Page 46 of The Sheikh's Willing Captive

Razim shook his head. "I told you. I can't. It's a new moon tonight. There's no visibility. It isn't safe to fly across the desert in these conditions."

"What!" she exclaimed.

He started to move toward her, but she fixed him with a stern glare. He halted in his tracks. "You're going to have to stay here. Whether you like it or not. At least until dawn."

"You mean, whether I like you or not, Razim. After the way you've behaved, I'm not sure I want to trust you."

"Really. Paige? That's what you think?"

She nodded. "What else am I supposed to do? After you deceived me like that."

"I had no choice," he retorted.

"Of course you had a choice," she said and folded her arms. "You could have explained everything to me and let me make my own mind up. But that wasn't acceptable to you, was it, Razim? You had to lie to me. Again. Keep control over me. Just like always."

"I've told you how I feel about you, Paige," Razim said firmly. "That part was true. Absolutely true."

Paige rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. She stared at him for a long moment. Her jaw was tight and her eyes were still bright with undiminished fury. Did she realize she had been temporarily defeated? Of course she did, Razim told himself. She wasn't going anywhere, tonight. He'd made her his prisoner without having to resort to abduction

She was his willing captive.

Paige reached down and lifted her bag. Her gaze rose to Razim. There was a steady look in those eyes, he realized.

Defiant.

"Don't come near me, Razim," she said. "Do you understand?"

He held her gaze, matching her will with his own. Did she want him to admit defeat? Just like that? He wasn't going to give her that pleasure.

But, at the same time, he would tell her she would be safe. In time, before the dawn, she would come to him. He was sure of that. He'd sensed it her response to his kiss. There was a willingness hidden in her. A need she was doing everything she could to hold back. Before dawn, he would win. And, in doing so he would unleash her hidden need for him.

"I'll respect your wishes, Paige. I won't come to you."

She nodded, but eyed him cautiously. She looked suspicious that he'd agreed so quickly. "Really?"

Razim nodded.

She hesitate a long moment. He thought she was going to come back at him with a snarky reply. Instead, she just nodded. "Okay then," she said.

Then she turned and started to stride back toward the tent.

****

Paige threw the tent flap back into place and sighed. She felt relieved to be back in the relative safety of the tent. For now, at least. She went to the sleeping area and tugged the separating tent wall back into place. She dropped her bag and flopped down on the edge of the bed.

How dare he do that to her! He'd as much as admitted that he'd brought her to the oasis with the sole purpose of seducing her. And, if he'd succeeded, then she would have faced an unbelievably complicated problem. An apparently unbreakable marriage under Qazhar law.

What had he expected her to do? Just say yes, and roll over? Well, she wasn't about to do anything like that. Not after the way he'd handled this. He'd treated her with disrespect. And to make matters worse, to complicate things even more, there had been his declaration of love to her.

Paige covered her face with her hands. Could it get any worse? Razim had taken her captive for a night. And he had only one thing on his mind.

Keeping her in Qazhar.

Forever.

She lay back down on the bed and stared up at the tent's canvas roof. The memory of his kiss drifted into her mind. The way he'd held her body. The feel of his desire pressing hard against her.

As she recalled the way he'd touched her, she felt sensations stir in her own body. Treacherous sensations that were at odds with her thoughts. She tried to ignore them, but it was impossible. It was as if her body wanted one thing, while her mind fought with her entire will to deny the truth.

---