Date with a Surgeon Prince(51)

The pair looked shocked, but moved rapidly enough as Ghazi drew closer, his hand waving them away dismissively.

‘But they wanted to talk to you about an idea they’ve had,’ Marni objected, with only the slightest quiver in her voice betraying just how trembly she was feeling inside now she knew she’d have to face Ghazi on his own—be with him on her own!

‘They can put it in writing—Fawzi’s good at that!’ Ghazi growled, coming closer and closer to where she sat.

She feared if she stood up her legs would give way on her, because just seeing him was causing palpitations, and quivering nerves, and goose-bumps on her skin, and too may other physical sensations to name.

‘You,’ he said, putting out his hand and hauling her unceremoniously to her feet and marching with her towards the helicopter, ‘are coming with me.’

‘Do you think this is the modern equivalent of one of our ancestors throwing his woman over a camel and riding off into the desert?’ Hari whispered to Fawzi, loudly enough to bring another growl from Ghazi.

‘Is Fawzi right?’ Marni asked, because she had to say something. ‘Are you throwing me over your camel and riding off with me?’

He had helped her into the helicopter and now stood outside, looking in at her.

‘Would you like that?’ he asked, his voice deep, his eyes, his face unreadable.

‘I don’t know,’ she answered honestly.

Or was it honestly? she wondered as he marched around the chopper to get in behind the controls. She suspected that, somehow or other, she’d fallen in love with this man, without really knowing him at all.

Was that possible?

Or was it nothing more than the manifestation of the attraction that had flared between them from the beginning?

But would lust make her heart ache when she saw the tenderness with which he treated Safi?

Would it make her heart skitter when he smiled?

Not that there was any evidence of a smile at the moment. In fact, sneaking a sideways glance at him, she had to wonder if she’d ever see him smile again. Not any time soon, that was for sure.

‘Are you all right?’

The demand came when they’d lifted into the air and banked as if to go even deeper into the desert.

She wanted to cry. Wanted to ask why he hadn’t asked her that before. But he was all business, and she could do business.

‘Desperately in need of a bath but apart from that, yes, I’m fine,’ she said, and saw a slight frown mar the inscrutability of his expression, but it was quickly gone.

‘You’ll have time for a bath,’ was all he said, or maybe he kept talking, but if he did, Marni missed it, too filled with astonishment at what lay ahead of them.

Rising out of the desert sands, barely perceptible at first, was what seemed like an immense building. High walls, sand coloured and seemingly endless, round turrets set at intervals, and where the walls changed direction, and within the walls, more walls, and domes, and spires.

‘It looks as if it just grew up out of the desert sands like some fantastic plant.’

She breathed the words, lost in wonder as they flew closer and the immensity of the old palace—for that was all it could be—was revealed.

Now she could see colour—rugs hanging over balcony parapets to air, market stalls set up inside the walls, the sun glinting off brass and silver pots and pipes and urns.

Ghazi circled the building, allowing Marni a glimpse of an inner courtyard, green with trees and plants, then landed on a concrete pad at the back of the building but within the outer walls.

Speechless with astonishment and wonder, Marni followed Ghazi as he led her past a long row of stalls, with horses’ heads poking out of some—horses here, not cars—and further on past different stalls—camels?—all the time heading towards the main building.

‘You’re late!’ he said, as Mazur pulled up in a little electric cart so they could ride the rest of the way.

‘You flew too fast,’ Mazur countered, but when Ghazi slid in beside him in the front, Mazur clapped him on the shoulder.

‘It’s done?’ Ghazi asked.

‘All done, although Fawzi and Hari aren’t here yet. Not that it matters. All you need are two adult males.’

Ghazi nodded but gave no explanation of this weird conversation. Not that Marni minded. Now she was finally somewhere civilised, all she could think about was a bath. She just hoped this place was stocked up with clothes and underwear, because second in importance to the bath would be clean underwear!

They drove through an arch into the courtyard, a wonder of green in the barren land. All around the courtyard Marni could see arched openings that led into the shade of the wide loggia, the covered outside sitting area.