Bella and the Merciless Sheikh

She’d never felt so free.

Leaning forward against the mare’s neck Bella shifted her weight and drove the animal forward, closing the distance. Over the past few days she’d watched and learned. No deep sand here, she thought, anxious not to harm the horse in any way, remembering everything Zafiq had taught her. The horse was fast, so fast that the scrap of silk protecting her face unravelled itself as she drew along side the Sheikh’s stallion. Thrilled that she’d matched his speed for the first time, Bella challenged him with a smile and saw his mouth tighten in disapproval and exasperation.

You’re going to pay the price for that one, Bella, she thought to herself and then his eyes gleamed and he pulled away from her, squeezing every last drop of energy from the horse with his skilled riding. The black stallion seemed to float across the sand, his tail high, his neck arched—strength and power visible in every muscle of his sleek body. Watching the power un leashed, Bella thought to herself that horse and rider were well matched.

Finally Zafiq urged the powerful beast round the base of a sand dune and Bella followed, coughing as sand flew into her mouth.

She was still choking when a bottle of water was pushed into her hand.

‘Drink.’

Bella drank, the water soothing her dusty throat. ‘My scarf slipped. I’ve been swallowing sand for the past five minutes.’ Despite the lateness of the day, the sun was still a fiery ball in the cloud less sky, the intense heat shimmering over the surface of the sand.

But she was protected now—hat, cream and the knowledge that the cool waters of the oasis waited for them back at the desert camp.

Glancing at him, she saw that his eyes were fixed on the horizon. ‘You love it here, don’t you?’

For a moment he didn’t answer, and then he looked at her. ‘It is the one place I can be myself without answering to anyone.’

‘I thought you were the one giving the orders. Can’t you just tell them to leave you alone?’ The moment the words left her mouth she was embarrassed by her flippant response. Squirming on the back of her horse, Bella shrugged apologetically. ‘I mean, you are the Sheikh. You make the rules.’

‘My responsibility is to my people, and also to my family.’

Family. Responsibility.

Bella wiped her brow with the back of her hand, uncomfortably aware that the feelings inside her had nothing to do with the heat. ‘But you have to think of yourself too.’

‘That is why I allow myself five days in the desert.’

‘Five days.’ Bella took another sip of water, ignoring the lurch in her stomach. One more day to go. ‘Wow. As holiday entitlements go, that’s pretty stingy. You ought to have a word with human resources and renegotiate your working conditions. And why are you responsible for your family? Can’t they look after them selves?’

‘Our parents died when they were young. My brothers and sisters rely on me.’

‘Everyone seems to rely on you. So if you like family so much, why haven’t you married?’ Bella handed the water back to him, distracted by the shadow of stubble that darkened his strong jaw. ‘Don’t you want kids of your own?’

‘My wishes are secondary to the needs of my people. If it were my personal choice, I would never marry.’ Zafiq sat relaxed on the stallion, his expression unreadable as he studied the wind patterns in the sand. ‘But at some point I will take a wife, yes. And we will have children. It is necessary.’

‘Wow. With that much enthusiasm behind it, how can it fail?’ Bella felt a stab of emotion she didn’t recognise. ‘So when the pressure gets too much, you’re going to pick a suitable wife. Someone with the right breeding.’ Someone completely unlike her—someone who didn’t have bad Balfour blood and an uncertain temperament.