Desert Rogues Part 2

Hassan continued to stroke her hair. “I see. Would you like me to have the unworthy dog flogged?”

Despite her desperate situation, the visual image of Sadik hanging in chains while being beaten cheered her immensely. She risked a quick glance.

“How disappointed are you?”

The king frowned. “Why would your pregnancy disappoint me?”

Cleo flushed. “I’m not exactly a virgin.”

“My claim on you as family is not conditional, my daughter. To me, you and Zara will always be perfection itself.” He dropped his hand to hers. “Now tell me of the man who has left you so. I do not see an engagement ring, so he has not done the honorable thing.”

Propose? The idea was laughable. As if that would happen. Cleo sniffed. “He doesn’t know. I’m going to have to tell him eventually, but first I want to figure out what I want.” She smiled. “I mean, I know I want the baby, but where do I want to live and what’s the best way for us to share in his or her upbringing?”

Hassan smiled. “I’m glad you want your child.”

She stiffened. “Why wouldn’t I? Obviously, this wasn’t planned, but I will never abandon my baby. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep us both safe.” She thought of how she’d been abandoned over and over again in her life. Long ago she’d vowed that when she had children, they would know she loved them more than anything in the world.

“I see the flash of a tiger in your eyes. That bodes wells. A strong mother has strong sons.”

Typical, she thought, starting to feel a little better. “I could be having a daughter.”

Hassan dismissed her with a flick of his fingers. “Regardless. You must come to terms with this jackal of the desert, Cleo. I will stand beside you in whatever way I can.”

While she appreciated his words, they brought her back to earth with a thump. What had she been thinking, telling Sadik’s father that she was pregnant? She doubted the king would be so accommodating if he knew the truth.

“You must not mention this,” she pleaded. “If people found out…” She bit her lower lip. How to convince him? “I don’t want Zara’s wedding spoiled by people speculating about me. She is so looking forward to the event. Please don’t say anything.”

“I agree.” He smiled. “Your secret is safe with me, Cleo.” He patted her hand, then rose. “Come. You need to be in your room and resting. I will have the kitchen send you some tea to settle your stomach. You must be strong for your son.”

“Or daughter,” she muttered as she rose, but had the feeling the king wasn’t listening. She also had a very bad feeling about spilling her guts. Somehow she knew it was all going to come back and bite her in the butt. As if she didn’t already have enough problems.

Twenty minutes later Cleo lay stretched out on her bed, sipping tea. The odd-smelling concoction actually made her feel better. She put the cup back on the saucer, then set both on her nightstand. Maybe a nap would make her feel better.

But before she could even close her eyes, her bedroom door burst open. Zara stormed into the room.

“You’re pregnant and you didn’t even tell me?”

Chapter Five

“S houldn’t you still be opening presents?” Cleo asked, knowing it was a feeble attempt at distracting Zara.

“Shouldn’t you be telling me something this important?” Zara stalked to the edge of the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. “How could you keep this from me?”

Cleo could have gone head-to-head with Zara in a snit, but the hurt in her sister’s eyes made her feel like slime.

“I’m sorry.” She sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I guess you ran into the king.”

“Yes. He came to talk to me about the presents, then managed to let it slip that you’d confessed you were pregnant. He thought I should know, which is more than you thought.”

This is what she got for trusting a man, she thought glumly. She could feel the situation spinning out of control. Who else had Hassan told, and what was going to happen if Sadik learned the truth?

She didn’t want to think about that now, so she pushed those thoughts from her mind.

“You’re getting married,” Cleo began slowly. “I wanted this time to be about you. If I’d told you, you would have gotten all worried and wanted to fix things.”

“Exactly. I care about you. I want to know what’s going on in your life. Don’t you think this was a big deal?”

“It is,” Cleo admitted. “I’m sorry.”

Zara didn’t look mollified. “So who’s the father?”

“No one you know.” Cleo shrugged and tried to look like she wasn’t lying. “After I went home, I met someone.”

Zara didn’t look convinced. “Funny how you never mentioned him in all the phone conversations we’ve had.”

“I didn’t know if it was serious.”

“It’s serious enough that you got pregnant.”

This was not going the way Cleo had hoped. “Zara, I’m going to be fine. I don’t want you to worry about me.”

“I can’t help it. You’re my little sister.” Zara climbed up onto the mattress and settled next to her. “What I don’t understand is how this happened.”

Despite her concerns, Cleo couldn’t help smiling.

“The usual way. I would have thought you’d figured out the facts of life by now.”

Zara rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. You’ve been sexually active for a long time. How come you got pregnant this time?”

“Bad timing,” Cleo admitted. “I’d gone off the pill to give my body a rest. I wasn’t expecting to get involved with someone so I wasn’t prepared.”

Zara looked stunned. “You had unprotected sex?”

“We used a condom, but things happen.”

Actually what had happened was that one night she and Sadik had been so hot for each other, they’d both forgotten birth control. She hadn’t even realized it until several days later, when she’d been on her way home. They had been irresponsible, and now she was paying the price.

“I can’t believe this,” Zara breathed.

“Tell me about it.” Cleo looked at her sister. “I know you’re upset. This is exactly why I didn’t want you to know. The thing is, Zara, I’ll be fine, as will my baby. This is your time. You have a beautiful wedding in a week. I don’t want you thinking about anything else. Can’t we forget this and deal with it after you get back from your honeymoon?”

“I didn’t think you were still going to be here then.”

Cleo didn’t know what was going to happen, now that the news was out. “We can deal with it either together or long-distance. I promise.”

Slowly Zara nodded. “I’m giving in because I don’t have a choice. You’re a grown-up. You have to be responsible for your own life. I just wish you had told me.”

“I’m sorry,” Cleo repeated, thinking that she had a few wishes of her own.