Yes, he thought. Not much had changed for her. She remained innocent and vulnerable. He, on the other hand, burned for her.
“Would you like a brandy?” he asked.
“No. I’m going to retire for the evening. Good night.”
“Sleep well, Sophie,” Sebastian said softly.
Chapter 22
Sophie fluffed her hair out behind her head and moved to sleep on her right side, then on her left side. She couldn’t sleep and the full moon outside didn’t help. It seemed to be shining like a beacon in her room.
She remembered Sebastian’s offer of a brandy and knew it would help her sleep. Dressed in a long, white shift, she went downstairs quietly and opened the door to the library. It was empty. She poured herself a brandy and took a large sip of it. The cognac warmed her.
She had not thought to bring a shawl or wrapper. She must remember that she was no longer in her father’s home. She must cover herself and be discreet. It was easy to think she still lived with her family when in fact she shared the house with a man—her husband, but in name only.
A movement caught the corner of her eye and she saw Sebastian asleep on the long coffee-colored couch. An empty glass was beside him on the floor. Sophie approached him cautiously and bent down before him at eye level. He was asleep. She placed her own glass down and softly brushed his hair back from his forehead. He looked almost innocent in sleep.
She knew he was handsome and that he was admired for his masculine beauty. But he was also a man who kept his word and was honorable. That was not something you could create. A man either had those qualities or did not. Her fingers felt along his cheekbone and then traced below his bottom lip. She swallowed and placed her hand down on the sofa.
Instantly he grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing here?” he whispered.
Sophie was startled. “N-nothing. Looking at you.”
“That’s why you are here?”
“No. I couldn’t sleep. I took some brandy.”
“Yes?” He eyed her with interest.
“Yes. Doesn’t it help you sleep?”
“Sometimes,” he admitted.
She stared at him stretched out on the sofa.
“I opened my eyes for a moment when you first came in. I saw you in the white shift against the firelight and thought you were a ghost,” he murmured.
She smiled lightly. “As you see, I’m not.”
“Let me be sure.”
He pulled her into him and kissed her lightly on the lips. She felt her heartbeat quicken and with her free hand she pressed against his chest.
“Bash.”
He moved his other hand into her luscious auburn hair and his fingers tangled into it. His lips touched hers, followed by the gentle probing of his tongue. Once his mouth was on hers he moved his free hand to touch her neck and then moved along her collarbone.
She closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss, but when he touched her she pulled away slightly.
“Sophie. I won’t hurt you. Let me hold you.”
She couldn’t say no. She owed him so much, and she was weak. She wanted him too. She moved onto the sofa with him and he swept her hair back as he replaced his hand with his mouth. He nuzzled her neck and she shivered.
“Ana behibek,” he said quietly.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Nothing. A phrase in Arabic.”
She nodded, turning away from him as he pulled her back into him.
“Sophie,” he whispered in her ear. “My wife.”
Sophie turned her head to him. “Not really. In name only.”
Sebastian was silent. “I can make you truly my wife.”
Sophie’s heart thudded. “You did me a great favor. I will release you when it’s all over.”
“What if I don’t want to be released?” he whispered.
“Are you drunk, Bash?”
“A little,” he admitted.
She smiled.
“Drunk enough to see ghosts in my library.”
“I’m not a ghost.”
“Drunk enough to know that when the time comes I will be the next sheik. I will live in Arabia with my people and rule.”
“With your wife.” She nodded.
“With my wife,” he agreed.
“And children, most likely.”
“Yes, children too. We would make beautiful children, Sophie.”
Sophie blushed. “Yes, I imagine that’s true.”
“I want you, Sophie,” he whispered in her ear.
She shuddered. “You have your mistress.”
“Only you will do,” he said softly. “Only you,” he said again before he drifted off to sleep.
His fingers tangled in her hair and she realized he was asleep again. She pressed her back into his chest and remained curled against him. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, feeling safe and secure.