Maggie Cox - The Sheikh Who Married Her - One Desert Night / Strangers in the Desert / Desert Doctor, Secret Sheikh

Gina gasped at the bitterness and passion she heard in his voice. ‘There is no other man, Zahir … there never was. That’s the truth.’

When he turned his gaze on her again his eyes regarded her with such disdain that she curled up inside. Somehow, no matter how hard she tried, she seemed to have great difficulty in inspiring love in the people closest to her.

‘It is of no account to me any more. It is all too late now.’

Distressed and dry-mouthed at the bleakness in his tone, she darted out her tongue to moisten her lips. She wrapped her arms tightly round herself to subdue the pain that vibrated inside. ‘Why didn’t you tell me who you were?’ she asked quietly. ‘Have you any idea how hard it is for me to see you again and discover that you’re practically a—a king? ’

‘I was not the ruler of Kabuyadir when we met. I knew I would inherit the mantle of Sheikh when my father died—I was trained to do so from a boy—but I was still just Zahir when we were together. I had thought to share some carefree time with you before that happened. When we met that night at the Husseins I, too, was grieving. My mother had died just a month before. To meet you and feel the way I did so instantly … it gave me hope—hope that life would get better despite my losing my beloved mother. However, you declined to come back to me. Just days after I spoke to you on the phone my father’s health started to rapidly deteriorate, and he too died. Any prospect of carefree time had gone. I was now Sheikh of the kingdom and my life would never be the same again.’

Gina’s heart contracted with sorrow at what Zahir had suffered. No wonder her decision not to return had hit him like a hammer-blow . ‘So you’ve ruled this kingdom for three years? Did you marry?’

The taste of the question was bitter on her tongue, but Gina desperately needed to know the answer. She had kept her promise to her father and for the past three years had totally dedicated herself to work. There had been no other man in her life since that night with Zahir—she’d even acquired a reputation as ‘uptight and frigid’ with some of her less than gracious male colleagues. To think that Zahir might have married and relegated their precious time together to the far corners of his mind, rarely to be recalled or examined except maybe to remind himself of how deceitful she’d been in turning him down, stung worse than a thousand cuts.

‘No. I did not.’

Her heart missed a beat. ‘Why not?’

He folded his arms, immediately drawing Gina’s hungry gaze to the impressive width of his chest. ‘When it comes to marriage, a man in my position has a duty to marry for the utmost strategic and dynastic benefit. Believe it or not the neighbouring kingdoms are not exactly overflowing with available and eligible women. That is why I have not married yet.’

Falling silent for a moment, Gina couldn’t help dwelling on one disturbing flaw in Zahir’s reasoning. Lifting her troubled blue glance to his, she breathed in deeply. ‘What about the Heart of Courage’s prophecy? That the descendants of your family are destined to marry only for love?’

‘What about it?’ His tanned brow furrowed warningly.

When she’d discovered the story Gina had been utterly transfixed by it. It was so unbelievably romantic that she hadn’t been able to help hoping that the jewel’s current owner had also fulfilled the prophecy and fallen in love with a woman of his choice, instead of having to marry for convenience. Now she had learned that Zahir was the jewel’s owner and custodian she felt as though she was caught in the eye of a fierce storm that would batter her to the ground, leaving her unable to rise to her feet ever again.

She swallowed hard. ‘Doesn’t it mean anything to you?’

‘The jewel is a curse! For generations our family has fallen under the spell of that damned legend, which is why I want to finally be rid of it.’

Gina stared. ‘ That’s why you’re selling it? Because you believe it’s a curse?’

‘The last people it cursed to a doomed marriage that ended in early death were my parents and my sister’s husband Azhar. He was killed in a car accident just a few months ago. The toll of unhappiness and disaster just gets worse and worse, doesn’t it? Now Farida goes about the palace like a wraith, hardly eating or sleeping, not engaging with anyone but me and the servants. Do you honestly think I would want to keep the jewel after that?’

‘I’m really sorry that you and your sister have had to endure such terrible tragedy, Zahir.’ Without realising it she used the name she knew him by, instead of his far grander title. ‘But I’m sure you know that the jewel is priceless … beyond value. The whole world will be bidding for a chance to purchase it if you put it up for sale, and what about your own descendants? Your children and your sister’s children, should she marry again? Won’t you be depriving them of an important family heirloom, not to mention an artefact of peerless history and beauty?’

‘Forgive me … but I thought I had merely hired you for your expertise in assessing the jewel’s provenance? Not to give me your opinion about what I should and should not be doing with it!’

He strode to the door, his whole body bristling with formidable rage. If that rage could have been transmuted into matter, Gina would have seen dazzling sparks of flame shooting into the room, she was sure.

‘I’m sorry …’ Moving towards him, she felt distress deluge her. She could see he was in pain—both at the loss of his parents and at the disturbing way his beloved sister had withdrawn from the world—not to mention in shock upon seeing Gina again after she had rejected him. It made her yearn to be able to reach him, to comfort him in some way. ‘If I’ve caused you offence … if I’ve hurt you by word or deed … I honestly regret it. Can you forgive me?’

With his palm curved round the gilt handle of the door, he stilled. The dark eyes grew even darker, but within their mesmerising reflection Gina saw a spark of haunting gold light.

‘Forgiveness where you are concerned is not an easy matter. But I would ask that when you meet Farida, my sister, you do not mention the jewel under any circumstances. It would only distress her if she learns that I plan to be rid of it.’

‘But what will I say if she asks me why I’m here?’

Zahir sighed. ‘The palace is full of beautiful artefacts. You may tell her that you and your colleague are doing an inventory of the most valuable ones for me … as you did for Mrs Hussein’s books.’

‘I will do it because you ask me to, but I want you to know that I’m not comfortable with lying.’

To Gina’s alarm, Zahir came closer. Her space was suddenly disturbingly invaded by the subtle but intoxicating scent of a cologne with hints of sandalwood and agarwood. She knew that particular essential oil was highly prized in the region.

Reaching out, he lightly curled his fingers round the tops of her arms. ‘When I first saw you peeping out from behind the leaves of that jasmine I believed that you were a trusting innocent, incapable of deceit or subterfuge. To my bitter cost I have since learned that is not true. Apart from your undoubted beauty, Gina, there is nothing about you that could elicit my attention or regard again. You may as well tell me if there has been any other man in your life since we last met, seeing as it hardly matters to me now.’

‘I told you the truth—there’s been nobody else.’ Her answer was as direct as the challenging look she gave him. ‘And neither am I interested in another man. A relationship isn’t my focus. I prefer to devote my time and attention to my work. Sometimes the paths it leads me down don’t deliver exactly what I expect, but … unlike most men … it never disappoints me.’