The Call of the Desert

She dreaded to think what the photographs would look like—Kaden tall and stern, and her like a rabbit in the headlights. Only a few of months ago she’d been independent and strong, living her life, and now she’d morphed into someone she barely recognised. All because of this man coming back into her life like a tornado.

A small voice mocked her: she’d been with him every step of the way.

Julia straightened her spine. She wasn’t going to let Kaden ignore her like this. She turned towards him, where he sat beside her. He was looking out over the sea of some five hundred guests with a brooding expression. She knew none of them except for his three youngest sisters, who had travelled from their schools and colleges for the weekend. Samia and her husband had been

unable to attend, and Julia had felt a little relieved, not sure if she could take Samia’s hostility again.

“Kaden?”

He turned, and Julia sucked in a shocked breath when she saw the look of pure bleakness on his face. But in an instant it was gone, and replaced with something she thought she’d never see again. Heat. He took one of her hands and brought it to his mouth. His touch sent her pulse skyrocketing and a flood of heat between her legs.

She tried to pull her hand back, seriously confused, forgetting what she’d wanted to say in the first place. “Kaden …?”

“Yes, habiba?

She felt very shaky all of a sudden. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He arched a brow. “Is this not how a man is supposed to look at his wife?”

Feeling sickened, Julia wrenched her hand free from his. He was faking it. Of course. In front of his guests.

Julia muttered something about the bathroom and got up, barely noticing Kaden’s frowning look as she hurried away, head down.

Kaden watched Julia walk away, eyes glued to the graceful lines of her body in the stunning dress. The veil was long gone, and her hair was coiled at the nape of her neck. She was like a warmly glowing pearl against this backdrop. And for a moment, before she’d called him, he’d been drawn back into the memory of their time in the desert just before everything had changed.

He’d once dreamed of exactly this moment—having Julia by his side as his Queen, his heart full to bursting with pride and love … And then she’d called his name and he’d realised that it wasn’t like the dream. That dream had existed in the mind of a foolishly romantic young man who hadn’t known any better. This was reality, and reality was a long way from any dream.

Cursing himself, he could still feel desire like a tight coil in his body. A desire he’d curbed for too long. Kaden threw down his napkin and stood up. They’d had speeches and ceremonial toasts. Everyone now expected the Emir to take his leave with his wife. Striding out of the room, servants scurrying in his wake, Kaden felt his blood growing hotter by the second.

Julia had made her way out of the crowded room feeling stifled and extremely emotional. Jasmine had appeared as if from nowhere to guide her back to her rooms. She still didn’t even know her own way around the palace!

When Jasmine showed her into the suite it took a minute before she realised that the distinctively masculine furnishings weren’t familiar. She turned to Jasmine, who was waiting patiently for instructions.

“These aren’t my rooms.”

Jasmine inclined her head deferentially. “Sheikh Kaden told me to move your things in here. You will be sharing his rooms from now on.”

Julia’s heart fluttered in her chest. She wasn’t sure what Kaden was playing at, but she told Jasmine she wouldn’t need her further. When the girl had left, emotion started rising again, and blindly Julia made her way out to Kaden’s outdoor terrace. Much grander than her own.

It was dusk, and the call of an exotic bird pierced the air as Julia gripped the wall and looked out over Burquat. She could see people coming and going about their business far below, a line of blue which indicated the sea. She smelled the tang of salty air.

And all Julia could think of was how far Kaden was willing to go to make sure everyone believed he desired his wife, and how the immense crowd of guests had looked at her warily, with few smiles. An overwhelming feeling of aloneness washed over her. She put a hand to her bump and thought of her babies. They would be protected from this awful feeling of isolation. But she couldn’t help, for one weak and self—indulgent moment, feeling sorry for herself. And she couldn’t help the tears springing into her eyes and overflowing.

Kaden came into his rooms silently, and immediately saw Julia standing outside. The line of her back looked incredibly slim and tense, and the coil of her hair was shining in the dusky light. A curious feeling of peace mixed with desire rushed through his veins.

He moved forward and saw that Julia heard him. She tensed even more, and didn’t turn around. Irritation prickled over his skin. “Julia?”

Julia was frantically swallowing and trying to blink back tears, her cheeks stinging. The thought of Kaden witnessing her turmoil was too much, but she heard him come closer, and then his hands came onto her shoulders and he was turning her around.

She looked down in a desperate bid to hide, but he tipped her chin up. She looked at him almost defiantly through the sheen of tears. He frowned, eyes roving over her face. “You’re crying.”

Kaden was not prepared for the blow he felt to his solar plexus. Julia’s face was pale and blotchy, wet with tears. Eyes swimming, dark pools of grey. Her mouth trembling.

“It’s nothing,” she said huskily, lifting a hand to wipe at her cheek.

Kaden took her hand away and cupped her face. His chest felt so constricted he could hardly breathe. His thumbs wiped away the lingering tears.

“What is it?”