Hidden in the Sheikh's Harem: Christmas at the Castello

‘No. I mean, yes, of course I agree.’ She hesitated. ‘I just didn’t expect...’

‘That I would think that way?’ he finished when her words tapered off. ‘Possibly it’s not just your father who is stuck in the past.’ And why her poor opinion of him rankled was beyond him.

‘I am not stuck in the past.’ She thrust her hands on her hips righteously.

Zach eyed her appreciatively as she stood before him in a full snit. ‘Hit a chord did I?’

* * *

Yes, he had hit a chord, because she was a forward-thinking person, not a backward-thinking one. But she was so confused right now. His declaration that he’d been nearly married once before, and his adamant statement that he would never want to marry her, had somehow rocked her and she had no idea why. ‘No, you have not hit a chord,’ she denied hotly, staring into his too-cocky, too-handsome face. ‘But I want to hit you and I’m a non-violent person!’

‘So says the woman who attacked me with a sword.’

‘Okay, fine—generally I’m a non-violent person. And I’m sure if you could just reach into your heart and forgive my father and let this go—’

‘Let bygones be bygones, you mean?’

‘Yes, exact—’

‘No.’

‘Would you stop cutting me off?’ She angled her chin at him. ‘Can’t you see that showing forgiveness puts you in the powerful position? If my father continues to act out against you unprovoked, then everyone is likely to turn on him.’

‘Remind me which fairy story you derived that bit of whimsy from.’

Having him mock her made Farah grit her teeth together. ‘Just because you don’t believe in non-violent methods of communication doesn’t mean you have to belittle ideas that have worked before. Ever heard of Martin Luther King? Ghandi? Mother Teresa?’ She lobbed the names of some of her heroes at him. ‘Perhaps if you open your mind up a bit more you might learn something.’

The look he gave her was ferocious. ‘You have some nerve coming to me about non-violent methods of communication. Someone in your village started a publication five years ago that nearly incited a civil war. If I hadn’t come home and settled things—in a non-violent manner, I might add—who knows how many people would have died?’

‘I didn’t mean to incite anything,’ she countered.

‘I didn’t say you did, I said—’ He stopped and stared at her. ‘You started that provincial publication?’

Farah was instantly flooded with heat at his condescension. ‘My magazine was not provincial, thank you very much!’ She bit her tongue to stop herself from calling him every name she could think of, digging her toes into the soft pile rug beneath her feet.

‘That’s not possible,’ he said, the incredulity in his voice beyond insulting. ‘You would have only been a child when that was done.’

Farah’s hands shot to her hips. ‘I was seventeen!’

He shook his head, a frown on his face. ‘There were a lot of sharp observations in that paper.’

‘If you’re expecting me to thank you for saying so, you’ll be waiting a long time.’ Like, forever. ‘And I hardly think it’s important.’

‘Not important,’ he growled, seemingly as angry as she was. ‘It’s the reason I had to return to Bakaan!’

‘Something you obviously didn’t want to do, by your tone.’

‘Not when I had to give up control of my company and end my racing career, no.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ she simpered. ‘How thoughtless of us—your people—to need you.’

‘Yes, it was.’ His voice lowered an octave and the skin on the back of her neck prickled with awareness. ‘Although, I’m not completely unhappy that you need me.’

Attempting to ignore the suddenly charged atmosphere he was deliberately creating, she lifted her chin. ‘I need you to install medical centres in our villages and provide educational materials so we don’t have to sneak them from across the border or—’ She stopped, suddenly aware that yet again he’d got her so incensed she was about to divulge sensitive information to him.

‘Or what?’ he asked softly. ‘Get them from a secret source inside the palace?’

He knew about that! Farah tried to act nonchalant because she had no doubt that whoever had sent those items to them over the past couple of years would be punished. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. But what I want to know is how we get out of this marriage.’