Millions To Spare

Chapter Twelve

Curled up in a corner of her Emirates Palace hotel room in Abu Dhabi, Brittany watched the early-morning waves roll in on the white sand beach of the peninsula. There was a storm brewing out there somewhere, because the wind whipped the palm fronds, and white foam sparkled under the rising sun.

As they had the past two nights, Alex and Brittany had checked into one hotel with Harrison’s credit card, then stayed in a second one using cash. There was no way to know if the police were still following them, but they’d try to give Harrison a few more days to get Julia out of the country before they returned to Cadair.

After that, well, it was back to normal life.

Brittany was experiencing increasingly conflicted emotions about that. She wanted Harrison to propose-what woman wouldn’t? But there was something about Alex, something she had to deal with, something that called to her on an untamed, sensual level.

They’d danced the night away at the Emirates Palace club last night. And, for what was probably the first time in her life, she’d been completely uninhibited on the dance floor. In London, and on official trips with her family, there was always the danger of reporters snapping a picture and writing an unflattering story.

But, last night, in a crowded club, deep in Abu Dhabi, with an anonymous, American lawyer, she’d known the dancing was only about the moment. And it had been brilliant.

A soft knock came at her door, and she rose in the white, embroidered robe. It had been less than ten minutes since she’d called room service for coffee and pastries-just another example of the hotel’s impeccable service.

But when she opened the door, it was Alex, looking sexy and casual in a white, mandarin-collared shirt and lightweight black slacks.

“I didn’t want to call and wake you,” he said.

“Coffee’s on the way.” She stood back to let him in.

“You feeling okay this morning?”

It had been 3:00 a.m. before they’d called it quits last night. A combination of adrenaline, tropical cocktails and, in her case, runaway hormones had kept them lively through the late night. They’d finally ended with a jazzy waltz beneath the lighted palm trees by the hotel’s west pool, where, for a second, she’d thought Alex was going to kiss her.

But he didn’t.

“I’m fine,” she told him now. And she was. Her short sleep had been deep and satisfying.

He smiled down at her as he entered the hallway, voice going low. “Have a good time last night?”

“I did.”

“Different than your regular balls?”

“A little,” she allowed, as the door swung shut behind him.

He waited for her to move, then followed her through the entryway to the cozy set of ice-blue chairs clustered around the wide, arched window.

She sat down, arranging the delicate robe around her legs, half tempted to let it fall open.

Was he attracted to her? He’d seen her in a bikini yesterday and in a slim, little black party dress last night. Fundamentally, he’d behaved like a gentleman throughout. But, every once in a while, she thought she caught a flare of heat in his eyes.

She’d caught more than a few unaccustomed flares of heat in her own body. Alex was an incredibly attractive man, one of those men who looked better and better as you got to know them and they let you see their range of intelligence and emotion. He was also very different from the men she’d met in her past.

Sometime last night, she’d realized the difference was that he didn’t care about impressing her. After a lifetime of fawning gentlemen, there was something exciting about the one who did whatever the heck he wanted, whether she approved or not. Which, in a strange way, gave her permission to do the same thing.

So she let the robe fall open, showing off most of her right leg. Then she curled her feet beneath her on the wide, soft chair, not even caring that the position nearly exposed her bare hip. There was something exhilarating about the pose, and something even more exhilarating about Alex’s avid gaze.

He stared at the smooth, softly tanned leg. “You know,” he began in a quiet voice, “you are not what Harrison thinks you are.”

Okay, she’d bite. “What does Harrison think I am?”

Alex’s attention moved to her eyes. “Some decorative appendage without a mind of her own.” He sat forward in his chair, taking in the complete length of her body. “You, sweetheart, definitely have a mind of your own.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” She shifted, and the robe inched up.

He reached across the space between them. Then he traced his fingertip from her midthigh, over her knee and down her calf.

Her muscles contracted and her breath caught.

“This work often?” he asked mildly, lifting his finger from her ankle.

She wasn’t exactly sure what he meant.

He looked into her eyes. “For getting men into your bed.”

“I’ve never had a man in my bed.”

The second the words were out, she realized what she’d admitted.

Alex squinted. Then he rocked back. “Come again?”

She didn’t know what to say.

“Brittany?”

“Too much information?”

“How old are you?”

Her embarrassment quickly turned to annoyance. It was hardly a crime to be a virgin. “I’m twenty-five.”

“Yet, you’ve never…” He lifted his hands in a gesture of confusion. “You’re stunning as sin. You practically killed me on the dance floor last night. And that bikini would get you on the cover of any magazine in the world. How on earth…”

What? She was supposed to take every offer that came her way?

“There are two kinds of men in my life,” she told him bluntly. “The kind that are afraid of my father, and the kind that would run to the tabloids. Who was I supposed to sleep with? Tell me?”

“For the record,” he said, “I picked up the ball on your little seduction there, because I thought you knew what you were doing.”

“I’ve been sleeping in my own bed,” she countered. “Not hiding under a rock. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

“I can’t sleep with you, Brittany.”

“Why not?” Okay, that hadn’t come out exactly as she’d planned. She might be inexperienced, but bitchy and demanding didn’t seem like a particularly effective seduction technique.

She wasn’t sure exactly when she’d decided to seduce Alex. She wasn’t in a hurry to lose her virginity, and she certainly wasn’t desperate. It was just that he was Alex. And there was something about him. And she knew if she didn’t do this she’d spend the rest of her life wondering.

“One word,” he said in answer to her terse question.

She waited.

“Harrison.”

“Do you honestly believe Harrison will care if I’m not a virgin on our wedding night?”

“Harrison will care very much that it was me.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t thought about that.

“Yeah.”

“He’d fire you?”

“I’d quit.”

Okay, that wasn’t good. She tucked her leg beneath the robe where it belonged. “Guess I’d better go back to repressing.”

“That would be good.”

She bobbed her head for a moment. “Too bad. I kind of liked having a wild side.”

“You could turn Harrison down.”

“And have a fling with you?”

“And do anything you want. Just because you’re programmed to find a titled husband doesn’t mean you-”

“Programmed?”

“What would you call it?”

“Harrison and I have many things in common.”

“Like money, titles and property holdings?”

“Like religion, politics, art and mutual friends.”

“Are you in love with him?”

“He’s a lovable man.”

“Does he make your heart beat faster, your skin prickle with heat, your toes curl?”

That wasn’t a fair question. Those things made for a good fling, not a good marriage. Marriage was more than mere physical attraction.

“Because, if he doesn’t, sweetheart,” Alex drawled, “it’s going to be a bloody long marriage.”

She pulled herself forward in the chair. “Why do you care?”

The question seemed to stop him. Seconds ticked by. “I don’t know,” he finally said.

“Are you protecting Harrison?” she asked. “Are you afraid I’ll make him a bad wife?”

Alex’s gaze dropped to where her robe gaped open.

At the touch of his gaze, her heart beat faster, and her skin prickled with heat.

“No,” he finally said in a voice that was low and tight with emotion. “I’m afraid I’ll have to quit my job anyway, because I won’t be able to stand watching the two of you together.”

Brittany’s heart thudded deep and hollow. She could swear she heard it through the silence that boomed in the room.

“So,” he breathed and rose to his feet, his eyes focused on the cleavage revealed by the robe. “I guess, since that’s the case, I’m in. Your call.”

She slowly rose to face him. Could she sleep with Alex then marry Harrison? It was what she wanted, but she couldn’t shake the sense of betrayal. Ironically, though, it seemed like a betrayal of Alex rather than of Harrison.

“I can’t,” she managed.

Alex smiled, reaching out to gently stroke her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Of course you can’t.”

“But I want to.” She owed him her honesty, at least.

He cupped her cheek. “So do I.”

She closed her eyes and rested against his open hand, its warmth bittersweet. Her own hand rose to his wrist, wrapping around its thick strength and holding on, desperately afraid to let go of the moment.

He took a step forward, smoothing her hair with his other hand. She inhaled the hiss of his breath, subconsciously leaning into his scent and his strength.

Then his lips touched hers, and hot emotion swamped her, cresting along her limbs, flushing her skin.

She kissed him back, and the world fell away.

He opened his mouth, and his hand slipped around, anchoring at the back of her neck, holding her close while he kissed her thoroughly, deeply, expertly.

She took her own step forward, bringing their bodies together, and his arm went around her waist, while hers snaked around his neck. The knot in her sash rubbed free. Her robe slipped open. And his raw cotton shirt abraded her tender skin.

Sparks of desire shot down her spine. Want pooled in her belly, and need softened her bones, making it difficult to stand.

Alex’s lips left her mouth. They trailed down her cheek to the crook of her neck, to the tip of her shoulder, pushing the flimsy robe until it slipped down her arm. He pushed the other side, and the fabric whispered down to pool at her feet.

He drew back to look, eyes dark with desire.

He groaned once, then scooped her into his arms and crossed to the bed.

The air whispered over her bare skin. His hands were hard and solid against her. His arms were strong, his body sturdy. She wasn’t engaged, and they were both adults, and they were perfectly free to make this decision.

He laid her down, then straightened away, his eyes determined and defiant as he worked his way down the buttons of his shirt. She watched him, mesmerized as he stripped it off. His chest was impressive, dark and broad, sculpted with muscles that corded into his shoulders and neck.

His hands moved to his slacks, popping the button, drawing down on the zipper.

The room air was cool, but his gaze was hot. It traveled the length of her body then back again. Need roared in her ears, and it clouded her brain, until all she could see was a tall, naked, god of a man sinking down on the bed beside her. His hand closed over her breast. His mouth met her swollen lips. And his thigh slid up between hers, landing solid, sending rivers of sensation straight up to her brain.

His thumb rasped her nipple, and she reflexively arched. He murmured soothing words, gentling the caress.

She stroked his arms, clasped his shoulders, kissed his lips and tangled with his tongue.

After that, she was lost.

“What do I do?” Her whisper was pained against his mouth.

“Anything you want.” He kissed her again. “Trust me, it won’t be wrong.”

His hand slid down her rib cage, cupping her bottom, kneading the soft flesh.

She feathered her fingertips down his chest, feeling the hot play of his muscles, the sparse hair, his flat nipples.

He sucked in a breath, so she tried it again, smiling to herself when she realized he liked it. She swirled down lower, and lower still.

He gasped. “You want this to be over quick?”

“I have no idea.”

“Trust me, you don’t.” He retrieved her hands, putting them safely against his back.

But when his wandered to her thighs, she copied his movements. They stared at each other, alternately kissing and touching and teasing, as their bodies grew slick and the tension ratcheted up between them.

Then finally, he trapped her wrists in one hand, holding them out of harm’s way. He gently urged her thighs apart, watching her expression as he positioned himself above her.

Her breathing was laboured, her skin itchy hot, her limbs and her body twitchy with need. He touched against her, and her eyes went wide. Her lips went soft and she leaned up to kiss his mouth.

Her hips flexed, and her thighs quivered.

“Now,” she pleaded.

“I can’t believe-” He pressed against her.

She groaned and arched and freed her hands to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I can’t believe,” he repeated, “that I’m about to ruin both our lives.”

Then he flexed, and she gasped, and his solid thickness filled her. Heat instantly pulsed where their bodies joined.

She brought up her knees, and sharp pain was replaced by swirling desire.

“You okay?” he gasped, even as his body moved in its own rhythm.

“Don’t…” she groaned back. “Stop…” She sucked in a breath. “Ruining my life.”

“Brittany.” His hand slipped beneath her buttocks, refining their angle. “I could ruin your life forever.”

Events had quickly spiraled out of Julia’s control. Although there was a serious language barrier, the thrill of a wedding seemed universal. Ahmed’s wife, Habeeba, had immediately begun issuing orders, while the oldest daughter, Rania, pulled Julia into one of the bedrooms.

She laughed and gestured for Julia to sit on a small chair in front of a gilt, oval mirror. When she began combing Julia’s hair, Julia quickly realized she was being prepared to be a bride. She wanted to protest that it was unnecessary, but Rania seemed so excited that she didn’t have the heart to stop her.

Rania smoothed Julia’s hair back into a flat braid. Then she offered her a warm cloth and gestured for her to wash her face. Julia smiled and nodded, trying to express her appreciation without words.

She didn’t know what Harrison was doing outside, but she hoped it was more along the lines of getting the local marriage official and filling out the paperwork.

She was far from convinced this was a good idea. But if they were going to do it, they’d better get it done and get out of here.

She had no doubt Muwaffaq was scouring the desert for them, and she doubted he’d stop to ask for their passports.

Chatting as she worked, not seeming the least bit concerned that Julia didn’t understand her, Rania carefully applied cosmetics to Julia’s freshly washed face. She brushed and blended, and stroked the subtle colors onto Julia’s eyes, lips and cheeks.

Then, apparently satisfied, she pulled over another small, wooden chair and reached for Julia’s hands. As she began washing them, Julia forced out another smile. She didn’t really need a manicure. A preacher alone would do the trick.

She surreptitiously glanced behind her.

Where was Harrison?

Then, the bedroom door opened. But Julia’s sigh of relief was short-lived. Instead of Harrison come to rescue her, she saw Habeeba coming through the door. The woman carried a small, ceramic bowl and a hand towel.

She spoke to Rania, who stood up and relieved her mother of the bowl.

Then Habeeba sat down across from Julia and reached for her hands. Before Julia knew what was happening, the older woman had dipped a brush into the dark paste in the bowl and started to draw on the back of Julia’s hand.

Julia fought an instinct to snatch her hand away. But, quickly, an intricate design of scrolls and flowers appeared. Rania and her mother chatted to Julia and with each other, with Rania pointing and commenting as the drawing took shape.

Julia got that it was some kind of wedding tradition. She also realized the paste must be made from henna dye.

The talking and painting went on and on. When the older woman finally finished her hands, Julia breathed a sigh of relief. But Rania immediately went to work on her feet. A good hour later, they finished off with a small pattern at the base of her neck.

Finally satisfied, they motioned for Julia to hold still and let the dye dry. They brought her a snack of bread and yogurt, with tea to wash it down.

Habeeba then returned to the kitchen, while Rania began organizing colorful clothing and fabrics.

“Harrison?” Julia finally forced herself to ask, afraid of moving for fear of ruining their designs, but growing more desperate to know what was going on outside.

Rania made a frantic negative gesture with her head and hands.

Julia sighed.

Obviously, there was no seeing the groom before the ceremony. It was amazing how many customs transcended cultures.

Finally, it was time to wash the henna paste off with water. Then Rania helped her dress in a brightly patterned tunic in burgundy, white and coral blue. They adorned her neck, ears and wrists with heavy gold, then added an intricately embroidered head scarf, woven with gold and silver threads and draped to cover the lower half of her face.

She gazed at her exotic image in the small mirror, then down at hands that seemed to belong to someone else. Despite the knowledge she’d have to hide this secret forever, she began to hope somebody out there had a camera.

Rania touched her arm. With a smile, the young woman nodded toward the bedroom door. Julia understood.

It was time.

Suddenly nervous, trying to keep it all in perspective, and hoping the sweat on her palms wouldn’t make the henna run, she started for the door.

Exotic, half-tone string music was playing in the main room, and they entered to see Ahmed and Habeeba, their two other daughters and a man who was obviously the marriage official standing in the middle of the room. The women were dressed in bright colors, the men in crisp whites. Then she caught sight of Harrison. He smiled reassuringly, dressed in a simple white cap, a bright white tunic and matching trousers.

Not sure what to do, Julia stood with the women on one side of the room while the preacher began speaking. She didn’t understand a word of what was said. And when the man stopped talking, Harrison didn’t kiss her. Instead he motioned for her to join him at the table.

She didn’t feel married. Which was a relief, really. Walking down some kind of aisle in a white dress and repeating vows she wouldn’t keep would have been much worse than this foreign ceremony and the Arabic certificate in front of her.

“This could be anything,” she said, sitting down to pick up the pen.

“It’s a prenup.”

She shot him a look of astonishment.

“I’m joking.” Then he paused. “But you’re not going after Cadair or anything, are you?”

“No.”

Harrison’s wealth was completely safe from her. Even if she was corrupt enough to try to capitalize on the marriage, she doubted any court would award her a settlement. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to come back and visit the UAE. In fact, it might be a while before she left Kentucky again.

He pointed to a line on the page. She drew a breath, told herself it was nothing but a temporary legal contract, and signed the document. Then Harrison sat down and signed his name, as well.

The small group surrounding them gave a lilting, high-pitched cheer, and Ahmed cranked up the music.

Rania and her sisters immediately began serving food.

“Where’s your passport?” Harrison asked Julia, drawing her aside.

Julia pointed to the pouch that hung around her neck, beneath her blouse.

Harrison held out his hand. “I’ve got a chopper waiting for our ID and the marriage certificate.”

“You’re taking them away?”

“Ahmed’s brother Rafiq will take them to the British High Commission in Abu Dhabi and wait while they issue your diplomatic passport.”

Julia drew on the string that held the passport pouch. “They can do that?”

“Yes, they can.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” She wasn’t too crazy about giving up her passport.

“Nuri made the arrangements.”

Julia hesitated. Where Nuri was involved, things didn’t seem to go so well for her.

“He has nothing against you,” Harrison assured her. “And he’s extremely loyal to me.”

Julia nodded and extracted the little black book and handed it over. Nuri aside, trusting Harrison’s judgment had kept her free and safe this long.

He exited the house, while Rania handed her a cup of mint tea and offered her a stuffed date.

Julia’s anxiety was returning in force, and she wasn’t particularly hungry, but the family had worked so hard on the impromptu wedding that she didn’t want to do anything to offend them. So she accepted both with a smile and a thank-you.

Then Harrison returned to her side.

“How long?” she asked him.

“A couple of hours.”

She nodded, her stomach knotting further. A lot could happen in a few hours.