He frowned. “Of course you can. You will wear them.” He took the diamond-and-platinum necklace and fitted it around her throat. She turned so he could clasp it, her heart beating wildly in her chest as his fingers skimmed the bare skin of her neck. The necklace fit close to her throat but it was only when she turned around that she realized it was a collar. And it glittered as though someone had turned on Christmas lights.
“This is too much, Kadir.”
“Not for my wife it isn’t.” He ruthlessly went about clasping on a matching bracelet. And then he handed her a pair of diamond drop earrings that she fitted into her ears with shaking hands.
“Won’t I look a bit gaudy for daytime?”
His eyes roved over her. “Not at all. You will look amazingly beautiful.”
She glanced down at the bracelet—a sizable platinum-and-diamond concoction that caught the light and sparkled as crazily as the necklace—and realized what was missing. A wedding ring. Unless, maybe, they didn’t wear them in Kyr?
As if he knew what she was thinking, Kadir produced another box from somewhere. A smaller box. This one he opened away from her. And then he set it aside and lifted her left hand. When he slid the giant diamond on her finger, she actually felt light-headed.
“This is insane. Someone will bash me over the head and take this stuff. And then you’ll be right back where you started.”
He laughed softly. “You are a princess of Kyr, Emily. No one is going to bash you over the head.”
She shivered as she stared at the ring. It was lovely, but a bit more ostentatious than she was accustomed to. The thought hit her that it was something her mother would have loved. And that was not a pleasant thought.
“I don’t like this, Kadir. It feels...wrong somehow.”
He took her by the shoulders and held her firmly. His eyes bored into hers. He was so very handsome, so commanding, and she felt herself melting beneath those eyes. “It’s just a few days, habibti. You can do it. You may even have fun.”
His head descended and she closed her eyes. When his mouth brushed over hers, she nearly swayed into him. Instead, she put her hand against his chest, though she wasn’t sure whether it was to stop him—or to stop herself from leaning in closer.
The kiss was brief, an intense meeting of tongues that both shocked and aroused her, and then he pulled away and she found herself looking up into glittering eyes that had darkened several degrees. “For luck,” he said.
Emily blinked. “We are alone,” she answered almost breathlessly.
“I am aware of this.”
“You kissed me. That’s not part of the agreement.”
He lifted an eyebrow imperiously and she realized that while he might not technically be her boss any longer, he was still a sheikh. And a prince. How many people argued with a prince?
His fingers ghosted over her cheek before dropping away. “You still don’t quite understand. We are in Kyr, habibti. And you are my lawful wife. My property to do with as I wish.”
Emily trembled deep inside. Because, for a moment, she wondered what it would be like for him to do whatever he wished. But she couldn’t let him think she was growing soft. She drew herself up.
“I very much doubt an unsuitable wife is your property. If she were, she might be more suitable, yes?” Feeling a moment of inspiration, she lifted her hand and ran her fingers along his hard jaw. His eyes darkened and her breath caught in her lungs. “I own you, Kadir. This is why you brought me here. I own you, and your father will not approve.”