Her desert knight(11)

       
           



       

Quasar.

Fear mingled with the excitement flooding her veins at the memory of  him. What was she doing? She'd let him kiss her. Worse yet, she'd kissed  him back. Her lips buzzed at the memory. She'd told him things that  she'd never told anyone else: her shame at letting her ex-husband strip  away her self-confidence; her fear that she was worthless, unemployable  and a disappointment to everyone.

And he was nothing but encouraging. And interested. She had to admit  that that alone did a lot to boost her confidence. She smiled at her  reflection in the bathroom mirror before she turned on the shower. Her  ex-husband had made her feel like no man would ever want anything to do  with her. Quasar had already proved him wrong.

But what did he want from her? They'd already kissed and the chemistry was palpable.

Next stop was sex. With no promises.

She'd have to be completely insane to even consider it. Every time she  saw him, he occupied more of her brain space, more room in her heart. Of  course it was encouraging that her heart was actually beating again,  especially when he was nearby, but she didn't want it to get broken, and  since she was still in a fragile state that might happen quite easily.

Quasar was a freewheeling, fun-loving guy who moved on when he got bored. Which could be next week.

The chilly water made her gasp. She needed to cool herself off. Quasar  was a fun companion. An exhilarating break from routine. He was not her  future, and she'd better remember that.

* * *

Sometimes when people asked too many questions it was easiest to stay silent.

Quasar's brothers and their families were all sitting around one of the  hotel's private dining rooms, enjoying a lavish dinner. So far he'd  managed to avoid revealing anything other than his excursion into the  mountains. In the absence of further details they assumed he went alone  with a sporting objective.

"Quasar all alone with the kestrels." Elan broke off a piece of bread.  "You're giving me flashbacks to when you were a kid and you trained that  bird to hunt for you. I think you're channeling your inner Omani  again."

"Nothing wrong with that." Quasar shot his brother a smile. "And the views from the mountainside are pretty impressive."

"I am pleased that you're enjoying what Oman has to offer." Salim  raised his glass. "You can help promote our country in America."

"I don't think you need any help. Isn't the hotel at capacity?" Quasar helped himself to some more rice.

"I have plans for a new hotel just north of here."

"On the beach? Or out in the desert like Saliyah?"

"Right on the shore, waves lapping at your toes. It's a property I've  been saving for the right application. Celia's been dying to plan the  landscape ever since I showed it to her."

Celia leaned against her husband. It was obvious she loved working with  him. "It's going to be so lush. Not that you'd know it to look at the  place now. I don't think there's a single plant growing there. Just some  old torn fishing nets and driftwood." She rubbed her hands together  with pretend glee. "But I love a challenge."

"Celia, I get that Salim keeps you busy creating oases in the desert,  but don't you sometimes want to take other jobs?" Quasar was curious  about how this whole work/romance thing worked.

"I do. I was in Mexico City last month working on a corporate headquarters there."

"And the kids stayed at home with Salim?" Quasar topped off his sister-in-law's glass of lemonade.

Celia nodded. "Of course-we have plenty of help here at the hotel. And  sometimes they all come with me. It's nice now that the kids are young  enough that they don't have to miss school."

Elan still worked with his wife, Sara, too, though now they were  business partners, not boss and assistant. Quasar couldn't imagine how  you could spend all day and all night with someone. Didn't they ever get  tired of each other? That must be what true love was like.

Most likely he wasn't capable of it. He was better suited to brief  affairs. Intense journeys of exploration and enjoyment that ended while  everything was still fabulous. He couldn't wait to continue his voyage  into the intriguing world of Dani. Her passion was so unexpected and he  suspected he'd just bumped the tip of the iceberg. It was time to take  her to his private getaway in the foothills of the mountains. He'd be  staying there right now if Salim hadn't convinced him to stay at the  hotel to spend more time with Elan and Sara while they were visiting. He  hadn't even stopped by since he'd been here.                       
       
           



       

A waiter brought a round of coffees and a plate of dates. The children  were excused from the table and started to run around it like maniacs,  which made everyone laugh.

Quasar had formed a plan. "Have you guys been out to my house lately? I  had a decorator fix it up for me and she sent me pictures, but I  haven't seen what Celia did with the landscape yet. You've all kept me  so busy I haven't had a chance to visit."

"There were twelve frankincense trees on the property," said Celia.  "They hadn't been tapped in years and we did it ourselves. I'm going to  send you some of the finished product for Christmas."

"Does that mean I'm not invited here for Christmas?" He pretended to  look sad. He did feel a little weird about the acknowledgment that he'd  soon be gone. He didn't want to leave. Not without Dani.

The thought struck him like a slap. He'd been on a total of three dates  with her. Something about her had captivated him. He couldn't even  explain what it was. Yes, she was lovely. She was sweet. Her  vulnerability coaxed out of him a nurturing side he hadn't previously  realized he had.

And then there was the attraction between them. Powerful, insistent, a  chemical brew that made him want to kiss her and hold her and make  passionate love to her. And for that, he needed peace and privacy and a  chance to get the place prepared to entertain her.

"I want to spend some time at my house tomorrow. You know, get a feel  for it. There's no sense in owning a house if I never go there."

"I'm surprised you went to the mountains today and didn't even visit it."

"I planned to but didn't have time." And didn't want to scare the life  out of Dani. An unplanned kiss in the wilderness was one thing. Luring  her into his lair without scaring her off would take some delicacy.

"Before you become a hermit, Quasar, I want you to know that Sara and I  have been hard at work searching for the perfect woman for you." Celia  bit into an olive. "Do you remember her sister, Erin?"

"Of course I do." A bubbly, pretty girl with a young daughter, Erin had been at both of his brothers' weddings.

"Her latest boyfriend has turned out to be just as much of a loser as  the last two." Sara took a sip of her lemonade. "So we've determined  that she needs some help in the matchmaking department. We thought it  might be interesting to set you guys up. It's a slight snag that she  lives in Wisconsin and you live in...where do you live these days,  anyway?"

"To be determined." He smiled. "I'm a free agent ready to move where the action takes me."

"Perfect. We'll have to get you guys together. There's a school break  coming up in two weeks. I'll see if we can get her and Erin and her son  on a flight out here."

Quasar stiffened. "I don't know, Sara. I'm not really ready for a new  relationship. I want to take some time, to figure some things out." With  Dani. The last thing he needed was to be set up with someone when there  was no way he could be interested in her. He didn't want to hurt Erin's  feelings, either. She sounded like she'd had enough of that already.

"It can't hurt to meet her, can it?"

"It might, if we meet at the wrong time and end up blowing it." He shrugged.

"I suppose you're right. It's probably better to wait until you're  ready. I notice you haven't mentioned that woman you met at the  bookshop. I assume she very sensibly brushed you off."

He felt a sheepish expression pass over his face. How could he keep  such a big secret from his own family? All of these people wanted the  best for him. Why was he so reluctant to tell them what was happening  with Dani? "Actually, she was with me today."

"Ah." Salim didn't look surprised. Or pleased. Sara and Celia smiled at each other. Elan kept a poker face.

"I'll have to bring her over to meet you all soon. Her name's Dani, short for Daniyah."

"That's a pretty name. I don't think I've heard it before," said Sara.

"My lawyer was filling my ears with gossip about Daniyah Hassan the  other day." Salim frowned and put his coffee cup down sharply. "It's not  her, is it?"

"I don't know her last name. Isn't that funny? I'm not sure I told her mine, either."