No wonder she’d never wanted to come back.
But then if it ever came to a worst-case scenario, she figured Numair was so powerful that even the collective venom of society wouldn’t be able to touch her, or her family. He wouldn’t let it. Not that she wanted to let it come to that.
He followed her, his tension bombarding her back. It heightened to full blast when Fayza and Zeena’s voices rose from the conference/entertainment area they’d been exploring with the flight attendants since coming on board.
She tossed him a teasing smile over her shoulder. “Think of the appetite we’ll work up by the time we arrive in Zafrana. I can’t wait to see the hideaway you’ve arranged for us there.”
His lips compressed in a severe line. “I’ll tell your sisters we’re not taking them with us, that another of my jets will fly them back to Zafrana.”
Her smile widened before it faltered then disappeared. “You’re serious!”
“Fifteen hours without touching you is beyond serious.”
She gaped at him. “What excuse could you possibly give for not taking them with us now?”
“That we’ve had a change of plans and will make long layovers for business purposes in places where they can’t go sightseeing or shopping. I’ll make them grab gratefully for the direct flight home I’ll offer.”
“Are you always ready with a convincing story like that?”
His stony scowl told her his mind was made up and wouldn’t budge. She still had to try to budge it.
She exhaled. “I really want you to have some time with my sisters, as I doubt you’ll see them again alone for any length of time. Put up with the no touching for a few hours, and I’m sure they’ll fall asleep at one point. You know I’ll race you to bed then. We’ll have your flight attendants standing sentry to alert us when they wake up.”
His gorgeous lips twisted. “Then what? You’ll explode from my arms, jump into your clothes and rush out to pretend you’ve been out here all along?”
“No, you’ll do that.” She met his returning scowl with a devilish grin. “You’ll pretend you volunteered your room to me.”
“You want me to tear myself from your arms because of your sisters, and go out to them? Aren’t you afraid I’ll eat them?”
She whooped with laughter. “Nah, they’re too skinny and cute, and you’re used to crunching overfed monsters. You’re drafted into service because you can dress far faster than me.”
“Only if you’re okay with me going out to them in only my pants.”
“I sure am not,” she exclaimed, her insides tightening yet again at envisioning the sight of him half-naked. “I want their ovaries intact!”
“What ovaries? They’re kids.”
It again delighted her that he continued to prove he was nothing like other men. She’d seen how men of all ages looked at her gorgeous sisters, caring nothing that they were lusting after girls still in their teens, the age of their daughters or even granddaughters. No matter how they attempted to mask their sexual assessment and coveting, it was always there in their eyes, especially on that first exposure to her sisters’ intense natural beauty.
There’d been nothing but neutrality in Numair’s eyes and vibe. He considered them just people, who happened to be females, very, very young ones. And it wasn’t because he could be old enough to be their father.
Numair didn’t define himself according to such trivialities as age, but rather experience, abilities, impact. And in those, he’d sure amassed far more than dozens of successful, influential men his age. He was a man who’d seen and done and fought and triumphed over so much, his soul, or whatever he had that stood for one, was jaded and ancient. And it made him the be-all and end-all of her fantasies, those she already had or was still forming.
She sighed, running her hands down the chest she’d just imagined naked. “Oh, Numair, you’d endanger any female alive, age notwithstanding. But we will fly my sisters home, and you will not scare them now, nor storm out half-naked and eat them because they woke up and interrupted us.”
“How about we get our sentries to stall them until both of us can go out and play this charade for their benefit?”
Intensely pleased he’d started negotiating, she shook her head. “It has to be only you for a very obvious reason. Being made of steel, you don’t show the aftereffects of our lovemaking. Apart from not turning into a swollen mass like I do, your hair just falls into this silky swathe no matter how much I mess it up. I need ten minutes minimum to get my hair into a semblance of order.”