Page 23 of Queen of Barrakesch
Imani stared after him.
What in the world did he mean by that?
9
Wasim sat on the back steps of his palace, eyes focused on the lights of Kabatra in the distance. All the guests had gone home and the servants had cleared away any evidence of the party.
He’d decided to do business with two of the men who’d come today. Their knowledge, values, and behavior had impressed him.
A shadow fell across the steps.
“Will there be anything else, Your Highness?” The question came from a servant behind him.
“No. Have a good night.”
“Good night, Your Highness.”
His pet chimpanzee sauntered over and rested her head on his knee, as if to keep him company or lift his spirits. Wasim absentmindedly petted her head, his thoughts going elsewhere—to the night in Estoria when he kissed Imani. They’d been in the country for a polo tournament and ended up alone in his hotel room. Since then their friendship had remained intact, uneventful except for the deeper undercurrent of attraction between them.
They wouldn’t work. They both knew that. Neither of them was ready for marriage, and besides, their ideas about marriage were different.
Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about that night.
Ten monthsago
“So you’ve never tasted alcohol, not even once?”
Wasim looked across the table at Imani, with her liquid brown eyes that had called to him all day. She seemed much more relaxed than earlier when she’d first arrived at his door, agitated and trying to find her cousin, Kofi, after a conversation with her parents. She’d been disappointed to learn that he had gone out for drinks with some of the men who had participated in the polo match earlier. Wasim had stayed behind, preferring to relax in the room and get a little work done before going to bed.
Since he was about to order dinner, he invited her in and listened to her complaints about her father and his dismissive tone regarding her desires for her love life. She simply wanted to be left alone to live her own life and make her own decisions, but that seemed to be an impossibility for her parents—especially her father. He saw her as a little girl who needed to be protected and wanted to see her married and taken care of, despite her many accomplishments over the years.
“I’ve never once tasted alcohol,” Wasim confirmed, taking a sip of iced tea.
The meal had been finished an hour ago, but they sat there talking, spending more time alone than he could ever remember in the past. He and Imani knew each other well, but this particular conversation felt more personal, more intimate. Maybe it was the hotel room. Or maybe it was the fact that they had never been alone for such a long period. For three hours they had sat in his suite in the Royal Palace of Estoria and simply enjoyed each other’s company. Laughing, talking, and sharing intimate details like old friends.
“I had no idea. You’ve never been curious?”
“Curious, but not enough to try.” He shrugged. “Drinking alcohol isharamin Islam.”
She cocked her head to the side, studying him for a moment. “Premarital sex is forbidden, as well, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
She smirked a little bit. “But you’ve had sex.”
He smiled slightly. “I have rules that I live by, but I’m not perfect.”
“Shocker. Your secret is safe with me.”
“I appreciate that. So, what are you going to do about your parents?”
She let out a dramatic moan and let her head fall back. His eyes traveled over the length of her throat—a throat that begged to be licked and sucked. He swiped a hand over his mouth, thinking for the umpteenth time what a mistake he had made inviting her in for dinner. His body had been on red alert the entire time, more so than usual. He had always been attracted to Imani, but that attraction had become particularly acute tonight.
“I’ll do what I always do. Put them off. Delay. Remind them that I can make my own decisions about my future husband.”
“It’s unfortunate you have to deal with that.”
“You have to deal with it to a certain degree, too, don’t you?”
