Red Hot Lovers: 18 Contemporary Romance Books of Love, Passion, and Sexy Heroes by Your Favorite Top-Selling Authors

by Milly Taiden

  Sessily could have argued Bashir's reasoning. She knew there was more to it than that Bashir was worried over Ahsan embarrassing the Afshar name. This was not her battle, nor her business, and vowed to remain quiet despite the knowledge she carried with her. Ahsan hadn't mentioned the idea of murder, yet, which meant he was either saving it for something special or he didn't know.

  If only Ahsan had been the man she'd wished him to be. She could have produced the vial right then and there and outed Bashir for the bastard he was. What would Ahsan say then?

  A quick glance aside brought Ahsan's profile into view. His eyes gleamed like he was enjoying the conversation, his posture still one of relaxed control. He did not look the least bit put off by words like banishment and blight. The way he smiled a moment after that sent a chill down her spine. Had she been the one in the throne, she wouldn't have enjoyed seeing it on an adversary's face.

  “You should ask yourself who is keeping an eye on who,” Ahsan said in a silky, dark voice. “But it is the way of a man blind to his own troubles who never sees a fall coming. I should not have to state the obvious: not everything is what it seems.”

  Confused, Sessily glanced back to Bashir. Did Ahsan know more than he was letting on? What did that mean, who was keeping an eye on who? Murmurs swept through the advisors once more.

  With a sudden shift, she suddenly found her elbow in Ahsan's palm. He firmly guided her back from the dais, never once making eye contact.

  “Wait. Wait just a moment. What do you think you're doing?” Bashir stood up from the throne for the first time.

  Ahsan paused long enough to glance back. “Collecting the spoils of war, brother. There is another I require at my doorstep by noon tomorrow. Her sister, Iris. Should she not arrive by the allotted time, my men and I will lay siege to your crumbling empire. Heed my warning well.”

  A thunderous roar of shock followed them out the doors into the sun.

  Stunned, all she could do was try and keep pace beside the stalking Sheikh.

  ***

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sessily viewed the palace from the perspective of the helicopter. It looked even bigger and more imposing than she imagined, with its peaks and arches and inviting, emerald courtyard. She had a bird's eye view of the track she'd raced upon and the smaller dots of brown, gray and black that represented horses out to pasture. Grass grew in abundance only within the perimeters of the fences, likely cared for year around.

  Ahsan sat next to her, hands resting on his thighs, ears covered by a headset. She wore one, too, and was glad for the reprieve from conversation during the trip. Sessily needed the time to think. To consider all she'd learned and heard. And it didn't help that her skin hurt like the devil, burning and itching uncontrollably.

  Landing on the adjacent helipad, Ahsan disembarked without so much as a glance her way or a word once the headsets were off. One of the guards helped her down, handling her and her wounds with care.

  Instead of getting into a waiting car to be taken the short distance to the palace, Ahsan struck out on foot across the terrain for the back wall of the structure.

  Not to be outdone, Sessily ignored the car as well and marched after him, growing more and more annoyed with every passing minute. She was just a 'spoil of war', what had she expected—the usual kind treatment he'd doled out effortlessly all this time? When was he going to explain about her sister, and what he meant to do with them both once Iris was here?

  Sessily licked her chapped lips at the thought of seeing Iris again, desperate to have her sister safe. Or as safe as they could be with Ahsan.

  “Excuse me,” she said to his back.

  Ahsan didn't so much as twitch. Striding long and determined, he closed in on the back gate.

  “Excuse me!” she said again, raising her voice. Why was he just walking away? Sessily followed, ignoring the pain moving quickly brought. Her clothes kept brushing against her sunburn, threatening to drive her a little mad.

  Up through the gate, into the courtyard, past the pool. Sessily couldn't keep up. She broke into a jog and caught up to Ahsan just as he entered the palace itself. Catching his arm, out of breath from hurrying, she applied pressure so he would face her. The strength under her fingers was absolute; he wouldn't stop unless he wanted to.

  Surprised when he did, she let go of his elbow and stared up into his face. “What's all this about? You bring me here, then walk off?”

  “What did you expect me to do? Roll out the red carpet? Have a party waiting?” His gaze was aloof, distanced.

  “Of course not. But you can explain how you knew about me. How you knew about Iris—were you aware the whole time? Did you play along to see how far I would go?” Sessily searched his unreadable eyes. She wasn't used to seeing him like this. So...standoffish. Untouchable.

  “I'm not sure why you think I should tell you anything. You didn't bother to trust me, confide in me, so I don't see the need to return the favor.” He shrugged her off and headed deeper into the palace.

  Mouth agape, too stunned to react, Sessily watched him disappear around a tall column in the direction of the staircase. Moments later she was on his heels, trotting up the steps at his flank.

  “And why should I have? Trusted you, I mean? He's using my sister against me—how was I to know you weren't exactly like him?” she argued, halting at the landing when he paused to give her a hard look.

  “The fact you're asking, and expect an answer out of me, speaks for itself. If I'd meant to hurt you, I would have.”

  Sessily disliked the chiding look in his eyes. The you should have known I wouldn't hurt you expression that somehow expected more of her. For the first time, she felt guilty. A brief flash that dissipated as quickly as it came.

  “I saw you,” she whispered. Goosebumps rained down the aching skin of her arms at the admission. If he thought he could chastise her without retribution, without being called out on his own faults, he needed to think again.

  “Saw me what?” He stood with his body to the side, looking sideways at her. As if he didn't plan on being there long enough to fully engage her.

  “I saw you with them. I know what you are, and what you're doing. I didn't want to believe it, but I can't argue with what I see.” Sessily had been about to trust him with everything right before coming upon him in the foyer with the women.

  Frowning, he closed the small distance between them. And he didn't stop until her back came flush with the wall. Bracing a hand above her head, he said, “I have no idea what you're talking about. Who is 'them'?”

  Sessily swallowed with difficulty. He never made it easy to concentrate when he got too close like this.

  Stay focused.

  “The women. Please don't pretend, don't lie anymore. You're as involved in the trafficking rings as your brother. I saw the women here, watched you circle them like meat at the market. Not just that, but the text the day before. I saw it on your phone when you went to take care of whatever business called you away. We have five more women. Are you still going to deny it?” Now it was out there and she couldn't take it back. She couldn't undo her suspicions. Couldn't undo the accusations.

  If she'd thought he was cold before, Sessily wasn't prepared for the splash of ice that hit her when he suddenly leaned away, taking all his warmth with him.

  “Well. You've got me all figured out, don't you? Packaged nicely into a box of assumptions that leaves no room for truth or discussion.” He paused three feet away to add, “When your sister arrives tomorrow, be prepared to depart for where ever it is you call home. I doubt my brother will chase you to the ends of the earth again so you should be safe enough.”

  Speechless, all she could do was watch as he strode down the hall and disappeared around a corner. His reaction wasn't what she'd expected—of course. She thought he would defend himself and his actions with more of his overbearing arrogance.

  Instead, she'd been assaulted by his disappointment. Had she really misjudged him that badly? A l
ittle voice whispered that she'd had her doubts of his involvement all along. Ahsan had been blunt and up front since the moment she'd met him, and sincere about everything as far as she could tell, barring the trafficking ring.

  What if he was innocent? What if—oh God—what if these were steps to breaking the ring up? Maybe he had them brought here because he knew it was a safe haven. The palace was well protected and far from the city, a perfect place to use as a stopping point on the women's way back home.

  Just as he planned to do with her and Iris.

  He'd been telling her the truth the whole time.

  Rubbing her forehead, wincing at the pain, she stepped away from the wall. Before she reached her suite door, someone hailed her from behind.

  “Miss, here are a few things. The Sheikh said you might need them.” A delicate woman stood not far with a tray in her hands. Food sat to one side, with a pitcher of ice water, and a salve to treat her burns sat on the other.

  “Thank you.” Sessily opened the door, allowing the woman to come inside and leave the tray on a small table. “Will you pass a message to the Sheikh that I need to speak to him after I shower and change?”

  The woman bowed her head and departed.

  Perhaps there was still time to salvage the situation. Maybe he would understand why she'd had to be so cautious, and that after the blackmail by Bashir, her trust for strangers was at an all time low. She wasn't sure Ahsan would forgive her, however. He seemed an exacting man, someone who demanded excellence from those he invested his time in. Those he put his own trust in.

  All she could do was try to collect her thoughts and present them in a more concise manner—along with an honest apology—and hope he forgave her.

  *

  In his office, Ahsan sank into the chair behind his broad desk and checked his messages. His brethren in the Royal Elite were en route to the palace, due to arrive sometime in the morning. A few other items of business took him mere minutes to deal with.

  Tossing down his phone, he raked his hands back through his hair and stared out the windows.

  The confrontation with Bashir had gone much as he'd thought it might. Tipping his hand about the spying couldn't be helped, nor could the hints he'd dropped that Bashir might not know all there was to know regarding the Emir's plans.

  He'd needed to use that angle to get Sessily out of there and have a bargaining chip for Iris. Very likely, he'd triggered a fight instinct in Bashir, which meant battening down the proverbial hatches for a secondary strike. A more blatant one than the little spy he'd sent the first time.

  Sessily. He couldn't believe she thought him capable of running a trafficking ring. Annoyed beyond reason, he hadn't even been able to stand there and listen to any more of her accusations—although if he was honest with himself, what did he expect her to think? She'd seen something convincing, and rather than simply ask him about it, she'd gotten scared and taken off from the palace.

  Put herself in danger in more ways than one. Clearly, no one had picked her up on the road. She'd wandered overland, suffering serious sunburns and who knew what else. He surmised Bashir found her in the desert and that's how she came to be back at his brother's holding.

  Still. He'd given her every reason to trust him. He hadn't imagined the sparks between them, or those times she'd seemed to waver as if considering telling him everything.

  The chime of a message on his phone drew him out of his reverie.

  It was the stables. The same horse was in trouble, requiring his immediate assistance.

  Leaving thoughts of Sessily behind for now, he departed through a separate, hidden exit that would cut his travel time between here and the stables in half.

  *

  She felt a little more normal after a meal, a shower and a change of clothes. It took her more than an hour to gently remove all the windblown tangles from her hair and to treat the burns on her skin. The eyes that stared back from the reflection in the mirror looked haunted to her, and tired. She was tired. There had been little rest at Bashir's and she would have none until she at least explained herself better to Ahsan.

  He was a reasonable man, she assured herself, and would listen even if she had to sit on him to make it happen.

  Several hours later, as afternoon turned to night, she still hadn't heard from him. Checking over her attire—a pair of burgundy slacks and a cream button down—she slipped her feet into flats and exited her suite. Sweeping back a stray lock of hair from the hasty updo she'd arranged, she made her way along the empty hall to the stairs and was about to descend when she changed her mind.

  Turning around, she went the other way instead. The way she'd seen Ahsan go when he walked away and left her standing against the wall. It wasn't difficult to find his suite—it was the only one with two elaborately carved doors nestled in an arabesque archway—nor to let herself inside after a knock produced no answer.

  His guards must be busy elsewhere, leaving her to explore in peace.

  She shouldn't be here. Shouldn't skim her fingers over the lavish end tables in the living area or pause to study several statuettes that looked straight from some Egyptian tomb or another. Moonlight spilled in through several open balcony doors, bathing his belongings in an ethereal glow. She moved through his space and considered how much it seemed like him even in his absence. There were touches of masculinity everywhere, from a pair of boots near the wall to one of his white shirts tossed haphazardly over the back of a well made chair.

  Sessily paused to pick up the garment and bring it to her nose. Sandalwood, amber, white musk and a hint of something spicy tickled her senses. It was distinct, like Ahsan.

  Leaving the shirt where she found it, Sessily investigated his bedroom next. Done in rich colors of the earth—brown, cream, sage green and a hint of red—the massive suite looked comfortable and well lived in. Maps were spread out over a large desk, some rolled and some not, and more maps in frames decorated his walls. A giant bed sat to her left, the covers smooth and neat over the mattress.

  The overall effect was careless luxury, fitting for a man who seemed oblivious to his own fortune. There were a few picture frames on a side table that drew her next. Some were of happy looking children in foreign countries, Ahsan crouched by their side with a broad smile on his face.

  It was a shocking glimpse into a life she couldn't have ever guessed he possessed. Other photos depicted him with a few of the men from the gala, his group of friends. They were spread out over the world, with glittering cities or ancient sites in the background.

  He hadn't lied when he'd told her that he traveled extensively. And she was sure this was just the surface of his experiences. What other places had he visited? Which countries had he given up his time for?

  Picking up a rough hewn, beaded necklace, Sessily inspected the hand painted markings with interest. There were several more strands on the side table and a few more hanging from a peg on the wall.

  “I spend a lot of time in Ghana. The kids of that village make me something every time I visit.”

  Startled, Sessily set the necklace down and turned toward the archway. Ahsan stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, one boot propped onto a toe. He was the picture of studied ease.

  “They're very different. The necklaces and beads, I mean.” She waited to see if he was going to explode at finding her all but ransacking his private domain.

  “Yes, they are. Each made with exquisite care. If you open the top drawer, you'll find a menagerie of 'gifts' besides the necklaces and wristlets. I save them all.”

  “No, that's all right. I...I know I shouldn't be in here,” she said, suddenly changing the subject.

  “Then why are you?”

  “Because I needed to know more about you. I wanted to know more about you.”

  “All you had to do was ask.”

  Sessily picked up the double meaning in his remark. She should have trusted him before, asked questions instead of assuming. “Sometimes you learn more about a pers
on from the things they collect and how they live.”

  “I won't argue that, but getting a firsthand accounting is even better.” He paused, then said, “What do you want, Sessily?”

  As sensual as she knew he could be, Sessily understood that the question wasn't leading or suggestive. He wanted to know what she wanted of him, from him, now that their secrets were starting to come out.

  “First, to say that I'm sorry. I should have followed through when I had doubts about what I saw. I just--”

  “Look. I'm not happy that you assumed I was a part of all that, especially when I told you I wasn't. But I've also been in the place where one thing seems like another, and it's not like my brother gave you any reason to trust any of us. So I get that part.”

  “And?” Sessily knew that wasn't all.

  “I gave you every chance to trust me. Yes, it's true you don't know me or my ways, so you didn't know whether I was lying or not. Yet it's rare that I'm so open and honest and up front with people. I'm not sure what else I could have done to convince you that I'm not that man. You put yourself in grave danger all because you wouldn't ask me a question.”

  Sliding her hands into her pockets, she toyed with the vial sitting against her thigh. She reminded herself that this was about more than her miscalculation and bad judgement. “You're right. I did those things. I wasn't sure who to trust, or whether you'd been leading me on. And I am sorry. There's more, though.”

  “More what?” he asked, pushing off from the wall. He dropped his arms and closed the distance between them with deceptively lazy steps.

  “You already know Bashir has my sister. He's been using her against me to get me to do what he wants. Spying wasn't the only thing on his agenda, Ahsan.” Sessily pulled the vial from her pocket and held it up between thumb and forefinger. There should have been enough light for him to see by.