To Tempt a Sheikh(10)

"Oh, give me a break."

"You think I can keep the peace in a kingdom like Zohayd by playing  favorites? I am where I am, as effective as I am, because everyone knows  my code and believes beyond a shadow of doubt that I would never  compromise it. And I never do."

Her eyes flickered before they hardened again. "Good for you. But I'm  not telling you anything more. What will you do? Force it out of me like  those thugs intended to?"

He ached with the need to erase that doubt, that fear, once and forever.  He couldn't bear that she could be uncertain of her fate with him. "I  again swear that you are safe with me, in every way, no matter what."

His gaze bored into hers, as if he'd drive the conviction inside her  mind with the force of his, until she gave an uncomfortable shrug.                       
       
           



       

He knew that was all the concession he'd get now.

He exhaled. "With that settled, let's get to other vital points. Now  that I know you're not the reporter you were … reported to be, and not the  spy I suspected you to be, I am wondering if all this isn't a case of  catastrophic misinformation on all sides, if you weren't kidnapped for  the wrong reasons."

She gave him an exasperated look. "Is that your roundabout way to get to  the reason I was taken, the same reason you came to extract me? Okay,  let's get this out of the way. I came here following a lead that can  prove my brother's innocence. And I stumbled on information terminally  damaging to the Aal Shalaans. I have no idea how your rival tribe, or  you for that matter, got wind of that, and so quickly. Maybe when I  emailed my brother's attorney with the developments. So yes, I know why I  was kidnapped. Your rival tribe wants the information I have to destroy  you. You want it to avoid being destroyed."

And though she was looking at him as if she'd like nothing more than to  see him and his family "destroyed," another wave of admiration surged  inside him for this golden lioness who was here risking everything for  her twin.

He at last sighed. "At least one thing turned out as I believed. But you  said you were 'given' the chance to prove your brother's innocence and  refused to tell me who gave it to you. Don't you realize that someone is  orchestrating all this?"

A considering look came into her eyes. "Sure. Your point?"

"My point is, that someone cares nothing about you or your brother,  you're just one of the instruments they're using to their end of causing  the most chaos and destruction."

She gave a slow nod. "I never thought they were doing this out of the kindness of their hearts."

"Did they give you anything that might exonerate your brother yet?" She  glared at him, then gave a grudging headshake. "Don't you find it  suspicious they only gave you information that will hurt the Aal  Shalaans?"

Her eyes spat blue fire. "According to them, it will end your reign."

He gritted his teeth at the very real danger of that coming to pass.  "Didn't you ask yourself how they intend you to use that information?  How using it will help your brother?"

She shrugged again, her eyes losing their hard gleam, the first flicker  of uncertainty creeping there. "I didn't have time to think. I just got  the info this morning, and within a couple of hours I was snatched. But I  came to one decision. I wouldn't give my kidnappers anything. For every  reason there is. I knew I wasn't walking out of that hole. So not only  wasn't I about to be party to your tribal feud, I sure wasn't helping my  abusers become the rulers of Zohayd and the abusers of millions."

He stared at her. There really was no end to her surprises. Almost  anyone in her place would have said and given anything for a chance to  walk away from the situation. But he'd pegged her right in those first  moments. She would rather die in defiance, for a cause, than beg for her  life from someone she despised and have her survival mean untold misery  to others.

He fought the need to pull her into his arms, chide her for being such  an obstinate hero. The one thing that stopped him, besides the settling  weariness of the whole thing, was that he knew she'd resist. Spontaneous  expression of emotion was something he'd have to work on re-earning.

He at last said, "You seem to realize the gravity of the information you  have and what having it fall into the hands of the wrong people can  mean. Have you decided what you'll do with it?"

Her shoulders drooped. "If I get out of this in one piece, you mean?  I'll solidify my facts first. Then I'll think long and hard how best to  use it." She shot him a sullen glance. "I may announce it to the world,  maybe paving the way for Zohayd to become a democracy at last."

He raised both eyebrows, answering her surliness with sarcasm. "Like one  of the so-called democracies in the region? That is the epitome of  peace and prosperity, in your opinion? You want to save Zohayd from its  current wealth and stability, from the hands of a royal family who have  ruled it wisely and fairly for five hundred years and place it into the  hands of hungry upstarts and militia warlords? And that's only Zohayd.  Do you have the first inkling what the sprouting of such a 'democracy'  among the neighboring monarchies would do? The unending repercussions it  would send throughout the whole region?" He waited until he again found  evidence of his points sinking home, in the darkness of grim  realization in her eyes, the tremor of ominous possibilities in her  lips. Then he went on, "Even if we're deposed tomorrow, and that doesn't  plunge the region into chaos, it still doesn't help your brother. Or  would you settle for avenging him, seeing his abusers punished, and  leave him in prison for the rest of his sentence?"                       
       
           



       

"I don't know, okay?" she cried out, her eyes flaring her confusion and  antipathy. "I told you, I had no time to think. And it's pointless to  start right now. I'm in the middle of nowhere where I'm neither help nor  threat to anyone. Ask me again, if I get out of this mess in any  condition to be either."

Before he could assert that he would do anything to see her to safety, she winced, almost doubled over.

His heart folded in on itself, mimicking her contortion.

Before he could move, she keened, lurched back, and a ball of panic burst in his gut.

He'd taken her word that she was fine. What if he'd left an injury she'd sustained unseen to that long?

He pounced on her, disregarding the pain the careless move shot through  his side. He raised her face to his, feverishly examining its  locked-in-pain features.

It was only when she tried to escape his solicitous hands that he could  rasp, "Talia, stop being stubborn, not about this. Are you injured?"

"No." He firmed his hold on her shoulder, on her head, detaining her  with support and solicitude, demanding a confession. She groaned,  relented. "It's those punches. Guess I was too distracted to focus on  anything my body was feeling till now. But suddenly it … cramps with every  breath. You know, like being cripplingly sore the morning after too  many sit-ups." Something feral rolled out of his gut. Her eyes shot  wider. Then she gave a huff that segued into a moan as her eyes slid  down his body to his abdomen then back to his eyes. "What am I saying?  It's sit-ups that are probably sore after a stint with your six-pack."

She was distracting him. Even thinking she owed him nothing but  hostility, even if she wasn't acknowledging the sincerity of his outrage  on her behalf, she was still trying to defuse it.

Before he kissed her, compelled her to carry out her earlier threat, he  said, "Talia, I'm going to take off those layers of clothes … "

"Oh, no, you're not!" she squeaked.

"Then you do it. But I will have them off. Then you're going to lie down  against me. You're going to stretch those muscles, or they're only  going to get worse. I'll massage them with anti-inflammatory ointment."

She remained stiff in his hands for a moment longer before she capitulated, nodded and unzipped her coat.

He followed those capable hands as they undid the layers of clothes  beneath it. And when he realized she wore a corset under her man's  undershirt, he felt blood desert his head, his heart seeming to pump it  only to his loins. He'd been in enough trouble when he'd believed her  figure was as uneventful as a boy's. She'd been subduing a very … eventful  one.

When she'd moved things around to expose only her midriff, she looked at  him awkwardly. She tensed again when he began to turn her, and he  whispered in her ear, "Let me take care of you. Don't resist me."