Page 27 of The Sheikh's Willing Captive

During the long night, in the solitary darkness of her bedroom, she thought about the coming day. She asked herself over and over if she could go through with it. She'd never imagined this would be so difficult. Back in New York, everything had seemed so much easier. So much simpler. Turn up, sign papers and leave. Move on. That was what she'd promised herself she would do.

Now that she was here, though, what had once seemed easy was now proving impossible.

She hadn't reckoned with Razim. He was doing everything to delay the end of their marriage. She could understand that. This whole arrangement seemed to mean so much to him.

She felt torn by Razim and what he so obviously wanted. He wanted her to stay married to him. Just thinking about that made nerves curl in her middle.

It wasn't as easy for her as it was for Razim. This was his world. He was on home territory. If she did stay with him, she'd always feel like an outsider.

But, Razim seemed so sincere. So genuine in his desire for her.

On the one hand she wanted to believe him. She desperately wanted to trust him. And have faith in his belief that things could return to the way they'd once been.

But, deep down in her heart, doubts still lingered. Hard, unmovable uncertainties. It seemed like those doubts leaped out at her every time she was near Razim. Even after what had happened, she still felt the doubts. The truth was, she sick with uncertainty.

She thought about the way he'd overcome her resistance.

No.

That wasn't right. She had submitted to him. Razim had claimed his right to give her pleasure and she had submitted. Willingly and with desperate need.

Once again, she recalled what it had felt like lying beneath him, feeling his touch, tasting his lips, hearing his groans of satisfaction. Even as she lay in bed, she could still almost feel his hands at her core; still sense his tongue tracing a line down the length of her neck.

Exquisite pleasure. That was what she had felt. How could she turn her back on a man who could make her feel like that? Part of her didn't want to. But an equally powerful part of her demanded caution. She knew that remaining in Qazhar would change her life forever. Especially with a man who so clearly felt such strong emotions about her. But, how much could she rely on those emotions?

Paige recalled the times when Razim had murmured dangerous words to her, in the darkness, in his bed. They'd been words of love. But that now seemed like such a long time ago, she wasn't even sure she could believe them any longer.

Love.

Did she love him? There was no easy answer to that. Partly because this situation was so unique, and because Razim himself was so special. So incredibly handsome and yet, at the same time, so volatile. Untamed. A true man of the desert. A wild spirit, one she wasn't sure she could ever tame. Every moment with Razim was a moment of vital excitement. She never knew what each day would bring. Only that it would be unforgettable.

Just like Razim.

There were times when she was so drawn to him, that it was easy for her to tell herself she loved him. And there had been times when she had felt so incredibly close to him, that she had allowed herself to think the unthinkable.

That she could love this primal force of nature; this astonishing man.

But, still she held herself back from that commitment. Even if he was prepared to take a bold step into a shared future with her, she wasn't sure she was able to do the same.

Not yet.

Sleep finally claimed her, and her dreams were filled with Razim.

****

The next morning, she was up bright and early. She showered and prepared herself, putting on a light blue, casual dress and flat shoes. She went downstairs, expecting things to be quiet. Instead, she found palace staff racing around, arranging things in the large reception room. A long table had been moved to the middle of the room. Three seats had been placed at one side of the table.

She assumed that must be the place where the simple ceremony would take place later that morning.

Paige felt nervous just looking at the place where she knew everything would change.

"Good morning," she heard Razim say from behind her.

She turned and saw him advancing toward her. He was dressed in a plain white shirt and blue jeans. For a moment, she was taken aback to see him dressed so casually. She wasn't used to seeing him in jeans. She had to admit he looked pretty amazing. The tight-fitting jeans accentuated his long legs, and his muscled thighs. Goodness knew what his rear would look like, she told herself.

He surprised her by coming to her. When he kissed her she inhaled his scent. His freshly washed skin smelled gorgeous. Awkwardness seized her, just thinking about what was going to happen in this room.

She glanced nervously at him. "Good morning," she replied.

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