The Sheikh’s Stubborn Bride by Leslie North

7

Frustrateddidn’t begin to cover the emotions roiling inside Kadir over the next week. After their argument in the limo, he’d kept even more to himself than before, giving Stella time to cool off and himself some much-needed space to get his head screwed on straight again, because the truth was, she’d been right. He had pulled back from her, even though he wanted her more than he wanted his next breath. All because he feared being hurt again, being abandoned. After all, he hadn’t been enough for his own mother to stay. Who was to say he’d be enough for Stella?

It was just as well. He had too much to worry about as it was, what with the arrangement his press office had made before the wedding to allow one of the region’s most popular celebrity magazines to follow him and Stella around for a “day in the life” type piece. Damn, what he wouldn’t give to go back and change that decision, with all the tension between him and his new wife, but it was too late now. So, they were forging ahead, despite the fact that he and Stella had barely spoken to each other over the last seven days, much less discussed any of the details surrounding their interview. Now it was only a few days away.

There were settings to consider and appropriate answers to what might be provocative questions to decide upon. Kadir wasn’t the type of man who liked to leave things to chance. He strode down an ornate marble hall, searching for his wayward bride. In front of him, Naziha stepped out of her rooms.

“Have you seen Stella?” he asked his sister. “I’ve searched everywhere for her.”

Naziha laughed and shook her head. “Not everywhere, obviously, since she’s not with you. I’d guess she’s upstairs playing dress up. Losing track of your new bride already, brother? Shame on you.”

Kadir was not in a joking mood, especially about that particular subject. Stella had impressed him in many ways so far, but fashion was not one of them. Not that she didn’t always look nice; she just wasn’t particularly interested in clothes, wearing jeans and tops most of the time. If she was going to be seen at his side she needed to look like the queen she was destined to become. He repeated his question.

“Have you seen her or not?”

“Calm down, tiger.” His sister laughed. “She’s upstairs trying on some new things. Don’t look so surprised. The designer samples arrived this morning.”

Ah. Right. He’d forgotten about that. Kadir gave his sister a curt nod, then headed to their suite. He knocked, then walked in when there was no answer. No one there. He tried the master bath, but no sign of her in there, either. Perhaps Naziha had been mistaken. He was about to head back downstairs to try the gardens when a small grunt issued from behind the closed closet doors in her bedroom.

Frowning, Kadir walked over to look inside and found Stella, facing away from him, apparently being attacked by a wicked looking gown with lattice straps up the back. His first impulse was to laugh at the absurd picture she presented, but then he caught sight of her flushed, distraught face in the full-length mirror, and his humor quickly faded to concern.

She obviously needed help, and he was there to provide it.

Silently, Kadir closed the closet doors behind him then walked over to her. She was so consumed with removing the garment that she didn’t even notice him stalking closer, taking in the elegant lines of her naked back. How was it possible that he kept finding new angles on Stella’s body to admire?

The space was enormous, bigger than some of the guest rooms in the palace, complete with motorized racks, a boudoir area, several racks for shoes and an entire section just for accessories and jewelry. Every item was catalogued by type, color, and uploaded into an app designed especially for Kadir and searchable through a set of wall-mounted touchscreens. The new items from the designers hadn’t been entered yet, however, and were draped over one of the velvet couches, with several garment bags open to reveal expensive fabrics in a rainbow of hues spilling out of them.

He stopped close behind Stella and cleared his throat. “Here, let me help you.”

She jumped at the sound of his voice but quickly recovered.

“Stupid gown,” Stella said, catching his gaze in the mirror through a part in the bunched-up black fabric covering her face, her gray eyes blazing with fury. “I’ve spent the last twenty minutes fighting with this thing and losing. Get me out of it, please.”

“Let’s see what is happening here,” he said, turning her away from the mirror so he could focus on untangling the myriad straps crisscrossing her back, then straightening the gown so it fell properly over her curves. It really wasn’t a dress a person should try to get into by themselves. Finally, he stepped back and looked over his work, satisfied. At first, he’d been ready to curse the designer for making the garment so complicated, but now… Well, the results were quite spectacular. He gestured toward the mirror. “There. Have a look.”

She did. But instead of the smile Kadir had expected to see on his bride’s lovely face, her expression looked even more bewildered.

His brows knit. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Just…Just…” She waved her arm around the space, gesturing toward the garment bags scattered everywhere then at herself, her voice cracking on a sob. “This. All of this. They delivered all of this today, on top of all of the things already stuffed in here, and I have no idea what to keep, what to send back ... there’s just so much clothing! I tried to ask the designer’s assistants, who dropped them off, for help selecting outfits, but they couldn’t stay.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, distress evident on her pretty face as her tears fell. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this stuff?”

“Pick what you like, Stella.” Kadir’s confusion grew. “I thought you’d be pleased to have such choices and a designer-curated wardrobe.”

“Pleased?” She threw up her hands, exasperated. “How can I be pleased when I’m completely overwhelmed? I’m supposed to choose an outfit for each scheduled activity during our interview, but I’ve got no clue what’s appropriate. Not to mention the fact I’m afraid to even touch this stuff given the price tags.” She picked up a yellow scarf with sumptuous fringe hanging from the edges. “What the hell is ‘Mulberry silk’ anyway? It feel like it’s made of clouds! I’m a middle-class American tech geek, not royalty. I don’t know how to dress like royalty, Kadir. I though Naziha might help me, but she had to work all day, so I’m on my own here.”

“Then let me assist you.” He strode over and began pulling gowns and outfits out of the garment bags and hanging them on an empty rack at the center of the space so he could see everything.

Stella crossed her arms and gave him a dubious stare. “What do you know about fashion?”

He shrugged and smiled. “Naziha’s my little sister. I’ve got some experience with gowns. Someone had to teach her what worked and what didn’t.” She scrunched her nose, and he laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. I have an eye for design, that’s all. And I know what looks good on a woman.”

After he’d gotten the various garments in order, Kadir stepped back to assess it, his earlier stress about their relationship forgotten with the task in front of them.

“Come, stand next to me and look at all of this. Take a deep breath and release your stress. This will be fun, I promise. We’ll laugh at the silly ones and select the ones that look best on you. You’ll like it.”

Her sour expression suggested otherwise, but Stella did as he asked, reluctantly moving in beside him to analyze the clothes, the strappy dress tangling around her legs. “If you say so.”

“I do.” He reached over and pulled out a ridiculous hot-pink creation covered in rhinestones and feather accents. “Now, this one. See? It’s great for a catwalk. Not so much for real life.”

“It looks like a Muppet threw up on it.”

Kadir chuckled. “A very apt description.”

Stella shrugged, a slight smile finally breaking through her flinty mood. “Fine. How about we start with basic black and move our way up to color?”

“Your wish is my command, habibi,” Kadir said with a small bow and a wink, the endearment slipping out before he could stop himself. “Basic black it is.”

* * *

“Well, what do you think?” Stella an hour or so later, doing her best supermodel impression as she strutted her stuff down the makeshift runway he’d set up in the middle of their enormous closet.

They’d indeed worked their way up from basic black pantsuits to navy and burgundy blouses and slacks, to gray tweed skirts and camel cashmere sweaters, and finally to the stunning emerald-green gown she wore now. It was made of the same Mulberry silk she’d asked about, the most expensive in the world. The color brought out her creamy complexion and the auburn of her hair. To Kadir, it looked like she was walking on clouds, angelic. She stopped before him and made a slow turn. His pulse tripped and his fingertips itched to touch her, but he fisted his hands at his sides as her cheeks pinkened beneath his frank perusal.

“I think you look beautiful, habibi,” he said, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed pink at his compliment. As his wife, she would need to become more accustomed to constant praise. His gaze met hers and heat flickered through her eyes, along with yearning. It matched his own.

Watching her change clothes for an hour had been an agonizing mix of delight and torture as she ducked behind the open closet door each time she stripped off an outfit. It provided her with scant privacy, what with an oversized mirror reflecting back everything she was doing. Kadir had tried to be a gentleman, averting his eyes as she changed, but he found his gaze magnetically drawn back to her as she wiggled in and out of the outfits. He watched as she unbuttoned the second to last ensemble of the day, a fitted white Burberry blouse paired with a smart black Prada skirt, but quickly averted his gaze when her eyes met his in the mirror. Kadir waited a few beats then glanced back, only to find her still watching him in the reflection. She unzipped the pencil skirt and let it drop to the ground, her gaze unblinking, so that she was standing in just her flesh-tone bra and panties, which from his vantage point made her look naked.

“Could you hand me the navy gown?” Stella asked, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Kadir shot out of his chair and nearly tripped on a discarded stiletto on the way to grab the thing. He carried the gown to where Stella was waiting and held it so that it was a curtain between them, then turned to pace while he waited for her to come out in it.

Stella finally stepped back into the room and Kadir let out a low, appreciative whistle. The beaded sheath gown seemed cut to fit her curves, and the sparkle made the thing look like running water as she moved. The design was simple in the front, but when she did a slow turn he saw that the back was completely open all the way down to her waist.

“You are …” Kadir struggled to find a word that fit how incredible she looked. “You are magnificent.”

Stella stared at her reflection in the mirror. Emotions flickered over her face quickly, so fast Kadir might’ve missed them if he hadn’t been watching her so closely—excitement, happiness, enchantment, melancholy. That last one hit him hard. She blinked several times, as if trying to come to terms with all the changes taking place around her, within her. He could understand. She’d undergone quite a transformation today. The woman in the mirror looked nothing like the usual Stella who traipsed around the palace in her comfy clothes.

As if speaking as much to herself as him, she said, “I thought I knew what fame meant before I agreed to be your wife. I mean, I’m from LA, fame capital of the world. And my games have been successful. I’ve attended a lot of fancy industry events and award shows, but I’ve never had to wear anything like this. Not even on the red carpet. Never had to deal with politicians and royalty and business titans. All the people at the events I’ve been to were people like me: nerds. We all shared the same interests. It was like a community, you know?” She smoothed a careful hand down the front of the gown, as if it might disappear. “But this…” Stella closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the tremor running through her making him want to hold her all the more. “What if I mess this up, Kadir? What if you put me out there, on display for these reporters, for your country, and I’m a complete disaster? What if I’m not queen material?”

Kadir watched her a moment before rising slowly. He came up behind her and put his hands on her bare shoulders, seeking to warm her chilled skin with his own. “Honestly, habibi, you probably will mess up.” She tensed beneath his touch, and he rubbed her muscles to relax her. “Everyone does. I want you to know what you’re walking into. But seriously, Stella, I’ve put my foot in it more times than I can count, and my people are always forgiving.” His thumbs circled slowly, hypnotically, easing the tight knots between her shoulder blades. She softened under his hands. He wanted her under him in other ways, soft and relaxed. “Besides, how could they not be charmed by such a lovely princess?”

He bent slowly, his gaze holding hers in the mirror, and placed a kiss on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. His pulse pounded, and his body tightened. He felt her knees wobble, and Kadir slid his hand down her side to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her back against him, bracing her with his strength. With her soft curves pressed to his hard muscles, they slowly began to sway, even though there was no music. He wanted her to feel coddled, comforted, supported. The moment was oddly intimate—even more so than the heated kisses they’d shared, at least to him.

Stella let her head fall back against his shoulder and closed her eyes, and the walls around his heart fractured a tad more.

“Has your life always been like this?” she asked. “Full of glamour and in the public eye?”

“Yes,” he said, her sweet scent surrounding him as his lips brushed her ear. “I am used to being on public display, for the most part. But I have a private life too.”

His arm tightened around her, and she melted a little more against him, her fingers tracing over his forearm. He couldn’t suppress his shudder.

Kadir slowly lowered the zipper on Stella’s dress, then turned her to face him, needing to be sure. “I want you, Stella. More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Do you want me too?”

She inhaled deep, her eyes locked with his, and time seemed to stand still. A small eternity passed as he waited for her answer. Kadir lived and died in those few seconds until, finally, she nodded, taking a small step closer to him and placing her hands on his chest, atop his racing heart.

“Yes, I want you too.”

One minute he was standing there, staring down into her lovely face, her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling with need, and the next he was kissing her—hard, hot, deep. Stella clung to him, nails digging into his hair, hips pressed to his, breath heaving, as if she couldn’t get enough of him.

He felt the same. Every touch, every taste, every sigh seemed to be better, more meaningful than the last. He slid the dress she’d just put on from her body. She stepped free from it, her beautiful breasts bared to him, only lacy panties covering her nakedness.

His throat closed, and his chest constricted with desire. He’d been with other women, but none of them could compare with Stella. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the soft overhead lighting, the spark of fire in her auburn hair striking a match to his already burgeoning need. His cock was so hard it hurt, but he refused to rush this. Not their first time.

This time he wanted to make it last as long as possible, show her how much he’d come to care for her through his caresses, his kisses, his tender words. She looked away from him and attempted to cover herself with her hands before he stopped her, gently holding her wrists.

“Don’t,” Kadir said, his voice raspy and low. “Let me look at you, habibi. You are divine.”

Stella bit her lip and lowered her head. “Thank you for saying that, but I’m really not.”

Kadir tipped her chin up with his finger, then traced the smooth, soft skin of her jawline. “To me you are. To me you are perfect in every way, habibi. I plan to worship at the altar of your body, if you’ll let me.”

Her breath caught, and her pupils dilated, obliterating the blue of her irises. Her fingers clutched the front of his shirt, nails digging into his skin, driving his need for her higher. She rose up on tiptoe, her taut nipples grazing his chest as she leaned in to kiss his neck. “I need you, Kadir. Please.”

“Then you shall have me, wife.” He kissed her again, holding her tight against him, relishing the feel of her warm curves against his hardness. She wrapped a leg around his waist, and he picked her up, coaxing her other leg around him as he cupped her butt in his hands and carried her over to the divan. A quick swipe of his arm sent all the clothes draped there onto the floor, but he felt no guilt. Not now. Not with Stella nearly naked and so ready for him. He laid her gently down on her back atop the velvet upholstery, then quickly removed his shirt and pants, leaving him in just his boxer briefs as he stretched out atop her, careful not to crush her under his weight.

For a moment, they just lay there, skin-to-skin, and stared at each other. Then he lowered his head and kissed her, slowly and softly this time, his hand tracing down to cup one breast and toy with the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Stella gasped and arched beneath him, so responsive. His heart ached with affection for her. Affection and admiration and something else he wasn’t quite ready to name yet. Something bigger and stronger and deeper…

Then her fingers slid down his chest to cup his stiff cock through his boxers, and Kadir damn near forgot his own name. Forgot everything except this woman beneath him, this moment.

“I want to see you,” Stella whispered against his ear, her breath hot on his skin. “Please.”

“In a moment, habibi,” he said, forcing himself to scoot down, away from her touch, away from temptation. He needed her too badly, and if she kept stroking him like that it would all be over too soon. He wanted this to last all night. He nuzzled and licked his way down her neck to her collarbone. “First, I’m going to explore every inch of you.”

Kadir set about to do just that, first paying homage to those gorgeous breasts of hers. The perfect size, not too big or small, just the right fit for his palms. He bent and took one pretty, pink nipple between his lips, licking and sucking and nipping as he toyed with its twin between his thumb and forefinger before switching breasts, lavishing the other nipple with the same rapt attention.

Finally, when she was writhing beneath him, calling out his name and digging her fingers into his hair, he moved down, kissing a line down the center of her abdomen to the top of her lace panties. He bent and licked her through the rough fabric, his hands on her hips to hold her in place when she bucked.

“Kadir,” Stella cried out, grasping his shoulder, meeting his gaze down the length of her body, her expression dazed with lust. “You don’t…”

“Oh, but I do, habibi.” He flashed her a wicked grin even as he stroked her through the lace, the material already drenched with her need. “I really, really do.”

The scent of her arousal was driving him mad with desire, and Kadir thought if he didn’t taste her soon, he might go insane. He bent once more and traced his tongue over the damp lace of her panties, the spicy flavor of her coating his tongue.

“Kadir, please!” She cried out. “Please, I want…”

“What, habibi?” he asked, licking her once more before pulling back to look up at her. Flushed and feverish with need, she was the most beautiful sight Kadir had ever seen. The thought he’d been the one to make his Stella look that way caused fierce possessiveness to dig claws into his heart.

My Stella.

Mine.

“I need you,” she gasped out. “Please.”

“And you shall have me.” He slid her panties down her legs, then bent to trace his tongue over her slick folds, holding her in place with his hands while he made love to her with his lips and tongue and teeth. She clutched him closer, as if she’d never let him go, and he brought her to one glorious climax after another, nursing her through each until she lay sated and sleepy and satisfied beneath him. Only then did Kadir slowly kiss his way back up her body to her lips, rising over her and pulling a condom from his pants pocket to smooth it on himself.

At her questioning look, he said, “When we have children, it will be a mutual decision.”

Several emotions flickered across Stella’s lovely face—appreciation, affection, want. That last one vibrated through him like a tuning fork, notching his own need higher. Then all thoughts left his mind until only feelings remained as he positioned himself at her wet entrance and pushed inside her for the first time. Her heat clutched around him, urging him deeper until he was fully buried within her. For a moment, Kadir held still, allowing her to adjust to his size, waiting until she moved beneath him before withdrawing only to thrust back into her again.

Soon, they’d found their rhythm, her hips rising to meet his, and his angle of penetration changing based on her moans and sighs to give her what she liked best. Stella locked her legs around his lower back, digging her heels into his butt, meeting him thrust for thrust until they were both gasping and on the edge of ecstasy. She arched hard, and he reached between them to stroke her most sensitive flesh, sending Stella hurtling over the brink into orgasm, crying out his name as she went.

Kadir wasn’t far behind. He drove into her once, twice, harder, deeper, then his balls constricted and his body went whipcord tight. And boom—he came hard inside her, his face buried in her neck, murmuring sweet nothings over and over again into her skin as the waves of pleasure overtook him.

Later, when they’d both floated back down to Earth again, they lay on the divan. Kadir managed to squeeze in beside her, then turn slightly, so Stella was atop him, her head on his chest and his chin resting on her hair. He stared up at the ceiling of the large closet, trying to think of a time when he’d felt happier or more peaceful and failing completely. He traced lazy patterns on her shoulder and upper back with his fingers, enjoying the prickle of goose bumps his touch left in its wake.

“Thank you for what you said earlier,” Stella said at last, looking up at him. “About children.”

He kissed her shoulder. “Do you want to be a mother someday?”

“Yes, Of course,” she said. “I can’t wait to have babies and watch them grow. Teach them how to read and write, teach them what I do and all I know, play with them and love them and care for them. I was just surprised you used a condom, that’s all. You know, since we’re married.”

“As I said, when we start our family it will be by mutual decision.” He did his best to keep the old hurt from his tone and failed miserably, if the look she gave him was any indication. “Because my mother left, I’ve vowed to be sure my children’s mother will be an engaged parent.” He hadn’t planned to get into any of this now, not wanting to break the spell of afterglow around them so soon, but it seemed Stella had other ideas.

“Tell me,” Stella whispered.

With a sigh, Kadir adjusted his chin atop her head, forcing himself to open up to her. “There isn’t much to tell. She left us behind when I was eight years old to pursue an acting career in America. I have not talked to her since.”

She opened her eyes and met his gaze in the mirror. “Really? Not a word in all those years?”

“No.” Raw and vulnerable, his heart seized, and his rib cage constricted. He needed a partner, a woman interested in carrying on his name by having his children. And despite what had happened with his own mother, he wanted to start a family more than anything. When the time was right, for both him and Stella. Not sooner. And certainly not before they’d built a firm foundation of trust and respect between them. He’d been through enough dishonesty with his mother. He never wanted to go through that again, especially not with Stella.

Kadir kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes, forcing the old demons down.

Stella is not the same. Stella is different. Stella will be there for your children.

Slowly, he released his pent-up breath. “You’ll make a wonderful mother, habibi. I have every confidence in you.”

He relaxed against her, taking in the moment. This was what he wanted for his family. This sense of security and safety, to know that they would never be abandoned. To never feel unwanted, unloved, unworthy.

Still, those old demons niggled at the back of his mind. Despite his determination, Stella had gotten him to talk about his mother and her betrayal. He never mentioned that. And while he’d meant what he'd said about Stella being a wonderful mother, the lingering doubts died hard. She settled against him, her breathing evening out into the patterns of sleep, and Kadir did his best to doze with her and forget the past, forget the troubles that continued to dog him regardless of his wishes. Stella wasn’t like his mother. She was sweet and kind and open, all the things Kadir wanted more of in his life. He’d meant it when he’d said he had confidence in her too, even when she didn’t have it in herself. Yet. Hopefully, it was enough for the both of them.