Desert Kings Boxed Set: The Complete Series Books 1-6 Read online

  “Does your family know you’re in the running to design the presidential library?” He offered her a plate of grapes.

  She took one and bit it, wondering if she’d regret her answer. “I mentioned it to my mom and dad but they haven’t asked about it since. I honestly don’t think they’re too interested.”

  Zadir tilted his head and regarded her softly. “I bet you’re wrong.”

  “I doubt it. My dad took his company public recently, and he’s all hyped up over that. I can’t even have a conversation with him without him taking two phone calls in the middle of it.”

  “He’s a high achiever and would appreciate what you’ve accomplished.”

  “I haven’t accomplished anything yet.” She sucked in a breath. She got nervous when she thought about it too much. “I have to win the competition for that. And then somehow see it translated into a building that people will enjoy and appreciate. That’s a whole other phase that no one really thinks about.”

  “You’ve achieved a lot by making it this far. What about your mother? I’m sure she’d be proud of her talented daughter.”

  She sighed. “My mom was a singer. She’d be more proud if I was shaking my stuff in a music video or dating a celebrity. That’s the kind of thing that impresses her. She thinks I’m dull.”

  “I bet she doesn’t. You should call her and update her. We have satellite phones that can call anywhere from the deepest middle of nowhere.”

  She laughed. “That’s impressive, but talking to her would probably just dent my confidence and I don’t need that so close before the big day.”

  “I didn’t share anything important with my brothers for years. We all lived our separate lives, mostly on different continents, and we missed out on so much. I’d hate for you to do the same.”

  “It’s a different situation. You’re all the same age. You all have a project here”—she indicated the space around her with an arm—“and a lot of work do together. Your father gave you a wonderful gift when he divided his kingdom amongst you.”

  “And we all thought he disliked us.”

  “I guess you were wrong.”

  “And I bet you’re wrong, too. Sometimes it’s good to give people a second chance.”

  Was he talking about himself? She’d blown him off so totally after the intimacy they’d shared after the plane crash. She hadn’t dared give him—or herself—a second chance.

  And now he seemed so serious in what he said about her relationship with her parents. Why would he even care? Maybe he thought she was the kind of person who shut everyone out of her life, one at a time, to protect herself from hurt.

  Perhaps he was right.

  She swallowed a big gulp of sweet pale-pink fruit juice that tasted like squeezed lychees. “Maybe I’ll tell them after the meeting. If it goes well.”

  “If it goes well they’ll be reading about it in the papers.”

  “True.” She laughed. “Though you’d be surprised how little the papers really care about architecture. I do my work for my own satisfaction and don’t worry too much about the thoughts of anyone except my clients. Keeps my life simpler that way.”

  “Speaking of your clients.” He tilted his chin up slightly, giving her an interesting view of his cheekbones. “Does it look like I’ll get to be one?”

  She pursed her lips. She ached to say yes. If it weren’t for the complication of their awkward liaison, she’d say it right now. But what if she was somehow opening the door to all kinds of pain and regret for herself? What if she found herself showing him and Zahaina the windows she’d chosen for their marital bedchamber?

  “I’m very tempted.”

  He studied her for a moment, a glimmer of light in his eyes. “What can I do to tempt you further?”

  It wouldn’t take much. When he flirted with her it scared her and made her want to run away. Him being all cool and businesslike was having the opposite effect.

  Obviously she was impossible.

  “I need time to think about it. I promise you I’ll come up with ideas, but it takes time for them to sift through my imagination.”

  “I can wait.” His gaze didn’t tell her anything. This new enigmatic Zadir—kind and cordial and agonizingly platonic—was driving her crazy.

  The sun was sinking behind the mountains to the west, casting eerie fingers of orange light out across the valley. A servant cleared their plates and brought some dates, sticky sweet cookies made from honey and sesame seeds, and a big brass urn of coffee.

  They sipped coffee and nibbled on the deserts. She kept expecting him to try to feed her a date or to offer to sponge her down with water the way they’d cooled each other with wet wipes on the airplane.

  But nothing. He chatted calmly about some horses he wanted to bring here, and the fencing they’d need, and wondered whether he should have some camels, too, just to keep tradition alive.

  She played along, talking about how she might expand her office by adding another assistant for coordinating with builders. “My current assistant Libby is wonderful, but she has her hands full managing the office and I don’t want her to feel overworked and under appreciated. She wants to study drafting so I was thinking I could send her on a course ab..ab...abba…” Zadir was stretching, flexing his powerful muscles, and the movement made her lose her train of thought and stutter like an idiot.

  “About what?” Arms still flexed overhead he leaned to one side, stretching the length of his sculpted torso. Heat rushed through her, and she tried to remember what she was saying.

  “Abba…about how to use AutoCAD and other rendering software. She could build the graphic models I use to show to clients in the first round.”

  “Do you ever make real 3-D models? Like miniature versions of the building?”

  “I’ve had to make a couple for larger commissions. I built them myself. I really enjoy it. In fact, one day I think I’d like to assemble an entire building myself. It would be rewarding to take it from an idea to a structure I can walk into.”

  “You could build my house yourself. We could do it together.” His blue gaze trapped hers. He sounded so serious. Was he kidding? He was a prince, almost a king, and now he was going to whip out a hammer—or at least a powder actuated nailer—and put up a wall?

  “Somehow I can’t picture that.”

  “Why not?”

  It was growing darker by the second as the sun disappeared behind the peaks. Zadir’s face slipped into shadow, and the filigree lantern with its flickering candle was now the main source of light.

  “You’ll be too busy. I’ll be too busy.”

  “Not if we both make it a priority.” His low voice crept through the darkness.

  “I suppose it must be nice to have the luxury of choosing your priorities.” She was trying to sound sensible, maybe even a little scolding. “I have a lot on my plate right now.”

  “So this might be just the escape you need. Listen…”

  She listened. She couldn’t hear anything at all. Not a single tree frog or grasshopper, even. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “That’s the point.” She saw his teeth flash as he grinned. “This is the ultimate escape. Perfect peace and relaxation.”

  “You make it sound compelling, but these days it’s pretty easy for the real world to intrude on even the most remote location.”

  “I suppose that will be true once I put a cell tower in. Right now people can only contact us via satellite phone.”

  “I wondered why my phone had been so quiet.” She hadn’t had a call since they left the palace. “I admit I rather like it.”

  She could see his hand, wrapped around a glass, in the flickering candlelight.

  “Most people will think I’m crazy for choosing to live out here, but I love that I can fly to New York or Paris and go out all night, then come back here and look up at the stars.”

  She glanced up. The dark velvet blanket of night twinkled with a billion tiny white stars. She didn’t think she’d ever
seen so many before. Probably because there wasn’t a light source stronger than a candle for miles around.

  “I don’t think you’re crazy. It sounds wonderful.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” Now he was looking at her with something more than academic interest in his eyes. She couldn’t see it in the dark but she could feel it. How could he see her? He couldn’t. He must be thinking about her. She could feel something blooming between them in the night air.

  But maybe that was her overcharged imagination. Perhaps putting it to bed would be the safest thing right now. “What time do you go to sleep out here, when there’s no electricity?”

  “Whenever we feel like it. Traditionally our people stay up late talking and singing. We don’t consider the day over just because the sun has gone down.”

  “Oh.” Why did his rich voice sound even more sensual in the dark?

  “But if you’re tired we could settle in for the night. We don’t have much to do tomorrow. You’ve already seen pretty much my entire share of the kingdom. We can rise and head back to civilization—such as it is—for you to catch your plane.”

  “Back to real civilization.” She smiled. “Such as it is. I think I like it better here.”

  “Are you nervous about your big meeting on Wednesday?” She could hear the curiosity in his voice.

  “Terrified. I’m worried I won’t get it, and even more scared that I will.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve done big commissions before, but never with that kind of public scrutiny. What if people attack me and my design?”

  “My brothers and I faced some of the same fears when we first came back here after years of absence. We wondered if people would look down on us as foreigners who had no right to rule.”

  “And did they?”

  “Some do, some don’t. In time we hope to win them all over. But we realized that it doesn’t matter what others think of us. The important thing is what we think of ourselves. Are we being true to our values and our vision? Are we working to make the best of every situation? If we can answer yes to any of those questions, then other people’s opinions are simply—”

  “Other people’s opinions.” They both laughed.

  “Exactly. And nothing’s quite so scary when you look at it that way.”

  “You’re right. I just have to breathe through it. In a way it’s good that you whisked me over here so I didn’t have a chance to work myself into a frenzy in the final days before the meeting.”

  “I’m glad I could convince you to come. I was right to make it an urgent matter. If I’d waited any longer you’d have been too busy.” He covered the dish of dates and cookies and put them inside a nearby cooler. “Let me show you where you’re going to sleep.”

  She followed him into the tent. He carried the lantern, which filled the blue interior of the tent with patterned light. The desert floor was covered with richly patterned rugs that made it feel like a luxurious cocoon, not a few sheets of fabric holding out the great outdoors. He pulled aside a striped curtain and showed her a soft-looking bed covered with decorative cushions. “This is how our people have slept for thousands of years. I wanted you to experience our traditional lifestyle firsthand.”

  “It looks wonderful. I’m not sure I’ll want to get up in the morning.”

  He grinned. “I’m glad you like it. Ubar was once famous for its textiles, so you’ll find the bedding is as soft as any you used at the palace. There’s a jug of water and a bowl for washing.” He gestured to the sparkling brass vessels, though her eyes followed the motion of his powerful forearm with keener interest.

  Was he really going to wish her good night then disappear to the other side of the curtain?

  That would of course be the best possible outcome. She was almost done with this whole outlandish excursion. This time tomorrow she’d be back—or almost back—in D.C. and ready to resume her busy and interesting life. She could put Zadir out of her mind again—except for a few carefully executed drawings, perhaps—and congratulate herself on surviving the experience relatively unscathed.

  “Well, good night then.” He spoke softly, almost a whisper.

  She licked her lips—why, she had no idea. Maybe they wished he would kiss them. “Good night.” Her heart ached a little already over the missed opportunity. Making love with Zadir—okay, not love, having incredible, sensual, passionate sex with Zadir—had been one of the most memorable experiences of her life.

  But maybe the life-or-death situation they’d found themselves in had added an edge of urgency to the experience. Perhaps he didn’t feel that way about her any more. She was fairly sure that last night she had initiated their kiss, and maybe that had somehow embarrassed him and made him want to let her down easy.

  Or maybe this was a game. He wanted her to crave him, so he could reject her the way she’d ignored him for months.

  Still, he hadn’t left yet. He hovered only a foot from her, and she could almost feel his body heat in the quiet space of the dark room. The candle flickered, making the shadows dance, and her heart jumped and shimmied along with it.

  Damn it, she wanted to kiss him again. Worse yet, she wanted to feel his strong arms around her. She wanted to hold him close and inhale his warm, male scent and….

  He stepped toward her until his face was only an inch away from hers. “Do you want me to leave?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ronnie hesitated. The moving patterns of light created by the lantern made it hard to focus on anything. Incense smoked in a brazier in one corner, filling the air with an exotic aroma that stole over her senses. Even Zadir, big and broad as he was, seemed to flicker like a shadow, or a figment of her imagination, in the fantasy setting of the luxurious tent.

  “I don’t know what I want.” She heard her own confession, a soft whisper in the scented air.

  “I think you do.” He studied her, gaze steady. No smile played around the corners of his mouth or sparkled in his eyes. “But I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”

  After a day of him acting like he wasn’t even interested, this was reassuring. He wanted her, but she had to admit she felt the same way. Which, considering that he used everything but brute force to get her here in the first place, was an interesting strategy.

  Things would be so much easier if he’d just kiss her! Then she could pretend to herself she’d wanted to resist but had been overcome by passion.

  But he wasn’t going to give her any easy excuses.

  “I’d like to kiss you.” His low voice crept over her like the smoke from the incense. “Would you like to kiss me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He leaned in very slowly, eyes narrowed so she could see their long, thick lashes. His beautiful mouth came within a few inches of hers and her lips twitched in anticipation.

  What are you doing? This is going to end in tears. You spent weeks trying to get this man out of your mind. Doubts assaulted her as desire bubbled through her like an underground spring.

  On the one hand, she had already kissed him yesterday. So the damage was done, right?

  That was just a kiss. If you make love with him and sleep in his arms you’ll only become more attached to him, and where will that lead?

  Heartbreak.

  On the other hand, if she could get through tonight without being intimate with Zadir she’d be home free, her heart in intact. Or as intact as it would ever be now she’d had the dubious pleasure of meeting him in the first place.

  Her lips buzzed and hummed. His eyes grazed her face, and she could hear his breathing deepen. They hovered just a few inches from each other, anticipation building in the air like static electricity.

  “What are you waiting for?” His voice rumbled like thunder in the distance.

  What indeed?

  She stepped forward and pressed her mouth to his. The passion between them cracked as their lips touched, and she felt his big arms close around her back. Here we go again! Doubts fled for dark
corners as her arms wrapped around his thick torso.

  She could feel his arousal, hard against her hip. Had he felt that way all day while he’d been acting cool and non committal? The thought made her want to laugh. Maybe he’d been wondering what she was thinking while she was driving herself crazy.

  His fingers splayed across her back, pressing into her skin and creating ripples of sensation. She let her hands roam up to his face and cup his stubbled chin and hard cheekbones, before wandering into his thick hair.

  It felt so good to hold him close after the careful distance she’d maintained all day. She drew in his warm masculine smell and let it fill her senses. His hard muscle wrapped around her and spurred her excitement.

  He kissed her with force, like he’d been saving his energy all day and finally released it. Their tongues tangled together and his teeth grazed her lip, sparking sensation.

  “I’ve been wanting to do this all day,” he growled, when their lips finally parted long enough to release words.

  “Me too,” she admitted. “Though I tried pretty hard not to think about it.”

  “I’ve missed you so much.” His velvet voice crept into her ears, thick with emotion. “I’ve thought about you every day.” He drew his lips softly across her cheek. “And every night.”

  She swallowed. Really? She knew he’d tried several times to get in contact with her, but she hadn’t taken it too seriously. “I thought it was for the best.”

  “You were wrong.” He punished her with a forceful kiss that stole her breath and made her heart beat harder. “I know you felt something when we were alone in the desert.”

  I did. “I thought it was the urgency of the situation. That we could have died out there and been the last person each of us talked to. I didn’t think it would translate into anything back in the real world.”