The Sheikh's Stolen Bride-To-Be

“Here you are, sir! Enjoy your time on the island.”

With the spell effectively broken, Mehdi forced a smile for the woman before taking a large picnic basket and holding out his arm for Steph to take.

“Shall we?” he asked.

She placed her hand on his arm without hesitation and looked ahead at the beautiful scenery. “Absolutely,” she said, enjoying the feel of the sand beneath her sandaled feet as they walked over to a private cabana.

Inside, there was a misting fan and a refrigerator, as well as a couple of comfortable lounging chairs. Mehdi made quick work of filling the fridge with a series of foodstuffs Steph didn’t recognize before tossing her the sunscreen.

“You’ll want to put this on. The sun is much stronger here than in the northern climes you’re used to,” he said.

Steph caught the sunscreen and opened it, applying it liberally to her arms and legs. When it came time to get her back, she hesitated, but Mehdi was right there.

“Allow me,” he said, squirting some of the lotion onto his hand and rubbing it along the back of her shoulders.

If Steph could purr, she probably would have in that moment. Mehdi even massaged her shoulders a little as he applied the sunscreen, and when he was done Steph fought back sharp disappointment at losing his warm touch.

“Can you get mine?” he asked, turning around.

Steph turned, taking the sunscreen from a side table and filling her hand with plenty. She ran her fingers all along his shoulders and back, savoring the feel of him as she tried to think about anything other than doing this in a bed somewhere.

“I’m surprised you need sunscreen, since you’ve lived here all your life,” she said, trying to bring up anything that would distract her from how good it felt to run her hands along his muscular back.

When he turned, she caught her first glimpse of his perfectly sculpted abdomen, and she averted her eyes lest he catch her staring.

“It’s important to care for one’s skin, no matter how adept it may be at absorbing the sun’s rays,” he said, taking the lotion she dangled from her fingers.

“Now, your next lesson in El Farah geography is this: How warm are the waters of our ocean?”

Steph grinned. “I don’t know, but I bet I’ll find out before you do.”

With that, she dashed out of the cabana and straight toward the water, not looking back. She laughed as a cool breeze danced along her face, the sun not nearly as intense on the island as it had been back toward the desert. She heard Mehdi laughing before she cried out, her legs swept up from under her.

Mehdi carried her all the way into the water, and they both laughed as he dove in, taking her underwater with him.

As they went beneath the waves, Steph opened her eyes and was surprised that it didn’t sting her eyes to do so. Around her she saw a few of the colorful fish she had seen in the aquarium on her first day in El Farah, and she laughed underwater, a bubble of air popping out of her mouth and floating to the surface.

Swimming upward, she crashed back to the surface, where she saw Mehdi floating along, his body perfectly flat along the water.

“This has got to be the cleanest water I’ve ever seen,” Steph said, running her hands along her wet hair to keep it out of her face.

“I think we do a pretty good job of maintaining it,” Mehdi said. “Now look behind you.”

Steph turned in the water, feeling it flow between her fingers as fine silt encased her toes. Across from them, a small, rocky island protruded sharply from the water. When she looked back at Mehdi, she saw the gleam of competition in his eyes.

“You want a real race?” he challenged.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

“Ready, set, go!” Mehdi called before striking the water with his arms as he swam fast as a shark toward the island.

Steph dove in after him, quickly catching up. Mehdi caught her eye, realizing she was right alongside him, and even as they swam she saw the surprise and delight on his face as they made stroke after stroke toward the other island. As they approached, Steph picked up her speed, running to the shore and collapsing on the sand just before Mehdi, who landed right beside her.