the explosion that was sure to follow. There was virginal reluctance and then there was outright refusal. The Sheikh was going to cast her back to her family before the night was over.
Nadir shuddered as he tried to hold back. He wanted Zoe badly. He was willing to change her mind. Lie. Cajole. Beg. He needed to taste her, sink into her wet heat and make her his in the most basic, primitive way.
He didn’t understand this white-hot instant attraction, but he wasn’t going to question it. It was an unexpected bonus to be attracted to his arranged bride, and he was willing to make the most of his good fortune for a few nights before he sent her away.
But Zoe didn’t see it that way. Was she frightened by the unfamiliar sexual feelings or was it something else? He wondered if she had heard the rumors about him. They would send any bride into a panic.
“Zoe.” He reached out for her but stopped when she flinched. Did she think he was going to hit her?
“I’m sorry,” she said behind her splayed hand. “I didn’t mean to say that.”
“Yes, you did.” He watched her expression closely. She was thinking fast, as if considering her best option.
“Okay, I did,” she admitted as she dropped her hand. “But … But … you have to understand. I don’t know you.”
He braced his arms on the mattress and met her gaze. He sensed that wasn’t her main concern. There was something false about her behavior. “I’m your husband. That’s all you need to know.”
Her mouth drew into a firm line and he knew she was choosing her next words carefully. “I don’t know anything about you,” she clarified.
That wasn’t what she really wanted to say. Her eyes were very expressive. She had already made up her mind about him and it wasn’t favorable. “I don’t know anything about you, either,” he said, “but I’m okay with that.”
Zoe’s eyes narrowed. “Women are different that way.”
Nadir exhaled sharply. It was true. Sex wasn’t just sex with women. It was a connection. It was about intimacy. And with a virgin it was supposed to be a magical experience. A sacred rite of passage.
Damn these virgins. They had to make a simple pleasure so complicated.
“In all honesty,” she continued softly as she looked away, “I don’t know anything about you other than your name.”
Which she hadn’t used yet, he noted. He’d had visions of her crying out his name over and over, but that wasn’t going to happen tonight. Nadir reluctantly slid the delicate strap of her chemise up her arm and settled it securely on her shoulder.
“I don’t know your favorite color or your favorite drink.”
The words rushed past her reddened lips as she tried desperately to explain herself. But he didn’t believe a word of it. Zoe was trying to build barriers.
“I don’t know your pet peeves or your goals. It’s kind of hard to sleep with a stranger even if you are married to him.”
“Women have been in arranged marriages for centuries,” he argued as lust continued to scorch through his veins. “It’s normal. It’s natural.”
“Not for me!”
Nadir gritted his teeth. An American virgin was probably the worst of the lot.
In fact his bride was very American. How long would it take for her to see the same Western sensibilities and spirit in him? If she suspected that he wasn’t as conservative as he pretended she could use that against him. He needed to stay on guard around Zoe.
“Now I’ve made you angry,” she said as her bottom lip wobbled.
Was she going to cry? Nadir rubbed his face with his hand. He hadn’t even raised his voice. How would she react when he wasn’t on his best behavior?
He knew she wasn’t just a virgin whose expectations were different. He understood this was an emotional day for her. She was obviously coming to terms with the fact that she was married and in bed with The Beast.
That wasn’t good. She was too nervous to be seduced into a sensual honeymoon, and despite what she thought he wasn’t going to force her.
The last thing he needed was a bride who was scared of him. That would encourage more questions and rumors. He needed to show the tribe that he could tame this American wildcat into a traditional Jazaari woman. Once they left the village he would send her away. But for now it meant he had to be more attentive. Patient.
But he was not a patient man. He had got where he was today by being merciless, intimidating and unyielding. That strategy wouldn’t work on his trembling wife. He needed to romance her. Show his tender side.
If only he had a tender side.
“Zoe, I’m not angry. Just stop cowering.”
She inhaled sharply. “I don’t cower,” she shot back.
Ah, those tears were fake. She wasn’t above using that age-old feminine technique, Nadir realized as he rose to his knees. That was good to know.
“You make a valid point about how we are strangers. We need to learn about each other more.”
She nodded fiercely and relief shone brightly in her eyes. “Exactly.”
“But you’re still sharing a bed with me,” he announced. He saw the hunted look on her face as he settled onto the other side of the bed. “How else will we know each other more?”
“I—I—”
Her gaze shifted from one point of the room to another. He knew she was trying to come up with an argument.
They had to sleep in the same bed. All it would take was one servant to notice their separate sleeping arrangements for gossip to spread like wildfire. That was the last thing he needed the tribe elders to discover.
“I won’t touch you until you’re ready,” Nadir said.
Zoe’s jaw shut with a snap. She narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to find some hidden loophole in his words. That offended him. Why should she question his word? He was a sheikh. He was her husband.
“I don’t need to force myself on a woman,” he said with lethal softness.
Her face paled. “I n-never said …”
“I know.” She didn’t have to. The look in her eyes indicated that she thought he was the fabled beast who would devour her in her sleep. Nadir swallowed back another deep sigh and turned off the lamp. “Go to sleep, Zoe.”
She gave a huff, as if to say that it would be impossible. Nadir watched as she scooted off to the far edge of the bed. She lay on her side, facing him, as if she had to keep an eye on him.
“You flatter yourself,” he muttered, and reached for her. She protested with a squawk, her muscles locking as he curled her against his side. He tried to ignore how well she fit against him.
“You
