CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They'd been walking for almost a half hour, wandering down long, cool corridors, when they finally came back to the front of the palace. Kadeem had undoubtedly been impressed, Eliana told herself. She'd taken him to every place in the palace with a memory attached from her childhood.
She'd taken him to rooms where she'd played as a child; the room where she'd studied with her tutor during her school age years; the room where she'd learned how to play piano.
That had been something her mother had insisted upon. Eliana's family, on her mother's side, had been talented musicians. It seemed that special ability had been passed down to Eliana. She'd been an able student, but she knew it wasn't something at which she'd ever be truly proficient. Still, learning the piano, even modestly, had made her mother happy. And that was all that mattered.
Her life had been exactly the kind of life a princess would be expected to enjoy. She felt privileged, of course. But, the fact that she was an only child had always added an occasional touch of sadness to her life. She recalled how her father would talk about how he'd wished to have a male child. Somehow that had never happened. Of course, it wasn't that her father didn't love her. She knew that he did. It was just that sometimes, she couldn't help thinking that she was somehow a disappointment to him.
"Do you want to see the gardens?" she asked Kadeem. "There's no gazebo," she added with a sly lift of her brow.
He smiled at her. "I guess that's just a bit too modest for a place like this," he suggested.
She laughed."You could say that," she agreed.
Eliana led him into one of the sitting rooms and out onto the terrace. Steps led down to the garden lawn. They walked alongside each other for a while. The sun was bright, and the air was pleasantly fresh. Her flat shoes sank into the cool softness of the lawn.
They were quiet together, seemingly content just to be in each other's company. That was something new, she told herself. There were times when she just felt so comfortable with Kadeem. As if some kind of unspoken understanding had been forged between them. She wondered how that had happened. She guessed it had something to do with Kadeem's obvious determination to be with her at every available moment.
Arranged engagements seemed extraordinary to her. But it was like everything about her entire life, she reflected. She had grown up having to follow so many rules, so many protocols. In a sense, there was really nothing unusual about this kind of arrangement. Not for her, at least.
But for him? All of this must seem so different from what he had been used to all his life. There were really so many differences between them that it seemed almost miraculous that it was beginning to work out. Because it was, she told herself. In spite of an unpromising start, her arranged relationship with Kadeem had turned into something completely surprising.
They'd walked a short distance across the garden lawn when he spoke at last. "Tell me what it was like growing up here," he said softly.
She glanced up at him. "You really want to know?"
He gazed at her. "I told you. I want to know everything about you."
"Everything?"
He nodded emphatically and smiled.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," she joked.
"You're not telling me I need to get back on that plane and go back to Qazhar, frightened for my life," he said lightly.
She laughed. "What's there to tell? I've lived the life of an ordinary princess."
He laughed heartily. "You see, there you go again."
"What?"
He gazed at the palace, at the walls which seemed to stretch forever into the distance. "There's nothing ordinary about any of this."
"You have this back in Qazhar, don't you?" she said.
"Only the King and Crown Prince have anything remotely like this."
"It's just as well our two countries have always been friendly toward each other, then, isn't it?"
"I suppose so," Kadeem admitted. "Although I couldn't help noticing there was somebody missing when I arrived."
She frowned. "I'm sure my father didn't mean anything by it."
Kadeem shrugged. "Maybe."
She could tell the snub had affected him. Even if he'd tried to ignore it, he still looked slightly annoyed.
"Weren't you lonely here?" he asked, suddenly changing the subject. "I mean, being an only child."
"I was pretty spoiled," she said. "Although, I guess that was inevitable. My mother always wanted me to have the best. And to be happy."
"She's American, isn't she?" Kadeem asked.
Eliana nodded. "She came here to work and then she met my father, who was just about to take the throne." Eliana smiled warmly. "I guess they just fell in love. It was a huge thing, here in the kingdom. The outsider coming into Zahram and marrying into the family."
Kadeem frowned. "Do you think she found it difficult?"
"Fitting in?" Eliana replied. "I suppose she must have. Although she never really talks about it. Of course there were the usual dissenting voices who were unhappy about a foreigner taking her place here in the palace."
"Did that bother your mother?" he asked.
Eliana smiled and shook her head. "You've seen what my mother is like. She never lets anyone bother her. Not for any reason."
"She does seem pretty single-minded," Kadeem admitted.
Eliana gazed at Kadeem. "She really likes you. You know that, don't you," she said.
She saw his face color slightly. "Why would she even tolerate me. She saw how we behaved toward each other. I would have thought she would have hated me right from the start."
"I think she can see the truth," Eliana said.
He halted and she stopped and faced him. "Which is?" he asked, his gaze softening.
She drew in a deep breath. "I don't know, Kadeem," she said. "What do you think?"
He glanced around at the garden, just to make sure that no-one could see them. Then he came closer, and wrapped his arms around her waist. He drew her against him. Once again, she savored his heat, the sheer power contained in his body. He leaned in and his scent filled her nostrils. It was more intoxicating than any of the myriad of flowers all around them.
He gazed into Eliana's eyes. As he did so, she felt heat flare in her middle. And at her core. "I think we both know the truth, Ellie," he said.
She felt the satisfaction as he murmured her name like that. Unlike before, she didn't bristle at his use of that word. He'd earned the right, as far as she was concerned.
She lifted up her hand and stroked the side of his face. She felt the dark stubble, gloriously rough against her fingers. This felt so perfect. As if there was nowhere else in the world she would rather be than with him. She was glad he'd come here with her. Glad that he could get a taste of the kind of life they might be able to have together.
He drew her closer and sighed contentedly. She felt his firmness, his desire obviously growing, his need instantly apparent.
Suddenly, for a brief moment, she felt a twist of unease in her middle. She wanted that sensation to go away immediately. It only interfered with the delicious pleasure she felt being in his embrace. Being held by him. She tried to force the intruding sensation away, but it was stubborn. Just like she could be sometimes. The bitter feeling was insistent.
"Everything has moved so fast, Kadeem," she murmured. "It's been amazing."
"Isn't that the way this is supposed to be?"
She lifted an inquiring brow but didn't say anything.
He leaned closer. "Love, Eliana," he growled. "I'm talking about love, habibti."
She felt her mouth open. No-one had ever said that word to her before. Not in this way, at least. Did he really think she was his beloved. Because that was what he'd just said. Beloved was a word reserved exclusively for the one who you believed destiny had placed in your path. Beloved was a word you never used in jest. It signified so much, meant that he believed the bond between them was something that could never be broken.
Was that true? Did she believe the same as Kadeem?
Eliana swallowed, feeling her throat suddenly tight. He seemed to take note of her sudden unease. He placed a fingertip beneath her chin and lifted her face up to him. "You know I speak the truth, Ellie," he said.
His head dipped, and his lips took possession of hers. It was as if he wasn't willing to wait for her to say anything. As if he had to take matters into his own hand.
Eliana groaned, sensing pleasure sweep through her. She stretched up on her toes, feeling his arms embrace her. There seemed to be a new intensity to his embrace, she told herself. A fresh urgency.
Eliana coiled her arms around Kadeem's shoulders. It felt so good to be in his embrace. Felt so good to feel the tautness in his firm muscles.
Suddenly she wondered how this would look. They were kissing in public, in the palace garden. Everything about that triggered rebellious thoughts in her. But it went against everything she'd been taught growing up here. She'd never kissed anyone in this garden. At least not in broad daylight. Of course there had been brief liaisons with suitors. But those had been moments snatched on dark evenings while guests mingled inside the palace.
There had been nothing like this, she told herself. No-one like Kadeem. He'd barely arrived, and he was already tempting her to break every rule she'd ever learned growing up here.
Finally, he lifted his head and gazed down at her. "Does that answer your question?" he murmured.
"What question?" she asked.
The corner of his mouth creased with the hint of a smile. "The one you couldn't find the right words for."
"I didn't know you were a mindreader," she said trying to ignore the furious beating of her heart.
"There's a lot you still don't know about me," he stated.
"Really?"
He nodded. "But, I'm not going anywhere. So, you're going to get plenty of opportunity to dig deep into me," he murmured, warming to his words.
Kadeem pulled her against him. It felt as if he never wanted to let her go. She felt possessed by him. Just as she'd felt back in Qazhar when she'd lain beneath him as he'd claimed her. She knew that feeling wouldn't go away. She'd never forget that night. Not for as long as she lived.
"How deep do you want me to dig?" she asked, trying to make light of the sudden change in him.
He ignored her attempt at humor. A sudden seriousness flared in his dark eyes. His gaze was penetrating, unmoving.
"As deep as you want," he growled. "I came here to claim you once and for all. You understand that, Ellie. I'm not here to play games. The time for that is over. And I won't let anything, or anyone stand in my way."
For a moment, silence hung heavily between them. She gazed into his eyes, seeking any hint that he might have been teasing her. But there was none.
Any response she might have entertained simply froze in her mind. She felt utterly taken aback by the intensity of his words.
She saw a darkness in his eyes. Gone was the easy politeness. It had been replaced by something she'd seen before. A fierce, determined need for her that he seemed almost unable to control.
His arms tightened around her. There was a new ferocity in his embrace. The kiss seemed to have ignited his desire for her. Was it really that easy for him to change like this?
Because, just like a few moments ago, there were still troubling shadows which lingered in her whenever she was close to him like this. Those shadows only ever appeared when his desire lit up like that. When she saw how much he really wanted her. When he awakened her own need.
She felt her body stiffen in his embrace. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly and she knew he had noticed the change in her. His embrace softened and she took a step backward, fussing awkwardly with her hair.
She heard Kadeem sigh heavily. It had been as if a temporary madness had seized him. He ran his hand through his hair and seemed momentarily lost for words.
"We should head back to the palace." She smiled. "I can tell you those dark secrets later," she suggested, trying to brighten her voice.
But the joke fell flat. She saw him frown. She realized it had been a futile gesture. Something had opened up in him, a hidden intensity, and she had seen a hint of the feral, animal-like desire that was hiding inside him.
Suddenly she worried that they'd made a mistake coming to her country. Was he going to be able to contain that desire for the entire duration of his stay in the palace?
"Sure," he said sharply. His eyes flashed, distracted and almost confused looking.
Then, they started back toward the palace.