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| The Sheiks Of Kumar - Part One The Crown Prince By CJ |
| Chapter 4 Nik felt guilty for having spoken to his mother and father for a half-hour. But he was attempting to appease them for his move to America had been difficult for them. Though he’d spent most of his life in Europe, Germany and England were a much shorter trip to Kumar than was California. Now he was truly on the other side of the world and his family was finding that a little difficult to grasp. When he’d answered his phone, he had not meant to speak for more than a few minutes. But his mother had wanted details of how the house was arranged and his father was concerned about business. His conversation had taken off and before he realized it, Tara was asleep on his bed and he was fighting exhaustion himself. She looked very peaceful lying atop the bedcovers, her legs tucked beneath her and her long hair strewn upon the pillow. There was an almost angelic quality to her slumber and instead of waking her to go home like a gentleman should, Nik sat on the opposite side of the bed and gazed down at her. Tara was as wholesome as America. He sensed she was both stubborn and independent, but also realized there was a bit of a romantic in her soul. The way she’d reacted when he’d told her his plans for Mystic and Raja confirmed that. But sadly, he also realized she was deeply troubled. A vulnerability seeped through the cracks in her armor at times and it had been most pronounced when she’d entered this room. In fact, her entire persona had been altered when she’d walked into this room and gazed out the balcony doors and Nik wondered why that was so. But for now, she was asleep and he would get no answers to his questions. He lay on his side and propped his head up with a bent elbow. Tara was stirring something deep inside him and it had prompted him to act overtly affectionate with her. Kissing her hand was only the beginning of what he wanted to do. It would be all for now, however, for he wanted to learn her history and her ways before he seduced her into his bed. He chuckled at that and rolled to his back. He already had her in his bed! He turned his head and looked at her. No, tonight he would force nothing for he was growing more positive that he could love this woman as a soul mate. He was a man raised with traditions and myths and educated in the west. Though he realized no one in western culture believed wholly in soul mates and destiny, part of him did. He’d been drawn to Villa Serena and now he knew why. This woman had been fated to him and he to her. And now that she wore the crest of his family name around her neck, she had unknowingly pledged herself to him in exchange for the protection of the lion. He chuckled again at those silly ancient tales he believed and realized it was a very tired laugh. He was pushing thirty-six hours with no sleep now, but he was afraid to close his eyes because he knew Tara would vanish if he did. Nik rolled to his side and reached a hand out. He touched Tara’s silky face, whispered a quick prayer in his native tongue to bring Tara to his dreams and finally closed his eyes. She would stay with him in his dreams now and it was safe to sleep. ** Mystic and Raja were standing quietly under a tree near the rippling stream on the Villa Serena property. They were recovering from a hard run across the vineyard. Tara and Mystic had won, yet she was certain Nik had allowed her to. The late summer sky was a perfect blue and Tara thought the scene was the most romantic she’d ever experienced. Of course, the romance was solely the work of the magician next to her. Nik was a magician because he’d woven a spell upon her and as he beckoned for her to join him, she didn’t hesitate. She slid easily into his strong embrace and when he gently pressed his lips to hers, she moaned with desire. “You are mine now, Tara,” he whispered softly against her mouth. Pulling away slightly, he touched the Arabic pendant upon her neck and added, “Mine forever.” Then the sky erupted with darkness and a flash of lightening struck the ground nearby. Tara jumped out of Nik’s arms, startled by Mother Nature’s furious display. When she turned back to him to tell him they must leave for the safety of the house, he was gone. She looked for the horses and they too had disappeared. The stream was whisked away next, along with the grapevines. In a matter of seconds, Villa Serena was obliterated. And a lone crying coyote in the distance was all that was left to comfort her. She reached up to her neck to clasp the Arabic charm. It would surely protect her from whatever horror was taking place. Yet her hand found nothing. It was gone along with everything else. “Nik,” she said urgently as she opened her eyes in the gray of dawn. She stared up at a white ceiling, then turned her head and saw the familiar balcony doors of her father’s room. Everything was all right, she told herself, she was home again and all her nightmares could be put to rest. Villa Serena made her feel settled again. Yet something about her environment didn’t seem quite right. Her mind was still foggy with sleep and she struggled to figure out why the curtains were sheer instead of the old fashioned lace they’d once been. And the end table next to her had never been there before. She pushed to a sitting position and gazed around the room. This was Nik’s bedroom, she remembered, and Nik was asleep on the other side of the bed. He was still dressed in his light gray dress shirt and suit pants and like her, he laid upon the bed linens. She’d fallen asleep in the sheik’s bedroom! She was shocked, but mostly she was worried. Though she had never been one to follow any sort of prescribed protocol, she had to be aware that this man and his people expected certain rules of engagement from the hired help. And falling asleep in the sheik’s bedroom was certainly not one of those rules. Tara felt as though she was about to be caught for sneaking into the boy’s locker room, so she slowly slid off the bed and gathered her T-shirt and towel. She could easily sneak out of the house. It was barely 5:00 now and no one on the estate ever awoke before 6:00. Quietly, she stepped around the bed. Nik had not even stirred as he lay on his back, his handsome face even more gorgeous in the morning sun. Too bad he was a sheik and she was now a working woman, otherwise Tara might allow herself to fall for his romantic ways. But she had enough to worry about with getting along with Jamaal, keeping her job and taking care of Jenny. She didn’t need any romantic involvement to complicate her life. And this was a very complicated situation. Her estate was gone, this man was mesmerizing and being surrounded by this new culture had her believing she had moved away from America. She hadn’t moved away from anywhere, she reminded herself. And Villa Serena was almost the way it had always been, aside from a new owner. Everything would work out fine and she would adjust if she just gave it all time. She moved past the bed and was going to bolt for the door when she heard her name whispered from Nik’s lips. It was an urgent whisper, much like the one she’d issued from her own lips when she’d been startled awake by her dream. Slowly, she strode to the bed and gazed down at Nik. There was distress on his face and he mumbled her name one more time. Instinctively drawn to him, she reached a hand out and touched his cheek. “Shhhhh,” she said softly. “I’m right here.” “Tara,” he said, his eyes still closed and his tone less stressed. As she leaned down closer to study his chiseled features, she felt the necklace he’d given her move against her neck. She reached up and touched it and was again reminded of his tenderness and generosity. How she wished she could get to know this man! But fate would not work in her favor, she was sure of that. Losing her father and Villa Serena all at once confirmed her fears. She could, however, take advantage of his unconscious state. Leaning even closer, she daringly placed a kiss on his cheek. His skin was covered with a light stubble and Tara imagined how incredibly satisfying it would be to kiss more than just his cheek and feel more than just his face. She would have stood there for a long time wondering that too if Nik’s brown eyes had not opened at that precise moment. Tara jumped back quickly and ran for the door. Could anything more embarrassing than this happen to her? Would one of Nik’s personal bodyguards be waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, ready to terminate her employment for taking advantage of the sheik’s unconscious state? She hoped not and she continued her run as she traveled down the hallway to the stairs. No one was in the hall or waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. She made it safely out the door and to her cottage before she saw anyone. Jenny was awake, sitting on the couch, flipping through television channels. The girl barely looked up at her and Tara was glad for that because the last thing she needed was for her sister to interrogate her about her overnight tryst with the sheik. “Out for a swim?” Jenny inquired with no real interest. “I was going to, but…uh, the sheik came home early. I didn’t want to disturb him,” Tara quickly explained. She couldn’t lie and say that she had been swimming because she was bone dry and dressed in a warm robe. Nik’s warm robe. “What are you doing up?” Tara then asked. “I just got up. Wasn’t tired really. You know, with school starting today and all.” Tara set her towel and T-shirt on the bar that separated the small kitchen and dinning room and moved to the couch. Sitting opposite Jenny, Tara said, “Give it a week or so, Jenny. You’ll see this new school won’t be so bad.” “Maybe,” she said. Then Jenny’s green eyes landed on Tara’s neck. She squinted and stared intently. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at Tara’s charm. “Oh, this. It was a gift from the sheik,” Tara explained. “In fact, he got one for you too.” Tara handed Jenny the box with her necklace and the girl opened it and studied the charm carefully as it hung upon a royal blue chord. “What does it say on it?” she asked. “That’s your name in Arabic and the back is the sheik’s family seal.” Nodding Jenny remarked, “Its kinda cool, I guess.” She didn’t put in on but placed it back in the box. “But I still don’t like this sheik guy.” “You haven’t met him, yet, so how would you know?” Tara challenged. “’Cause, that guy down at the stables is mean. I’m certain the sheik has to be even meaner. And then there’s that big guy. He gives me the evil eye all the time.” “That’s only because you stare at him first,” Tara pointed out. She would not challenge her sister’s assessment of Jamaal, but Omar had been a quiet man thus far. He struck her as a nice enough man, but he wasn’t interested in conversation, merely in security. “And that old guy…” Jenny continued. “Taj?” “Yeah. He’s nice, but he has all those old stories and stuff. Kinda hard to understand. He reminds me of a history teacher.” “Well, if that’s the worst of your complaints, I’d say things aren’t so bad.” Jenny shrugged. “I don’t know. But this sheik guy had better not turn out to be a jerk or my life will be ruined.” After what had just happened between Tara and Nik, her life may be ruined as well. But she doubted Nik would turn out to be a “jerk” as Jenny so eloquently professed. She was positive he’d be as kind and caring as he’d been so far and that was too bad because it meant she’d just have to keep liking him. ** Tara had promised to drive Jenny to school for her first day of eighth grade, so it meant she didn’t get her chores done at the stables as early as usual. When she did finally finish with cleaning the horse stalls, Jamaal was already working with the horses. “Why aren’t you finished?” he asked as he tied one of the horses to a ring in the stable wall and briskly approached. “Because I got a late start,” Tara explained, tugging her ponytail tighter on her head. “Why? There are no late starts allowed.” “I told you last week that my sister was starting school. I had to drive her,” Tara patiently said. “Next time, don’t be late,” he insisted and was about to turn around when his black eyes caught sight of the necklace around her neck. “What is that?” he questioned. Tara wished the days weren’t still so hot that she had to dress in tank tops, for the open collar of her baby blue shirt completely displayed her new necklace. She would not have worn it to work, only Nik had insisted she never take it off. And though she knew his story about the protection of the lion was only a myth, she still couldn’t help but believe in it slightly. She enjoyed such legends and romantic tales and that was one reason why as an adult she still believed the vines at night harbored spirits. “What?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “That necklace. Its…Arabic,” he announced. “It is,” she agreed. “It’s my name.” “Where did you get that?” he asked. When Tara refused to answer, Jamaal demanded, “Where did you get that?” “I don’t have to answer you,” she insisted. Suddenly and much to Tara’s surprise, Jamaal’s black eyes flashed with anger and he reached out, grabbing the back of her neck. He tugged her closer and Tara was so shocked by his actions that she failed to fight back. Her hand moved to cover the charm, but he brushed it away. He was a tall, lean man and though he did not impress one with his physicality, he was very strong. He wrapped his fingers around the charm and his beady eyes studied it carefully. “Its gold, handcrafted,” he hissed. Jamaal turned the charm over and Tara was certain it was indeed a talisman for he quickly released it and jumped back. “The crest of Armanjani!” he shouted. A few of the horses jumped, startled in their stalls from his shout and Tara would have gone to them only the incredulous look on Jamaal’s face kept her riveted to the spot. “Where did you get that? Who gave it to you?” he demanded. Seeing that the man had to know, Tara finally told him, “Sheik Nikash is back and he brought my sister and I these necklaces.” Jamaal was on his way out of the barn before Tara’s sentence was finished. Before he reached the doors, however, he turned around and declared, “You will be gone from this place! I will make it so.” “You can’t do that,” Tara insisted back. “I can. You do not accept gifts from a sheik. Not such personal gifts.” He walked toward her again and his eyes regarded her with sheer hatred. “I warned you to learn your place. You are insolent and brazen. No woman should act as you do. Just look at how you dress…” He pointed a long finger her way. “What’s wrong with my dress?” Tara asked. She was wearing a simple tank top and worn denim jeans. There was nothing inappropriate with her clothing for stable work. “What is wrong is you flaunt yourself like a charlatan. No wonder Sheik Nikash is charmed by you. A woman should not parade herself for all men to ogle. You should be ashamed!” With his last utterance, he finally left the barn. Tara was at a loss how to argue back. His beliefs were so set, so rigid. If he thought any of her actions were inappropriate, he had obviously seen little of America. She was conservative in her dress and attitude. And as for flaunting herself, well, she had never flaunted a thing in her life! But aside from his obviously different beliefs, his declaration that she would be gone was frightening. She couldn’t leave Villa Serena. She may have been relegated to the stable cottage, but at least she was still on her family land. If Jamaal really had such power over Nik to get her fired, then all would be lost. Feeling overwhelmed from the incident with Jamaal and the morning in Nik’s room, Tara felt her only escape was to work. There was a pasture fence on the far side of the vineyard that Edgar Reynolds had mentioned needed fixing. She would ride out there herself and take care of the mending. Maybe if she rode far enough, she wouldn’t have to come back while Jamaal was still around. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Crown Prince - Chapter 5 |