Torn between pride and fear at how easily he dismantled her defences, she didn’t dare initiate sex, not trusting herself. And that left her frustrated with herself and him. If it hadn’t been for the smoking hot looks Ashraf sent her when he thought she wasn’t watching, and his palpable tension when she stood close, Tori might have imagined him indifferent.
Was he trying to prove they could build a relationship based on more than sex?
She could only admire Ashraf’s self-control. Hers frayed dangerously. Each day she fell further under the spell of this place and this man. And while Oliver settled into life in the palace she discovered so much in Za’daq to like.
Ashraf took her to the old parts of the city, with quaint buildings, narrow streets and hidden courtyards. They went to a vast covered market that sold everything from carpets and brassware to jewellery, perfumes and spices in all the colours of a desert sunset. Then to a dazzling art gallery, and a technology park where they visited fascinating new enterprises, and public gardens filled with families enjoying the green space. They drove out to a spectacular gorge where a rare breed of eagles nested and the scenery stole her breath as they watched the sun sink.
Tori met nomads in a desert encampment, traders, teachers and so many others who made her feel welcome. Wherever they went people were respectful but friendly, and gradually her nervousness about being in Ashraf’s country eased.
He took her to a horse-trading bazaar on the edge of the city. Breeders had come from throughout the country and beyond, and the event had a holiday atmosphere. There was a great open-air feast and dashing displays of horsemanship. Tori watched in surprise when Ashraf agreed to take part, unable to take her eyes off him. He had the grace of a natural athlete, and when he rode it was like watching a centaur, man and horse moving as one.
It was late as they returned to the palace. The limousine’s privacy screen was up, separating them from the driver, and Tori wished Ashraf would reach for her. She missed his touch. Missed the intimacy they’d shared. Her resolve to keep her distance was bleeding away like water in the desert sands and a new sort of tension filled her.
She turned to him, sucking in a sustaining breath as her pulse quickened. ‘It was kind of you to give me such a lovely present but I really can’t accept—’
‘Of course you can. I watched your reaction when you saw that mare. It was love at first sight.’
Tori wrinkled her brow. If she didn’t know better she’d say that Ashraf soundedenvious. It was a bizarre thought that she hurriedly put aside.
‘She’s beautiful.’
It was true that Tori had fallen for an Arab mare being sold at the bazaar, but if she’d thought for a moment Ashraf would buy it for her she’d never have let her gaze linger on the gorgeous animal. She loved riding, but hadn’t had a chance to indulge her passion for years, and it just wasn’t practical now.
‘But she needs someone who’ll care for her full-time. I may not be here—’
Ashraf raised his hand and Tori was struck by the sudden austerity of his features. He looked handsome yet remote. More distant even than a week ago, when they’d argued after that glorious night together. When he’d believed she’d marry him because she’d gone to bed with him.
‘She’s yours, Tori. No strings attached. If you accept my offer and live here she’ll be stabled at the palace. If you return to Australia she’ll be shipped to you and I’ll arrange stabling.’
It was the first time Ashraf had spoken of her possibly remaining in Australia. Instead of welcoming it as a sign that he’d finally seen reason Tori felt her stomach drop like a weight through a trapdoor.
She swallowed hard, trying to understand her reaction. Surely that wasn’t disappointment she felt?
Increasingly she felt she clung to her determination not to marry out of obstinacy rather than anything else. But to marry without love—
The sound of her phone interrupted her agitated thoughts. Frowning, she fished it from her bag. She’d kept in contact with her friends via social media while in Za’daq. She wasn’t expecting any calls.
‘Victoria? Are you there?’
The familiar voice cut through her thoughts like shrapnel through flesh. He hadn’t even waited for her to speak and that tone, the way he said her name, told her he wasn’t happy.
Her lips flattened as she sat straighter. ‘Hello, Dad. I’m afraid I can’t talk. I’m—’
But it took more than that to stop Jack Nilsson. ‘What are you playing at? Why did I find out from a bunch of diplomats that you’re living with the King of Za’daq? I had to read it in the diplomatic post reports. The press there are already speculating about you and it won’t be long before the media here gets hold of the story.Thenwhat am I supposed to say?’
His voice grew more strident with every word and Tori shut her eyes, cringing at his tone despite the years she’d spent telling herself she wasn’t responsible for his bad temper. She leaned back into the corner of the wide seat. She knew how her father’s voice carried, especially when he was annoyed.
She shot a sideways glance to Ashraf and found him regarding her steadily. No polite fiction that he couldn’t hear her every word. For a second she thought of simply hanging up—but her father would ring back, more incensed than ever.
‘I told you Oliver and I were coming here.’
‘But not to the bloodypalace! You didn’t even mention you knew the King, or that you were in a relationship. Are youtryingto make me look like a laughing-stock?’
‘Hardly.’ The word was snapped out and actually succeeded in stopping the acid flow. ‘I wasn’t thinking about you when I agreed to come here.’ She had been thinking of Oliver.
‘You should have thought of me! You know there’s an election looming. If I’d known you had suchpersonalconnections there, we could have pressed for exclusive rights in that Za’daqi mining exploration project...’
The rest of his words faded into a blur as nausea rose. Her father had discovered she was the guest of a stranger on the far side of the world and his first thought was what he’d say to the press. His second was whether he could trade on her intimate relationship for commercial and thereby political gain.