Bedded by the Desert King by Susan Stephens

Author:Susan Stephens
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2006-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE Ruby Fort…

Zara hadn’t known what to expect when Shahin told her on the flight over that this was where they must go if she was to claim her father’s legacy.

He hadn’t warned her that they would be travelling to the fort on horseback, something he might have rethought had he known she would be sharing his horse. And any thrill of clinging on to Shahin had been more than wiped out by a level of discomfort she could never have imagined in her wildest dreams…

They had been riding for the best part of an hour and every bit of her was saddle-sore. She hadn’t known how much longer she could go on. But as Shahin’s favourite palace rose out of the empty desert like a mirage she soon forgot about her aching body.

As they drew closer Zara could see ramparts taking shape. Sunset was the time when the palace was at its best, Shahin had said, and he wanted her to see it for the first time just like this…

He was right—it took her breath away.

The colours in the desert were always stunning, but tonight they were exceptional. The sun hovered on the horizon like a big orange ball, glorious and effulgent, as if to remind the world of its splendour before plunging the land into night. Every colour was exaggerated—the mountains blacker, the sand turning rapidly from ivory to copper, while the sky was a mesmerising mix of lavender and tangerine. And still against this artist’s palette of colours the Ruby Fort stood out.

The name alone sounded like something out of a fairy tale and the Ruby Fort did more than live up its reputation. As the name suggested, it blazed red thanks to the countless gems implanted in its walls—gems that had been a gift, Shahin had told her, to his father from the tribesmen who had wanted to show their gratitude to the elderly Sheikh who had laid his wealth at their feet.

‘What do you think?’ he said, turning his stallion side on to give her a better view.

Before she could answer, he cried, ‘Get up, Jal!’ and Zara’s cry of alarm was lost in a flurry of hooves as Shahin pointed his horse towards their destination. Zara barely managed to lodge her thighs around the stallion’s side in time to prevent herself bouncing off. She had been foolhardy enough to try and ease her aching leg muscles by lifting herself a little way out of the saddle and had almost paid for it with a tumble.

‘Enjoying the ride?’ Shahin asked when he finally reined in.

Gritting her teeth, Zara ground out, ‘Great’. How could anyone enjoy riding? Zara wondered. And, as for finding it comfortable…Shahin might be able to sit deep in the saddle, completely at ease, but she felt as if she might possibly be damaged for life.

‘Good,’ he approved, urging the stallion forward again. ‘I told you you’d soon get the hang of it…’

As the horse surged forward Zara clamped her teeth together to stop them rattling in her jaw.

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