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She’d certainly felt cherished over the past weeks, even if his actions had not been driven by more tender feelings.
“We will be content together.” He winced as if unhappy with his own choice of words.
“Contentment is not bad.”
“No, there are far worse fates.”
That there were better possible fates hung between them, unsaid, but not unappreciated. By them both, she felt. And she was not sure that meant what it once did.
Hope sparked a tiny light deep in her heart.
Taking her courage in her hands, she stepped firmly into his personal space. “You said you would always give me what I want.”
“If it is within my power.”
She nodded, pretty confident that what she wanted was definitely within his power. Reaching out, she laid her hands on his biceps and then curled her fingers around the hard muscles there. She smoothed her thumbs along his arms and he made no move to stop her. The knowledge she was allowed to do this shuddered through her.
He was hers, as she was his.
One day this man would be King of all Zohra, but from the day she had agreed to marry him, he had been her man. And always would be. All man, all hers. Even if his birthright made him larger than life in every other way.
“Angele?” he asked in a strangled voice.
He wanted her. And it wasn’t just his voice that gave him away. All sorts of little indicators showed she affected him powerfully, if she was looking for them. And she was looking. His nostrils flared, his pupils were dilated and the muscles beneath her fingers were rigid with tension.
The passion was not gone, merely banked. Relief strengthened her resolve. “You want me.”
“Yes.”
“Make love to me.”
?
??I cannot.”
She let her gaze drift down the front of him. His tailored suit trousers did nothing to hide the rigid length behind his placket.
She smiled, her nerves settling just a bit. “I think, in fact, that you can.”
He laughed, the sound warm and filled with real humor. “Physically I am more than able. I am aching, Aziz.”
Her breath caught. Did he realize he’d called her beloved? But then, men in this part of the world often called their wives such. It did not mean that he loved her.
Still, it did mean he saw her as his to treasure.
“Then, let me assuage that ache.”
“I would like nothing more.”
“What is stopping you?”
“I gave my word to your father that I would not take advantage of you prior to our official wedding.”
She latched onto the word official. She’d suspected something since that night, now she would confirm it. “You already consider me your wife.”
He said nothing.
She challenged him with her gaze. “Tell the truth.”
