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“I was skimming rocks,” the boy said, his head bent.
“Without telling your security detail?”
The boy didn’t lift his eyes.
“We’ve talked about this.”
“I know. I’m sorry, sir.”
Raffa’s attention went from his son’s face to his wife’s. “This doesn’t concern you. Wait for me in your suite.”
“Not if you’re going to stand here and shout at him,” she said hotly. “He’s a boy, of course he was skimming rocks. That’s what children should be doing.”
The muscle in Raffa’s jaw jerked once more.
“Fine.” He reached down and grabbed Chloe’s hand, holding it in his own. He began to move down the corridor, turning and calling over his shoulder, “Be in the library in ten minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stop pulling me,” Chloe said icily, when they had rounded the corner and were out of Amit’s sight. “I am capable of walking.”
“It’s not wise to lie to me,” he said, though he did drop his grip on her arm. “This is my palace, my kingdom…”
“Your son is clearly terrified of you,” she interrupted, thrusting her hands on her hips. “I lied because I don’t enjoy seeing a twelve year old being made to feel like a petty criminal. Besides,” she continued, oblivious to the shifting expressions on her husband’s face. “That wasn’t completely a lie. I wandered up to the forest on my own. There’s no saying how far I would have gone had I not happened to bump into Amit. I watched him skim rocks and we chatted, and then he noticed the approaching sandstorm far quicker than I ever would have. So if he hadn’t been with me, I’d probably still be up there now.”
He didn’t answer, so the only sound for a long moment was the rasping, angry breath coming from Chloe.
“And you don’t get to speak to people like you did him! You might be king but…”
And then his lips came down on hers, taking possession of her mouth in a way that was unlike anything she’d ever known. Not like the kiss of exploration they’d shared the night before. This was a kiss of punishment and possession. His mouth covered hers and his hands bundled into her hair, his fingers catching at it and holding her so that she was his captive – but oh, such a willing captive. She moaned and opened her mouth wider, surrendering to the kiss, her anger being rushed out of her body on a tsunami of instant desire.
The anticipation of the day was a storm and it was breaking around her, consuming her in its fervent desperation. Her hands lifted of their own accord, her fingers curling in his shirt. He made a guttural sound as his kiss became more frantic, but there was a threat in it too, a fierce reminder of who was in charge. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a drum was beating its insistent warning – a reminder that she had sworn she wouldn’t do this! That she wouldn’t succumb to the passion he could so easily spin around her.
With a growing sense of impatience, and an anger directed entirely at her own weakness where her husband was concerned, Chloe ripped herself away from him, putting vital space between them. Her chest heaved with the effort of catching her breath but she straightened her spine and squared her shoulders, staring at him as though he’d lost his mind.
Raffa watched her with far greater composure than she had mustered.
“How dare you kiss me to silence me?” She demanded, the words rich with contempt.
“I dare because I am king,” he said. “Now, I am going to go and deal with the boy and then, my wife, I am coming to deal with you.”
4
IT WAS OVER AN hour later when he came to her, and by then, Chloe was ropable. She had been pacing for almost the whole time, and at the sound of her door being pushed inwards, she was about ready to shout the palace down.
But one firm look from Raffa held her silent.
“Leave us,” he commanded, and her maids silently filed from the room, each dipping their heads in a mark of deference to their Sheikh as they went.
“Are you here to ‘deal’ with me, your highness?” She demanded crossly, putting her hands on her hips and staring at him without even a hint of compliance.
He shut the door and turned the lock, then paced towards her. She knew she was angry, and she could feel his anger reverberating back at her.
“Amit, at least, had the good sense to apologise,” he said, closing the distance so that there were only a few feet between them.
“Amit is scared of you. I’m not.”
His nostrils flared as he exhaled angrily. “Your brother never warned me you were so forthright.”
