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"Cho, but what do you big, strappin' boys want with little ol' me?"
All she got back was a lot more Arabic. Seemed the guys knew about three words in English—yeah, come, and hurry, which came with a whole lot of yalla.
Ginni was guessing that meant hurry herself along, as well. She got in the back of a big monster of a truck painted the color of the desert sand, and she was just hoping she wasn't in hot water.
Then she started to worry about Amal's words—just what the heck was a great love? And should she maybe start to think about leaving, now she'd settled the mess she'd made for Nasim?
Chapter Fourteen
The truck stopped at a spot that overlooked the Ash Lands. Ginni recognized the place. The guys got out, opened her door, gestured for her to follow them. A lot more Arabic came at her, and she vowed she was going to start learning at least a few words. She climbed from the truck, robes flapping around her ankles. Licking her lips, she glanced around but didn't see much here. Warm sand slipped under her sandals, and warmer air brushed her face.
Starting to get back into their vehicle, the guards chattered something to her.
"You're not leaving?"
The guys didn't get that and kept waving at her to walk away.
"This some kind of punishment?" she asked.
Grinning, they got into their truck. The driver started up the engine, and they took off, leaving her here like she was so much unwanted garbage. Ginni rubbed her arms and slipped her veil back on to get the sun off her head and out of her eyes.
She licked her lips again. Well, at least she knew there was water nearby. This spot had been close to the oasis where she'd had her picnic with Nasim.
The sun shifted, and the rainbow on the sands shimmered into existence. She let out a breath. In the distance, she thought she saw the glint of sun on metal. And maybe the flutter of a tent. It didn't look too far away. Nasim had driven to the oasis on a round-about road, but if she cut across the desert, she should be able to get there. The rainbow disappeared, and she started across the sands.
She found Nasim waiting for her, sitting in a chair outside a huge, black tent, the oasis not far away from him. A loose, white tunic and white pants billowed around him, open at the neck to show his tanned skin and dark hair, but what distracted her utterly were his bare feet. She hadn't noticed before, but he had long, elegant feet. Nice feet. Feet you wouldn't mind stroking. Feet you wouldn't mind tangled up with yours.
He held up a glass bottle of water. "Thirsty?"
She dragged her stare from those bare feet of his. Temper sparking, she put her hands on her hips. "I just walked what felt like five miles."
"It is less than a quarter mile, and no one is allowed to drive across the Ash Lands. You must go around to reach the oasis, or you must hike." He stood. "A small punishment seemed fitting for not telling me where you were going or what you had planned. I had to learn all from Sheikha Amal's maid. How did your meeting go?"
Mouth pressed tight, she stared at him. Was Amal right? Did he need more than she could give? She thought of what Hank had told her, too. Maybe now was th
e time to stop this lovely fantasy she'd had with him. Time to let him go so he could find a woman he could fall in love with before he got married. It was worth at least trying Hank’s method.
Gulping down a breath, she pushed out the words. "I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you."
Nasim smiled and held out the water again. "What is it you think you are doing?"
"I'm setting you free. Y'know, like that sayin'. I….well, I went to see Jasmine's daddy, as you know. He's okay now with Jasmine marrying Eric. He's also a lot more interested in seeing his grandbaby than having a chunk of Zahkim. And…and I'm leaving now. Amal good as said it was time for me to head on out, and I've been thinking that too, ’cause I don't want you thinking I only care about a deal and nothing else."
Frowning, he put the water down on a small folding table. He started to say something, stopped, took a breath, and then took her hands in his. "Let me make sure I have this right. You're trying to divorce me because you love me? That sounds…backwards."
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it? But Hank said divorce here was as easy as sayin' the words."
He pulled her closer. "He is wrong—about many things, it seems. First off, yes, the old laws in Zahkim allowed a man to divorce his wife by just saying, 'I divorce you.' A woman never could."
"Well, that's not fair. And boy, do I have to stop listening to what other folks tell me to say."
"That would be wise, and as I said, that is no longer the law. Even if it were, we come to the second point, which is that you would need witnesses to make this divorce you seem to want a reality." He made a show of glancing around. "We are quite alone."
She looked around as well. "Yeah. Guess it's just us."
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pressed her against him. Heat washed over her. "And, finally, I am not ready to let you go."
"You're making me sound like a package you got in the mail. Besides, I brought nothin' but trouble to your door. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna keep doing that."
