Page 21 of His Impossible Heir

“You’re playing with fire, my love,” he warned her.

She laughed and pulled away. “I wouldn’t want to do that, would I?” Standing up, she returned to her chair, but glanced at him coyly. Emma couldn’t stop a burst of laughter when she heard his growl, and she knew to move very fast out of his reach.

“Behave!” she admonished.

“Me?” he asked in a warning tone. “You…you are telling me to behave?”

Emma grinned, then picked up her cup of coffee. “Focus, my dear. We have to figure out how to get Daniesh and Amanda to realize that they were meant to be together.”

Rayed leaned back in his chair, his gaze promising retribution. But he acknowledged her point. “I have to caution you though. There might be a strong chemistry between the two, but their personalities might not mesh. Whatever you plan to do, do it carefully. We don’t want them to be hurt.”

Emma lifted a dark eyebrow. “Amanda was arrested yesterday. Do you really think that she could be hurt even more?”

“She probably feels very vulnerable right now. Be careful of her mental state when you’re making plans for their future.”

“That’s a good point.” She sipped her coffee thoughtfully, then nodded. “You’re right. I’ll talk to Amanda. You talk to Daniesh. Let’s go!”

She jumped to her feet and hurried off, leaving her handsome husband sitting at the breakfast table, not sure what had just happened.

Chapter 9

Daniesh paced the formal living room, running a hand through his hair. His confusion was nearly palpable as he tried to restrain himself from rushing right back up the stairs so that he could take Amanda into his arms and assure her that he would make everything right again.

There was zero possibility of Amanda being sent to jail. That simply wasn’t a possibility. He knew with every cell in his body that Amanda wasn’t capable of hurting anyone. Not even a stranger who appeared in her suite unexpectedly. He suspected that Amanda would scream bloody murder, but she would never hurt someone.

Not Amanda.

His frustration ramped up a notch as he thought about her this morning. The beautiful, vivacious, smiling woman with sparkling eyes had disappeared. The Amanda he’d brought home from the police station was a heartbroken, confused woman, still lovely, but with an air of tragedy surrounding her.

He wanted to protect her. Hell, he wanted to…marry her?

Impossible! He’d only known Amanda for less than a day!

The doorbell broke through his mental castigations. Turning, he waited for his butler to announce the newest visitors. But it was still a surprise when he watched Rayed striding arrogantly into the room with Emma by his side.

Did he walk like that too? Daniesh knew that he and Rayed were similar. He chuckled softly, wondering how other people perceived him.

No, he was wondering how Amanda perceived him. Did she think him arrogant? Was he unapproachable? Daniesh suddenly worried that he made Amanda nervous.

She’d get used to him, he decided as he watched Emma lift up onto her toes to kiss her husband. Rayed, for his part, wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in for a longer kiss before releasing her.

“I’m off to speak with Amanda!” Emma called out, then hurried up the stairs.

Daniesh turned, watching his friend as Rayed paused to observe his lovely wife. When she was finally out of sight, Rayed turned around and grinned at Daniesh.

“What?” he asked.

Daniesh chuckled, dropping his arms as he walked over to the bar. “Scotch?”

Rayed snorted. “It’s ten o’clock in the morning!”

Daniesh hesitated, then shrugged and put the crystal stopper back on the decanter. He walked over to the chair opposite and sat down, silently noting that his friend was already seated. “What the hell do you want?” he grumbled, aware of a bit of envy that Rayed could so openly touch his pretty wife whenever he wanted.

“How is Amanda today?”

“Fine. She’s not leaving here,” he snapped, his body tightening as if battle ready.

Rayed lifted his hands up, palms out. “Wouldn’t think of suggesting it.”

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