The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(26)

Lacie was halfway through her piece when I asked her.

“What else did he say to you, do to you?”

She swallowed and lowered her gaze. My heart tightened in my chest. Idris hadn’t meant what he’d said, had he? It didn’t matter for my feelings for Lacie, but if he had actually dared lay a hand on her…

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s just enjoy this, now.”

Under the table, her foot found mine and gave it a reassuring rub.

“Although, he did say that your family was evil and had stolen the crown from his.”

I made a skeptical "pfft" sound, then rolled my eyes. “Trust Idris to twist the truth so completely that he’s got the roles completely reversed.”

I put my free hand on top of Lacie’s, squeezing it and directing my gaze to hers so she could see that I was telling the truth.

“Idris is right that my father did seize power from his, though he’s wrong about pretty much everything else. It was Idris’s family, the Antars, that were the hated rulers of my country. They were vicious and hateful, trying to seize every country we shared a border with, executing anyone who dared oppose them. They even tried to execute my father.

“But he was too strong and had too much support. He and a group of determined rebels managed to seize power from Idris’s father, with the help of a large group of citizens. Everyone hated the Antar ruler and was glad to see him gone. My father let the Antars stay because it was the pragmatic thing to do; any attempt to get rid of them by force would have led to considerable bloodshed.

“As the years passed, Idris’s father gave up trying to take back power by force, and moved on to a different tactic—politics. And it’s worked. Several members of the council are indebted to him and under his influence; that’s what’s caused this last-minute virgin-bride stipulation. They hope this will be the technicality that will prevent me from being leader so that the Antars—through Idris—can take back power.”

I sighed.

“And they just might do it. It’s been a while since the revolution, now. Many of those who lived through his father’s terrible reign are old or dead. The people are behind my family, there’s no doubt about that, but they’re not so against the Antars that they would openly oppose Idris if he took power and rose to the throne.”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, then.

“Don’t worry, Rashid. We won’t let that happen.” I caught her look, that fierce look that almost didn’t fit her adorably innocent face, as she squeezed my hand again. “The Antars are going to have one badass wedding to go to—ours.”

At this, I got up, sat beside her, and embraced her. “Lacie. Thank you.”

She snuggled herself into me. “No, thank you. For saving me, for today, for seeing the potential in me in the first place. For these past few days.”

The rest of the courses flowed as easily as our conversation. After a delicious salmon dish—which we laughed about, remembering our banter in the Italian restaurant on our first date—Lacie nearly squealed her delight at the two dessert courses. After I fed her spoonfuls of cake and pudding, ensuring to get whipped cream on her nose just so I had the excuse to kiss it off, we were out of there.

Back on the road, Lacie peered out of the window and gasped.

“The stars!”

Again, I found myself pulling the car over. “Think that’s something? Check this out.”

And, before she could protest, I was at her car door, not helping her out, but lifting her out.

“Rashid…what are you doing?”

Her voice was laughing in protest, but I wasn’t putting her down, not yet.

“Wait and see.”

I walked out into the desert until we had reached a tall dune of soft sand. With my free hand, I spread out the red blanket I’d grabbed from the car, and then laid her down on it.

I got down beside her, took her in my arms, and whispered, “Look.”

Though really, there had been no need. Her gaze was already fastened on the vista of stars overhead. I followed her zigzagging gaze, dancing on the cosmic spectacle.

“The more you look, the more you see.”

At my words, she snuggled into me.

“It’s like us,” she murmured.

I craned my neck to look down at her, but her gaze was still locked on the heavens above, her gaze full of happiness.

“The more I know about you, the more there is to know, and the more I like,” she continued.

She looked so wistful there, I couldn’t say it, and yet I couldn’t not. I had to know.

“Lacie… Idris, he didn’t hurt you, did he? All he did was…”

“He didn’t.” Her mouth set into a determined line. “He threatened to if I didn’t leave, but he gave me a day to decide.”

“And once the day was up?”

She sat up and turned to face me. “I would have left and told you, sent word somehow. I wouldn’t have let him win, not like that.”

And, once again, that beautiful, intense flashing of her eyes, and I couldn’t hold it in another second. I pressed my lips to hers. They moved together as easily as if we’d been doing this for years. Every movement of hers was matched easily with mine.

Her lips, over my top then bottom lip. Her tongue, responding to mine, dancing with it, playing with it. Her hands, letting mine explore where they would, sliding over my face, through my hair, over my shoulders. Her sides were soft and her skin even softer, so soft I felt I could never stop feeling her, that I could spend all night, us locked together like this.