“If you say so.” Badir said with a smile.
“I do say so.”
Basil was sure that he had not changed. He was sure he still found her annoying, rude, ill-mannered and challenging. Yet, he couldn’t keep her out of his mind. And his body was definitely attracted to her. When he returned home and saw her, he immediately felt the need to tell her what was happening with El-Tamar. She was sitting in her living room watching something completely non-educational. He decided to ignore it and speak to her. He sat down next to her. She turned to look at him with her eyebrows raised.
“What?” she asked. She was wondering why he was sitting next to her.
“I need to seek your forgiveness,” he said.
“This should be good,” she said and faced him completely. He told her everything about El-Tamar and the punishments he had issued him. Saja narrowed her gaze. She was under the impression that he was going to apologise for keeping her there against her will and insulting her every chance he had. Okay, so maybe he didn’t insult her all the time, but some of the things he said were insults and sometimes she simply felt insulted. Nevertheless, she was impressed that he was still apologising for this. Even though he did not need to.
“You do not need to apologise to me,” Saja said and held his face in her palm.
“He is still your father. It's the right thing to do,” Basil said.
“Well, he had it coming, so he must deal it. And he is NOT my father,” Saja stated. Basil smiled. She never changed her opinions on anything. She was strong-willed and determined. To his surprise, Saja started laughing.
“What is amusing?” he asked her.
“Isn't it ironic? He never wanted to have anything to do with my mother and me because he did not want us to ruin his legacy. It was not good for his name or his status. Now he ruined himself with his own hands and the help of his legitimate son!” Saja shook her head. This was Karma. It had come back to bite him in the behind.
“He dug his own grave,” Basil said and shook his head.
Chapter 14
Saja held onto the covers for dear life. Despite Saja’s protests, Mona continued to pull them away from her. “Please wake up,” Mona pleaded with her.
“What for?” Saja asked. She squinted at the clock on her bedside table. 8.50am. This better be good.
“The sheikh is waiting for you”
Saja paused, “Why?”
“To take you riding.”
Riding? Riding what? Saja groaned and finally rolled out of bed. She muttered complaints under her breath as she entered the bathroom. Still half asleep, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then headed back into her bedroom to dress.
Mona had laid out riding clothes for her, already tailor made to fit her. Basil had thought of everything. She quickly got dressed and went out to meet the sheikh. He was already waiting at the horse stables for her.
He watched Saja walking towards him, an easy smile spreading across his face when he saw the expression on hers. “Why are you taking me riding at this early hour?” she asked him.
“It is 9am, that is not too early,” he replied calmly. One of the ranch men strode out with a horse. It was already saddled up with a basket attached to the saddle.
“Nine is way too early” Saja complained.
“Get on,” Basil said to Saja. She raised her eyebrows.
&n
bsp; “What?” Saja said nervously. She’d never been on a horse before.
“We are going riding,” Basil held her waist and lifted her up with ease, dropping her onto the horse. He’s so strong. She sat on the horse and made herself comfortable. Her eyes flew open when Basil got on behind her.
“What are you doing?” she asked him. Every time he was this close to her, she felt nervous. Butterflies would explode in her stomach and her body would start reacting to him before he even touched her. Ever since their night together, she longed to feel his strong arms hold her.
“I am not going to let you ride alone. You might fall off, my love.” Basil held onto the reigns. The horse started trotting. Saja's body was pressed up against Basil's chest. She was just grateful they were not facing each other, she may not be able to resist the sight of his dark, broody eyes. The discomfort grew as they started galloping. They started going faster and faster. The wind blew threw her curly hair. Everything felt right.
They galloped out of his estate and off into the distance. She wondered where they were going and why. As they rode, Saja's body swayed from side to side. Basil was trying to remain focused on riding but it was difficult with her body rubbing against his. Her scent danced around his nose. He cleared his throat and rode even faster in an attempt to distract himself from the beauty between his legs.