Page 40 of The Sheikh's Willing Captive

Paige squinted at him. "And you don't feel that when you're back in civilization?"

He frowned. "For me, this is civilization. Most of my ancestors inhabited this place. They let it possess them. Shape their lives and their destinies."

Paige looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment. "Why don't you let it do the same for you?" she asked. "You're free to do what you want now."

That comment cut into him, reminding him of something he didn't even want to think about. A future without her.

"I think you belong out here," she said. "You always told me you feel different when you're here."

A sharp stab of guilt dug into him. That was exactly what he was trying to do by bringing her out here. Wasn't it? Hoping that this place would somehow change her opinion of him. To show her who he truly was.

He knew he had been difficult to live with soon after the marriage. But there had been so many pressures. And, he had to admit, those pressures had affected him. Made him into something he knew he was not.

However, all that was in the past. All he wanted to think about now was the future.

He sighed, enjoying the peace of the moment, standing alongside Paige.

Maybe this was his chance to tell her the truth. But, even as he played with that thought, even as he tried to summon up the courage, something deep inside him drew away from that prospect.

He saw she was still waiting for his answer to her question.

"In this day and age, many people in my kingdom do not have time for the desert life." He scoffed. "They see it as archaic. An embarrassing part of their heritage. One they want to avoid even thinking about."

Paige wrapped her arms around herself and gazed out across the golden landscape. "That's so sad. There's such a richness in this country's past. It should be respected."

Razim agreed. Joy leaped in his heart. Right there, was another reason why he wanted this woman. She shared his vision of what it meant to be a Qazhar citizen. Even though she was an outsider. Even though this all must seem so alien to her. Still she could appreciate its beauty, its true value. If he made her a part of his life, a part of his kingdom, he knew she would understand what all of this meant to him. What it should mean to the people of his country.

Drawn by a sudden impulse, Razim moved closer to Paige. Her gaze was fixed on the far horizon. For a moment, he thought she hadn't noticed his movement to be nearer to her. But then she turned her face to him and smiled in obvious recognition of what he'd just done.

Was she sending him a signal? What if he put his arms around her? Would she rebel and push him away?

Seeing the expression in her eyes, he was sure she wouldn't. And those eyes shimmered, icy blue in the bright light of the late afternoon.

Razim's gaze dropped to her mouth. Her lips were moist and inviting. He wondered if he dare kiss her, but hesitated. He asked himself where his caution was coming from.

It was simple, really. This woman was no longer his wife. That was the reason for the hesitancy. His reluctance was born out of a sense of honor toward her, and a strong impulse to treat her with the utmost respect.

A gust of the desert breeze shifted some locks of her blonde hair loose. They drifted across her features and she lifted a hand, pushing them away. But still the breeze kept the long hairs resting on her pretty features.

Razim lifted his hand and took hold of the soft hairs and tucked them behind her ear. She smiled at him. Just touching her like that triggered desire in him. Just being this close to her, and in this place, made him want her, made him need her.

He gazed at her and saw her eyes flicker, a hint of uncertainty in them.

That made him pull back. Instantly. He wasn't going to push himself on her. He wanted her to come to him. This had to be her choice.

Then she surprised him. She leaned closer to him and slid her hand around his back, curling it around his waist. He was taken aback and looked at her, narrowing his brows. She smiled up at him and snuggled close to him. Then she turned her head away from him as if she wanted him to know that she was making a gesture that was merely friendly, merely familiar.

It felt good to have her close to him. To feel her arm wrapped around his waist. He slid his own arm around her, resting a hand on her shoulder. This was the way it had once been. The way it should be forever, he told himself.

And for what seemed like a very long time, they stood on the peak of the dune and enjoyed the desert's majestic beauty.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dinner was just as basic as Razim had promised. But, even though she wasn't used to this kind of food, somehow sharing it with Razim made it taste good. They'd spent what seemed like an eternity up on the peak of the dune. But, it had been a beautiful time, one she knew she would always remember. At one point she had been sure that Razim had wanted to kiss her. Clearly the romance of this place, this oasis of calm in the wilderness, had the ability to make them both recall better times, she told herself.

The meal over, Razim lit a fire from logs which were kept in the storage space. She watched him construct the logs into a symmetrical pile a safe distance away from the tent. After a while, the lit fire spread its golden glow across the flat, sandy space between the tent and the oasis pool and trees. Tiny sparks flew, like fireflies, into the night.

Razim stood alongside the fire and smiled at Paige. "I think I did a pretty good job," he said proudly. "Don't you think?"

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