The Sheikh's Stolen Bride-To-Be(16)

They stood hand in hand, staring in wonder at the beauty of nature.  After the initial shock passed, Steph became acutely aware that she was  holding the Sheikh's hand, and she suddenly felt awkward about it.  Should she let go? She knew better than to let things go too far.



Taking a breath, she tried to focus on the magnificence of the cave  around them. Overthinking would just dispel the dream that much faster.         

     



 



"Would you like to take a dip?" Mehdi asked.



Steph nodded, taking that opening to release his hand, which she did with great reluctance.



They spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in warm waters,  alternating between the cave and the open ocean, talking about nothing  in particular. Mehdi continued his lessons on El Farahn culture and  life, doing the best he could to help prepare her for living there, if  she chose to do so. Steph realized then that the Sheikh had given her  that choice back. With no marriage, she could easily head back to  Vermont and live her life there … but did she really want to?



As the afternoon wound down, Steph found herself feeling famished, so  Mehdi proposed they return to their cabana for dinner. Rather than  racing, they swam back to the main island at a leisurely pace. Back in  the cabana, Steph pulled her towel from a chair and sat down while Mehdi  headed to the main building for a few minutes. When he returned, he was  followed by two staffers, who quickly set up a table on the beach  before making a swift exit.



"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing toward the table.



"Of course," Steph said, beyond ready to eat.



Mehdi opened the fridge, and together they loaded up the table with  fruits, cheeses, cold meats and a bottle of sparkling white wine. Steph  filled her plate as Mehdi popped the cork and filled their glasses  before he raised his.



"To a perfect day," he said, a glint in his eye.



Steph wanted to meet him there. She wanted to indulge in feeling the way  her heart and her body clearly wanted to. Her mind was tugging at her,  nudging her, reminding her quietly that there was a world outside this  island that she would have to go back to. As she told that voice to shut  up, she raised her own glass and clinked it against Mehdi's.



"To a perfect day," she agreed, and they both took a sip.



"You haven't told me much about what you did at the bank," Mehdi said.



Steph took another sip before she answered. "It wasn't exactly exciting," she said.



"Oh, I don't know. I hear finance can be very exciting."



Steph laughed. "Hardly. Maybe if I had gone into investment, like my  dad, it might have been exciting, but I have no interest in any of it,  really."



"Then what are you interested in, Steph?"



"Fashion. I love designing clothes, and I would love to run my own line someday."



"Why don't you?"



Steph hesitated. She hadn't even asked herself that question. It had always just seemed so impossible.



"After the market crashed and we lost everything, my parents didn't have  the money to put me through school. They didn't want me to get into  loads of debt, so my dad finagled the bank position as a way for me to  take care of myself until I could settle down. I guess the truth is that  I don't have the education for it."



"How many actors go to college for acting? How many professional surfers  go to college for surfing? It is not always necessary, if you have the  talent."



"Perhaps," Steph said, not entirely believing that.



Mehdi placed a hand on top of hers, his eyes intent. "Steph, an arranged  marriage is not the only answer for you. You could open up a boutique  here in El Farah. Fashion is huge here! The women adore couture."



Steph grinned at his enthusiasm. "You haven't even seen anything I've  designed. That's quite a bit of confidence you have there."



"I have perfect faith that you are the most talented designer the world  has yet to know. You simply need to take a chance on yourself."



Mehdi sat back, removing his hand from hers. They ate in silence for a moment, and Steph thought about how she had gotten there.



"The truth is, the only reason I agreed to the marriage was to have an adventure," she said, her voice small.



"Don't you think you could make your own adventure?" he asked.



Steph looked up from the table and into his eyes. Even with the sun  setting next to them, she could still catch those sprinkles of green. He  was the perfect man … who had shown up at the wrong time.
         

     



 


Wasn't that always the case?



When she didn't answer him, Mehdi cleared his throat. Their meal  finished, he looked out at the sunset. Steph looked out, too, thinking  about her parents. They were probably beside themselves with worry. And  what about her fiancé? Even though he didn't know her, he had to have  been a little worried when she didn't show up. What must he think of  her? She needed a chance to explain herself. There was so much she had  to atone for, even though she would never for a second regret it.



"Shall we get our feet wet one more time?" Mehdi asked, and Steph  nodded; the longer she could prolong this perfect fantasy, the better.



They stood and stepped into the gently lapping waves, the water the  perfect temperature in contrast to the air around it. The sun melted  into the shimmering water, causing the sky to bloom with purples, pinks,  and oranges as a cool breeze came in off the sea. Steph shivered.



Noticing this, Mehdi turned her to him, rubbing along her arms to warm  her up. She gazed up at him, and he stopped his hands along hers. Unable  to resist, he lowered his head that forbidden distance, claiming her  lips in a kiss.



It was wonderful and terrible all at once. Mehdi's lips fit perfectly  against hers, like a missing puzzle piece at long last found, but  Steph's mind spun with guilt as she thought about everything she needed  to get back to.



When Mehdi lifted his head, ending the kiss, he ran a thumb along her chin, his eyes concerned.



"What is it? What's wrong?"



Steph did her best to memorize every detail of his face in that moment.  He looked so deeply concerned, so caring. So handsome. Mehdi was  everything a man ought to be, which made it all the more terrible that  she had to leave him behind.



"My family," she said. "I have to get back to them, Mehdi. It wasn't  right, what I did. I'll never regret these last few days, but I have to  go make things right with them."



Mehdi nodded. "Of course you do. I would never hold you back from doing what you feel is right."



They stood together, the cascading sunset glorious behind them, holding hands quietly.



"I wish things could be different," Steph said.



Mehdi nodded. "I wish I had known about you sooner. I might have  considered an arranged marriage myself," he said with a small grin.



Steph smiled. "I'd have liked that very much."



"I can have you flown back in the helicopter and driven back to your hotel," Mehdi said, and Steph sighed.



The spell was broken. It was time to face the music.



They walked back, still holding hands, to the cabana, where Steph  dressed once again and then followed Mehdi toward the main building as  stars began to twinkle overhead. Steph waited as Mehdi called the  helicopter pilot and arranged for a car to meet her when she returned to  El Farah's mainland. Then he turned to her and led the way to the  helicopter pad.



When they reached the helicopter, Mehdi faced Steph once again.



"If you change your mind, Steph, I will wait for you. I will wait on the beach just outside the city tomorrow at sunset."



Unable to hold back, Steph stood on her tiptoes and kissed him one last time.



The helicopter pilot arrived, ending their final moment together. Mehdi  released Steph's hand finger by finger before she stepped into the  helicopter and strapped herself in, watching him from the window as they  took off. Mehdi stood on the ground, his head lifted as he watched her  fly out of sight.



Steph watched until the Sheikh became a tiny dot that eventually  disappeared. Then, she looked toward the El Farahn skyline and tried not  to cry.









The noise of the helicopter was all she heard until the pilot landed  with a gentle touch. A car was already waiting on the tarmac for her,  and Steph nodded to the driver as she stepped inside. He already knew  where to go, so she sat back, alternating between thinking about what  she would say to her parents and trying not to think about it at all.



The streets of El Farah's capital city glowed with muted lights, and the  world continued on as though nothing had happened at all. Meanwhile,  Steph's entire world had been turned upside down and then tossed from  side to side. She tried to wrap her mind around the events of the past  few days, but as her car pulled up to the front of the hotel, all she  felt was cold dread in the pit of her stomach.