“Do you think this is a joke? Someone should always know where you are. Anything could have happened to you.”
“Zariah knew where I was.”
“Hardly.”
She flung up her hands in exasperation. “I was with Yasmin. You’re obviously very angry, and I don’t know why. You couldn’t reach me for a few hours, that’s it. You’re overreacting.”
“You said you would leave me!” he thundered.
Imani’s mouth fell open. “You really thought I went back to Zamibia?”
Wasim let out a heavy breath to calm down. His head throbbed. “Yes. Because you got what you wanted. The agreement has been signed.”
She walked slowly toward one of the tables near the bed and set down her bag and scarf. “I know I said that, but I didn’t mean it.”
“You can’t say such things to me, Imani. I couldn’t concentrate on my work. All I could think about was getting back here to you.”
He was opening himself up to her, baring his soul in a way that made him extremely uncomfortable. This knowledge would give her too much power, yet he couldn’t stop talking.
“Next time I’ll call.” She turned to face him. So calm. So cool. As if this conversation bored her and the idea of him going out of his mind didn’t matter.
“I want you.”
Eyes widening, she took a step back. “Now?”
“Yes. Now.”
He stalked over to her and thrust his fingers into her hair.
“I’m filthy,” she whispered, even as he felt her body leaned into his.
“You are never filthy to me.”
He tossed aside his shirt and roughly removed her clothes, fingers trembling with the power of his need, yet somehow managing to maintain enough control to not shred her garments in his haste to get her naked.
Placing her on the bed, he whispered, “This is not filthy.” He dragged his tongue along the slit at the apex of her thighs and she cried out. “This is not filthy.” He sucked her chocolate nipples and squeezed her breasts while rubbing his hands over the curves of her waist and hips.
He unzipped and then spread her legs, almost nutting as he looked down at her, glistening and swollen in her need for him. Briefly closing his eyes, he fisted his erection and guided himself into her body.
Imani opened, granting him access into the depths of her quivering flesh.
“This is how I want you to greet me when I come home. With your legs open and your body ready,” he whispered gutturally.
He sank into her, almost collapsing but then recharged with deep, forceful strokes that pushed air from his lungs and prompted breathless cries from her lips.
He started slow but increased the tempo as her moans filled his ears. His hard chest crushed her breasts and silently, he prayed for the stamina to hold back until she climaxed, but it was so damn hard to maintain control when she writhed and moaned with every thrust.
The past twelve hours had been a nightmare. The thought of her not being here when he came back had consumed and tortured him beyond anything he’d ever experienced before.
As she came, her cries fueled his faster, deeper thrusts. She gripped the sheets and her body quivered around him, while his breaths came out as heavy huffs near her ear.
“I will never grow tired of the sight of you coming for me. Only me,” Wasim groaned, and let go with a final thrust and squeeze of her ass as he emptied inside of her. He kept the full weight of his body off her by resting on his arms. His head fell to the scented curve of her neck, his labored breaths pounding against her collarbone.
“Never leave me,” he whispered hoarsely.
The words tumbled from his lips in a shameless plea. Not like the voice of a king, the ruler of all he could see, whose every sentence became law as soon as they were uttered from his lips. With her, he was merely a man, desperate to hold onto the most valuable person in his life. The one person he was beginning to think his heart couldn’t beat without.
“I didn’t think you cared.” Imani quickly turned her face away as if embarrassed she’d spoken the words.
Wasim lifted his head. “Why would you say that? Look at me.” He twisted her face back around to him. “Why would you say that?”
“Because this is all I am to you. A body to lose yourself in.” Hurt filled her eyes, and she pushed him off and rolled away. “It’s time for you to go back to your apartment, isn’t it?” Her voice was completely devoid of emotion.
Wasim froze in shock. Then he fell onto his back and stared up at the chandelier. The glaring light had shined down on them the entire time they made love. He considered not moving, but then thought better of it. He had too much to think about.
“I’m leaving, but we will talk tomorrow.”
She didn’t reply.
Wasim eased from the bed, got dressed, and left her alone.
21
The next morning, Wasim rose early. He hadn’t slept much anyway because Imani stayed on his mind. He ate breakfast and then went down to the administrative offices to work. The rooms were mostly silent, as much of the staff hadn’t arrived yet.
The IT guy bowed briefly at him as they passed in the hallway before Wasim entered his office. He sank into the chair behind his enormous desk and rubbed his bearded jaw.
Women never failed to confuse him. He thought he had done the right thing by showing Imani that he signed the blasted agreement. He assumed she’d be pleased he sent her proof and that might ease the tension that hovered like a specter over their marriage. He was certain the unsigned agreement remained a barrier between them, why she’d been withdrawn and cool except for the hot nights they spent between the sheets.
Though she did express thanks, she’d been anything but thankful. There had been no joy or appreciation in her voice. Only censure and ire.
He’d been so busy since his father’s death, tackling the daunting task of the issues at the palace. Much of his time in recent weeks had been spent reorganizing his Cabinet, and he’d removed a third of the advisors, which caused a minor uproar. He filled his time with these tasks, giving her space he thought would ease her into their marital relationship and her role as queen. Wrong again. Her comments after they had made love last night showed his thought process had been flawed. She actually wanted to spend time with him and was hurt that he’d limited the amount of time he spent with her.
Aih, he had a lot to learn.
When Talibah arrived, he told her to cancel all his plans for the following day and have Imani’s secretary do the same for her schedule. When she expressed surprise, he explained he was going to spend the day with his wife.
At her pleased expression, he gleaned that was absolutely the right answer and set out to wrap up as much as he could by day’s end.
“Where are we going?” Imani asked.
She and Wasim rode in the back of the limo, and all she knew was that they were going to the beach for a picnic. Nothing else about the day’s activities had been shared with her, and though she knew much of Barrakesch, she wasn’t familiar with the road they were on.
“Have I ever told you about Muriah Beach?” Wasim looked relaxed in his typical uniform of a white shirt and black slacks. The shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and the shirtsleeves rolled up at the arms gave a tantalizing peek at wiry forearms sprinkled with fine hairs.