Diamond in the Desert

‘Very funny.’ She glanced up.

Emir shrugged and smiled faintly, making her glad she was wearing a towel. He had no inhibitions, and, in fairness, most people went naked in the sauna, but that only worked if they had no sexual interest in each other.

‘How about I build a fire in the fire pit outside?’ Emir suggested. ‘You don’t want to be cooped up in here much longer.’

She had always enjoyed sitting round a blazing fire surrounded by snow and ice, and it would be one heck of a lot safer than this intimate space. ‘That’s a great idea.’

‘I’ll call you when I’m ready.’

You do that, she thought, banking Emir’s sexy smile.

Her heart thumped on cue when he rapped on the door. Sliding off the bench, she went outside to join him. Emir had built an amazing fire...roaring hot and set to last.

‘Nights in the desert can be freezing,’ he explained. ‘And in some parts a fire is essential to keep mountain lions away. We have amazing wildlife,’ he added as she sat down and stretched her feet out. ‘Kareshi is a country of great contrasts. We have big modern cities as well as a wilderness where tribal traditions haven’t changed in centuries.’

Why was he telling her this? Was he serious about her visiting Kareshi? They were staring at each other again, Britt realised, turning away to pretend interest in the fire. There was no point in getting any closer to Emir when their relationship, such as it was, wasn’t going anywhere. Lifting his chin, he stared at her as if he were expecting her to say something. Who knew that Britt Skavanga, lately hotshot businesswoman, as her sisters liked to teasingly call her, could feel so awkward, even shy?

Maybe you should get out of the office more often.

Maybe she should, Britt thought wryly, lacking the energy for once to argue with her contrary inner voice. Emir had gone quite still, she noticed.

‘Do you see them?’ he said, looking past her into the trees.

‘The deer? Yes,’ she murmured. A doe and a fawn were watching them from the safety of the undergrowth. ‘They’re so beautiful,’ she whispered, hardly daring to breathe. ‘I always feel close to nature here,’ she confided in another whisper.

‘As I do in the desert,’ Emir murmured back.

There was that connection thing again. It was there whether she liked it or not. And now she stiffened, remembering the warning her mother had given her when Britt was a child. Now she understood why her mother had said the things she had, but as a little girl she had thought her father loud rather than violent, and playful, rather than bullying. Now she knew he’d been a drunk who had prompted her mother to warn all her daughters that men kept you down. Her girls were going to be warriors who went out into the world and made their own way. Britt had grown up with the determination that no man would ever rule her engraved on her heart. And Emir was a forceful man...

His touch on her arm made her flinch, but then she realised he was pointing to the deer watching them. The animals were considering flight, and she wondered if it was Emir’s inner stillness holding them. Their brown eyes were wide in gentle faces, and though Emir had moved closer to her he kept space between them, which made her feel relaxed. He had that sort of calming aura—which didn’t mean she wasn’t intensely aware of him. It was a special moment as they watched the deer watching them. It was as if humans and animals had come together briefly.

‘What an amazing encounter,’ she breathed as the deer turned and picked their way unhurriedly back through the maze of trees into the depth of the forest.

‘Now I’m certain you’d love the desert,’ Emir said, turning to smile at her. ‘Many think it’s just a barren space—’

‘But we know better?’

He huffed a laugh, holding her gaze in a way that said he was glad she had understood.

‘Maybe one day I’ll make it to the desert,’ she said, trying not to care too much.

‘I’ll make sure of it,’ Emir said quietly. ‘If this deal goes through I’ll make sure you visit Kareshi.’

‘I’d love to,’ she exclaimed impulsively.

How much longer are you going to wear your heart on your sleeve? Britt wondered as Emir flashed her an amused glance and raised a brow. But she could see that a whole world of possibility was opening up, both for her and for Skavanga, and she couldn’t pretend that the thought of visiting an emerging country where the vigorous young ruler had already done so much for his people didn’t excited her.