Page 25 of The Sheikh's Willing Captive

For a long time, she held onto him. She felt his strong arms enfold her, embracing her.

Finally, he moved, taking a seat net to her. She leaned against him, feeling his arm curled around her shoulders. His scent was a intoxicating mixture, one that she knew so well.

It took a long time for her heartbeat to settle, but eventually it did. And she was content to be in his arms, with not a thought of what she would have to face the next day.

CHAPTER TEN

Razim walked with Paige back to the palace. The night air was beginning to cool, and he sensed that she needed to rest. They'd talked awhile, and she'd asked him some questions about what was going to take place the next day.

He'd told her that the elderly Qazhar administrator who was in charge of such things would come around mid-morning. The ceremony itself would be brief, consisting of merely laying their hands upon the ancient scroll. As that was being done, the administrator of marriages would say a few words in the Qazhar language. All that would be required of Razim would be that he'd utter a set phrase. For Paige's part, she would also utter the same phrase. And that would be the end of the marriage, he explained.

Even as he explained it, Razim couldn't help telling himself that it wasn't what he wanted.

And, after what had happened out in the garden, Razim was confused. He wanted to believe that the way Paige had reacted meant that there was at least a chance to call the divorce off. However, doubts hovered like unwanted demons in the back of his mind. Maybe what had happened had just been lust.

Nothing more.

She had taken one final chance to be intimate with him. Why she should have done that, he couldn't explain to himself in a way that made sense. In one way, it reminded him of the casual and almost indifferent way they'd been toward one another in the last days before Paige had left for New York. Physical contact between the both of them had become routine and hesitant.

Although, at one point, Paige had reacted to his touch in a way that reminded Razim of the early days of their relationship.

Back inside the palace, awkwardness raised its ugly head once again.

Paige hesitated at the foot of the wide staircase which stretched up from the hallway. "It's getting late."

"Your time or mine?" he asked jokingly referring to the jet lag.

"My body clock is all mixed up," she said.

He reached out and tidied some loose locks of her hair back into place. Her cheeks colored red as he did so, and for a moment he thought he'd made a mistake in doing so.

"I asked you earlier, and I'm going to ask you again," he said. "Are you sure about tomorrow?"

She gazed steadily at him for a long moment. "Are you?"

Hope rose in his chest. "You know I want you. You're still my wife. All I need to do is call him and cancel."

As quickly as hope had risen in his heart, her expression on hearing his words triggered a heavy sensation in the pit of his belly. She swallowed and looked away. When she turned and faced him again, he saw her eyes were moist with emotion. "I don't know what I can say, Razim," she replied. "It's not that simple."

He took a step toward her, but she stiffened and peered at him. He froze. "It is simple. We can just stay married and things will be like they were," he said.

She shook her head. "They can never be the same, Razim. There's been too much water under the bridge for that to happen."

He wanted to sweep her into his arms. Anything, so that he could persuade her that what she was saying was wrong. He didn't know how he could take away her doubts. Because he knew they were real. Maybe she was right. Perhaps what they'd had together was gone for good. But he was determined not to give up.

"We can have a new start," he suggested. "It'll be as if you never went away." He lowered his voice. "As if I never lost you."

He saw her swallow as emotion gripped her. He wondered if she felt anything for him. Maybe her time in New York had changed the way she thought about him.

Once again she shook her head. She sighed heavily. "We lost each other, Razim. The day we got married."

He felt a hard blow strike his chest. "You don't believe that, do you?"

"Don't you remember how we used to be with each other?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he replied. "We were perfect together."

She narrowed her eyes. "And after the wedding? Were we perfect together then?"

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