Stephanie pointed to something on her clipboard. “Not a thing. I’ve instructed the servants to talk only about how delighted everyone is. If they are asked about animosity, they are to bring up something that is being served for the upcoming meal, or imply there are some interesting secrets to be revealed about Ella’s dress very soon. Nothing more.”
Relief surged through Luna with that news and she laughed quietly behind her hand. “Oh, that’s brilliant!” she whispered, her amusement sparkling in her eyes as she surveyed the crowd.
The engaged couple entered the room, both positively glowing with happiness. To be honest, she’d never seen Elon so happy. He was completely besotted with his bride to be and Luna was truly happy for him. And for herself, because Ella was a genuinely nice person. There had been a few tense moments early on in their engagement, but everything had been resolved now.
Elon and Ella loved each other. Truly and deeply.
As soon as she thought that, her gaze drifted across the room. There he was and…yes, Tasim was staring right back at her. Luna’s heart pounded when she saw the heat in his eyes. Every moment from earlier came flooding back. The way he touched her, kissed her, the way his body pressed into hers. And the way he held her afterwards, as if she were some sort of treasured gift.
No, she didn’t love him. It was impossible to love someone after such a short acquaintance. To think otherwise was just…ridiculous.
Lowering her lashes, she pushed the possibility away. It was too soon for love.
Although, Elon had mentioned that he knew that Ella was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with as soon as he’d laid eyes on her. Looking at them now, no one would even suspect the turbulence they’d endured during the beginning of their courtship.
Love. What was it, exactly? Luna wasn’t sure, but she knew that just looking at Tasim made her feel good.
She lifted her eyes and…he was still watching her. And her heart throbbed with…lust for the man. Just lust. Not love!
Tasim watched Luna as she moved gracefully among the guests. Someone was talking to him, but he wasn’t sure what they were saying. He must be making appropriate replies because the man kept droning on about…whatever it was.
His entire focus was on Luna. On the way she walked, the elegant tilt of her head. He loved the way she moved, as if she were a ballerina and the world was her stage. He smiled when she smiled. He frowned when she frowned and he felt his muscles tense, his eyes scanning the room as if trying to find the threat to her happiness. And when she nodded, smiling again, he relaxed.
“A lovely woman, the princess,” the man beside him commented.
Tasim pulled his gaze away from Luna and glanced at the man, wondering what the hell he was talking about. The man was watching the engaged couple and…Tasim relaxed again.
Allaena, was he losing his mind? Had this afternoon’s marathon round of sex completely drained him of common sense? He’d been about to punch a guy for daring to comment on Luna’s beauty! And all the while, the poor guy had been talking about Ella!
Hazen jayid, he was losing it. And only recently, he’d thought that he hated the woman.
No, that wasn’t right. He’d never hated Luna. He hadn’t trusted her initially. But he’d never hated her, personally. Luna had rep
resented an enemy. He’d come here prepared to hate the country and the situation, but he’d never really hated her. He hadn’t even known her before this week! He’d simply hated what she represented.
Still, his eyes returned to her, following her as she moved to another group of guests. And yes, he smiled when she again glanced in his direction. Those beautiful, dark eyes knew exactly where he was. Just as he followed her progress around the room, he could tell she was completely aware of him as well.
Damn, he liked that about her! He liked that she was so open about her feelings for him. But only Tasim knew what was going on in her mind. Only he knew that she had a spot on her back that turned her on. Only he knew what she sounded like when she climaxed, how her screams could drive him wild, as he followed her into that intense pleasure. And only he knew what her small, dainty hands looked like wrapped around his throbbing erection!
He had to stop thinking along those lines because it was quickly becoming obvious what was going through his mind.
And then another thought came to him. Protection! ‘Awh aljahim! He hadn’t used protection this afternoon! The realization was so astounding that it took his breath away. He stared blankly down at the drink in his hand, then searched the room for Luna. She must be just as attuned to him as he was to her, because she stopped speaking and turned toward him, frowning thoughtfully. Her eyebrows lowered, as if she knew that something was wrong, but he couldn’t tell her, couldn’t explain.
She could be pregnant. Right at this moment, a baby could be growing inside of her. His baby! Their baby! He felt dizzy for a moment and looked around, needing to hold on to something while his world spun. But there was nothing around him and he forcibly pulled himself together. When he looked up again, Luna was coming towards him.
He should signal that he was okay, that she didn’t need to come to him. But watching her, seeing her work her way through the small groups of people that were laughing and gambling, enjoying the evening…he wanted her by his side. He wanted to announce to the whole world that she was his woman!
But that wasn’t possible. Not now. Especially not this weekend. This weekend was all about his sister, about her happiness and her wedding. Tasim wouldn’t do anything to diminish even one moment of Ella’s happiness.
“Are you okay?” Luna asked, touching his arm gently. “You looked shocked for a moment there.”
“I’m fine,” he replied, wondering if she’d considered the possibility of pregnancy. Where was she in her cycle? How probable was a conception? Damn, he wanted her to be pregnant! He wanted to roar with the possibility! And the hope!
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He noticed Stephanie waving, trying to get her attention. “Don’t worry about me. I think your assistant is trying to catch your eye. We’ll talk later.”
She nodded, frowned up at him again, then took a deep breath and headed towards Stephanie.