Emma scanned the horizon for a distinguishing feature, something that would break up the monotonous landscape of the desert. They’d been riding for over a week and her anticipation of what was to come had reached almost breaking point. She badly wanted to reach their destination, but part of her also wanted the journey to never end. This was precious time, and once they had reached the tomb everything would change.
Emma couldn’t deny she was enjoying spending time in Sebastian’s company. Even after the awkwardness of their kiss she wouldn’t have swapped her guide for anyone else. He made her laugh and kept her amused with his daring tales. And if she had to suppress the attraction she felt for him every time their eyes locked, surely that wasn’t too great a price to pay for good company?
‘Keep watching the horizon,’ Sebastian said. ‘Only a few minutes and Eagle rock should become visible.’
Emma didn’t answer, instead resuming her scan of the desert landscape, eager to catch a glimpse of their next waypoint.
After another ten minutes Emma thought she could see something in the distance. She looked across to Sebastian, who was also staring ahead, but with a frown on his face.
He spoke rapidly in Arabic to Akil and Akins who urged their horses forward and started scanning the horizon.
‘What’s happening?’ Emma asked, concerned by the looks on Sebastian and the boys’ faces.
He didn’t answer for a minute, concentrating on where the sky met the desert miles in front of them. After sixty seconds he nodded grimly.
‘Sandstorm. We need to get to cover.’
Emma looked about her with concern. The desert landscape was flat and unforgiving, not providing them with much shelter at all.
‘Eagle rock,’ Sebastian said. ‘We need to get to Eagle rock.’
Emma watched as Akil and Akins spurred their horses forward, taking off at a canter. The beasts tossed their manes but otherwise did not protest at being urged on in the afternoon heat.
‘We need to move, now.’
Emma nodded and pushed her horse forward, murmuring encouragement as she picked up speed. They covered the distance in half the time at double the speed and soon Emma could see Eagle rock protruding from the flat desert floor. In the time they had been riding Emma had become aware of the rising wall of sand in the distance, moving closer every minute. It was massive, stretching from one edge of the horizon to the other and billowing into the sky, obscuring some of the late afternoon sun.
‘We should just about make it in time,’ Sebastian shouted as they cantered forward.
Emma didn’t bother to reply, using all her energy to keep her seat on her horse whilst watching the sandstorm power its way towards them.
After ten more minutes of riding they reached the base of Eagle rock. It was a square platform that rose from the desert floor to reach about thirty feet. At the very top there was a protrusion, carved by the wind and sand over thousands of years. Emma supposed if you squinted and used your imagination it did look a little like an eagle in flight.
As soon as they reached the rock Sebastian dismounted and quickly lifted Emma down. Akil and Akins had already started to set up their makeshift camp to shelter them from the worst of the storm.
Sebastian led their horses one by one so they were in the shelter of the rock. Calmly he coaxed them to lie down, tied them up and then tied strips of fabric across their eyes. The horses tossed their heads with fear at first but Sebastian managed to soothe them with calming words and a few strokes.
Emma looked about helplessly; she had no clue what to do. The storm was almost upon them—small particles of dust were already being whipped up into the air and the noise of the wind was almost deafening already.
After dealing with the horses Sebastian grabbed a couple of the blankets and started to secure them to the rock face in whatever way he could. Emma ran to join him and held the blankets in place whilst he tied them to each other. Slightly farther along the rock, on the other side of the horses, Emma could see Akil and Akins were doing the same.
When the blankets were secure Sebastian ushered Emma inside the makeshift tent. He followed her in a couple of minutes later holding the last of the blankets in one hand.
‘We need to protect our faces,’ Sebastian shouted over the noise of the sandstorm.
Emma nodded but didn’t understand what to do.
‘We have to wrap our shirts around our faces. It is important to cover your mouth and nose so they don’t get clogged with sand.’
Emma nodded again but still didn’t move.
‘You’re going to have to take your shirt off,’ Sebastian said, slipping his over his head and starting to wrap it round his face.
Emma hesitated for only a second. Now wasn’t the time to feel shy; they were in real danger. She was scared and Sebastian knew what to do to protect her.
Quickly she slipped the shirt over her head, her back to Sebastian. She felt around for the blanket he’d brought into their shelter and quickly wrapped herself in it. Then she turned around and started to try and copy what Sebastian had done with his shirt.
After a few seconds Emma felt Sebastian’s fingers cover her own.
‘Let me,’ he said, taking the shirt from her and gently wrapping it over her mouth and nose.
Emma shuddered in anticipation. Outside the wind was howling now and the sand was battering against the exposed side of the blankets. She knew if they were out in the open the sand would tear their skin off within minutes.
After a few seconds Emma felt Sebastian slip an arm around her shoulder and ease her back against him. She stiffened at first, but then allowed herself to relax against his chest.
‘In here we’ll be fine,’ Sebastian said. ‘We just have to wait the storm out.’
‘How long will it take?’ Emma asked.
She felt him shrug underneath her. ‘Could be a couple of hours, could be a day.’
Emma shivered at the thought of being stuck in a sandstorm for a whole day.
‘Just relax, close your eyes and try and get some rest,’ Sebastian said. ‘We’re perfectly safe in here.’
At first Emma thought the idea of rest was preposterous. She’d never been one of these people afraid of storms. In England she quite enjoyed watching the thunder and lightning pierce torrential rain from her bedroom window. But this was completely different. This was dangerous. There only needed to be a particularly strong gust of wind and their flimsy blanket shelter would be torn away and they would be exposed to the elements. Emma doubted they would survive.
The strange thing was she didn’t feel particularly afraid—at least not as afraid as she should, given the circumstances. She wondered if it had something to do with Sebastian’s strong arms forming a protective shield around her body. She knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He would throw himself on top of her to shield her from the storm if need be. Emma felt a small tingle of desire rise up inside her at the idea of Sebastian’s body pressed against hers and tried to shake it off.
‘Are you comfortable?’ Sebastian’s voice was low and close to her ear. Emma felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and wished he would lower his mouth just a little more so she could feel his lips against her skin.
‘Mmm-hmm,’ Emma managed to mumble.
Sebastian must have mistook her lack of eloquence for fear as he tightened his hold on her, pulling her even closer to the sculpted muscles of his chest. Emma’s heart started to pound and she was convinced he must be able to feel it where their bodies met.
She squeezed her eyes tight and tried to think of anything but the man behind her. It was difficult when she felt every breath against her neck, every rise and fall of his chest through the thin blanket. Emma tried to picture something else, anything else. This was not the time to focus on her attraction to Sebastian. A very unwise attraction.
He doesn’t want you, Emma told herself. That wasn’t strictly true. Sebastian wanted her, she could see it in his every gesture and look, but he didn’t want to marry her. He’d made that abundantly clear. Emma felt the tears well up in her eyes and was glad she was sitting with her back towards Sebastian; she didn’t need him seeing her like this. It wasn’t his fault men didn’t find her a worthy prospect for marriage. First Freddie had rejected her, in the cruellest way possible, and now Sebastian.
Not that Sebastian was a bad man; he’d stopped himself from compromising her further because he knew he could not marry her. She should be thankful for his chivalry. But a small part of Emma was crying out, asking why men seemed to run from the idea of marrying her. Freddie she could put down to bad judgement on her part; he was a cad and a snake. Sebastian was different. He was a good man, kind and generous.
Emma sighed quietly. It was no use torturing herself. Sebastian didn’t want her and she should be thankful for that. She should be grateful he would be the strong one, for it would be all too easy for her to spin around, run her fingers over his bare chest and invite him to take her.
She smiled at the thought. He’d probably back out of the makeshift tent and take his chances in the sandstorm.
Sebastian shifted a little and Emma felt herself relaxing even more into him. His arms wrapped around her were so protective and strong, and she loved the warmth emanating from his body and penetrating hers. It was no wonder she was so attracted to him. After the scandal with Freddie she’d been shunned by society. Over the years she’d been slowly accepted back into some circles, but the eligible bachelors all gave her a wide berth. Only the men with bad reputations, who made it clear they knew of her past, ever approached her, wanting to take up where Freddie had left off. No wonder she was so enamoured with Sebastian. He was a good-looking man who liked her for herself, not what he thought he could get from her.
Emma shook her head. That wasn’t all of it though. If she was honest, the fact that Sebastian had been interested in her was only a small part of the attraction. He was funny and kind and generous and he had a body Emma wanted to spend all night exploring with her hands. She didn’t think she’d met a more wonderful man.
It was a shame the idea of spending his life with her made him run for the hills.