Page 42 of His Scandalous Viscountess
No fool, she shook her head. “I think not. I imagine Fatima, your firstwife—let alone the second wife you have since taken—would not welcome the knowledge of this visit. Should they hear of it, I have no intention of courting more of their ire than is strictly necessary.”
He chuckled. “Fatimaisa jealous woman, though in fairness to her, she knows you have always held a special piece of my heart.”
Julia hated that he still harbored feelings for her. “I find that sad for her. No woman should have to know that she does not hold all her husband’s interest.”
“Yet you know this is the way of my people. We take more than one wife so that we may bear many children. It is also to protect the women. I, in particular, must do so to strengthen political alliances with other families. I am on wife number two now, but I love them both equally.”
His gaze stroked over her curves, and down the long length of her covered legs.
The man knew what she looked like naked, stretched out before him like a pleasurable feast. And she knew too well the look of desire that sparkled in his eyes. “I find it difficult to believe you do not have a favorite.” Disquieted by his lusty scrutiny, she shifted in her chair. “Be that as it may, I am certain you did not come here to discuss the state of your personal affairs.”
To her relief, Johnson chose that moment to roll the tea cart into the room, and placed it firmly between them. With a simple nod of his head, he exited as quickly as he’d come.
Once the ceremony of pouring tea was completed, Julia settled back and tried to imagine what Tariq sought from her. The desirous way he continued to look at her was growing more uncomfortable by the moment. “Tell me, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
He sighed. “You were never one to hold your tongue, were you?”
She snorted.
He nodded sagely. “You would have made a magnificent wife, but also a troublesome one.”
Refusing to rise to his bait, she sipped her tea and let him work his way around to what he wanted to say.
“Despite this knowledge, I have been unable to rid my body of its desire for you. In your absence, I have fucked both my wives until I am spent and exhausted—no easy feat, as you may remember—and yet, merely a stray thought of you, and I find my cock grows hard with need once more.”
Julia swallowed the tea she’d drunk and blinked as it seared its way down her throat. She coughed and sputtered, grateful for the momentary reprieve to gather her wits. What did a woman say to a declaration of that nature?
“While I am certainly flattered, Tariq, I told you before I left that I could not marry you.”
“And yet, here I am, in hopes you have missed me as much as I have missed you. That your sexual needs have grown so strong that only I can fulfill them.”
She set her teacup down with a rattle. “I am afraid that is not the case, Tariq. I have moved on from our time together, though I cherish it greatly. I am afraid I still have no desire to be married.”
He frowned, his caramel-colored gaze growing dark. “Then why is it that I have heard you are engaged to bemarriedto some pasty Englishman who could not possibly be a fraction of the lover I am?”
Dread settled in her stomach then, making the tea she’d drunk slosh about. “Yes, well. That is an unusual circumstance. You see, my connection to an old friend is of a temporary nature.”
Bloody hell!One of the reasons she had refused Tariq’s proposal, besides the fact she did not love him, was that his ego made him incredibly difficult to deal with at times. This, she suspected, would prove to be one of those times.
Tariq’s brows drew closer together, deepening his frown, as well as the crease between his nearly black eyes. “This man does not intend to follow through on his vow to marry you?”
“Well, no.” She hesitated, worried about trusting Tariq with the truth. He could easily spoil her plans if he felt the need to inflate his own sense of self-worth. “It is more thatIdo not intend to marry him. He is merely aiding me in rebuffing another man’s unwanted advances.” She silently cursed all men in that moment. “It really is rather complicated, but please, trust me when I say that I have no desire to marryanyone.”
Tariq, perpetually handsome, with his broad shoulders, stunning caramel colored eyes, and sunbaked skin tone, did not look pleased with her answer. “You have always been an elusive one, Julia. It is reasonable to believe that is why I find myself still enamored with you.”
“Please do not say such things. Think of Fatima and your other wife. I would never have married you, Tariq. I’m just not sure I could ever marry anyone again. Please let me go from your head, and from your heart.”
His features smoothed out a bit, but stubborn as he was, he still did not agree. “I do not see a way to do so. Is it my wives that hold you back? I would renounce them for you.”
She gasped. “Tariq! That is an awful thing to say! And clearly, they were not the issue when you first asked me, as you were not married then. My answer was still the same.Isstill the same.”
She tried to be gentle with him, since she knew him to be a passionate man, who at times surrendered his better judgement to that passion.
He rose now, anger bubbling beneath his calm exterior. “This is not over. Whatever it will take to woo you, I shall do. I must have you as my wife, Julia.”
Nervous, and increasingly uncomfortable with the situation, she rose as well. “I believe you should go. There is no good that will come of us continuing this discussion, now or in the future. Go home, Tariq. Take your wives andgo home. Make many babies. Grow your tribe to be strong and resilient, as you are.”
“This is not over.” He turned on his heel and strode from her home.
