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Givon nodded. “I agreed, but I had no intention of keeping my word. I promised I would return. But within a year, my wife had died. I was left alone with three young boys. I couldn’t leave them to be with you and Cala. They were the heirs, so I could not take them with me, nor would I have forced my oldest son to rule at such a tender age. I sent word to Cala asking her to bring you and join me. She said that you were to be the Prince of Thieves and had to be raised within the city walls. I think she was still very hurt and angry. I don’t blame her. Mine was not a world she trusted. I was not a man she trusted.”
Kardal didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t wanted to hear his father’s words, but now that he had, he couldn’t erase them from his mind. Nothing was as he had imagined.
“She never hated you,” he said before he could stop himself. “She never spoke ill of you.”
“Thank you for telling me.” Givon’s dark eyes turned sad. “For myself, I never stopped loving her.”
That was more than Kardal wanted to know. He mumbled an excuse to his father and quickly left the room. Hundreds of thoughts tumbled around and around in his brain, but there was only one that mattered. He had to get to Sabrina. Once he was in her company, everything would be better.
He hurried down the halls of the palace, slowing only when he reached her door. He stepped inside without knocking.
She sat at the table, several old books opened in front of her. She looked up at him and smiled. He took in the long red hair tumbling around her shoulders, the welcoming light in her eyes, the curves of her body more hidden than revealed by the cotton dress she wore.
She rose and walked toward him. “Kardal. What’s wrong?”
“I spoke with my father.”
He tried to say more, tried to explain how difficult it had been to find out that Givon wasn’t the devil at all, but a man who had been forced, by circumstance, to make difficult decisions. Kardal didn’t feel the older man was absolved from blame. Givon still could have contacted him. But the areas of blame and guilt were less clear than they had been.
Sabrina watched the emotions chasing across Kardal’s face. His confusion and pain called to her as clearly as if he’d spoken her name. She didn’t know exactly what had been discussed, but she could guess.
Her heart ached for the proud man standing in front of her. The man she loved but could never be with. Without considering the wisdom of her actions, she crossed to him and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back. Their bodies pressed together, comforting them both. When he lowered his mouth to hers, she had no thought of refusing him or pulling back.
The passion was as instantaneous as it was familiar. Sabrina felt her bones begin to melt as she pressed against Kardal. He was all hard planes to her soft curves and she thought about how right it was to be in his embrace. His lips, always tender yet firm, pressed against hers. There was something hungry about his kiss. This time he didn’t tease her or play by nibbling. Instead he plunged inside of her, circling her, taking her as if she were necessary for his very being. His desire—almost a desperation—fueled her own growing excitement. She clung to him, letting him take what he would and then following the movements of his tongue, showing him how much she wanted as well.
His large hands moved up and down her back. One slipped to her derriere and he pressed her to him. She arched her hips forward, and settled her belly against the thickness of his arousal. As she felt his maleness, she shivered from equal parts of excitement, curiosity and apprehension.
“Sabrina,” he breathed, breaking the kiss long enough to press his mouth against her jaw. He bit the tender skin just below her ear, then licked her lobe and made her squirm.
When she moved, his need flexed, as if he’d enjoyed the contact. She suddenly wanted to see him without his clothes. She wanted to touch him and understand what happened between a man and a woman. It wasn’t that she didn’t have theoretical knowledge, it was that her practical skills were sadly lacking.
Just the thought of them lying naked together was enough to make her breath quicken. Her breasts were already swollen and tender. Her nipples pressed against her bra in a way that was almost painful. Between her legs dampness and pressure grew, making her wish he would touch her there as he had before.
She wanted him. She wanted them to make love. Her bodily needs blended with her emotional connection to this man. Combined they were a force impossible to deny.
“I want you,” he said, kissing his way down her neck. “Sabrina, I need you.”
I love you.
But she only thought the words. She didn’t speak them. For loving Kardal would only bring heartache.
