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"How did Becca find out where I live?" Grace asked.
Qazim sighed, admitting defeat. "I might have mentioned where your apartment is," he said quietly.
Grace snorted. "I knew it," she snapped. "This was all your idea." Grace lifted her head and pushed her face up toward his. "What did you want me to see, Qazim? How wonderful life is, being married to a Qazhar sheikh?"
Qazim gazed down into Grace's eyes. "Isn't that what you saw?" he asked evenly. "I would have thought it was plain to see."
She peered at him, but said nothing. He could see she was considering what he'd just asked her. He was right, wasn't he? For the last couple of hours Grace had been given a glimpse of what awaited her.
If she agreed to stay with Qazim.
What had she thought about what she'd seen inside the palace? He gazed into her eyes, trying to judge how she was feeling, how she was thinking. But she'd put up a barrier. She wasn't going to make it easy for him.
"What do you expect me to tell you, Qazim?" she asked.
"Tell me what's in your heart," he replied.
That seemed to surprise her. She paused a moment and then said: "It has nothing to do with what's in my heart. In any case, why would you care about that? You offered me a marriage of convenience. Nothing else," she said. She glared at him. "Or did I misunderstand your offer."
He wondered why she was being so defensive. Why she seemed determined to drive him back. Even push him away as far as possible.
"It doesn't have to be just a marriage of convenience," he murmured. He leaned closer to her and gazed into her eyes. "It could be so much more."
Her eyes narrowed and she suddenly looked almost incredulous. "Do you mean love?"
The use of that word stunned him for a moment. He hadn't heard her say that to him before. It sounded so sweet on her lips.
There wasn't a softness in that gaze, though. She looked like she was on the verge of snapping at him again.
He wanted to reach out to her, touch her, hold her. But he resisted the impulse. "Didn't I tell you how I feel about you?"
Her features were impassive as she gazed up at him.
"Don't you know how important you are to me?" He glanced downward. "How important you and the baby are."
Her lips parted and he wanted to taste the sweetness he'd missed these past few weeks.
But, Grace took a step backwards. The distance between them was re-established.
She shook her head. "I don't want to do this, Qazim. Not here. Not now."
"But this is the perfect place."
She glowered at him. "To do what? Make up my mind. Decide to stay with you forever? Why must you always push me? Why is everything with you so urgent, so pressing."
"I didn't mean to put pressure on you, Grace," he said. "I only wanted you to see another side to all of this. To life in Qazhar." He moved closer and she stood her ground, watching him closely. "I wanted you to see how good it could be. For you. And for us."
She lowered her head and he heard her sigh sharply. Maybe he was making progress. Perhaps he was getting through to her. He could hardly dare hope that he might succeed.
He took one more step closer and she was within touching distance. He inhaled her scent, triggering a sudden need in him.
This was the perfect place to get her answer. He hadn't been truly alone with her. Not since she'd walked out on him.
Grace lifted her head and her gaze rested on him. Her eyes softened for the briefest moment. And that was all the signal he needed.
Qazim swept her into his arms, crushing her against him, feeling the warmth of her body. Then his head dipped and he claimed her lips with a fierce, ravenous kiss. It was a kiss he had wanted for a long time. One he'd been denied for too long. One he desperately needed.
Her mouth was soft and tasted sweet beyond measure. He'd almost forgotten this sensation, lost any sense of how exquisite it felt to hold her in his arms.
