“I called him Rashad in honor of his birth father who was a man of flawless integrity. My wife called him Rayhan, the favoured one. His best friend called him Rafi, the exalted one.”
Rafi.
“He’s headstrong and modern-thinking. Indeed, he’s so much like Saud, who always had vision, it has been as if I had my friend back in the form of his perfect son.”
His wife nodded. “Rashad has been so perfect, there’s been no princess to measure up to him. We feared we’d never find one good enough for him which is why we hadn’t forced a marriage before now. But with his thirty-fifth birthday approaching, we picked Princess Azzah in desperation. She had some of the qualities we knew Rashad would admire.”
King Umar nodded. “Then fate worked its will once more, and my father’s granddaughter suddenly appeared out of the desert, more royal than any princess we could have found for our son.
“You have Shafeeq blood flowing through your veins, Lauren.” He smiled at her. “We know Rashad very well and recommend him highly. He will make you a fine husband. Your marriage will secure the sheikhdom for Rashad after I’m gone.”
Lauren’s gaze fused with Rafi’s as he started across the room toward her, but she was feeling light-headed. The last thing she remembered hearing was Farah’s squeal of happiness before everything began to spin.
When she regained consciousness, her eyelids fluttered open and she became aware Rafi had brought her to the garden suite. She was lying on her bed.
“Rafi?”
He poured a glass of water for her. “Drink this first,” he said emotionally, cradling the back of her head to help her.
Lauren stared at his beloved face while she drank. It was déjà vu for the third or fourth time. She’d lost track.
When he put the glass on the bedside table, she raised up on one elbow. His concerned black eyes made a swift inventory of her features. “Your color’s coming back.”
“What happened?”
“You fainted when my father said I would make you a good husband. I need to know if you did that because something has changed and you don’t want to be my wife. He insisted on handling everything his way. I know it made him happier than he’s been in years, but the truth is, I came close to having a heart attack when you slumped in my arms.”
“You caught me?” she cried out in wonder.
“I watched your face start to turn white and acted before you slid to the floor. Don’t ever do that to me again, darling. I couldn’t take it.”
“I’ve never fainted in my life.” She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. He stretched out on the bed beside her. “I think it might have been because I had been granted the wish of my heart and my body couldn’t take in that much joy all at once. A miracle has happened to us,” she cried. “Oh, Rafi—”
She started kissing him all over his face, his hair, his neck. “Don’t move. Don’t leave me. I’m going to need till morning to believe this is really happening to us. I love my grandmother for giving me the medallion. I’m crazy about your parents for loving you enough to hold off on finding you a wife until I blew into your life. I love and adore you so terribly, it hurts.”
“Even when I was so cruel to you on our campout?” he whispered against her lips.
“I knew there had to be a reason. The more I saw of you, the more I wanted to be with you. I lived for the moments you walked in this suite. Every time I saw you, I couldn’t wait to find out what little tortures you had in store for me. At the Garden of the Moon I was shameless with desire for you.”
“Do you think a woman with less fire or passion could ever have held me?” he cried huskily. “Those were gifts I never planned on in this life. Then, when I thought they were miraculously within reach, it was all snatched away by your confession about our grandfather. My heart came close to dying.” “So did mine.”
He kissed her deeply, then fastened the chain with the medallion around her neck. “I love you, Lauren. Marry me.”
She touched it, feeling the warmth of his fingers against the metal. “I already feel married to you. Does that shock you?”
“No, kalida. It thrills and humbles me.”
“Kalida?”
“My love, my darling.” He sealed the endearment with another kiss that swept her away.
When she could breathe again she said, “I’ve been thinking about what to do with all my money, my inheritance. I want it to go into a fund for some of your big plans for the kingdom. My grandmother will be entirely approving. Anything you want, but I’ll hold a little of it back to hire more bodyguards to protect you. I’m determined to stave off your appointed time until we’re old and can die together.”
“Your wish is my command.”
When Lauren’s cell phone rang, she felt too nauseous to turn on her other side and reach for it. But she made the effort anyway because it might be her husband. He’d wanted to make love this morning before leaving for Raz early, but she’d pretended to be asleep so he wouldn’t know how sick she felt.
One look at the caller ID and she realized it was Farah calling. Making another superhuman effort, she clicked on and said hello to her sister-in-law.
“Good morning, Lauren. How would you like to go riding with me this morning?”
“Much as I’d love to, I’m feeling a little under the weather. Perhaps tomorrow morning. Please don’t tell anyone else. I’m hoping it will pass because I don’t want Rafi worrying about me. He has enough on his mind right now winding up the completion of the new smelter.”
“Do you feel too awful for a visitor?”
Farah was excited about something. After four months of living at the palace, Lauren was adept at reading her moods. “No. Just walk in. I barely woke up and am still in bed.”
“I’ll be right there.”
No sooner had Lauren hung up, than she had to dash to the bathroom where she was promptly sick. After rinsing out her mouth and brushing her teeth, she felt a little better, but she’d clearly caught some kind of bug. Yesterday morning she’d felt it coming on. Oddly enough tea and a roll suddenly sounded good to her.
She rang the housekeeper and asked that a tray be sent. Enough for two. Then she got back in Rafi’s bed. They’d been living in his suite. As soon as he could take a few days off, they were going to fly to Switzerland. She planned to put the apartment up for sale and have all her things shipped to Al-Shafeeq. What they couldn’t use, she would put in storage. Rafi wanted her to be completely happy.
While her thoughts were on her fantastic husband, Farah arrived at the same time as the maid and brought the breakfast tray into the bedroom. She put it on the coffee table and flashed Lauren a speculative glance.
“I thought you didn’t feel well.”
“Right after I got off the phone with you, I was sick in the bathroom. Now I’m hungry.”
“How long has this been going on?”
Lauren blinked. “I started feeling queasy yesterday morning.”
Farah’s dark eyes lit up with excitement. “Both my pregnancies started off exactly like that. I bet you’re carrying Rashad’s baby.”
Lauren slid off the bed and hurried over to hug Farah. “If I thought that were true, I’d fly to Raz and tell him.”
“Then get dressed and go to the clinic. Dr Tamam will verify one way or the other. If you’re not pregnant, then Rashad will want to know why you’re ill because he watches every move you make. Honestly, Lauren, he’s so in love