Free Girl in the Bedouin Tent by Annie West Page A

her fiery cheeks as his meaning became clear. ‘They didn’t touch me like that.’
    ‘You mustn’t be ashamed.’ His voice curled around her, warm and considerate. ‘If they forced—’
    ‘No!’ she gasped. ‘No, they didn’t.’ She paused, but the urge to talk outweighed her embarrassment. Here in the inky stillness it was easier to spill her fears. Easy to take comfort in Amir’s presence, just out of reach.
    ‘I was sure they’d rape me.’ Her breath stalled on remembered terror. ‘I expected it every hour. Whenever the guard came to the tent. When he looked at me like that …’
    Cassie’s words petered out as her mind filled with an image of the man’s knowing smirk, the way just a look could make her feel unclean.
    ‘And when they took me to the big tent last night I thought.’
    ‘Of course you did.’
    Cassie heard what sounded like swearing under his breath, heartfelt and violent. Yet this time it didn’t make her cringe. His anger on her behalf was balm to her lacerated soul.
    ‘You were brave last night, Cassandra. A lot of women would have been too terrified to defend themselves, much less attack.’
    ‘Cassie,’ she said. When he called her by her full name an unsettling frisson channelled through her. ‘Cassie.’
    She loved the way he said her name. It seemed to vibrate across her skin in his impossibly deep, soft tones.
    ‘I’m sorry I hurt you.’ She’d never properly apologised. She’d been so busy focusing on herself that she’d let him tend to her injuries when all the time his had been potentially lethal. ‘If the knife had gone in further …’ She shuddered at the enormity of what she’d almost done.
    ‘It didn’t. It wouldn’t have.’ He sounded so matter-of-fact.
    Her lips twisted. ‘It came close.’
    ‘Yes. You’re a woman to be reckoned with.’
    Cassie’s heart skipped. Of all the things he could have said
that
was the nicest compliment of all to a woman who’d spent her early years being dismissed or excluded. Who’d had to fight for everything she had and was.
    ‘Does it hurt?’
    ‘I’d forgotten about it.’
    Sure. He’d been too busy tending to her hurts and felling bullies with just a punch to be concerned about a dagger cut to his throat.
    ‘Remind me never to anger you when we’re sharing fruit.’
    A gurgle of laughter bubbled in Cassie’s throat, easing her tension. It was the first time she’d felt light-hearted in days. It seemed a lifetime and it felt so good.
    ‘Thank you, Amir.’
    Silence. ‘There’s no need for thanks, Cassie.’
    She slid her hand out from under the pillow and flexed her fingers where they’d stiffened around his knife. ‘There’s every need.’

CHAPTER SIX
    C ASSIE savoured the crisp mountain air and the spicy scent of fresh vegetation. After being cooped up in a tent, however luxurious, the freedom of being outdoors was magic. Even though the freedom was illusory.
    She glanced at the rocks to her left. Somewhere hidden from sight were the guards, there to protect their royal guest and, no doubt, to ensure
she
didn’t escape.
    ‘You like the view?’ Amir’s voice came from beside her, and inevitably heat spooled through her veins. That low, sexy rumble undermined every barrier she tried to maintain.
    She turned, noticing how, as usual, Amir kept his distance. More than necessary for propriety. Clearly he sent a message. That despite their forced proximity he had no interest in her person.
    Had he recognised the dangerous laxness that had invaded her body at his massage? The heady longing for more?
    ‘It’s magnificent,’ she said quickly, cutting off that line of thought. ‘Thank you for bringing me here.’
    He spread his hands. ‘Your confinement must be difficult to bear.’ His eyes met hers and she felt that familiar jolt. ‘I only wish I could do more.’
    The grim lines around his mouth accentuated what she already knew. Amir was a man of action, used to resolving problems and no doubt