Wild Desert Princess (5 page)

On her
eighteenth birthday he’d been invited to her parent’s and had decided then she would be his wife.  They’d been promised as children and he saw no reason to break the contract.  He had hired a private investigator to watch over her and had gone nearly insane when the reports had included photos of her at all the nightclub hotspots.  His jealousy had nearly overwhelmed him over the current boyfriend of the month.  She’d gone through several men by the time she reached her senior year. Or so he had thought at the time. Several had even spent the night.  He’d been furious with her that she’d given away her innocence so casually. He should have gone to her. Tell her of his intentions. Wooing her instead of commanding her. He had been so very wrong. She had stayed pure. He wished he could be sure that she had done so in the hope that they would be together.

Guilt swept through him at the way he treated her each time he’d seen her.  Now, knowing how innocent she’d been,
he knew he’d been cruel and had baited her sexually.  Each time she responded he called her a tramp and had stormed off, furious she wouldn’t be pure when he took her. There had never been any doubt in his mind that she would be his.

In his arrogance he forced instead of
wooed and although her body had responded it had been a physical response.  God, he wanted her love. He wanted her to love him as he loved her and had loved her for years.  He didn’t know how to rectify the problem. He could never let her go. It would tear his heart out. He would be a part of his child’s life.

Chia woke slowly, her head pounding furiously with each bea
t of her heart. She carefully raised her hand and gasped as she found Jahan’s dark head laying near her hand.  Lord, she needed to go to the bathroom.  Her bladder was painfully full and the morning queasiness was back with a vengeance.

She slowly edged out of the bed, her need becoming a
n emergency. She’d just shifted one leg when a large hand caught hers and dark eyes roved over her face.

“Where are you
going, Chiandra?” he rasped, sitting up slowly, trying to stretch the kinks out of his back.

Chia lifted her chin and winced at the renewed pain in her head. “I need to go to the bathroom,” she defiantly told him.

Jahan smothered a sigh of relief. Her fire was returning. He’d been terrified he’d crushed her spirit.  Standing, he scooped her up and walked into the large bathroom. Chia didn’t bother struggling, he was just too strong and she hurt like the devil. She was amazed at the gentleness he showed her and wished he’d been that way before. When he set her on her feet, she was shocked at how weak she felt. She clutched at his arms to steady herself, reveling in the hard flex of his muscles against her fingers.

“Do yo
u want me to stay?” He slowly slid his gaze over her face, lingering on the discolored skin around the bandage on her head and the dark circles under her eyes.

“No, please.  I’ll be fine,”
she insisted, barely managing to stand upright until he walked out.

“I’ll be right back, Chia.  Yell if you need me.” He hurried out of her room and found
Malek and Amanda heading towards him.  Malek had the look of a sexually satisfied male and Amanda’s face was flushed, her full lips swollen.  But her expression was resentful and angry.

“You stayed with her all night?” Amanda asked, eyeing his rumpled clothing.

“Yes, she’s in the bathroom.  Please give her a few minutes before you come in and I’ll have her settled back in the bed.” Gone was the arrogant cockiness, in its place a quieter, stronger inner determination. 

“Very well, we’ll have a breakfast tray sent up and be
back to see her in about thirty minutes.  Will that be enough time?” Malek stared at Jahan seeking a silent reassurance.

Jahan nodded and hurried back to Chia’s room. 
He stood outside the bathroom door, hearing her raw retching and entered and found her kneeling over the toilet.  Her face was pale, as the dry heaves shook her body.  He wet a wash cloth and gently wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead.

Her eyes were dulled with pain and misery as she stared up at him.  Finally, the horrible spasms ended and he bent and picked her up. “I’m sorry, Jahan.  The morning sickness has gotten worse
and my head is killing me.” She blinked quickly furious at the rush of tears.  She felt so helpless.

“Chia, stop.  There is nothing to feel sorry for, I’m the one who is sorry.  I have treated you horribly.  I never meant to cause you such pain.” Deep remorse darkened his eyes.

Seeing the pained sincerity on his face, Chia brushed a stray lock of ebony hair out of his eyes. “I know, Jahan.  You never meant to hurt me so badly.” She gave him a sad, wistful little smile and lay warily back against the pillows.

Each time he saw the beat of her heart at the base of her neck, she winced and pressed her fingers to her temples.  He brought the cloth and laid it gently over her eyes, careful to keep it off her bandage.

Chapter Eight

Amanda could barely look at
Malek.  She was furious at him and at her treacherous body.  All through the night Malek had taken her, forcing her body to respond.  He’d known she could not fight the incredible feelings he aroused in her and had used it shamelessly to force her response.  He erroneously thought things were back to normal, oblivious to her dark, resentful looks.

Amanda’s body throbbed, a heady tenderness between her legs she had not felt since their early years of marriage.  Oh, he made sure she found her release each time they joined but even after she’d protested that she was sore, he’d taken her twice more, hard and deep.  The smug look on his face hurt her unbearably.  She loved him beyond belief, but she would not stay in a relationship where he used her physical responses to him to bring her back in line.
She had thought he cared for her more than that.

Once Chia was better
and things had settled between her and Jahan, Amanda planned on taking that trip to Ireland.  She knew Malek and Jahan would be busy the next four to six months with the treaty negotiations with the mountain tribes and would be away from home quite a bit.  If things had not improved for Chia by then, she would take them both and disappear in the Highlands of Scotland for a while before she went to Ireland.

Malek
watched Amanda move stiffly towards the buffet in the dining room.  He frowned as he recalled her words early this morning that she was too sore.  He’d thought she was just trying to regain control and had ignored her protests.  Now, he feared he had caused her pain.

Amanda felt
sharp eyes on her and ignored him.  She moved stiffly and would not hide it from him.  In moments she had a tray full of tidbits and carried it up to Chia’s room.  Mara offered to take it, but Amanda wanted to do something for her daughter, even something as trivial as bringing Chia her breakfast.  Chia shifted slightly when the door opened.  Her stomach rumbled mutinously at the odors wafting across her nose. “I’m not hungry,” she protested, her skin turning green.

Amanda chose a dry piece of unbuttered toast and asked Jahan to help Chia sit up.  She watched the tender, loving care he lavished on Chia and sighed with relief.  Perhaps he had learned. 
“Honey, you have to eat something.  Try this toast, Chia.  It helped me when I carried you.”

Chia reluctantly nibbled on the toast, pleasantly surprised when she was able to keep it down.  Jahan sat at the dressing table and ate the scrambled eggs and the rest of the food Chia couldn’t stomach.  Mara appeared a short time later with the doctor and removed the empty tray.

Amanda and Malek stepped into the hallway, but Dr. Kahn motioned for Jahan to stay.  He firmly told both Chia and Jahan what they must do to make sure she did not become more upset.  When Jahan brought up the wedding, she shifted restlessly but forced herself to stay calm.  She must marry him and as the princess, she would be in a position of great power.  She could bide her time.  Amazing how it had always been her greatest desire for Jahan to fall in love with her and want to marry her, and now it was happening and she wanted to stop it.

Jahan had been
so handsome as a young man.  She still burned with humiliation when she remembered the way she’d thrown herself at him at the pool when she was twelve.  She’d known he was expected and had deliberately untied her top, wanting to show him her breasts.  She’d felt his eyes on her breasts whenever they’d come in contact that had foolishly thought he wanted her and she wanted him.  When he’d touched her and she’d seen his erection pressing against the brief material of his swimming trunks, she’d been elated.  When he’d fastened her top and become so cruel, her young heart had shattered.  She had shut all feelings for him away after that, determined not to make a fool of herself in front of him again.

During her years of college she’d
worked hard to forget and had come close several times to hopping in bed with some guy.  Each time, she pulled back unable to go through with it, since her heart already belonged to Jahan. Even if he’d thrown it back in her face.  Most of the young men she’d run with had been buddies and those who had stayed in her apartment had just needed a place to crash after too much drink.

If she’d known Jahan was having her followed she might have gone ahead and slept with one of them just to piss him off.
  If she didn’t feel so badly, she’d be furious all over again at his highhandedness.  The man was positively medieval in his thinking. How could he bring his country into a more modern age if he was still stuck in the past?

Jahan cautiously made plans for the wedding, seeking Dr. Kahn’s approval for each step of their nuptials.  He waited for Chia to protest, to scream and say she wouldn’t marry him.  Seeing the sad acceptance on her face, he feared she had no fight left in her.
He wanted her fiery temper to come back and tell him off.

Dr. Khan checked her pulse, not surprised to
see it was somewhat elevated. “Just a few people, Jahan.  Family only if you can manage it.  Perhaps later, you can have a large reception and soothe those bruised political egos.  For now Chia and your baby are more important.”

“I agree doctor.
They are the only consideration here. Will next week be too soon?”

Chia forced herself to relax, next week was so soon.  She could not run now.  She had an obligation to her baby and her
country. When Dr. Kahn gave his approval, she forced her body to take a calming breath.  She might have felt better if she hadn’t caught the satisfied gleam in Jahan’s dark eyes.

As soon as Dr. Kahn left
, Amanda and Malek came to Chia’s side.  Chia clasped her mother’s hand and ignored her father. “Honey, are you feeling all right?” Amanda bent forward and brushed a kiss over her daughter’s pale cheek.  Malek tried to brush Chia’s auburn hair off her forehead and flinched when she moved away.

“Chiandra,” Jahan chided softly, his eyes narrowing at the coldness she gave her father.

She glared defiantly at him, her heart pounding as her blood pressure soared.

Amanda immediately saw the Jahan was about to fall back into his old habits and flew to the door calling Dr. Kahn back.  He raced back up the stairs, his eyes flying to Jahan’s set angry face and the agitation on Chia’s. “Out!” he bellowed, sending everyone except Amanda from the room.

He quickly checked Chia, alarmed at her respiration and her blood pressure.  He quickly dialed for an ambulance, fearing for her health. “What happened?”

Amanda stood, wringing her hands, her own fear for her only child chilling her to the bone.  “She turned away from her father and Jahan started his domineering bullying again, she can’t handle the stress, doctor.”

“No, and she won’t be put through it again. I’m going to place her in a private ward and I will monitor her visitors.  If seeing her father and Jahan upset her, then they will just have to stay away.” Dr. Kahn was furious with Jahan, he’d made it plain what kind of care Chia had to have in order to recover.  Her pregnancy was precarious at best with the other traumas she had suffered recently.

“Thank you doctor,” Amanda sat down at Chia’s side terrified at her raspy breathing.  She watched the
doctor sedate her daughter again and hoped the drugs would help calm her and not harm the baby.

“Stay with her Amanda while I step outside and inform your husband a
nd Jahan what I’m going to do. Jahan won’t be happy, but at this point, his happiness is not my concern.”

“What about the wedding?” Amanda couldn’t see how it was going to be possible for Chia to participate until she was better.

“If he wishes to wed her, they can have a ceremony by proxy. I will not have him jeopardize her health to satisfy political protocol.” The doctor moved out of the room and motioned for Malek and Jahan to move down to the other end of the landing.

“How is she?”
Malek asked, his dark face creased with worry. 

“When can I go back in?” Jahan impatiently demanded.

“You can’t, not now!” He held up his hand at Jahan’s protest. “No, now you listen to me.  I warned you what would happen if Chia became upset, and yet you tried to force your will on her again.”

“She was rude to her father,” Jahan firmly stated.

“Jahan, it is not important right now,” Malek told him, more worried for Chia than his bruised heart.