She turned around, not sure what he was talking about with the assistant, but she was thrilled with everything here. “You don’t...” she started to say but stopped.
He moved closer. “I don’t mind that you like to work? That your mind creates beautiful dresses that make women feel special?” he clarified, finishing her unspoken questions. “I think it is incredibly sexy,” he told her, and tangled his fingers in hers. “You’re not just fluff, Shantra. I knew this from our first conversation.”
She laughed hard. “I was a blubbering idiot that day!” she told him. “What in the world did I say that indicated I was something more than just fluff?”
He shook his head. “You were shy and evasive, but your intelligence still came out. Suffice it to say that you can’t hide something from me. Nor do I want you to have secrets from me. Ever.”
Shantra laughed, delighted that he really didn’t mind that she loved to draw clothes. “No problem! Does this mean I can travel to Paris for the fashion shows?”
“Not on your life,” he told her and bent lower to nibble on her earlobe. “You’re still my wife, and I want you safe.”
She shivered as she looked up at him. “We’ll probably still maintain the secret from the rest of the world,” she told him. “Keith has made the mystery part of the allure. It is sort of a brand thing now.”
“It was a brilliant idea,” he agreed. “And if you want to maintain the secret, that’s your business. What you do in this room is up to you, as long as you don’t have any secrets from me. Deal?” he offered.
She laughed and threw her arms around his waist. “Deal,” she said and went up on her toes to kiss his jawline. She practically giggled when he growled, indicating that her tiny peck wasn’t enough for him. As he bent down lower, she smiled up at him. “You’re my hero,” she told him moments before his mouth covered hers.
When he lifted his head, he considered taking her back down the hallway and spending the rest of the afternoon with her. But in the end, he pulled back. “I have work to do. Are you going to be okay until dinner?” he asked.
Shantra smothered her disappointment, wishing that she could have more time with him. But that was selfish and he’d already spent a huge amount of time with her this morning. “I’ll be perfectly fine. And thank you for all of this,” she said, indicating the design studio. “It’s a wonderful surprise.”
He looked around, shaking his head. “I have no idea what you do to create your dresses, but I definitely love taking them off of you,” he said, as he winked before walking out of the room.
Shantra couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter at his comment. And when he’d closed the doors to the room, she practically danced around, feeling free and wonderful. The man knew that she was a designer and he didn’t care! He was actually encouraging her to continue with her career! How amazing!
Laithir walked down the hallway quickly, trying to get his mind and body back under control.
She was only a woman, he told himself for the hundredth time this morning. She was a female and, after his first marriage, he’d vowed not to let another woman get close. Shantra was delightful company and the most amazing lover, but he wasn’t going to lose himself in her. He’d become infatuated with Angela initially. But as soon as he’d started to pull away, when the luster had worn off of her appeal, she’d tricked him into marriage. And that had been the beginning of hell. He wouldn’t ever put himself, or Piora, into that kind of a situation again.
Distance, he told himself. He would maintain his distance from his lovely wife and make sure she was safe. He would enjoy her in the evenings, but that was as far as he was willing to take things. Just a lovely diversion that would eventually give him children, an heir.
So why had he taken so much time away from his duties to show her around today? Why had he arranged for all of those meetings just to reassure her?
Impatiently, he shook his head, determined to keep Shantra at a distance. Damn it, he wasn’t going to fall in love with his wife, he told himself! With a determined stride, he walked into his first meeting of the day.
Chapter 9
Three days later, Shantra accepted that she’d have to venture out of her fabulous new design studio and socialize with the rest of the palace staff. She couldn’t stay hidden away forever. Her nights were magical, and her days were relaxing as she freely and openly worked on designs. She quickly set up her computer so that she could video conference with Keith and Joline, introduced herself to the seamstresses and worked with them to figure out how to progress. She’d never had seamstresses before, but the thought of testing out her designs as she drew them made sense. And the women were fabulous! They were already offering her suggestions, and her latest drawings were taking shape, in only dull cotton, but it was so much more fun to see her work come to life in this way!