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“Sheisa student of their school,” Malik said wearily.

“Then have her transfer,” the king snapped.

“And if the same thing happens?” Malik demanded. “Must I have her transfer every time such things occur?” His tone turned bitter. “Must I have Kyria experience such hardship because I was foolish and selfish enough to fall in love with my own sister?”

“Lueta, Malik.” Khalil nearly slammed his fist against his desk in a fit of frustration. “Why are you speaking such nonsense now? It is not as if these thoughts had never occurred to you in the past.”

“They had.”

“And yet you continued to love her, and now, from what I’ve heard, she appears to love you back.”

Malik didn’t answer right away. In his mind, he saw her looking up at him, innocent and beautiful. In his mind, he heard her say the words—-

I love you, Malik.

His fist clenched. She had said it so simply, so sweetly, said it like she had meant every word. But how could she? He had known that he was in love with her for years. But what basis could Kyria have to know she indeed felt the same way about him?

“Is that the problem?” the king demanded. “You think she does not love you?”

“The problem,” Malik said with a bleak laugh, “is that I never let myself imagine that she would love me back. And somehow, even now, I can’t seem to make myself believe that she does. That she could ever love me.”

“This is Kyria, for Allah’s sake. She’s adored you for almost her entire life—-”

“As a brother,” Malik interrupted tonelessly. “But I do not want her as a brother. I do not want her as my sister, and heaven be damned, Khalil, but what if this all turned out to be a mistake? What if she has only confused infatuation with love? How can I let her face tomorrow’s hearing and have her subjected to vile words when there shouldn’t be a reason for her to be there in the first place?”

It was almost midnight by the time Malik’s call with the king ended and arrangements for tomorrow had been finalized. After leaving the study, he began to look for Kyria around the suite, all the while wondering what exactly he could say upon finding her.

Maybe it was better if he left everything to be discussed tomorrow, the sheikh thought heavily as he closed the doors of the empty balcony and moved farther down the hallway, his footsteps falling noiselessly on the carpet. To his surprise, he didn’t find her in his room either, which was where Kyria usually waited for him every time she expected him to return late.

Could she have left, Malik wondered tensely.What if she had found out about tomorrow’s hearing from someone else?

Pausing outside her door, he breathed hard and told himself he would react...calmly if she were indeed gone. If he learned that she had indeed left him of her own volition and for whatever reason, he would...accept it.

Malik reached for the knob, and it turned silently in his fingers as the door opened.

He sucked in his breath.

The first thing he saw was Kyria, lying on the bed, and she was touching herself.

****

IN THE WEEK OR SO THATshe had spent with Malik, it was quite rare for the sheikh to leave her alone, and whenever he did, it was with the utmost reluctance and only for the most drastic of reasons. Tonight, unfortunately, was one of those nights.I need to speak with the king, the sheikh had said rather abruptly on their ride back to the hotel. And because he only tended to refer to Khalil as his ‘king’ in circumstances related to the state, Kyria had nodded understandingly.

She might have been looking forward to tonight’s intimacies, but she would never be so selfish as to be an obstacle that could prevent Malik from performing his duties as the king’s vassal.

So whatever happens, Kyria had told herself,I’ll wait patiently for him.

This, however, was easier said than done, and when it was close to midnight and the sheikh had yet to return, Kyria threw herself on her bed and stared up at her ceiling blankly. This time of the day was her special time with the sheikh, a time when she could succumb to his—-

Oh!

The images that flashed in her mind made her wince, a part of her still unable to believe how her mind kept diving back into the gutter every time she thought of Malik. It was mortifying, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself.

Her eyes closed, and she found herself imagining him again, lingering on each part of his body—-

His hair made her think of how she loved to clutch his head whenever he went down on her. His handsome face made her imagine of how he would look if she gave him her virginity. His back made her wonder if she would end up scratching it when they made love.

Everything about Malik made her think of sex, really, and her fixation with it just kept growing and growing.