Page 58 of Warming the Sheikh's Bed & Love in the Fast Lane

“Is he … able to … is he more or less himself?”

“No. For the most part, I already undertake the duties associated with the running of our country. He takes part in some ceremonies and events. But he is tired, Cassie. He is so tired.” Layth drew in a deep breath. “My uncle wants to let go. It is obvious to all who love him. He is holding on, simply because he wants to know the future of Takisabad is assured.”

“But surely he can trust you for that, wife or no wife.”

“It is not me he fears so much as would-be claimants to the throne.”

Cassie swallowed. Her heart, so full it could burst, was heavy in her chest. “You must marry quickly, Layth.”

He swallowed past the angry lump in his throat. “Yes.”

“You are doing the right thing,” Cassie whispered, her voice hoarse.

Layth had been sure of that fact at one time, before meeting Cassie. But now? He shook his head. He pushed the conversation aside, not sure he could do it justice. “I did not dance in the rain. But I rode in it.”

She grabbed the conversation change with both hands. “Rode? Rode what?”

“My stallion,” he moved his hips, gently dancing with Cassie in the centre of the room. The rain fell harder now, and it was a backdrop that neither could ignore. “I would take him out in the rain, across the desert, to the dunes in the distance. I would feel the water drenching both him and me, and I would laugh at the freedom of the moment. The powerful connection with the desert beneath me and the heavens above; the elemental freedom that brought me closer to my forefathers.”

“Your love for your country is overwhelming,” she murmured, for it communicated itself in almost everything he said. It was a love that went beyond what she had ever experienced.

“Yes,” he agreed simply. What more could he say? Takisabad was not simply a matter of geography for him. It was a part of him; he had been born from its sands and raised by its heat. And Cassie? What was she a product of? He stroked her back thoughtfully. “How old were you when your mother married him?”

Cassie swallowed. But having opened the floodgates, she no longer shied away from discussing the truth. Not with Layth. “Twelve.”

“And was he interested in you from the beginning?”

Cassie closed her eyes. “I don’t know. I’ve thought about that but I really couldn’t say. Perhaps.”

Layth wanted to ask her more, but he was uncertain. For one of the first times in his adult life, he doubted his place.

But Cassie spoke anyway. “It was the summer I turned fourteen. I was a late bloomer. My mum worked a lot and Steven took me shopping. For … underwear.” Her cheeks flushed at the memory. “I was shy. Nervous. I didn’t know if the way he helped me was normal or not.”

Layth nodded, his expression blank but his body firing with anger.

“It was only a few nights after that when he … came to my room for the first time.”

“And your mother?”

“She wasn’t home much.” Cassie shivered. “It was easy for him, in hindsight. I was seriously lacking in confidence, and my mother wasn’t around to see.”

“Your mother did not want to see,” Layth corrected, his tone carefully clear of the outrage he felt.

“No, that’s true.” Cassie sucked in an uneven breath.

“Have you heard from them since you moved here?”

Cassie bit down on her lip. “My mother writes every now and again. She even suggested coming over to visit me a few years ago. Needless to say I discouraged her.”

He could not believe she’d been left to deal with this on her own. He thought of a teenaged Cassie, young and afraid, vibrancy waning in the face of fear. “And your father?”

“He died when I was little.”

“But his sister allowed you to move in with her.”

“Yes.” Cassie smiled at the thought of her Aunt. “That’s Jude though. Never one to let sensible concerns like the fact she knew nothing about children or teenagers get in the way of a mad scheme. Truthfully, I think she was lonely. When I wrote and asked to stay with her, she jumped at the chance.”

“You are close to her,” Layth asked quickly, desperate for some news that would help him see her life in a more positive light.

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