The Sheik's Love Child (13 page)

Kalil said something sternly to the man who nodded the whole time, bowing at then end in acknowledgement. He then walked back to his family and herded them into the house.

“Let’s go,” Kalil said and put a hand to the small of Dani’s back to hand her back into the SUV. Without another word, he got into the car beside her.

Dani knew he was furious and she knew he had every right. She had tried to run away, take his unborn child with her and what he perceived to be an attempt to deny him any rights to his legacy. “Kalil…” Dani started only to be silenced with a sharp wave of his hand.

“Later,” he snapped.

Thirty minutes later, Dani was being escorted through the palace, Kalil right on her heels. When she tried to turn towards the suite she had recently occupied, Kalil stopped her and turned her in another direction. “You’ve shown you can’t be trusted.” His cryptic words hurt but she acknowledged that they were true. She kept silent until they were in a new suite. This one was bigger and seemed to have many rooms.

The first one opened up into a large, sunken living room complete with fireplace on one wall and a fountain outside the patio. It was the epitome of luxury and Dani wondered who lived here.

“You’re things will be moved to here and I will ensure that you are still available when our wedding day arrives,” Kalil snapped but continued walking until he disappeared through a door. Dani didn’t know what was expected of her so she just stood in the middle of the room, looking around.

“Don’t just stand there. You need to get out of those awful clothes and into something more appropriate. We are meeting the press in a few minutes.” She heard his voice but didn’t see him.

Dani looked down at her clothes and wondered what she was supposed to put on. Then his words hit her. “The press?” she almost whispered. Kalil stepped out of the room which she understood was a bathroom now that he was only wearing a towel wrapped around his waist and Dani’s thoughts flew out of her head. He was glorious, she thought as he toweled his hair. Her mouth remembered the taste of his skin and her fingers itched to touch the light hair that covered his chest.

“Are you going to embarrass me again by wearing that to a press conference?” he snapped.

Dani raised her chin, challenging him with her eyes. “Since I have no idea what you’re talking about, then yes. I suppose I am going to embarrass you.”

Kalil walked quickly to her so he was towering above her. “Do you understand that you have basically committed treason? I could have you jailed for the rest of your life. You could give birth to our child in prison and never see him for your entire life.”

Dani swallowed hard. “What? Why?”

“You dared to steal the future ruler of Basir. I could consider that kidnapping and have you imprisoned.”

“But that’s not fair!” she cried. “You kidnapped me and have kept me here against my will for the past several weeks and when I finally escape and hope to find some sort of legal recourse, you accuse me of treason!”

His eyes didn’t soften in any way when she defended herself. “I don’t think you’d be able to convince any judge of that when I get witnesses who would testify that you’ve slept in my arms every night for the past week. And were willing, I might add. Nor would a judge listen to the claims of kidnapping when you have been draped in clothes and jewels and pampered with every luxury.”

“But not of my choice!” she spat out and moved away from him, tired of him trying to intimidate her. Well, it wasn’t really trying. She was scared out of her mind. She might have slept with the man, was about to bear his child and had talked with him through each meal. But that didn’t mean she knew him or understood what went through his mind.

“Prove it,” he said and walked back to the bathroom. “But while you’re coming up with your defense, keep in mind that I will be the judge.”

“What?” Dani gasped.

He had reached the door to the bathroom by then and turned to offer her a mocking smile. “Did it slip your mind that I am the crown prince? My word is law. Don’t try to escape again, Danielle,” he said softly. Then closed the door to the bathroom.

Dani stood there feeling as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Could he really do that? Did he have that much power? She suspected that he did. Good grief, the man controlled an army. How in the world did she think she could evade his reach? He was one of the wealthiest men in the world who ruled one of the most powerful oil producing countries. What chance did she have?

Alea appeared in the doorway to another room. The woman was obviously nervous and had been crying if her red, puffy eyes were any indication. “Would you like to shower?” she asked softly.

Dani looked down at her dust covered arms and clothing and nodded. “Yes. I think that is probably the first order of business,” she said.

The warm water soothed her sore muscles she hadn’t realized were so tight. She supposed that walking throughout the whole evening and sleeping against a jagged rock with two small children wasn’t conducive to a good night’s sleep.

She wished she could stay under the warm spray forever but she remembered that Kalil had mentioned something about a press conference. She had no idea what the press conference was about nor why she had to get dressed for it but she turned off the water and pulled on a large, fluffy bathrobe.

Alea motioned for Dani to follow her through another door and was led to a large bedroom. Dani’s feet sank into the wonderfully thick carpet as she followed Alea to a huge dressing room. All of the clothes that had been hanging in her previous room were now hanging in this one. Dani looked back and noted the masculine colors and heavier furniture. “Alea, who’s room is this?” she asked suspiciously.

Before Alea could answer, Kalil appeared in the doorway dressed in a dark suit with a maroon, silk tied, the white collar of his shirt accenting the darkness of his skin and the intensity of his eyes as they looked over her figure. “It is mine,” he said. “Leave,” was the only word he directed towards Alea who instantly disappeared. “You’ll be staying here with me until our wedding as I mentioned. I will be keeping an eye on you as will my personal guard.”

Dani’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Here? I’ll be sharing a room with you?”

“Of course. Isn’t that what I just explained?”

“But why? I thought this would be a marriage of convenience. Why would you want me in your room?” she asked desperately, pulling the sash tighter around her waist.

Kalil walked forward and pulled her closer. “Because of this,” he said and kissed her. It was hard and possessive, the strength pushed her head back against his arm that was around her back. Despite the brusqueness, her body responded. There was no denying him. Her body was just too needy of whatever touch he gave out.

“You’re mine, Danielle! Don’t forget it,” he said, glaring into her upturned face. Then his arms dropped and he stepped away. “Wear the lavender suit,” he said, then turned on his heel and walked away.

Dani took the lavender suit off the hangar and put it on with shaking fingers. It was a wonderful color with her dark hair but she didn’t want to admit that he was right. She hated him, she decided. She wouldn’t let him have this much power over her! It wasn’t right for one person to be so powerful.

Then why did her body wish that he would finish what he’d just started?

Alea brushed her hair and pulled it into a smart twist in the back, pinning it up carefully. Dani didn’t understand what all the fuss was about but was too depressed to argue.

“Ready?” Kalil asked when Dani stood up and rounded the bed.

“I suppose, but you haven’t told me what this is all about.” She smoothed her skirt down her hips with nervous hands.

“It is about our engagement, of course,” he said and turned to leave, letting her stand there in anger.

Dani walked out of the room and caught up with him just as he was opening the door to the rest of the palace. They were both instantly surrounded by guards as they walked down the hallway. One of them moved ahead and opened a door where there were muted sounds coming out. Dani fell back a step but Kalil was right behind her, putting an arm around her shoulders to guide her inside.

The entire conference was in Arabic but Kalil kept her by his side the entire time. Dani was terrified as the cameras flashed and popped. Questions seemed to be directed at her but each time she looked up, Kalil answered for her. Several times, the audience of reporters erupted into laughter and Dani looked up at Kalil to determine if it was something he’d said. But she only saw a mildly amused expression on his face. It was as if he had become someone else as soon as he’d stepped out in front of the cameras.

She remembered that it had been that way when they’d been at the family’s house earlier in the day. Kalil had become more distant and harder. She supposed he had to project a certain aura of strength and vitality to the people. Any weakness in him would be construed as a weakness in Basir. Despite her anger at his authoritarian ways, her respect for him grew as she watched him control the press, what she suspected was answering only the questions he deemed appropriate if the suppressed frustration on some reporters faces was any indication, and still charmed the entire room.

After about a half hour, Kalil called an end to the conference. He immediately put an arm around her waist and guided her out. One reporter called out to her and she was astonished when she heard her name. Dani looked back, only to be blinded by the lights and cameras flashing in her eyes. If it weren’t for Kalil’s strong arm around her, she would have fallen on her face and made a complete fool of herself.

But what was new? Hadn’t this whole day been a comedy of errors?

She was just tired, she told herself. She’d had maybe two hours of sleep last night and it hadn’t been quality sleep. Besides the stress of the whole day had worn on her so she was leaning against his side as they made their way out of the press room.

Kalil stopped once they were out and turned her to face him. He noted the dark circles under her eyes and tilted her chin up so he could see her better. “Thank you for saving those children by the way. Their parents will forever be in your debt.”

“I didn’t really do anything,” she said, smothering a yawn.

“Why don’t you head back to my room and get some sleep. We’ll talk over dinner.”

Dani nodded, unable to do anything else. Now that the cameras were not flashing and the reporters calling out questions she couldn’t decipher, her exhaustion was really coming through.

As soon as the doors closed behind her, Dani pulled off the suit, laying it carefully on the end of the bed. She pulled back the covers to the extremely large bed and just curled up in her underwear. She didn’t even have the strength to put on something more comfortable.

A long time later, she sat up in bed, wondering what she’d heard. There had been a noise but it was completely dark inside the room. It took her a long time to figure out where she was and what had happened, but then the memory of the long night and equally long day came back to her.

Dani listened again and heard the voices. It was Kalil and someone she didn’t know. But that wasn’t unusual since she didn’t know anyone else other than Alea. That thought brought about her loneliness and she fell back against the pillows, feeling sorry for herself. What was she going to do? How was she going to get out of this mess?

Dani sighed and pushed back the covers. Instead of pulling on the lavender suit again, she found the fluffy robe she’d worn after her shower. Padding barefoot out of the bedroom, Dani opened the door to find the living room filled with bulky men in dark suits. All eyes turned to look at her at the first noise.

“Go get dressed,” Kalil snapped and Dani instantly stepped back into the bedroom. Leaning against the door, she found the light switch and fumed. “How dare he talk to me like that!” she thought. But then looked down at her robe and sighed. “Maybe he is right,” she thought. “And why am I talking to myself?” she wondered. “Because there’s no one else to talk to, that’s why,” she said out loud as she walked through the room to the closet containing what she knew now to be her wardrobe. Pulling on the first thing she found, she pinned the green sundress up the front of her, not even caring how the cut of the dress showed off her slender waist and hugged her figure, making her appear delicate and dainty.

Before opening the door again, she pulled all the pins out of her hair and brushed, refusing to be primped and pinned when she was alone. She didn’t mind having to present an image when reporters were around but she was used to walking around her apartment in her pajamas and slippers if she wanted to. So if Kalil didn’t want her revealed to the world, then he’d better not conduct business where she was sleeping.

All the wind was knocked out of her argument when she opened the door and found only Kalil standing by the fireplace that was going full force, flames licking the top and disappearing up the chimney.

“Is this better?” she asked, not stopping the hostility that surfaced in her voice.

“Perfect,” he said and his eyes caught hers, the amusement apparent.

“What’s so funny?’ she demanded, stomping over to where he was standing. She crossed her arms over her stomach and tapped her foot, revealing her impatience.

“You look lovely when you’re angry, Danielle. I never thought that was an accurate statement but you’re eyes get brighter and your cheeks become rosy. You’re a little spitfire although I should be admonishing you for showing me your anger.”