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Nadim looked down into Iseult’s eyes and had to hold back the wave of need spiralling through him again. It made a mockery of the trip he’d just taken to Europe in a bid to restore some sanity to his lust-hazed brain. It hadn’t worked. Instead of forgetting about this witch he’d found himself waking in the night, aching all over with frustration. He hadn’t stood a chance as soon as he’d seen her again. It galled him even more to acknowledge that he’d gone to such lengths to avoid her effect on him.
Iseult’s mouth was swollen and pink and still moist. His body was taut, tight and aching with hot arousal. With unfulfilled need. But it had been a mistake to kiss her. Even if he had wanted Iseult on sight, and every moment between them had led to this explosion of lust, it couldn’t happen again.
She was an employee. And a wayward, unpredict able one at that. He was the ruler of Merkazad and had a reputation to maintain. He was forgetting that far too often when he came within mere feet of this woman. But he was finding it hard to think right now, when she was so close. When her delicate natural scent wound around his body like a siren call. He had to resist her. She was not a sophisticate, and here at his stables it was too close to home, too close to raw memories.
He stepped back now, dropping his hand, but saw how Iseult’s chin stayed defiantly hitched, even though her big amber eyes were still dark and wary, full of swirling emotions. Seeing that made something hard solidify in his chest, and made it easy for him to regain some perspective.
‘It won’t happen again.’
He raked a hand through his hair, leaving it dishevelled. ‘Despite your behaviour today at the training ground, I’m prepared to let you move there under Pierre’s tutelage once he’s back in a couple of days. Perhaps if you’re properly supervised in the area you seem to naturally gravitate towards, you’ll be less of a liability.’
Before Iseult could reply Nadim had coolly walked out of the room. She sank back down into a chair behind her because her legs gave way. She heard muted tones outside and guessed that he was talking to Jamilah. A few minutes later there was silence, and then the sound of a Jeep starting up and driving away.
Jamilah came in, and Iseult couldn’t look at her. She was too ashamed, and hated to think that perhaps Jamilah would suspect Nadim was moving her to work with Pierre because she’d manipulated him on purpose.
She looked up to see Jamilah making something like tea; when she sent her a quick look to ask if she wanted some, Iseult just shook her head. ‘Jamilah, I—’
The other woman turned around, and Iseult quailed at the stern look on her face. Her belly fell.
‘I know what Pierre’s guys are like. As soon as he leaves Merkazad they turn into pranksters. I know they probably set you up—they’ve done it before.’
Iseult started to protest. ‘But I never said anything to Nadim—’
‘I know you didn’t.’ Jamilah was still grim, but then she smiled mischievously. ‘When Nadim told me what had happened I put two and two together. To be honest I’d love to have seen their faces when you got into that enclosure and did what they couldn’t do. It’ll serve them right. They also probably got the fright of their lives when they realised you weren’t wearing a hard hat…’ Jamilah sat down on a chair near Iseult and said, more seriously now, ‘I don’t know if you’ve heard anything yet about Nadim’s wife?’
Iseult’s heart stopped dead. She could feel herself pale, and her hands gripped the chair. Nadim was married? And he’d just kissed her like that?
Jamilah seemed to read her mind and shook her head. ‘He’s not married any more. His wife died nearly four years ago now. Sara was killed when she took one of the colts out to ride; she wasn’t a natural horsewoman. It threw her and kicked her in the head. She wasn’t wearing protective head gear and suffered massive brain trauma. She was three months pregnant at the time. She and the baby died.’
Iseult went cold all over. ‘That’s horrendous.’
Jamilah continued. ‘Nadim nearly closed the whole stables and stud down…only in the past couple of years has he shown an interest again. That’s why he went so berserk when he found you. He’s obsessive about staff wearing head protection.’
Iseult bit her lip, something very dark gripping her at hearing the evidence of just how much he must have loved his wife. ‘I had no idea.’ She felt shaky all of a sudden. ‘Has Nadim told you—?’
Jamilah quirked a brow. ‘That he’s moving you to Pierre? Yes. But anyone can see that training is where you should be. I told him that since you’ve been here you’ve put in more hours than anyone else, even though it’s obvious how over-qualified you are…’
Iseult flushed, unaccustomed to being noticed for her work. She got up to go, protesting that Jamilah must have things to do. Jamilah stood too, and put a hand on Iseult’s arm.
‘I can see that there’s something between you and Nadim.’ Iseult blushed furiously, but Jamilah just continued gently, ‘It was obvious from the moment he brought you here with Devil’s Kiss himself.’ She smiled a little wryly. ‘And also while I was waiting outside just now there was an extremely long
silent moment when you stopped shouting at each other. That’s another thing—no one shouts at Nadim and gets away with it.’
Iseult blushed even harder.
Something tortured crossed Jamilah’s beautiful face then, and she said, ‘Just…be careful. The al Saqr men can be ruthless in their pursuit, and equally ruthless when they’re finished with you. I’d hate to see you get hurt…’
Iseult frowned. ‘What are you saying? Did you—?’
Jamilah shook her head. ‘No, nothing has ever been between me and Nadim. I don’t think about him like that. But his women didn’t last long before Sara, and they don’t last long now.’
Jamilah took a breath. ‘He has a younger brother, Salman…’ Her mouth twisted. ‘Let’s just say I’ve experienced their ruthlessness first-hand.’
Jamilah gave her a quick impetuous hug then, and Iseult felt tears prickle. She’d never had a close female friend before.
Feeling uncharacteristically emotional for the rest of the evening kept Iseult in her rooms. She sat by the window of her bedroom with her knees drawn up under her chin and looked at the harsh, imposing castle in the distance. She shivered. When Nadim had kissed her earlier she’d become something, someone else. Some one feminine and delicate. Sensual. And it was hard to acknowledge that part of herself. It was so alien.
That kiss had crystallised the feeling that had been born within her the very first moment she’d laid eyes on his image on the internet. It was the yearning of her long-buried femininity, wanting to unfurl like a flower and be allowed to breathe for the very first time.
