A call from one of the guides interrupted the heavy silence. Tariq replied without shifting his gaze from her, his eyes dark, impenetrable. The syllables sounded brusque and guttural, as if he, too, were keeping strong emotions in check.
“We must go.”
She nodded, numb from shock. Unable to trust herself not to break down, she followed him to the main area. He put food in her hands, and when she didn’t move to feed herself, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Eat, Mina, or I will put you in my lap and feed you.”
She believed him. As quickly as possible, she forced the food down. She had her pride, too.
Tariq carefully picked up Jasmine and placed her on the camel, once she’d bolted down the meal. He could see her fighting the urge to bring up the food, but he was ruthless in his protectiveness. She would need her strength to survive the desert journey. He would not let her mistreat herself.
When he mounted behind her, he made sure not to jostle her. She’d been silent since his revelation about the assassination attempt. He didn’t like her stillness. His Mina was fire, life, joy. Yet he knew his harshness had caused her withdrawal. He had spoken to his wife in anger, and now that it had passed, he did not know how to bring her back to him.
“Hold on,” he said, as the camel stood up, even though there was no need. His arm was a band around her waist. He would never let her fall, never let her be hurt.
She clutched at his arm, but let go the minute the camel was up. Her white headgear gave her a hiding place and frustrated him. He needed her to talk to him. The discovery made him scowl. A sheik didn’t need anyone. A man would be a fool to need a woman who’d proved incapable of loyalty. He’d merely become used to her presence and voice over the past day. It was nothing more than that.
“Will you sulk all day?” He knew he was being unfair, but was unable to stop himself. He wanted her to fight back, wanted her to feel as much as he did, even if it was only anger.
“I’m not sulking.” Her response held a hint of her customary fire.
Something he didn’t want to acknowledge inside him eased at her response. She hadn’t been beaten or broken. “It’s better that you know the truth.”
“That you’ll never again allow me close to your heart?”
Her blunt question threatened to unsettle him. “Yes. I will not be such an easy target a second time.”
“Target?” It was a husky whisper. “This isn’t war.”
His mouth twisted. “It’s worse.” After her rejection, he’d barely been able to function. He had loved her more than he loved the endless deserts of his homeland, but it had been the desert wilderness that had helped him heal the wounds she’d inflicted.
“I don’t want to fight with you.”
Her words calmed him and made him gentle in his response. “You belong to me now, my Jasmine. There’s no reason for us to fight. This is forever.” He would not trust her with his heart again, but neither would he let her go.
Forever. Jasmine lay her head against Tariq’s chest and swallowed her tears. At one time she would’ve crawled on her hands and knees across broken glass for the promise of forever with Tariq. Now that wasn’t enough. Forever with a Tariq who didn’t love her and would never love her wasn’t enough.
The obstacles in her path had grown to almost insurmountable proportions. Convincing Tariq of her loyalty would not be enough. He might eventually forgive her for not fighting for their love against her family, but she doubted it would be easy. But would he ever forgive the second staggering blow to his warrior’s pride?
And what if she caused a third, with the secret that had broken a child’s heart?
Panic threatened to choke her. No! No one would know about her illegitimacy! No one would shame her husband. Only her family knew, and they valued their position in society too much to let the truth slip out.
You think your prince would marry a girl who can’t even name her father? Keep dreaming, little sister.
Four years ago, Sarah had picked at her most vulnerable spot and then kicked hard. Jasmine still hadn’t recovered from the blow, because she knew her sister was right. How could Tariq accept her, much less love her, if even her adoptive parents hadn’t been able to?
He wouldn’t believe that she’d been so overwhelmed by the marriage ceremony, she’d forgotten the one vital fact that made her the wrong choice to be his wife. As a girl of eighteen, she’d planned to tell him…until Sarah had bluntly thrown the consequences in her face. Believing her sister, Jasmine had kept her hurtful secret, and her family had used it to batter her down when they’d asked her to choose.
“You will speak to me.” The rough order jerked her out of her maudlin thoughts. He liked her speaking to him, did he? Yesterday, he’d teased her that she chattered like a magpie.
Allowing a smile to escape, she let hope fill her heart about her ability to inspire love in this complex man. So the fight would be harder. So what? She’d almost died living apart from him. As long as there was the slightest hope, as long as her panther liked to talk to her, as long as he touched her body like he was starving for her, she’d persevere.
Maybe one day he’d trust her enough, love her enough, to accept all of her. Until then, she’d keep the secret she desperately needed to share, the anguish she needed to fight with his love, deep within her. And she’d make up for that one lie by fighting for other truths, however much it hurt.
“Tell me.” Her tone was quiet but determined.
“What?”
“Tell me exactly what they tried to do.”
“Mina.” Tariq’s annoyance was clear. “I have said that the past is the past. If you do not wish to fight, we will not speak of this.” His hard body moved behind her as he made an adjustment to the reins held negligently in his left hand.
“And I’m supposed to obey your decree without question?” She was unable to let such an arrogant presumption pass.
He was silent for a long moment. “No one challenges the sheik when he has spoken.”
“You’re my husband.”
“Yet you don’t act as a submissive wife should.”
His tone was so neutral that she almost missed the wry undertone. He was teasing her, no longer cold, as he’d been after the revelation in the oasis. Jasmine decided to continue her quest for the truth, despite his implied forgiveness for the pain she’d reawakened that morning. If she let it go now, Tariq would always refuse to discuss the past. An incredibly strong man, he needed a woman who would challenge him when required, not buckle under to his demands.
“If you wanted submission, you should’ve gotten a pet.” She didn’t add that a submissive wife would bore him out of his aristocratic skull within a week.
His arms tightened around her. “No, Mina, I need no pet. Not when I have you to pet.”
The wordplay made her blush. “You speak English just fine when you put your mind to it,” she noted. “But I’m not going to be distracted.”
“No?” Under her breast, his arm suddenly came to life. Muscle flowed and shifted, caressing her without any visible movement.
“No.” Her voice was firm, though desire crackled through her like white lightning.
He