The Sheik's Jealous Princess(41)

Shantra was delighted as they entered their private apartment. “I think dining in here is a lovely idea. This room is amazing,” she said as she sat down in the chair he held out for her.

“You don’t want to redecorate?” he asked as he sat down opposite her.

“No. Why would I? Everything in here is light and airy. It’s wonderful.”

He looked around, grunting slightly. “You don’t think it should be more opulent?” he asked.

She shook her head, then stopped herself. “I think it is very nice and I appreciate the openness of the rooms. But if you’d prefer something different, I can have a decorator stop by and…”

“No. I had this done to my preferences several years ago. I just want you to know that you can change anything you’d like.”

Shantra shook her head and nodded to the wait staff, indicating they could serve the meal. “I love this area. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“But...”

She lifted her hand, stopping him before he could say anything more. “If I change my mind, I will talk to you and we’ll come up with something that we both like. But for right now, I truly enjoy this area.”

He stared into her brown eyes, obviously trying to determine if she was telling him the truth or if she was just saying what he wanted to hear. Something in her gaze must have told him that she was sincere so he nodded, accepting her answer.

“Tell me who told you that you were monopolizing my time the other day,” he commanded, changing the subject.

Shantra felt so much better now that she was sitting across from him so the conversation this morning was banished from her mind. She even laughed about it now, but instead of answering his question, she asked about the meetings he’d had during the day. She knew that several of them had been important, even one that had been pushed back because of her issues the other morning.

They talked about their days and ate a delicious meal, the most relaxing meal since Shantra had entered the palace. Oh, the sexual tension was there. Shantra knew that, the moment dinner was removed, she would be in his arms and he would make love to her for the rest of the night. But the tension felt good in a different way. Was the urgency between them gone, she wondered? No, that definitely wasn’t it. She wanted him and her body was throbbing with the sexual promise in his eyes.

She had no idea what was happening, and as soon as the dessert was placed in front of her, she wanted to push it away and slide onto his lap.

He must have been able to read her mind somehow because as soon as the servants backed out of the room, he took her into his arms. That was the end of any true conversation for the night, and Shantra was perfectly fine with that.





Chapter 10




Shantra debated about going to the dining room for breakfast. But in the end, she walked down the hallway, determined to ignore whatever new jabs at her confidence Linda or Julia might throw her way.

When she entered the room, she found Laithir sitting at the table, sipping coffee and reading some papers. “Good morning!” she said with a huge sigh of relief.

Laithir set his cup down on the table and watched her carefully. “Were you expecting someone else?” he asked, appreciating the silk slacks that smoothed over her perfect bottom.

Shantra laughed and filled her plate with fruit. “Expecting isn’t exactly the word I would use. What are you doing in here? I thought you were normally already at work by this time of the morning.”

He looked at her plate and shook his head. “That isn’t enough food. You need some protein.”

Shantra cringed at the pile of fruit but perhaps Linda and Julia had been right and she could stand to lose a few pounds. Angela had been amazingly thin. Shantra didn’t have the body type to emulate the other woman, but she could at least be conscious of how she might appear in the newspapers. “We had a large meal last night. I’m not terribly hungry this morning,” she lied.

Laithir didn’t believe her for a moment. But he wasn’t sure what he could do other than reassure her. “I think you are beautiful,” he said and stood up. “I do have a meeting though. Perhaps I’ll see you at lunch?”

Shantra smiled up at him. “That would be nice.”

Laithir walked away, still mystified by what was going on. Something was happening within the palace to undermine her confidence. He noticed it every evening, but he couldn’t figure out what was happening. It was almost as if…

He shook his head as he headed into his first meeting. He’d laid down the law before his wedding. No one in the palace would dare to say a word against his lovely Shantra. He’d just have to help her adjust somehow.