Desert Orchid… Chapter Twenty Two…
Happy Sunday….
Here’s the next chapter, and Sarif’s confused….
Desert Orchid – Copyright
Copyright © C C MacKenzie 2014
Chapter Twenty Two
“So, you and Arabella? How did that happen?” Khalid asked Sarif.
He stretched out long legs and kicked back in his ergonomically designed chair. They were in his study enjoying tiny cups of a thick aromatic coffee.
Sarif was dressed in tight jodhpurs, his riding boots dusty. His skin, golden under a loose white robe, glistened with sweat. His cropped hair shone as black as a raven’s wing.And his response to the perfectly legitimate question was a glower as he sipped his coffee.
“Arabella is very upset with me because I announced our engagement. I do not understand her,” Sarif admitted in low growl filled to the brim with deep frustration.
Khalid couldn’t help but grin.
Oh, man. His brother had it bad. And it appeared that things were not all kissy-kissy and lovey-dovey in Sarif land.
Khalid sent him a toothy smile. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t inform her that we would marry until after I told the council.”
Khalid’s brows winged into his hairline.
“Whoa. Arabella has major ninja skills, bro. Like catching a speeding bullet in her teeth.”
His brother didn’t dignify that statement with a response, instead he stared into the liquid in his cup as if it contained the answer he needed.
“She has no choice, she must marry me.”
Intrigued, Khalid studied his brother’s face and realised that Sarif was not a happy man.
“Do you love her?”
His brother’s eyes flicked to his. “What’s love got to do with it?”
Khalid bit his bottom lip, hard.
“According to Tina Turner, a lot.”
Sarif’s cup clattered on the table as he shot to his feet. “You are not taking this seriously.”
“For God’s sake, sit down, Sarif. What is the problem?”
Sarif sat.
He slumped back in the fat leather club chair and frowned in a way that made his hawk like features look lethal.
“She refused my proposal. But now it is a matter of honour. I have told her she does not have a choice.”
Khalid knew that in many ways Sarif was a traditionalist at heart, especially when it came to females.
“You can’t force her, bro. Arabella is a twenty-first century woman. A ball-breaking warrior. You should have seen how she dealt with that bitch of a nurse and got her to talk. She was amazing.”
Now Sarif showed his teeth. “She will make a good queen.”
Khalid nodded in agreement.
“I must admit I was taken by surprise when you made your grand announcement. But once I thought about it, I think you’re right. She’ll be a good partner for you. Plus, she’ll fit right into the family. Charisse adores her.”
Now Sarif smiled, a real one this time.
“As long as Charisse is happy, you are happy?”
Khalid grinned. “You’ve got me there. I’m pussy-whipped.”
“She loves you. You are a very lucky man, my brother.”
“I know. Who’d have thought things would end up like this. When you appeared in London out of the blue, I could have murdered you.”
“Trust me, the feeling was mutual,” Sarif said in a silky voice that made Khalid’s mouth twitch.
“You can’t force Arabella to marry you,” he repeated.
The heat that rose up over his brother’s neck and fired his cheeks made Khalid frown. Sarif never blushed. Seemed there was a lot more to this than met the eye.
“She was chaste. I took something that did not belong to me.”
Khalid blinked. “You forced her?”
“No. As usual we were arguing, it became heated and then we kissed and then… When she cried out in pain, I realised I had breached a part of her that I had no right to.”
Remembering how hard it had been for Charisse to tell him she was a virgin, Khalid took a deep breath. Arabella was at least three years older than his wife, and he found it very hard to believe that a woman with her background was sexually inexperienced.
“She participated but didn’t tell you she was a virgin?”
“Things got out of hand very quickly,” his brother admitted, and again heat scorched his skin. “It is a matter of honour that I make her my wife.”
Khalid gave him a bland look.
“I said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the twenty-first century and things have changed, bro. Arabella is not from our culture and if she doesn’t want to marry you, you cannot force her.”
The atmosphere in the room changed, became tense.
“It is possible she carries my child.”
Khalid’s eyes went wide.
“You didn’t use protection?” The glittering look he received from his brother confirmed the query. “Oh man, you are in deep shit. When will you know?”
“Within days,” the response was clipped. “If she is carrying my child then we will marry as soon as possible.”
“And if she’s not?”
“Then the decision to be my wife will rest with her. As you say, I cannot force her.”
“Whatever happens, you know I am here for you,” Khalid said. And the shock in Sarif’s eyes humbled him. He’d pushed his brother away for too many years. And he realised it was more than time to mend this particular bridge. “You never gave up on me.”
Not used to public shows of affection, as one the brother’s stood and gave each other a man hug.
“Many times I wanted to kick your ass,” Sarif admitted.
Khalid’s nose twitched.
His brother smelled of horse and desert.
“You need a shower. If Arabella gets a whiff of you in this state, she’ll head for the hills. I wish you well, brother.”
Sarif grabbed his head and smacked a hard kiss on each cheek.
“It is in God’s hands.”
Copyright © C C MacKenzie 2014
Stay tuned….
Christine X
