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"Dance with me. " Taking her hand he stepped back, watching her, waiting on her to accept. "Shayne's meeting with a contact tonight, but we'll be leaving soon, ourselves. "
He was dominant, but he wasn't overbearing. He was arrogant, but his arrogance was always tinged with logic, with reason.
"Always. " Her hand tightened on his as she let him draw her out onto the dance floor.
As he took her in his arms, Marty felt the familiar heat he ignited inside her rising once again. He was the spark inside her soul.
Laying her head against his shoulder, Marty closed her eyes and let herself simply enjoy his touch, the slow glide of his body, the warmth of his arms.
She didn't understand the need rising inside her to simply exist here, to hold on to this moment as long as possible, to hold the memories inside her.
"It will be over soon. " His whisper against her ear was soft, though the tone of his voice reflected a steely strength that made her lift her head, her eyes meeting his.
It wasn't fear she glimpsed in his eyes; it was a certainty that if his brothers weren't dealt with, then he would lose more than he could bear to lose.
He would lose her.
"One way or the other, it will be over soon," she agreed.
"I won't let them win, Marty. "
"I know you won't. " Confidence gleamed in her eyes, and that terrified him.
He'd let Lessa down. How could he bear failing Marty in the same way?
Khalid couldn't stand the thought of losing her. As he stared down at her he knew that nothing in his life, no other woman, had ever been to him what Marty was becoming.
Strength glittered in her gray eyes, mixed with compassion and a sense of fun. She never took herself too seriously, and she never let him do the same. Yet, at the same time, she understood the danger revolving around her. There was no denial of it. She didn't fight it. Hell no, she was jumping right in to attempt to solve it.
Staring up at him, Marty saw the emotions shifting through his eyes. Dark, desperate emotions that she wanted nothing more than to ease.
As the song came to an end, Khalid led her back to where her fathers stood.
"We identified our caller. " Joe edged close to them, keeping his voice low. "He's part of the Saudi ambassador's entourage. " He nodded to the tall, heavily robed middle-aged Arab speaking to the ambassador. "He received a call two minutes ago. We think he's preparing to meet with the assassin. "
"Why?" Marty asked, her voice low. "What information could he have?"
Zach shook his head. "That's what I intend to find out. "
"We'll leave, as well," Khalid stated. "Let us know the moment you have anything. "
"The very minute," Zach agreed, before bending his head to kiss Marty's forehead gently. "Be careful baby," he whispered. "Your mother would kill me, and rightfully so, if anything happened to you. "
Saying their good-byes to their host several minutes later, Marty wondered what could have warranted a meeting so quickly.
She didn't have the answers she needed, and the questions tormented her. There was a new one to add to the list, as well.
What had happened to Lessa, and what had she meant to Khalid? Had he loved her? Had he already lost the woman he felt his heart belonged to, even though she was his brother's wife? Even though he had been the third rather than the first?
Glancing at Khalid beside her, she took in the quiet expression, the flat, almost unemotional glitter in his eyes. That look had been there since the moment they stepped from the dance floor. "My parents have invited us to lunch next week," she told him quietly, as the limo drew closer to the estate. "I told them I'd have to be certain your schedule is free. "
She watched his nostrils flare as he breathed in deeply.
"I'm free," he finally said.
She watched him curiously, wondering at the reserved air she was seeing.
"They'll be glad to hear that. " She began to shift away from him, the distance she felt around him making her vaguely uncomfortable.
