An Inconvenient Marriage (Married to a Prince) (3 page)

“Married?” he finished for her.

“Yes,” she whispered.

At least she understood honor and doing what was right.  Neither family needed a public scandal right now.  He knew her family would not agree to release him from the contract, but he didn’t want to take the chance she would leave before seeing them.  They had waited too long for this day.

He tried not to recall the past but the memories haunted him still. Back then he spent a lot of time with her father and his. As the secret service agent for the Emir, Ahmed
Rafik was always around. Sadly Sami’s only memory of Lilah was at her father’s funeral. 

Like it or not, she was his wife.  She wasn’t to his taste with her prim schoolmarm look, but with her hair down and those ugly wire framed glasses off, she might be attractive.  He could grow to tolerate her if he had to.  She had pretty eyes and a full pink mouth just ripe for kissing.

Damn!  Where’s your brain?  The woman was in love with another man.  He would be wise to remember that.  “I’m sure you must be tired from your trip.  I will leave you now.  Dinner is at eight.”

* * * *

After an unsuccessful attempt at trying to rest, Delilah gave up.  A maid had been assigned to take care of her, so she waited in the sitting area while the woman unpacked her luggage despite Delilah’s initial protest. 

She walked around the suite, admiring the vibrant mix of textures and colors.  The grand architecture and the elegant design impressed her despite her determination to remain distant.  The use of both eastern and western influences made any visitor feel at home.  But she wasn’t home.  In all her life, no place had ever felt like home.

What was she going to do?  Her plan to put a quick and quiet end to an inconvenient marriage backfired.  She should give up on getting cooperation from Sami and leave before she had to face the press, but she couldn’t.  His revelation about her family had hit her hard and she had to meet them.  She tried to understand what had been in her mother’s mind, but she couldn’t rationalize what had led Marissa to do what she had done.  Even if she didn’t agree with the custom of the arranged marriage, how could she not let her husband’s family know that they were alive and well?  She had lied to them. She had lied to her daughter.  And now Delilah didn’t know the truth anymore.

The sun faded behind the horizon.  She had to dress for dinner or she would be late.  When she returned to the bedroom, she found the maid dutifully standing by a mirrored vanity, awaiting her return.  Laid out on the bed was a gorgeous silk dress is a rich shade of peacock blue.

“What is this?” she asked.

“A gift, from the
Emira.”  The young woman must have noticed her confusion. “The Queen?  You understand?”

“Yes, I understand, but why?”

“For her new daughter.”  She lifted the floor length dress. “Come, Hanan will help you put it on.”

Delilah got in deeper trouble with each passing moment.  To refuse the gift might be an insult, and to accept might be perceived as her stepping into the role of daughter-in-law. Either way, she made a problem.

A part of her wanted to step into the dream, if only for one night.  Everything else seemed so unreal; one more illusion certainly wouldn’t hurt. She indulged herself in the sheer luxury of allowing Hanan to transform her.  Her hair was brushed until it shined, a hint of make-up applied with subtle discretion.  She even put in her contacts, although she wasn’t sure how long she could keep them in since she had never really felt comfortable with lenses.  By the time she was ready, there was nothing left of the conservative insurance actuary who had left New York last night.

“Your husband will be pleased,”
Hanan said.

The reminder of Sami caused her stomach to clench. Her silly Cinderella fantasy had not taken into account that he was no Prince Charming. 
The Prince of Darkness, maybe.  Since he avoided looking at her unless absolutely necessary, he probably wouldn’t notice anyway.  Bad enough he’d been saddled with a wife he didn’t want, but she was probably a disappointment to him as well. He was a prince, for goodness sake.  He had beautiful women throwing themselves at him all the time.

A hard rapping on the door gave her a start. 
Time to go to the ball.  Before she could cross the room, Sami walk in.  When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks. 

Her heart caught in her throat. The air seemed to be sucked from the room.  His heated stare caused an unfamiliar warming that both exhilarated and frightened her. No man had ever looked at her like that. 

This was a foolish idea.  One she would probably regret.  But if she lived to be one hundred, she would never forget the look of absolute surprise on his face at this moment.  It was worth it.

Chapter Three

For dinner, only the immediate family met in the informal dining room.  Sami was grateful for the reprieve from his smug cousins.  He got more than enough from his brother.  After vowing never to allow
himself to be trapped into marriage, Sami ate his own words for dinner.  Because not only was he trapped, he had no way out.

The shy, demure woman gracing their table captivated his parents.  She was the epitome of charm, regal, even royal in her quiet dignity.  Of course, they had not been treated to her thorny side.  Nor did they know that their sweet little daughter-in-law wanted out of this marriage even more than their boorish, arrogant son.

After the meal they retired to the private salon, the one place in the palace where protocol was dropped and they could all be themselves.  His parents indulged in a friendly game of chess.  Just behind them, his sister shared an amusing anecdote with Delilah, bringing a smile to her lips.  Her face lit up.  Yet the moment she caught sight of him watching her, the light in her eyes dimmed and she looked away.  Apparently she didn’t have even a spark of interest in him, which was ironic since his curiosity was now piqued.

His brother,
Yousef joined him in the far corner of the room.  “Mother and Father seemed very pleased with this lucky turn of events.”

“And you couldn’t resist rubbing it in either,” Sami grumbled. “Don’t you have a wife to annoy tonight?”

“She’s at an education symposium until tomorrow.” Yousef glanced at Delilah.  “I thought you said she was nothing special to look at.  You’ve had your head in the law books too long, brother.  Your eyesight is obviously failing.”

“She didn’t look like that when she got off the plane,” Sami muttered, but the truth was, he hadn’t bothered to look beneath the facade.  He had formed an opinion and made a decision before she set foot in
Nadiar.

“Do you think you look like a prince after you’ve been traveling all night?”

They both burst out in laughter.  And since they both happened to be looking at Delilah, she must have thought that they were laughing at her.  Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes sparked with anger.  She whispered something to his sister, who pointed towards the hall, then left the room in a hurry.

His stomach muscles clenched.  Was that guilt?   He followed Delilah, ignoring a call from father.  At twenty- nine, he was too damned old to be lectured by his parents.

“Lilah,” he called out.  His voice echoed down the long corridor.  “Will you please wait?”

She stopped but didn’t turn around. “Delilah.”

“You will always be Lilah Rafik to the family.”

“All right.”
At least she didn’t deny her father’s name.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

She sucked in a calming breath.  “No.  I just need the bathroom.”

“It’s easier if you go the other way.”

“Oh.”  She tried to edge past him without meeting his gaze.

He caught her wrist.  “Are you crying?”

“No.  I’m having a problem with my contacts.”

A tear streamed down her cheek.  Regret pricked at his conscience.  In his time he had probably reduced more women to tears than he could count, but this time it bothered him and he didn’t like the feeling. He handed her a handkerchief from his pocket.

“You are crying.  Don’t lie about it.”

She raised her head and shot him a furious glare. “I am trying my hardest not to do or say anything to embarrass you with your family.  Do you think you could afford me the same courtesy?”

“We were not laughing about you.”

“I don’t care,” she said, but her voice cracked with emotion.

“My brother was making a joke about me.”

“Because you’re stuck with me for a wife.”

“No.  Because you got me for a husband,” he corrected. He cupped her chin and tilted her head back until she met his gaze.  “He thinks you were cheated in the deal.”

A small smile broke through, although she tried to stop herself.  She rubbed her eyes with the linen cloth.  “Oh, right.  You were probably considered the catch of the castle.”

He couldn’t hold back a chuckle.  “I think more people consider me the rogue of the palace.”  He rested his hand along the side of her face, stroking his thumb over her soft cheek.  “You are tired, maybe even a little overwhelmed by the day’s events.”

“I guess I am.”  Her eyes shimmered in the lighting.  She blinked several times.  For a few seconds she stared as if she couldn’t focus.  Absently, she played with the handkerchief in her hand.

“Shall I show you to your room?”

“Wait.  Don’t move yet.”  She ran her delicate fingers over his shirt, smoothing the fabric against his chest in a circular motion.  The gentle caressing shot a currant of electricity straight though him.  What was she trying to do? Her advances were so unexpected, so out of character that he didn’t react at first. 

She leaned in closer, seemingly fascinated with his chest.  He drank in the unique floral scent of her.  He wasn’t sure what had caused this sudden change in her attitude towards him.  Women!  Was there any logical explanation for the things they did?  Maybe she decided life in Nadiar could have benefits after all.

If he had to have a wife, he might as well enjoy the benefits himself.  He slid his arms around her waist and pinned her to the wall with his body.  A gasp of surprise rumbled against his ear.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“What are you doing?” he countered.

“Looking for my contact lens.” 

He leaned in until their bodies meshed together.  Their faces were inches apart.  “You have a very hands-on searching method.”

* * * *

Delilah flushed from head to toe. “I didn’t mean... I wasn’t trying...” Oh, Lord, what she had gotten herself into.  And why wasn’t she trying to extract herself?

Stop him, her mind screamed, but her body had stopped listening.  Warm breath caressed her face.  Their lips met, barely grazing.  She pressed her palms against his shoulders, grasping the fabric of his shirt in her fingers. She knew she should push him away, but instead she pulled him closer. 

He smiled, before covering her mouth in a deep kiss that forced her lips apart.  He pushed his tongue inside her mouth, tasting, teasing, and arousing her before she even knew what was happening to her.  

She snuggled closer, feeling his rock-solid muscles enfolding her in a steely embrace.  The heat from his body scorched her.  She knew better than to play with fire, but she couldn’t stop herself. 

His kiss awakened a desire, the depth of which she hadn’t known she could possess.  She lost all sense of time or place.  A wave of pleasure ran through her, cresting in her lower abdomen, where his erection pressed against her stomach.  For a woman not known to rouse passions in men, his physical reactions gave her a heady feeling of power.

The musky scent of him wafted around her, spiraling her deeper into a vortex.  Excitement swirled through her veins, heightening the awareness of every nerve ending.  His kiss was exhilarating, her pleasure exquisite.  On moment she was floating and the next she was hovering right at the edge. 

She wanted more. 

She had to stop.  

Conflicting emotions warred with the physical sensations that threatened to overtake her.  She wasn’t experienced enough to deal with the direction this was heading. She broke away to catch a breath, to regain her sensibilities.

“Why did you do that?” she asked between ragged breaths. 

“Why did you allow me to?”

Because I liked it.  Because nothing in my life ever felt that intense, that erotic, that pleasurable.

And that scared the hell out of her. Damn!  This was everything she avoided.  The hotter the fire the more she would get burned. 

She picked at a speck on Sami’s shirt and lifted her offending contact lens.  “Here it is,” she muttered.

“And here we are.  What do you suggest I do with you?”

His wicked smile sent a ripple of heat through her entire body.  It wasn’t fair!  No man should be so blatantly sexy that he caused a total melt down of brain cells. Get a grip, she scolded herself.  She knew what she wanted out of life, and it didn’t include keeping up a farce of a marriage to a man who looked upon her as a duty he was forced to bear for the sake of family honor.  No matter how tempting he might be.