Page 139 of Deadly Betrayal

Kaden frowned. “You trust this Dixon?”

“He’s a good guy. I’ll be back in anhour.”

Kaden nodded and Jake left them alone. Azitalooked at her husband. “This is going to take some getting usedto.”

“What is?”

“The silent communication between you two.Well, you three. You do it with Nic too.”

Kaden glanced at the door. “He… uh… went tomeet with someone who might be able to help us with Laila.”

Her heart sped up. “Help us how?”

He took her hands and kissed her palms, firstone, then the other. The soft moistness of his lips sent shiversracing up her spine. “I’ll tell you once I know if she can help,okay?”

She?Now Azita was even more curious.In her experience, few women had the power to help in matters oflaw.

Kaden chuckled and stood, drawing her to herfeet. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you get ready for bed, while Iclean this up?”

“Oh, no. You should not.” She bent to collectthe dirty dishes. “I will—”

He took her wrists and forced her up. “Azita,we come from vastly different backgrounds, and it’s going to taketime for both of us to adjust. There is one thing I need to makevery clear though: I didn’t marry you to serve me or clean up afterme.” He stroked her brow, where she was sure deep lines hadformed.

“What am I to do if not that?”

His smile was lopsided when he spoke. “We arepartners, equals. Sometimes I will clear the dishes, sometimes youwill. Sometimes I will cook, sometimes you will. See how thisworks?”

Her stomach dropped and she had to look away.“I do not cook well. Agha Faroukh hated everything I made and wouldonly eat food that Frebajanhad prepared.”

Stop babbling.

Her jaws clamped shut.

He put his hands on her shoulders andmassaged gently. “Can you boil an egg?”

“Yes. I can do that.”

“Then that’s what we’ll have. See? We canmake this work.”

“You are too good to me.”

“Nah.” He grinned. “I’m only just gettingstarted.” And with that, he gave her a light smack on herbottom.

“Oh!” Shocked into a squeal, she hopped outof his reach.

Humor crinkled the skin around his lips andhis eyes. “Go have a bath. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Azita almost tripped over her own feet as shehurried into their room. Her beautiful wedding dress hung in thecloset along with a few other pieces of clothing she’d picked up atthe bazaar on the way back from the Nikah. She took a soft whitenightdress off a hanger and carried it into the bathroom. As hotwater filled the tub, she removed her headscarf and used the pinsto put up her hair so it wouldn’t get wet. Her fingers shook andmore than one pin ended up in the sink.

This was it. In a few minutes, Kaden wouldenter the room and expect to consummate their marriage. Of course,she wanted that too. There could be no reason for Khalid to contesttheir union. But as Kaden had said, they came from very differentcultures. What if he expected more from her than Faroukh had?

As she sank into the hot water, her nervesgot the better of her. The soap slipped from her hands. There wasno doubt of it. Kaden was experienced in matters of sexual congressand he’d expect that as a widow, she would be too. How to tell himthat what they’d shared in that dark, dank, bug-infested hole inthe ground had gone far beyond anything she’d ever done with herlate husband?

Tears erupted past her tightly closed lids.She couldn’t cook, she couldn’t please a man. For all she knew, shemight not even be able to conceive. Married less than six hours,and already she was a failure as Kaden’s wife.

Faint splashes filtered through the en suitebathroom door. Kaden smiled at the vision of Azita naked and wetthat flashed across his brain. He shut the bedroom door and startedundressing. The mirror above the chest of drawers reflected histoo-happy expression. Christ. He looked like a loon. Sure it hadbeen a hell of a day, but it was going to end perfectly—with Azitain his arms.

Light from the bedside lamp glinted off hisnew ring. It looked foreign and slightly odd. Nothing he’d everhave expected to see on his finger. Yet, at the same time, it feltso right. God, he still couldn’t believe she’d said yes. That shewas his. That she would be his always.