The Defiant Princess (17 page)

Chapter Eight

“You did well this morning with the Council.”

The words were the first Prince Khalid had uttered since Sabrina joined him in the limousine. Five interminably long minutes had ticked away as they journeyed to the opening of the new hospital wing. Every silent second that passed had increased her hostility toward him.

No
hello
from him.

Not the slightest attempt at any polite greeting or small talk as he'd sat absorbed in the documents he read. The only indication he was aware of her presence had been a slight, arrogant inclination of his head in her direction when she'd got into the vehicle. Nothing since then.

“Hello to you too, Prince Khalid,” she bit out.

That sarcastic rejoinder got his attention.

Finally he placed the folder on the seat next to him and looked at her. She shifted uncomfortably. Now she knew exactly how bugs must feel as they were examined under a microscope. Not a comfortable feeling—especially when something in his expression told her he thought she was the one being unreasonable. But she refused to be daunted by him.

“You're unbearably rude,” she told him, determined not to hold back. “Last night you spoke about the—tell me if I misunderstood—the
passion thrumming between us
. The fact you can't even bother to acknowledge me when I'm sitting opposite you proves your words false.”

No sooner were her words uttered than Sabrina cringed inwardly.

Why did I blurt that out?

The heat of indignation prickled at her chest. She shouldn't have given him the satisfaction of recalling his words or referring to the kiss they'd shared. It didn't matter if their kiss had kept her awake all night tossing and turning. It obviously hadn't had the same effect on him. It was surely retaliation for Inaya refusing to wait to marry him.

Sabrina turned to look outside the window, but didn't really absorb the view of the modern skyscrapers as they passed through the inner business district.

There was no point venting her disdain at his lack of manners. This prince clearly thought the world revolved around him. No doubt passion
thrummed
for him when any female was around. And who was she to question his behaviour when she'd kissed him last night with wild abandonment knowing he'd just left Inaya?

“Had I glanced away from my documents, Sabihah, I fear my concentration would've been shot to pieces. Looking at you distracts me from my duty.”

Yeah. Right.

“I see. Well, thanks for that explanation.” Unimpressed, she folded her arms across her chest. She stopped pretending to look at the scenery outside the moving vehicle and pinned him with her gaze. “Do lame excuses usually get you off the hook for such rudeness? Are the women you associate with really so stupid or desperate they buy that sort of rubbish?”

To her chagrin, he looked amused instead of chastened.

“Forgive me, Sabihah.” He bowed his head in a slight gesture of acknowledgement and apology. “My trip to Australia was unexpected. This is the first chance I've had to read through the notes that were presented to me in preparation for our visit to the hospital.”

His apology didn't soothe her. She was tired from a sleepless night and overwrought from worrying about their first public appearance and impending wedding ceremony. Her nerves were as highly strung as a tightrope and the tension made her shoulders and neck ache. Khalid's varying reactions to her didn't help. One minute he was
aching
for her, the next ignoring her. If only she could turn her attraction to him off so easily.

Homesick after only a couple of days away, Sabrina wished she could speak with Helen for support. Right now, however, the former nanny was on a plane to Turastan and wouldn't arrive until just before the wedding ceremony was due to begin.

“I was required elsewhere immediately after our meeting with the Arab Council, otherwise I would have seen you to debrief,” Khalid said. “My father and I were impressed with your responses to the interrogation you faced this morning.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Were you expecting me to fall apart?”

“I expected you to act like the princess you are,” he told her bluntly, “and you did not disappoint. To keep your composure during an hour of grilling by the delegates from the Council must've been difficult.”

“Don't go getting all empathetic on me or I might think you have a heart beating under your autocratic exterior,” she retorted. “I think I'd rather you keep up your silent treatment.”

He smiled and her heart did a strange flip-flop in response.

“I believe you gained support from the vast majority of Council members, Sabihah.”

“Hm.” She didn't feel completely mollified but found herself responding against her will. The man could get into a cage with a Great White Shark and use his charm to come away unscathed.

“It was nerve-wracking,” she admitted. “Some of the delegates seemed convinced while others were harder to read. The worst thing was how hard the Turazbekian Ambassador worked at trying to discredit me. He made me feel like I was an imposter.”

Khalid nodded. “The man's an arrogant fool.”

“A few times I thought you were going to slam your fist into his nose.”

“He would've deserved it,” he said without compunction as he brushed away a speck of lint on his suit sleeve.

“You were more than successful in putting him in his place.” She gave him a sidelong glance.

In fact Khalid had been very impressive. The authority stamped into every one of his features had commanded immediate attention the minute he'd walked into the room and his presence had dominated the whole meeting. The aura of confidence and the absolute conviction of each of his well-chosen words had made everyone listen and earned him her respect. No longer did Sabrina consider him a feckless playboy. The delegates' treatment of him had been deferential and King Hassan had sat back and said very little as Khalid took control. The room had seemed slightly in awe of him. Well, everyone except the Ambassador from Turazbek.

Khalid's eyes had burned with contempt for the Ambassador and if the man had possessed half a brain he would've trembled in his shoes knowing he was at odds with the Turastani Crown Prince.

“I haven't thanked you for your support this morning, and I am grateful.” It was the truth. No harm in admitting it despite his rude behaviour just now. “To have you and your father present and ready to defend me made everything much easier.”

“We've pledged our support to you. We will always honour this.”

His tone was impersonal. This was business to him, an undertaking he'd made because it suited his plans. As he saw it, he was just doing his duty.

Fine. She could do business-like too in the pursuit of her objective. The next item of business on her agenda was the discussion of their upcoming nuptials. The whole wedding loomed way too close and the thought of saying
I do
with Khalid frayed her nerves.

“So, now we wait and see whether they bought the story.” She wanted to stress the waiting because they shouldn't be rushing into marriage.

“Not a story, Sabihah.” Tawny-gold eyes narrowed as he regarded her. “You told the truth and I'm confident they'll acknowledge you as rightful ruler of Rhajia very quickly.”

“Not fast enough,” she said as she leant toward him. She simply couldn't keep her frustration and tension under wraps for another second. “Khalid, this wedding is premature. If the Council doesn't support me as rightful ruler, there's no point in marriage between us. It'll be the fastest divorce on record.”

He sat completely still as he regarded her with a calm, confident expression. “The council will rule in your favour.”

“Despite the denials from Mustaf?” She heard the edge of anxiety in her own voice. “Don't you have any doubts at all about the outcome?”

His impatience was stamped into his features. “No. The facts of your identity are indisputable.”

“If that's the case, Mustaf stands to lose everything. He won't take this lying down. I presume that's why you've increased security.” She gestured outside the vehicle to the motorcycles flanking them. There was also a team of security guards in the cars in front and behind the royal limousine. “He must be more desperate than ever to have me killed and you know it.”

“Don't worry about Mustaf. As for the guards, you'll always have this top-level security, just as I do.” One of his long, lean legs crossed over the other, pulling the fabric of his suit pants tighter across his heavily muscled thighs. The action distracted her for a moment as she admired the sheer power of his frame. Her mouth was dry with wanting when he spoke again. “Your place on the throne will give us access to palace records. I believe we can find evidence to prove he's committed crimes against the people of Rhajia. Then he will spend the rest of his years behind bars.”

She took a deep breath and forced her eyes away from his body. From the corner of her eyes she saw him glance out the window. They were passing through a residential suburb now. Neat, whitewashed mud brick homes with terracotta roof tiles, lined the streets. There wasn't much in the way of vegetation except for palm and date trees.

“We're nearly at the hospital. I take it you were briefed about our visit this morning?”

She nodded.

“Don't respond to any of the questions the reporters throw at you,” he advised. “There'll be a lot of photographers at the entrance to the hospital. The flash photography can take some getting used to, so make sure you hold onto my hand. Once we're inside it'll be easier as only two official photographers will be allowed to accompany us.”

“I'm so looking forward to returning to anonymity,” she said with a grimace.

He ignored her comment, pointing to a massive, multi-storeyed structure ahead of them. “That building is the hospital.”

A few minutes later the car slowed to a halt. A military guard opened the door. Nothing could've prepared Sabrina for the intense media frenzy that greeted them. She froze as she witnessed the crowd of people who awaited them.

“Sabihah.”

Khalid said her name with authority and she reacted like a robot programmed to respond to his vocal commands. Snapped out of her stage fright, she moved across the seat of the limousine and reached for the hand he extended. Her movement out of the vehicle and onto the red carpet was all done in a fog of confusion. Khalid was her only anchor in a sea of faces and blinding light. It seemed as though a million flash bulbs popped and burned right to the back of her retinas. She was disorientated and more than a little nervous as she clutched his hand.

“Princess Sabihah!” Her name was chorused by the awaiting paparazzi who jostled each other and tried to break through the line of guards to shove microphones at her.

“Is it true you're the lost princess of Rhajia?” One voice rang across the others.

“Can you confirm that you intend to claim the throne and depose your uncle, King Mustaf?”

“Tell us about how you pulled people from a burning bus.”

Another reporter demanded, “How do you feel about marrying Prince Khalid tomorrow when you've only just met?”

A barrage of questions exploded like landmines around her. She was surrounded and felt each step she took led her further into danger. They were vultures and she was their prey. As Khalid urged her forward, the reporters were relentless in their demands that she respond to their questions.

“Relax.” While still holding her hand his thumb traced circles on the inside of her wrist. His action took her mind off the crowd, but was far from relaxing. Her attention simply zeroed in on the strength of his fingers as they encased her own. The erotic action of his thumb made her hands tingle and her heart race. It was a heady experience. It confused and disorientated her just as much as being faced by the mob of reporters. Some survival instinct made her realise that this one man was somehow more dangerous to her than the circling media vultures.

“Just smile and wave in acknowledgement,” he instructed calmly near her ear.

“I've never been so thankful for your presence,” she whispered back sincerely as she tried to compose her features into an expression she hoped looked confident and serene.

He pulled her closer to his side. “Not even when I proved faster than a speeding bullet and saved your life?”

Her lips twitched at his flirtatious comment. He really was full of himself. “Let's not forget that if it hadn't been for your presence my life wouldn't have needed saving.”

He shook his head and shot her a roguish smile that played havoc with her heartbeat. “And you're never going to let me forget that, are you?”

“No,” she told him as she matched her stride to his. “You owe me big time.”

She tried to keep her head high, even though she felt like burrowing through the pack to safety. The only thing that kept her from bolting was the strength of Khalid's arm around her waist.

He moved her toward the official receiving line. His hand dropped from her waist. Instantly, she felt lost. The need to reach out and grab his hand back consumed her as though she was being tossed from wave to wave in a stormy sea and he was her life buoy.

She chastised herself. He may be her ally on the outside, but they were still at odds when it came to their true goals. Khalid wanted her to stay and rule Rhajia. She wanted to sign the whole leadership deal over to him as soon after their marriage as possible.

“Princess Sabihah. Mr Abdul Khahabi.” Khalid introduced the Chief Executive Officer of hospital staff.

Mr Khahabi bowed low. The action made Sabrina awkward. She was much more comfortable with a handshake and indicated this by extending her hand.

Khalid frowned at her action and Mr Khahabi hesitated before accepting her hand in a firm handshake. If she'd made a royal mistake, so be it. She didn't want people bowing or curtseying to her. For the limited time she would be in this position, she'd be thoroughly modern and individual. She would behave the way that was most comfortable to her. She still hadn't donned the traditional clothing, preferring to present herself as honestly as she could. The gorgeous green dress she wore was sleeveless with a pleated bodice and fell elegantly into a full skirt. Although it was a designer label and therefore far more expensive than anything she'd have in her wardrobe back in Australia, it was definitely her style. Knowing she looked good gave her more confidence to be herself.