"I'm going to the souk," she admitted.

"Shopping.Out to spend my money, are you? No wonder you're acting guilty."

"I'm not. I just thought I'd get a few things."

Jamal's gaze drifted over her body. She felt fluttery inside, which was crazy because he wasn't attracted to her. She only got kisses on the cheek.

He saved his passion for Honey.

"I'm teasing you," he said, releasing her chin. "I want you to have beautiful things, so I'm pleased you're going shopping." He paused as if lost in thought, then squeezed her shoulder. "What if I join you? I can cancel my meetings for this afternoon and tag along. What do you think?

Would you like a man's opinion of your selections?"

Heidi opened her mouth then closed it. Talk about being caught between a rock and hard place. If she told Jamal no, he wouldn't understand why. He would think she wasn't interested in him, or their marriage, or that she was being difficult.

But if she said yes, how was she supposed to buy the veils? Besides, she hadn't wanted to go shopping for herself. She wasn't sure what she wanted to buy. But the thought of spending the afternoon with Jamal made her heart flutter and her skin hot.

The humor fled his face, leaving him looking stern and cold. "Never mind,"

he said. "You go on and have fun. I'll see you later." He turned to leave.

She drew in a deep breath and put her hand on his arm. "I'd very much like you to come with me," she said. "I'm not sure what I'm going to buy, so you might find the time a little boring."

"Not if I'm with you," he said, taking her hand in his. "Besides, I know the best places to shop for wonderful clothes that will make you feel like a fairy princess."

She glanced up at him. "I won't even ask how you know this," she muttered.

"Probably out buying who knows what for your other women."

"That's true," he said with a grin, then brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "But now I'm shopping for my wife, and that's an entirely different matter."

She wanted to ask how it was different and if it was better. She wanted to know if he and Yasmin had shopped together and had they had fun and would he be thinking of her today. But she didn't. Instead, she focused on the way his fingers felt against hers and on the happiness that filled her as they walked toward the garage.

They took her car, a small Mercedes that had a trunk large enough to hold dozens of outfits. Jamal drove, moving expertly through the light traffic, dodging children and bicyclists, not to mention speeding cars that roared around the corners as if they were racing on the Grand Prix circuit.

He took the narrow streets of the back alleys, avoiding the clogged main streets, and parked behind a two-story stucco building done entirely in pink and gold.

"Madam Monique," he said with a flourish. "And before you ask, no, I have not shopped much here. Fatimalikes her selections, as does Dora."

Heidi offered a smile in response. She didn't ask how her husband knew where his sister-in-law and

grandmother bought their clothes. Jamal was the kind of man who knew everything-even insignificant details.Which meant she had to be very careful to keep her Honey-self separate from her regular self. So how was she going to slip away from Jamal long enough to find and buy veils?

"I know you," he said, turning off the engine and pocketing the keys.

"You're going to want to spend some time in the main marketplace before buying clothes, right?"

She started to tell him no, but then realized she'd hadn't been in the souk since her return to El Bahar. A flash of longing for thesights, sounds and smells filled her.

"There's nothing I would like more," she said honestly.

"I figured as much." Jamal got out of her car, then shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it onto the front seat. He unfastened his tie and the top button of his shirt,then threw his tie in after his jacket. After closing and locking the car, he rolled up his shirtsleeves until they were to his elbows.

In a matter of seconds he'd transformed himself from tailored, good-looking businessman to charming, relaxed companion. He took her hand and led the way between the buildings. As they approached the main market street, the noise level increased. Heidi held on to him so that they wouldn't get separated in the crowd. They turned the corner and found themselves in the middle of delightful chaos.

Heidi drew in a deep breath as the familiar smells assaulted her. Perfumes and oils combined with grilling meats, fresh flowers, fruits, camels, people and the sweetness that always scented the El Baharian air.

What had once been a central location to gather for both locals and visitors from nomadic tribes had evolved into an eclectic center of commerce. The old streets were still lined with open-air shops and stalls selling everything from fruit to meat to brass lamps to cheap, fake artifacts bought by unsuspecting tourists. But the streets surrounding the original market area had become an upscale shopping district, complete with designer houses from around the world.

Vendors called out greetings to potential buyers. Children yelled as they played games that involved darting between the talking shoppers. Music blared from portable radios. Bells clanged, brass pots tumbled together, a lone guitarist sat on a bench across the street and sang about watermelon wine.

She turned in a slow circle, taking in the contrasts of color.The blue of the sky, the dusty brown of many of the robes.The bright fruits and flowers, the dark eyes of many of the natives, the shirts of the tourists, the striped awnings over the carts.

Beneath her feet were stones rubbed smooth by the thousands who had trod on this exact spot for hundreds of years. Except for the modern electronic devices, much of what had been brought to market to sell that morning was similar to items sold for generations. The marketplace was living history-alive, constant, and filled with memories.

"What are you thinking?" Jamal asked as he leaned close to speak in her ear.

"That my grandfather often brought me here," she told him. "He said this was the heart of El Bahar. Like the king, the souk was a symbol for the people. That as long as they could come here as their parents had come and all the people before that, then they could have hope in the future."

"Your grandfather was a wise man," Jamal said. He squeezed her hand. "Come on. Let's have fun."

He pulled her along with him, weaving between the various carts. He stopped to buy her fruit and the most perfect orchids she'd ever seen.

Heidi held the fragile blossoms tenderly in her arms, wondering how something so delicate could survive in such a hard climate.

They snacked on different foods and watched a tumbler who also juggled.

After admiring beautiful rugs and several gold bracelets, which Jamal offered to buy for her, it was time to buy clothes.

They returned to the boutique of Madam Monique. The pink and gold motif continued inside the cool, elegant showroom where dozens of items of clothing were artfully arranged. Gold fixtures contrasted with the pink carpet and walls. There were tiny gilded chairs and glass tables and a triple mirror that would show every single flaw.

Heidi trailed after Jamal as he entered and wondered what she was supposed to do now. While she was enjoying her time with Jamal, she didn't see how she was going to be able to buy her veils, and without them, there wasn't going to be any dance.

"Your Highness, we are so pleased to see you," a woman proclaimed in a high-pitched voice that probably drove the nearby dog population crazy.

"Your grandmother and the lovely Princess Dora shop with Madam Monique, and now you are here."

The squeaky voice belonged to a tall, slender woman dressed entirely in black. She had no breasts or hips to speak of, and her face was as pale as chalk. Still, she had an air of elegance about her that made Heidi feel even more dowdy than usual.

The dramatic Madam Monique swept toward them and bowed low. "Prince Jamal, Princess Heidi, we are most honored."

The three salesclerks behind her did the same, leaving Heidi feeling completely out of place. She didn't question how Madam knew who she was. If she recognized Jamal then she would be safe in assuming the woman wearing a wedding band and accompanying him was his wife. Still, she wasn't sure how one returned a bowed greeting.

Jamal solved her dilemma by stepping forward and shaking hands with Madam.

Heidi followed suit. The forty-something owner motioned to the clothes around them. "We are here to serve. What would be the pleasure of the Royal Highnesses?"

To leave, Heidi thought, not sure she was ready for this. While she knew in her head that being married to Jamal made her a princess, she hadn't had to act the part yet.

Jamal didn't seem to suffer from the same qualms. Instead, he put his arm around her and drew her close. "My wife is in need of some new clothes. I am a most repentant husband who has waited too long to dress his new bride in silk and lace. So I am here to make amends."

It was a good speech, Heidi thought, pleased he hadn't spoken the truth, which was her own clothes were awful, and she looked as if she'd chosen the most unflattering garments available.

Madam eyed her critically. "She is a delicate flower."

"That she is," Jamal agreed. "I want clothes as beautiful as my wife.Nothing less."

Heidi blinked.As beautiful as his wife? Had he said that? And was Madam really calling her a delicate

flower?

"Of course, Your Highness," Madam Monique said with another quick bow. She clapped her hands, and she and her clerks disappeared into the rear of the shop.

"I'm many things," Heidi said dryly, "but I'm not a delicate flower."

"You are to me," Jamal said.

Did he mean it? Did he really think of her as a delicate flower? She was intelligent and competent, and she apparently scared the crown prince. But maybe Jamal didn't see her that way. Maybe there was hope that he would be interested in her as herself, and not just in her as Honey.

But before she could pursue the conversation, Madam returned with her arms filled with dresses and blouses and slacks and Lord knows what else. All three clerks trailed behind her, each equally laden. In a matter of minutes Heidi had been whisked off to a dressing room as large as a small house where she was stripped to her underwear and draped, fitted, pinned and poked.

She tried on morning dresses and evening dresses and skirts and camisoles and blouses and stockings and bras and slips and jackets and sweaters and pants and jeans and pumps and sandals and boots.

Some things she modeled out in front of the large triple mirror and her husband who had been seated with coffee, a cell phone and several magazines. When she twirled around in a black evening gown that made her feel like a movie star, Jamal nodded his approval. He announced one dress to be cut too low, informing Madam that only he was allowed to admire his wife's perfection. Another dress plunged low in back, and he left the choice up to her, but not before running his fingers along the length of her spine.

The caress left her breathless. When she returned to the dressing room, Madam Monique smiled knowingly. "The prince is a happy man, yes?"

"I hope so," Heidi said, still reeling from the light touch. How could the man reduce her to little more than cooked spaghetti with just a little brush of his hand, and how could she learn to do the same to him?

"The beautiful clothes help," the woman said. "But the woman who wears them makes all the difference."

She looked at Madam and wondered if the boutique owner would do her a favor. "I agree," she said as Monique helped her out of the gown,then pulled a shimmering silver-white nightgown over her head. "I need to ask you something."

"But of course. What?"

"I'm interested in buying some veils. Youknow, the kind people dance with."

Madam's dark eyes lit with understanding. She sighed."Oh, to be young and in love. You wish to surprise your husband." She glanced around the massive dressing room,then lowered her high-pitched voice. "I do not have such things here, but I know of what you speak. Give me a few minutes. I'll send one of my girls to buy them for you." She stepped back and in a louder voice said, "The prince will be pleased."

"The prince is pleased."

Both women turned toward the sound of the male voice. Heidi gasped when she saw Jamal leaning against the entrance to the dressing room. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, as if he really was larger than life. He had his arms folded over his chest, and he raised one eyebrow as he stared at her.

"You're buying that, aren't you?"

It wasn't really a question.

Heidi had been so busy talking about the veils that she hadn't noticed his arrival, nor had she paid attention to what she was wearing. Based on Jamal's comment, he hadn't heard what they were talking about, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. She turned her attention to her reflection.

That sigh of relief caught in her throat and nearly choked her.