Page 45 of Sheikh's Unexpected Triplet Babies

With a shudder, Jahin walked into the living room, his hands fisted with control.

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IN THE SHOWER, Bedelia rinsed her hair out slowly. She was mildly disappointed that he hadn't come into the shower with her, but this was still the first opening gambit. She hadn't expected it to be easy, but as openers went, it was promising.

When he had opened the door to the shower, she had been afraid that he would simply shout at her, telling her that she had to get out of the penthouse. Then she had heard him freeze in the doorstep, and she knew that wasn't going to happen.

Bedelia chuckled a little to herself when she thought of the look on his face, but if she were honest with herself, she hadn't been unaffected either. It might have only been a short while since they were together, but her body had gotten used to the pleasure they could create together, the fire that could spring up at a moment's notice between them. It was delicious and hot and everything she had ever dreamed of sex with a man being and more.

She hadn't expected to be so very seduced by his seduction, and she knew she needed to keep her wits about her.

Bedelia resisted the urge to hurry through her shower. She was a naturally polite person, and normally if she knew that someone was waiting for her, she moved faster.

But right now, she was playing a game.

She rinsed herself off slowly, then she toweled herself dry with deliberate care. She dried her hair but left it slightly damp, hanging down over her shoulders. Her silk robe, the one he had brought her when she’d complained about being cold one night, was still hanging on the door, and she slipped into it.

For a moment, the memory of him giving her the robe, her delight and his delight at her pleasure, made her sad. Was she just shouting into the wind? Were they ever going to get back to that? There was no way to tell, not really.

The important thing, she thought decisively, is that I am not going down without a fight.

A thin silk robe was about as far away from being armor as it was possible to get, but she tied it tight around her waist and made her way casually to the living room as if it was just a normal evening.

It wasn't a great sign that Jahin was pacing close to the mantle, but she ignored it for the moment and curled up on one end of the couch.

"I can't tell if I'm getting lazy or if the pregnancy’s catching up with me," she said. "It's getting so I don't want to stand up for very long."

Jahin turned towards her, frowning with concern. She caught the slight hitch in his breath when he saw her bare legs stretching out from under the robe, but he recovered quickly.

"Are you feeling unwell?" he asked. "Should I call for the doctor?"

"Oh god no," she said, waving away his concern. "I'm fine. They said I was going to be getting tired easily in general, so I just have to watch for that."

He scowled at her, but at this point, she thought the dark expression must be more reflexive than anything else.

"Are you going to keep standing up over me?" she asked softly. "Why don't you come sit with me?"

For a moment, she thought she had him, but then he straightened up.

"I do not think this is a wise idea, Bedelia. If you are having issues standing up in the shower, a bath would likely be better for you. The townhouse has a bathtub, and..."

"Or I could just take sponge baths," she suggested. "I mean, that would be easy enough, right?"

He stared at her, and with a growled curse, he strode out of the room. She heard him pace to the bedroom that they had shared before slamming the door, leaving her in silence.

For a moment, it occurred to her to be hurt, and then she started giggling instead. She had mentioned the sponge bath as an alternative, more for making conversation than anything else, and now she realized how he must have taken it.

Your move, Jahin, she thought, going to the guest room. Some part of her wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with him, but she thought that might be pushing too far, at least for the first night.

In the darkness of the room, however, she felt far less confident of what she was doing, far less assured.

After all that had happened between them, she ached for him, and the idea of having him just a short distance away was a kind of subtle torture. Even though the room was perfectly well heated, she couldn't help but feel a little cold tucked under the covers. She thought suddenly that if she couldn't return to him, she would always be a little cold.

Oh Jahin, please, she thought, tears beading up in her eyes.

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