The Sheikh's Forbidden Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 1) (4 page)

"What are you suggesting, Zayed?"

Zayed's lips curled into a small, but very triumphant looking smile. "I will be your personal guide around the new locations. It will be only yourself and myself. No-one else."

Chloe scowled at Zayed. "You intend to take me to these locations yourself?"

Zayed nodded. "I know this country better than anyone. It is mine, after all."
 

Chloe had to suppress a smile at that last comment. Modesty would never be one of Zayed's main virtues.

"What kind of locations are we talking about?"

"That is something we can discuss tomorrow morning. After you've settled into the palace."

"What! I'm not staying at the palace. Andrew and I are already settled into the hotel booked for us."

"I have arranged for your belongings to be brought to the palace. It will be more convenient for our purposes."

"For your purposes, more like," Chloe replied.

"Time is of the essence," Zayed said. "In any case, the palace is one of the proposed locations."

"The palace? But I thought your father had ruled out our production having any access to the palace."

"It appears he has had a change of heart."

Chloe paused. One of the key scenes in the script was a climax at the Sheikh's palace where the heroine and hero would be reconciled after a painful separation. Chloe had assumed she would have to scout another location or even suggest expensive interior sets be built back at the studio. That was an idea that Andrew was less than keen on since it would inevitably involve greater expense.

"So let me get this straight, Zayed. You're suggesting I stay at your family's palace while you and I visit these alternative locations. And that's all?"

Zayed nodded and smiled mischievously. "That is one way of looking at it," he said.

"The only way, as far as I can tell," Chloe replied.

Zayed came to Chloe and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her near. She inhaled his scent, a mixture of fragrances she'd never encountered before. "I have told you, Chloe. I will not be denied. I have set my mind upon one task. I will prove to you that you and I are destined for each other. I will convince you that what happened three years ago was a mistake. On my part. Do not believe for one moment that I will fail."

Chloe listened to the deep growl of Zayed's voice. It penetrated her core. She felt enclosed in his world, drawn deeper than she'd ever believed possible. What was he saying? Was this some kind of declaration? Dare she allow him to pursue his purpose?

And then his head dipped once more and his lips were upon hers, devouring her, tasting her, consuming her. Chloe leaned her head back and reached a hand up, burying her fingers into the mass of hair on the back of his head. She loved the feel of it, the firm strength of it.

Zayed's lips were hard and insistent. His tongue probed her, questioned her, and for the first time since she had been reunited with him, Chloe found herself unable to resist his attention.

Their lips parted. Chloe felt giddy and slightly unsteady on her feet.

Zayed noted her unsteadiness. "I think we can leave," he announced.

"But what about Andrew?" Chloe objected.

"I'm sure he'll be busy meeting the people my brother has arranged. In the meantime, I will take you to the palace. My limo is waiting downstairs."

Zayed turned and started toward the door, his hand on Chloe's back. Chloe froze, pulled herself away from Zayed and stared at him. "Just one thing, Zayed. This is business. Right?"

Zayed looked at Chloe and frowned slightly. Then he smiled and nodded. "If you say so, Chloe. It's business."

And with that he turned and Chloe started to follow him. Entering the elevator, she saw that all eyes were on her and Zayed.
 

As the elevator doors slid shut, Chloe was sure that every guest at the party was wondering the same thing.

Who was the woman leaving the party with the Sheikh?

CHAPTER FOUR

Downstairs, in the lobby, the two huge, heavily muscled guards standing in reception bowed as she and Zayed walked toward the revolving glass entrance. Zayed walked through the door first. As she exited the building, Chloe felt the warm air enclose her. She drew in a deep breath, savoring the clean scent of the air mingled with the hint of Zayed's cologne. Zayed stood, gesturing toward the long, black limousine. The driver stood by the open door.

Out here, in the open air, Chloe felt suddenly vulnerable for a moment, questioning whether she had made the right decision. She glanced up at the tall building she had just left. Up there, on the top floor, she could see the flashing lights of the continuing party. She wondered what Andrew would think of her sudden departure. She'd have to explain the next time she saw him, whenever that would be.

Zayed walked by her side to the car and stood by the door. "After you," he murmured.
 

Chloe smiled wanly at Zayed and bent to enter the limousine. The inside of it was luxurious. Chloe sat back on the leather seat and watched as Zayed crouched down, entering the car, and sliding across the seat so that he was pressed close to Chloe. She didn't say anything but made sure she gave Zayed the briefest flash of her eyes to indicate that he shouldn't think of coming any closer.

Zayed smiled and spoke to the driver in his own language. The glass partition slid up and then Chloe and Zayed were alone in the sudden silence.
 

The car moved off smoothly and quietly. Chloe glanced out of the window, trying to divert her attention from the force of nature which sat next to her.

For a long while, they didn't say anything to each other. It took all the effort she could muster to avoid Zayed's gaze.

"That's the first time I've seen your brothers," she said. "They're quite something."

"What do you mean?" Zayed asked. He looked momentarily suspicious of the compliments she had paid his siblings.

"Are all the men in your family so handsome?"

Chloe knew she was teasing Zayed. She was pleased to see the flash of irritation in his gaze. He quickly subdued it and regained his composure.

"My brothers share in the lineage of our father. There has always been a certain dignity in the appearance of the men of our family." Zayed leaned closer and narrowed his eyes. "I presume your interest is merely aesthetic?"
 

Chloe shrugged. "It's just that I don't recall you ever mentioning them."

Zayed made a dismissive gesture. "They are all my younger brothers. They have only just gained their maturity. They are still finding their place in the world."

Chloe smiled. "You mean they are dating."

Zayed frowned. "We do not...date, as you call it."

"Really? So what were you doing in Hollywood when we met?"

"That was different. I was conducting important cultural business."

Chloe laughed. "By dating every movie star you could?"

"I did not date any movie stars," he insisted. "The parties I attended were an obligation caused by my duties as cultural attache on behalf of my kingdom."

Chloe shook her head. "That's funny. When I met you at that party, the last thing you seemed to be thinking of was cultural affairs."

Zayed leaned slightly away from Chloe. It seemed that she had touched a raw nerve.
 

"If that was the case, then why did you agree to go out with me?" he asked. His eyes locked on hers and she felt a momentary shift in her core. "Was I that impossible to resist?"

"I can see you're just as modest as you were back then," Chloe said with a frown. She turned away, not wishing to succumb to the look he was giving her.

"Modesty is not deemed to be a virtue in my family," she heard him say.

Chloe turned back to him and nodded. "I suppose it must get in the way."

Zayed's brows rose inquiringly.
 

"When it comes to getting what you want, I mean," Chloe explained.

"I always get what I want," Zayed declared in a soft growl. Once again he leaned in closer to her. His eyes peered into hers and seemed to be searching her, examining her. "But then, you already know that, don't you, Chloe?"

When he said her name, she felt that same shift in her middle she had felt earlier. Chloe was suddenly aware of their isolation, locked within the safety of the limousine. Zayed's hand rested casually on her arm. So close to him now, she could see the moistness of his lips and the flaring of his nostrils.
 

She wondered just how many other women had been in this limousine with Zayed. That thought dragged her attention back to the moment, and away from savoring the details of his intense scrutiny.

Chloe turned and glanced out the window. They were driving along a wide avenue. The tall buildings were colorfully lit and she saw people walking on the sidewalk gazing in at the stores many of which were still open.

"Your country is very prosperous," she said, desperate to change the subject.

She saw that Zayed sensed her unease. He drew slightly back and nodded. "My father has done a wonderful job of bringing my land into the modern age. However, we still preserve our traditions. Everything that is special has been kept. We have not discarded those things we hold precious."

"Like what?"

"The sense of duty my family has to preserve our culture and our traditions."

"But you have been opening up to the outside world so much in recent times. Surely you must have lost something in the process of doing that."

Zayed shook his head. "We have not done what other nations have so foolishly indulged in."

Chloe frowned. "What is that?"

Zayed sighed and peered at Chloe. "We have not thrown away our traditions in a mad dash for progress and so called improvement."

Chloe glanced out the window and pointed. "But, what I see is a land that has been changed beyond all recognition. Everything is so modern."

Zayed shook his head and laid a hand on his heart. "But what really matters has not changed."

Chloe saw his eyes widen and she could tell that he felt truly passionate about what he was about to say to her.

"The heart of the people will never change. Their circumstances may alter. They may have access to more of the trappings of modern life. But, the spirit and soul of my people will never change. Not while I am their leader. Whenever that may be."

Chloe felt her throat tighten with emotion. She felt genuinely moved by his fervent declaration. She could not recall having seen him like this before. When they had known each other in Hollywood, he had been swept up in the life of that crazy town. She had never seen him display theses depths of passion about his land. Perhaps it had been the fact that he had been away from his land that had persuaded him of the value of what he had traded in for a temporary life of amusement in a place devoted to pleasure and money.

Chloe looked into Zayed's eyes and saw sheer, unbridled conviction. This was a man who burned with a fierce fire. He was a man who seized life and everyone he met, trying with all his might to bend them to his will.

Zayed looked at her, his gaze a fire of flaming desire. Chloe shifted on the seat, the split in her dress sliding open. Zayed's eyes lowered. She saw him drink in the sight of the flesh of her long legs and full thighs. Chloe's hand went to the smooth fabric and she made as if to cover her leg. But, Zayed reached down and placed a hand gently on hers. "Don't," he breathed softly, still gazing at her leg.
 

Zayed lifted her hand up to his mouth and kissed the inside of her palm. His eyes locked on hers as his lips pressed softly against the tender flesh. He moved his mouth along the length of her fingers. Chloe could feel his breath against her skin, the heat warming the fingertips.

Chloe gazed into Zayed's eyes. The voice inside her head told her she shouldn't be looking at him, that she should be resisting his every look, his every move. But, no matter what she did, her gaze was momentarily seized by his.

Chloe could hear Zayed's soft breathing. In the stillness of the luxurious limousine, the sound seemed strangely out of place. Chloe felt her heart racing. Zayed's gaze dropped slightly to the neckline of her dress. She could see that he was transfixed by the sight of her full breasts beneath the fabric.

Time seemed to stand still. Chloe wanted to say so much to Zayed; needed to tell him to slow down; give her a chance to think. But, right now the capacity for thought had abandoned Chloe completely.

A small white light flashed above the glass partition shielding them from the driver. Chloe saw Zayed glance at the light. The expression in his eyes changed and he slowly lowered her hand.

"We're there," he said simply.

Chloe turned and looked out the window. "The palace?"
 

The car turned off the main highway and drove through high metal gates which had swung open. Beyond the palace boundary, Chloe saw a wide expanse of desert stretching out into the darkness. Back beyond the highway she saw the glittering of the sea with the full moon sitting in the dark sky high above. Chloe felt suddenly as if she were entering some kind of magical kingdom, a special protected world that existed separate from the rest of the world.

The car slowed and eased up a long tree-lined driveway. Chloe glanced at Zayed and realized he was watching her closely, as if measuring her reaction to their arrival in his domain. For that was what it was. It was the private world in which he was the dominating influence.

Chloe looked beyond the driver and saw the glorious sight of the palace. Like everything in the kingdom it had been built on a grand scale. It positively glowed like a shining jewel in the night. The ground set lights shone on high arches, tall windows, a wide staircase leading up to a grand doorway which was already open. The building seemed to glow white and pure in the darkness.
 

In spite of herself, Chloe gasped. She looked toward Zayed and saw the corner of his mouth curl in gratification.

"It's amazing," she exclaimed.

He shrugged. "It's home," he said casually.