Chapter 26
A long time later, Zayed lifted his head up and looked down at Tara. There was a smile on her face that…hell, seeing her satisfied expression made his body start to harden all over again.
“I’ll be right back,” he whispered into her ear, then kissed her cheek and walked into the bathroom. That’s when he noticed that the condom had broken. Looking down at the prophylactic, his mind froze at the possible repercussions. Then he thought of Tara, ripe and joyful with their child, and his tension dissipated. No, he didn’t want to pressure Tara into having children right away. But nor would he mind if that happened. He’d love to marry her and have a dozen children with her!
Okay, perhaps not a dozen. Four. Maybe five.
He’d have to ask her how many children she wanted. Since she’d bear the burden of carrying their children, Tara had to make the final decision.
Grabbing a washcloth, he cleaned up himself, then rinsed out another cloth with warm water, bringing it back to the bed. He smiled as he watched Tara pull the bed covers up over her nakedness. Did she not realize that he’d seen every part of her? And wanted to do it all over again?
She’d understand that very soon, he thought and kissed the tops of her breasts. “Open your legs, habibi .”
Her startled expression caused him to chuckle. “Open my…why?”
“Because the condom broke. It was an accident, but you might feel a bit sticky soon. I’m going to clean you up.”
She reached for the cloth, shaking her head. “I can do that. You don’t need to bother yourself.”
“Not a bother,” he replied, pulling the rapidly cooling cloth out of her reach. “We won’t have any secrets between us, Tara. Open your legs and be bold. Don’t be ashamed of anything between us.”
She laughed. “Oh, I have a lot of secrets, Zayed,” she told him, and grinned triumphantly when she plucked the cloth out of his fingers. She reached under the sheet and wiped between her legs, but Zayed wasn’t having any kind of shyness between them. He easily pulled the sheet away and he watched as she finished wiping the stickiness away. She dropped the cloth onto the floor beside the bed. “I’ll take care of that later.”
“Much later,” he commented, pulling her into his arms. “How do you feel?”
Tara tilted her head slightly, considering her answer. “I feel good, actually. I remember the women talking about how badly they ached the day after any sort of intercourse. But I feel…!” She took a deep breath, then laughed. “I feel incredible!”
“Good,” he replied, laughing with her as he pulled her onto his chest. “Now perhaps we can explore some variations on the same theme.” He let his hands move over her thighs, his thumbs pausing at the juncture of her thighs. He heard her sharp intake of breath and chuckled as he let his eyes move over her naked body. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Tara. You know that, don’t you?’
“I don’t know any such thing,” she countered, but smiled as she lowered herself to plant a kiss in the middle of his chest.
He was just about to shift her body when a knock sounded on the door.
Tara almost laughed when she saw his irritation. She couldn’t blame him since she was thinking the same thing.
Then she gasped, remembering the man who Zayed had personally invited to the palace for talks. “Sheik Abuzman!” she hissed.
They stared at each other for a stunned moment, then Zayed muttered a series of curses and they both jumped out of bed. “He’s going to be furious with me for forgetting our meeting,” Zayed replied in an amused whisper.
“Surely the guards explained that there was a security threat inside the palace, right?” she asked as she rushed into the bathroom and flipped on the water. Tara didn’t bother to shampoo her hair, but instead washed off the scent of lovemaking and jumped out again, grabbing a towel. She glanced behind her and couldn’t stop from appreciating the impressive physique as Zayed rushed as well to dry off and pull on clean clothes.
But Tara lifted the pink dress up, surveying the damage caused by the dress laying in a pile on the floor for…she wasn’t even sure what time it was.
Zayed came out of a dressing room, quickly buttoning a shirt. He’d already pulled on a pair of slacks and looked magnificent! He must have noticed the wrinkles in the soft, wool dress and smiled. “You should have more clothes in the dressing area of the room you slept in last night.”
“Didn’t sleep,” she grumbled, and pulled the dress on anyway. She’d have to wear something to get to the other suite, even if it was obviously wrinkled.
Zayed paused, one hand on the doorknob. “What was that?”
Tara was busy running her fingers through her hair, searching the floor and the bedclothes for the band so she could pull her hair back into a neat braid. “Nothing,” she replied, wiggling her free hand in the air. “Go! Give your almost-friend a good enough story about why you’d abandoned him.”
Zayed remained, watching Tara for a long moment, then he simply smiled and left the bedroom.
Tara finally found the band and restrained her hair, then pulled the sheets and comforter back to a semblance of tidiness. It wasn’t as neat as the palace staff would do, but it was the best she could accomplish at the moment.
Tara hurried down the hallway, her bodyguards more obvious now, to the other suite. At the doorway, she paused and looked at the three men. “I’ll just be a moment. I need to change my dress and I’ll be back out.”
Tara knew Zayed never explained his activities to his guards. In fact, they were trained to react to anything he might do. But she just couldn’t leave the men standing outside waiting on her. So she gave them a friendly wave, then rushed into the suite. Zayed said that there were outfits in her suite, and she desperately hoped that one of her old dresses was available. She needed clean underwear as well. As sexy and comfortable as the bits of lace were, she always put clean panties on after a shower.
But when she walked into the dressing room, she couldn’t find her old, dull dresses. Instead, there was a complete rainbow of clothing available for her to choose from. The array of clothes was so stunning, so overwhelming, she wasn’t sure what to do. How did one choose a single outfit when presented with so many options?
“Where have you been?” a female voice hissed.
Tara spun around and nearly jumped out of her skin when she spotted Kaia sneaking out from behind her clothes.
“You’re safe!” Tara gasped, rushing over to hug her sister. When she pulled back, Tara looked in her sister’s eyes. “Where do you go? Where did you hide earlier today?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kaia replied, staring into Tara’s eyes. “Elijah is here in the capital city. I’ve seen him three times now.
“He’s here ? Are you sure?”
Kaia gave her a look that spoke volumes. Tara sighed, nodding her head. “You’re right, of course. In fact, Beth Ann and Nora were arrested a couple of days ago. So, I know that Elijah is here. Either him or Ethan.”
Kaia visibly shuddered at the other man’s name. But she recovered quickly, grabbing Tara’s hand. “It’s Elijah. But he is just as dangerous as Ethan. Besides, Elijah has much more to lose if he doesn’t return to Kentucky with you. The elders haven’t allowed him to marry anyone since you escaped.”
Tara stared at her sister in stunned horror. “That’s crazy! Why not?”
Kaia sighed and pushed her dark curls behind her ear. “Tara, we don’t have time for this.”
“When did you pierce your nose?” Tara asked, distracted by the silver ring on her nostril. Normally, Tara wasn’t fond of nose piercings, but she had to admit that Kaia looked sexy with the sparkly ring.
“It’s actually not pierced,” Kaia replied, then demonstrated by pulling it off. “It’s just another disguise for me. I’ve been trying to get inside the palace to help you escape for the past week.” She huffed a bit. “This place is tough!”
“But you did it,” Tara replied with a chuckle. “And your presence here has put the guards on high alert.”
“I still have a way out. Come on.”
Tara thought about that for a long moment. But in her mind, she pictured Zayed and the way he’d looked at her several minutes ago. He hadn’t looked at her as if she were a burden. He’d held her in his arms as if she were…a lover. Did he love her? She wasn’t sure, but he had proposed to her.
But her sister was already tugging her out the door. “I can’t leave!” Tara hissed, tugging on Kaia’s hand. She placed her fingers over her sister’s grip, gentling the ferocious beauty. “Kaia, I can’t leave Zayed.”
Kaia’s green eyes widened and Tara was once again amazed at how beautiful her sister was. She was wild, beautiful, and incredibly intelligent. The fact that her sister was here, inside the palace, was proof of her brilliance.
“What do you mean? Of course you can leave!” She looked at Tara with horror. “Does this man have something on you? I know that he’s powerful, but the research I did on the man made me think that he’s fair.”
“He’s wonderful, Kaia. He’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known.” She smiled gently at her sister. “Except for you. You saved me from a nightmarish life and I’ll never forget you. But Kaia, Zayed is a good man.”
Kaia’s eyes turned angry. “He’s a man , Tara. You can never trust a man!”
“I always thought that men were untrustworthy as well, until I met Zayed.” She gestured to the padded bench in the middle of the closet. They both sat down, Kaia reluctantly. “You got me this job and I’ve loved it. Every moment while I’ve been here in Pitra has been…a beautiful challenge.”
Kaia grinned. “I suspected that you would be perfect for the job. Plus, I’ve gotten to know the man over the past couple of years.” She smiled, thinking of all the things she knew about him. “He’s a good man, Kaia.”
“I don’t trust him.” Her sister was stubborn, which was one of the reasons she’d gotten them to this point.
Tara covered her sister’s hands with her own. “Kaia, you’ve done a wonderful job of protecting me. Why don’t you let me take over the role for a while?”
Kaia laughed. “Tara, it’s my job as your big sister to watch out for you.” She leaned forward, a teasing glint in her eyes. “And my instincts are telling me that we need to move, now!”
“But we don’t!” Tara insisted, with identical urgency. “Kaia, Zayed heard that I was in danger and moved me into the palace.” She tightened her hands over her sister’s grip. “You could move in here as well. He will protect you!”
Kaia stared at Tara for a long, stunned moment, shaking her head, unaware of the way her curls danced around her face. “You’re in love with him!” she gasped.
Tara opened her mouth to argue, but the denial wouldn’t come.
Kaia gasped and stood up, backing away from Tara. “You fell in love with the man and now you’re just going to stay here and let him control you?” She shook her head again, pacing the large area, the thick carpeting softening her sister’s footsteps. “You fell in love with a man !” She said the last words with a sneer of disgust.
“I…!” Tara replied, not sure what to say. It was true. She was madly in love with Zayed!
“Tara, how many times have I told you that men are abusive, horrible bastards?” she hissed, coming over to kneel in front of Tara. “They don’t have the ability to love anyone but themselves! The men we grew up with, Ethan Howell specifically, doesn’t have the capacity to love. He takes bible verses and twists them around to suit his pedophile desires. And how many times has he threatened to whip you?”
Tara’s eyes filled with tears. She reached out, cupping Kaia’s cheek. “How many times did he whip you?” she whispered, her voice a mere croak as she suddenly realized what her big sister had gone through. Kaia’s eyes filled and she shook her head, but Tara could see the truth in her eyes. “How many times, Kaia?” Tara demanded. Her fury was barely contained now. “I know that Ethan and the other husbands and elders would whip girls and women whenever we didn’t follow their rules.” She let her thumb move over Kaia’s cheek. “How many times?”
Kaia stood up, backing away as she angrily wiped the tears from her eyes. “It wasn’t just when we disobeyed!” she whispered.
Tara stood up as well, reaching for her sister’s hands. “Tell me!” she pleaded. “I need to know how many times he beat you!” She clenched her jaw, trying to control the rage. “Because I’m going to find him and I’m going to beat him twice as many times as he hurt you!”
“I think I would like to help,” a deep, masculine voice broke in.
Both women turned to discover not just Zayed standing in the doorway, but the other man. Sheik Abuzman’s tall, powerful body blocked the rest of the world from entering the closet and he was currently staring at Kaia with an oddly stunned expression.
Tara stepped protectively in front of her sister. “We were having a private conversation,” she said to Zayed, ignoring the other man.
Zayed stepped closer, his eyes bright and equally confusing. “You love me.” He stepped even closer, reaching out and taking her hands. “You never said the words, but you love me. Your sister could see it in your eyes.”
Zayed’s arm whipped out, wrapping around Tara’s waist and pulling her in closer. “Tell me!”
Tara balanced herself with a hand to his chest…or maybe she just enjoyed touching him. Still, she couldn’t admit anything.
“Zayed, you just broke off your engagement to Princess Ciara a couple of weeks ago.”
“I never loved her,” he countered. “We were engaged for ten years so that Ciara could avoid other men.” He lowered his head so that he could look directly into her eyes. “We were just friends. We were betrothed when we were too young to know any better and we remained betrothed because it was convenient.” He kissed her softly. The caress was just a brush of his lips, but she felt the sensation all the way down to her toes. “I love you , Tara. I’ve always loved you. Ever since you first ordered me into a meeting, admonishing me for being late and making people wait, I fell in love with you.”
Her mouth fell open at this admission. “You love me?” she whispered, shifting even closer to him. “But…how?”
Zayed chuckled. “Tara, you’re so brainwashed from your childhood trauma that you can’t see that not all men are like the warped bastards from your past.” He lowered his head and kissed her again. “I’m not like the man that tried to rape you as a child. I vow right here and right now to protect you, to cherish every moment with you. I will never put you into a role that you don’t want. If you want to work, then you will do whatever job you wish to do.” He pulled her closer, burying his face against her neck. “For two years, I’ve dreamed about making love to you and earlier today…you finally let me!” he whispered into her ear. “I promise to show you every decadent, naughty activity that you can imagine. You won’t be held to an impossible standard. And I won’t ever beat you if you do something that threatens me. I promise you this!”
That was all she needed to hear. Tara lifted up onto her toes and kissed him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I promise to love you better than any woman ever could! I will make you so happy!”
“You already do, love!” he told her. And then he kissed her deeply. Tara inhaled as he pulled her more firmly against his tall, muscular body, reveling in the delight of his kiss.
However, after only a few moments, the clearing of someone’s throat interrupted their moment.
Tara looked around, but noticed that Zayed kept her close with his arm around her waist.
“Go away,” he growled, barely glancing over his shoulder.
The laughter brought Tara’s gaze towards the man still standing in the doorway. Why was Sheik Abuzman still here?
“If I might offer a solution?” the man offered.
Zayed sighed and turned, but kept his arm around Tara. “What?”
The man’s dark eyes zeroed in on Kaia. Tara glanced over her shoulder and noticed that her sister was glaring up at the man, but…was there a softness about her mouth? Or maybe…interest?
“Marry Tara immediately,” Sheik Abuzman suggested. “Marry her today and protect her from this maniac who thinks to steal her away.” He looked over at Kaia. “Your sister and I will act as witnesses. After the wedding, I will sneak Kaia out of the country, take her back to Bidar with me.” He looked back at Zayed. “I will protect Ms. Treon, then you and I will both send contingents to Kentucky to apprehend the men who might still want to capture either sister.”
Zayed looked down at Tara, an unspoken question in his eyes now. She only nodded slowly and his grin widened. “I think that’s a perfect plan. I’ve had my men out in the city looking for this Elijah person, but so far, he has eluded my officers.”
“He can’t hide for forever.” Tara peeked around Zayed’s shoulders. “They don’t have a lot of money.”
“He will stay hidden for as long as it takes to find you, Tara,” Kaia replied. She crossed her arms.
“He’ll eventually run out of money. He doesn’t have a lot to begin with.”
Kaia shook her head. “Ethan controls all of the money in the community, Tara. Everyone brings their crops and their products to him. He’s told everyone that he will sell the products at market price, but no one knows how much money he receives for the grain and corn crops, or the livestock that were sold at market. Everyone just trusts the bastard to be fair. But that man parses out money to each member of the community so that they remain loyal only to him. Everyone is completely dependent on him and the money he allows them to have. And you can bet that he uses that money to strictly control everyone.”
“That’s…so awful!” Tara gasped suddenly realizing that Kaia was right. There wasn’t any real need for money in the village because…well, because Ethan controlled the grocery store and everything else. Wow!
“Is that true?” she whispered, stunned by the man’s audacity and control.
Kaia lifted an eyebrow at her sister’s outrage. “You are talking about a man who marries children off to old lecherous men. A man who enjoys beating women and children. And when he isn’t doing the actual beating, he enjoys watching other people beat anyone who steps out of line. He doesn’t think that people should be beaten in order to keep them loyal to his divine being, Tara,” she spat out. “He encourages the beatings because he likes watching. He enjoys seeing the blood.”
“He’s a monster!” Sheik Abuzman hissed.
Kaia glanced at him and Tara noticed her sister blush. She tried to feign indifference, but Tara knew her sister too well. She was intrigued. Tara doubted that Kaia would ever relent enough to appreciate the man’s positive qualities. And now, Tara understood why. Kaia had been physically and psychologically beaten by Ethan far more times than she’d realized.
“I think that’s a good plan,” Zayed replied, his voice firm and he looked down at Tara. “What do you think? You have the deciding vote. Will you marry me? Today?”
Tara knew she should pause and really consider the offer of marriage. But she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Yes!” she gasped. Then she laughed as she was enveloped by strong arms, Zayed peppering her neck with kisses as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment.