One Desert Night - By Maggie Cox Page 0,52

should go and rest now.'

'You cannot be serious?' He stared at her as if she'd taken leave of her senses. Did she have any idea how much pain he was in right now? And he wasn't referring to the flesh wounds he'd received, either.

'I'm not pretending. I really am tired.'

'You would rather sleep than stay and finish what we started? Didn't you enjoy our lovemaking last night?'

Gina went very still for a moment. 'Of course I did. It was incredible. But I'm trying to be respectful—to you and to myself. There's a time and a place for everything, and...like I said...there's a bodyguard outside.'

Dragging his fingers through his long unbound hair, Zahir could hardly contain his mounting frustration. 'If you are worried that we might be overheard, then we can retire to my quarters instead.'

'Not tonight, Zahir. I'm not trying to deliberately frustrate you, but it's been a tiring day and I am going back to my rooms now. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight.'

Her head held high, and more regal than any princess he had ever met, Gina walked past him and out of the room. Shaking his head in dazed disbelief, Zahir kicked a nearby chair and sent it skidding noisily across the marble floor. Instantly he heard the running footsteps of the alert guard race towards him from outside in the corridor, and vehemently cursed under his breath.

CHAPTER TEN

INSTEAD of seeking out the relaxing steam of the hamam bath, followed by a massage, Zahir had stormed back to his quarters the night before, and immersed himself in the longest cold shower known to man. Afterwards he'd turned and tossed as though he were in the grip of a fever, and had barely slept a wink. Gina's unexpected rejection of his amorous attentions in the library had left him feeling aggrieved, ill-treated and sore.

How dared she rebuff him like that? Reminding him that the bodyguard he'd instructed to watch over her waited outside had just been an excuse. Why did she now seem wary of the passion that erupted between them whenever they were together? She was a young, vibrant woman, with needs just like any other woman, and Zahir was a fit and healthy male with a strong libido. Why couldn't she simply allow herself to enjoy fully the opportunity for them to be together and receive the sensual pleasure that he was more than willing to provide? Was she afraid that he would just use her and forgo all respect for her?

Furious at the fact she'd left him frustrated, and unwilling to explore the unsettling thought that his feelings for her might run a little deeper than having her as a convenient bedmate to assuage his lust, Zahir set out early that next morning to travel with a small entourage into the neighbouring kingdom of Kajistan. It was a day and a half's journey, so he'd be gone for at least three days. Three days for Gina to reflect on what a mistake she'd make in so foolishly turning him down. At least that was his hope.

He determinedly cast the irksome thought aside. He was making the journey to Kajistan—because after the recent distasteful events with the rebels—Kabuyadir needed to make an outward demonstration of stability. How better to achieve that than by his marrying, and aligning the ruling dynasty with another great house? A cause for celebration would help to reassure everyone.

And so it had come to him, in the sleepless early hours of the morning, that perhaps it was time to run a more serious gaze over the Emir's marriageable daughter...

'Gina! Gina, I have to talk to you.'

Lost in a world of her own in the library yet again—she'd gone there in search of peace and consolation after a torturous sleepless night during which her thoughts had been consumed with Zahir—Gina glanced up in surprise to find the Sheikh's pretty sister bearing down on her, her expression distressed.

'Is something wrong?' She prayed it didn't concern Zahir.

She'd seen the look of hurt and frustration on his face last night, when she'd declined his suggestion of going to bed with him, but she'd honestly been emotionally drained after the incident in the marketplace, and had needed to retreat and lick her wounds a little. She also didn't want him to think she would sleep with him at the drop of a hat just because of their night together in the Bedouin tent.

Perhaps they both needed some space and time to reflect and assess the situation?