‘Because once that’s sorted out, I assume I can then tell my sister what her ex-husband has been up to,’ Lily muttered ruefully, watching a frownline draw his winged ebony brows together. ‘Rauf…Hilary mightn’t have been expecting to hear from me immediately, but if I don’t get in touch soon she’ll start worrying. I could just send her a text message on my mobile…what about that?’
Rauf stilled. ‘You have a mobile phone with you?’
‘Yes…’
‘So great was my distrust that, had I known of its existence yesterday, I would have taken it from you,’ Rauf admitted. ‘I hope to get the information I requested within the next forty-eight hours. Text your sister and tell her that you’re fine. When I’ve got all the facts, we’ll fly over to England together and break the bad news and the good news face to face.’
‘It would be much better that way…’ Touched to the heart by that thoughtful suggestion, Lily gave him a luminous smile.
Like a male drawn by a spell of enchantment, Rauf leant down and let his sensual mouth come down with sweet, drugging intensity on hers. As she trembled and leant into him for support, her body thrumming with eagerness, Rauf loosed an earthy groan of frustration low in his throat and thrust her back from him again. Brilliant eyes ablaze with hunger, he snatched in a ragged breath.
‘Tonight I sleep down here…from here on in, we’re respecting the conventions—’
‘But if you’re planning to pretend that we were married anyway…’ Lily heard herself mutter and then she flushed crimson.
‘But we know we’re not…’ Lean, strong face set with stubborn determination, Rauf swept up her passport and birth certificate and began to fill out the forms he had mentioned.
He had turned her into a shameless hussy at breathtaking speed, Lily acknowledged when she later lay in solitary state in his bed, so happy and excited that she couldn’t sleep.
At three the following afternoon, Lily fingered the intricate new wedding band adorning her finger, breathed in the heady scent of the glorious bouquet of white lilies that Rauf had given her and joined him in thanking the government official who had presided over the ceremony.
‘What did he say?’ Lily pressed for a translation of the older man’s response as Rauf guided her back out to the sunny, deserted town square where a car waited to ferry them back to the helicopter.
‘That without a doubt you are the most beautiful bride ever to grace his humble office.’ Angling a look of unashamed admiration over her, Rauf swung into the car beside her. In her simple straw sun-hat and pale pink dress, she was a perfect vision and he closed his hand with possessive pride over hers.
Back at Sonngul, they dined in the arbour and lingered over the coffee. Finally Rauf went off to call his family and make his announcement about their marriage. ‘I’ll just tell my father. He can break the news to the rest of the family.’
After relaxing in the shade a little while longer, Lily heard a funny little tune play and sat for a few seconds wondering what it was before it dawned on her that it had to be her mobile phone.
Retrieving the phone in haste, she stabbed the answer button.
‘It’s Brett…’
At the sound of that eerily familiar voice, Lily sat bolt upright in her cushioned chair, goose-flesh prickling at the nape of her neck. ‘Brett? What do you want?’
In the act of walking back outdoors, having made his brief call, Rauf heard Lily speak Brett’s name and initial surprise stilled him in the hallway.
‘What are you doing over in Turkey?’ Brett demanded rawly.
Cold with the fear that Hilary’s ex-husband had always inspired in her, Lily drew in a steadying breath. As she thought of the thieving, lying and cheating Brett had utilised to rob her family blind, angry, bitter disgust overcame that fear. But on the very brink of lambasting Brett for his lack of conscience, Lily froze on the recollection that Rauf did not want Brett to be warned that his criminal activities had been exposed.
‘If you’re trying to make trouble for me again or sticking your nose in where it’s not welcome, you’re going to pay for it!’ Brett bit out nastily.
Lily felt sick: she couldn’t help it. ‘I have no idea why you should talk like that,’ she muttered unsteadily. ‘I’m just checking out the tourist trail over here for Hilary—’
‘Don’t lie to me…’
‘Rauf and I have just got married,’ Lily heard herself say and she winced at her own cowardice for even as she spoke she knew she was throwing up Rauf like a defensive barrier, hoping that Brett would be intimidated by that news.
‘Married?’ Brett questioned in audible disbelief.
‘Yes…married, so just leave me alone!’ Lily told him fiercely. ‘You can’t threaten me now and I want nothing more to do with you—’
‘Kasabian has married you…well, fancy that!’ Suddenly, Brett laughed as if she had cracked the best joke of the year. ‘Oh, what a wonderful world it is and oh, what grief there is going to be if the bridegroom goes digging!’
‘What are you talking about?’ Lily exclaimed in angry apprehension, wholly disconcerted by that facetious response.
‘When the balloon goes up, you had better protect me because if you don’t that marriage of yours might just end up in the dustbin too. See you soon, Lily!’ As Brett rang off Lily was left clutching the phone and staring into space.