Page 65 of Dirty Wild Sultan

“Right,” Khalid drawled, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Zayed and Zara stopped wrestling to give me a look. “Of course, you like my brother, who doesn’t?” Zara said.

“No, I meant,” I look around, trying to express it. “That I more than just like him. That is why I woke up early to make himkunafah.”

“Aw, that’s really sweet, Nasrin.”

“Will I get a piece ofkunafahor no?”

“So you love him.”

I smiled at Zara, remembered to makekunafahfor Zayed when he visits next time and froze hearing Khalid’s words. He gave me a long look that made me shiver. His eyes were more intense than his brother’s and seeing him look at me like he knew what I was feeling made me feel weird.

“I have never felt it before, so I wouldn’t know,” I confessed in a small voice, thinking about the night where Zain had confessed on his knees. I had wanted to say it to him, but I couldn’t because I was confused.

Zara came up to me and gave me a side hug. “It is as simple as waking up early to make something sweet for someone that you care about.”

“Is that how simple love is?” I asked, blinking at all of them.

Khalid gave me a smile. “Yes. You both care about each other even when you two have different opinions and fight in the study.”

“We don’t fight,” I said. “We just… argue politely.”

When they gave me an amused look, I huffed and muttered he was right. With a cloth, I pulled the hot tray ofkunafahfrom the oven and let it cool down, smacking Zayed’s palm when he tried to touch it.

“Well, love or not, you are definitely good for him. For Azmia and for our family,” Zara said with her bright smile, a dimple on her cheek.

“Why is everyone in the kitchen?” Zain asked, looking at all of us and thekunafahcooling between us. “Is thatkuna—”

“We just came to drink water,” Khalid lied terribly and dragged Zayed out by his shirt when he said that he was there forkunafah. Zara gave me a thumbs up behind Zain’s shoulder and closed the kitchen door, leaving me alone with Zain. And the deliciouskunafah.

He frowned at the door. “What were they doing here?”

“Talking. We all were talking,” I said. “Sit, I made this for you.”

“For me? So early in the morning?” Zain asked, eyeing thekunafahwhen I cut it, the cheese stretching out when I served a slice to him on a plate.

“Go on, eat it,” I pressed when he eyed the plate and me.

He finally did. I grinned when his eyes went wide at the taste and he took another bite. “This is delicious. The bestkunafahI have ever had, Nasrin.”

Zain pulled me on his lap, feeding me a bite and making me promise to make the delicious sweet every week. I chuckled at him and gave him my promise.

“Zain,” I said, cupping his jaw. “I want to tell you something.”

He allowed me to continue, his hands resting on my waist, watching my lips when I licked them.

“I have been thinking about it for a while and realized that… that I…”

“Go on, Nasrin. Tell me.”

“ThatIloveyou.”

“What? I couldn’t hear you.”

I took a deep breath and said, “That I love you, Zain.”

Zain stared at me, his pupils dilating. Cupping my cheeks, he said, “Say that again, Nasrin.”