Page 41 of The Sheikh's Willing Captive

He smiled at her and extended his hands, warming them.

She squinted at him. "I seem to recall that's what you say about just about everything you do."

"Are you saying I'm arrogant?" he asked and grinned at her.

"Let's just say that you don't miss a chance to give yourself compliments."

He shrugged. "I thought so. You do think I'm arrogant," he said firmly.

For a moment, she worried that she had offended him. But, when he smiled at her, she felt relieved. Why had that even been important to her? She recalled how insensitive she'd been toward him when she'd gotten on the plane in New York. Now that she'd seen that this separation was going to be as hard for him as it was for her, she didn't want to rub salt into the wound.

Since they'd arrived here in the oasis, she'd gotten the sense that they were both tip-toeing around each other. As if there were things they both wanted to say to each other, but wouldn't dare because of the consequences.

She squatted down on the sand and Razim sat down next to her. He gazed into the fire. He stared into the flames, clearly lost in thought. She wondered what he could be thinking about, but didn't dare ask in case the conversation became difficult.

Paige held her hands close to the fire. The warmth of the flames was a welcome contrast to the evening chill. Overhead, the night sky blazed with shimmering stars. A steady, soft breeze swept in from the desert, fanning the flames. The light flickered across Razim's features causing shadows to dance across his face.

There was no doubt about it. Razim was handsome, she told herself. Here, sitting by the fire, his back erect, his chin held proudly up, he looked positively regal. Completely at home. She could imagine him seated here, just like this, ever since he'd been young. This was his natural habitat. Like a wild animal, he seemed entirely at home in this place.

During dinner the conversation had been about inconsequential things, trivial details about things that had happened to her in New York, or what he had been doing since she had gone away.

Paige was glad that he hadn't tried to force the conversation onto the subject of their relationship. That would have made for more awkward moments, she told herself.

And, since she had arrived at the camp, there had been an absence of the tension they'd both displayed back at the palace. It was almost as if this place calmed their spirits, she reflected. She knew that some places had the capacity to do that. All couples who'd enjoyed any kind of relationship invariably had special places where they could be at ease with one another.

She gazed around the oasis. This was their comfort zone, she told herself. The oasis would live in her memory for a long time.

Who was she kidding! She chided herself, realizing how stupid that sounded.

Paige knew she would never forget this night. And, more importantly, never forget Razim. Once again, regret tugged at her, like an unwelcome spirit. How long was she going to feel like this? The ache in her middle was now even more insistent than it had been back at the palace. Would that hurt fade with the passage of time? She hoped so.

Nevertheless, she didn't want anything to spoil the exquisite calm of this time with the man who, until today, had been her husband.

Paige saw Razim glancing across at her. He looked like he was about to say something.

"Do you remember our first night here?" he asked.

She felt herself blush. "Sure," she said curtly.

He smiled. "It was a wonderful night. In every possible way," he said in an appreciative tone of voice.

Paige nodded, wondering where Razim was going with all of this. "How could I ever forget?" she said. "It was like something out of a dream."

Razim ran his gaze around the encampment. "This place is a dream." He sighed and lowered his voice. "Once you're gone, I think I'll wait a while before I come back. A long while, in fact."

Paige was startled by the directness of his confession. "Why?"

He gazed across at her. His dark eyes were filled with emotion. "Do I have to spell it out?"

She felt heat on her cheeks, and it had nothing to do with the fire burning a few feet in front of her. "No, you don't Razim."

He shifted closer, turning to face her head on. "Any magic this place once had will get on that plane when you go back to the US."

She turned her head away from him. The sudden shift in him disconcerted her. "I won't take anything away with me, except wonderful memories," she admitted, hoping that would satisfy him.

He shook his head. "You'll be taking away something more precious than memories," he replied.

"What?"

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