The Sheikh's Determined Lover by Leslie North

Author:Leslie North [North, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-04-01T16:00:00+00:00

Christine's eyes brightened, and a smile lit her face. It was like watching the day dawn. Arif caught a breath. He also caught her hand. She did not pull away from him, so he led her into the nomad's camp. She seemed to want to see everything, and she asked a thousand questions. He did not mind. And he watched only her.

He did not bother to explain that the wedding had been going on for two days already. He did, however, tell her about the traditions unique to the nomads of Zahkim. In Zahkim, men and women did not celebrate in separate tents. The wedding was held under the stars, not inside the main tent, where goat and camel meat, lentil stew, sweet cakes, and tea had been set out.

The drumming stopped, and the bride stepped out of her tent, her robes and the arga covering her lower face lavishly decorated with golden coins that glittered and clattered as she moved, her eyes bright and rimmed with kohl. Christine caught a breath when the bride lifted her hand, revealing the red henna tattoos on her hands in far more intricate patterns than Tess had gone for at her wedding.

"Those are amazing," Christine whispered, leaning closer to Arif.

He made a mental note that his Christine must have the most beautiful designs put on her skin at her laylat al henna party. Leaning closer to her, he caught a whiff of her scent, and his pulse quickened.

Putting a hand over hers, he said, "They have no meaning; they are for beauty only."

The ceremony was simple and short, and afterwards the feast started—and the nomads of Zahkim knew how to party. Christine was pulled into a dance with the women. Tradition held that a women should only dance in front of other women if veiled, and so one of the other women handed her a black veil so she could join in. Guests threw candies into the air, and jokes circulated about how poor Maali had his hands full with a bride who would rule his house. The party moved into the tent to partake of the feast, and the drumming started up again, along with songs and more dancing.

The festivities were still going on when Arif noticed Christine's shoulders starting to sag. He rose, offered his congratulations to the two families, along with a handsome bride gift of money, and then made their farewells. He led Christine back to the limo with a hand at the small of her back.

Once inside the car, Christine settled back with a sigh. "That was amazing. But the bride and groom…they seemed so young."

"Not much younger than we are. And very much in love. Maali has been engaged to Wafa for two years—they met in college, actually. It is custom in Zahkim to marry for love. We don't have arranged marriages, generally."

"Really?" The questions started again. Why was the wedding held under the stars? Was the food prepared by the groom’s or bride's family? Was there a dowry or bride contract made? She seemed made of questions.

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