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Peering up at him, I asked, “Will a prince help me turn Maahnoor into a better country?”
Zain faced me, his eyes not lowering from my face. “Depends on which city’s prince you marry, Nasrin. But if they tried, maybe they can help you.”
I hummed, giving it another thought and answered with my chin high, “Then I do not wish to marry anyone else but you, Zain.”
“Why?” He breathed.
I closed my hand around his, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles, his wrist with a gentle touch. “Because even though you were cruel last night, you were honest. And as much as I hated you for speaking the truth, I needed to hear it. I admire that about you.”
“Hated?” he asked, raising his brow. “Past tense?”
“Yes, Zain.” I dipped my chin, only a little. “But I have some conditions before I marry you.”
His burning gaze danced over my body, underneath the water. My stomach dipped, the familiar pang of arousal tightening between my legs. I held my breath when Zain leaned closer, his eyes raising from my thighs to my face.
The musky, masculine scent of his cologne fused with the jasmine bath oil, creating a heady air around us. I took a deep breath, clenching my fists when he placed the loofah over the crook of my neck, slowly lathering the sensitive skin.
“Go on,” he whispered, his warm breath brushing my cheek. My eyes fluttered close, hearing his deep baritone voice. “I am listening.”
“I want to work after we get married,” I said, forcing my eyelids to open, gazing at the delicious exposed tanned skin of his neck. A little closer and I would be able to lick it.
Zain hummed, the reverberations rumbling down my spine making me clench my legs. “That can be arranged.” The small quirk on his lips assured me he had noticed what his closeness did to me. “But you have to be present with me during the festivities or important meetings regarding Azmia and Maahnoor.”
I hadn’t expected that. Maybe Zain was truly a ruler, as everyone had been talking about.
“Even though I am a woman?” I asked, remembering the rejection of my father whenever I tried to enter a political meeting. That it was not a woman’s place.
The loofah stopped on my collarbone, his eyes narrowing on me. “Being a female changes nothing. Azmia has better protection and laws for both the genders because of our women’s council. I would like it if you can join the women's council after the marriage. It would help me with a few of the decisions.”
I was in awe. It seemed like the person I had met the night before was just being a sultan, but the man in front of me was Sultan and human and Zain, caring about his people, their needs and wants.
“Of course, I will help you.” I licked my lips, “It will be my honor.”
He smiled, my heart tightening at the sight of it. Illegal, it should be illegal for Zain Al Latif to smile at me without giving me a warning. “You can work as a vet, I do not mind.”
His charcoal eyes drifted to my collarbone, continuing his work when the loofah pressed just above my breasts. “But I won’t allow my wife to overwork and strain her little body.”
Heat burned between us, my chest arching for his touch. “So bossy, Sultan Zain.”
“May I?” He asked, his eyes lowering to my hardened nipples.
I nodded, sitting straighter in the bath. Not because he asked me too, but because I wanted to. Okay, that was a poor lie. I wanted him to see me. See how much he affected me, even though he was bathing me fully clothed.
“If it’s okay, I do not want you to get married again, and tell me before you get any mistresses.” I looked down at the soapy water, not wanting him to see me. “Don’t lie to me, Zain.”
“I promise to stay monogamous throughout our entire marriage, Nasrin,” he said, his voice firm with authority. I held in my gasp when his warm fingers held my jaw to make me look at him, his touch soft. “I don’t wish to warm anyone’s but your bed—ourbed. And I would never lie to you, Princess.”
I nodded, his eyes taking in my reaction. I knew he wasn’t the type of man to have an affair or mistresses, but I had to be sure. I wanted to know if there was anyone else he cared about… or loved. Surely, he must have slept with more women than I can count on my fingers. He was the Sultan of the most powerful country in the Middle East after all, I had to know.
“Why do I feel that there is something else you want to say?” he urged, head tilting to the side.
In the dim light of the bathroom, the dark strands of his hair seemed tinted with blue, his sharp jaw and cheekbones making him look otherworldly. It intimidated me how easily I could forget that he was a sultan and I was a princess of the country he had a rivalry with. If he wished, he could marry me in a day and keep me in a dungeon, keep me caged. If he wished, he didn’t have to accept my wishes, my conditions.
But he didn’t.
I had to say it. Licking my lips, I parted them, my eyes burning when his lowered to my wet lips. “I don’t want you to touch me without my consent.”
Ice drenched his features when he stilled, the swirling emotions fading from his eyes as they turned cold. His hand pulled away, and I had the strangest urge to get closer and feel the warmth of his hand on my skin again.