Chapter 13
Angela felt her skin burning where his hand covered hers. She led him out of the miserably formal “receiving” room and down the long hallway, ignoring the frowns of the palace guards, until she pushed open the doors to one of the formal salons.
“We should be okay in here,” she whispered, thinking to get away from everyone. But before she could close the doors, a hand pushed the door back open. In marched her uncles, then her father, then her cousins. They all looked angry and her father seemed poised to pounce on Tiro.
“Don’t do it!” she admonished the six men with a stern look, stepping in front of Tiro as if to shield him from her relatives’ wrath.
“Don’t do what?” Zayn asked, his voice ominously casual as he pulled his suit jacket off, draping it over one of the silk-covered chairs.
She knew exactly what he was about to do and Angela wasn’t going to stand for it!
“Don’t you dare hurt him!” Angela hissed, lifting her arms protectively. She knew Tiro was tall and powerfully built. But that didn’t mean that she wanted her family to fight Tiro. She didn’t want anyone to be hurt. Especially since taking a swing at Tiro would cause an international scandal.
Still, her cousin moved closer, fury lighting his eyes. Angela backed up, shaking her head.
“Zayn , don’t you dare! We’ve had more than enough media attention over the past few days. There will be too many public events. If there’s a bruise on his face, there will be hell to pay, and you know it.”
Zayn paused, as if contemplating her words, then tilted his head slightly. “I’m okay with that.” In that moment, his scowl turned vicious. “He kissed you! And it was his team that released the video.”
Angela felt Tiro stiffen at that claim, even stepping forward, more than willing to battle this out the old-fashioned way. But she leaned her back against his chest, stopping his momentum.
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Are we still doing this hypocrisy thing?” When her cousin stared at her in confusion, Angela continued. “Weren’t you photographed with that actress from the big movie last week, while you were in Los Angeles?” Angela waited for him to show even a touch of shame . However, Zayn didn’t make the connection. Nor did Laith or Rafi, both of whom glanced at each other, then back to her as if she’d lost her mind.
Zayn shrugged, dismissing the situation entirely. “That’s different,” he replied, unbuttoning his cuffs in preparation for rolling up his sleeves. “He touched you,” he snarled with a jerk of his chin in Tiro’s direction.
Angela huffed impatiently. “Actually, if you watch the video more carefully, the only hands one can see are mine.” She leaned closer, taunting her cousin . “And I’m holding him while I kissed him !”
A grunt came from behind her and Angela turned to find Tiro, obvious displeasure on his face. However, it was Tiro’s protective body language that slowed Zayn’s progress. He halted, his eyes not so sure now.
Angela was very aware that it wasn’t her words that had slowed her cousin down. It was Tiro’s protectiveness. Even she wasn’t immune to it. In fact, it took every ounce of self-control not to lean back against Tiro again.
Tiro put his hands on her waist, holding her for a moment, but then he tried to shift her off to his left. “Back away, Angela. This isn’t your business.”
Angela laughed. “Of course it’s my business, you idiot!” she snapped. She started to step closer to Zayn, intending to offer logic, but a thick, muscular arm whipped out from behind her, pulling her back against a hard, massive chest. She gasped, startled by the abrupt movement and, if she were honest with herself, a wave of desire so strong, it took her breath away.
However, Angela wasn’t ready to be honest with herself. Especially since her uncle and Tiro had agreed to a temporary engagement for political purposes only. She started to struggle, wanting to peel his hand away.
The arm around her waist tightened slightly, but Angela ignored the silent message. She slapped at his arm, but he didn’t release her. A moment later, she felt Tiro’s lips brush her ear. Angela couldn’t stifle the shiver of awareness at the touch, so it took her a long moment to register his words.
“I’ve got this, qatah saghira ,” Tiro whispered.
She looked at him over her shoulder, staring up at him for a long moment. “I’m not a kitten!” she spat back. Actually, her words came out as a mere whisper instead of the snap she’d intended.
To her cousins, it probably looked like they were having an intimate conversation, or maybe it appeared as if they were silently communicating in a language only lovers understood. In truth, Angela had already forgotten her cousins. There was no one in the world except herself and Tiro, his strong arm around her waist and those lips so close!
She was stunned by his touch and her only thought was wondering what it would feel like to be kissed by him all over again. But she didn’t want him to stop this time. Too many times over the past few nights, Angela had wondered what it would be like to have this man make love to her. She wanted to know, finally, what it was like to be in a man’s arms and know the beauty of making love.
Of course, that was a ridiculous fantasy, she told herself firmly and pulled away from Tiro. He wasn’t here for a real engagement announcement. He was here to deal with the misunderstanding that occurred because of that kiss. Just one kiss. One long, intoxicating, sensual, amazing kiss.
“Angela!” her father snapped.
Her head swiveled around and she suddenly realized that she’d been gazing up into Tiro’s eyes. With an audience!
Good grief!
“Right!” she gasped and pulled away, tugging her dress back into place. How had her dress shifted?
“We need to talk!” Khal announced.
Tiro rubbed a hand over her back and Angela shivered again, wishing that she could suppress her reactions. It was ridiculous to be so affected by him. Her country’s enemy!
“I agree,” the voice behind her replied. “Lead the way.”
Khal turned and opened the door, but he gave Angela a warning look before he left the room. All of her cousins filed out as well. Zayn gave her a pointed look, one that silently ordered her not to interfere in the future. Laith and Rafi looked at her with confusion and…was that maybe understanding?
Then they were gone and there was a moment of silence.
Angela stood there, not sure what to do while Tiro walked by her. He let his hand linger on her back, then slide along her bare arm as he moved past her and she held her breath, startled by the way his gentle touch made her mind go blank and her body quake with interest.
Suddenly, the door closed and she inhaled, shocked to realize that she’d been holding her breath. However, she wasn’t alone. Her father stood by the door, eyeing her carefully. When he moved closer, Angela tilted her head back, staring up at him.
“It wasn’t just a kiss, was it?” he asked, his voice gentle and laced with genuine concern.
She wasn’t sure how to answer. “Just a kiss” didn’t seem like the right way to describe what they’d shared. It had been more than one kiss. And those kisses had been…wow! What would happen if they were to kiss again? Angela suspected that the memory of their one kiss had been blown out of proportion. Surely, it couldn’t have been as magical as she remembered.
“It was just one kiss ,” she replied, not sure if her father would understand the hidden message in her words. She was a diplomat after all, and prided herself on being one of the best. It was a subtle art to say something but mean another.
However, her father was just as well versed in the art of diplomacy. One side of his mouth quirked upwards and Angela realized that she hadn’t been as subtle as she’d hoped.
“It was more than just a kiss,” he confirmed. Then he reached up and touched her cheek. “I get it, sweetheart.” He sighed and dropped his hand. “I honestly do.”
Angela was left alone, staring at the room but not seeing the beautiful details of the blue and silver décor. Her heart and mind were spinning, trying to sift through the last few minutes.