Her hands, which had been fisted by her sides, were now clinging to his jacket, wrinkling the material as she held on for dear life while he invaded her mouth and her mind with the things he was doing, just with his mouth and his tongue! She tilted her head up to get more, to taste him better and get that feeling once again. The more she kissed him, the stronger that feeling became until she thought she might explode with the frustration that was building inside her.
Hussan lifted his head and looked down at the budding beauty in his arms. She probably didn’t even realize that she’d moved against him, that she was holding him like this. He was trying to control the lust surging through his body for this woman who had the smallest waist but was perfectly shaped in all the other areas. She wasn’t helping him maintain control though. As he watched, her eyes were still closed and she took a deep, shuddering breath as she absorbed the sensations he’d given her with that kiss.
She was sexy and beautiful and, from the way she’d started off that kiss, she was also painfully inexperienced. He doubted she’d ever even been kissed before. She was all his, he thought with relish and anticipation.
How he was going to control himself until the wedding was beyond him, but he’d do it somehow.
“We’ll be married next week. Your brother and sister may come, but the celebration will need to be small and low key. I’ll talk to my advisors and there will need to be a public announcement and a parade, but nothing too elaborate.”
Isla’s eyes snapped open and she looked up into the hard, demanding eyes of the man who had just kissed her so tenderly and sweetly. Where had that man gone? Why had this tyrant come back?
She looked down and realized that her hands were still gripping the lapels of this suit. She quickly released them and stepped back, almost tripping in her eagerness to get away from him.
His words slowly started to penetrate her fogged mind and she bit her lower lip. What had he said about the wedding? Low key? No problem. “Next week?” she gasped.
“Your brother was married within a day of bringing his fiancée back. I’m giving you ample time. There’s no need for anything lavish. It will be very small with pictures sent to the press the next day to avoid any kind of pressure.”
“But won’t your people want to celebrate with you? Isn’t this what they’ve been waiting for?” she asked.
He quickly shook his head and moved back to his desk. “Yes. They deserve to celebrate our nuptials, but we still need to keep it contained. They need a celebration, something to break the monotony of daily life but they also need roads and hospitals. We can have a parade because I’m finally getting married, but it needs to remain simple.” He was sifting through the files on his desk and found the one he was looking for, bringing it to her. “Here is a list of the issues we’re facing. This should give you a better idea of why we’re not having an elaborate wedding.” He glanced at his watch then. “I have a meeting. I’ll see you at dinner.”
A moment later, Isla was standing alone in the barren office, her body still shaking from reaction as she held the file he’d placed in her numb fingers.
What had she gotten herself into? Or more specifically, what had Rashid tossed her into? This palace was nothing like what she was expecting, the man himself definitely wasn’t what she was prepared for and the people she’d seen were not what she’d known in the border villages.
Had she jumped into the rabbit hole at some point in the last few hours?
She walked out of the office in a slight daze and found two guards standing sentry outside the door. “Could you tell me where I might find my quarters?” she asked politely.
Both men bowed. “This way, Your Highness,” one of them said and turned on his heel. The second man fell in behind her and Isla wondered if they were here to protect her from people coming into the palace, or if they were here to keep her from leaving the palace. It suddenly occurred to her that Hussan knew that she slipped out of Rashid’s palace whenever she wanted, but he didn’t know how she’d done it. Nor had he asked her, she thought. That was a curious point. One she’d have to ask him about in the future, once she knew him a little better. She didn’t dare mention it now, not sure what his reaction might be.
She vowed she’d never give up her work, knowing that too many people suffered from violence in this world. She could make a difference, she knew. She’d just have to figure out a way to sneak out of this palace, just like she’d done for the past several years.
Or would the security surrounding her be more intense than what she was used to at home? She’d be the mother of the future ruler of Silaria. Maybe she’d have more diligent guards? If the two men surrounding her were any indication, she might be in trouble.
She’d find a way though. Things generally had a way of working themselves out. At least, that’s what she was going with today. Anything else was just too terrifying to consider.
The man led her through long, elaborate hallways that at one time had been beautiful with elaborate designs and mosaics. Now, the pictures that had been there previously were torn up or bullet marked. Isla thought it was a shame to have such beautiful history desecrated in such a way, but she understood why Hussan hadn’t spent the money or time to fix these hallways. He was right about the people needing roads and infrastructure first. In fact, a part of her, only a small part though, actually admired the man for his selflessness in trying to fix the country’s infrastructure before seeing to the creature comforts of the palace.
The room to which she was led was actually one of the most beautiful she’d ever seen. It was elaborately decorated with wispy curtains that screened out the worst of the light from enormous windows that allowed one to look out into a quaint little courtyard that was filled with flowers and pretty trees shading a lovely little fountain. The bathroom had all of the latest amenities but with what looked like solid gold faucets on the sinks and in the shower area. The bathroom even included an enormous sunken bathtub larger than she’d ever seen in her life. She’d lived in luxury since her birth, but this truly was lovely. Even the large, round bed was covered in fluffy pillows and a comforter that looked to be down filled and puffed up about a foot.
Despite herself, she was impressed. But as she looked around, she had no idea what to do. She had no clothes so she couldn’t unpack. She had no makeup so she couldn’t freshen up and look more presentable. She didn’t even have a book to read that would occupy her time.