AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tahir stood framed in one of the many openings concealed as if by magic but was really a clever contraption of screens, thick curtains, and intersecting panels.
For several heartbeats, he simply stared at her. Then he stepped forward into a pool of lamplight, and her already compromised breathing took a perilous dive. He’d showered or bathed at some point recently too. His jet-black hair looked damp and finger-combed, and, as if toying with her memory, one lock sprang forward to curl over his temple, the sight making her fingers tingle in recollection of smoothing that tendril back once upon a time.
She dragged her gaze away, but it only strayed a few inches to the thick column of his throat, revealed by the black loose-necked tunic and matching trousers that had replaced his traditional garb. On his feet were Arabian slippers too but his were soot-black with no adornment in sight.
From head to toe he resembled a merciless avenging angel, come to exact retribution for the wrong she’d perpetrated on him.
But the scoffing chuckle that should’ve dispatched such an absurd thought never arrived.
Nerves, she assured herself. Triggered by the unknown.
In her duties as her father’s communications aide, she rarely dealt with the unexpected. Every move, countermove and eventuality were parsed to the nth degree, eliminating nasty surprises.
Alongside these nerves, however, there was something else. Something that faintly whispered of...anticipation. Excitement of the unknown. A sensation she hadn’t experienced in a very long time, buried under the monotony of predictable routine.
Which was...even more unthinkable.
She needed to concentrate on why she was here.
He paused a few feet away and Lauren kicked herself for remaining seated. But then she accepted that, even standing, Tahir Al-Jukrat would always remain a much greater force of nature than she would ever be.
‘Did you sleep?’ he asked, his deep voice rooting around inside her until it latched onto something vital, stirring it and promising an even more intense rousing.
‘Yes. Thank you.’
One corner of his mouth twitched, and she wasn’t sure whether it was amusement at her prim tone or mockery.
Dark golden eyes watched for another few seconds, long enough to stretch her nerves much tighter before he turned and strode to the far end of the tent.
He returned with a wide round tray, its contents covered by a black silk cloth.
After setting it down, Tahir dropped into a cushioned seat across from her, reclining on it with mesmerising, captivating grace.
When he cast her a raised-eyebrow look, Lauren cringed inwardly, realising she’d been caught staring. Again.
‘What is this?’ She indicated the tray.
He didn’t lift the cloth, simply reclined deeper into his seat. ‘It’s a game my grandfather liked to play with me as a child. You and I will play it.’
She frowned. ‘What...now?’
‘I did warn you that you’ll earn the right to be heard out at my discretion and under whatever circumstances I wished, did I not?’
Cold dread slithered through her. ‘I can’t...you can’t balance Matt’s troubles on the outcome of a game!’
Again, the twitch of his lips, those cool eyes resting mercilessly on her. ‘Haven’t you heard? I’m the ruler of this kingdom. I own the very ground you sit on and everything in sight. But I’ll give you the choice you claim not to have had twelve years ago. You can play or you can leave.’
‘That’s no choice at all.’
‘On the contrary. You can walk away, squander your chance to make amends for your sins, perhaps even save your brother. Although I won’t disagree that it’s high time he reaped the consequences of his actions,’ he returned with a tight edge to his voice. ‘Or you can stay.’
The idea of returning empty-handed left her throat tight and her palms clammy. Even now, after Tahir had established himself as a formidable ruler, those pictures and texts would still cause embarrassment.
But more than that, the thought of walking away from Tahir...of leaving things still fraught and unsettled between them...
Is that all? Or is it something more? That illicit tingling in your being perhaps? The fact that you haven’t felt thisalivefor so long? The prospect of reliving that mind-bending kiss?
She brushed the whispered taunts away. ‘I can’t leave. My parents will be devastated.’
