Page 41 of Sheikh's Unexpected Triplet Babies

"You will stay in Muneazil, receiving the finest care, until the children are born. Believe me when I say that I will make that as easy on you as possible. I understand that you have been doing your research, and that means you know that multiple births can be complicated. It is certainly in your best interests to stay."

She stared at him for a moment as what he had said sunk in.

"You saw where I went on the Internet!" she said indignantly. "You knew what I was searching for!"

He shot her a grim look. She could see the fire in his eyes was banked, not quenched. That meant it could flare up whenever she trod a little too carelessly, but right now, that was the last thing she cared about.

"I am taking no chances," he said. "You already tried to deprive me of my children once. I am not going to let it happen again.

"Moving on to what will happen after the children are born... I want you to stay in Muneazil."

Despite herself, Bedelia perked up at that. He still wanted her close by at least, perhaps that meant there was some hope for them...

"I will set you up on a property that is some distance out of town where you will be provided for. As long as you maintain a good semblance of being a good mother to the children, all of your whims will be met. For the first year or so, they will stay with you, but after that, I assume that they will be healthy and stable enough to begin merely visiting you, say, every other weekend."

"No!" The word that was surprised out of Bedelia's mouth was so sharp that it made Jahin look up, shocked.

"No?" he asked, and she ignored the dangerous note in his voice.

"No," she repeated. "You are not going to take my children away like that! I refuse to live like some...some mistress on duty while my children are only allowed to visit me! No! That is completely unacceptable."

The look he gave her was as hard as a diamond. "I beg your pardon, Bedelia, but you are absolutely in no position to tell me what is and is not completely unacceptable. You gave up that right when you tried to steal my children--"

"So then it's right for you to steal my children from me?" Her voice broke slightly, but she made herself keep going. This was far too important for any kind of failure at all.

"You cannot do this, Jahin. You can't. You know that children belong with the mothers who love them. I have loved them so, so much since the moment I realized I was carrying them. Right now, even the idea of being without them makes me want to break down and cry. If you let me love them for a year...and then you take them away from me..."

To her relief, his face softened a little. He crossed the floor to where she sat, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hand. It felt as if it had been years since they had been this close. It was painful to think that it had been less than a week since they had made love, that they might never do so again.

"I am trying hard to find the solution that will save us, that will save all five of us," he said softly. "I...am doing what I need to do. I want our children safe and happy. Believe it or not, I want you safe and happy as well."

"Jahin..."

"You are a threat to me," he said, his words bitter. "Don't you understand that? I am a man who must have control. The world I live in is a cruel one sometimes, and more than simply defending myself, I need to defend my people as well who depend on me, who cannot have me at less than my best."

"I'm...a threat to you?" she asked, barely able to understand what he meant. "Are you serious?"

It made no sense at all. He was the man with all the power. He was the one who’d had her virtually imprisoned.

"I am," he said, slightly ruefully. "If you could have read my mind while I was frantic and looking for you... A sheikh should not think such things. He should not be so frantic for someone he...for a situation like this one that he cannot think. It is not proper. It is not safe."

He shook his head and stood up, stepping away from her. Now, though, Bedelia wondered if she saw something else in his eyes besides disdain. She realized with a start that there was still a great deal of desire there, a great deal of need. The thing that existed between them was still there, powerfully drawing them to each other, and he was doing everything he could to resist it.

And he was failing.

That realization rendered Bedelia silent as Jahin got up and started to pace.

"I do not want to hurt you, Bedelia. I swear to you that is the last thing I want, now and forever. However, I need to protect my country and my legacy, and that is what lies in your belly right now."

"I see," she said softly, her mind racing. "I understand. Or at least I think I do."

"Good," he said, and this time she could see he was relieved. If she allowed him to, he would pull away from her as much as he could, until the bond between them was worn tight and thin from distance. It might still be there, but it would be something that he could ignore for at least a little while, and maybe that would be enough to make him feel safe.

"This isn't a fairytale," he said, shaking his head. "The sooner we both realize that, the sooner we can figure out what comes next. We can do the best thing for ourselves, and for our children."

"Are you still intent on taking them from me after they turn one year old?"

He hesitated, and she thought then that she could see the Jahin she knew in his eyes, the man who wanted her, who’d saved her, and who never wanted to hurt her.

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