Page 46 of Kismet

Chapter 13

The fresh morning air was still crisp and clean smelling without the heat of the day to dry it out. Allegra had awoken before dawn debating whether she should ride with Shaheen as she normally did. In the end, she’d decided that not riding with him this morning would only emphasize how much his kiss had affected her last night. And it had disconcerted her. So deeply that she refused to dwell on the subject.

Instead, she moved quietly through the camp toward the horses on the opposite side of camp. The soft whicker of a horse drifted through the air as she passed the last tent and saw the hobbled Arabians mingling together. Standing off to one side, Shaheen’s stallion eyed her with suspicion and tossed his head with an arrogance that reminded her of his owner. The sudden frisson skimming over her skin made her stiffen. He was directly behind her. She could feel his warmth spreading across her back, and a small whiff of cedar drifted beneath her nostrils.

“I didn’t expect to see you this morning,” he said quietly.

She wasn’t sure how to answer him as he walked past her and threw a blanket onto his horse. With his back to her, it was impossible to read his expression, but she could see the tension in him. It was there in his stiff and jerky movements as he saddled the chestnut stallion.

“Is that your way of saying I’m not welcome to ride with you today?”

He stopped adjusting the saddle girth and looked at her over his shoulder. Frustration glittered in his eyes as he sent her a hard look. “If you think to play games with me, Allegra, don’t. You can only push a man so far before he breaks, and I’m already there.”

“You accused me of playing games when we first met. I wasn’t guilty of the charge then any more than I am now.”

“And yet last night, you fled like a gazelle at the first hint of danger.”

“Yes.” She met his gaze steadily. “I ran because I won’t be seduced into a decision that affects me so intimately. I choose my lovers in the light of day and not the throes of passion.”

“Then that means you have considered my proposition.” There was a note of triumph in voice as he studied her with that familiar arrogance of his.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You said it was a decision that affects you intimately. That tells me you’re considering my request.”

The gleam of satisfaction in his dark eyes made her swallow hard. He was right, she was contemplating a liaison with him, but she’d not meant to admit it. She flushed under his heated gaze, and a tremor rippled through her as he moved to tower over her. His fingers trailed across her hot cheek, while a small smile tipped the corners of his mouth.

“Choose me, ma belle. You won’t regret doing so.”

The words caressed her, tempting her to say yes as he turned away from her to continue saddling his horse. Following his lead, she proceeded to saddle the dark brown mare she rode every morning. Before he had the chance to help her, Allegra jumped up into Adiva’s saddle. She didn’t think she could handle him touching her at the moment. Her body was more than ready to betray her if he came too close. He sent her an inquisitive look as he checked Adiva’s saddle girth with a gentle tug.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“No.” She shook her head at his question. “Should I have?”

“I’d planned on visiting one of the tribe’s herdsmen today.” A frown furrowed his forehead under his kaffia. “It’s a long ride on an empty stomach.”

In less than a minute, he’d retrieved a chunk of goat cheese from his saddlebag and handed the food to her before turning around to mount his horse. Hunger rumbled through her belly, and she bit into the cheese as she urged Adiva into a canter. Sprawled out in front of her, the rugged desert plains were as beautiful as they were untamed. She understood why Shaheen had chosen to stay in Morocco with the Amazigh. Here was a serenity London, with all its polite society, could never offer.

They’d ridden for over an hour when Shaheen motioned for her to halt, and she brought Adiva to a stop. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him drink deeply from a water bag he’d removed from the side of his saddle. When finished, he offered the bag to her. The intimacy of sharing such a basic need wasn’t lost on her as she drank the surprisingly cool water. Shaheen had dismounted to water the horses with another water bag as she quenched her thirst. When he’d finished, he turned to study the mountains with a puzzled frown.

“Do we have far to go?” She handed him their water bag, which he tied to his saddle in an absent-minded fashion.

“No,” he said as he remounted Tarek. “Actually, I’m surprised we haven’t seen Omar yet. I didn’t think he was quite this far from the camp.”

“Why would he be so far away in the first place?”

“Omar likes his privacy,” he said with a smile. “He’ll only come so close to the encampment.”

“Does he have a large number of sheep?”

“Enough,” Shaheen said with a shrug as he surveyed the land stretched out in front of them. “It’s why I’m surprised—”

She watched him stiffen in the saddle as he peered closely at something off to their left. Turning her head, she saw nothing except for a flock of birds in the sky.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure.” He glanced around as if looking for something else. Tension emanated from him, and Tarek shifted restlessly in place. “Let’s go.”