Captured The Sheiks Bride Ch 11

A/N: Yes, finally another chapter! I know I take forever don't I! Argh! ;-)

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The five minute drive to Callie's apartment was achieved in silence. Upon arrival the girls climbed out of the truck and entered the living room. Callie turned to Leanna.

"Would you like something to drink, coffee...tea?"

"A Cup of tea would go down nicely." Leanna requested.

Nodding Callie led the way into her little kitchen and started making tea for the two of them. Five minutes later the two sat down in the living room, Callie broke the silence.

"So, where have you been?" She asked.

With that simple question, out poured the whole story from Leanna, her enslavement, the auction, the wedding, even parts of the wedding night to her escape and her trip to the hospital. Callie sat in stunned silence after Leanna had recited the whole tale then said the one thing she could think of.

"Wow."

Leanna laughed, that was exactly what she thought of the whole thing. Then Callie asked the question, the one which she wished she did not have an answer.

"Do you love him?"

Leanna grimaced, "Yes I do, what an idiot I am huh?"

Callie smiled gently. "Hon, I can't blame you for falling head over heels for the guy, from what you've said he sounds gorgeous, and he seems quite the hero to, in a strange convoluted kind of way, but a hero nonetheless."

Leanna laughed at that.

"I mean, look Leanna, should the guy have practically forced you to marry him? No, he could have done what most normal men would have and courted you, but he does come from a completely different culture than ours, though from what you've told me in some ways his kingdom sounds quite civilized. It sucks that he bought you; you'll have to find out why the hell a guy who doesn't have slaves was at a slave auction. But imagine if he hadn't bought you, you could have been bought by a brothel, or a man that wasn't exactly kosher. Instead, Khadeem bought you, and married you, saving your virtue. Though he didn't go about it like he should have, he did save you from a fate that could have been much worse, and from what I have heard from you, it seems like he treats you quite nicely."

Leanna smiled after Callie's tirade, trust her friend to put it all in perspective for her.

"That's pretty much what I surmised for myself. I'm not going to go fall in his arms just yet, I want to be courted and damnit I will be!"

Callie laughed, but before she could reply the doorbell rang. The girls looked at each other, both knowing who most likely was on the other side of the door. With a shrug Callie got up and answered the door, she wasn't surprised to see Leanna's family there, along with another man, Khadeem she assumed and an older woman. It was Leanna's father who asked the question.

"Is Leanna here?"

Callie stepped back from the door and motioned them inside. They all saw Leanna at once and all of them walked up to her and started in on her. She let them all have their say then explained.

"Well, I was sick and tired of being ignored, you guys consulted about me, right in front of me, as though I wasn't even there! You didn't even ask if I felt well enough to go home, merely took it upon yourselves to go and ask my doctor if I should stay longer, so I made the decision for you."

With that said she took another sip of tea, she was grateful that she had it; it had done wonders for soothing her stomach. She smiled behind the cup, the expressions on her families, Khadeem's, and Ella's faces were comical. It was Khadeem who regained his wits first.

"Now that you have put us all in our respective places, would you like to go home and rest now?" He queried.

As much as she would have loved to defy him some more her back was starting to really get sore now, and she was feeling a bit woozy still from the pain medication.

"I guess." Leanna responded simply.

Nodding his head Khadeem bent and unceremoniously picked her up from her spot on the couch. Turning with her in his arms, ignoring her protests he bestowed Callie with a charming smile.

"It was nice meeting you...?"

"Callie," she supplied for him.

He gave her another mega-watt smile, "Nice meeting you Callie, I hope we will meet again, I presume you're a good friend of my errant wife?"

Callie chuckled appreciatively, receiving a glare from Leanna that she ignored. "Yes, I am. I imagine we will meet again Khadeem."

He grimaced, "I see you know my name; I imagine you have heard all about me haven't you?"

"That I have sir, though let me assure you, it wasn't all bad." She added wickedly, ignoring Leanna who hissed her name.

Khadeem chuckled and stood there with Leanna in his arms while the rest of the family greeted Callie, and then said their goodbyes, inviting her over to dinner tomorrow night.

They all filed back out of Callie's apartment and got into Khadeem's awaiting limo. As they drove off back towards her families farm Leanna ignored the looks everyone gave her, and tried to ignore how good it felt to be held in Khadeem's arms again.

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When the limo arrived back at Leanna's house, Khadeem picked her up again, and without any help from her, located her bedroom and set her on the bed.

"Would you like to get a shower?" He asked.

Leanna nodded. She sighed when Khadeem picked her up again, you would think that she was paralyzed the way he was treating her. He deposited her in the bathroom then closed the door behind him, informing her that he would be in the bedroom if she needed him. With a sigh Leanna stripped herself of her clothing and climbed the shower, groaning appreciatively at the warm spray. After completely cleansing herself she climbed out and toweled dry. She grimaced when she realized she would have to go out in her bedroom in a towel. She opened the door and stepped into her bedroom, ignoring the hot looks she was receiving from Khadeem she went over to her dresser and got fresh underwear, a large t-shirt, and a pair of sweats. Blushing she asked if Khadeem could please go downstairs while she changed. She ignored his knowing smile and breathed a sigh of relief when he acquiesced and left the room. She dressed quickly then sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor, thinking of the changes in her life since Khadeem came along. She was now married, to a foreign dignitary no less, and expecting his heir. At the thought of the life forming inside her, her hand strayed to her belly. She was in awe over this latest change in her life. She had always been borderline on the subject of children, she wanted them, but if it wasn't to happen, she wouldn't have been to upset. Now that she was to have one, she was in complete shock, she was terrified actually. She knew she would love any child she had, she was just terrified of everything else, morning sickness, labor and delivery, and what really terrified her was being responsible for another human being.

"I'll do my best, I promise," she whispered.

The door opening had her looking up she wasn't surprised to see that it was Khadeem. She watched in silence as he closed the door behind him then approached the bed, kneeling before her he took her hands in his.

"We need to talk." He said. Leanna nodded.

Raking a hand through his hair Khadeem looked into her eyes and said.

"I imagine you would like to know what the hell I was doing at a slave auction."

Leanna smiled. "Among other things."

Nodding Khadeem sat next to her on the bed.

"My friend Saheeb suggested we go to the auction, as you know I don't own slaves. In fact, I was there to find out more information on the trade, I don't know if you were aware, but my whole family has been working to stop this trade in our country for a long time. Anyway, when I saw you, I wanted to save you, you looked so forlorn, so hopeless. Then I saw your face and at that moment decided that you would be mine, I know, that is something one of my marauding ancestors would have thought, but I am not so far removed from those ancestors, I knew I had to have you the moment I saw you, no matter the cost. So I showed my interest in you and in order to keep the pretense up that I wanted you I had to explore your body, and I am deeply sorry at the discomfort that caused you."

Leanna couldn't help herself. "It's okay, I didn't like it, but I was very grateful to you for the cloak."

Khadeem grimaced, "It was the least I could do. Though I wish I could have kept you out of the actual auction, I hated seeing you so vulnerable before all those men and women." He admitted. "Anyway after I bought you and we got to the palace I had this insane feeling riding me, I had to get you to marry me. So much to my regret I basically forced your hand, and I am again deeply sorry for this, I only hope one day you may forgive me."

Leanna put a hand to his cheek. "I can and have forgiven you. I swore to myself that I wouldn't, but I can kind of see why you did it, not that I condone to it anymore now than I did then."

Khadeem chuckled at that. Lowering his head he covered her mouth with his and bestowed upon her a gentle kiss. Moments later he lifted his head.

"Now sweeting why don't you go get into bed and I will go find you something to eat?"

Smiling Leanna nodded. She climbed into bed and watched as he left the room in search of something for her to eat. She hadn't meant to forgive him so soon, but she knew he had been sincere in his apologies, it took a lot for a man with his amount of pride to explain his actions, and then to apologize, it showed a lot. They still had a lot to work out, but it was a start.

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A/N: No, this is not the end, merely the beginning. ;-)