Dismissing her, he turned towards a maid she hadn't noticed slip into the room behind them. Only half listening to what he was saying to the girl, Farah took in the scope of the opulent room for the first time. And what she saw made her gasp out loud.
'Oh, my...is this the harem?'
'What gave it away?' the prince drawled lazily. 'The cherub motifs on the wall or the large sunken marble tub in the middle of the room?' He walked over to it and raised his foot to rest on the curved edge like the insolent sheikh that he was.
Farah told herself not to react but it was no good. There was something about him that pushed all reason out of her brain and replaced it with...with something she did not want to identify. 'I'm not staying in here.'
'No?' He raised a brow. 'Admittedly the soft furnishings are quite old but it's about to be renovated. Perhaps the updated version will be more to your liking.'
'I won't be around long enough to see it,' she promised.
'Don't be so sure.' He straightened and headed back to her. His nose twitched. 'See that she has a bath,' he said to the maid, although he didn't take his eyes from hers.
See that she... Farah's gaze narrowed into angry slits. If he thought she would just fall in with his plans he was wrong. There was no way she was going to wait around in this horrible room for her father to show up. If she could somehow escape and get back to him she would.
Her silence must have spoken volumes because he cast her a condescending smile. 'I can almost hear your mind ticking over, and if you're thinking of trying to leave I would advise against it.'
Farah angled her chin up and suddenly their faces were only inches apart, his gaze fixed on her mouth. It was impossible not to be aware of him, and for one-no, two-erratic heartbeats she thought he was going to kiss her and her breath backed up in her lungs. Then he moved away. Slowly.
Incensed that she had stood there like a besotted idiot instead of pushing him away, she lashed out in a show of rash pride. 'Fortunately for me, I don't have to take your advice.'
He regarded her with a cool look that said he knew exactly what he did to her. 'Just try it and see how far you get.'
Oh, she wanted to. She wanted to do that and more. And the feeling only grew worse when he reached the main door and turned back, his gaze raking her from head to toe and making her tingle with hot, impotent fury.
'And burn those clothes she's wearing,' he instructed the maid. 'There's no soap in the world that will kill that smell.'
* * *
Striding from the room, Zach was wondering what the hell he was going to do with the spitting she-cat who was more trouble than she was worth when Staph rushed towards him.
'Highness, I just heard of your return. We were all so worried about you.'
Zach grimaced. He needed to bathe, to burn his own clothing and to find his brother in that order. 'I'm back now.' He set off in the direction of his private wing. 'Where's Nadir?'
'Preparing for his wedding.'
That stopped him in mid-stride. 'His what?'
'His wedding, Your Highness. He is marrying mistress Imogen today.'
Today!
Well that at least explained the extraordinary amount of activity he'd noticed in and around the palace.
Hell. Talk about bad timing.
Forgetting all about a shower for now, he left Staph and trawled the palace for Nadir, eventually finding him holding a small dark-haired infant that could only be Zach's new niece. Gazing into her wide-spaced gray-blue eyes, Zach felt something uncurl inside his chest. How was it that his brother had what he had always wanted for himself, while all he could do was think about bedding some woman who was wholly unsuitable for him? The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. He thought of the email he'd received from Amy, but it wasn't her face that filled his head-it was Farah Hajjar's.
'Where the hell have you been?' his brother barked at him. 'You have a lot of explaining to do.'
Nadir's curt words brought Zach's attention back to the present. 'I do?' He raised a dust-covered eyebrow. 'Thanks for the concern and the belated rescue team.'
Nadir frowned. 'You look like hell. What happened?'
Knowing now wasn't the time to go into detail, Zach shrugged. 'The short version is that I had an unfortunate run-in with one of the less welcoming tribes in the mountains.'
'Hell. For a while I thought you were holed up with a woman.'
Zach laughed, a ripple of discomfort running through him as he thought about the feel of Farah's surprisingly strong arms wrapped around his belly as they'd raced across the desert on horseback. It had surprised him how alive he had felt-possibly because he'd been imprisoned for three days-and how connected to the desert he'd felt for a change. He'd been surprisingly connected to those soft little breasts nuzzling against his back, as well. 'I suppose technically you could say that I was, but it wasn't by choice, and she's more like a spitting she-cat than a woman. One who is currently locked in the old harem.'
He grimaced as Nadir's eyebrows shot skywards. 'Not the most convenient situation on your wedding day, but then I didn't know it was your wedding day until a moment ago.'
Nadir stared at him as if he had two heads. 'You have a woman locked in the harem?'
'Farah Hajjar, to be exact,' Zach growled, his words laced with disgust.
'Mohamed Hajjar's daughter!'
'One and the same.'
Nadir swore. 'Hajjar will have your head for that.'
Zach's gaze turned wry. 'They both very nearly did.'
'For the love of...' Nadir's gaze narrowed. 'You didn't compromise her, did you?'
Zach gave a sharp bark of laughter. 'A wild boar couldn't compromise that woman, and nor would it want to.' Which should have been the truth, and would be, now that he was back home and out of danger. 'I take it this is my niece?'
'You're changing the subject.'
'I am.' He smiled at her. 'She's beautiful.'
'I know.' He could see that Nadir wanted to ask him more but then he shook his head. 'I don't have time to get the details now, but you're okay?'
'No thanks to you,' he teased his big brother, as he used to when they were boys.
'Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?' Nadir arched a brow. 'That will teach you for playing so many tricks as a kid.'
Zach grinned. 'Come chat while I get cleaned up.'
'I can't.'
'Why not? The wedding isn't for hours yet.'
'No, but...' Nadir shook his head, clearly distracted by something. 'Here, take your niece and get acquainted.'
He handed the wide-eyed child to him and Zach took her easily. She immediately gazed up at him and he nestled her close. He caught his brother's expression and grinned. 'Hey, don't look so surprised. I'm okay with babies. They're like women and horses-handle them with the utmost care and don't do anything to rub them up the wrong way. Isn't that right, habibti?'
Zach immediately thought about the woman he'd left in the harem. He hadn't exactly handled her with care but then he hadn't exactly been in the mood to. Then there was the fact she was more street urchin than woman-except for those breasts and that mouth.
'Don't let her cut herself on that, and if she cries take her to Maab.'
Zach smiled down at his niece, who was patting the scruff on his face. Hell, he must smell terrible, as well.
'Where will you be?' he asked, but Nadir had already taken off up a flight of stairs and Zach had a feeling he knew precisely where he was headed. He was about to call out that it was bad luck to see the bride on his wedding day but let it go.
The baby in his arms gurgled and looked a little uncertain now that her father had disappeared but he gave her a reassuring smile. It was true what he'd said, horses and women loved him, and he saw no reason why a baby would be any different. He bounced her gently in his arms and stared into her big eyes. 'So, kid, your parents are getting married?' She stared back and he laughed. 'A big step. Are you happy about it?'
She touched his face again and made a litany of garbled sounds.
'Great. Then I am, too.'
He wandered around with her for a bit longer and then sought out Maab when she started fussing.
'I think she's hungry,' he told the elderly woman.
She smiled and cooed at his niece. Then she wrinkled her nose at him.
'I know, I know.' He backed away, 'I smell like death warmed up.' He could also do with some more food.
Heading back to his private apartment, he organised a light meal to be sent up for after his shower and wondered if the spitfire in the harem was hungry. Then he grimaced. He'd known immediately that Nadir wasn't happy about the situation and neither was he. He really didn't have a firm plan as to what he was going to do with her but involving the local police wasn't something he intended to do on his brother's wedding day.
No, she would just have to wait, and perhaps that would be a good thing. His fight wasn't with her but with her father. He had no doubt the old man would be furious that he'd taken Farah, but if Mohamed was prepared to trade himself for her, Zach would let her go.