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Nasim settled back in his chair, waved away the servants, and took up his coffee cup. "There's flatbread, goat cheese, fresh fruit, yogurt, and jam. I generally prefer kippers, eggs, and crumpets, myself, so those are available if you'd rather."
She glanced at the food, hardly seeing it and not really tempted by much other than the man sitting next to her. "Coffee's fine." She poured out a cup, found it strong and bitter—dark and handsome as you could wish. She almost groaned and was glad she hadn't said that.
Leaning toward her, his scent teasing her with a hint of musk and spice, he asked, "Shall we talk business?"
Chapter Six
Nasim watched Ginni fiddle with her coffee cup, turning it until the handle had made one circuit around. He had no difficulty reading her. She shifted in her chair, tugged at a curl near her cheek, and he knew she must be starting to realize she had ruined his wedding—she owed him. Which did not put her in a strong place for any negotiations. Now, he had gifted her with jewels, leaving her even more in his debt. He smiled and waited to see what she'd do. Personally, he would have ignored the disadvantages and pressed his case anyway. Ginni seemed to have other ideas.
Propping her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table, she asked, "Any chance we can get out of the palace for the day? I'm stallin', I know, but I told my folks I was staying to see some sights and I hate to make myself out a liar." She gulped down her coffee. "And, truth is, I need a better lay of the land."
He almost laughed. Instead, he pulled out his mobile, called for his car and some supplies for the day, then stood and held out his hand to Ginni. "I shall show you one of the true treasures of Zahkim."
Standing, she touched a finger to the necklace. "Feelin' a touch overdressed here."
With a snap of his fingers, he called for the servants. They came with the box for the necklace—a trifle really, too modern to appeal to Arif's bride and too heavy to suit Tarek's wife. Nasim took his time unfastening the clasp, brushing his fingers over Ginni's neck with touches that left goosebumps on her skin. He was pleased to see her reaction, to watch her tongue slip out to touch her lower lip, to see the pulse jump in her neck. He started to wonder why no man in America had taken her for a bride. Perhaps having to face Aldrich Leeland was too much for most men. And what would Aldrich think when he learned his daughter had married without so much as a word to her family? Well, that was Ginni's problem, wasn't it? Still, he could help her avoid some of the awkwardness of talking to her family. He could at least give her a respite.
Taking her hand, he led her to the front doors and out to his car.
She glanced at the battered International Harvester Travelall, its paint faded to a dull green, her dark brown eyes going wide. "This is yours? Gotta say I know good ol' boys back home that have fancier wheels."
"This is Jessie—Jessie, meet Ginni. Jessie is my reliable companion, and I promise you she is the safest ride out to where we are going."
Ginni gave him a sideways glance, but she patted the hood. "Long as you've got air conditioning, sweetheart, we'll get along fine."
The International had belonged to his father, and Nasim had never had the heart to sell it. Besides, it honestly was one of the best ways to get across the desert. Four-wheel drive, an indestructible engine, a large interior that allowed him to carry a tent and survival gear as well as several passengers and a picnic, it lacked only the greater comfort of plush seats. Jessie's air conditioning was temperamental but behaved today, blasting out cold air. Nasim drove from the palace grounds and out the gates, then took off cross-country.
Ginni grabbed for the shoulder strap of her seat belt as they bounced over what was little more than a camel track. She laughed. "Well, gotta say, you know how to show a gal a good time. Hang on for the ride." She gave a shout and another laugh.
Nasim found himself grinning as well. Ginni's enthusiasm for adventure seemed infectious.
He drove, and she pelted him with a dozen questions about Zahkim. What else did they have beside oil—any crops, fresh water supplies, industry? She knew little about Tarek's efforts to modernize the country, but she talked about regional stability as if she had done some reading before she'd taken Jasmine's place at the wedding.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to a barren strip of land that divided Zahkim from its neighboring country, Dijobuli. Nasim shut off the engine, and Ginni stared at the expanse of rocky desert in front of them. She glanced at Nasim.
"Uh, by any chance are you plannin' to leave me here?" He shook his head. Reaching into the backseat, he grabbed scarves for each of them and handed one to Ginni.
"To keep the sun from your head. Come on. It is almost time." Climbing out of the International, he came around to Ginni's side. She had the door open, but he took her hand to help her out of the high vehicle. Her thin shoes were not made for the desert, so he swept her up in his arms and carried her to the rocky overhang that overlooked the land.
Once he set her on her feet, she caught a breath. "Wow—that's quite a view."
He swept out an arm. "The Ash Lands. It is said to be holy ground."
They had driven up a road to the top of a cliff that overlooked twenty miles of desert.
She frowned. "Ash is about right. Gray and—I'm sorry to say—not that appealing. Maybe it's ’cause I'm used to the green back home. This is a treasure of Zahkim? Seriously? I was expecting something a little more…treasure-ish."
"You Americans—no patience."
"And you have tons?" She put a hand on her hip. "With the moves you've been putting on me, I'd say not."
He grinned and grabbed her hand. "Come. We must go higher." They hiked another twenty yards up the rocky outcrop, following a thin, winding goat path. At the top, the wind—dry and touched with sand—brushed across his face. It tugged on his headscarf, and he noticed Ginni struggling to keep hers in place. Stepping behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders, tucked her scarf more firmly around her neck, and turned her to face the east, toward the border with Dijobuli. "There…look."
The sun shifted a few degrees from overhead to starting its descent into the west. As it did, it slanted over the Ash Lands and turned the vast sweep of sands and rock below them into waves of silver edged with gold. The Ash Lands changed from gray to a shimmer of colors.
He explained. "The minerals in the soil react to light. You can see this only for a few minutes on any summer day, and then…" As the sun kept on with its slow arc, heading toward eventual sunset, the colors vanished. Again, the Ash Lands looked gray and forbidding and empty, although he knew that to be an illusion as well, for the desert held a vast amount of life.
Turning, she put a hand on his chest. "That was…okay, way better than expected."
