Page 13 of The Forbidden Sheik
Inside his suite, there was an enormous, C-shaped dark leather sofa set in front of a massive television. There was a dining area, a study, and several doors that most likely led to…bedrooms? She couldn’t be sure, but the suite was incredibly lush and masculine. It reminded her of what her brothers’ private suites had been like before they’d married their wives. After that, the décor had lightened and, as the children arrived, the colors brightened.
“Okay, now you can speak,” Amit told her, finally slowing down. He strolled casually to the bar, retrieving a bottle. It wasn't wine, the only form of alcohol she had ever enjoyed. This was something altogether more potent. He poured the amber liquid into two glasses, offering one to her.
“Drink this,” he urged.
Marianna took the glass, but she didn’t drink it. Her nerves sang as the awareness that she was alone with Amit sank in.
“I want to go home,” she said, wishing her tone was firmer.
“I know,ya asal,” he said, his voice soft and soothing. He sipped his drink, sighed quietly, and then moved closer to her. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a cell phone and handing it to her. “Here,” he offered. “Call your brother. I’ve already told him that I have you and that you’re safe. But I know that he wants to hear from you.” He led her over to the brown, leather sofa. “I bet you’ll feel better after you speak to Khal as well. Am I right?”
This was so unexpected, Marianna didn’t know what to say. She stared down at the glass of alcohol in one hand and the phone in the other. “You’re not…keeping me here against my will?”
He blinked at her, startled. But then he chuckled, shaking his head. “No,habibti. You’re not my prisoner.” He gestured to the sofa behind her and they sat down. “I know that would probably be more to your liking.”
She perched on the edge of the sofa. “Why would you say that? Why would anyone prefer to be a prisoner?”
His mouth twisted into a grimace. “Because that would reinforce your opinion of me,” he replied smoothly, lifting a dark eyebrow as he waited for her reaction. “You prefer to keep me as the bad guy so that you can deny the attraction I know you feel.”
The feeling of being pulled into his arms popped into her head and she could feel her cheeks heat with desire. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him.
Taking a deep breath, she set the glass down on the coffee table. “Let me call Khal.” She sighed and looked down at the phone in her hands. “I’m sure he’s worried sick.”
Chapter 15
Amit didn’t respond as he watched her dial. She looked…vulnerable. The woman who had always defied him, challenged him, and glared at him was…nervous. He hated to see that vulnerable look in her eyes. He much preferred seeing the glint of determination. His gut twisted at the idea of this strong, intelligent woman being anything less than completely confident.
His cousin had done this to her. Amit couldn’t prove Jadwat was behind Marianna’s kidnapping, but he did have plenty of proof that the idiot was planning a coup. What the bastard didn’t know was that Amit had a plan in place to stop him. Jadwat had been a thorn in his side for a long time. The idiot had tried to seize power when Amit’s father passed, but he hadn’t managed to garner enough support.
What the idiot didn’t realize was that Amit had kept tabs on his cousin over the years. There were several layers of spies within Jadwat’s organization. Amit knew exactly what was about to happen. Hell, he even knew the idiot’s timeline.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t known the plan included capturing Marianna. Nor did Amit understand why. Surely Jadwat couldn’t know how important Marianna was to him.
However, Amit had to delay Jadwat's interference, and his motives were twofold. Firstly, he desired time to forge a true connection with Marianna, and for her to gain a genuine understanding of him. Amit yearned for Marianna's trust, hoping she would come to see him for who he truly was — both as a man and as a ruler. And then, perhaps, in time, as a lover and a husband. Secondly, the longer he could keep Marianna safely secluded, the more opportunity he had to thwart Jadwat's nefarious schemes. Amit harbored a simmering determination to thwart Jadwat's plans and deliver a fitting retribution for the audacity of attempting to destabilize the Uftar government.
It was all about timing, he thought, listening to Marianna’s half of the conversation.
“Are you sure?” she asked, lowering her voice and turning away from Amit. “But…why?”
There was a long silence and Amit knew that Khal was explaining what was going on. He even knew the exact moment that Khal asked her to stay hidden so Amit could stop the attempted takeover. As long as Jadwat didn’t know where Marianna was, that would slow down his plan.
When she turned back, her mouth forming an “O” of surprise, he knew that she finally grasped the depths of the problem. Silently, she nodded. Her brother must have said something to her because she nodded again, then closed her eyes as she spoke aloud.
“I understand. And yes, I’ll help any way I can.”
Khal said something else because she smiled gently and nodded one more time, then whispered, “I love you too.”
She ended the call, letting the phone drop to her lap as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Amit could tell she was getting her emotions back under control, so he gave her a moment of privacy. When she finally opened her eyes, she had herself back under control.
Marianna smiled at him, but there was no warmth to her expression. “So, you have an evil cousin that has hated you for the past twenty years and is trying to get to you through me.”
Amit wanted to correct her. He wasn’t sure if Jadwat had kidnapped her because of his feelings for her or because… her latest blog post had come so close to what was truly happening in Uftar. She was inches, literally one tiny connection away from exposing his cousin’s plan for what it was. However, until Jadwat was captured, there was no way to know exactly why Marianna had been targeted.
“So, you’re okay with staying hidden until this situation is resolved?”
Marianna hesitated, then crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t understand why it’s so important for me to stay hidden. Why is it important for him to think I’m still under his control?”
He scooted closer to her, relieved when she didn’t move away. “I don’t fully understand my cousin’s plan either,” he admitted. “Until I have solid evidence, I need him to believe you are still under his control.”
