Page 42 of The Sheikh's Desert Princess

"Like what?"

Riaz frowned. "Ahmed committed a grave mistake when he insulted you the way he did."

Eva squinted at Riaz. "He didn't insult me." She tilted her head. "Granted, what he did was outrageous. Even barbaric. But I don't feel insulted."

Riaz took a few paces, shaking his head firmly. "Sending his men to interfere with your journey was bad enough. But, it was clear to me that the men had been sent to do something much worse. That is unacceptable."

Eva advanced toward Riaz. He peered at her, and she could just how outraged he was. "I think we should just forget about it. Once I'm gone, that'll be the end of it."

Riaz shook his head. His gaze darkened. "That is where you are wrong, Eva. It cannot be forgotten. Not until he has done what he must do to remedy the situation."

Eva frowned. "What do you mean?"

Riaz sighed heavily. "We have sacred traditions which all tribal leaders are bound by. One of them is that if a tribal leader interferes with another tribal leader's woman, he must apologize."

Eva felt shocked. What was he talking about? She wasn't Riaz's woman, any more than he was her man. What did he mean? Was Riaz already thinking of Eva as his property? She pushed that thought away.

"Apology? What kind of apology?" she asked.

Riaz leaned closer. "He must show obeisance to you, face to face. And in my presence."

"What!" Eva could hardly believe what she was listening to. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

Riaz shook his head. "I assure you, this is no laughing matter."

Eva took a few steps away from Riaz. Was this another of the barbaric remnants of the desert past? What had she been dragged into?

"When you say obeisance, what exactly do you mean?" she asked.

"He must come to this camp and demonstrate to you, and to me, that he meant no insult. He must prostrate himself before you and beg your forgiveness."

The breath almost stopped in Eva's lungs. The idea of a tribal leader agreeing to do such a thing was unthinkable.

"How can you hold him to that?" she asked.

"It isn't my doing," Riaz replied. "Word has already circulated about what happened."

Eva stared at Riaz. "You told the men?"

"I had to. We cannot allow such things to happen without those who carry them out understanding they are not above our laws."

Eva squinted at him. "Laws? They sound barbaric to me."

Riaz's features tightened and his jaw was a hard, determined line. She could see that there was no way out of this.

She moved toward Riaz who stood stock still gazing down at her. "I don't want this, Riaz. Can't you see that all I want is to go home?"

He lifted his chin and peered at her. "Is that what you truly want, Eva?"

She sighed and she lowered her head, eager for him not to see the confusion in her eyes. Eva could understand that there was more going on here than just her desire to remove herself from an awkward situation.

And what exactly was that uncomfortable situation?

Was it just about refusing to go along with this primitive custom? Or was it more to do with how Riaz was beginning to loom large in her mind, how he was triggering treacherous sensations in her body?

The fact was, she hadn't been the same since he'd walked up to her at the fort. Even then, he'd tried to protect her, tried to warn her. And she had ignored those warnings.

She thought about how Riaz had kissed her. How that kiss had affected her. There was no denying the truth of her reaction. How her body had responded to his touch. That was the least of her problems, she realized.

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