Page 35 of The Sheikh's Bride Arrangement

Finally, their lips parted and he gazed into her eyes.

"You know he'll be angry, don't you?" she said.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter what he thinks. According to tradition, I am entitled to go to the domain of my beloved and claim her there, if I wish."

Even as he said those words, he knew they sounded archaic. But they were also exactly what he wanted. What he needed. He was not about to let anything stand in the way of his claiming Eliana.

Especially now that he was sure she also wanted him.

"Beloved?" she asked, surprising him.

He lifted a hand and gently ran the back of his fingers down the side of her soft face. "Of course, you are my beloved." He lifted a brow. "Didn't you know that, already?"

She smiled modestly. There was no need to say anything else.

Now it was time for him to take the next decisive step. It was time that he showed everyone that their pretend courtship had turned into something else entirely. Something perfect.

Nothing was going to stand in his way.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"There's the palace," Eliana said as she gazed out of the plane's window. Kadeem shifted closer to her. He was sitting alongside her, just as he'd been doing so for the entire duration of the flight from Qazhar. Now the private jet was preparing to land on the narrow runway which adjoined her family's palace.

"What do you think?" she asked Kadeem.

His brows lifted. "Impressive," he muttered. He peered into her eyes. "And bigger than I'd imagined."

She smiled at him. It was true. She gazed down at the vast, sprawling palace complex which covered a huge expanse on a plain at the foot of a high mountain range. There were extensive gardens ringing the massive central palace buildings. The core of the palace consisted of a two level accumulation of buildings, some of which dated back centuries. The palace had grown gradually over the aeons. Lengthy wings stretched out on all sides of the central palace. It was an enormous complex, far larger than Kadeem's family palace. It was large enough to accommodate well over a hundred people. In addition, there were dozens of servants to cater to the needs of the Zahram royal family and their guests.

She gazed down at the place which had been her home for her entire life. At the place where, if everything went well, she would spend the rest of her life with Kadeem.

Even as she entertained that thought, she felt a hard, gnawing dread settle in her middle. Although Kadeem had declared his intentions to become formally engaged to her, Eliana couldn't help worrying.

There were so many thing which could go wrong, she told herself. Not only the continuing disapproval of her father, which had not changed in the last few days while they'd prepared for the trip back to Zahram.

But there was also the question of whether she could really believe that Kadeem could find a way to adapt to the very different life he was about to be thrown into in the Zahram royal palace.

She knew he was resourceful; knew he could probably take most things in his stride. But, she still felt a nagging doubt about whether or not he would be able to accept his new life.

Because it wasn't only Eliana who was embarking on a new life. It was also Kadeem.

During the remaining days in Qazhar he had been attentive to Eliana's every need. She had visited his family's palace on a few occasions. And he had come to the embassy to visit her. Every time she'd been with him, she'd seen a fresh side to Kadeem. It was as if the formal engagement had changed everything for him. No longer did he look upon her as something which had been forced upon him.

He seemed to really want her in a way which went way beyond all the pretense they had adopted in the early days of their relationship.

Right now, there was something surprisingly real about their relationship.

Still, there was a long way to go. And there were undoubtedly plenty of obstacles still in the way. But, gradually, tentatively, hope had been building in her mind.

The plane banked and started its approach to the small, royal airfield. She was looking out the window when she felt Kadeem's hand take hers. She glanced at her hand and saw his fingers snaking slowly into hers. She felt a tingle of delight. Just like she did every time he touched her.

Eliana gazed at Kadeem and smiled. "What do you think about coming as a royal guest?"

"I'm honored," he said.

"My mother and father are sure to lay on some kind of special reception for you," she said.

He leaned closer to her. "That's not important to me. All I really want is to spend time with you. And that looks like a large palace with lots of empty rooms," he said grinning at her.

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