The Desert Bride by Samantha Cayto

Being a bride is a state of mind, not of body.

Sir Geoffrey Arbuthnott is leading the expedition for the king of Moorcondia to chart the vast, unknown lands to the west of the kingdom. His duty is to escort the king’ s cartographer and keep him safe. It is a boring and uneventful task until they come upon a beautiful boy trapped in quicksand.
Mica is used to wandering around the land his people have claimed for generations and is enjoying the last of his freedom before his manhood ceremony replaces it with duty. He longs to travel to faraway places and is confident he can take care of himself— that is, until his dreamy ways land him in trouble and right into the powerful arms of a tempting stranger.
What should have been a brief crossing of paths turns into a deadly encounter when Mica’ s people capture Geoff and sentence him to death. Only Mica can save the man of his fantasies, but there are hidden dangers threatening to keep them apart forever. They must depend on each other to stay alive and accept the love they are afraid to trust.