Page 30 of Liam

“Please do not say that. It makes me think you regret it and I could not feel further from that.”

She stayed still as he moved to the pasta, stirring it as if to give his hands something to do. He glanced at her as he laid the spoon aside, then took her hand and pulled her towards the kitchen table.

“Take a seat, Princess.”

Taamira did, and he sat beside her, not letting her fingers go. The simple gesture of her hand in his, with no sexual overtones was intimate, giving her security and warmth.

“I have no doubt that I’m not good enough for you, as a friend or anything more.” She went to object, but he stopped as he looked into her face, a schoolboy grin on his face. “Let me finish, treacle.”

Taamira snapped her mouth closed and cherished the grin he gave her as her heart beat faster.

“The thing is, even knowing this, I can’t stop thinking about how good we could be together. I don’t even know if I’m reading this all wrong and you have no inclination of a romantic involvement with me at all. But if you do, then I want to try.”

Taamira waited to see if he’d finished as he remained looking at her. He began to fidget adorably, and she found it even more endearing. This man was something of a conundrum to her; one minute he was confident and took charge, the next when it came to affairs of the heart, he was unsure of himself. In that way, they were very similar.

Taamira took his face in her palms, the stubble on his cheeks bristling against her skin. “We are not so different, you and I. We are both unsure in the realms of romance, me because of my sheltered upbringing and you,” Taamira paused, “perhaps not in the physical sense but in the relationship side of things, you have not been so lucky.”

Heat tinged Taamira’s cheeks and she was glad for her darker skin tone to mask it. Liam grinned though as if sensing her discomfort and she frowned at him in mock annoyance. “You are laughing at me.”

“No, Princess, not laughing at you. I find it cute how you blush at any mention of sex.” He leaned closer and ran his thumb along her bottom lip, her breath hitching in her chest, which he also noticed. “Makes me want to see if the heat touches your skin all over your body.”

Heat flooded her body at his words, ripples of desire moving through her and landing in her belly.

“But you’re right, I’ve had my fair share of sexual partners, but I’ve never been in love, never wanted forever and while I’m not saying that’s what I want now, it is the closest I’ve come to wanting that. You’re the first person to make me believe I could have that. Which is crazy, you’re a fucking princess and I’m nobody.”

“You are a somebody, and to me, you are somebody special. How about we take this slow and see how it develops? You may find that I am an annoyance that you cannot be bothered with, and I may find you are an irritating oaf.”

Liam hooked her around her waist, pulling her so that she was sitting on his lap, her bottom on his hard thighs. “Irritating oaf?” he asked with a lift of his dark eyebrow.

She liked this playful side of him, almost as much as she loved his kisses. “Why, yes.”

“Hmm, seems like the Princess wants to play.”

Her body heated at his tone of voice. Taamira was a virgin, had barely been kissed, but that didn’t mean she was not unlike any other woman. She had desires, she had fantasies, and more than a few involved this man.

They were face to face as he leaned in and kissed her again, parting her lips gently with his tongue. The firm softness of his lips, the taste of him gave her a thrill all the way down her body to her pussy. His hand cupped her face, tilting her head so he had her exactly where he wanted her, and she sank into it. Letting herself feel every second, allowing her passion to be free, her hands moved over his shoulders, digging into the muscles of his back.

Liam slowed the kiss, pulling back and dropping tiny pecks on her neck and cheeks before he gazed at her again. “You’ll never be an annoyance to me, Taamira. Not fucking ever.”

Tears stung the backs of her eyes at his words, burning her throat at she allowed the emotion of the moment to take hold. For the first time in her life, she was important for herself. Not her title, not her place in society, not her money but simply because of who she was.

They spent the rest of the night eating a dinner they had cooked together and was one of her favourite meals in the world now. After she had washed and dried the dishes, they moved to the living room, where a fifty-two-inch TV graced the wall. As she snuggled into Liam’s side and watched an action movie, she had never been more content.

Later that night as she was readying for bed alone, after a passionate kiss at her door, which once again, Liam had ended, she considered what they were embarking on. Was it foolish to start a relationship with Liam when she had not outlined the rules with him? Did he expect sex from her, and did she want that too? To say she had lapsed her traditions was an understatement, for she did not think she could believe in them when they did not allow women the same rights as men.

Yet, her cultural rules had got her through some difficult times in her life. Giving her the structure she needed to become who she was now. But picking and choosing what rules she followed for her gain was wrong.

What she needed was to study the history and rules she had followed her entire life and see if they still fit with who she was now. She had changed almost beyond her own recognition and did not see how those values fit her any longer.

Going to her bed, she slipped inside the sheets and lifted her diary from the bedside. Writing had been part of her life since the attack when she’d been cast aside by her family for crimes against her. When she had visited her family elders, they had told her she needed to pray for forgiveness, and that single sentence had a lasting impact on how she had regarded her culture.

That was not to say all of her people would have said that, but at a time when she needed support, she had found only rejection. Gravely wounded, she had all but abandoned her culture but now she needed to find out of it was still a part of her or not.

Her confusion mixed up her desire for Liam, but not just desire. Her feelings for him grew ever more complicated by the day. He was fast becoming everything to her. For that reason, she had to decide where she thought her future might lie.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE LAST FIVE DAYS HAD BEEN HECTIC, TO SAY THE LEAST , AND AS LIAM PULLED UP AT THE HANGAR for his flight to Geneva, he hated leaving Taamira. Their relationship, which even thinking it sounded crazy, was going well.