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“I’m…I’m not sure. Ah, maybe a week or two. Give me a call tomorrow. Maybe we can arrange it before I go.”
Stepping back, I put some much-needed distance between us. It was either that or strip off my clothes, release the bulge beneath his straining zipper—dammit, why did I have to look at his cock—and wrap my body around him again. No. I couldn’t afford to do that. He’d crawl so deep inside me I’d never want to leave. My only salvation was to bolt for the door. Get as far away from the intimidating artist as possible, and never go back.
“I will.” He smirked. Striding toward me, he leaned in close. As his warm breath fluttered over my ear, I trembled. “You can run, Mellie, but you can’t hide.”
“Only children run away, Joshua. I’m not a child,” I scoffed.
“No, you’re definitely all woman. But you’re definitely running away from what you truly are, and we both know it.”
I opened my mouth to refute him, but snapped it shut. I’d lied enough to the man. “Good night, Joshua. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Spinning on my heel, I all but ran to the door. Wobbling down the stairs, trying not to fall, I raced outside, sucking the cool night air into my lungs. Peering up and down the street, goosebumps prickled my arms and anxiety pumped through my veins as I mentally willed the taxi to appear.
What the fuck?
Joshua had waved some Dominant magic wand and presto—every emotion I’d buried raged back to life in a fiery conflagration of confusion.
As a cab pulled around the corner, the sound of a slamming door behind me split the night. I jerked a glance over my shoulder to see Joshua striding toward me, the statue of the kneeling woman gripped in his hand. His unreadable expression disturbed me.
“You forgot something,” he announced evenly as he thrust the delicate sculpture toward me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…I wasn’t thinking…I…”
“No, you were too busy running for your life.” He scowled.
“I-it’s…a…so generous of you,” I sputtered, taking the fragile piece from him. “Thank you so much for everything.”
As I struggled to string a damn sentence together, a ghost of a smile tugged his lips.
“I’ll be in touch with you soon, little one.” Leaning in, he placed a chaste kiss on my cheek, then stood back, watching until I was safely inside the cab.
I gave him a little wave as the taxi pulled away, and it took every ounce of strength not to turn and look back. Four blocks later, my heart stopped pounding and my breath evened out.
Dammit, how the hell did you get yourself into such a cluster fucking mess?
“Prince Sheik Abbas,” I murmured, staring down at the statue.
Six Days Earlier
Startled awake by my ringing cell phone, I sat straight up in bed. The first thought that blasted through my brain was the fear something dreadful had happened to my sister, Savannah. A rush of adrenaline shot through my system. My heart thundered in my ears. Blinking at the clock radio on my nightstand, the eerie green numbers illuminated three thirty-seven a.m. A whimper of terror seeped from my throat as I squirmed free of the twisted covers. Flipping on the bedside lamp, I squinted as I snatched up my cell phone.
“Hello,” I answered fearfully.
“Meelee? It’s Abbas calling. I have fantastic news.”
My shoulders slumped and panic slowly melted from my veins when I realized it wasn’t Nick or Dylan—my sister’s Masters—on the other end of the line. There was only one man on the planet who butchered my name so brutally…the same man who had zero concept of time zones outside his native country of Dubai.
“Your Majesty. Do you have any idea what time it is in the U.S.?” I moaned.
“I do not think you understand what I am saying to you,” he continued, ignoring my question. The lilt of his sensual velvet accent soothed my jagged nerves. “I have wonderful news to share, Meelee.”
Scrubbing a hand up my forehead, brushing the hair from my eyes, I blinked several times, attempting to adjust to the bright light that filled my room.
“Yes, I’m listening, Abbas.”
“Joshua Lars is back!”
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, my heart skipped a beat as I sat up straight. Abbas had my undivided attention.
