down, not trusting herself. Surely she’d misread the passion that swirled in his eyes. From what he’d said about the rumours, he’d thought she was far from a virgin on their wedding night. Had that been what had made him reject her so harshly?
Should she tell him that she’d made only one mistake? Throwing herself at him. Should she let him know the only man’s lips to have touched hers since their wedding night had been his? She pressed her fingers to her lips, remembering his kiss just a short while ago.
‘You didn’t want me on our wedding night.’ She tried to move past him but he reached out and took hold of her arm, keeping her in front of him, leaving her no option but to look up into his face.
‘I didn’t want to be married. Marriage was a duty. That was all I ever saw it as.’ He kept his voice calm. ‘You weren’t what I was expecting. I was angry—at you and my fate.’
She gazed up at him, all the pain she’d felt that night now drowning her. She swallowed hard then took a deep breath. ‘I made one mistake, Kazim, one moment of madness, and because of that you punished me, sending me away, publicly humiliating me and my family. My father still hasn’t forgiven me for it.’
‘None of that matters now,’ he said as he brushed her hair back from her face, a gesture so full of tenderness that her breath caught in her throat. Could she really believe him? Her heart wanted to, but in her head a voice screamed caution.
She covered his hand with hers, stilled the caress that was almost loving. Just that one touch was enough to set light to her body, to ignite the slumbering heat into a wave of red-hot fire. If she didn’t step away from him, break the contact, she would be engulfed and then she would want more. But wanting more from a man who had rejected her was insane.
‘It matters to me, Kazim.’ She pulled back from him and his hand dropped to her shoulder, preventing her from moving any further away. ‘I can’t go back to Barazbin. I can’t be your wife, your princess, not when that one silly moment will always be between us, always causing you to look at me with disgust.’
‘I don’t want it to be that way, Amber.’ His voice had deepened and become husky once more, raw emotion in every word. ‘The truth is I want you.’
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, an echoing pulse pumping around her body. He wanted her. It was as if, piece by piece, he was dismantling the wall of protection she’d erected around herself.
She shook her head and moved away from him, away from the temptation of his touch, his smile and his kiss. She wanted him too, so much that she could throw herself into his arms and plead for him to make her his, but such actions had caused all the pain, all the heartache she’d been living with for almost a year.
This time she would be strong, she would resist the powerful urge to be his, to allow his touch to claim her or his kisses to force her to surrender. This time she would be the innocent she was.
‘No, Kazim.’ She forced the words out, firmness injected into them as she tried to buy herself time so that she could gather up her wayward emotions once and for all. ‘I need to know you have kept your side of the deal.’
He undid his tie, pulling it down until it hung loosely, and then opened the top button of his shirt, revealing olive skin, dusted with hair. She knew she shouldn’t look but she couldn’t help herself and when she moved her gaze back to his face it was to see a satisfied smile playing sexily at the corners of his mouth.
‘I’m not sure you are in a position to demand terms, Amber.’ His eyes sparked with mischief, tying her stomach in knots.
She laughed softly, hardly able to believe the throaty sound came from her. ‘You were the one to seek me out, Kazim, so surely that makes you the one who shouldn’t be making demands.’
‘Is it not you who seeks reassurance that you will get what you want?’ He stepped closer to her again and she moved backwards, her legs meeting the sofa, leaving her no option but to sit down.
The softness cushioned her as she sat but instantly she wished she hadn’t. He seemed so much more powerful as he towered over her. She watched, helpless to drag her eyes away, as he took off his jacket, tossing it onto a chair before sitting next to her, his arm along the back of sofa behind her head, bringing him unbearably close. So close she could smell his aftershave, the spicy scent unable to completely cover the essence of pure male.
He came even closer and she knew he wanted to kiss her, just as she knew to allow it would be her undoing. She looked into his eyes, saw the molten bronze swirling in their depths, and knew she was lost.
His hand touched her face, caressed her cheek then pushed her hair behind her ear. The warmth of his touch as he looked down at her melted her reservations. Was it so wrong to want your husband to kiss you?
It was wrong. So very wrong and she couldn’t allow it. As if the very thought provoked the action, he brushed his lips lightly over hers, teasing and tempting her. She tried to resist, tried to move away, but his hand slipped around the back of her head, keeping her lips firmly against his.
‘Kazim...’ She pushed her hands against his chest, shocked by the hardness beneath her palms and the way her heart skittered like a leaf blown about in the wind. ‘Please, I can’t. Not yet.’
Her voice echoed with appeal and as he sat back against the softness of the sofa she let out a breath of relief. The tenderness she’d thought she’d seen in his eyes moments ago was gone, replaced with granite hardness, and his lips that had set light to hers were pressed into a firm line. His mood had changed and the only reason she could see was that she hadn’t responded to him, hadn’t answered the primal call of her body for his.
‘In that case I will leave you. I have preparations to make for tomorrow’s meetings.’ He stood up, towering over her, emphasising the power he had. ‘Be ready to leave by ten.’
‘No,’ she snapped, jumping up, desperate to keep things as balanced as possible. ‘I need to know about Annie and Claude. I won’t go anywhere else with you until I do.’
‘Now who is using blackmail?’ He smiled at her, so full of self-assurance she wanted to scream.
She shook her head quickly. ‘I’m merely responding to your blackmail, Kazim.’
‘You friend’s little boy will have all the help he needs. It is all in hand, exactly as I said it would be.’
‘You disapprove, don’t you? A stripper and a single mother shouldn’t mix with a princess; is that it?’ Her words were as hot as her body.
‘Your words, Amber, not mine, but true.’ His voice was so cool, so calm it was impossible to think this was the same man who’d just minutes ago ignited an inferno inside her.
‘I will not go anywhere unless you keep your side of the deal.’ Indignation made her sound petulant.
He stopped so very close she could almost feel his breath as he lowered his head so that she thought he might kiss her again. ‘I meant every word I said tonight.’
As she moved back she exhaled. At least he was going to keep his side of the bargain, but this meant she’d have to keep hers. She was trapped, being forced to do what he wanted, and she couldn’t do anything about it, not if she wanted Claude to receive the treatment he needed.
He stood and looked at her,
