Page 66 of The Sheikh's Desert Princess

How was she ever going to extinguish that flame? She wasn't even sure she wanted to put it out.

With Riaz she'd felt the most intense passion and desire she had ever known.

Did she want to lose that?

There was only one answer to that question.

No.

That one simple word frightened her. Giving in to the temptation of sharing more with Riaz threatened everything she valued. Everything she'd fought so hard to achieve.

Didn't it?

Eva told herself that this life Riaz had created for himself wasn't something she could ever consider being a part of. It was so alien, so different from everything she'd ever known.

A part of her rejected the very idea, the sublimely tempting notion of life here with the man who had turned her world upside down.

So why was it that every nerve in her body craved his touch? Why was it that her heart was filled with a powerful longing to be with him right now?

Did that make any sense?

Eva shook her head, trying desperately to clear her mind.She tried to focus her attention on the riders heading toward her. A decision had to be made, and urgently. This time there would be no Riaz to protect her from Ahmed.

Eva guided her horse down the sharply inclined side of the dune and down to the flat trough between peaks. Maybe if she kept herself hidden from the tribesmen they would pass her.

For a short time she made progress, keeping to the even surface of the gullies between dunes. She listened for the sound of beating hooves, tension rising inside her. Any moment now she might have to take some kind of evasive action.

Anything to make sure she would avoid confronting Ahmed and his men. After the way they had treated her once before, she wasn't convinced this time would be any better.

She had travelled a short distance and she was beginning to feel that perhaps she had avoided the worst, when she heard the sound of horses hooves pounding on sand. Tension flared in her and she prepared to goad her horse into sudden action.

She paused, holding the reins of her mount tight in her clenched fists, considering what direction she should take. The most important thing was to avoid being noticed. She knew she couldn't outrun anyone out here. Especially desert tribesmen who probably knew this place like the back of their hands.

She heard the hoof beats. They were nearby, but the effect of the dunes made it almost impossible to tell exactly where the sound was coming from.

The sound of the hooves suddenly stopped. Eva froze, sensing her heart beating, feeling her pulse pounding. She drew in a deep breath of warm desert air. Her throat felt suddenly tight. The prospect of being set upon by Ahmed and his men was beginning to trigger real anxiety now.

Eva strained her ears, trying to make out any sound. The emptiness of the desert made sound do strange things. All she could hear was the soft sigh of the gentle desert wind.

For a moment, she had the sudden urge to simply ride as fast as she could. Anything to get away from this place. Maybe she should just take her chances and hope Ahmed and his men didn't see her riding away.

Just as she was about to move her horse on, she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She whirled around, tensing herself, preparing to exclaim, readying herself for the inevitable confrontation.

Then she saw him and she gasped.

Riaz!

He was riding around the base of a high dune. Alongside him, Eva saw one of Riaz's men.

How had they found her? In spite of everything, she felt a sudden relief surge through her body. Every doubt she had harbored throughout her lonely desert journey was swept away.

Riaz guided his horse up to her. His gaze was intense. She thought he looked worried, genuinely concerned.

"Riaz!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer.

Riaz drew up alongside her. "I came because I had to," he stated firmly.

---