Chapter 5
Amit was stunned by the lovely woman’s graciousness despite the fact that her husband had been ready to pounce only moments before. Tasha truly was an extraordinary diplomat, Amit thought, extending his hand. She was a beautiful woman and he understood why Khal, the big brute, adored her so intensely.
“Thank you for your graciousness in the face of my abrupt, unexpected arrival,” Amit replied, lifting her hand to kiss it politely. He didn’t linger as he’d done when he’d kissed Marianna’s hand earlier. But that was because he didn’t feel any desire for this woman. No, his feelings for the lovely queen were dramatically different than his feelings for the beautiful, bristling hedgehog next to him.
Did Marianna even recognize the silent “couple-dom” she was announcing to her family? When she stood at his side, nearly touching her shoulder to his bicep, it was a clear message that she was “with” him, even if she wasn’t ready to consciously acknowledge the connection.
Trying to focus on the conversation and not the tempting woman beside him, he looked straight ahead. A moment later, his gaze clashed with Khal’s narrowed, angry look. For a moment, Amit nearly burst out laughing. Yes, his “friend” knew exactly what was going through Amit’s mind. Khal wasn’t an idiot. And he was male. Plus, the man had to know that his sister was a desirable woman.
Perhaps not, Amit corrected. No brother or father, or mother or sister for that matter, wanted to think of a sibling or child in that way. He thought about how he would feel if he had a daughter, one that looked like Marianna with her dark hair and soft, brown eyes…? No, he would be furious, livid, at the idea of anyone even thinking about touching his daughter with salacious intent.
So, instead of laughing, which might rub salt into the wound, Amit lowered his head slightly, acknowledging the other man’s anger.
Thankfully, the silent message was received. Amit felt an almost instant lightening of the tension. Both men turned to listen to the conversation happening between Tasha and Marianna. What the hell were they talking about? Something about…babies?
Damn it! In an instant, his thoughts turned to all the ways he could practice getting Marianna pregnant. With a mental sigh, he shuffled his feet, wanting to wrap a protective arm around Marianna’s waist. But he fought the urge. He didn’t have the right to touch her. Not yet. He would speak to Khal after dinner about formally courting Marianna.
Then he realized that his request might come off as an attempted political connection. Mentally, he muttered several curses, trying to figure out how to start the conversation without implications of political motivation. He wanted Marianna for herself. He admired her brains and her ambitions. He loved the fact that she was producing a political blog that challenged corporate and world leaders without using her title or her familial connection to her powerful brother. She’d created a blog site that influenced people on every level of society.
Granted, she had the financial stability of her role as a sister to a very wealthy family. That gave her the freedom and time to do whatever she wanted. There were others in the world that would love to have her freedom, but they trudged to work every day, needing to earn a living.
Amit knew that his desire for Marianna had nothing to do with any sort of politics. He didn’t give a damn about a personal connection with Khal. His desire for Marianna had everything to do with her. With her slender body and her lightning fast intelligence, her grace and the way she moved. Every part of her was…stunning, he thought as he again resisted the urge to touch her.
“I believe dinner is ready,” Tasha announced, gesturing towards the doorway to the dining room.
Startled back to the present, again, he turned to look over his shoulder. Candles lit the small, family dining room, highlighting the creamy white roses in the center of the round table. The chairs had been covered to match the roses and the whole scene looked romantic. Amit nearly groaned out loud at the thought of sitting next to Marianna in such a setting and not touching her. He could imagine taking her hand while they talked…argued…and he would look into her eyes, watch them sparkle with irritation when he took the opposite opinion just to see her bristle.
Damn, she was a lovely hedgehog!
But he also realized that he needed to get to know the woman behind the political opinions. He needed to understand who Marianna was as a person. With that goal in mind, he followed the ladies into the dining room.
A punch to his shoulder had him spinning around, ready to take on whoever had assaulted him. Damn it, he’d been so wrapped up in thinking about Marianna that he hadn’t realized there was a threat. He found Khal glaring at him.
“Did you just hit me?”
Khal snorted. “Stop thinking about my sister!” he growled quietly enough that the ladies couldn’t hear.
Amit nearly laughed out loud. So, this was what it was like to have siblings, he thought, relaxing his muscles.
“Right. I’ll work on that immediately,” he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Ignoring the man, Amit turned and hurried after the ladies, quickly moving to hold Marianna’s chair, then sliding it forward. If he happened to notice how her blue dress smoothed over her pert derriere in the process, well, that wasn’t a crime. He was merely being a gentleman!
Khal didn’t seem to think so, Amit realized when he looked up to find the other man glaring across the table at him.
The men moved to their chairs, sitting down as Khal continued to glare dire warnings in his direction. Amit fought back a chuckle, keeping his amusement suppressed. Thankfully, the waiters moved in, quickly serving wine and the soup course.
“Your Highness,” Marianna interrupted the glaring session, pulling Amit’s gaze towards her, “I read that your parliament was proposing an expansion of the tax credit for new businesses.”
“That’s the plan,” he replied, trying to remember the details of that proposed legislation. It was difficult since she was smiling so prettily at him. And the neckline of her dress showed just a tiny hint of her cleavage, taunting him. Had she worn that dress on purpose? Was she trying to drive him wild?