Page 19 of Desert King's Forbidden Temptation

‘Does my sex life impact on my suitability as a spouse?’

‘It might.’

‘Fascinating. How so?’

‘I don’t know. Just how active is your sex life?’

‘Currently? Until this afternoon, I’d say it was non-existent.’

She stopped walking, lips parted, floundering. ‘That’s not fair.’

He lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘You asked for the truth, though.’

‘Yes, well, could you try to speak it in a less inflammatory fashion, please?’

He dipped his head. ‘Your wish is my command.’

Something twisted in her gut. She was havingfun.Despite the forbidden nature of what they’d shared, despite the lurching feeling that she’d taken a serious misstep and was letting down the one person on earth she thought of as family, she couldn’t deny that sparing with Tariq was a highly enjoyable activity.

He stopped walking, and two servants opened a pair of doors. She stepped inside, looking around in a cursory manner until it became apparent that he’d brought her to a courtyard, though not the same one she’d seen that afternoon, with his mother. This one had a very beautiful fountain on the edge and a sunken seating area with a fire pit at the centre. Though the day had been warm, the evenings were cool, thanks to the desert air, and she moved towards the fire on autopilot.

‘My father’s death changed things for me,’ he said quietly, close behind her, so with her back to him, she allowed herself the indulgence of closing her eyes, of listening to him, hearing his words, allowing them to weave through her soul. ‘I haven’t been with a woman since we buried him.’

Five months. All the breath left her lungs as she began to understand why he’d found it so hard to control himself around her. She was probably the first woman he’d been alone with since then. No wonder he’d struggled to keep a distance. After all, his libido was somewhat legendary. What exactly was her excuse?

‘You must have loved him very deeply.’

‘Yes.’

‘And before he died?’ she whispered, afraid that he was right: that she didn’t want to know.

‘Why do I think you already have the answer to that?’

‘Because you’re a smart man.’

‘Yet you want to hear it from me?’

‘Yes.’

‘I enjoy the company of women, and it is not something I’ve ever been short of.’

She forced herself to turn then, to face him, and caught him in a moment of reflection, his eyes on the flickering flames.

‘Have you ever been in love?’

The question had his eyes flickering to hers, then away again. ‘No.’

She frowned. ‘Why not?’

He hesitated, and she felt a weight in that silence, a consideration that spoke of thoughts he was choosing not to express. ‘I can’t answer that.’

‘Because you don’t know?’

‘Because it’s too personal.’

She compressed her lips, trying not to show how much that hurt. But it did, and even Eloise was surprised. After all, why should she care so much?

‘So these women you enjoy the company of are what?’

---