The Sheik's Jealous Princess(44)

The complete opposite of Angela.

He stepped closer, accepting that he would just stay the course. Spending only his evenings with this woman would preserve the distance that he needed in order to maintain his objectivity.

So instead of telling his staff to cancel his meetings for the next two weeks, he walked over to his woman and kissed her neck, enjoying the way she jerked around and smiled up at him. Something inside of him loosened every time he saw that smile. She was eager to see him. Not because he had a gift or a trinket for her. But because Shantra wanted to spend time with him.

It was a novel experience. And heady in the extreme. Just that smile could get his body to painful, throbbing need.

Tamping down his lust, he noticed the stress in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked gently even as he lifted a hand and pulled the pencil out of her hair, enjoying the way it flowed down her back like a dark, sexy cloud.

She turned to look up into his dark eyes, feeling better simply because of the admiration she saw in those depths. “Am I an insecure person?” she blurted out, then cursed herself. If she had to ask, then she most likely was insecure. “Don’t answer that,” she sighed. “It was a stupid question.”

Laithir was startled. “I don’t think of you as insecure at all,” he finally replied. “I think that you’ve been jerked out of the only home you’ve ever known for your whole life, come to a foreign country, you’re trying to adapt to a new home, a new life, a new husband and a new staff and you’re doing an amazing job at it.” He watched her carefully. “Are you going to tell me who is bothering you?”

She smiled and moved closer. “Thank you for those words,” she told him softly, snuggling against him more.

She was trying to distract him again. And it was almost working! But he wanted a name. The Shantra he’d met back in Kilar wouldn’t have given a damn about how others perceived her. No, something was going on. “And who is making you feel insecure?” he asked again. But he already knew that she wasn’t going to answer him.

She looked up into his eyes and he was lost. “You’re a very sweet man,” she replied, confirming his suspicions that she wouldn’t tell him who was bothering her.

He softened his hold as his hands moved around her back. “I think a woman is beautiful because of the way she walks or talks, the way she holds her head. There’s an innate confidence inside of you Shantra, that lures me closer every time.”

He bent lower and kissed her gently. And then he did something he’d never done with another woman before. He pulled her into his arms and just held her. It was affection, he noted. Simple affection, which he normally didn’t care for, and had definitely never given out. He enjoyed sex, although snuggling wasn’t on his agenda. But Shantra was a snuggler at night. She pressed up against him, and he had truly enjoyed feeling her soft breath against his neck while he slept.

This was new and… he realized that he liked it as well. Her slender arms wrapped around his waist and she just stood there in his arms. He….liked feeling her like this. It wasn’t sexual, just…

There was that word again. Affectionate.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, not sure if he wanted to move from this spot, but thinking he most likely should. She was soft and sweet, and he probably liked this too much.

“No,” she sighed and looked up at him, propping her chin on his chest. “I’m not hungry for food.”

He noticed the light in her eyes and groaned. She’d never initiated sex before! Damn, but he liked it! Okay, so she hadn’t actually initiated sex, but she’d suggested it! That was close enough for the moment!

Lifting her into his arms, he carried her down the hallway to their bedroom, kicking the door shut, and almost tossing her onto the middle of their bed. “Now you’ve done it,” he growled.

Shantra laughed at this new, playful side of him, but she also tried to squirm away. Thankfully, Laithir was having none of that and easily caught her, pressing her down with his large body. “There is no escape,” he growled.

She laughed, then gasped when he bit her neck lightly. “None,” and her arms wrapped around his neck as she fell more in love with this man who was her husband.





Chapter 11




A week later, Shantra was practically singing as she walked down the hallway with Janus traipsing in and out of her steps. He was growing at an astonishing rate, and looking less kittenish and more like a mini-cat now.

Even better, she’d been able to avoid both Linda and Julia for a full seven days! She was feeling good about her role in the palace, having met with several of the staff members, all of whom were now coming to her for guidance and she was more than happy to provide it. She had done all of this at her other home, but hadn’t thought much about it. The role had just come naturally to her. Now that it was her responsibility here in Laithir’s country, she found that it made her feel good to help the palace run smoothly and ensure that the guests who arrived for Laithir’s meetings were welcomed appropriately.