Part of her hoped that he would, but another part of her knew it wouldn’t last, that he would soon tire of her and seek comfort and satisfaction elsewhere, return to his playboy prince role and become the oil sheikh that women dreamt of being with and men wanted to emulate.
‘I have a meeting with the elders of the camp,’ he said as he drew her into the privacy of the tent and took her in his arms. ‘But when I return we will be together all night.’
The promise, given in such a sexy deep voice, made her heart hammer against her chest. Hot liquid warmth erupted from deep within her, igniting desire again. With just one caress, a kiss and a few soft words he’d melted her, crumbling any resistance she had—because she loved him. Even more so now she’d glimpsed the real man, seen that he felt, that he cared and that he loved. All she could hope for now was that he would one day love her.
But would he? Would he ever truly be hers and love her as she’d loved him since the day she’d been told by her father that he would be her husband, her prince? If he couldn’t, she knew she’d have to leave.
‘I will be here,’ she said seductively and reached up to press her lips against his.
‘What man could refuse such an offer,’ he said between kisses that stirred their passion to new heights. ‘It is my hope that our union will soon be blessed with an heir.’
Have his baby? The thought settled over her, creating images of a child with dark hair, so like Kazim. The idea of having his child, his heir, when he didn’t love her, cast the preceding moments into shadow.
‘You want children? So soon?’ She pulled back and looked up at him, her voice a husky whisper.
His eyes met hers; the sparks of desire swirling in them made her heart race and she fought against it. This was important and not at all what she had bargained on. Having a child now would tie them irrevocably together. Inside, she breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she’d been taking precautions of her own. She wasn’t at all sure she was ready to be tied to this man for the rest of her life, not when he didn’t love her.
‘Of course.’ His brow rose then his eyes narrowed slightly. ‘I am heir to the throne of Barazbin. The only heir. I have to produce my own heir!’ He looked at her, making her breath catch as his eyes darkened, the molten gold flecks more pronounced than ever. ‘It is our duty, Amber. The reason we married.’
‘I just hadn’t expected it to be so soon.’ Her pulse rate increased as he stroked the back of his fingers gently down her cheek, his thumb lingering teasingly on her lips.
‘We have been married almost one year, Amber.’
‘I know; it’s just that I...’
‘That you what, Amber? Wanted to run back to your life in Paris as soon as you thought you’d done your duty? As soon as my side of the deal was completed and Claude had had all the operations he needed?’
She took a deep breath. That was exactly what she’d thought. She blinked, realising that for the first time Kazim hadn’t referred to Claude as ‘the child’.
‘Is there any news about Claude?’ She grasped at the offered change of subject, anything rather than discuss what existed between them, something that would mean she’d never be free.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want children, or even Kazim’s children. It was simply that she wanted to be loved and needed for herself, not out of a sense of duty or because she would bear the kingdom of Barazbin its future ruler. But, most importantly, she wanted to love and be loved in return—without any constraints.
Kazim smiled down at her as if he knew he’d caught her attention. ‘Your friend and her son are in America right now. He is scheduled for his first operation in two days. As soon as we return to the palace you can contact them.’
Relief rushed through her. In part because she’d successfully derailed the discussion on children, and also because things were finally happening for Claude. She was well aware the road to final recovery would be long, but at least Kazim had kept his word and had not only funded the operations but also arranged them.
The only problem now was that she was honour-bound to keep her side of the bargain. But Kazim’s talk of an heir was too much. Once again she felt as if everything was closing in on her, forcing her down a route she wasn’t happy to take.
‘I wish you’d told me it was happening.’ She tried to keep her focus off her problems. ‘I’ve been worried for Annie, worried she’ll think I have run out on her. I didn’t explain anything.’
He laughed softly, a deep genuine laugh that stirred the desire his closeness had evoked. ‘I’m told she is happy for you and is looking forward to seeing you again. Hasim is looking after her, taking his role very seriously—as I knew he would.’
Amber blushed. ‘Thank you, Kazim.’
* * *
Kazim smiled down at Amber and what was now becoming a familiar tightening across his chest happened once more. The strange new emotions were all consuming, but even so he didn’t want to analyse them now. If he did, something would go wrong, just as it always did when he got emotionally close to people.
He’d lost too much already. First a father who had almost dismissed him out of hand as a young boy, then his mother, because he’d been as brutal as his father. The guilt of that was now so raw after the drive into the desert this morning. He still didn’t understand why he’d opened up, why he’d said so much to Amber.
He looked at her, a gentle colour heightening her cheeks, those mysterious eyes of hers almost veiled by her long lashes as she cast her eyes down.
‘We don’t need to talk about heirs right now,’ he said and lifted her chin so that he could see clearly into her eyes, try and fathom the emotions that ran so deep within them yet always managed to perplex him, muddling his own feelings.
‘No,’ she whispered so softly he almost didn’t catch it. ‘You need to go to your meeting.’
To hell with the meeting, he wanted to say, but it was his duty—a duty he took very seriously—and now he was duty-bound to finish what his father had started.
He clenched his jaw against the guilt that rushed through him, sweeping every other emotion to one side, including the warm, tender feelings for Amber. At the same time he sensed her withdrawal, saw the shutters come down over her eyes, blocking him out.
Should he have just sought her out in Paris and insisted on a divorce—something she’d been more than willing to do? Reclaiming his wife would not only resolve the issue of his ability to be the heir and continue the family line, but he’d always hoped, yet never admitted, that in doing so he would also regain just a little bit of his father’s respect. Although why he sought respect from a man who’d bullied everyone he should have loved was still very much a mystery.
‘Later we will have much to discuss, Amber,’ he said as he let go of her, his body instantly missing the warmth of hers. ‘We have the future of Barazbin in our hands. Whatever we do will affect so many people. We have to get it right.’
‘I know,’ she said, her chin lifting defiantly, her eyes calmly fixing on his, her tone resigned. ‘It is our duty.’
DUTY.
The word tasted sour in her mouth and, as dusk had given way to darkness, Amber began to doubt what she was doing. Had she been right to expect she could turn her back on Barazbin and walk away from Kazim? Everything had suddenly become much more complicated than it had seemed as they’d stood talking about it in the small flat in Paris.
If she wasn’t marooned in the desert she would probably want to get the first plane home. But