CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A short while later, Riaz stood at the edge of the encampment and watched, his features grim and steady, as Eva rode off into the desert. She was rapidly becoming a small, distant figure.
He felt a chill settle upon him. He struggled to contain the emotions surging through his body. Just as he'd been fighting to hold back the urge to do everything in his power to persuade Eva that she should stay with him.
Riaz could hardly believe what had just happened. Only a short while ago he had been lying beside Eva, holding her close, feeling the warmth of her body next to his. As he'd held her, he'd reflected on the incredible experience they both shared.
Making love with Eva had been astonishing. Finally the impulses which had been tormenting him had been let free. She had turned his world upside down.
Riaz watched Eva's horse reached the crest of a nearby sand dune. He saw her pause at the peak of the dune. For a moment, he was sure she was about to turn back, one last time. He was certain she was about to gaze back down toward the camp. A thought tugged at him. Tormented him one last time.
Perhaps she was about to change her mind.
Come back to him. Tell him the decision to leave had been a foolish mistake.
And he would agree. It was a terrible mistake.
One he knew they would both regret. One he was sure neither of them really agreed with. Or even understood. Not deep down.
Their physical union had been too intense, too profound for any sort of separation to make sense. And it had been so much more than merely physical. It was almost as if they'd been brought together, that their meeting had been fated.
Riaz peered at Eva, mounted there on the horse he'd provided for her. Hope flickered briefly in his breast as she remained there gazing back down at him.
But then that hope sank like a heavy stone in his chest, as he saw her tug on the horse's reins. She pulled the horse to face south-west. Then he lost sight of her as she rode off the crest of the dune.
She was gone.
He felt the chill inside again. In spite of the heat of the late afternoon, all he felt was a sudden coldness.
How could he let this happen? That question tugged at his mind as he turned away and started toward the middle of the camp. He was still alone, his men having been ordered to stay away until almost sundown.
Perhaps it was just as well he was alone, he told himself he didn't want his men seeing him like this. Didn't want them seeing Eva ride off into the desert like that. He wondered what was he going to do? What must he do in response to this? Hard impulse seized him, his usual determination to control everything around him.
But this time it seemed what had worked so well for him in the past was about to fail him.
After her clear declaration to him, her firm statement that she was leaving, he'd been tempted to demand she stay. But, he'd known there would be no point trying to stop Eva. He knew she was too strong-willed to change her mind.
And in any case, if she had decided to leave then he knew honor dictated he must respect her decision.
It was that simple. Just like everything that out here. A matter of honour and respect. It was how everything was held together. It was what bound them all together.
Not for Riaz was submission to harshness and cruelty.
Riaz would leave barbarous treatment of women to others.
Others like Ahmed.
Riaz paused, considering what this would mean. Ahmed would arrive at the camp and find Eva gone. Ahmed would no doubt savour his victory over Riaz. Because that's what it would be. A victory for Ahmed. Avoiding the need to make a public apology to Eva would spare him a well-deserved disgrace.
Riaz felt slight nausea at the thought that Ahmed would be victorious over him. Riaz sighed heavily and dismissed that thought. He would deal with that when the moment came, he told himself firmly.
All he cared about right now was Eva. He thought about the journey she was embarking upon. A dangerous journey. She would probably reach her destination before sundown.
Eva had refused his one simply stated offer to accompany her. Exactly as he'd expected she would. She had smiled at him and shook her head, saying nothing more.
Wanting to ensure she would be safe, he had given her his best advice about the desert route and how to make sure she would stay on the right course.
She had reminded him of her previous experience of the desert. In fact she had reminded him quite firmly, which, for a moment, he had secretly enjoyed. He'd resisted the impulse to smile at her sardonic reaction to his advice. Even under these circumstances, she didn't miss any chance to take a stand against him. And, as before, he had to admit he kind of enjoyed that.
He thought about her out there alone and an impulse seized him. And impulse to hurry to one of his horses, leap upon it, and race quickly after her.
But he held himself in check, in spite of the fact that, by doing so, strain and tension were merely made worse.
He thought about her. An image of her pretty features, her beautiful body, filled his mind.
Eva was his now.
He knew that. Felt the truth of it in every sinew, sensed it in every nerve and muscle.
Felt it in his heart.
Conviction had taken hold of him. A brutal hard certainty that he knew, in the coming days, he would struggle to deny and fight to control.
Riaz walked down to the river. He stooped down and threw some cold water over his face. The shock of the water made hardly a dent in how he felt.
Riaz recalled the incredible encounter in the pool at waterfall. The memory of Eva's body triggered a hard sensation in him. Something like regret and desire mixed together. The sensation made him burn, and yet again he scooped water up in his hands and doused the back of his neck.
How exquisite had it felt to hold her close, to touch her skin, feel the heat of her desire for him. It had confirmed his suspicions, had made him feel gratified that he'd taken the action of making sure the camp was deserted.
He'd wanted her all to himself; wanted to possess her; needed to claim her as his own.
And he had done just that.
He'd felt the certainty of that as he'd held her close to him after their lovemaking in the tent. For a brief moment, he'd even played with the notion that she felt the same. That somehow she had lowered her barriers, just as he had done. That, for her, their union was more than just temporary. That, like him, she had accepted that fate had brought them together.
But he had been wrong.
Badly mistaken, it seemed.
Riaz gazed out across the river toward the distant desert. What had once seemed glorious now seemed empty. Before when he gazed out across the scene, he'd only ever felt its majesty fill his soul.
Now there was an emptiness in his soul. An awful vacuum.
He now knew there was only one way to fill that empty space in his soul. Only one person who could make him feel complete. Make all of this seem in any way meaningful.
Eva.
She had found a place in his soul.
Riaz sat down at the edge of the river and let his thoughts drift. It seemed as if he sat there for a long while, perhaps, for as long as an hour. He lost track of time, consumed by thoughts of the woman who had just walked out on him.
The sun had moved closer to the western horizon. He wondered how far Eva had travelled
Then his attention was caught by the sound of horses hooves making their way into camp. For a moment, hope flared in him. The thought that maybe Eva had come back.
But that hope died as quickly as it rose inside him when he saw the figure of one of his men come racing through the trees toward him. The man, Abdul, was breathless and Riaz could see the urgency in his expression.
"Sheikh Al Shirah," Abdul gasped sliding to a sudden halt in front of Riaz.
Riaz should took Abdul by the shoulders, waiting for him to regain his composure and catch breath.
"Steady, man," Riaz said. "What is it?"
The man's eyes widened. "Sheikh Ahmed is on his way."
"What?" Riaz exclaimed. "Where did you see him?"
The man pointed toward the western horizon. "I passed him on my way back here," he explained. Abdul's "eyes widened and he hesitated a moment. "And I saw the esteemed lady. She was riding toward Ahmed's men."
Riaz felt his chest tighten. He grasped the man harder "She is not with him," Riaz demanded urgently.
The man shook his head. "Not yet. But she will be soon she will surely meet him on the way to wherever she is going."
Riaz wasn't about to explain why Eva was there in the first place. He released Abdul and stood by the riverside, thoughts racing through his mind.
He turned back to Abdul. "Show me where you saw her," he commanded.
He strode past Abdul, heading back to the camp. Abdul followed alongside Riaz.
Riaz went to the corral and readied his own horse, the same one he'd used during the racing. That seemed like such a long time ago, now.
Riaz lifted himself up onto his mount. He gazed across and watched Abdul leap onto his own horse. "There is no time to wait for the men to return to the camp. We must track her and get to her before Ahmed does."
Abdul's brows furrowed. Then he bowed his head, obedient as ever. "I believe if we ride quickly enough, we may reach her before Ahmed."
Riaz drew in a deep breath and tugged hard on the reins. "I hope you're right," he stated firmly.
And then he rode out of the camp as fast as he could, knowing that if he didn't reach Eva in time, she might come to harm.
If that happened he didn't trust himself to contain his rage.
It was time to act on his feelings for Eva.