Brides & Bargains. Maureen Child

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       Four

      Later that afternoon, when they returned to the Shakirs’ house, luggage in hand, they found a note on the door from the owners inviting them to enjoy their home, and lunch awaiting them.

      After Sebastian keyed in the code to allow them entry, Nasira started for the guest wing with her husband trailing behind her. She paused in the hallway to turn and almost ran into a wall of masculine chest. “Which room do you prefer?”

      “The one where you’ll be staying.”

      She sighed and stepped back. “We’ve already discussed this, Sebastian. Until we have our issues settled, I insist we adhere to our initial plan.”

      “I am only being honest at your request.”

      And infuriating. “I will take the suite on the right and you can take the one across the hall. I assure you, they are both very nice. I will meet you in the kitchen after I have settled in.”

      “Yes, dear.”

      Relieved her husband had not put up much of a fight, Nasira entered the blue suite and set her suitcase and garment bag on the bench at the end of the bed. She quickly hung her dresses in the huge closet and put away her other clothes in the bureau, then returned to the corridor to find it deserted. Without waiting for Sebastian, she immediately left for the great room, all the while reflecting on his interaction with little Liana. He seemed quite charmed by the toddler, and perhaps that meant there could still be hope for their marriage yet. Or perhaps it had only been a show for the proud parents.

      When she reached the kitchen, Nasira found a spread of luscious salads, cheeses, breads and cold cuts laid out on the informal dinette set against a large picture window that revealed a remarkable view of the countryside.

      “It certainly looks appetizing.”

      She turned to find her husband standing close by, hands in pockets. “It looks wonderful. All of it. The food. The pastureland. The pool and the spa. We might as well be staying at a resort.”

      He raked back a chair, sat and then rubbed his hands together. “Personally I could consume most of this.”

      She claimed the seat across from him. “Please let me have a bit before you take it all.”

      He winked. “Sweetheart, although I would like it all, I will take what you will give me.”

      She could so easily walk into his lair but remembered Fiona’s advice. She would play along for now before she would play hard to get. “I promise I will give you enough to keep you sated.”

      He appeared pleasantly surprised by her response. “I look forward to it.”

      As they dined, a heavy fog of tension hung over them. A palpable tension long absent from their lives. Nasira held tight to her goal to persuade him to talk about issues he had always suppressed. During this time together, she vowed to learn as much as she could about the man she had lived with for a decade, and she would do whatever that required.

      “I found Fiona Shakir to be quite friendly,” she said, breaking the silence.

      “And clearly quite fertile.”

      “Would you please stop deriding her for choosing to have children?”

      He pushed aside his empty plate. “I’m not deriding her. I’m simply stating the obvious.”

      Nasira opted for a change of subject. “What should we do this afternoon?”

      His smile arrived as slowly as the sunrise. “I know what I would like to do for the remainder of the day.”

      Stay strong, Nasira. “I would like to hear your plans, as long as they involve remaining vertical.”

      “I’d say that’s altogether possible and in my opinion, preferable during a lengthy ride.”

      Images of being taken against a wall plagued her. “Need I remind you of our agreement?”

      He rubbed his chin. “I do not readily recall any clause prohibiting horseback riding.”

      She tossed her napkin at him and he caught it in one hand. “You cad.”

      “Cad? What did you think I meant?”

      She pushed back from the table and stood. “Do not play ignorant, Sebastian. Since you’ve arrived, every time you open your mouth, innuendo spills out.”

      He had the gall to grin. “Perhaps you only assume that because you’re having naughty sex thoughts.”

      That only heightened her irritation. “If that were the case, could you blame me?”

      He released a rough sigh. “No, I suppose I couldn’t. You have been greatly deprived, with the exception of last night. However, I would like to make up for that now if you will allow it.”

      She refused to give in so easily. “I appreciate the gesture, but you will have to make up for my deprivation without any expectations in regard to lovemaking.”

      He pushed the chair back, came to his feet and executed a bow. “My lady, СКАЧАТЬ