Her Secret Read online

  Her Secret

  The Sheiks of Altair

  By Elizabeth Lennox

  www.ElizabethLennox.com

  Follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Author.Elizabeth.Lennox

  Or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Elizabethlenno1

  Copyright 2013

  ISBN13: 9781944078836

  All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, currently known or future inventions except as may be expressly permitted in writing from ElizabethLennox.com.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Excerpt to The Desert Prince’s Bride

  Book List

  Prologue

  “Woah!” Kate whispered, unaware that she’d spoken out loud.

  Not that it mattered. The courtyard area of the small restaurant was deserted at this time of the day, most of the other patrons heading indoors where it was cooler.

  The towering man glanced her way and her heart lurched! Kate wasn’t sure if she should feign indifference or…hide under the table. Since there weren’t any tablecloths to conceal her, she was probably better off pretending indifference.

  Hard to do when a man like that approached! Magnificently tall, with lithe, muscle bound arms and shoulders, plus deliciously slim hips! Not an actor. Kate knew all of the actors in Hollywood and he was definitely not one of them. Besides, they weren’t in Hollywood. In fact, she’d purposely found an island as far away from that place as she could.

  He took off his sunglasses to look her over. Kate suspected he wanted her to do the same, but she couldn’t move. She was frozen by the weight of his gaze. He had the most piercing eyes she’d ever seen! Actors could feign it but this guy…he was the real deal.

  He stopped a foot away from her table and Kate held her breath, stunned by the power oozing off the man even from twelve inches away.

  “Marhabaan,” the man murmured politely, bowing slightly.

  Kate knew she should respond in kind, but her mind blanked, she couldn’t remember a single phrase in Arabic. “Hello,” she finally spouted, feeling silly.

  “Ah, English,” he smiled, changing to the language. “May I?” he asked, indicating the other chair at her table.

  Kate knew her mouth was hanging open. Snapping it closed, she managed a nod. “Please,” she stammered, the word sounding six or seven syllables long since she stumbled over every letter.

  “You are American?”

  She blinked, not really sure. But then the question registered and she blinked again in surprise, although he couldn’t see her eyes behind her sunglasses. “Yes. Yes, I’m American.” Again, more stammering, which made her feel silly. Why was she stuttering like an anxious teenager? She didn’t understand it and…well, she intensely disliked it. Normally, she was cool and confident, priding herself on being elegantly composed at all times. But something about him was throwing her through a loop.

  He smiled slightly, his eyes warming, and her stomach clenched in reaction. “We don’t get many Americans out this far. This is a beautiful island, but remote and hard to reach. Most guests to Altair stay in the capital, soaking up the tourist attractions.”

  She smiled faintly and shrugged. “I wanted to get away from the crowds.” True enough, but Kate bit her tongue, wishing she hadn’t said anything. Now he was going to recognize her and the inevitable flood of annoying questions would begin, as they always did as soon as he realized she was the famous actress. Bowing her head, she sighed softly and braced for the onslaught.

  “Do the crowds bother you?”

  Startled, she looked up into dark eyes filled with understanding. That wasn’t the question she expected.

  She looked away, noticing that the few other patrons in the tiny restaurant were surreptitiously watching the two of them. But their perusal seemed…different somehow. This was all very odd, including her reaction to the man. He was incredibly tall, but so were about half of the other Hollywood actors she worked with. The other half had to stand on platforms to appear taller than she was. It was a little known fact of the movie industry that most of the well-known actors in Hollywood were ridiculously short.

  His muscles made themselves known underneath that loose, linen shirt. But then, most actors had muscles. She was used to buff guys flirting with her, but they had never made her feel…feminine. Pretty. Yes, he made her feel pretty simply by the way he was looking at her.

  She shrugged without looking up, mentally chiding herself for being so silly. “Crowds are fine, but I prefer my privacy. The views here are amazing.” Although neither of them were aware of the azure seas reflecting the face of the sky. A few puffy clouds drifted across the sky, but they went unnoticed, as one’s eye was constantly drawn to the peaceful views of the beaches that made up the edges of the tiny island.

  Never in her life had she met such an enticing man, and she’d definitely met her share of beautiful actors. Kate had worked with just about every major actor in the industry. As the youngest actresses to win two Oscars, she was one of the most sought after celebrities in the industry. An actor that appeared on her arm was almost guaranteed a movie deal. Night clubs paid her over one hundred thousand dollars just to show up in whatever skimpy outfit her manager had delivered earlier that night, dance to a few songs, and smile for the cameras as she left. She’d just finished another movie, one that she was sure would be another blockbuster, had gone through all of the pre-release interviews and all of the crazy publicity stunts…she was exhausted.

  Which was why she’d come this remote corner of the world to hide out and relax.

  “May I buy you another cup of coffee?” he asked, glancing down at her empty cup.

  She looked as well, startled to find that she’d finished it without noticing. “Oh my, um…no,” she replied, shaking her head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  “A bit stronger than what you are used to, no?” he teased.

  She laughed as well. “Yes, definitely stronger than American coffee,” she agreed, tilting the cup slightly, watching the last dregs of the thick brew ooze like syrup. The amount of caffeine in the tiny cup was probably ten times what she was used to. “I probably won’t sleep at all tonight after just the one cup.”

  The man chuckled and Kate thrilled at the sound, thinking that it was richer than the coffee she’d just finished.

  “It takes getting used to,” he replied. “Why are you here instead of in the city, dancing the night away at a club?”

  She looked out at the ocean, smiling as a playful breeze teased her hair. “Oh, club scenes really aren’t all that interesting to me,” she admitted candidly, although, if one were to look at the tabloids, another impression could be derived.

  “What does interest you?” he asked, snapping his fingers. When the waiter arrived, the poor man almost tripped over himself as he hurriedly approached their table.

  The tall man across from her turned to watch the waiter, obviously irritated, but said nothing.

  “I apologize,” the waiter said stiffly, bowing slightly. “How may I serve you?”

&n
bsp; “Yanzi,” the man ordered and the waiter nodded, bowed again more deeply, backed up a couple steps and bowed again, repeating the gesture until he was at the kitchen doorway. At that point, he turned around and stumbled over a chair in his exuberance before vanishing into the kitchen.

  “You’re quite intimidating,” Kate observed, turning back to the fascinating stranger.

  The man lifted an elegant hand, dismissing the waiter’s bumbling efforts. “He is young.”

  Kate laughed. “Yep. He’s young and you’re…” she stared at him for a long moment, trying to find the right word to describe him. In the end, she settled on, “Terrifying.”

  The man chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. “Perhaps I am a bit intimidating, to the locals.”

  “A bit?” she repeated archly. “The poor guy tripped over a chair! That’s like saying a lion meows.” She leaned forward, elbows braced on the table, unaware of how her body language was conveying her interest. “You’re clearly an intimidating man.”

  He leaned forward as well, resting his forearms on the table between them. “I don’t scare you though, do I?”

  Kate’s lips twitched, not quite a smirk, but close. While she was unaware of the mysteriousness of her expression, he was incredibly aware. “You’re possibly the most intimidating man I’ve ever not-met.”

  A dark eyebrow lifted over his chocolate brown gaze. “Why ‘not met’?”

  Kate shrugged one shoulder slightly. “You sat down, chatted with me, and ordered something, but you haven’t introduced yourself.”

  His smile was devastating, growing more so as it morphed into laughter. When he laughed, she felt as if she’d won a prize. Something eager and reckless unfurled in her chest. An urge to reach out and touch the man flashed through her and she pulled back. Just then, the waiter arrived with a large bottle and two glasses.

  The handsome stranger leaned back as well, nodding to the waiter. “I’ll pour,” he told the poor guy who looked like he might just drop the bottle onto the hard, concrete floor in his nervousness.

  The waiter hurried off, looking as grateful as if he’d just been given a stay of execution.

  The stranger lifted the bottle and poured clear liquid into the two glasses, handing one to her. “My name is Talal,” he explained, lifting his glass. “And you are…?”

  She accepted the glass and toasted his. “Call me Kate. What do you do, Talal?” She asked, without taking a sip of the drink. She wasn’t sure what it was, and she wasn’t sure if she was daring enough to try it. The look in his eyes told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking…and he was amused by her hesitation.

  “You don’t recognize me?” he asked innocently.

  She tilted her head slightly. “Should I? You’re not an actor. Are you a producer?”

  Both eyebrows lifted at that question. But he shook his head. “No. I’m not a producer. And if you don’t recognize me, that’s okay. I’m not a celebrity. Are you?”

  She bit her lip, considering how to answer that question. In the end, she went with a half-truth, still unwilling to cope with the slew of questions that came once someone recognized her. “I grew up in Massachusetts. I went to Harvard and have a degree in psychology.”

  “Impressive! Why psychology?” he asked curiously.

  It had been an excellent decision, mostly because that area of study made her a better actress, but also because she’d wanted a plan B in case she hadn’t made it in the movie industry. That had been three years ago and she’d abandoned plan B since plan A, her acting career, had taken off.

  “Because I like human reactions. I like trying to figure out why people do what they do.” Unconsciously, she leaned forward, once again unaware of how her body language conveyed her enthusiasm for the subject. “I love the way the mind works, and scientists are making a great deal of headway into mapping the brain, understanding the different parts of the brain, and how they interact.”

  He nodded his head. “I think it’s a fascinating field of study. So you’re a neuropsychologist? What brought you here to this small island in the middle of nowhere?”

  Startled, Kate pulled back. She hadn’t meant to reveal so much about herself and there was no way she could label herself as a neuropsychologist. Not even a therapist! She’d only majored in the field but hadn’t practiced the science. One needed years of industry knowledge before one could really grasp all of the nuances of human behavior.

  “Um…I just needed a vacation.” She looked down, fiddling with the still-untouched drink. “I’m sort of in between jobs right now.” Both statements were the absolute truth, and yet, also lies.

  She only felt slightly guilty at her lie of omission. Kate was reveling in this man’s attention, enjoying the fact that he wanted to talk to her simply because she was a female he was attracted to, and not because she was a celebrity.

  “What would you like to do with your life?”

  “Oh, that’s an easy one. I want to make people smile,” she told him, leaning back in her chair and lifting her face up to the sunshine. “I think that happiness is a tough commodity to achieve, and anything I can do to make the world a better place is good.”

  “You don’t like yanzi?” he asked, changing the subject.

  She frowned curiously, not sure what he was talking about. “Who is Yanzi?” she asked.

  “It’s the drink you are ignoring.” He glanced pointedly at the small glass in her hands. “It’s a locally created liqueur made from the berries here on the island. I stop by here every once in a while to pick some up.”

  “It isn’t sold anywhere else?”

  He shrugged. “I prefer to buy directly from the source instead of patronizing the middle man. I want the producers to get the profits instead of the distribution centers.”

  She smiled, propping her chin on her palm, her elbow down on the table. “That’s admirable of you. What other local items are for sale here on the island?”

  He laughed. “Not much. The people here live a relatively simple life. They are mostly fishermen and their families. They grow most of their own produce and fish. I think there are a few goats on the other side of the island, which provide milk and allow the villagers to make cheese. Other than yanzi, they don’t have anything exportable.”

  She looked down at her glass, lifting it up so the sunlight sparkled through the clear liquid. “So this is it, huh? This is their sole source of income?”

  “And fish. The waters around this island are clean and abundant. Many of the men go out early in the morning to fish, and bring their catch to the market on the mainland. Once they’re sold out, they come back here, have lunch, drink until they are relaxed, and get ready for the next day.”

  “Sounds like a good life,” she replied, wondering what it would be like to have no worries beyond how many fish one caught that morning.

  “It’s a hard life,” he countered. “Sometimes, the fish aren’t willing to be caught. And if a storm rolls through, they have no income until the fish return to their fertile grounds. If a ship comes through and dumps waste, the fish aren’t as healthy for weeks, sometimes months until the ocean cleans itself and the fish population recovers.”

  “Sounds like you understand the trials of these villagers. It’s admirable that you take such an interest.”

  “It’s my job,” he replied. “Now, please try the yanzi, it is excellent. Very different from other spirits you might have tried in the past.”

  Kate took a tentative sip, her eyes widening with surprise at the delicious berry flavor. “Wow! That is delicious!”

  He nodded his approval. “I’m glad that you enjoy it. Now tell me more about yourself.”

  Kate took another sip, amazed at how easily it went down. Setting the glass back down on the table, she talked about her life, about school, and her volunteer activities. But she kept out all issues relating to her acting career, reveling in being anonymous. It so rarely happened these days, this was a special treat. Kate decided tha
t she was going to enjoy her evening with this man without guilt.

  Talal watched the woman’s blue eyes light up with excitement and was completely lost. He knew that there were more than one hundred issues that urgently needed his attention, and yet, he couldn’t seem to pull himself away. She was enchanting, beautiful clear, pale skin and long lashes that framed those turquoise eyes. He was reminded of a sexy cat, a watchful cat filled with elegance and mystery. Her knowledge of psychology was proven by the way she watched him, her eyes seeming to take in every nuance of his body language.

  And it wasn’t just her enchanting eyes. Each expression was another delightful surprise. He doubted that she realized how animated her features were.

  Talal admitted to himself that he wanted this woman. She was different in ways he couldn’t exactly define, but he knew that this woman was going to be in his bed.

  He watched her shoulders drop as she relaxed and enjoyed the strong liquor. When he could tell she’d had a bit too much, he signaled to the waiter again, ordering several different appetizers, as well as tea.

  As they ate the delicious, simple fare offered by this seaside tavern, he learned more about her. And with every topic, he found he was more drawn in, more delighted with her.

  “Do you have to be anywhere tonight?” he asked.

  Kate blinked, then looked around. It was dark!

  “Um…” she wasn’t sure what time it was, having left her watch back at the small villa she was renting. But there were no other customers around. “Wow, what time is it?”

  He shrugged. “Does it matter? Do you have to meet anyone?”

  Kate looked at the man in the dim lighting from the overhead string of lights and the moon. Did she have plans? No. None.

  “I have no schedule,” she finally admitted, feeling her heart rate accelerate with that admission. The slow smile that formed on his handsome features told her that they both knew where this night would end.

  “Let’s walk along the beach,” he suggested, as he stood up and held out a hand to her.