mango spread over her tongue. She needed to live in the moment. To be happy while the opportunity presented itself.
Which shouldn’t be hard given the circumstances. Diffuse sunlight poured through the lattice screens on the arched windows, pooling in luxurious patterns on the marble floor. Quasar’s slate-blue eyes sparkled with the passion and excitement that she’d put there. In bed he’d been making love to her with a look of rapture on his face. Who wouldn’t be happy in her place?
It wasn’t as if she were falling in love with him. Now that would be stupid. She wasn’t stupid. They’d enjoy each other’s company, then they’d go their separate ways. There was no danger of getting in over her head. In the meantime she just needed to keep her head, and protect her heart.
“I can see you’re not hungry, beautiful.” Quasar put down his plate and knelt at her feet. He kissed her fingertips, then her lips, and desire flared through her, banishing her doubts and worries. “Shall we go back to the bedroom?”
She placed her plate on an inlaid wood table. Feeling was so much easier than thinking. Right now all she wanted to do was press her naked body against Quasar’s and lose herself in his touch. “Absolutely.”
Six
“I ’m telling you, leave well enough alone. Her father hates our whole family.” Elan reined in his horse, who was blowing hard. They’d trailered two horses, borrowed from a close friend, and headed out to the mountains to let off some steam. They were up on a high slope with a view of Salalah partially visible through the trees.
Quasar leaned back in his saddle on his gray mare, who was puffing and blowing from the effort of the ascent up the mountain. “But I can reason with him, make a deal that will win him over. I’m famous for negotiating my way out of tough situations.”
“Or into them. Are you going to marry her?” His brother’s intense gaze slammed right into him.
“I just met her.”
“See? You’re just experimenting. Playing around. Seeing what will happen. And I think we both know, based on your history of relationships, what will happen.”
Quasar frowned. “You think I’ll grow bored with her.”
“I don’t know her. How could I predict that?” Elan leaned forward to flick a fly off the neck of his sturdy chestnut gelding.
“I want to bring her over so you can all meet her.”
“That will tell her that you’re serious.”
“I am serious!”
“Not by Omani standards. Serious means marriage. Don’t lead her on until you know where you’re going.”
Squinting into the late afternoon sun, they guided their sweating horses down a winding trail on a wooded slope. “How do I know where I’m going if I don’t at least get started in the right direction. Did you know right away that you would marry Sara?”
Elan laughed. “Hell, no! I was determined to have nothing to do with her. She was my employee, for crying out loud.”
Elan had not only had an affair with his secretary, but he’d also accidentally got her pregnant. “But you ended up in the right place, married to the woman you love.”
“Yeah.” Elan took a gulp from his canteen. “I learned to stop being the boss and trying to run the show, and let Sara be my partner. So if Dani doesn’t want you to meet her father, then don’t.”
“I see your point.”
“You can’t charm your way into every situation. Or out of it. Old man Hassan hates our family with a passion that could last for generations. If you can manage not to fall in love with his daughter you’d probably be doing both of you a favor.” Elan’s familiar piercing stare caught him off guard again. “You’re not in love with her already, are you?”
“Me?” Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Wanting to be with her? Wanting to tell everyone about her? Was that love?
Probably not. Nevertheless, it was likely some possessive male thing that would still get him into trouble.
“Because if you’re
Which shouldn’t be hard given the circumstances. Diffuse sunlight poured through the lattice screens on the arched windows, pooling in luxurious patterns on the marble floor. Quasar’s slate-blue eyes sparkled with the passion and excitement that she’d put there. In bed he’d been making love to her with a look of rapture on his face. Who wouldn’t be happy in her place?
It wasn’t as if she were falling in love with him. Now that would be stupid. She wasn’t stupid. They’d enjoy each other’s company, then they’d go their separate ways. There was no danger of getting in over her head. In the meantime she just needed to keep her head, and protect her heart.
“I can see you’re not hungry, beautiful.” Quasar put down his plate and knelt at her feet. He kissed her fingertips, then her lips, and desire flared through her, banishing her doubts and worries. “Shall we go back to the bedroom?”
She placed her plate on an inlaid wood table. Feeling was so much easier than thinking. Right now all she wanted to do was press her naked body against Quasar’s and lose herself in his touch. “Absolutely.”
Six
“I ’m telling you, leave well enough alone. Her father hates our whole family.” Elan reined in his horse, who was blowing hard. They’d trailered two horses, borrowed from a close friend, and headed out to the mountains to let off some steam. They were up on a high slope with a view of Salalah partially visible through the trees.
Quasar leaned back in his saddle on his gray mare, who was puffing and blowing from the effort of the ascent up the mountain. “But I can reason with him, make a deal that will win him over. I’m famous for negotiating my way out of tough situations.”
“Or into them. Are you going to marry her?” His brother’s intense gaze slammed right into him.
“I just met her.”
“See? You’re just experimenting. Playing around. Seeing what will happen. And I think we both know, based on your history of relationships, what will happen.”
Quasar frowned. “You think I’ll grow bored with her.”
“I don’t know her. How could I predict that?” Elan leaned forward to flick a fly off the neck of his sturdy chestnut gelding.
“I want to bring her over so you can all meet her.”
“That will tell her that you’re serious.”
“I am serious!”
“Not by Omani standards. Serious means marriage. Don’t lead her on until you know where you’re going.”
Squinting into the late afternoon sun, they guided their sweating horses down a winding trail on a wooded slope. “How do I know where I’m going if I don’t at least get started in the right direction. Did you know right away that you would marry Sara?”
Elan laughed. “Hell, no! I was determined to have nothing to do with her. She was my employee, for crying out loud.”
Elan had not only had an affair with his secretary, but he’d also accidentally got her pregnant. “But you ended up in the right place, married to the woman you love.”
“Yeah.” Elan took a gulp from his canteen. “I learned to stop being the boss and trying to run the show, and let Sara be my partner. So if Dani doesn’t want you to meet her father, then don’t.”
“I see your point.”
“You can’t charm your way into every situation. Or out of it. Old man Hassan hates our family with a passion that could last for generations. If you can manage not to fall in love with his daughter you’d probably be doing both of you a favor.” Elan’s familiar piercing stare caught him off guard again. “You’re not in love with her already, are you?”
“Me?” Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Wanting to be with her? Wanting to tell everyone about her? Was that love?
Probably not. Nevertheless, it was likely some possessive male thing that would still get him into trouble.
“Because if you’re
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