The Sheik's Love Child (15 page)

Jalla waved Dani’s concerns aside. “Don’t worry about that. I think you will be a wonderful mother to Basir’s future king. I couldn’t do better.”

Dani’s suspicions were growing. “Jalla,” she said, stopping the lovely woman in the middle of the hallway and looking around to make sure she wasn’t going to be overheard, “when are you going to admit that you’re not in love with Kalil?” she asked.

Jalla laughed. “Of course I’m not in love with him. Nor is he in love with me. That is the way with arranged marriages. But you love him,” she whispered, “and that is something that should thrive.”

“Because you’re in love with Jasim?”

Jalla’s eyes clouded over and she looked around, worried that someone else had heard. She pulled Dani into the nearest doorway which turned out to be a solarium filled with tropical plants. Jalla fingered one of the delicate blooms as she tried to figure out how to proceed. “How did you know?”

“I didn’t until this moment. I had suspicions.”

“What kind of suspicions?” she asked, glancing at Dani with worried eyes.

“The way you look at Jasim when you think no one else is looking. There was also your extreme look of relief when Kalil told you that your wedding would have to be put off for another year.”

“Ah, well, I guess I need to be a little more circumspect, shouldn’t I?” she asked, her eyes clouding up. “I was just hoping that…well, you know, that maybe you and Kalil would fall in love and be happy together.”

Dani nodded sadly. “Yes, that is a nice fantasy but I don’t think it will happen.”

“Why? Half of the fantasy is already a reality, isn’t it?” Jalla asked softly, looking at Dani with more wisdom than her twenty-one years would assume.

Dani smiled but there was no happiness there. “Yes, I’m in love with him but that is only half of the equation. Besides, apparently, I’m not good enough to become queen. The people of Basir won’t accept me,” she explained, unable to maintain eye contact so her eyes slid away and looked at the tall trees that were forming a canopy over the lower level flowers.

“That’s nonsense,” Jalla scoffed. “Perhaps the people might have been skeptical before but after the rescue, well, it has been all over the news. The people love you.”

Dani’s eye snapped back to Jalla’s. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“The people are in love with you. The news reports have been all about how you rescued the small children and saved them from death in the desert. The press conference Kalil held yesterday was an announcement that he was to marry you and everyone has embraced you.”

Dani’s heart soared for a moment, but then Kalil’s comments of the morning were brought back to her. He was still furious with her and didn’t trust her. There could be no love without trust. “That is nice, but I don’t want to live in a fantasy land. The marriage will be set aside in one year. That will give Kalil enough time to ensure that our son, or daughter, is legitimately claimed by the people of Basir.”

“That is nonsense,” Jalla said and stood up. She took Dani’s hands as well and pulled her forward. “You must have hope that things will work out. We will no longer think about this and will let the future take care of itself,” she said.

Dani looked at the younger woman with startled eyes. “Those are almost the exact same words Kalil said this morning,” she explained.

Jalla was delighted. “You see? I know that man better than you so you must trust me on this. And now, we must make your wedding day something to be remembered by everyone. There will be two weddings. One will be held in your London with your friends and family and the next will be held here in Basir so the people can celebrate and show you their support.”

“I’m sorry, Jalla. Did you say there will be two weddings?” Dani asked, sure she had misunderstood.

“Of course. Kalil said you probably wouldn’t feel married unless you had a church wedding. We will be flying to London tomorrow. The arrangements have already been made. Your college friends and sisters are flying in and your friend Carrie, I believe is her name, will be your maid of honor,” she explained as they walked arm in arm down the hallway towards the room where the dress designer had set up shop for the past few days as she prepared all of the dresses.

Dani was overwhelmed with the idea that Kalil was going to give her a church wedding. How could he have known how much that would mean to her? It was such a small gesture on his part and one he could have just ignored. But he was right. She wouldn’t feel married unless she had a church wedding with her family and friends around. She had always dreamed of being married in a small, stone church with her father walking her down the aisle and her mother smiling as she said her vows. A lump formed in her throat as she thought about the extra effort Kalil was going through just for her.

Why would he do something like that? The man was such a mystery and she wished she had the time to figure him out. She wished she could have the next fifty years with him. But since that was an impossible dream, she had to help herself survive the next twelve months.

Putting on a façade, she described her ideal wedding dress to the designer, whose name was Pattia. Pattia drew while listening to Dani. When she was finished, Pattia turned the sketch pad around and Dani gasped. “That’s it! That’s exactly what I always pictured getting married in,” she said.

Pattia smiled and nodded her head. “We measure now,” she said in her broken English, then we will all work to create this dress.” Pattia turned to Jalla. “And what for the Basiri wedding?” she asked.

Jalla described a dress with lots of color and jewels, even a headpiece which would have trinkets on it. Dani showed no preference since she didn’t understand what the celebration would entail. She left all those details up to Jalla who happily described what Dani hoped would be Kalil’s ideal dress.

Next came the measurements. Two separate assistants poked and prodded, measured and wrote down notes on Dani’s petite frame. By the end of the long session, Dani didn’t know what some of the numbers were about but she trusted Pattia and her assistants to know what they were doing.

“You come back tomorrow morning and we see what we need to finish,” she said.

“I’ll be here,” she promised.

“Now, we work on your language skills,” Jalla said and led the way down the hallway to a smaller sitting room. A woman was there and instantly rose to her feet as soon as Jalla and Dani entered. “Good morning,” the woman said in Arabic.

Dani understood that much but everything else the two women said was a mystery. Jalla left Dani and the other woman, who was named Isis and closed the doors behind her.

Isis explained that it would be her job to teach her as much Arabic as possible before the wedding and would continue the lessons once Dani and Kalil returned from their honeymoon. They spent the rest of the afternoon working and Dani was amazed at how much the woman was able to teach her in such a short amount of time.

The sun was starting to set when Kalil entered the room. Dani rose and bowed slightly, saying “Good evening, your highness,” when he entered. Dani saw Isis leave quickly after bowing herself to Kalil but she only had eyes for Kalil. She desperately wanted to thank him for the thoughtful surprise of her own wedding but the emotions kept her from saying anything.

“I hope you have had a nice day,” he said, wary with her show of respect that had never occurred before.

“Other than this morning, it has been fine,” was all she could say, looking down at the floor shyly. A sudden whoosh of desire hit her and it seemed to be even more intense than ever before.

“We have a dinner tonight with several members of my cabinet,” he said, walking over to her, standing so close she could feel the heat from his body. “Do you think you’ll be able to attend? I don’t want you to do anything that might overtax you.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said and heard the breathless quality of her voice. “Thank you for the wedding,” she finally said. “Jalla told me how you have arranged for my family and friends to see me in a church wedding.”

“Will this make you happy?” he asked, his eyes inscrutable.

“Very,” she replied, wishing he would touch her.

“Then I’m glad you’re happy.”

She laughed suddenly, aware of how awkward their conversation had become. “Why are we talking like this? Shouldn’t I be yelling at your or stomping my feet? Or some other equally annoying and dramatic act that will show you how immature I am?”

Kalil smiled. “I think you are very mature. I understand you’ve been put into a difficult situation. It hasn’t been the most relaxing few weeks for you, has it?”

“It has definitely been something of a whirlwind,” she agreed.

“Come, we must get ready for the evening ahead. As we walk, I’ll tell you about the people you’ll meet.” They walked down the hallway towards their suite of rooms and Kalil told her funny stories about various people. By the time they’d reached their room, she was laughing so hard at his stories she had to hold her sides and wipe the tears from her eyes.

The evening was wonderfully easy compared to what she was expecting when he first mentioned it. Because of his stories, Dani wasn’t as intimidated as she might have been earlier. They were members of his cabinet, high ranking officials that ranged in age between fifty and eighty. All of them bowed when he entered and showed him a great deal of respect. It was impressive how Kalil handled each of them, no matter if they brought up a controversial subject or a funny story to relate. Kalil sharply admonished one man who dared to criticize another of his cabinet. Apparently, Kalil didn’t accept backstabbing comments or power-mongering. Each member and their wives were like a part of his family.

Although the evening was interesting, by the time the last of the cabinet members bowed out of the room, Dani was exhausted. The pregnancy seemed to be coming in full force now and the fatigue she’d always heard about was kicking in. It was as if it were a powerful force that wouldn’t be denied.

Kalil led her back to their suite of rooms and closed the door. “You were wonderful tonight,” he said, taking off his tie and placing it on the dresser. His jacket came next and he was watching her the whole time.

Dani lay down on the bed and yawned, her body aching it was so tired. “Thank you,” she mumbled. She wished he’d done this striptease earlier in the evening but right now, all she could do was get off her feet. “I’m just going to lay down for a moment before getting ready for bed,” she said.

Within moments, she was sound asleep. Kalil watched as her eyes fluttered shut and her body relaxed in sleep. It was as if a light switch had turned off and she was instantly out. He considered calling her assistant to get her undressed. He’d wanted her painfully all evening but had kept his hands to himself, sensing something different in her. Her looks were more inquisitive and he wasn’t getting the same overtly sexual questions in her eyes that he’d received before she’d tried to leave him.

Kalil gritted his teeth at the memory of that night and how terrified he’d been of losing her. There had been several hours in which he’d felt as if his body was going to explode into a thousand pieces of frustration if he didn’t find her immediately. It was only his many years of controlling his emotions that allowed him to remain in control and ensure her safe recovery.

That control was tested again tonight as he pulled off her shoes, then stockings and clothes. The temptation was strong to slowly kiss her awake and pull her into his arms. He was sure he could do it, could make her want him. But he didn’t want that anymore. He wanted her to come to him, want him on a deeper level than just sexual.

Kalil was stunned when he realized that he wanted her heart and not just her body. But deep down, he’d been fighting that need since he met her. No other woman had gotten beneath his skin like she had. Right from the start, she’d broken down his barriers. He’d never had sex without contraception and he’d never relied on the woman to take care of that matter, although he assumed that almost all of them were practicing some other form of contraception themselves. But that first night…he smiled as he remembered the ache that had formed in his gut as he’d taken her into his arms and initiated her into the delights of the sexual world.

And it had only gotten better he thought to himself as he pulled the covers over her sleeping form. She rolled over and curled up, one arm reaching out to the blanket where he was supposed to be. The action made him smile. In her sleep, she wanted him for more than just what he could make her body feel. That was something. Not much but a start.

She’d done so much over the past few days. His people would accept her now as their future queen. In fact, they would be angry with him if he let her slip away. The expectation was high after the rescue that he would marry her after it was known that she was a personal guest at the palace. And now, after the press conference when he’d announced his plans, the press had been thrilled. They had been reporting on her background, interviewing anyone they could find that would tell them what an exceptional person she was.

Kalil hadn’t needed the digging to know that. He’d known it instinctively from the start. And she’d only proven it over and over again. If he was honest with himself, he even admired her for trying to get back to England. He chuckled at her attempt though. She should have known that he’d never allow it. And even if she’d gotten back by some odd miracle, he wasn’t being vain by saying that he had the power to have the British government hand her over to him on a silver platter if he asked. Which he would have. There would have been no questions asked.