‘So you had arranged to see her?’
It took Zach a full minute to shift his focus from what his mind was trying to tell him to what Farah had asked. When he did, he grimaced. ‘Yes, but that was before we married and as I said before, I have no intention of being unfaithful to you. You said you believed me.’
She moved over to the wall of windows and stared outside. ‘I do.’
Zach sucked in a slow breath. He’d expected her to be happy at his declaration so he was beyond perturbed when she ignored him in favour of staring out at the darkness. Did that mean she didn’t believe him?
‘I can see the look of doubt on your face but I’m telling you the truth.’ Amy really was in his past because, regardless of what happened between him and Farah, it had been obvious to Zach tonight that his brother had called it right about Amy years ago.
Wanting to eradicate the far away look on Farah’s face, he slipped his hand down to hold hers, coming into contact with the silk purse he’d vaguely noticed on the drive to the apartment. ‘What’s this?’
She stared at it as if she didn’t realise she was still holding it. ‘Chocolates. They were giving them out at the party. Do you want one?’
No, he didn’t want one. ‘I want to know whether you believe that I will be faithful to you first.’
‘I do.’
‘Farah—’
‘They’re dark, though,’ she said, holding up the chocolates as if that somehow made a difference. Personally Zach couldn’t care if they were gold-coated and he frowned at the bag.
‘You do like dark chocolate, don’t you?’
He heard the tremor in her voice and sighed. ‘I love dark chocolate.’
That made her lip tremble even more and yet again he found himself at a loss as to how to communicate with this woman. So he said nothing, just stared out at the dark bay beyond the window and waited.
‘Dark, isn’t it?’
Zach’s eyebrows drew down. They were going to talk about the weather now? ‘That it is.’
He tried to keep the impatience from his voice when he answered but he wasn’t sure he’d succeeded when she stiffened.
‘I could have chosen white chocolate instead.’
What the— ‘Farah?’ He turned her to face him and saw a glittering wetness in her eyes. If this was Amy’s doing he’d throttle her. ‘Habiba, sweetheart... What’s...?’
‘Am I too dark for you?’
He shook his head. ‘Too dark?’
‘My skin, my hair, my eyes. I realised tonight that I’ve only ever seen you photographed with fair-haired women and Luke said you had never intended to marry a Bakaani woman. Is that why...? Is that...?’
Zach swore roughly. Perhaps he’d bury Luke and Amy together. ‘Listen to me,’ he ordered. ‘I did say that once but I was young and stupid and rebelling against my father’s expectations of me. I’m married to you now so none of that matters. It’s in the past.’
* * *
Was it?
Farah desperately wanted to believe him, she really did, but it wasn’t easy. How could he want her when she so obviously didn’t fit his criteria of the ideal woman? And, oh, how she hated the feeling of insecurity that rose up inside her. The feeling that no matter how hard she tried she would never be good enough.
Placing her hands flat against the window, she spread her fingers out like starfish against the cool glass. The move gave her a sense of vertigo and she suddenly knew what was at the root of her current mood. She suddenly knew why it was so important that Zach hadn’t chosen her and why Amy and Luke’s comments had hurt so much. She suddenly understood that, even though she had guarded her heart so closely and for so long, she had done the foolish thing of falling in love with her husband.
She, who had imagined that such a thing would never happen to her. She, who had always believed that love and marriage limited a woman’s chance at happiness—and still did. Bile collected at the base of her throat. How had she been so stupid?
‘Farah.’ Zach stepped in behind her and splayed his fingers over the top of hers, somehow anchoring her when what she wanted was to spin out into the ether and never come back. Holding her hips roughly, he pressed his groin against her bottom, his erection hard and unyielding through the denim of his jeans.
Sweet sensation swept through her and she couldn’t prevent a small gasp from escaping her lips as instant heat and moisture collected at the juncture of her thighs.