The Sheikh's Desert Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 8) (8 page)

"Overnight?" she asked.

She saw the way he looked at her, taking in her expression of surprise.
 

"We can't make it straight back to Qazhar city that quickly," he explained. "It's going to take a couple of days."

"Can't you arrange for us to be picked up?" she asked, thinking he must have some means of arranging for them to be collected. She just assumed his wealth and power would give them options not available to others.

Azim shook his head. "I came away so quickly, I didn't have time to arrange anything."

Then he quickly turned away from her and started preparing his own mount for the upcoming journey. Could she believe what he'd just told her? Was he just trying to find any excuse to have her all to himself for one more night? She knew there would be ways to shorten the journey back to the city. So, why was he being so evasive about it?

This was no time for argument, she told herself. He was the one who knew his way out of these mountains. She knew they couldn't go back the way they'd come. She just had to trust him. And she could do that. Couldn't she?
 

More importantly, she knew she could keep him at bay. It was clear he was still attracted to her, still harbored some of the passion they'd both shared previously. Come to think of it, so did she. It was undeniable that something still connected them, something of the old feelings lurking in both their hearts.

Lucy busied herself with her pack, refusing to glance over at Azim. If it meant they had to spend another night, perhaps in a secluded encampment in the desert, she was sure she could cope. She was certain that there was nothing she couldn't handle, nothing that would make her succumb to Azim's obvious temptations.

Wasn't she?

CHAPTER EIGHT

It took longer than he'd thought it would to get through the mountains, but eventually Azim brought his horse to a halt on the crest of a rocky ridge that looked down across a wide expanse of welcoming, golden desert. Lucy rode up to his side and pulled to a halt.

"There we are," Azim said and sighed contentedly. He smiled at Lucy. "That looks more welcoming, doesn't it?"

Lucy frowned. "If you say so, Azim," she replied. He could tell she wasn't convinced.

"It shouldn't take us long to get to the place I have in mind for us," he said.

"And what's that?" she asked.

Azim pointed south. "There's a tribal settlement just over the horizon on that direction. It belongs to a family with which my family has very close ties. They'll be welcoming. I can assure you, " he said giving her a reassuring grin.

Lucy gazed up at the sun which was already starting to make its way toward the far horizon. "You reckon we'll have time?"

Azim nodded. "No problem." He leaned closer to her. "You ready for a ride across the desert with me?" he asked. "Or, do you need to rest a while?"

Lucy scowled at him. "What do think I am? My grandma?"

Azim laughed. "I thought you'd say something like that," he said.

She thought for a moment and then added: "Just let me take a drink of water, and then we'll be off."

Azim nodded. "I'll give the horses a short break."

Azim got down off his mount and set up a drink for the animal which eagerly started to drain the bag he placed across its mouth. Azim watched Lucy remain defiantly on her horse. She drank some of the water from her container.
 

She glanced back toward the mountain range. "I thought we'd never get out of that place," she observed.

"It's a maze. You can get lost in there, if you're not too careful."

Lucy smiled at him. "Just as well you have such a keen sense of direction. But, then again, why am I not surprised at that?"

She was teasing him again, and he liked it. Maybe she was relieved to be out of the mountains. Perhaps she had been more concerned than he'd realized. He hadn't seen any sign of Jawad's men since they'd left the site of the rock carvings. He was relieved that the only thing thing he had to worry about now was keeping Lucy safe during the relatively short desert journey back to the city.
 

But, he'd already had a change of plans about. He hadn't told Lucy yet, but the shorter southward path he'd chosen to get out of the mountain range had opened up an entirely new option for them. One that made more sense than a longer trek westwards across the desert. He hadn't revealed that plan to Lucy yet, choosing to wait until they were heading out across the desert before telling her what he had in mind. He was sure she'd see the sense in it, once he'd revealed it to her.

Azim walked over to Lucy and looked up at her. "Are you pleased with what you managed to get back there?" he asked.

Lucy took one last sip from her water bottle and shrugged. "I'd loved to have spent more time. But, I got what I could, I guess." She looked down at him. "What about you?"

Azim squinted at her. "What do you mean?"

Lucy slid her bottle away into her pack and peered at him. "Doesn't what you saw back there give you something to think about?"

"In what way?" he asked.

"What's going to have to be done to keep places like that safe," she said.

Azim frowned. "I know what needs to be done, Lucy."

"I suppose you do," she replied sharply. "But, what's happened in the last twenty-four hours surely must have shown you how serious the problem is," she said.

Was she lecturing him? The thought made something bristle inside himself.

He leaned back and folded his arms. "Are you suggesting that my country doesn't take its heritage sites seriously?"

Lucy shook her head. "Not at all. It just shouldn't need foreigners like me to come and document what's happening."

Azim squinted at her. "You're much more than just another foreigner, Lucy. You know that, don't you."

She shifted on her saddle, obviously uncomfortable with the way he'd personalized the conversation. He saw the color change on her cheeks and saw the thoughts flickering in her beautiful eyes.
 

"Sites like these are being destroyed all over this region," she said.

"But not in my country," he said firmly.
 

"That still doesn't change the fact that I had to come here."

"That was your own choice, Lucy. No-one forced you to do this," he said. He had to contain the irritation in his voice. The last thing he needed before they set out across the desert was an argument.

Lucy leaned a hand on her saddle and looked defiantly at Azim. "I know that. But, I can't help wondering how long you've known that was going on."

"Jawad's people have been known to us for a while now. We've been taking measures to answer their concerns. We make as many inspection visits as we can. But, there's no easy solution."

Lucy scowled and leaned forward. She looked almost angry now, he told himself. "You need something more organized than occasional visits to make sure that site, and others like it, are safe from harm."

Azim sighed heavily and wrenched his gaze away from Lucy. He could hardly believe she was saying all this.

"Everything that can be done has been done," he declared, desperate to change to subject.

Lucy's eyes narrowed defiantly in a way that made her look instantly, inexplicably sexy. He'd forgotten how gorgeous she looked when she was angry. He loved the way her mouth pouted like that, the narrowing curve of her brows, the defiance in her eyes. It all made something shift inside him, but he couldn't risk letting her know he had anything else on his mind other than the subject of ancient relics. He didn't know how she'd react if she discovered that her challenging him like this only made desire and need flame up inside him.

"Look, maybe this isn't the time to have this discussion," he said. He gazed out across the desert. "We've got a long way to go. I don't want to spend the whole time arguing with you."

He saw Lucy stiffen, her shoulders rising. "Who's arguing?"

Azim said nothing in response, merely raised one arching brow at her.

Lucy exhaled and shifted her hat forward. "Maybe the heat's getting to me," she suggested.

Azim quirked a brow at her. "I'm not going to comment on that," he said with a grin.

Lucy gave him one last look, and then he went back to his horse and lifted himself onto the saddle. He looked back at her. "Ready?"

Lucy nodded.
 

He guided his horse down a series of narrow gullies, careful not to move too fast, knowing that for Lucy moving down the side of gently sloping cliff would be treacherous. If her horse slipped and injured itself then the journey across the desert would be even more difficult for them. Although the prospect of Lucy riding with him, with the opportunity to hold her close to his body in front of him the entire time, was a delicious prospect in itself.

Twice he heard her yell out loud as she felt the balance of her horse shift beneath. Each time he went quickly to her and then he decided it would be best to hold onto her reins and guide her himself.
 

She tried to protest, as he'd expected she would. But, he gave her a look that made it clear he wasn't in any mood for negotiating. One more slip while he held the reins was enough to finally convince her to let him help her, and before long they were at the base of the rocky transition between mountain and desert.

Azim released the reins of Lucy's horse and felt his own mount settle its hooves into soft sand. The desert felt unbelievably welcoming, he had to admit. There was a sudden steadiness beneath him now that had been missing for most of the afternoon as they'd trudged through the gullies and ravines of the mountains he was now so pleased to have finally left behind.

Azim turned to Lucy and smiled. "Okay?"

Lucy tightened her grip on her reins and nodded to him. "Yup."
 

He saw her gaze out across the undulating dunes.
 

"How long will it take us to get to this place of yours?"

"It isn't mine," he insisted.

"You know what I mean, Azim."

He nodded. "If we keep up a good pace, we should be there well before nightfall." He glanced at her. "You up for a desert ride?"

He saw her brows crinkle involuntarily, and then she nodded, pulling her reins up toward her. "Are you suggesting a race?" she asked gazing at him with clear challenge in her eyes.

He was momentarily taken aback. Why was it everything they did together ended being some kind of exquisite, provoking battle? He examined her for a moment and saw that she was in deadly earnest. She really wanted to race him? Really? Didn't she know what she was letting herself in for? Humiliation, that was what she was about to experience, he told himself.
 

He felt a tingle of anticipation. This woman truly knew how to make him feel alive. No other woman had ever ignited such a desire for life in him. Every moment seemed to promise so much. Even their good-natured, spirited disagreements only seemed to energize him, make his existence more vital.

Lucy was still staring at him with that sexy look, waiting for his answer to her challenge.
 

"Okay, my beautiful desert adventuress," he joked.

Lucy's brows narrowed at that description. "Really?"

Azim smiled. "I'll try and go easy on you," he teased.

He saw her jaw tighten at that comment. "Easy? You don't have to go easy on me, sheikh," she teased him back. "I know you've got an unfair advantage, already. But, that won't stop me beating you."

Azim glanced ahead to a distant ridge. "Why don't we make it that ridge," he said pointing in the direction of the highest visible dune top a short distance away.

She didn't immediately answer him. Then, with a sudden yell, Lucy flicked her reins and she was off, racing away from him. He laughed as he watched her horse tear away at breakneck speed with Lucy hunched over the animal's neck. The horses hooves hammered into the ground, sending up plumes of golden sand. The rhythmic, pounding sound cut through the timeless silence of the desert. The sound awakened something in Azim.

Seeing her race away from him like that triggered a sensation he recognized in some deep part of himself. It was a feeling as old as his ancestors, something that caused his body to tighten, his brows to narrow, his nostrils to flare. He drew in a deep, harsh breath.

Instinct kicked in. He tugged on the reins and his mount shifted beneath him, sensing its master's sudden purpose.

Then, he dug his heels into the animal's flanks and he was off after the amazing woman who was now racing away from him across his beloved desert.
 

It felt glorious to be in pursuit, straining to catch up with her, gazing ahead, savoring how well she was riding. He could see her hips sway, and the sight of her body as she drove the horse on to greater speed only intensified the sensations coursing through his body.

He leaned forward and settled into an urgent rhythm, feeling the force of the animal between his tightening thighs. He felt the hot desert air against his face, felt it course through his flowing robes. He wondered what they must both look like, and he instantly knew the answer. He knew it must look like something out of the primitive past.

 
A sheikh pursuing his lover across the desert.
 

He trailed her around the lower slopes of the dunes. Layers of shifting sands slid down the sides of the dunes as he thundered along their bases.

Azim leaned forward and gritted his teeth. He drove his mount faster,
 
an eye on their destination, the distant high peak of the dune.
 

His breathing had quickened and he felt his pulse pounding. He hadn't known excitement like this in a long time. She was still ahead of him, and she wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

He was merely playing with her, wasn't he? Letting her stay ahead of him.

Who was he kidding!
 

Azim coaxed even greater speed out of his mount, gazing ahead at Lucy. But it didn't seem to make much difference. He still couldn't gain on her. How could that be? The only answer he could think of was that she was digging deep into her own reserves of determination. She didn't want him to beat her to the summit, and she was going flat out to win.