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  An eyebrow went up, silently admonishing her since he’d already explained. “I had them delivered for you.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Jual, you couldn’t have had all of these clothes overnighted to the palace from Paris. That’s just not possible.”

  Jual almost laughed. “Go put the clothes on, Sonya,” he told her, moving closer. His voice lowered as he said, “If you don’t put them on, I’m going to suspect that you don’t want to be dressed around me.” He paused to let those words sink in. When her eyes widened, his lips quirked ever so slightly. “And I will definitely take that to mean that you want to be as naked with me as I want to be with you.”

  Sonya stood there for perhaps one more second before she grabbed the clothes with her hands and hurried to the door of the closet. But then she stopped and turned around, her eyes widening. “I…um…” she didn’t know how to explain her current predicament. “Um…I don’t have any…I couldn’t find….”

  He knew exactly what she was saying and moved over to one of the drawers. “I threw out all of your underwear,” he announced and lifted up a pink and grey bra made up mostly of lace. There was a matching thong for it and he carried both over to her, the pieces dangling on his large fingers with a look in his eyes that dared her to wear the items. “I didn’t like yours so I made sure to select some other items that were,” he glanced down at the pieces of lace, “more to my liking.”

  Sonya’s eyes widened. “You threw out my…” she couldn’t even finish the statement. Glancing down at the pink and grey lace, she felt her cheeks warm at the idea of wearing such dainty lingerie. “I can’t wear those!” she whispered as if even discussing the lace pieces should be taboo.

  His smile widened as he moved even closer. “Good. I liked the idea of you in these things,” he said, referring to the grey and pink lace items. “But the thought of you without anything underneath your clothes,” he stopped and shrugged one of his enormous shoulders. “That’s even better.”

  Sonya’s lips compressed into a furious expression. “You’re…horrible,” she snapped and grabbed the underwear from his fingers. She stomped…well, as much as she could stomp with her weak muscles…into the bathroom and slammed the door, furious with him for forcing her to wearing items that she didn’t approve of.

  But as soon as she slid the grey and pink onto her body, she stared at her image in the mirror. Wow! Was that really her? She twisted and turned slightly, looking at the way her body looked in the decadent items. They were so…sexy! She normally wore white cotton, preferring the conservative…and cheaper…approach to underwear.

  These pieces…they were works of art! The bra held her breasts in a way that…well, her breasts were pushed up higher, her nipples peeking through the barely-there material and making her feel…naughty!

  And a thong?! She’d never in her life worn a thong! She’d seen them in the department stores but she’d always thought they would be painfully uncomfortable. This wasn’t…well, it wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t great but that was most likely because she felt so…naughty! There was that word again. She couldn’t get around it, she thought.

  “Sonya? Do you need help?”

  She jerked upright again, staring at the heavy door, then back at her image in the mirror. “I’m fine!” she yelled back, praying that he wouldn’t barge through the door. He would if he had even an inkling that something might be wrong. Or if he just wanted to see her in these pieces.

  Goodness, why did the idea of him barging in here to see her like this make her heart beat faster? Her nipples puckered, aching for his gaze. His touch!

  Grabbing the sweater and the slacks, she hurriedly pulled them on, furious with herself for thinking such decadent thoughts.

  She felt different in the clothes. And she suspected it was all because of the lingerie. Darn him! She didn’t want to walk out of here! She wanted to hide! He would know exactly what she was wearing underneath these clothes.

  “Sonya, come on out. You need breakfast.”

  She wanted to yell back to him that she wasn’t hungry, but that would be a lie and he’d make her sit across from him while he ate anyway. So what would be the point?

  Stepping out of the bathroom, she kept her back to the wall, not wanting him to look at her bottom since there wasn’t any underwear covering it. That thin strip of material sliding between her bottom…well, it made her feel…

  Darn it, there was that word again. Naughty! She was a first grade teacher! She wasn’t supposed to feel this way! She was conservative and normal. This underwear made her feel different.

  “Do you not like the clothes?” he asked softly, his eyes glinting as he took in her figure. Walking over to her, he couldn’t help but try and picture her in just the grey and pink lace. Nothing else. And then he could easily imagine his hands discarding the lace pieces so that she was standing in front of him in nothing at all. He dangled a pair of shoes in front of her. “You’ll need these as well.”

  Sonya gasped when she saw the pink suede. “Those are Manolo Blahnik shoes!”

  Jual looked down at the shoes, then back at her. “Do you not like them? They just looked like they matched the sweater. But there are others in the closet.”

  Sonya shook her head. “Those shoes are almost a thousand dollars!”

  Again, he looked at the shoes, then at her blue eyes. “Do you like them?”

  “Yes!” she replied frantically. “Of course I like them! I love them but they’re too expensive.” She thought about the tags that she’d taken off of the clothes she was wearing, refusing to look at the numbers. She didn’t want to know how much the sweater had cost. It was cashmere and very soft. She didn’t want to know. She’d just feel sick if she found out how much money she was wearing at the moment.

  “Let’s go have some breakfast,” he announced, thinking she was adorable in a sexy, embarrassed sort of way. He took her hand and started to lead her out of the room but she pulled back. He stopped his progress and looked down at her, trying to see if she was hurt in any way. “Are you okay?”

  Sonya bit her lip and looked around. “I’ll just follow you,” she said, trying to tug her hand out of his. It was pointless, but she still tried.

  “I don’t think so,” he said and pulled her closer.

  She shook her head. “I don’t mind if you lead the way.” She turned around so that her back was towards the wall once again, her eyes glancing around nervously.

  He looked down at her strangely. “Sonya, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing!” she replied brightly, her hands going behind her back.

  Jual wasn’t convinced. “You’re in pain. Do you need me to carry you again? Or I can have the kitchen deliver food here. We don’t have to leave this apartment.” He moved closer, his hands pulling her towards his large body. She looked so soft and kittenish in that soft, pink color. He probably shouldn’t have gotten rid of that ugly underwear. It might help him if he could picture her in the white cotton instead of the bits of lace.

  His hands moved from her hands to her waist, pulling her against him. And yes, his hand slid down lower. He heard her gasp as his fingers explored the band at the top of her waist. He’d never really noticed women’s underwear before, but knowing that Sonya was wearing that piece of lace just made him ache to see her in it.

  “Don’t do that!” she gasped, trying to grab his hands and pull them higher up her waist.

  “Don’t do this?” he asked, his lips curled slightly as his fingers moved down over her bottom. He felt his erection increase when he felt no panty-line along her bottom. She was wearing the grey and pink and he was going to have a very hard time thinking about anything else.

  “Stop!” she gasped, but her body pressed against his hand and her eyes closed as if she liked the way he was touching her.

  “What if I did this?’ he asked, his voice lowering while his hand moved lower still, pulling her leg up slightly, just enough so that her hips were cradling his achingly h
ard erection. He had no shame in letting her know how much she affected him. He wanted her. Hell, he’d lift her up and carry her over to that bed if he thought she wouldn’t protest. Eventually, she would trust him enough and they would end up there. But until then, he was willing to be patient, to show her how good things could be.

  At least, he hoped he could be patient.

  “Ms. Heigher…” another male voice started and then stopped.

  The voice snapped Sonya out of the trance that she’d been falling under with Jual’s caresses. One moment she was standing in his arms, debating how to get closer to the dangerous man and the next moment…she whipped around, her mind needing to hide the fact that she was wearing this underwear from this stranger.

  But he wasn’t a stranger. Not really. Anyone who had traveled to Safir or watched the news would recognize this man. He was tall and gorgeous although not nearly as intriguingly attractive as Jual behind her.

  She pressed her bottom against Jual’s erection, trying to hide his reaction and her lack of panty-lines from this man. “Goodness, I’m so sorry, Your Highness. Were we keeping you waiting at breakfast?” she asked.

  Sonya was unaware of the way her fingers were digging into the muscles on Jual’s thighs, dangerously close to that private part of him that she was trying to hide. He almost laughed out loud, but he didn’t want to embarrass her further.

  So instead, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, unaware of the possessiveness of the gesture. “What do you want, Najid?” Jual demanded.

  Najid stood just inside the doorway, taking it all in. Najid loved his brother and wanted him to be happy. And from the way these two were protecting each other, he suspected that the lovely brunette was exactly what Jual needed in his life. From the looks of how things were progressing when he’d walked in, it appeared that Sonya needed Jual as well. They were a match, he thought. Jual was reacting to Ms. Heigher exactly as he’d reacted when he’d first met Ana. Instantaneous lust followed closely by a protectiveness and love.

  It was only a matter of time, he thought. “I was just coming to personally greet the woman who saved my life,” he said and walked into the room. Taking Sonya’s hand, he lifted it to his lips. “If there is anything I can do to repay the favor, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Sonya smiled. “I can’t say it was my pleasure, Your Highness, but I’m glad that you are okay.”

  Jual didn’t like his brother touching Sonya and pulled her hand out of his as soon as the greeting was over. “I’ve got this under control, Najid. Go away.”

  Najid only laughed. “My wife just gave birth to our son and is recuperating. Otherwise, she would be here to greet you as well. Perhaps you would do me the honor of dining with us tonight?”

  Sonya heard Jual growl behind her but ignored him. She couldn’t tell the ruler of this country that she wouldn’t have dinner with him and his wife. “I would be honored to have dinner with you tonight.” She thought it would give her a reprieve from being around Jual as well.

  “I’ll have her there by dinner time. Now go away,” Jual said.

  She twisted her body around, careful to maintain her bottom against his groin area, but glared at him for being rude. “You don’t….”

  “I do. Be quiet,” Jual said. Turning to his brother. “Go away.”

  Najid threw back his head and laughed. “I’ll tell Ana that she doesn’t have to worry any longer.”

  “You’re an ass,” Jual told his brother, taking Sonya’s hand once again. Najid walked out of the apartment while Jual tried to get Sonya to walk towards the breakfast room. But she was hanging back for some reason. So instead, he simply hauled her up against his side, exactly where he wanted her anyway.

  Unfortunately, Najid turned around, asking him about a contract issue. Sonya slipped away from his side and he allowed it. For the moment.

  He and Najid discussed the contract issue while they walked down the hallway but parted when he went towards the administrative area of the palace. Sonya was walking strangely, almost as if…he looked down at her, noticed her eyes glance towards the other guards who were at posts stationed along the hallways.

  He suddenly realized what she was doing and couldn’t help but laugh. He laughed so hard, he had to put a hand against the wall to hold him up. Meanwhile, Sonya stood beside him, continuing to hide her adorable derriere against the wall or himself, whichever was more convenient.

  When he finally got his humor back under control, he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “You’re trying not to let anyone see that you don’t have underwear-lines, is that it?” he asked, softly so that the guards couldn’t hear him. He didn’t want to embarrass her further, but she was just too cute.

  “Stop talking about it! But yes,” she said and glanced around again, “I don’t think it is appropriate.”

  He chuckled again. “Sonya, I thought the whole point was to ensure that a woman didn’t show those lines.”

  She shook her head. “If you’d given me a pair of my old jeans, I wouldn’t be having this issue. But nooo! I had to wear these nice slacks that are too tight on my…” she looked around again, her hands fisting by her sides, “well, you know…that part of me.”

  He pulled her off to the side, into an alcove where they were out of sight from the guards. “Yes. I know very well what you are trying to hide. And it isn’t going to work,” he said and lifted her closer, both of his large hands moving to cover her bottom, pulling her close so that she could feel him, know that she was doing this to him once again. “I’m going to kiss you, Sonya,”

  “No! You can’t…”

  But he did! And, oh my, was it a wonderful kiss. His lips took possession, her mind going blank as she accepted his kiss. His strong hand at the nape of her neck tilted her head back, allowing Jual to deepen the kiss. Opening her mouth, she savoured the feeling of his invasion, her body throbbing with instantaneous need for more, for less. For everything this man could give her. She wasn’t aware of her hands sliding up his chest, her fingers curling into the material of his shirt to hold him closer or the mewling sounds in the back of her throat sounding out her pleasure.

  When he lifted his head, she made a sound of protest, her eyes opening and begging him to keep going.

  “You’re beautiful,” he groaned and pulled her hips closer. Sonya gasped and gripped the material of his shirt more tightly. She couldn’t move, afraid of what might happen to her body. He was pressing that hard part of him against that secret place, and her whole body was tense, anticipating.

  With wide eyes, she begged him to move away, to not do this to her even though she wasn’t exactly sure what was happening. She knew about sex, but this wasn’t sex! They both had their clothes on. It had been just a kiss. That’s it!

  So why was she holding her breath? Why was she holding her body still so that she couldn’t feel that zing of pleasure again?

  Oh, but he knew! He knew exactly what was going on with her body. She could see it in his eyes as he watched her. Those hard, male lips curled ever so slightly into a smile. A smile that promised her that he wasn’t finished. Not at all!

  Shaking her head, she tried to move back, to move away from that part of him that was pressing so intimately against her. But his hands were strong and kept her in place. One shift and she gasped, her eyes closing as her head fell backwards. He did it again, his hands pulling her even closer, changing the angle of her hips so that the pressure was more intense.

  “No!” she cried out, but her body shifted against his, mimicking his movements of a moment ago.

  “You want me to stop?” he asked, his voice deep and husky. He shifted again, watching her body, feeling how close she was. Jual hadn’t intended to do this here, not right now. But he couldn’t stop. The sight of her like this, so close, was such a turn-on, he could barely think. He didn’t give a damn about the guards or breakfast or any of the responsibilities weighing down on him. All he wanted was to make
this woman climax in his arms. He couldn’t believe how erotic it was to feel her like this, about to explode.

  “Yes. Don’t stop!” she whispered, leaning her head against the wall behind her so that she could shift against him.

  He moved her leg ever so slightly and that was it! She cried out, unaware of him covering her lips with his own so that he could absorb her cries of pleasure into his mouth, savouring her pleasure as if it were his own. He continued to move, extending her climax for as long as possible.

  When she shuddered and sighed, he pulled back, giving her a few moments to calm down as he kissed her neck and jaw. He should probably give her more space, but she just felt too good in his arms like this.

  “Ready for breakfast now?” he asked.

  Sonya nodded her head but she wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. Breakfast? She should know that word, understand it. Unfortunately, the word was meaningless to her after that experience.

  He stepped away from her and let her legs move to the ground. Had he really been pinning her against the wall with his body? Apparently!

  She took a few steps, her legs shaky after not walking for so long and then…well…the experience here, hidden away from everyone…had she really just…her cheeks turned a painful red and she shifted away from his too-knowing gaze.

  She focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not falling on her face. She wasn’t even aware of how much she was clinging to Jual, his arm wrapped around her waist. But boy did she breathe a sigh of relief when he eased her into an elegant chair in the dining room.

  “I’ll get you some food,” he said, sliding his hand up her arm and tickling the sensitive skin on her neck.

  Sonya might have nodded her head. But she was still…dazed. Not sure where they were or what he was talking about. Food. Breakfast. Okay, that was making sense. Sort of.

  He set a plate in front of her filled with eggs, fruit, muffins and other foods which she didn’t recognize. But still, Sonya couldn’t lift her arm to pick up her fork. She felt too…amazingly relaxed! Never in her life had she felt like this before!