Page 12 of Forbidden Passion

“Our wedding,” he replied smoothly, completely unaware of her building anger.

“We’re getting married?” she asked, still trying to control her juvenile reaction. It wasn’t working. “I didn’t know that we were engaged.” She lifted her purse, pretending to examine the contents. “When did that happen?”

He turned, attaching a cufflink to his starched, white dress shirt. When he looked up, his eyes were dark with incomprehension. “Of course we’re getting married, Ciara. There could be consequences to what we did this weekend. We’ll get married immediately.” He turned back to the dressing room, reaching in to grab a dark blue jacket. “In fact, you should just come home with me to Itim. It will be easier to make the wedding arrangements if we’re together.” He looked around, patting the various pockets on his suit as if looking for something. “We should have a quiet, quick wedding.”

Ciara stared at him, her anger no longer feeling juvenile. In fact, her anger was becoming much more mature as she listened to Falk give her orders, assuming that she’d fall right in line with his decisions.

“That’s an interesting idea.”

He finally seemed to notice the bite to her words and turned to look at her. “Ciara?”

Ciara looked up at him, tucking her leather clutch purse under her arm. “I have to catch a plane, Falk. Let me know when you’ve finished making decisions for me. I’m eager to hear what you’ve arranged.”

And with that, she turned and walked out of the bedroom. She worried that he was going to stop her. Thankfully, he didn’t and she was grateful for that. Jessy and her bodyguards immediately surrounded her as she stepped into the elevator. No one said a word on the trip down to the hotel lobby. Nor did they say anything when she smiled tightly at herdriver who was holding the door of a black SUV open, ready for her to slip into the back seat.

She made it all the way to the airport and into her private office before the tears started. Angrily, she wiped the tears away. “You can’t cry!” she hissed to herself. “You knew he was like that. It was one of the reasons you stayed away from him all this time!”

Chapter 10

Falk’s driver pulled up to the airport moments after Ciara’s plane took off. From inside the black SUV, Falk stared up at the plane, muttering several choice expletives. And yet, he still didn’t completely understand what he’d done wrong. He’d spent an earthshaking weekend in bed with a woman that excited him on both a sexual and intellectual level. At the end of the weekend, because of their roles within their individual countries, it was only logical for them to wed.

So, he was more than a little confused at her abrupt departure.

“Let’s go!” he snapped and his driver pulled up to the airport terminal. It took less than fifteen minutes to get his staff on board. Then his pilot took off, following in Ciara’s wake.

For a long time after they gained cruising altitude, Falk replayed that last conversation with Ciara through in his mind. Still, he couldn’t decipher the problem.

Ten minutes later, Myala was in nearly the same spot as she watched Falk’s plane take off. Of course, she didn’t have a group of bodyguards standing by or staff to obey her every command. Nor did she have a personal driver. In fact, the taxi driver huffed impatiently in the front seat, oblivious to the fury igniting in his passenger’s chest.

“Drive!” she ordered the man, then pulled out her cell phone and started typing. She had plans to make and she had to get back home to accomplish those plans.

Chapter 11

Ciara felt as if her heart was going to break. Ramit was officially married, although the ceremony had been done in secret, since their little daughter, Nadia, had entered the world over a year ago. Maggie seemed to be taking to palace life easily and Ciara’s brother looked so happy!

Ciara had gotten to know Maggie and found her to be a delight. The woman seemed to be a bit nervous in her new role, but she was highly intelligent. She’d handle the transition well. Plus, Ramit was around to help her get through the more difficult aspects of becoming a public figure.

Ramit had asked Ciara to help Maggie transition to a more public role, but Ciara wasn’t sure she was the best person to advise anyone on anything. With her brutal self-flagellations, it was a challenge for her to even get out of bed in the morning lately.

But tonight, Maggie was being presented to the world. It was her first official ball and Ramit looked so damn proud, the medals attached to his chest might just pop off.

“Are you ready?” Ciara whispered to Maggie as she reached her place behind her sister-in-law. “Tonight is a smaller gathering than usual, just to ease you into your new role.” She rubbed Maggie’s arm, trying to reassure her. “You’ll be fine.”

Maggie grimaced, but straightened her shoulders. “I think I’m ready,” she whispered back. “Any last words of advice?”

“Don’t laugh,” Ciara offered. “And don’t look anyone in the eye. Look at their foreheads. It’s a lot easier. Plus, it confuses the person receiving the gaze. They won’t be sureif you’re looking at them or not, so their mind is focused on processing that thought instead of trying to ask questions.”

Maggie turned, her mouth falling open in surprise. But before she could reply, Ramit stepped up and kissed her. “You’re beautiful!” he told her. “Everyone is going to love you.”

She beamed and Ciara watched as Maggie leaned her head gently against Ramit’s shoulder. The moment was short, but sweet and Ciara wondered if…?

“Stop it!” she whispered to herself.

Before Ramit could turn and ask her what she meant, the double doors to the ballroom opened. Ramit and Maggie’s party was in full swing! The guests had been steadily arriving for the past hour and the palace ballroom was filled with colorfully dressed women and men in formal tuxedos or the formal dress of their culture.

Ciara waited for Ramit and Maggie to step out to the top of the stairs. She smothered a smile when Maggie inched closer to Ramit as the hundreds of flashes from dozens of cameras exploded. Ramit waited at the top of the stairs, not moving. The couple looked dazzling as they smiled politely at the crowd.

Jealousy washed over her when her older brother lowered his head and whispered something in Maggie’s ear. She turned and smiled up at him, then nodded her agreement. It was such a tender moment between the couple that Ciara wanted to turn around and run away from this public circus. However, she’d spent too many days over the past two weeks in her room, admonishing herself for falling for Falk. She’d known that he was a dictatorial bastard. She’d told herself over and over that her personality and his could never mesh well.

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