Nodding, she threw her arms around him. And then she cried while he held her trembling body. Like he’d never seen her.
He knew it was fear leaving her body, that she needed it and he told her that there would be nothing but light after this, that he would never ever permit her to cry like this ever again. Because he couldn’t take it.
She laughed then, and looked up at him. “Ever the powerful sheikh, Zafir?” But there was only tenderness in her gaze. She took his hands in hers and brought them to her face. Kissed the center of his palm, love shining in her eyes.
“I love you, Lauren.”
“I love you, too.” Then she directed his hands to her belly. And his heart felt as if it would rip out of his chest. “I know, Zafir.”
His breath stilled. “We agreed that we would wait.”
“We argued about it and you commanded me as if that was enough,” she threw back. “I know you didn’t want to know, so I won’t force you—”
Her name was an entreaty on his lips as he begged her to tell him. And the minx teased him. “You’re going to be the death of me, habeebti.”
She rubbed her finger over his lips, as if she couldn’t bear to not touch him. “Only if you promise that you won’t tell your father. This is the only way I can pay him back.”
His smile slipping from his face, Zafir tried his hardest to not scowl. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. But be assured, Lauren. He’s not going to have a single say in our life, in our child’s life.”
So Zafir hadn’t forgiven Rashid and yet, he had come for her.
“It’s a boy, Zafir,” she breathed against his mouth. Then she wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed his chest, held him through the tremor that shook him. “A son who’ll be just as handsome as his father, I hope.”
He kissed her temple reverently, his mouth curved into such a beautiful smile. “I love you, Lauren,” he whispered again and again, against her mouth. “You’re my heart, my friend, my family, everything.”
“Zafir?”
“Yes?”
“Will you do something for me?”
“Anything, Lauren. I’m yours to command.”
“Try to forgive your father. Please.” When he began to retreat from her, she held his hands. “He…came for you, Zafir. He…pushed me and eviscerated me…just to see if I was worthy of you. He…he knew you’d do your duty by Behraat and still, he came…only for your happiness.”
“He will only make our life hard, habeebti. Why do you ask this for him?”
Lauren traced that aquiline nose, his brow, his sensuous mouth with trembling fingers. “For you, Zafir. Forgive him for you. Forgive him for grabbing his happiness the only way he could with your mother.
“You know, amidst all this, I realized something. It was her choice, wasn’t it? To live with him, to love him, to make a life with him the only way she could. And as to why he didn’t—”
“He told me why. He was afraid for my life. So he had it put out that I died along with her and then had Arif bring me back to him when I was four.”
Lauren waited, the haunted expression in his eyes twisting her. “I wish I could bear this pain for you, Zafir. I… All I can do is tell you that I love you.”
His forehead leaning against hers, he smiled. “That is not a small thing you give me, Lauren. Your love is everything to me, habeebti. With you by my side, I can take on the entire world. Even my father.”
“You. Me. Forever,” she said lightly and her reward was the look of utter joy in his gaze.
EPILOGUE
KAREEM ALEXANDER AL MASOOD was born four months later, a chubby, black-haired, golden-eyed bundle that gave his father, the magnificent High Sheikh Zafir Al Masood, the fright of his life when he’d balled up his cheeks for a full five seconds and bellowed at the top of his lungs when he’d held him.
The look in Zafir’s eyes every time he held Kareem and that deep, visceral smile for Lauren, it filled her with joy and gratitude.
Over that first month, true to his promise, Zafir tried his level best to spend time with their son and Lauren. Most often than not, his visit got interrupted even with all the contingencies in place.
And Lauren told herself to have patience.
Six weeks after Kareem was born, Lauren had taken a bath, dismissed the maid who was watching Kareem and settled down to feed him. It was around four and suddenly the night stretched in front of her felt long and interminable.
And then there stood Zafir looking down at her, a content smile on his face.
Lauren pressed a kiss on his hand when he cupped her face and leaned against him as he silently settled on the armrest. “Hmm… I’ve forgotten how good you smell,” she said, trying to swallow the rush of love gathered in her throat.
She’d barely seen him this past week. Even exhausted as she was mostly with Kareem and sleep-deprived, she had missed him so much.
They sat in silence. When Lauren finished with Kareem, Zafir took him, cuddled his son for a little longer and then called back the maid and handed him over to her, before dismissing her once again.
“Your evening is mine,” he declared, pulling her out of the recliner. When she looked at the retreating maid in question, he clasped her face, his golden gaze smiling. “He’ll be close, Lauren. There is a number of staff that’ll be watching him. They’ll bring him to us when he needs you.”
Surprised, Lauren smiled and tucked herself closer into Zafir’s arms. Every day, their bond only deepened. And with a million matters that he managed, Zafir still somehow understood when she needed him.
He kissed her brow, her nose, her cheek and then finally found her mouth. She groaned and pushed herself into his touch, the fire always just there simmering, waiting to be stoked. Waiting to engulf them both.
“I’ve missed you so much,” the words escaped her and then she hid her face in his neck.
He cradled her head with one hand, while the other settled on her hip, and nudged her closer to him. Languorous fire licked through Lauren’s nerves. “No, habeebti. Never feel ashamed for missing me, or for needing me. Never stop loving me. I miss you every day, too, Lauren.”
She flattened her palms on his chest, loving the thud of his heart under it. “So, Your Highness, what do you think we should do with three whole hours?”
He flicked his tongue over her ear, his hands sinking into her shoulders. “The whole night is ours, habeebti. And I’m yours.”
Then his hungry gaze held hers. “I was wondering if you were ready to resume your wifely duties.”
When Lauren remained silent, he tilted his head. “What is it, Lauren?”
Shuddering, Lauren ran her hands over him. The washboard abdomen, the narrow hips, the rock-hard thighs…every inch of him that she missed, that she hadn’t touched in so many weeks. “No, I’ve missed you and… I’m more than ready. It’s just that…”
“Whatever it is, you can tell me, Lauren.”
“I… I look different, Zafir.” He didn’t let her shy her gaze away and Lauren flushed even more. “My body’s different. I guess—”
Without letting her finish, Zafir picked her up and carried her to the bed. “You’ve given me such a beautiful and apparently ferocious son,” he added laughing. “You even somehow forged a bond between me and my father. You’ve created the family that I’d always longed for, Lauren. Have you any idea how precious you are to me?”
With the flick of his hand, he pulled something out of his pocket and held it out for her.
The antique silver glinted in the muted light, a soft tinkle from the charm hanging against it.
It was the bracelet she had haggled over in the bazaar. “How did you know?” Tears filled her eyes. “How did you find it?”
“Ahmed told me how much you had loved it. That vendor traveled on with a tribe and it took me some time to have him tracked.”
He put the bracelet on her hand, and slowly unbuttoned her blouse. Lauren heard the hiss of his breath as he cupped her breasts.
One look at the dark desire in his eyes and Lauren’s doubts melted away. Desperate for him, she brought her hand down to his crotch.
He was hard, ready for her. As she was for him.
The same heat flickering wild between them, Lauren let Zafir take her to dizzying heights again.
And that particular, moonlit night, their forever continued in that room with fireworks and middle-of-the-night feedings and laughter and cuddles.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from ILLICIT NIGHT WITH THE GREEK by Susanna Carr.
Illicit Night with the Greek
by Susanna Carr
CHAPTER ONE
TENSION GRIPPED STERGIOS ANTONIOU as he stood alone on the balcony that jutted out from his cousin’s mansion. He ignored the iconic view of the Parthenon against the blue September sky as he scowled at the blonde woman at the garden party below.
Jodie Little. His stepsister. His darkest secret.
Burning hot fury ate away at him as he watched Jodie glide through the crowd of Athens’s high society. She looked different. She had cut and straightened the long mop of curls. Her hair now fell into soft waves that reached her pointed chin. The yellow floral dress was modest as it skimmed her slender figure. Her bold red lipstick was at odds with her delicate appearance.