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“I...”
“And then you.”
She took her hand and lifted it to his forehead, but she realized that her fingers were trembling. “With your thoughts. With your words.” She could not bring herself to make full contact with his mouth. But then he grabbed her hand and pressed her palm flat over his chest. “With your heart. Serve only me.”
And she felt changed. It was an awful feeling. Terrifying. And there was nothing that she could do about it. She felt as if she had made vows to him. In this very room. And when she looked up and looked into his eyes... Her breath seemed to freeze in her chest altogether. It was more intimate than a kiss.
At least she imagined it was. She had never been kissed.
She wondered now for the first time if it was because of the kiss she’d never given him. If her body was still waiting for it.
She swallowed hard and pulled away, the silk scarf around their hands unraveling as she did. “Those are very interesting vows.”
“I have always thought they were romantic. My parents were in love. Very much.”
“Then why did they arrange a marriage for Riyaz?”
“Their marriage was arranged,” said Cairo. “Love followed. They believed that was the path to love.”
“Oh.”
“For them it resulted in the greatest love imaginable, so why would they consider another way for their children? They saw it as a sort of fate.”
“I see.” Except she didn’t, and her whole body still burned.
“After that there is the feast. It will be outside in a big tent that includes the entirety of the palace. All families. Regardless of wealth and status. Food will be brought out to the villages as well. The celebration will be spread everywhere. For everyone. It is a wedding. And weddings are about abundance. Abundance of joy. Abundance of food.”
“And after the food?”
“Let us worry about it tomorrow. Tonight...we will have a feast.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“THEDESERTATnight is beautiful.”
She looked at him instead of the moon and the stars. She looked at him like he was the moon and the stars.
“I told you that it was. Not as hot. But dangerous. You have to be careful. You cannot come out here alone.”
She clung to his arm, and he felt a rising tide of desire. It frightened him. He was not a stranger to sexual arousal. But he had never felt that for another person. Not like this. Not while he was with them. “I wouldn’t. I promise. I won’t do anything dangerous, Cairo. I wouldn’t want to be out here without you anyway.”
She smiled up at him. And the moon made her face glow. She had never asked why he called her his moon. Because in the desert, in the dark, on a clear night, a full moon was a gift. It could light your way. Guide you. That was what she felt like to him. She felt like far too much. Far too special. Far too important. She could be his friend. They could always be friends. Of course they could. But she would marry Riyaz someday. And he would not be able to walk alone with her. He would not be able to touch her.
And he found himself reaching out then to touch her face. “Ariel,” he said, her name a whisper when he didn’t mean it to be.
Her eyes went round and glassy, and they reflected the stars. As if she was made of them.
“Cairo,” she whispered.
He wanted to kiss her. But he knew that he couldn’t. Not ever. He should not have ever showed her those gems. He should never have let himself think about putting them on her body. He should never have allowed himself to dream, even for a moment, about binding her to him.
It was forbidden.
She had been told to dress for a feast. A wedding feast. Apparently, she was being prepared for what would happen on day two of the wedding.
The idea made her uneasy. She dressed in a pink gown tonight. With long billowing sleeves and glimmering turquoise jewels sewn into the fabric. It swished when she walked, a mermaid shaped gown with a high waist.
It covered almost every inch of skin. And yet, it revealed the shape of her figure in a way that made her feel... Well. She felt quite sexy, and she’d never given much thought to how she felt about her own appearance. Not really.
