Page 38 of Sheikh's Accidental Pregnancy

“No, I haven’t,” Soraya replied in the calmest way possible. She had never been on a horse, and her heart was racing at the thought of it. She’d always wanted to go riding, but now that she was faced with the opportunity, she was scared she would fall off. She did not want Amir to know. It would ruin her reputation as a strong, independent woman.

“You will have to ride double with me, then.”

Falling off would be much better than riding with you.

“I don’t think so, Amir. I’m sure I can figure it out. Just give me the slowest horse in the stable.”

“I wouldn’t want you falling off and hurting yourself,” Amir said with a grin. He was plotting something, she could tell. No logic in the world would dissuade him from having her up behind him in the saddle. One of the trainers led a beautiful gray horse toward them. She pranced as she walked and tossed her head, but she stood still when the trainer stopped in front of Amir. Amir took the reins and mounted the horse in one graceful motion. He stroked the horse’s neck and then offered Soraya his hand. She stared at it for a moment, then at the stirrup he’d taken his foot out of so she could use it. The saddle wasn’t big enough for two people. She would have nothing to hold on to, and once she was up, no stirrups for her feet.

“I don’t think this is the best way to learn to ride.” She tried again. “I suspect I’m more likely to slide off the horse’s rump while riding double with you than to fall from my own saddle.”

“I won’t let you fall. Come on,” he said to her. She reluctantly gave him her hand and slid her left foot into the stirrup. It took two hops and a solid pull from Amir, and then she was sitting behind him on the horse. “You’ll have to hold on to my waist,” he said to her.

Soraya frowned. This was not ideal. He had practically kidnapped her. She’d only gotten into the car with him because he’d promised to take her home. Had she known he would drive her all the way out here, she would never have come with him. Now, they were sharing a horse, and she had to hold on to him.

She could get off. She could just nope right on out of this ridiculous situation. Hell, she could let him go riding by himself and drive herself home in his car. That would serve him right. She was sure he could summon a driver or a helicopter or something to get himself back to the city.

He looked over his shoulder at her, and his charming, mischievous grin was gone. Instead, the corners of his mouth tipped up just the slightest bit, and his teasing brown eyes had softened to an expression that almost looked likelonging.

“Let me show you something I love,” he said. “My favorite time of day in my favorite place.”

She slowly wrapped her arms around him. Amir smiled as she pressed her body against him, and she glared just enough to show they werenoton the same page about this arrangement.

“All right,” Soraya said. “Let’s go.”

As the horse started to walk forward, Soraya’s nerves fluttered. She convinced herself not to look down. She was sure that seeing the ground moving beneath her would only make her dizzy. After a few strides, she caught the horse’s rhythm and relaxed, moving with the horse, and everything else eased.

“Do you ride often?” she asked.

“As often as I can. This estate was my favorite of our properties when I was a boy. I raised this mare from the moment she was born six years ago.”

“What’s her name?”

“Najma.”

Star. Soraya opened her mouth to say that her own name was connected to the stars, too—it was the Persian name for the Pleiades constellation—but she didn’t want to follow that thought. It had to be a coincidence. Of course it was a coincidence. He’d only started pursuing her a few months ago, notsix yearsago.

Amir kicked the mare into a canter, and Soraya held on to Amir’s waist a bit tighter. The cool breeze brushed through her hair. Trees blurred past her, quickly changing to rolling desert. She couldn’t think, couldn’t plan, couldn’t regret. She was simply in the moment. She felt an adrenaline rush as the mare flew over the landscape.

They finally came to a halt on top of a hill. Soraya looked over her shoulder. In the distance, she could still see the ranch, with its stables, house, and paddocks. The well-watered grass around the buildings was the only true green for miles around. Ahead was only desert dotted with oil derricks. She knew the Botros family owned most of them.

A part of her did resent Amir’s family’s wealth. Sure, Amir, and Tariq had earned the college degrees that had allowed them to continue the family company’s success, but neither of them had had to work to pay their own way. They had never had to count every coin when they went to the market. They’d probably never bought their own groceries. The oil derricks marred her enjoyment of the ride the same way they marred the landscape.

Amir turned Najma to face west, and Soraya caught her breath in awe. They’d arrived just in time to see the sun set. Soraya ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face so she could see the streaks of color and light better. She barely noticed how her fingers snagged in the tangles.

Amir kicked his foot out of the stirrup and twisted to look at her, offering her a hand.

“Can you get down on your own?” he asked.

“I guess we’ll find out.” Soraya swung her leg over the horse’s hindquarters, grasped his hand, and slithered awkwardly to the ground. Amir dismounted after her and looped the horse’s reins into a loose knot over her withers.

“She won’t wander,” he said. “Here, I have a blanket.”

He unstrapped a bundle from the front of the saddle, and they spread it out on the sand. Soraya sat with her arms wrapped around her knees and looked out at the blue and pink sky. The sun was a brilliant shade of orange as it slowly sank below the horizon. Soraya couldn’t help but gasp at the beauty of the moment. She had never seen the sun set this far from the city, and it was breathtaking.

Part of her wanted to thank Amir for bringing her to see this. Another part didn’t want to disturb the moment by speaking. And yet another part didn’t want to give him any positive reinforcement for kidnapping her.

Soraya turned and saw Amir looking at her. He had a very intense expression on his face. She had never seen him look at her like that before. His eyes were dark and dangerous. That look made her nervous.

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