was he?
The unexpected appearance of the snake had been particularly timely, but her reaction had been especially astonishing. Once she’d ascertained that it wasn’t poisonous, she’d shown interest rather than either the fear or revulsion that he’d anticipated and hoped for.
Off hand, he couldn’t think of a single woman of his acquaintance who would have welcomed the opportunity to take a closer look at a snake, and certainly none who would have chosen to examine it at close quarters.
She’d touched it. She’d bent and stroked it as if it had been a domestic pet, and there had been something about that gentle, almost seductive touch that had sent his pulse-rate soaring into the stratosphere.
Wondering what it was going to take to unnerve her, Karim ran a hand over his face, reflecting on the irony of the situation. For the first time in his life he’d met a woman who seemed perfectly at home in these harsh surroundings. How many times in the past had he dreamed about finding a woman who shared his love of Zangrar?
Staring into the desert, he found himself wondering what it would have been like to meet her under different circumstances, and then he closed his eyes briefly, frustrated by his inability to control his own libido around a woman who possessed virtually no admirable qualities.
Yes, her fascination with the desert was surprising, and might actually have been gratifying in different circumstances—but not these circumstances.
The fact that she seemed comfortable with the heat, the dust and the wildlife was not enough to make ‘the rebel princess’ a suitable wife.
Glancing over his shoulder towards the sealed tent, he wondered what she doing now.
Was she asleep yet again?
Or was she lying on the bed dreaming of the riches that awaited her in Zangrar?
Refreshed after her swim and dressed in a pale blue linen dress that fell to her ankles, Alexa wandered out of the tent and bumped straight into Karim.
Disturbed by how good it felt to know he was there, she just stood there, and eventually he broke the tense silence.
‘Food will be served by the fire. It keeps the wildlife at bay.’ His harsh tone suggested that he wasn’t similarly pleased to see her, and she was appalled by how much that knowledge disappointed her.
‘I quite like the wildlife. It’s very interesting. What sort are we talking about this time?’
His gaze flickered to her clothes and down to her strappy sandals. ‘The sort that would grow excited when faced by a pair of bare feet.’
‘Are you trying to frighten me, Karim? All you seem to do is tell me about the dangers of the desert.’
‘Clearly you’re not frightened.’
‘I love it.’ She looked around her. ‘I love everything about it. The colours, the solitude, the sheer enormity of the place, reminding you how small and insignificant you are—’ She broke off and gave a tiny shrug, embarrassed by her outburst. ‘I have never left Rovina before. I haven’t been in possession of my passport since I was eight years old.’
‘That was when your parents were killed?’
It was a conversation topic that had never come up, and for a horrifying moment her brain was filled with images that paralyzed her.
‘Alexa?’
Hearing Karim’s voice, she pushed through the dark, terrifying clouds. ‘Yes.’ Somehow she persuaded her voice to work. ‘My uncle didn’t want me going anywhere.’
‘As your guardian, he clearly takes his responsibilities very seriously.’
Reminded of the reality of her life, Alexa stood still. ‘What time will we set off in the morning?’
‘Early.’ Karim gestured towards the rug that had been placed next to the fire. ‘Sit. You must be hungry’
‘Not really. I just want to finish the journey.’
‘I guarantee your safety, Alexa. I just hope that marriage to the Sultan is all that you are hoping for.’
In desperate need of distraction, she concentrated instead on the robed man who was placing various dishes on the rug between them. ‘Let’s forget about the Sultan for five minutes. Tell me about yourself. You grew up in the Citadel? Has your family always worked for the Sultan?’
‘We have always been close to the Sultan, yes.’ He listened while the man spoke to him in a low voice, and then shook his head and dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
Alexa watched as the man melted away. ‘Is there a problem?’
‘He wanted to know whether he should fetch you a knife and fork. I told him that you want the full desert-experience. That’s right, isn’t it, Your Highness? That is what you’ve signed up for, after all.’
‘Obviously I’m eager to learn as much as possible,’ she said honestly. ‘Would the Sultan stay in a desert camp like this one?’
‘Occasionally. Sometimes the accommodation would be much more basic, usually it would be more luxurious. It really depends on the purpose of the trip.’
‘And you go with him?’
‘Always.’
‘He must be missing you.’ Alexa took the cup that was handed to her and drank thirstily. ‘It’s good. What is it?’
Karim lay sprawled on the rug, his dark eyes lazily amused. ‘Camel’s milk.’
‘Really? It’s delicious.’ She drank again and saw his surprise. ‘What? It’s rude to stare, Karim.’
‘You are used to drinking fine wines from cut glass. Camel’s milk from an earthenware cup must be an entirely new experience.’
‘But not all new experiences are bad ones.’ She finished her drink and selected some food from the dishes in front of her, following Karim’s lead and eating with her fingers. ‘Did you spend much time in the desert when you were young?’
‘Yes. My family’s roots are in the desert, and many of our people still lead nomadic lives. It’s essential to understand the particular hardships and problems that they face.’
‘So that you can understand the Sultan’s work, you mean? Or so that you can protect him more effectively?’
‘Both.’
‘And now you live in the Citadel itself? In the palace?’
‘Of course. I go where the Sultan goes.’
‘Then I’ll be seeing a lot of you once I’m married.’
Karim stared into the fire, and when he finally lifted his gaze to hers there was a mockery in his eyes that she didn’t understand. ‘If you marry the Sultan, then you will certainly see a great deal of me.’
Alexa felt her heart stumble. The thought of seeing Karim every day was unsettling to say the least. ‘Why do you say if?’
The reflection of the fire flickered in his liquid dark eyes. ‘The Citadel is a fortress, Alexa, not a shopping mall. If the Sultan