Page 72 of Silver Angel

“I am your lawful master.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“The only man available to you, Shahar, the same as a husband to you.”

“No, not the same. You bought me. You didn’t marry me.”

“You want me to marry you?”

She was appalled by the very idea. “And be your fourth wife? No!”

She was further appalled to realize too late that she had just insulted him in the worst way. But thankfully, he chose not to take offense, saying only, “So there is yet another reason for this reluctance of yours to make love with me?”

She glanced away before replying in a tiny voice, “It made it—final, my enslavement.”

His own voice softened in understanding. “It became inevitable the day you were captured, Shahar. Surely you did not delude yourself otherwise.”

“Until it actually happened, there was still hope. You have a large harem filled with beautiful women. And since you rarely enter it, you could easily have forgotten about me.”

He smiled, turning her face back to him with a hand on her cheek. “You are not the type of woman who can ever hope for obscurity, little moon. A man has only to gaze on you once to never forget you. Don’t you know that?”

She shook her head. “By your standards, my body is much too thin to be found attractive.”

A teasing light entered his eyes. “You might be lacking in padding, but what you have is everything that I could want.”

“You don’t want me to put on weight?”

“I want you to remain just as you are.”

“Then if I do put on weight, you won’t want me anymore?”

He chuckled, following the direction of her thoughts. “I could have sworn I heard you say you liked what we just did. Or have you perhaps forgotten so quickly that you no longer have your virginity to protect?”

She blushed, for she had indeed forgotten for the moment that that monumental transformation had occurred to change everything, especially her outlook. How she felt about it she wasn’t quite sure yet. But one thing was disconcerting. She hadn’t expected to enjoy it so completely. But it was foolish of her to admit liking it, especially to him. The man had her at enough disadvantage as it was without giving him that, too.

Having gone from satisfied languor to anger to dejection to confusion was also disconcerting. She wanted nothing more than to leave so she could be alone to think more clearly about her loss. She certainly couldn’t think clearly with Jamil still settled comfortably between her legs. Whywasshe still here? That he slept with only his wives was not one of Vashti’s lies, but fact that she had heard from numerous sources. Of course, he didn’t appear to be ready to sleep.

“You have become pensive, little moon.” His voice drew her gaze back to those probing emerald eyes. “I will not allow you to regret your surrender.”

His arrogance was almost amusing. “You might own my body, your highness, but my feelings are still at my own command.”

“Are they? And your senses, are they at your command, too?”

He dipped his head to suck a nipple into the warm recesses of his mouth. Chantelle closed her eyes as the delicious thrill traveled from her breast to her belly, and from there to her loins. The other breast was given the same thorough attention, until her fingers moved into his hair, answering his question more plainly than words.

Abruptly he left her, only to scoop her up into his arms and carry her to his bed. The momentary respite to her senses brought her out of her daze long enough so that the bed beneath her triggered a memory, and she immediately glanced behind her. How could she have forgotten about his guards? But the hot flush didn’t have time to spread. The wall behind his bed was empty.

“Where are your mutes?” she asked as she looked back at Jamil and then gasped, finding him staring down at her, his eyes slowly traveling the length of her body.

“Banished to the garden in deference to your modesty.”

He himself was playing havoc with her modesty, since he spoke without ending his slow perusal of her body. That same modesty forbade her a like examination of him. Though he stood beside the bed in full view of her, her eyes wouldn’t move below his chin.

“Am—am I to understand you aren’t finished with me yet?”

Even that question didn’t bring his eyes back to hers. “Oh, no, little moon,” he said with feeling. “How could you think that? Such frustration as you have caused me will take a long time appeasing.”

“I find this frustration you keep expounding on hard to believe when you have so many women available to you.”