The Di Sione Secret Baby Page 13

  ‘If you have arguments, speak them now.’

  Hysteria bubbled up inside her. Frantically, she tried to pull herself together, speak the words that would restore sanity. ‘I can’t.’

  His grip tightened. Imperceptibly. But she felt it. And she saw the cold withdrawal in his eyes before he freed her.

  Turning, he strode to the bar set on the far side of the elegant living room, and poured a shot of amber liquor. Throwing it back, he rolled the side of the glass over his lips before he set it down with a sharp click.

  Slowly he strolled back to her. Despite the steady, unhurried pace, Allegra’s spine tingled with dread.

  ‘Are you prepared to lose everything you’ve spent your life building without due consideration?’ he enquired casually, his balled fists sliding into his pockets.

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘I’m talking about your foundation. Your freedom.’

  Ice-cold fear climbed into her throat. ‘My freedom?’

  ‘Once the disappearance of the box is discovered, you can be assured charges will be brought.’

  Allegra gasped. ‘You said you didn’t give a damn about the box,’ she muttered through frozen lips.

  A hard light momentarily gleamed in his eyes. ‘I don’t. But there are others who do. It wasn’t just a personal possession you stole. Before my mother died, she expressed a wish to have her collection made a national treasure, to be displayed in the Dar-Aman National Museum upon her death. My father could never bring himself to honour that wish.’ His face tightened for a moment before his features neutralised. ‘As Dar-Aman’s ruler, the collection is now mine. I’ve had my hands full with other matters of state to get it done. But my mother’s wish is one I intend to honour in the coming months. The theft of such a treasure is an offence punishable by a lengthy prison term.’

  Panic clawed through her. ‘And how does marrying you change my fate?’

  He shrugged. ‘As my queen you’d have to answer to no one. The box can be my wedding gift to you. Marry me, and your grandfather need not lose his precious keepsake. Your foundation will continue to thrive, free from the scandal that could see all your hard work turned to dust overnight. My people won’t have to suffer the consequence of the scandal of an illegitimate child. And most importantly, our child won’t suffer the stain of being called illegitimate. He or she will be my true heir, with an unchallenged birthright.’

  The calculated way he enumerated his wishes chilled her soul. On the one hand, she knew he was offering her personal salvation and a safe start to her child’s life. And yet, looking at him, seeing no softness in Rahim, her heart dropped to her stomach.

  Was this to be another failure to add to her ever growing list? In the hours since Rahim had left her alone, she’d tried to convince herself she could do this alone, if need be. After all, millions of women had succeeded, hadn’t they? But now Allegra realised that she hadn’t really believed herself. What she’d hoped for was a sign that Rahim would be willing to undertake this journey with her, not out of duty but because a part of him, no matter how small, wanted this child too. Looking at him now, fresh doubts flooded her.

  Her parents had provided legitimacy and the occasional bout of twisted affection and nothing much else. Allegra knew the fierce glow that burned within her each time she thought of the child growing in her womb was a different emotion to what she’d experienced as a child. It was even different from what she felt for her siblings.

  It was deeper, and fiercely intense. One that she would lay down her life to protect.

  But would it thrive in an atmosphere filled with recrimination? Like her parents, would that love eventually become distorted once she accepted a ring from a man she barely knew? A man whose sole reason for being here was duty?

  ‘Allegra.’

  She looked at Rahim. ‘Was this why you left? To make this cold and calculating plan?’

  His face hardened further, drawing a shiver from her. ‘Our marriage won’t be cold and calculating. Only the planning and execution of it.’

  ‘Is that supposed to reassure me?’

  ‘You’re a pragmatist, Allegra. Same as I. We are faced with a situation and we have to find the best way forward. This is the only way forward.’

  No mention of love. No mention of hearts and roses. Allegra told herself it wasn’t what she’d expected anyway. She didn’t fool herself for a moment into thinking Rahim would feel the same newly discovered love she felt for the baby growing inside her.

  But even as the alien hurt lodged itself in her chest, she forced herself to think past it. She reminded herself that to Rahim she was a stranger. Yet he was willing to tie himself to a woman he’d had a one-night stand with for a lifetime. Even if it was just for the sake of their child, it was a huge sacrifice. One she couldn’t dismiss out of hand.

  And as calculating as it seemed, perhaps she was better off halving the risk of failing as a mother with Rahim by her side rather than not. He had known a better childhood than her...could perhaps even find affection for his child once it was born...

  The endless darting thoughts ground to a halt when his hands jerked out of his pockets and he stormed forward. ‘Allegra...you do want this baby, don’t you? You haven’t changed your mind?’ The question fired from him, white-hot and bullet sharp.

  Seeing the lethal tension spiking higher by the second, Allegra swallowed. Surely if he felt this strongly and was still concerned about what her decisions were about this child they hadn’t planned, then it was a good start?

  ‘I haven’t changed my mind, Rahim. I want this baby.’ The belief that she could make this work settled deep inside her.

  He exhaled, the tension slowly draining out of him. Then he nodded. ‘Good,’ he gritted out.

  Although she accepted rationally that she couldn’t hold it against him, a tiny part of her soul still withered at the matter-of-fact way he’d set the course for the rest of their lives.

  Allegra had pushed any thoughts of settling down far out of her mind when she realised she wouldn’t be mother or wife material a long time ago. But there’d been times as a child when she’d dream of her fairy-tale prince.

  Rahim Al-Hadi was as regal and princely as they came. But she knew this was as far from her childhood fairy tale as she could get. She’d taken all the wrong turns to get to this destination.

  And while she was being offered a chance to make the best of a bad situation, what exactly did being the wife of a sheikh entail?

  ‘I won’t stop my work with the Di Sione Foundation.’ That was non-negotiable, notwithstanding her actions having placed her career and any future good she’d hoped to do in a precarious position. Her foundation work had been her saviour when every other aspect of her existence had been a grey wasteland. She had her child to think of now, but her work was equally as important.

  He nodded. ‘Of course. I’ve appointed a few more women ministers in the past month. I hope you’ll work with them to see to it that Dar-Amanian women achieve the same rights as their male counterparts?’

  Allegra felt her eyes widen. ‘You’ve done that already?’

  He shrugged. ‘The process had already begun when you visited my kingdom. Had you not had your own agenda, perhaps you would’ve found out for yourself.’

  Shame drenched her. Before she could find words to appease him, he continued. ‘I need a yes, Allegra.’ His gaze caught and locked on hers, a ruthless compulsion in the hazel depths. ‘A yes that you’ll mean come tomorrow morning.’

  The reminder that she’d fled in the night after promising to stay made her flush. She wanted to look away, but that would show weakness. And she couldn’t be weak. Not when it came to such an important decision.

  Taking a deep breath, she passed a soothing hand over a stomach swarming with butterflies. ‘Yes, Rahim. I’ll marry you.’

  He stared at her for several seconds, then he took an equally deep breath before exhaling. ‘There must be no delay. There’ll be enough
questions as it is when you deliver in seven months.’

  ‘Really, people still question legitimacy based on a nine-month conception within marriage?’ she asked cynically.

  Rahim summoned a ghost of a smile. ‘In many ways I’m as western as you are, but unfortunately, I can’t speak for all of my kingdom. Best we don’t set too many tongues wagging. Dar-Aman can’t afford another scandal right now.’

  Allegra was reminded then the many times Rahim had spoken of his people when she’d been in Dar-Aman. She’d been too clouded with her own judgements to hear the affection and devotion in his voice when he spoke of his subjects. But now she knew better.

  And everything she did from here on would also reflect on his people.

  Swallowing the nerves, she rose from the chair. His keen eyes watched warily. ‘I’m fine,’ she said hastily when he took a step towards her. She didn’t want him close. So far she’d been able to retain enough rationality to make the vital decisions. Allegra didn’t think she’d be able to progress as effectively if he stood close enough to touch, to smell. She had a hard enough time not devouring him with her eyes.

  She’d thought he looked beyond exceptional in a traditional abaya. Seeing him in clothes that accentuated his honed body so sensationally was a weakness on her system she couldn’t allow. Not when that look of hungry lust they’d shared before he left in the middle of the afternoon still tugged relentlessly at her.

  ‘So what happens now?’ she asked, desperately wresting back the practical side of her nature that seemed to have deserted her.

  ‘I inform my council of my intention, and they will take it from there. I expect the date will be within the week.’

  ‘A week?’ She didn’t realise she’d swayed again, until he caught her arms. His touch was as electrifying as it’d been this afternoon. But this time self-preservation made her resist.

  He tightened his grip. ‘Dammit! Stop fighting me. And don’t tell me you’re only pregnant, not sick. Ahmed tells me you didn’t eat anything on the tray the butler brought you. You’re so weak you can barely stand on your own two feet. I’m calling a doctor.’ Taking a step forward, he placed her back on the sofa.

  ‘Rahim...’

  He silenced her with a hard kiss, gone almost before it’d arrived, but no less stimulating. ‘No. You’re a modern woman who can work hard and play harder with the best of them. I get it. But you’re carrying my child, Allegra. And if you think I’m going to stay quiet or stand down when it’s obvious you’re unwell, you can think again. You’ll receive the best care from a team of doctors while you’re carrying this baby. That is completely non-negotiable.’ There was a raw and unshakeable resolve in his voice that dried any protests she may have had. But it was the almost too carefully disguised note of fear in his voice that caught and held her attention.

  It urged her not to stand in his way. After all, the baby’s health and safety was just as important to her. ‘Okay,’ she conceded.

  Nodding, he reached for his phone. After a five-minute conversation conducted in rapid-fire French, he ended the call. ‘The doctors are on their way.’

  She also found out just how invested Rahim was in his child when a team of four doctors and two medical technicians walked into the suite an hour later. Allegra’s eyes widened when the sonogram was wheeled in.

  Once she’d been quizzed thoroughly on her medical history, Rahim dismissed all but one doctor and technician, then took her hand and led her to the master bedroom.

  A medical robe had been left on the bed, and he picked it up, a look of anxiety crossing his face again. ‘I leave for Dar-Aman tonight. Before I do, I’d like to hear my child’s heartbeat. If you don’t mind?’ The guttural request lanced her heart, sparking warmth that radiated outward until it engulfed her whole body. For one blinding second, Allegra hoped for the impossible—that this child had been conceived via the fairy-tale love she’d once dreamed about. Recognising the wish for the foolish act it was, she pushed it away, and embraced the real gift being handed her.

  ‘I’d really love that, Rahim.’

  His smile was blinding, heart-stopping. Nodding, he handed her the robe, left the suite and returned a few minutes later with the doctor and technician.

  Allegra had thought Rahim would remain standing, but he got into bed with her, and slid in close. His warmth and scent engulfed her, pushing that wish once again to the fore. When he caught and held her hand as the gel was spread on her stomach, she carefully avoided looking into his face. She was too afraid her own would give too much away. So she held her breath and trained her gaze on the monitor as the probe glided over her belly.

  After several minutes of silence, a strong heartbeat filled the room, followed a moment later by a grainy picture on the monitor. Allegra gasped, pure joy racing through her bloodstream.

  Rahim made a rough sound, and her head swung to him, the vow not to look at him so much dust in the face of the transcendental moment they were caught in.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ he jerked out, the hand holding hers almost punishing in his grip.

  The doctor nodded. ‘Yes, it’s a little too early to tell the sex, but everything is as it should be, Your Highness.’

  Exhaling a breath she hadn’t realised she held, Allegra glanced back at Rahim. A fierce light burned in his eyes as he looked from her face back to the machine. As he stared at the image, a transformation seemed to come over him. The apprehension she’d glimpsed on and off since announcing her pregnancy flashed over his face one last time. Then his features settled into stony determination. Allegra felt his withdrawal seconds before he dropped her hand, slid off the bed and accepted his copy of the ultrasound picture.

  ‘Rahim?’

  He didn’t answer, just continued to stare at the picture as slowly, inexorably, a new and even more terrifying tension enveloped him.

  ‘Rahim, are you okay?’ She raised her voice, alarm catching hold of her.

  His gaze jerked to hers, and his mouth compressed. ‘All will be well. Insh’allah,’ he said, his voice deep and powerfully final. Sliding the Polaroid into his pocket, he walked out of the room.

  The vow was still echoing in her head when she’d dressed and left the bedroom ten minutes later. Something urged her to seek an explanation for Rahim’s unsettling reaction. For the fleeting glimpses of fear she’d seen on his face.

  Entering the living room, she opened her mouth to ask, then turned in surprise as loud voices, punctuated with several belligerent hammers, sounded on the door.

  Rahim exchanged puzzled glances with her before issuing an order in Arabic. A bodyguard entered, followed immediately by a severely irritated Bianca.

  Before she could get a word in, her sister emerged from behind the burly minder and spotted her.

  ‘Oh, thank God, Allegra. I’ve been searching for you everywhere! Zara said you cancelled your afternoon appointments and left with some guy. That was almost eight hours ago. I was worried when you didn’t answer your phone.’

  Before Allegra could reassure her, Rahim spoke. ‘Your sister has been otherwise engaged. And as you can see for yourself, she’s completely unharmed.’

  The firm authority in Rahim’s tone made Bianca blink. She studied him properly for the first time, her eyes widening as she took in the powerful man before her. ‘Who are you, and why are you holding my sister here?’ she demanded, although her voice was less confrontational.

  ‘I am Sheikh Rahim Al-Hadi of Dar-Aman. Your future brother-in-law,’ he replied, his voice a steely vibration that coated the words in unmistakeable power.

  Bianca’s folded arms dropped, along with her jaw. Swallowing, she shook her head. ‘No way,’ she whispered.

  His lips compressed. ‘Perhaps you’d care to seek verification from your sister, and offer her your support once you have done so.’

  Bianca turned, wide-eyed, to her. Allegra nodded. ‘It’s true. Rahim and I are getting married.’

  For several seconds, silence reigned. Al
legra could almost see the questions tearing across Bianca’s mind like the adverts that lit up Times Square. But her sister hadn’t attained stellar success as a PR guru without mastering the art of discretion.

  With one final look between Rahim and her, Bianca, still dazed, murmured, ‘Then you have my support. And I guess I’m also going shopping for a new dress?’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  RAHIM HAD VERY little recollection of leaving the hotel room and boarding his plane back to Dar-Aman. But he could very much recall Allegra’s face when he’d told her he was leaving. The questions in her eyes which he’d glimpsed on her emergence from the master suite had given way to relief.

  He’d known she was curious about his reaction to the picture burning a hole in his pocket. But how could he offer explanation without sounding like a paranoid freak?

  How could he tell her that once again he feared his life had been set on a course that could alter his very future? What man would want to tell the woman who carried his child that he was terrified beyond understanding of anything going wrong? Of lightning striking twice and plunging his world once more into darkness?

  Besides, what would telling Allegra about his emotions surrounding his mother’s death or the brother he’d lost before he was even born achieve?

  What he needed to do was to ensure the preparations for the wedding got under way without delay. Before the relief he’d seen on Allegra’s face coalesced into foundations for doubt about marrying him. Settling back in his seat as his pilot readied for take-off, Rahim wished that he was anonymous and could whisk her off to Vegas for a shotgun wedding performed by an Elvis impersonator.

  He smiled grimly. He wished for many things, but each one was tossed aside for the futile nonsense it was.

  He wasn’t an ordinary man, and nothing but a Dar-Aman marriage ceremony, undertaken according to his ancestors’ coronation laws and duly consummated, would ensure his child’s legitimacy. He hadn’t planned on becoming a father this soon. Truth be told, he’d pushed that particular fulfilment of his duty to the bottom of his list when, with each liaison, he’d doubted his ability to find a woman worthy of being his queen. No woman had been worthy of being what the Dar-Aman people deserved.