Innocent in the Desert: The Sheikh's Impatient Virgin / The Sheikh's Convenient Virgin / The Desert Lord's Bride

It was ultra-modern and like no hospital Eva had ever seen. The decor involved a great deal of glass. Staring at a solid wall of it with water running over it, Eva followed Karim’s impatient direction to precede him.

The two men who had ridden up with them in the lift stayed there as the doors slid silently closed and another older man also clad in similar robes materialized, it seemed to a bemused Eva, out of thin air.

He bowed low to them both—Eva always found that embarrassing—and spoke to Karim in Arabic.

Karim said little, but nodded several times as though what the other man had said satisfied him. Eva had the impression that he’d have said if it didn’t.

Karim did not strike her as a man who would tolerate incompetence in silence, or it seemed, if his expression when she spoke was any indicator, a bride-to-be who spoke out of turn.

‘This is a hospital?’

His eyes briefly brushed her face. ‘Yes, this is a hospital.’ He then proceeded to ignore her and turn back to the other man.

‘How are you going to keep this under wraps? Won’t someone see us?’ she suggested, seeing a gaping hole in this plan.

Eva wasn’t sure if it was the question or the interruption that caused a spasm of irritation to cross Karim’s lean features.

‘If you are hoping for a last-minute reprieve—don’t,’ he advised. ‘Do you see people?’ His nod took in the empty places behind a large reception desk. ‘Do you see anyone?’

She shook her head. The place was deserted.

‘No, and you will not. Tariq—’ he nodded towards the older man ‘—has cleared our route.’

The man under discussion nodded respectfully to her and spoke into his earpiece before confirming calmly in English, ‘The route has been cleared.’

Eva stared. ‘But how …?’

It was Karim who replied. ‘A lot of things are possible when one is donating a new clinic.’ If these people saved Amira he would donate a new hospital!

‘I suppose it is,’ she said faintly.

‘Then come,’ Karim urged. ‘I want to get this over with.’

A strangled laugh was drawn from Eva’s aching throat. ‘And they say romance is dead.’

‘You want romance?’

Smothering her growing desire to say, Wake me when this is over, she met his eyes; they were as cold as ice. ‘No, I don’t.’ Could this day get any more surreal?

‘Fine, then let us …’

The tall man that Karim had called Tariq cleared his throat and bowed his head to Eva. ‘I thought these might be appropriate,’ he said, producing a large bouquet like a magician.

Karim fought his impatience; his conference with the medical team taking care of Amira was in ten minutes’ time. ‘That is hardly necessary—’

‘Not necessary, but very thoughtful,’ Eva interrupted, accepting the flowers and smiling her gratitude to the man with the stony face. The look she cast Karim held less warmth.

Karim told himself that Tariq was welcome to her smiles and gritted his teeth. ‘Fine, have the flowers.’

‘I will!’ Eva retorted, holding the sweet-smelling posy to her chest as she scowled defiantly up at him.

She was doing what he wanted; she was jumping through all the hoops; she was signing her life away—would it really hurt him, she wondered bitterly, to be civil at least?

‘Come!’ Karim reached out, but before he could grab her arm he released a shocked cry of pain.

‘Oh, no, I’d forgotten.’ Eva grabbed the furry bundle that was attached by its teeth to Karim’s wrist and, tapping its nose, pushed it back into her pocket, where she assumed it had been asleep.

The rock-faced man did the spooky magician thing again and produced a clean white bandage and Karim began it wrap to around his wrist.

‘What is that thing in your pocket?’

Eva shook her head mutely. He looked pretty mad—considering the blood on the floor, possibly, she conceded, with some justification.

‘I take it you did not growl or bite me?’

Neither seemed such a bad idea to Eva. ‘You scared her,’ she said defensively. ‘She must have fallen asleep.’

‘What is it?’

‘A dog, obviously.’

Karim’s brows lifted. It looked like no dog he had ever seen. ‘It looked like a rodent.’

‘Why would I be carrying a rodent around in my pocket?’

He lifted his eyebrows and she flushed. ‘I told you I walk dogs, and I forgot she was there.’ She had delivered all but Sukie safely back to their owners when she had been plucked from the street.

‘Walk? The creature was in your pocket? Or does it get its exercise biting innocent passers-by?’

Her eyes skimmed his mouth. ‘You’re not innocent, and I only put her in my pocket when she’s tired.’ Frolicking around the park with a bunch of long-legged dogs tired out the little creature. ‘And it was raining. She’s not keen on water.’

Karim’s expression showed pretty clearly what he thought of a water-hating dog. He turned to Tariq, who had again anticipated his needs.

‘Zadik will look after the animal,’ he said, indicating a younger man who appeared slightly breathless beside them.

‘Hand it over, Eva.’

Eva’s mutinous expression revealed her reluctance to comply. ‘She’s a pedigree and worth a lot. You won’t—’

‘Eat it?’ Karim snapped. He imagined a long-distance runner with the winning line in sight might feel the way he did if the endline was constantly moving.

Unable to contain his impatience another second, he took matters into his own hands in the literal sense and, reaching into her pocket, removed the ball of fluff that growled low in its throat.

He handed it to the bowing younger man. ‘Dog has been off our menus for some years now. Enough of this … come …’ He extended his hand and, after a moment’s heart-thudding hesitation, Eva put her own into it.

Her feelings when his brown fingers closed over hers were disturbingly ambiguous.

Led down the corridors that were, as promised, totally empty, she was aware of the silent presence of several robed figures all sporting earpieces like Tariq and all looking ready for anything.