Page 30 of At the Sheikh's Bidding
He could read the answer in her eyes. She could tell by his expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but the hesitation only confirmed her answer. He shook his head and turned away. She reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Yes, of course it was you. You control everything.” She shook her head, tears pricking her eyes. “I can’t take it anymore, Amare, I can’t.”
Amare’s face hardened. “Can’t take what exactly? You can’t take being safe, protected, cherished? Is that so hard? I thought it was what women wanted.”
“Maybe some women, but not me.” She took a step backwards. “You can’t control me. I can’t let you.”
He turned on her then and gripped her hands in his. “I control for good reason. Because that’s how I’m made. I look after people. If I don’t…” Panic suddenly filled his eyes.
“If you don’t? What?”
He shook his head and released her hands and paced away, pushing his fingers through his hair and flinging open a window in the stifling room.
“It doesn’t matter. You just need to know that I am who I am, and you’ll have to accept that.”
“I don’t need to accept anything. I just need to do my job and return to my life in England.”
She tried to turn away, but he grabbed her hand and held her firm.
“We will talk later. Over dinner. You can’t run from this. Not this time.” He urged her with his eyes. “Okay?”
She bit her lip, but nodded. Stubbornness prevented her from saying anything, but she knew he was right. Trying to ignore him hadn’t worked. She just hoped talking might.
* * *
Later that evening,Amare watched Janey emerge from the palace. His breath caught in his throat like it always did when he saw her. How she could doubt her future was with him was beyond him. It was as clear as the harsh light of day to him.
“You look beautiful,” he said, stepping towards her. She caught sight of him for the first time and he was satisfied to see a soft rosy blush sweep her cheeks, brightening her eyes. His stomach tightened with desire.
She indicated her beautifully embroidered abaya, trimmed with gold thread. “You said to dress up. Somewhere special is it?”
He nodded and reached out for her hand, waiting for her response. As she took his hand, he exhaled a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “Indeed. But you must know that I’d only take you to special places.”
“And what kind of place,” she asked as he stopped beside a Range Rover, “requires a four-wheel drive to get to?”
He raised an eyebrow. “The kind of special place which isn’t accessible by motorway.”
“Sounds intriguing. So long as there’s food at the other end, I’m in.”
“Good,” he said. “And therewillbe dinner, I promise, but not in the palace. You wanted to leave the palace, so we shall leave. There are no walls where I’m taking you.”
A relieved, beaming smile rewarded him with his words of reassurance. In that moment, he thought he’d do anything to keep on seeing that smile. It had become as necessary to him as breathing.
“Um, sounds good. A restaurant in the mountains, perhaps? After this afternoon, I could do with some space from other people.” She grinned. “And thank you, Amare. I realize I did a stupid thing, and I’m grateful for your rescue.”
“Anytime.” He opened the car door for her. His eyes homed in on the tantalizingly brief flash of bare ankle revealed as her abaya hitched up as she stepped into the vehicle. He remembered how her heels had pressed into his butt, urging him on, only hours earlier. She looked up, caught his eye and gave him the kind of seductive smile which made him want to turn around and take her straight to bed. But there was more at stake than a night of passion. He had a bigger agenda.
There was only one little thing bothering him. He’d lied to Janey. But, as he drove them across the desert to the wedding destination, he justified to himself that it was only a small lie and a necessary one. He had been asked to attend the wedding but originally hadn’t accepted it. He’d changed his mind when he’d decided he really needed to figure out exactly what Janey had against marriage and commitment. And what better way than to confront her with one? The fact that it would mean spending an intimate night in the desert with her, far from civilization, also appealed.
CHAPTER14
The sun had already disappeared behind the wide horizon and shadows were forming on the distant hills. Janey’s breath caught in her throat as she looked out at the expansive desert. The sand dunes stretched on for miles, each one a slightly different shade of gold. She felt both a sense of wonder at the beauty of the scene before her, and also one of relief. It seemed a long time since she’d been free of locked doors and corridors and the continual focus on her research. For the first time, she wondered if her work has played a part in feelings of entrapment.
“You look thoughtful,” said Amare.
“I’ve got a lot to think about.”
He took his eyes off the road for a moment and gave her an all-encompassing look. He turned back to survey the straight road ahead, the light dimming as they drew every closer to the shadowy mountains.
