Chapter 3
Khal sighed as his assistant conveyed the news that his son and cousins had escaped the nursery yet again. “Zayn is six years old!” he snapped. “Angela, Rafi, and Laith are only seven! How the hell are they able to sneak away from several highly trained bodyguards, not to mention their nannies and tutors!”
Khal’s newest assistant didn’t answer. Khal was disgusted with the man, who had only been working at the palace for six months. His wife had been his assistant before they’d married and, to date, no one had been able to match her level of expertise.
Speak of the devil, he thought as the door to his office opened. Tasha stepped into the office and smiled gently at the trembling man. “That will be all for the moment, Mr. Isel,” she said and the assistant nearly tripped over his feet in his hurry to get out of the office.
The door opened again almost immediately. Joran stepped in, his expression just as disgusted as Khal’s. “What the hell?” Joran demanded.
Khal and Tasha turned to face him but before anyone could answer, Raj pushed through the door. “Your sons are going to…” he stopped when he noticed Tasha in the room. Raj glared at Joran, his hands fisting on his lean hips.
Joran didn’t hesitate. “My sons?” He snorted, shaking his head. “It’s Angela who probably encouraged them to sneak out. Just like last time, when–”
“It doesn’t matter,” Tasha said in a calm voice, literally stepping between the two large men. They stopped, but continued to glare at each other. She looked at each of them before continuing. “The most urgent matter is that Sheik Amit is here and–”
“Wait!” Khal interrupted, pulling his eyes away from his brother to look down at his lovely wife. “Amit is here?”
Tasha paused, glaring at her husband for interrupting. “…And he wants to speak with Marianna.”
There was a stunned silence at that announcement. Tasha waited, her smile as calm as possible while she paused for the explosion. It wasn’t long in coming.
“Oh hell no!” Khal roared.
“Over my dead body!” Joran snarled.
“Not gonna happen!” Raj grumbled.
She smiled at the trio, shaking her head as she continued, “I believe that all three of you are forgetting the way that Marianna reacts every time Amit comes for talks.” She stared at each in turn, hoping that they understood. “You know there is an intense attraction between them.”
“Exactly!” Khal snapped. “Which is a good reason why they aren’t meeting privately!”
Tasha rolled her eyes. “Seriously? We’re going back to that ridiculous purity culture crap again?” She turned, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared up at her husband. “Are you seriously going to tell me that you want Marianna to be ‘pure’ when she goes to her husband in marriage?” She glanced at the other two when she heard their grunts of approval. “Stop being chauvinists,” she told Joran and Raj. “The very fact that both of you brought your lovely ladies and children back to Lativa before the marriage ceremony is blatant evidence that neither of you,” she turned to her husband, “nor you, were pure before your wedding night. So, don’t you dare demand that your younger sister stay chaste. It’s outdated and abusive.”
“How is it abusive?” Joran snapped. “A woman–”
Tasha huffed before interrupting her brother-in-law. “Do you seriously want your sister to be married to a man who doesn’t know how to give her pleasure? Are you ready to condemn your sister to life with a man who doesn’t know what he’s doing in the bedroom?”
All three men looked painfully uncomfortable, shuffling their feet. “We’re not talking about Marianna and sex. She’s not going to–”
“She’s gone to college!” Tasha announced with exasperation. “Plus, her formative years were spent in Paris! They don’t believe sex is taboo! Sex is a healthy, normal part of a man and a woman’s life.”
“We are not discussing this!” Raj reiterated.
Tasha rolled her eyes. “Whatever. But you have to acknowledge that those two have been orbiting each other for years.” She offered a secret smile. “Why don’t we give them a bit of private time so that their lust might grow into love?”
“No!” all three of them said in unison.
Tasha sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. She paused, obviously trying to think of a way to convince these overly protective brothers to give their little sister a chance at happiness.
She shot a glance at her husband, shifting tactics. With a sweet, sexy smile, she stepped closer and slid both of her hands up his chest, leaning into him lightly. Immediately, Khal’s hands gripped her hips, pulling her even closer. Over her head, he said, “Get out!” to his brothers.
After the door to his office opened and closed, Khal looked down at his wife again. “Where’s Zayn?” he grumbled, his grizzly bear personality peeking out.
“He’s back with his tutors, most likely reading something he shouldn’t be reading,” Tasha replied. “And there is zero chance that we’re starting on his brother or sister right now.” She started to slip out of his embrace, but Khal’s hands tightened on her hips.
Khal groaned. “I agree. No more children. Not after that last miscarriage nearly…!” he stopped, the muscles of his jaw clenching at the memory. Then he lowered his voice as he said, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t practice.”
She laughed and pulled back slightly. “Khal, I have a good vibe about Marianna and Amit. I think there are some strong feelings hidden under Marianna’s anger towards the man.”
Khal started nibbling on his wife’s neck. “That’s ridiculous since the idiot tried to convince me to sell her to him.” His growl was low and menacing as he straightened. “However, I’ll acknowledge that the man is intelligent and fair, plus none of his current policies would indicate that he’s a sexist ass.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I still don’t understand why he suggested such a ridiculous trade all those years ago.”
Tasha agreed. That had been a truly boneheaded suggestion. “Right. But…” she was distracted when Khal’s hands drifted higher. She was wearing a pink, wool dress with a pretty, ruffled collar. Thankfully, the material wasn’t stretchy, so her husband’s roaming hands couldn’t push the wool out of the way. Not that she wanted obstacles in his way. Especially when he did that thing with his thumb like he’d done this morning. But…!
“Khal!” she gasped.
“That’s right,” he groaned in her ear, then nipped the shell before soothing it with his tongue. “Say my name, just like that.”
She giggled, then realized what she was doing and pushed at his shoulders. Marianna was sad and lonely. Tasha needed to concentrate now.
“I’m serious,” she said, then moaned when his thumb slid over her breast, teasing her nipple.
“So am I.”
She knew where this was going and had to talk fast. Tasha knew that she’d have to concentrate before her husband pushed all rational thoughts out of her mind. “Khal, give Marianna time alone with Amit tonight. They need to work this out between themselves.”
Khal lifted his head for barely a second, then nodded. “Fine. They can have dinner together tonight. I’ll talk to him. Later.” Then he pulled his wife into his arms, settling her down on the corner of his desk. “But first…” he smiled, sliding his hands up her outer thighs.
“Did you just set me down on those–”
She couldn’t finish that question because her handsome husband kissed her deeply.