She smiled, warmed by his words of support. “Thank you,” she whispered. “But,” she let out a deep breath, “that’s how I learned to throw a knife so accurately.” She looked into his eyes. “I’ve never forgotten that feeling of being powerless. Elon showed me that I’m not. That I can learn skills that would help in those kinds of situations.” She shifted away from him. “In this instance, I am relieved that I was able to stop the snake from hurting anyone.”
She looked fixedly out the window for a long moment, trying to school her expression. Her heart thudded against her ribs at the look in his eyes. Luna was used to anger from him. She’d known him for less than twenty-four hours, but she knew his reputation and it wasn’t one of compassion.
So, why was he looking at her like that? Why did his eyes convey a message of…admiration? Compassion? And something more. Something that she couldn’t quite define?
“I…um…I need to check in with the kitchen about tonight’s dinner,” she said, suddenly feeling awkward and self-conscious. She looked up at him and, for a long moment, neither of them moved. Tension flared. Awareness of him as a man wove between them and she felt her body tighten with surprise…and something more. When she saw his eyes flare with that same awareness, Luna felt her animosity towards him soften.
It was such a strange reaction, it pulled her back to reality. Jerking backwards, Luna looked around, feeling as if the world has suddenly shifted, spinning in a different direction all of a sudden.
“I’d better go,” she whispered, feeling awkward and out of sorts. This was her enemy! He had sneered at her, unfairly maligned her. Made her feel small and insignificant! And then, adding insult to injury, he’d piled her plate with broccoli last night. Luna absolutely hated broccoli! But she’d gagged her way through the meal, resenting him with every bite.
So, why did she feel…a connection to him?
It didn’t make sense, so she turned on her heel and left the bedroom.
Tasim watched Luna leave, feeling oddly…comforted? No, that definitely wasn’t the right word. Connected? Yes. He’d felt that surge of awareness between them. For the first time, Luna had seen him as a man, not as her enemy. For one brief moment, they were no longer on opposite sides of the political spectrum. For that moment when she’d looked into his eyes, they’d been…man and woman. Base instincts had kicked in.
Still, he remained in place, watching her hurry out of the room. Luna’s bedroom! Damn, he was in her bedroom.
Looking around, he noticed the small details. Such as the fact that her dressing table wasn’t covered end to end with cosmetics, like his sister’s. She was neat and tidy, with only few select items on the top. There might be a hundred colors of eye shadow and lipstick in the drawers, but Tasim would never disrespect her by snooping through them.
He also noticed that scent. Flowers. Lilly of the valley again. And the strawberries that he’d smelled when he’d held her in his arms. The flowery scent must be her perfume while the berries could be her shampoo.
With a groan, he turned on his heel and hurried out of her bedroom. His guards stood sentry outside and his temper fired at the thought that his sister, and Luna, had been in danger. Damn, how the hell had a snake gotten into the palace? It seemed a bit far-fetched.
Although, they did live in the desert. It wasn’t unheard of for a snake to enter buildings where they might find food and shelter away from the intense heat of the afternoon sunshine.
Walking down the hallway, he made a mental note to talk to Elon about that. If snakes had gotten into the palace before, the man was going to have problems, because Ella truly hated snakes.
It occurred to him that Luna’s first instinct had been to protect his sister. And that softened his attitude towards her even further. She’d protected his sister, which meant that he owed her.
Chapter 4
Dinner that night was a larger gathering since additional guests had arrived for the wedding festivities. Foreign dignitaries were mingling with international and local celebrities.
But it was the décor that caught Tasim’s attention more than the people present. He acknowledged that Luna most likely had an event manager on staff. Even so, he approved of the ambiance tonight, which was elegant and refined, but intimate. The food and music were the perfect blend of moods that allowed everyone to revel in the power of these two countries coming together, but not formal enough that anyone felt intimidated. It allowed the guests to mingle more freely, which was perfect.
It was a buffet dinner tonight, instead of a sit down meal. He chuckled softly, thinking it was a pity that he wouldn’t be able to give Luna more broccoli. He’d enjoyed her disgust last night, remembering how Luna had nibbled carefully on each floret. But he also knew that she hadn’t eaten all of the pile he’d dumped onto her plate.
“You’re in too good a mood,” a feminine voice commented. Luna moved to stand beside him, smiling politely. “That’s dangerous, so stop it.”
He looked down at her, surprised and…oddly flattered. She’d obviously been waiting for him to arrive.
“Why is my good humor a dangerous thing?” he asked, turning slightly so that his body partially shielded her from the rest of the room.
Her brown eyes sparkled up mischievously. “Because you’re always a grouch. Or at least, you’ve been a grouch since you got here. Which means that you’re plotting something.” Her head tilted impishly. “Revenge, perhaps?” She lifted a dark eyebrow in question. “Revenge for my brother taking your sister away?”
“Perhaps I should take his sister away as my revenge. An eye for an eye,” he offered. There was a pretty, pink tinge to her cheeks for a brief moment, but she rallied quickly, reverting back to her normal sophisticated demeanor.
Luna shifted, turning to survey the crowded dining room. “Well, that’s not going to happen, since we hate each other.”
Twenty-four hours ago, he might have agreed with her. Well, not hate so much as…lack of respect. His eyes sharpened. “I don’t hate you, Luna,” he murmured. “Not anymore.”
The startled look in her eyes told him that he’d caught her off guard. “Why not?”
He moved slightly. “Because you protected my sister.” He moved even closer, his eyes sharpening as he looked down at her. “But don’t you ever put yourself in
danger like that again!”