but you’re not my lord and master. I suggest you get over it.”
Sadik didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t surprised by Cleo’s defiance. She had been difficult from the beginning. What did surprise him was her description of the empty-headed female who didn’t have an opinion in her head. Unfairly, he’d instantly thought about Kamra.
Sadik stiffened. He would not have such disrespectful thoughts of Kamra. She had been perfection itself—always deferring to him, never questioning his judgment, always seeking his approval.
A small yet traitorous voice in his head whispered that, with time, Kamra’s devotion might have been tiresome. At least Cleo would always be challenging.
He clenched his hands into fists. He did not want to be challenged. His late fiancée had been the most perfect of women. Losing her had been the greatest tragedy of his life. He had no right to question that.
“I will speak to the president of the university,” he told her. “After that you will not be attending any classes.”
“No, you won’t,” she said softly, despite the fire in her eyes. “Because that would mean admitting you have a problem with your wife, and we both know you don’t want to do that. You’re going to have to control me yourself, Sadik. Which isn’t going to happen, so you’re going to have to get over it.”
He could feel the heat from her body. Her short blond hair was in its usual spiky disarray. While the style wasn’t traditional, on Cleo it looked delightful. He stared into her dark-blue eyes, then lowered his gaze to her full mouth. Even now, when she defied him, he wanted her. He might have given his heart to Kamra, but he wanted Cleo more than he had ever wanted any woman in his life. With a certainty he did not want to acknowledge, he knew that he would always want her, until his dying breath.
He reached for her and pulled her close. Before she could protest and pull away, he pressed his mouth to hers in a demanding kiss.
Surprise was on his side. She instantly softened against him, obviously unable to resist the passion between them. Her arms came around his neck, and her body nestled against his. He felt her full breasts press against his chest and her round belly pushing against him. Her body had changed in the past few weeks. Every day he could see the differences as her pregnancy progressed. He remembered touching her stomach that morning, as he had spoken with their child.
But instead of remembering the words, or the healthy movements of their son, he was suddenly able to recall the sweet smell of her skin and how soft and smooth she’d been.
He wanted her.
Cleo found herself getting lost in the feel of Sadik’s mouth against her own. The man knew how to kiss. He focused all of his amazing laserlike attention on the act of making love, and he loved slowly and with a thoroughness that left her satisfied beyond measure.
Even the simple act of kissing took on more meaning when it was with him. He explored her lips with his, then licked the seam. Before she could part to admit him—or, more embarrassing, beg him to deepen the kiss—he nibbled on her sensitive lower lip. The tiny love bites made her shiver in anticipation.
His large hands moved up and down her back, as if rediscovering her. She felt more than a little awkward, what with being into her fifth month, but she wasn’t embarrassed about him seeing her naked. Sadik had many flaws, but not worshiping her body wasn’t one of them. If she had her way they would—
She pulled back and glared at him. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.
“I was about to start kissing your neck,” he said calmly, as if discussing movie plans for after dinner. “Then I thought I would lick the inside of your ear and bite the lobe. After that I wanted to start undressing you.”
His words created a clear visual in her mind. One that made her swallow and fogged her head in such a way that it was difficult to remember why she was supposed to be upset.
Oh, yeah. “You are not going to distract me from my purpose,” she said with less force than she would have liked. But it was impossible to generate a whole lot of anger when her body was in the process of melting at the man’s touch.
“What purpose is that?” he asked.
It took her a second to remember. “You’re not going to seduce me into forgetting I want to get my college degree. It’s wrong of you to attempt to deprive me of an education.”
He pulled her close against him. “I am not trying to distract you. I’m seducing you so we can consummate our relationship. It is long past time.”
“What about my—”
He silenced her with a kiss. “Later,” he murmured, his mouth settling on hers. “Later.”
Cleo had a brief thought that she would protest, but then Sadik began to follow the plan he’d outlined and she figured they could fight anytime. Right now it wouldn’t be so very bad to give in to his insistent attentions.
He bent down and kissed from her collarbone to just below her jaw, then licked the inside of her ear. Instantly goose bumps popped out all over. She shivered and sighed. There were, she thought as her body began to heat up and prepare for the inevitable lovemaking to follow, compensations for being married to Sadik. The physical side of their marriage would always be pleasant.
But he would never love her.
The thought appeared from nowhere. Cleo firmly shoved it away. She wouldn’t think about that right now. Because if she thought about how her husband would never care about her the way he’d cared about his late fiancée, the pain would chase away all her pleasure in the moment. She felt as if she’d been alone for so long. Sadik offered warmth and a safe haven. Was it so wrong to give in to that?
His hands moving from her back around toward her breasts was answer enough. She ached for him. She felt huge and ungainly, yet she knew none of that mattered to Sadik. For reasons that had never been clear, he would think she was gorgeous in burlap.
Even as his teeth closed on her earlobe, his hands cupped her breasts. Since the pregnancy, that part of her had grown exquisitely sensitive. Her nipples puckered in anticipation of his touch.
“Tell me,” he whispered, then sucked on her earlobe. “Tell me if I hurt you. I read that pregnancy can make a woman’s breasts too painful to touch.”
Her breasts throbbed, but not in the way he meant. If he didn’t touch her more intimately, she was going to die.
“I’m fine,” she managed to say. The need was so intense, she found it difficult to speak. “I stopped being that sensitive a few weeks ago.”
“So it is safe for me to—”
“Yes,” she said frantically, unable to keep herself from putting her hands on top of his and urging him to shift. His thumbs grazed her tight nipples, and she gasped as pleasure washed through her.
She became lost in the sensation of his fingers teasing and lightly squeezing. Fire shot through her, sailing through her midsection and settling between her legs. She was already wet. She could feel her slick readiness and the dull throbbing that signified her need for release.
Sadik wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He kissed her deeply, his tongue slipping into
