Midnight in the Harem: For Duty's Sake / Banished to the Harem / The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar

She looked at him expectantly, waiting to hear what his supreme skills at negotiations would come up with.

“We will not force our children into an agreement.”

“That’s hardly a compromise. No one forced, or even cajoled you, for that matter. You signed that stupid contract out of duty and a sense of personal obligation.”

“And I am not the one regretting that choice.”

“You would be if Elsa hadn’t slept around. You’d be wishing you could marry her right now.”

“And if I had married her, even if she had been sexually faithful, I would have tied myself to a callous gold digger.” He sounded like he considered that salvation from a fate worse than death. “The contract has been nothing but a boon in my life.”

“That’s why you looked at Amir with such envy at his wedding.”

The shock on Zahir’s features lasted less than two seconds, but it was enough for Angele to know he had not believed anyone had realized he harbored those feelings. “I expect to enjoy a relationship as fulfilling with you.”

“I thought you made it a practice never to tell an outright falsehood.”

“Eventually,” he added, as if the word were pulled from him with rusty pliers.

She almost smiled. He was so intent on doing his duty, he would even create a hope for the future that had no basis in their current reality.

“But you do not believe love has any place in an agreement such as ours.”

“We are getting off topic.”

“Yes, we are. No arranged marriages for our children.”

“I will agree not to press an arrangement on our children, but will not refuse to exercise my authority in conducting a negotiation on their behalf should they wish for me to do so.”

She had a feeling that was as good as she was going to get on this point. “You absolutely promise to abide by the spirit, not simply the outlined terms on this point?”

“You are not a competing business or political interest. Believe it, or not, I do know the difference when it comes to family.” Which was not a yes, but might actually be something even better.

It was acknowledgment that she, and their children, fell in a different category than other entities in his life. She might not have his love, but she would have a unique place in his life.

That would have to be enough.

CHAPTER SEVEN (#ulink_61528156-5e93-5e8d-9f94-c03e3062e43a)

ANGELE woke to the sound of Zahir talking in rapid-fire Arabic in the other room. He’d insisted she lie down while he took care of having dinner delivered.

A glance at the alarm clock beside her bed showed that a little over two hours had passed, startling her. She hadn’t been sleeping well since returning from Zohra and had been positive she would not fall asleep when she’d acquiesced to Zahir’s concern.

The man was far more adept at hovering than she would ever have suspected.

He didn’t sound like a concerned husband-to-be right now, though; he sounded like a man who was brainstorming spin on the announcement of her pregnancy.

She surged to her feet, thankful the dizziness that had plagued her off and on for the past weeks was not showing itself. The need to pee, however, was. And no matter how urgently she wanted to speak with Zahir, it took precedence. She made a quick trip to the bathroom before going to find her stubborn fiancé.

His robes of office nowhere to be seen, his suit jacket and tie lying over the back of a nearby chair, Zahir sat on the sofa. An open laptop was on the coffee table in front of him, the screen showing a website dedicated to the care and feeding of pregnant women.

The indulgent smile that caused slipped right off her face as his words registered. He was still discussing how best to announce Angele’s pregnancy, but now she knew who he was talking to. His father.

He’d told his father. Which meant her parents would know soon, if they didn’t know already.

Her knees going weak, she stumbled to sit on the sofa.

Zahir jerked to face her, his expression going concerned in a moment. He hung up faster than she’d ever heard him end a conversation with the man who was both father and king.

“Are you well?” He leaned toward her, examining her with all the intent of doctor on a house call. “I thought you would be better after a rest, but you are looking peaked.”

“Thank you,” she said with pure sarcasm. “Every woman wants to hear she looks like death warmed over.”

“But I am concerned.”

“Not so worried you hesitated to tell your father about my pregnancy though you knew I didn’t want you to.”

“It is a blessed event. Naturally I told him.”

“That’s not the way you reacted in the car.” He hadn’t seemed even remotely blessed then.

“I saw the potential problems first. It is in my nature.” His tone was pure shrug even though his shoulders remained immobile.

She used to tease him about that trait. Right now, she found it more frustrating than funny. “We also agreed in the car that we would wait to announce my pregnancy.”

“Actually we were out of the limo when you expressed your opinion in that direction.”

She made a sound of pure frustration at his attempt to tease around the issue. “You didn’t argue with me.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly, praying her earlier nausea would not return. “Silence is an implication of agreement.”

“Clearly it is not.”

“You knew I would assume you would wait to tell our families until we had spoken further about it.” “I did not tell your family.”

“You think your father hesitated to share the news with King Malik and my father?”

Zahir shrugged, looking far from repentant. “It is good news worth sharing.”

“You are a manipulator.”

“I prefer master of circumstances.”

“Call it what you like, I won’t be tricked that way again.”

“I did not trick you. I avoided unnecessary conflict so as to prevent further upset.” “I am upset now.” “Why?”

“I wanted to wait to tell anyone.” She glared. “And I heard you—it’s not just your family. You want to tell the world.”

“I explained my viewpoint earlier.”