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‘If you have that degree of insight into the complications of royal life then you are clearly interested in more than shoes and clothes.’
‘I’ve lived in a palace all my life so I know what it’s like to be constantly under scrutiny. Everything you do is magnified a hundred times and then reviewed by everyone. I don’t suppose it’s any different for the Sultan. It’s all about manoeuvring and politics. Persuading other people to adopt ideas in a subtle way.’
‘The word subtle definitely doesn’t apply to the Sultan. He gives an order and it is done. That’s how things work in Zangrar.’
‘No one argues with him?’
‘No one would dare. It is not his style to rule by consensus.’
‘But you like him?’
Karim frowned. ‘I have never before been asked that question.’
‘It’s a yes-or-no answer.’
He inhaled sharply. ‘In that case, it’s probably no. I don’t think I like him, particularly. In fact, there are occasions when I probably dislike him more than anyone I know. He is infuriatingly autocratic, far too controlling and disturbingly possessive.’
Alexa stared at him, surprised. ‘You’re very frank.’
‘I thought you were looking for the truth.’
‘I was, but all the same—aren’t you worried that I might tell him what you really think of him?’
Karim laughed. ‘No, for two reasons. Firstly, when you are with the Sultan he will not be either wanting or expecting conversation from you. And secondly, the Sultan has absolutely no need or particular desire to be liked. Respect—now, that’s a different matter entirely.’
Alexa chose to ignore his oblique reference to sex. ‘So you respect him?’
‘He and I share a similar vision for Zangrar.’
‘And you think he’s the man to bring that vision to life?’
‘Without a doubt. The Sultan is not a man to entertain the possibility of failure.’
‘Well, that’s good, then. He wants something badly and he’s prepared to go for it.’
‘He takes that approach to everything in his life. He decides what is important, and then he pursues that goal relentlessly until it is achieved. He never fails. You might want to remember that.’
‘I hope I’ll be of use to him.’
‘You’ll definitely be of use.’
Alexa felt a flicker of disquiet, but chose to ignore the implication behind his words. ‘I can give him an impartial opinion.’ She knew more about palace politics than most people.
Karim laughed with genuine amusement. ‘You think the Sultan will be interested in your opinion? This is Zangrar, Alexa. The Sultan’s expectations of your role will not extend beyond the bedroom.’
Suddenly the car seemed like a furnace. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘I’m being honest. Clearly you haven’t thought beyond your wedding.’
Alexa tensed in her seat, knowing that it was true. ‘As his wife I can be extremely useful in many ways.’
‘There will be only one way that interests the Sultan.’ Karim glanced at her briefly, his expression thoughtful. ‘But you shouldn’t worry about it. As I discovered last night, you are clearly an extremely sexual young woman. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep him satisfied, as long as you take plenty of rest in the hours that he is working.’
‘Now you really are being ridiculous.’
‘On the contrary, the Sultan is a man who sets himself a punishing work-agenda. He has little time for relaxation and even less time for physical exercise so these days he tends to combine the two. He has an extremely high sex-drive, but you shouldn’t find that a problem. You’re clearly a woman with energy and drive of your own. The more I see of you, the more convinced I am that this marriage is to be celebrated by all concerned.’
‘The Sultan and I will share a great deal more than sex,’ Alexa said stiffly, ignoring the sudden churning of her insides. ‘My background is not so dissimilar to his. I’m sure that once I understand him, I’ll be able to help in all sorts of ways.’
‘The Sultan will not require you to understand him. And he seeks the help of no one. As I said, your role will simply be one of—’ he paused as he hunted for the word ‘—recreation.’
‘You can’t possibly know that.’ Alexa sat back in her seat. ‘For a start, he has never even met me. He may not find me attractive.’
‘The Sultan does take a great interest in the international press,’ Karim said gently. ‘Like most people, he is already intimately acquainted with your charms.’
The memory of just how those photographs had been taken made her insides churn with misery. ‘Those photographs were taken without my knowledge. I was set up.’
‘You weren’t really with the man?’
‘Yes, I was, but—’
‘You don’t owe me an explanation. And as for the Sultan …’ Karim gave an expressive shrug. ‘I have no idea how he feels about it, of course, but it probably isn’t a good idea to raise the subject. Obviously he isn’t expecting a virgin bride, but that needn’t necessarily work to your disadvantage. On the contrary, having an experienced woman in his bed means that he won’t feel obliged to curb his appetites. Am I driving fast enough for you?’
His question made her wonder whether he had guessed that she was suddenly wishing they were driving in the opposite direction, and Alexa looked away from him. She didn’t want to think about the photographs, she didn’t want to think about discussing her past with the Sultan, and she especially didn’t want to think about being in the Sultan’s bed! It just wasn’t a thought that had even crossed her mind before now. And then she realized why she was feeling so uncomfortable—during all the references to sex with the Sultan, her mind had conjured up disturbingly explicit pictures, and all of them had involved Karim.
The chemistry had been alive from the moment they had met, but it seemed to be growing in intensity with each moment they spent in the desert. Perhaps it was because he seemed so comfortable in these surroundings. Comfortable and confident.
And breathtakingly sexy.
The thought shocked her.
This was not the time to be noticing a man.
Alexa kept her eyes forward, reminding herself that marriage to the Sultan could only be a step up from the life she’d had up until now. ‘Perhaps the Sultan and I will get on extremely well. Have you known him long?’ Glancing towards him, she wondered why the question should make him smile.
‘All my life.’
‘You were playmates?’ She guessed that they were about the same age, so it was the only explanation.
‘Of a sort.’
By that he presumably meant that the Sultan was of royal blood whereas he wasn’t. ‘So you know him well?’
‘Too well. I am closely acquainted with all his most irritating personality traits.’
‘Such as?’
‘The list is endless. He is far too intolerant of the deficiencies of others. Impatient and quick to anger. He’s arrogant, and rarely, if ever, believes that anyone else can understand and grasp the subtleties of a situation as well as he can.’
‘Perhaps he’s right.’
Karim frowned. ‘I wasn’t complimenting him.’
‘No, I realize that. But if he’s as ferociously clever as they say, then it’s entirely possible that no one else does grasp the situation as well as he does. Which makes that the truth, rather than arrogance.’
‘That’s a generous assessment.’ He studied an instrument on the control panel and flicked a switch.
‘Or maybe simply an alternative assessment. Sometimes the facts don’t speak for themselves.’ As she well knew. ‘What else? What matters to him?’
‘Honesty and loyalty. Does that worry you, Alexa?’
‘No. I appreciate the same qualities.’
‘Really? How honest is it to marry a man you don’t love?’
‘Completely honest, because I’m not pretending to love him.’ She glanced towards his arrogant profile, her gaze direct. ‘It means that the Sultan and I know where we stand. There are no lies. I think that’s a good place to start. I’m confident that we can make this work.’
‘And yet you have no idea what the Sultan expects from his wife.’
She didn’t care. Once she was safely living in the palace within the high walls of the Citadel, the rest would be irrelevant. They could work it all out, she was sure of it. ‘I’ll be a good wife.’
‘So you’re basically happy to do anything at all as long as you have access to his wealth, is that right?’
Not his wealth, no. His protection.
The truth hovered on her lips, but she clamped her mouth shut, bewildered as to why she would even contemplate confiding in
this man when she knew the dangers of trusting another person. Hadn’t she learned from bitter experience that thoughts were best kept private? ‘Does the Sultan have a sense of humour?’
Karim concentrated on the road for a moment. ‘In the three years since his father died, there have been many problems in Zangrar, none of which have given much cause for laughter.’
‘Disputes over oil and problems with an irrigation project.’ Sensing his surprise, she shrugged. ‘I can read, Karim. There was a report on the Internet. He takes his responsibilities seriously.’ And she’d liked that about him. It had given her hope. Once she had explained the situation, he would help her with Rovina, surely?
‘The fortunes of Zangrar and the people depend on the Sultan.’
The contrast to William cheered her. ‘I’m quite confident that the Sultan and I can have a harmonious marriage.’
‘The Sultan isn’t a man who could be harmoniously married to anyone.’ Karim stopped the vehicle without warning and stared up at the sky.
‘What’s the matter? Where are we? And where’s the road?’
‘Underneath the sand. The wind is picking up.’ He flicked a switch on the dashboard and several instruments flickered to life. ‘The weather is not looking as stable as I would have liked.’
‘What are you saying? Is this a sandstorm?’ Shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun, she looked at the sky but could see nothing but endless blue, broken by a few wisps of white. ‘It looks fine to me.’
‘At the moment. Conditions change very rapidly in the desert. We will stop here briefly and rest.’
‘Don’t stop on my account.’ Glancing over her shoulder, she checked that there were no other vehicles in sight. ‘I’m quite happy to just push on.’
‘It is important to take regular breaks, and crucial to drink.’ He opened the door and Alexa felt the sudden rush of heat fill the car.
‘I hadn’t realized how effective the air-conditioning was. It’s hot.’
‘It’s the desert, Your Highness. Out here temperatures can reach fifty degrees. Without water a human being would not last long. Wait there, I’ll come round to you.’
‘I don’t need help getting out of a car, Karim.’ What was he thinking—just because she’d been forced to accept the services of a bodyguard, she was happy to relinquish her independence? No way!
Opening her own door, Alexa was about to jump to the ground when Karim caught her, his strong hands hard on her hips as he pulled her roughly into his arms.
‘I told you to wait.’
‘And I ignored you. I don’t know what sort of woman you’re used to mixing with, but I’m the sort who can climb down from a car without help.’ She wished he’d move his hands from her hips. Caught against his hard, powerful frame, she felt her heart jerk and her body melt. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Preventing you from killing yourself.’ His tone was harsh. ‘You never step down into the desert without first checking for snakes.’
He was all muscle and masculinity, and her heart was bumping so hard against her chest she could hardly concentrate.
‘Snakes?’ How was she expected to focus her mind on snakes when all she could think about was him?
‘This is their home, Your Highness, and during the day they’re sleepy and often at their most dangerous. They don’t always appreciate being disturbed.’
His gaze flickered over the sand beneath his feet, and then he gently lowered her to the ground, her body sliding down his in a slow, deliberate movement that simply increased her internal agony. Her stomach swooped and she knew that the sudden explosion of heat inside her had nothing to do with the strength of the sun’s rays beating down on them.
The sudden harsh intake of his breath indicated that he’d felt it, too.
For a moment they stood there, his fingers biting into her hips, and Alexa couldn’t breathe or move, her thoughts and senses smothered by the proximity of his body. She was supposed to be thinking of snakes and the dangers of the desert, but all she could think about was him and she felt a flash of panic. What was it about this man that had such a powerful effect on her? She never had trouble focusing, never, and yet suddenly.
All she could think about was the kiss they’d shared, and she could see from the slow burn of fire in his eyes that he was suffering a similar torment.
‘I’m not that familiar with the rules of the desert.’ She forced herself to pull away from him and he released her instantly.
‘The Sultan would not forgive me if I failed to protect you.’
‘So what do they look like, these snakes?’ Her body showed no sign of recovering from the searing heat of the contact. There was a maddening ache between her thighs, and her lips were so dry that she tried to moisten them with her tongue. ‘Are they well camouflaged?’
‘Extremely well camouflaged. The ability to disguise themselves well is the only thing that stands between them and death in this environment.’ His voice was tight and angry, and Alexa knew that he was no more absorbed by the conversation about snakes than she was. In fact, if a snake had picked that moment to come and bite them, there was a strong change that neither would have noticed.
‘So now what?’ She took another step away from him, hoping that distance might succeed where logic was failing.
‘We eat and drink.’ Reaching into the car, he pulled out a flask and handed it to her. ‘Water. It’s another essential part of desert survival. In this heat, you must drink.’
Taking the flask, her fingers brushed against his, and she almost dropped the precious water on the ground. ‘This so-called road isn’t exactly busy, is it?’ Trying to disguise the fact that her hands were shaking, Alexa lifted the flask to her lips and drank. Then she glanced over her shoulder again, as she’d done repeatedly since they’d left the airport. ‘Obviously there isn’t much traffic between the airport and the Citadel.’
‘This is only one of several roads. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?’
‘No, thank you.’ Her stomach was churning so badly she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat a thing. ‘It’s hot.’
‘Indeed, it is. Even within the stone walls of the fortress the temperatures can reach fifty degrees. Many Western women would find the heat and the dust intolerable. You have led a sheltered life in an air-conditioned palace.’
