Page 79 of Silver Angel

“You led me to believe that you had not been with another woman since you first saw me. I know now that the very night you bought me you spent with Sheelah, and the next night you summoned—”

“Enough!” Derek cut in sharply.

Christ! And he thought he only had to explain away Jamila. What could he say? Certainly not that while he had lain in his empty bed thinking of her, his brother’s bed had not remained so empty. He couldn’t defend himself without giving up the game. He couldn’t tell her the truth about Jamila either. For Miss Woods to be released, everyone had to think he had taken her to bed, including Omar—including Shahar. Bloody hell. He hadn’t lied to her before, but now he would have to lie through his teeth.

“You accuse me of lying, Shahar, when I spoke from the heart. I wanted only you. From the first moment, you excited me as no woman ever has before.”

“That didn’t stop you from—”

“You were untried, woman! You were innocent in mind as well as in body. I couldn’t summon you immediately, as was my desire. You needed at least a little instruction so that you would know what to expect and not be afraid of our coming together. Or did you want to share my bed that first night?”

“No,” she replied stiffly. “And I don’t care who did. Nor do I care why someone did. The point is that you told me no one did, and I believed you. It made a difference in the way I—well, it made a difference.” And then, bitterly: “But that’s what you intended, isn’t it? That’s why you lied to me.”

“Did I lie? Or did I tell you the truth, that you were all I wanted, all I could think about?” He didn’t wait for an answer, taking advantage of the momentary doubt he detected in her eyes. “Did I allow you months of training? Did I listen when I was told you were not ready? Who knows better than you that I did not, that I could not wait to see you again? And then you rejected me. Do you know how that made me feel?”

“I—”

Chantelle fell silent, at a loss for words. She hadn’t expected to find herself on the defensive. She hadn’t expected to experience this feeling of guilt, either, that was tightening in her chest. But he was right, damn him. He hadn’t actually lied to her, hadn’t actually said specifically that no other woman had shared his bed. And she had thought of that, that she had simply misinterpreted his words, or that he had just phrased them wrong.

I spoke from the heart. You were all I wanted. There was no misinterpreting those words, and damn it to hell, she believed him again. Then why didn’t it give her joy?

Derek relaxed somewhat, sensing that he had won this round. He didn’t give Shahar a chance to throw up the next hurdle, hoping he might bypass it entirely with a little luck and a lot of skill, which he immediately brought into play with a kiss meant to shatter the last of her defenses. And it worked. She didn’t turn her head away to avoid his lips. He could feel her arms going slack, her body fitting more snugly to his. As she yielded, he let go of her hands and felt her fingers drift into his hair. And then suddenly she yanked.

“Ouch! By Allah—”

“I warned you,” Chantelle cut in furiously. “If you wanted a willing bedmate, you should have summoned Jamila again. She would—”

Derek clamped a hand over her mouth. He didn’t take into account that he had convinced her he wouldn’t hurt her physically, or that he had told her he’d accepted the challenge of subduing her. It simply turned his blood cold that this anger of hers could make her so heedless of its consequences.

Jamil would have been flattered by it, and amused, but not for long, and certainly not enough to allow her to actually fight him. Derek wasn’t amused. He knew that she had come to trust him, which was why she had finally surrendered, and now she was feeling betrayed.

But thank God Jamil’s tastes were different from his own and his brother hadn’t decided to keep Shahar for himself. She wouldn’t have passed a week without some serious punishments which would have eventually broken her spirit. She didn’t realize how lucky she was, nor could he tell her. But what was the point, when she only had him to deal with?

That he had been concerned for her welfare was a natural reaction, but it gave a hard edge to his voice now. “If I had wanted Jamila, Iwouldhave sent for her. I wanted you, Shahar. I wanted you yesterday as well, but foolishly thought you might be grateful for a day of respite after I was so relentless in giving you none the night before.”

She pried his fingers away from her mouth to snap, “Don’t you dare claim it was for my benefit!”

“I also thought you had too much pride to succumb to jealousy.”

Her eyes flared at this new attack. “Jealousy? Not on your life! It was just brought home to me that this is no more than a whorehouse, and you are the—”

“Don’t say it!”

“Why not? If I made love to a different man every night, that is what you would call me. And don’t tell me it is different for a man, that you are allowed, thatyouin particular are allowed. Your world might think so, but mine does not.”

“Does it not?”

It enraged her further that he smiled when he asked that. “Then let me put it this way.Ido not. Now will you…let…me…up!” She shoved at him again, but he couldn’t be budged.

“I will let you go, Shahar, when you forgive me for hurting you.”

She made the mistake of meeting the warm glow in his eyes. That and his husky timbre sent a shiver along her nerve endings.

“You didn’t hurt me,” she insisted, turning her head to the side. “I just ignored a few basic truths for a while, but I am back on the right track now.”

“Don’t do this, Shahar.” He took advantage of the throat she exposed to him, nuzzling his lips there. “It meant nothing to me.” His lips moved toward her ear, and he took a moment to draw her earlobe between his teeth. “I cannot even recall what I did or said last night, it was so insignificant.” He was murmuring right into her ear now, so that each breath affected her. “But I can remember every single moment I spent with you.”

Chantelle’s thoughts had scattered, and she couldn’t seem to get them back. “You—you can’t be faithful. You don’t know how.”