The Sheik & the Princess in Waiting

Mallery Susan

Emma felt the room begin to fold around the edges. She had a feeling that if she’d been standing, she would have fallen again.

Cleo grabbed her hand. “Keep breathing,” she instructed humorously. “I’m supposed to be making things better, not worse.”

“It’s not you,” Emma told her. “It’s everything. I can’t believe what’s happening.”

“Hardly a surprise. The good news is, the palace is beautiful and Reyhan is pretty easy on the eyes, too. If you can get past all that honor and tradition, he has a wicked sense of humor. Won’t that be nice?”

Nice? As in Emma would enjoy spending time with him? Was that the plan?

She shook her head. This wasn’t happening, she told herself. None of it.

A tall man carrying a black case entered the room. Cleo waved a greeting.

“Dr. Johnson. You’re still making house calls.”

The older man smiled. “Yes, Princess Cleo. As I will continue to do.”

Cleo leaned close to Emma. “Dr. Johnson is on call for the royal family. He’s pretty cool. You’ll like him.”

Emma stared into the man’s warm blue eyes and felt some of her anxiety fade.

He sat on the coffee table in front of her and reached for her hand. “How are you feeling? I heard you fainted.”

“I don’t know what happened,” she admitted. “One second everything was fine, and the next, I was falling.”

“Prince Reyhan filled me in on what occurred.” He released her wrist. “Your pulse is normal. Have you blacked out since regaining consciousness?”

“No.”

He glanced at Cleo. “Is she speaking coherently?”

“Yup. She’s a little shell-shocked, but under the circumstances, who can blame her?”

Dr. Johnson made a noncommittal noise, then pulled out a stethoscope.

Fifteen minutes later he pronounced Emma exhausted, a little dehydrated, but otherwise fit. After giving her something to help her sleep, he said he would check on her the next day.

“Everything will be better in the morning,” he promised as he left.

Emma watched him go, then nodded as Cleo excused herself to return to her baby. When Emma was finally alone, she stared around at the luxurious suite and the view of the ocean in the distance.

As much as she would like to believe Dr. Johnson, she had a feeling that the passage of night wasn’t going to change one thing about her situation.

Reyhan did not want to speak with his father, but the request had been worded such that he’d known he didn’t have a choice in the matter. So he’d appeared on time in the king’s private rooms and now paced the length of the salon, all the while stepping to avoid the half-dozen or so cats milling around.

“What do you think now that you’ve seen her?” his father asked.

“That Emma should not have been brought here. A divorce could have been arranged without her presence.”

“You defied me by marrying this young woman. Six years have passed, and you never mentioned her or spent time with her. I want to know why.”

Reyhan had no answers to the questions, nor did he want to make up any. Thinking about Emma, being with her…He reached the window and stared out at the garden below. Seeing her again—it had been worse than he’d imagined.

His father stood and crossed the room to stand next to him. “You are my son and a prince,” he said. “As such, you were not permitted to take a wife without my permission. Now it is done. Before I approve your divorce, I will get to know this young woman. Two weeks, Reyhan. Surely that is not too much to ask.”

Reyhan knew it was not. His father’s request was more than reasonable, and yet he would have given much to keep Emma away.

He nodded once and walked to the door. “Excuse me, Father. My presence is required at a meeting.”

The king nodded, and Reyhan left.

As Reyhan walked toward the business wing of the palace, he wondered how he would endure the next fourteen days. There was much to occupy his time—negotiations for oil purchases, dealing with a small band of renegades, reviewing a list of potential brides. Yet he knew none of that would fill his mind. Instead he would think of a woman—the woman he had married. Emma. Their time apart had done nothing to diminish his need for her. Six years ago she had been his greatest weakness, and so she remained.

He paused at the door to his office. No one would ever be permitted to know, he promised himself. Wanting her, needing her, had nearly destroyed him once before. That would not happen again. In two weeks the king would grant their divorce, she would be gone and he, Reyhan, would be allowed to remain strong. That he would live the rest of his life without her was of little consequence. He had survived this long. He would survive the rest of his days. Survive—not live. He reminded himself that most of the time, enduring was more than enough.

Chapter Three

E mma awoke to the not-so-surprising realization that, despite the doctor’s promise, little about her situation had changed or improved during the night. Not that she’d expected either, although it would have been nice.

She sat up in the huge bed and pulled her knees to her chest. She remembered the doctor insisting she take something to help her sleep, then she’d changed into her nightgown and nearly collapsed into bed. Then nothing.

The good news was she felt more rested. The bad news…well, where exactly was she going to start? There was so much to consider. That she might really be married to Reyhan and might have been married all this time. That she was in Bahania and he was the son of the king.

She shook her head. Way too many difficult thoughts for first thing in the morning. She should take a few minutes and get her bearings, then deal with the weirdness that was her life.

Emma rose. Her toes curled in the plush carpet that was thick enough to serve as a mattress in a pinch.

The bedroom had been decorated in pale yellows and blues. Ornate, carved dark wood furniture made up the elaborate headboard, footboard and matching nightstands. An armoire stood across the room. When she crossed to it she found a large television inside, along with a DVD player and a wide assortment of movies. There was also a detailed listing of the various channels available via satellite.