The Tuareg

His amber eyes were kind, but it was the only part of him that was visible. His face was heavily veiled, and his whole body seemed to flow like waves of molten silver as he moved....So opens the tale of a mysteriously troubled masked man of the desert who sets out to win the heart of an American doctor. Hannah Whittaker, newly graduated from the University of Iowa Medical School, doesn't know what to do with the rest of her life. Taking the advice of her uncle, she agreed to visit a small tribal village in the middle of the Sahara Desert, and she agreed to stay for three weeks. Strong, independent to a fault, she is convinced when she arrives that it is going to be a very long three weeks...."You won't endure the sun in those clothes," he said abruptly.Hannah was instantly insulted. She had chosen her clothes carefully for this trip. She was wearing long-legged khaki pants, (she knew better than to wear shorts in the middle of the desert), a long-sleeved shirt, a broad brimmed straw hat, and wrap-around killer sunglasses that cost her a fortune. "I'll be fine." She peered at him, trying to intimidate him with her sunglasses-masked face."You will not be fine. You are fair skinned, fair haired, of Nordic lineage, and the sun will kill you.""I can't help but notice your English is excellent, Hadji.""Thank you for the compliment, but that will not distract me from delivering sound advice.""I wasn't trying to distract you!" she suddenly flared.He turned his head towards her, amber eyes blazing from behind the veil. She couldn't even see his mouth open as he barked, "You will do as I say.""I don't think so!" she snapped. It was unsettling to sit next to a man whose face she couldn't see! She didn't even know what color his hair was! "You are trying to intimidate me with your...your...desert space suit! Well, I don't intimidate that easily! You don't become a doctor if you are easily intimidated!"He quickly pulled over, off the path, and braked."You are a bossy sort, aren't you!" she said, angrily."Not always," he said quietly. "Only when I'm defending myself." A soft hand gently reached out and took off her sunglasses without even ruffling her long blond hair. She hated him! She felt herself melt in his presence.... But she hated him!"There," he said. "That's much better. You can see my eyes. It's only right that I can see yours."She looked deeply into his eyes, but he quickly turned away before she could even imagine what kind of face went with the amber eyes. "I am not a terrorist," he mumbled through his veil. "I'm not even of the Muslim faith. I'm just me," he said, his voice turning rough with emotion."I never thought you might be a terrorist. The whole thing is just stupid in the extreme," she said, trying hard to reign in her anger. "And what religion you might practice is none of my business, either. In my country we are free to practice any faith we please. We are even free, damn it, not to have a faith at all!" She wanted to hit him and she wanted to kiss him. She mostly wanted to kiss him right through his veil because he had to be the most erotic being she'd ever been in the presence of....This erotic tale is fueled by love, and a secret that might well endanger the love these two young people feel for each other.