CHALLENGED BY THE SHEIKH Read online

  * * *

  As Raf returned to the stable with BáHar, the wind had quieted somewhat but his turmoil had not. Seeing Genie fall from the horse had been the equivalent of a recurring nightmare. Even though she had been unharmed, even though he had purposely been overly cautious, he still felt responsible for the accident. He had not been able to shelter her from the fall no matter how greatly he had wanted to do that very thing. He also had not been able to prevent falling in love with her.

  That realization had been as difficult to accept as knowing he'd failed to protect her. Looking back on his life, he now understood that he had never been in love with a woman before, and he was not certain what to do with the information he now held.

  If he spoke of his feelings for her, he would most likely face certain rejection. Tomorrow she was leaving. As he'd known from the beginning, she was committed solely to her career and her family. He had no place in her life, even if she would always occupy a place in his heart.

  After settling BáHar for the night, Raf walked down the aisle toward his office, only to be met by Ali. "I have taken care of the stallion," he told him as he continued past him. "I will see you in the morning."

  "Do you not wish to know how Ms. Danforth did during the lesson?" Ali asked.

  Raf slowed his steps but did not face his friend. "I'm certain she did well and you no doubt are determined to stress that point."

  "Yes, she did well. And I have a question for you before you retire."

  Although he wanted to keep going, Raf turned out of respect. "I hope this is important. I have some business to attend to before I go to bed."

  "When will you stop running, my friend?"

  Anger again surfaced from the place Raf had purposely kept concealed. "I am not running from anything or anyone. I need time alone to think."

  "Does this involve your decision about your relationship with Ms. Danforth?"

  "There is nothing to decide."

  "Then you will not ask her to stay?"

  Raf had considered that, but he could not bear to hear her refusal. "She has no reason to stay. She has a life beyond this stable."

  "And you have no life beyond this place. You do have the opportunity to alter that fate."

  "My relationship with Ms. Danforth…" Raf clenched his teeth and spoke through them. "Háadha mub zayn."

  "Not good?" Ali smiled. "My friend, this is too good with Ms. Danforth, and that is why you choose to run."

  Clinging to the last thread of restraint, Raf said, with as much calm as he could gather, "We have discussed this before, Ali. I have no desire to enter into a permanent relationship with a woman who would rather be somewhere else. I will not make that mistake again."

  Ali stood silently for a moment, but Raf could tell he was not finished with his unwelcome advice. "Letting her go without finding out how she feels will be the most crucial mistake you could make. Think long and hard about that, Rafi. Otherwise, you will live with more regrets."

  Raf turned and escaped to the apartment before he had to endure more of Ali's commentary on the unfortunate state of his life. After settling behind his desk, he mulled over his friend's words. No matter how much he longed to be with Genie, it would be best to end their relationship tomorrow morning. He would not burden her with his feelings or force her to decide between him and her freedom. That would be his gift to her in return for all that she had given him.

  * * *

  He had to come to bed at some point in time.

  At least Imogene wanted to believe that as she waited in his suite after climbing from her own lonely bed a few minutes before to seek him out. She'd never been in his room before, one of the only places they hadn't made love, and she was surprised by the suite's starkness. The furniture was solid pine, square, the spread a plain navy blue. No keepsakes, no frills, no pictures of his former wife. That might have shocked her if she hadn't known him better. He wouldn't want any obvious reminders; he had enough of those stored in his memory.

  Now well past midnight, she decided she might as well give up and go to bed—alone. After all, she had to be up in order to allow enough travel time for her return to Savannah for her meeting. She would have to stop by the condo first to dress in her work clothes. She would need at least an hour to cry.

  Funny, she hadn't cried in a long time, and she couldn't imagine why she felt the need now. She'd had limited experience with significant goodbyes, the most recent being her parting with Wayne. But she hadn't felt as deeply for him as she did for Raf. She hadn't given all of herself, heart and soul, to Wayne the way she had with Raf. She hadn't sighed when he'd made love to her, hadn't craved him so desperately that she physically ached at the thought of not seeing him for even a day. She hadn't shed any tears over him.

  No denying it, she'd spent most of her adulthood avoiding situations that led to goodbyes, but she couldn't avoid this one—the mother of them all. And she wasn't going to allow Raf to avoid her on their final night together. If he ever returned to his room.

  The opening door startled Imogene, sending her from the chair she'd been occupying next to his bed. He halted when he caught sight of her, his hand still on the knob as if he might try to escape. Not if Imogene could help it.

  She lifted her chin, displaying a bravado she didn't feel in the least. "I was wondering when you might finally turn in. Where've you been?"

  He dropped his hand from the door but left it open. "In the downstairs library. I could not sleep so I did some reading."

  "I couldn't sleep, either."

  Now what? Imogene thought when the only thing that seemed to exist between them was silence. Seeing him dressed in a gaping robe and pajamas made her want to skip the conversation and just kiss him. But he looked so guarded, her own insecurity kept her in place. "Since I'm leaving tomorrow morning, I thought we might spend some time together."

  "I would not be good company."

  "You're always good company, Raf."

  "That could be debated after today." He sounded somewhat contrite and weary.

  Imogene convened all her courage, knowing she was taking a risk by bringing up what she'd learned from Ali. But she didn't want to leave with so much unsaid, without him knowing how well she knew his grief. "Why didn't you tell me about your wife's death?"

  He didn't even try to hide his anger. "Who informed you of her death?"

  "Ali. But don't be too hard on him. He did it out of concern for you. I just wish you had told me first."

  "I did not want to be forced to explain."

  "Why? Did you really think I wouldn't understand?"

  He looked away. "The past should remain in the past."

  She took his hands into hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "It should, but it has a way of rearing its head whether we want it to or not."

  "I am not in the mood to talk about this." His tone was stern, but at least he didn't pull away.

  She slipped her arms around his waist and settled her cheek against his heart. "We don't have to talk at all."

  After a few minutes she raised her gaze to his. "Tonight I don't want to think about the past or the future. I just want to be with you."

  Imogene saw a glimmer of hesitation in his dark eyes before he sighed and bracketed her face in his palms. "Why do I find it so difficult to deny you?"

  She rested her hand on his. "Because you know how good we've been together, and it will be good between us again. However, you might change your mind when I tell you my requests."

  Finally, he smiled—a soft smile that held a world of emotion. "Would these requests involve the mirror?"

  She took his hands and pulled him down onto the edge of his bed. "Not tonight. No mirrors, just us."

  "Then we will have no mirrors."

  "And I don't want you to close your eyes, not even for a minute. I want you to see me, Raf. Make love to me."

  He framed her face in his palms and tipped his forehead against her. "I will do anything you ask, Genie. Anything."

&nb
sp; She knew he would when it came to her physical pleasure, but he wasn't capable of giving her the one thing she needed most—his love, at least not until he dealt with his own demons. That might never happen. Regardless, she would love him tonight with all she had to give.

  They stood by the bed and undressed each other in the glow of the bedside lamp that allowed them to visually explore without any reticence. Although they had done this many times in the past two weeks, these moments were so very special, at least to Imogene. Most likely the final moments they would share in this familiarity.

  Once more they held each other before Raf took her down onto the bed in his arms and kissed her. A deep, meaningful kiss that conveyed their desire for each other, their absolute need.

  Raf held nothing back when he loved Imogene, using his hands and lips with tender persuasion over the territory he now knew so well. Imogene submitted to his skill, watching while he brought her to a shattering climax with his mouth. She explored the length of his body with her mouth and hands, as well, taking him to the brink before he pulled her up into his arms.

  Keeping his eyes fixed on hers, Raf eased into her then lifted her arms above her head to entwine their fingers. Such sweet torture, Imogene thought as Raf moved inside of her. Such sweet, sweet surrender.

  "This is too good," he said, his gaze firmly locked with hers.

  "It can never be too good," she told him.

  "I want it to last," he said. "It has to last."

  Imogene wanted it to last, too—forever. That wasn't reality, but Raf was real. His touch was so real. And her love for him was infinitely real.

  As always, he found ways to bring her to another climax, using his hands and body until she was completely absorbed in the heady sensations. Soon after, Raf's jaw went taut and Imogene witnessed the moment he climaxed while looking into his dark, soulful eyes. A word she didn't understand hissed from his lips before he collapsed against her. She held him tightly as he trembled in her arms. They seemed suspended in time for endless, magical moments, and that was okay with Imogene. As far as she was concerned, they could go on this way forever.

  Raf finally moved away from Imogene and snapped off the bedside lamp, the room now illuminated only by the guard light filtering in from the windows. He stretched out on his back and slid his arm beneath her, bringing her to rest against his chest as he lazily brushed his fingertips down her arm.

  Shadows played along the walls and over his distinctive profile. He'd closed his eyes, and Imogene wondered what he was thinking, or about whom. Was he remembering his wife and what they'd shared? Was he regretting it was Imogene, not her, in his arms?

  She would never know because she didn't want to know. She'd rather go back home believing that the lovemaking they'd shared in these midnight hours was all about them, not someone who'd once been in his life.

  Imogene heard the low rumble of thunder then the steady sound of raindrops against the windows that seemed to keep time with Raf's strong heart beating against her cheek. She thought it somewhat ironic that they'd come full circle, making love the first and last time in the presence of a deluge. Fitting, considering she suspected Raf still had a storm brewing inside him. And so did she.

  Turning onto her side, away from Raf, she bit the inside of her mouth to keep from sobbing, especially when he fitted himself to her back, one arm draped over her hip. And here they were, spooning like ordinary lovers, yet there was nothing ordinary about the prince. Beneath the serious, regal demeanor, a strong, loving man existed—a man who possessed a wounded heart that Imogene couldn't heal.

  She refused to waste precious moments worrying about things she couldn't control. Right now she only wanted to take pleasure in him holding her close, catalogue the memories to bring out on another stormy day.

  After a time, the rain falling in a lullaby rhythm lulled Imogene into drowsiness. Although she didn't want to fritter away the rest of the night, she could no longer fight the lure of sleep.

  For the first time in years, as Imogene Danforth drifted off, her final thoughts did not involve guilt over her sister's disappearance. They centered solely on her love for Sheikh Raf Shakir.

  * * *

  As Raf held Genie in the hours before dawn, he vowed he would give her whatever her heart desired—if she asked it of him. Yet he had known from the beginning that she would ask nothing of him, the reason why he had not hesitated to become involved with her. Now he longed for her to want something from him aside from physical pleasure, anything, even his love. That love for her had flourished each time they had been together, no matter where they had been—in the arena while he'd watched her perfect her riding skills, or in the midst of sleep as he watched her now.

  Yet if he could not have her for all time, he could have her once more before morning arrived, taking her from him for good.

  On that thought, he pressed against her back as he slid the sheet down her arm and over the bow of her hip, uncovering her curves for his hands. When he reached her thigh, he diverted his path to the warmth between her legs, touching her lightly yet insistently. He knew the moment she came awake when she reached back and ran her hand over his buttocks then lifted his leg over her hip. He did not have to ask what she wanted. They had become so attuned to each other's desires, words were not necessary.

  He stopped touching her only long enough to guide himself inside her, uniting them once more. While caressing her with his fingertips, he tried with all his might to temper his thrusts, to no avail. She encouraged him with her soft sounds of pleasure until control was no longer an option.

  They moved together in a reckless, primal rhythm as all thoughts of the past or future gave way to the present when nothing mattered aside from this perfect joining. Genie climaxed first, drawing Raf farther into her body until he relinquished his resistance, giving in to his body's demand for release with a jolt that had him shaking from its force.

  When his body calmed, he turned Genie over and sought her mouth, taking to memory each nuance of her taste, the texture of her tongue, though he knew he would not soon forget.

  He pulled away and met her heavy-lidded gaze. "Please tell me it's not morning," she said.

  He kissed her lips again, softly. "Not yet, but soon."

  She closed her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand to conceal a yawn. "Good. I'm not ready to get up yet."

  Raf was not ready for her to go and he said as much when he murmured, "La trúuH."

  Her eyes snapped open. "What did you say?"

  He could not ask her to stay so that she could understand, not without facing her certain refusal. "I said you should go back to sleep." The lie tasted bitter going down.

  He settled her back into his arms and stroked her hair until he felt her body grow slack against his, her breathing now slow and steady.

  He cursed his own cowardice, his inability to express his emotions because of his fears. If only he knew of some way to convince her to stay. Considering her devotion to her job and family, he doubted anything he might say would be convincing enough … unless.

  Raf allowed a smile to form when he remembered that Genie prided herself on being a negotiator. Well, so was he. Perhaps that would be the only way to reach her.

  * * *

  "You want me to do what?"

  "Come to work for me."

  Imogene stood with her hand frozen on her car door. "Doing what?"

  "Running the business while I work with the horses. It should prove to be challenging enough for you."

  Earlier that morning after they'd showered together, he'd said he had something he wanted to ask her before she left, then he'd kept her in suspense all through breakfast. Of course, Imogene had been naive enough to assume he'd meant something a little more romantic. Not a marriage proposal, but at least that he wanted to see her again. How stupid she'd been to think such a thing. "I have a job, but thanks for the offer." And she had a heartache the size of his house.

  He rested one arm on the top of her car an
d assumed a confident and almost insolent posture. "I will allow you time to consider it. Call me when you've reached your decision."

  "I've already decided, Raf. No thanks. I have big plans." The first being she was going to bawl like a baby when she left him.

  After she checked her watch to avoid his compelling eyes, she said, "I really have to go now."

  When she opened the car door, he pushed it closed with his palm. "We have not discussed when and where I am to deliver BáHar to your clients' farm."

  Imogene's thought he'd made a mistake. "BáHar?"

  "Of course. You've said you wanted a good mount to impress your clients, and you must admit he is quite impressive."

  "But you've said that no one is allowed—"

  "To touch him, I know." He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, a familiar gesture Imogene had come to appreciate. "I believe in you, Genie. I know you will not disappoint your clients, or me."

  A baseball-size lump formed in her throat. "You really have that much faith in me?"

  He pulled her hand from the door and brought it to his lips. "Yes, I do. You have shown me your skills." And he showed her his wicked side with a smile that made her want to melt into the pavement. "You have convinced me of your expertise. And that is why I trust you to run my business."

  Oh, how she wanted to scrap her responsibility and say yes. But she had to be strong and not prolong the agony any longer than necessary. She didn't want to work with him; she wanted to love him, and for him to love her back.

  Imogene tugged her hand from his grasp and again opened the door. This time he didn't stop her. "Actually, I'm going to tell the Granthams the truth, that I have very little experience with horses and that I don't own one. I've decided honesty is really the best policy in this instance. If they aren't impressed by my business acumen, then I don't want their business."

  "Are you certain?"

  "Yes."

  "Then you have wasted your time here."

  Raf's solemn tone, his words, caused Imogene's heart to clutch painfully in her chest. "Believe me, I don't consider the past two weeks a waste at all. I've learned a lot about who I am and what I want."