His Beloved Bride (Wedded to the Sheikh Book 3) Read online

  “You're not such a city boy after all, are you?” Alyssa asked.

  Ali finished working on the second coconut. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

  They drank every last drop of the coconut water, and then Ali set the coconuts on top of a larger stone and cracked them open.

  It was hard going carving the meat out of the shells, but well worth it. Some sand got in from the rocks, sure, but Alyssa didn't give a flip. They were satiated for the time being. On top of that, with some coconuts to live off of, their supplies would stretch for much longer.

  “What now?” Alyssa asked. She sat in the sand next to the shelter. Her entire body ached from pushing through the jungle all afternoon, and probably from being shaken up when the plane went down, as well. She wanted desperately to go to sleep, but she was too wary to do that. Even as exhausted as she was, she didn't think she would be able to fall asleep in such a strange place.

  “How about a fire?” Ali asked.

  “Don't tell me you also know how to make fire from striking rocks,” Alyssa said.

  Ali laughed. “I tried a few times when I was a child, but unfortunately, no. I do, however, have a lighter.”

  “A lighter?” Alyssa screeched. Right then, such a tool felt like gold.

  “I had it in my shirt pocket,” he said.

  “Hold on. Is this the part where you tell me you've been secretly smoking?”

  “No, my love. Remember when I lit the candles for dinner last night? I slipped the lighter into my shirt pocket. Since I’d just worn this shirt for dinner, I left it out yesterday to wear for the plane ride today.”

  “Now that,” Alyssa said, “is what I call a miracle.”

  “We just need to find enough brush and dry logs”, Ali added.

  Though her legs screamed in protest, Alyssa stood and begin searching right away. A fire would be comforting. Normal. Maybe it would make this whole thing feel a little bit more like camping. Plus, didn't fires keep wild animals away?

  They stayed on the edge of the jungle for the search, Alyssa not wanting to even step so much as a foot past the initial line of trees. Tomorrow, they would follow Steven’s notches and get water. Tonight, though, every inch of the jungle was off-limits.

  Hauling the wood to one spot, Ali spent some time stacking and rearranging it all. As kindling, he stuffed some dry palm leaves in. Squatting down, he flicked the lighter, and the first flame flickered in the middle of the night.

  Alyssa sucked in a breath. The flame was a connection to the world they had left behind, a link to civilization. She’d never looked at a lighter in such a way, and she probably never would again. Right then, though, she was spellbound.

  The palm leaves caught, and the fire roared to life. Its crackling filled the air, and Alyssa clapped her hands like a giddy toddler.

  “You did it!” she shouted.

  The flickering fire illuminated Ali’s half-smile. “You doubted me?”

  “I’m doubting everything out here,” Alyssa said. “At this point, I’m surprised that we’re even alive.”

  Ali came and sat in the sand next to her. “That really was a terrifying jaunt in the jungle.”

  As agreement, Alyssa snorted.

  “But now, we are here,” Ali said. He loosely hooked his arms over his legs. “Alive and well.”

  “Yeah,” she said, “we are.”

  They sat there, watching the fire and enjoying peaceful silence. Nearby, the waves made a gentle lapping against the beach. Alyssa dug her toes into the sand.

  “It’s so white,” she said, thinking out loud.

  “What’s that?”

  “The sand,” she explained. “It’s beautiful.”

  Ali hummed contemplatively. “Yes, it is.”

  Ali looked back at the fire, and they fell into more silence. Another brief period of struggling to survive had passed in relative success, and now, things almost seemed normal again.

  All that really meant, though, was that their issues were back. They were still a couple who currently fought more than they did anything else.

  Alyssa caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She wanted to lift the tension, but she didn’t know what to say.

  “It reminds me of Costa Rica,” Ali said.

  “What?” She turned her head in his direction. His arms were still hooked over his knees, and he stared at the fire with a look that was a mix of happy and wistful.

  “The white sand,” Ali explained. “It’s just like Costa Rica, don’t you think?”

  Alyssa’s throat became tight. Costa Rica was where they had gotten engaged.

  “Yeah,” she said. “It does.”

  “Some of the best times of my life happened there,” Ali said.

  Alyssa’s head and shoulders became unbearably heavy. She stared at the sand.

  “Are you thinking of…” Why couldn’t she even say the words?

  “Our engagement,” he finished for her.

  Alyssa dug her toes into the sand. “What does this mean for us, Ali? This disaster, it’s bringing out…” She sighed. “Well, not the best parts of me, and I’m sorry for that. But it’s also making me get honest about what matters.”

  He turned to face her. “Is this about the wedding again?”

  “It may just be a wedding,” Alyssa explained, “but the choices we make about it are symbolic of our whole relationship. They speak to who we are. What our values are.”

  Ali rubbed his face in exhaustion. “I know.”

  Alyssa swallowed hard. What she had to say next…could she do it?

  “I’m worried we’re more different than we thought,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

  Ali nodded. “Yes, I can see why you might think that.”

  Alyssa waited for more, but Ali only sat there, staring into the fire. After a minute, she looked away. Her face burned. Her eyes burned. Her heart burned.

  “I hope Steven is doing all right,” Ali said.

  Alyssa opened her mouth, about to chastise him for changing the subject, but then snapped her jaw shut. Maybe they’d reached an impasse for the time being, and she didn’t want to talk in circles.

  She drew a squiggly line in the sand, not wanting to look at him. “Yeah. I imagine he’s camping out on the sand, just like us.”

  “Three days.”

  “What kind of village or town do you think is here?” Alyssa asked. “One with phones?”

  “It should at least have radio communications.”

  Alyssa nodded. She was still terrified that they might be the only three people on the island, but she was also getting pretty good at stuffing that fear into the recesses of her mind. She needed to believe that Steven would be back soon with help—even if only to stop herself from going insane.

  A breeze tickled Alyssa’s legs, and she drew them closer to her chest. The temperature had dropped a bit with nightfall, the stifling humidity being replaced with a surprising coolness.

  “Cold?” Ali asked.

  Alyssa shrugged. “Well, not cold, exactly.”

  “Chilled? Popsicled?”

  She grinned. “Popsicled?”

  “You understood what I meant. Therefore, it’s quite logically a word.”

  Alyssa giggled. “Yeah, okay, I’ll buy that.”

  Ali held his arm open. Alyssa hesitated—and that was the wrong move.

  Ali frowned. “Why not?”

  Alyssa dropped her face. “This sounds lame, but…what’s going on with us? Hopefully, we’ll be rescued soon, and then what? What if we can’t come to an agreement about the wedding?”

  Ali blinked, a pained look crossing his face.

  “We do a fairly good job raising our son together, and that is likely the most difficult thing we will ever do. With that under our belts, we should be able to face anything.”

  The explanation made so much sense. It should have brought Alyssa comfort, and yet…it didn’t.

  “I wish we could go back to Costa Rica,” Alyssa said.
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br />   Ali swept his arm out. “Look around you, Alyssa. We are somewhere just as nice.”

  He knew what she’d meant, but she was also glad he didn’t acknowledge it.

  Alyssa forced back tears. God, she loved this man, but he completely infuriated her sometimes.

  “It was pretty hot watching you climb that tree,” she commented.

  Ali raised an eyebrow. “It was?”

  “Yeah. I had no idea you could do that.”

  “Perhaps we should install a coconut tree in the middle of our living room,” he suggested.

  Alyssa laughed. “I think that would be considered a stripper’s pole.”

  “Would you rather have that?”

  She rolled her eyes. “What would company say?”

  “What would our mothers say? That is the best question.”

  Alyssa grew serious. “Do you think they know we’re missing yet?”

  “I’m sure they do. As we have not arrived at the resort, there must be someone looking for us.”

  Alyssa’s stomach cramped. “Imagine what they must be going through—not knowing where we are, or if we’re okay…” She shook her head in despair. “Being a parent…”

  “It really gives you an increased empathy,” Ali said.

  “Yeah,” she agreed.

  Ali wrapped his arm around her waist and fluidly pulled her to him.

  This time, Alyssa didn’t resist. She tucked her head into his shoulder and relaxed completely. With the combined force of the fire and Ali’s body heat, any chill completely dissipated.

  “This is nice,” she murmured.

  Ali pushed her hair away from her forehead and Alyssa closed her eyes. She loved it when he did that.

  “I don’t want to fight,” she said softly.

  “I know,” he whispered. “Neither do I.”

  A shrieking call permeated the night, and Alyssa jumped in Ali’s arms. “What was that?” she asked.

  “Sounded like some kind of primate.”

  Alyssa exhaled in relief. “Okay. Primate I can deal with. It’s not a gorilla, though, right?”

  “No. They wouldn’t be over here.”

  Still, Alyssa glanced over her shoulder—and then wished she hadn’t. Seeing the dark jungle only made her more nervous. Her mind started racing, imagining all kinds of dangerous animals emerging from it.

  Ali rubbed her back soothingly. “Relax. Nothing will get you.”

  Surprisingly, Alyssa found she believed him. She was safe by a roaring fire, and she knew he would protect her from any kind of dangers that might emerge.

  “We should make something to lay down on,” Ali said. “If it doesn’t rain, we can stay out here by the fire.”

  “Sounds good.”

  They collected more palm leaves, Alyssa only casting occasional glances at the jungle, and spread them out to make a bed on the sand. It wasn’t the most perfect sleeping arrangement, but at least the leaves would stop sand from getting in their faces and down their pants.

  Ali put some more wood on the fire, and then he came to join Alyssa on the palm leaves. Laying on his side behind her, he wrapped his arm around her waist. The even rising and falling of his chest calmed her, and his warmth spread into her fingers and toes.

  “Good?” Ali asked.

  “Yeah,” Alyssa said, surprised to find she was smiling. “Really good.”

  A giddiness entered her chest, and it was with surprise that Alyssa realized the feeling was reminiscent of falling in love. This was the way she’d felt when she and Ali had become engaged—like her heart had sprouted wings.

  Ali ran his hand over her hair and kissed her head, and Alyssa smiled wider. She and Ali loved each other. And, he was right: they’d raised their son well together so far. They could get through this, and anything else.

  Alyssa had thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep on this strange beach, but as it turned out, she was doing just that.

  Chapter 13

  Ali

  Even before the morning light pierced Ali’s closed eyelids, the heat woke him. Rolling over, he sat up. The slightest breeze moved the leaves of the palm trees above, and the bright ocean water tickled the beach. Next to him, Alyssa slept soundly, her torso rising and falling with each even breath.

  Ali tenderly ran his fingers down her hair. It had become tangled, and she was sunburned, but she was also so beautiful.

  Then again, Alyssa was always beautiful. Nothing would ever change that.

  Ali went to run his palms through his hair, but he ended up getting sand all over himself. Standing, he made his way to the water. Squatting down, he washed the sand off of his hands and arms. Taking a moment, he sat there and gazed out at the ocean. The plane, he thought, was farther out than it had been the evening before.

  Ali frowned. Too bad about the plane. His parents had loved that one. At least it had managed a crash landing safely. Its three passengers had emerged from it not more than slightly shaken up.

  He trailed his fingers through the water again. This island truly was beautiful. Was it strange that he almost did not want to be rescued? Or, at least, not yet?

  When Alyssa had asked him if they were still going to the resort, he had been tongue-tied. That was what he wanted, certainly. But if she was so against it, that was another matter entirely.

  Ali sighed and looked down at his hands. He couldn’t wait for this whole wedding business to be over with. Here they were, stuck on a deserted island, lucky to be alive, and yet they still obsessed over their wedding!

  Was that appropriate? Or a sign of insanity?

  The evening before, when Alyssa had asked him about the resort, he had almost told her that they should just have the country wedding she wanted. Invite ten people, he wanted to say. Or none. Right then, he had just been glad to find her alive.

  “Hey,” Alyssa said from behind him. Ali looked over and found her sitting up.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Honestly?” she rubbed the back of her neck. “Kind of like I was hit by a bus.”

  Ali nodded, an act that made him realize how sore his own neck was. “That is normal after a crash.”

  “Also after sleeping flat on the beach,” Alyssa added.

  They stayed where they were for a moment, looking around themselves. Alyssa's brow furrowed, and she gazed past him.

  “Is the jet out some more?” she asked.

  “Yes.” Ali nodded. “It was good I went out there when I did.”

  “Yeah.” Alyssa rose.

  Their fire had turned into a smoldering pile of charred logs. Nearby, the coconut shells from last night's feast sat in the sand. Though making the fire and fetching the coconuts had been small accomplishments, Ali felt a grand sense of pride over them.

  In New York and Baqar, there was pride to be found in performing his work well, but this was different. Instead of tapping away on his computer, taking business calls, or rushing from one restaurant to another club, he had used his hands and his skills for something more primal. Something more basic. The satisfaction that brought could not be compared to something one might do in an urban setting.

  “What now?” Alyssa asked.

  Ali’s gaze drifted to the nearest coconut tree. “Did I not tell you that coconuts are an excellent source of—”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Alyssa said with a smile. “You told me.”

  “I’m looking forward to climbing up there and getting some more,” Ali said, nodding at the tree that had the biggest coconuts.

  Alyssa frowned slightly. “I won't say I hate that idea, but please be careful.” She picked up the water canteen. “I think we should go and get some spring water.”

  “Good idea,” Ali agreed.

  Alyssa hesitated. “Aren't you going to…come with me?”

  “Oh.” Ali nodded. “Yes. We should probably stay together.”

  “Not to mention, that jungle gives me the total creeps. Even more so, now, I mean.”

  Together,
they picked their way through the jungle, this time being extra cautious. Upon locating one of Steven's notches, one of them would stay at that tree while the other went ahead and found the next notch. In this way, they hoped, it would be much harder to become lost.

  At the sparkling creek, they drank their fill, then scooped up as much water as the canteen could carry.

  “Those coconut shells will make excellent bowls and cups,” Ali pointed out.

  Alyssa raised an eyebrow. “Are you also thinking about building us a treehouse here? Maybe one with a slide and a bridge that can be pulled up for when the pirates come? Because I'm still hoping Steven will be back sometime this week.”

  Ali put his arm around her. “I'm sorry. Yes, he will be back soon. It is only…I woke up feeling that we were in the most idyllic place. I wished, for a moment, that we could be here longer.”

  He expected Alyssa to tell him he was crazy, or perhaps to become angry with him, but instead, she gazed at the waterfall thoughtfully.

  “Yeah,” she said, “I get what you're saying. I guess it's just hard for me to appreciate this place when I'm worried I'll never see home again.”

  Ali gave her a tight hug. “We will be home soon. I promise you that.”

  Alyssa buried her face in his chest. Ali closed his eyes, his breathing naturally syncing up with hers.

  “I get what you mean,” Alyssa said into his chest. “About wanting to stay here.”

  Ali loosened his embrace the slightest bit, and Alyssa tilted her face up to him.

  “I thought you hated this place,” he said.

  “It's scary, yeah. Especially the jungle, but…it's like an escape from everything.” She shrugged. “Hey, you know, I might be open to staying here myself, provided we had Rashid with us.”

  “Really?” Ali skeptically asked.

  “Well…him, and electricity…maybe a grocery store…”

  “Don’t forget a coffee shop,” Ali said with a laugh.

  “Yeah.” Alyssa grinned. “So, if I could just shrink down New York and make it a few acres, then put it on this island, I'd be good.” She looked at the canteen in her hands. “Let's get back to the beach. We should probably take a look at the rations.”