CHAPTER FOUR
Irene awoke slowly, blinking her eyes against the bright morning light. For a moment, she thought that the past few months had just been a dream. She was still in her graduate dorm in Khanour, and she had nothing ahead of her but the study to which she had devoted her life. Her brother was fine, and everything was safe.
Then she woke up a little further, and while she wasn’t in the prison cell any longer, she was far from home.
The bed that Irene had been sleeping on was enormous, white cotton in all directions. She started to wonder if it was the bed that had given her one of the best nights of sleep that she had ever enjoyed, but then she heard another person’s breathing.
She finally woke up the rest of the way when she saw that she was not alone. Sleeping beside her was none other than Raheem himself. Against the stark white of the covers, Raheem’s dark skin seemed to glow. For the first time, she could simply look at him, and her chin in her hand, she took the opportunity to do just that.
His hair was inky black and as shining as a panther’s pelt, and now she could see that he had gorgeous eyelashes, long and dark. There was a trace of stubble on his jaw, and as he slept, the hand resting by his face on the pillow curled and uncurled, making her want to touch them to see if he would wrap his hand around her fingers.
Even asleep, there was a sense of command around him, she thought. This was a man who kept his country in the palm of his hand, protecting it from all comers and putting himself first in the line of defense. Next to him, her place in the world felt very small.
Irene reminded herself that as long as she got through this week, she would be fine. As long as she managed to play by his rules, she would walk free, and then, theoretically, Peter could as well.
With a start, she realized that he was watching her.
“Good morning,” she murmured, and he smiled at her.
“In Khanour, it is considered the tradition for women to bring their husbands a cup of tea before they rise.”
“Why’s that?” she asked without thinking.
“It shows that she places his comfort above her own, and that she rose early with his comfort in mind. It is a common thing from the greatest of houses to the least of them.”
“But I bet the wealthier ladies have the cooks prepare it and bring it to the door,” she pointed out, and then she blushed at how contentious she sounded. Fortunately, Raheem seemed only amused by her statements.
“I am sure you are right. Personally, left to my own devices, I prefer my own morning ritual.”
“What’s that?” she asked, and then before she could think of anything else, she found herself pinned to the mattress, the sheets and blankets a riot around her.
“This,” Raheem said, a split second before his lips crashed down on hers.
She flailed for a moment, but then the sensual touch of his lips on hers carried her away. The heat between them flared up, leaving her clinging to his body. Recklessly, she ran her hands along his back. His skin was smooth and warm, but when she realized that he wasn’t wearing anything on his lower part at all, she froze.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling back, and she pushed him away in shock.
“You’re not wearing anything!” she blurted out. Then, after a quick check, she felt her cheeks glow with embarrassment as she made another realization.
“I’m not wearing anything either!”
“There are sleep clothes in the wardrobes, but I generally prefer to sleep naked…”
“What did you do to me?” she asked, startled, and a dark storm came over his eyes.
This time, when he pinned her to the mattress, he looked straight down into her eyes. There was a fire there that was part passion and part fury, and she wondered then if she should truly be afraid.
“Nothing,” he breathed. “I did nothing to you. Not because I did not want you. Not because I did not think about it, but because it would not have been right.”
Irene could barely breathe, but she got her breath enough to swallow before she spoke.
“Am I supposed to thank you for that?” she asked. “For acting like a human being instead of a savage?”
For a moment, she thought that something terrible had just been unleashed. Then, as abruptly as the fury had appeared, it was gone. He pulled away, and if there was a trace of chagrin there, it was directed at himself.
“No,” he admitted, “But believe me when I say that I have no intention of forcing you to do anything that you do not care to do.”
She felt something in her that had been tense since they arrived at the oasis relax inside her. She couldn’t have said what had frightened her then, but now she could tell it was the fear of being simply overwhelmed, of being taken without her will.
“I am glad,” she said, but she couldn’t stop herself from watching him with a little bit of wariness. Now she knew how fast he could be, and she could see that he saw the distrust in her eyes. Raheem sighed.
“I will go start breakfast for us,” he said. “You should shower, put on some clothes.”
She knew that the matter was over, but for some reason, she needed to ask him the question that was on her mind.
“Did you undress me?” she asked, and a grin flickered briefly over his lips.
“I did. I swear to you, though, I did not look or linger more than was appropriate.”
“More than appropriate for what?” she asked, and his grin turned decidedly wicked.
“More than was appropriate for a husband and his wife.”
She blushed as he got up, dressed, and made his way to the kitchen. She had truly landed in a strange place. Why, then, did she still feel so safe?
***
Breakfast was a delicious egg dish, fiery and spicy as so much Khanour food was. When she remarked on a sheikh knowing how to cook, he shrugged.
“I like having things my way,” he said. “It makes sense that I would take over at least some of the aspects of my own life.”
“Well, the results are amazing,” she murmured, sopping up the last of the tomato sauce with a slice of crusty bread. “Thank you.”
“Well, you should eat up. We are going for a bit of a long hike today.”
Irene looked up, startled.
“We are? Where are we walking to?”
“The oasis is much larger than you think,” he explained. “It is fed by a series of underground lakes, and a few miles away, there is a waterfall cut into the rocks. I thought it would be interesting to climb its face.”
Despite her situation, Irene couldn’t help but brighten up at the prospect. Since living in the city, there had been remarkably little time in her life to enjoy any kind of nature. She had grown up not more than half an hour away from the national parks, and the thought of getting to enjoy some kind of greenery was enough to make her smile.
Impulsively, she hopped up to wrap her arms around Raheem, who was putting the plates to soak in the sink. For a moment, she could feel him stiffen in her arms, but then he relaxed into her embrace, leaning back against her.
“Does it please you?” he asked softly, and for the first time, she wondered if her regard was important to him. Whether what she said made any difference to him at all.
“It does,” she said with a grin. “Very much, thank you!”
After breakfast, she found a pair of hiking sandals in the wardrobe, but as Raheem told her that there were no hazards on the trail, she decided to stick with her light dress. The day was bright and bold when they set out, and they fell into a companionable pace. There was something oddly intimate about walking in the forest together, for she could see that that was what had grown up around the oasis. There was the occasional burst of birdsong, but otherwise the world was silent except for the flowing of the small stream they followed.
Once, Raheem stopped, pointing ahead. When she peered around him, Irene was confused at first until she made out the shape of an animal sitting silently by the trail.
“A rabbit!” she whispered, but he shook his head.
“A hare. They get bigger, and they live aboveground, not like rabbits. That one’s enormous. Maybe it is the grandfather of a very large clan.”
When they move forward, the hare leaped up into the air with an impressive twist to its body and dashed into the overgrowth.
“I miss seeing animals sometimes,” she said as they walked on. “There are far fewer animals in the city than I am used to.”
“They are there if you know where to look,” he said with a smile. “Hares and foxes make their way into the city on a regular basis. Perhaps at some point, though, I should take you out to see the oryx. There is a herd close by, I believe, that uses this oasis.”
Raheem wasn’t wrong when he said it was a bit of a hike. It was past noon when they made it to the foot of the tall rocks. Before he would allow them to make the climb, he had her drink some water and eat some jerky, both things that revived her more than she thought they would have.
“I was thirstier and hungrier than I thought,” she said with surprise, and he nodded.
“It’s always the way of it here,” he said. “The things that hurt you will sneak up on you. Sometimes, if you are very unlucky, you will see that they have been creeping up on you for years.”
There was something about the way he said it that startled her, but for the moment, she let it go. She had gone hiking quite often as a teen, but since starting school, the hobby had been one that fell to the wayside more than she would have liked. Now she had to concentrate on making her way up the steep path, looking carefully at where she put her feet and occasionally even her hands.
To her surprise, she fell into a rhythm with Raheem that felt like the most natural thing in the world. Without even asking for help, he was there to prop her up or to give her a hand when she needed it. There was something incredibly relaxing about simply being able to trust him to be there, and to rely on him when she needed to.
By the time they made it to the top, she was sweaty and covered with grime, but then Irene gasped, her hands over her mouth.
The waterfall that he had promised was gorgeous, streams of pure fresh water cascading down over a rock face to crash to the pond far below. From where they stood, the light hit the spray just right to create a soft rainbow, and it was so lovely that Irene could do nothing besides stare for a moment.
When she felt Raheem’s arms go around her, she leaned back into them.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For giving me this, for helping me get up here… just thank you.”
He laughed, kissing the top of her head.
“No, I mean it… why have you done all of this?” she asked, turning to look at him. “I… I know that you didn’t do it for any cruel or perverted purpose, but… why did you bring me here? Save me from prison? All of it?”
For a moment, she thought he wasn’t going to tell her, or at least that he would brush her off. Instead, Raheem was very still for a moment, and then he nodded. From his backpack, he pulled out a small blanket that he spread out on the ground. He gestured for her to come sit with him, and curious, she did so.
“There are many reasons,” he said softly. “Many of them. Some of it was because I felt that you had gotten into my blood that day. When we met at the airport, that felt like fate taking a hand in my life. It might have been fate that you would fly away from me as well, but well, no man can see the future. Then the statue was discovered…”
She flinched at that and might have moved away from him, but he took her hand gently. It was astonishing to her how gentle he could be when he wished.
“… and it felt as if you had been wrongly taken from me. Perhaps I was merely furious that my image of you had been destroyed, but it felt like more than that. It felt as if in this moment, I could not bring myself to lose you. So I had to work to find a way to bring me back to you.”
There was a moment where they simply looked out over the beauty in front of them. Irene knew that she should have left it at that, but something inside her told her to keep going. She was close to something, whether it was a truth of some kind or some kind of revelation. When she spoke, her voice was low enough that Raheem could ignore it if he wished to do so.
“And what happens when this week ends, and I can choose to leave?”
She could hear him take a deep breath and then another one. Irene stared out over the waterfall, willing some of its peace to come into her.
“I would allow you to,” he said, his voice gruff.
Irene took a deep breath, feeling as if something inside her had been set free. She had come to see what freedom meant after her time in prison, and she had never been more aware of the fact that she had lost it. She knew now that her liberty was something she would never take for granted again, and now that she had it, Irene intended to treasure it.
“Thank you,” she whispered, taking his hand.
Raheem looked a little startled, but he squeezed her hand gently, making no other reply. They sat next to the waterfall for some time, and after a while, they began speaking of other things. There was an ease to them now that had been missing before, something that was simply sweeter and gentler.
Trust, Irene thought. We trust each other now.
She wasn’t sure what that trust might mean after the week was up, but for now, she simply reveled in it, letting it wash over her like a calm tide. She had learned to live in the moment, and right now, this was the moment she wanted.
***
They made it almost all the way back to the house without mishap, but then, as they were walking on the path, Irene’s foot slipped on a dislodged stone, making her yelp as she went tumbling. With a muffled swear, Raheem caught her before she fell, but before that, her ankle twisted underneath her.
“Oh, ow, ow…”
Irene was just trying to get her breath back when she yelped again. Raheem had swept her up in his arms, lifting her completely off her feet.
“Raheem, what are you doing?”
“Carrying you,” he replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “The house isn’t far, and you are far from heavy.”
She knew that she should protest. It seemed like the height of luxury to be carried such a short distance for a sprain that would likely be healed by morning. However, when he held her a little closer, she could feel his heart beating through his chest.
He’s genuinely concerned, she thought, and that made her hold on to him a little tighter instead.
“Thank you,” she murmured, and he made a pleased sound.
They got back to the house just as the sun was setting. Raheem sat her down on the couch to take a look at her ankle, and both of them were relieved to see that it was not a bad injury at all. When she stood and walked, the pain had faded some, though she could tell that it would be a little tender for a few days.
“Nothing terrible at all,” she said with relief, though Raheem looked a little more dubious. “Honestly, it’ll be fine. I’m more sorry about your poor back… you were the one that carried me all the way back here for no cause…”
He shrugged.
“Better safe than sorry. If that was a serious injury, walking on it would only have made it worse. Is there anything you need that might make you feel better?”
She shook her head, faintly amused at the concern on his face.
“Look, I can move almost exactly as I please, see?”
She got up and walked over to him, and then without thinking of what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down for a light kiss. He returned the kiss, but then when his arms came around her, she could feel it change.
What had started as a silly little gesture of thanks sent bolts of pleasure through her, pleasure that she was certain he was feeling as well. She could feel the moment his embrace went from caressing and comforting to passionate, and her body responded in kind. She groaned as his hands swept down her back, to her rear and her thighs before sweeping back up again.
Irene lost herself to the flames until she could feel the proof of his arousal pressing up against her belly, showing her in no uncertain terms how much he wanted her. With a soft cry, she pushed herself away, almost falling over before his steady hand helped her right herself.
“Raheem…”
His laugh was harsh.
“Sometimes, I wonder if you are my punishment for some strange sin,” he growled, almost to himself. “Sometimes, I think I must have done something wrong to want a woman who does not want me…”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she did want him. She wanted him more than almost anything she could imagine, but he took her silence as assent.
“I meant what I said to you before,” he said. “I have no intention of forcing you at all. But perhaps you should be a little more careful about how you touch me and what you say, yes?”
“What if I don’t want to be careful?”
Her voice was louder than she thought it would be, and both of them looked a little startled.
“What are you saying, little American?” he asked, and in that moment, he seemed to grow taller, darker, more like a desert god than a man. Irene swallowed heavily.
“What if I have been careful my entire life?” she asked. “What if I am so sick of being careful and cautious, and I… I just want to let go?”
Raheem laughed, and the darkness in it sent chills up her spine.
“If you let go, then I will certainly catch you, Irene,” he said, “but perhaps you should be very certain before you do so.”
When she looked uncertain, he shook his head.
“Go take your shower,” he said. “It will be good for your ankle, and it will give you some time. By the time you are out, you might have changed your mind entirely. I have no urge to be a bad mistake you make when you are overwrought.”
“I think I know my own mind,” she started to say, but he glared at her.
“Go!” he said, pointing.
She looked up at him, this amazingly handsome man, and she could feel her belly turn over. His command was intoxicating, making her want to give up all control, but perhaps this was what he was warning her about.
She took one last look at him, and then nodded.
We’ll see what this evening brings…
***
Raheem wondered if he was actually going mad.
The little American was a temptress all unknowing. He had wondered, a little, if her innocence and sweetness were all an act, but the more time he spent with her, the more easily he could see that it was not so. He had been fully prepared to allow her to bargain her way free, but once he had her at the oasis, he couldn’t imagine doing that to her.
Irene was like a golden ray of sunshine, warm and sweet, and it made his need for her something even darker. He might have been able to bargain with and enjoy a worldly thief who knew her own power. Against Irene, innocent and kind, he felt utterly helpless.
What the hell am I going to do? Raheem wondered.
He could hear the water turn on in the shower, and involuntarily, he thought about her naked form stepping under the spray. He had told her the truth that morning. He had stripped her so that she would sleep more comfortably, and now his mind was full of the body he knew was being bared just a few doors away.
Raheem took a deep breath, calming himself a little. He knew that this week might be all he had. He resolved to make the most of it.
He had to.