Page 24

Rafi walked into the family dining room, irritated and confused. Unfortunately, Laith hadn’t arrived yet. So he stomped over to the bar and poured himself a scotch, then downed it in one gulp, hissing as the burn traveled down his throat.

“Getting drunk won’t help,” a female voice announced.

Rafi turned to find his cousin, Angela, walking into the room.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked teasingly.

His angry mood melted away as he hugged Angela.

She was followed by her husband, Sheik Tiro of Ginisia.

Before Angela had tamed the bastard, Sheik Tiro had been one of Lativa’s enemies.

Now…well, Rafi was starting to respect the guy.

“Why are you here?”

Angela went to the bar and set out two more glasses, then poured more scotch into all three. “Sip this one,” she warned, giving Rafi a mock-irritated glare. “This is the good stuff. Uncle Khal might shoot you if he catches you downing it like you just did.”

Rafi chuckled and shrugged. “Fair enough.”

Laith walked in right then, so Angela poured another glass. “Hey there, cuz,” she called out, handing him a glass while also hugging him with her other arm.

“Hello, Oh Irritating One,” Laith replied, hugging Angela back while also glaring playfully at Tiro over her head. “Is he still treating you right?”

Angela laughed, glancing over her shoulder at her husband, who rolled his eyes, amused. “Definitely!” she replied.

Laith and Rafi both groaned when they saw the heat in Tiro’s eyes as he smiled at his wife.

“Stop that!” Laith grumbled, turning away.

He settled onto one of the comfortable sofas, one that was more comfortable than the silk covered, hard as hell monstrosities that decorated the public rooms of the palace.

“So, what has my brother so irritated?” Laith asked the room while staring at Rafi.

Rafi lifted an eyebrow, but before he could respond, Zayn, their other cousin, and next in line to the throne, barged into the room.

“He’s hard up for a woman,” Zayn announced.

“Poor bastard.” He poured himself a double portion of scotch, then took a hefty swallow, baring his teeth as the burn sizzled down his throat.

He dropped down onto the sofa next to Angela.

“So is Laith, for that matter. It’s such a pity that they have no idea how to romance a woman properly. ”

“And you do?” Laith grumbled, shifting slightly. Angela stood up and moved over to sit on her husband’s lap, wrapping her arm around his neck as she leaned into him.

“I haven’t had a problem so far,” Zayn responded with a smug expression.

“Don’t worry,” Rafi replied, lifting his glass in mock salute. “You’ll fall as hard as the rest of us.”

“So we’re all aware that Laith is struggling with his love life,” Angela said, turning to look at Rafi. “What’s up with you?”

“He’s in love with a woman in the marketing department,” Laith blurted.

“That’s great!” Angela gasped. “What’s her name? Why isn’t she here to meet all of us?”

Rafi frowned at his twin for a moment, then turned to Angela. “She’s not here because she had to work.”

“What did you do to mess it up?” Zayn asked pointedly, sipping his scotch.

“Nothing!” Rafi growled, then stood up to pace. “She told me about her past. Her father walked out on her for another woman. Then the ass remarried and basically abandoned Carys.”

“So what are you doing to show her that you won’t abandon her?” Angela asked, her tone softer now.

Rafi ran a hand through his short, dark hair.

“I took her to a cabin in Colorado, but she wouldn’t let me buy her anything, which irritated the hell out of me.

” He turned and walked toward the windows fronting a dramatic courtyard.

“She’s becoming a wine expert and we explored the city.

Although we have a great time, every time we’re together, it feels like she’s pulling away.

It’s so frustrating! I don’t know how to get through to her! ”

“Have you considered talking to her?” Laith asked.

Rafi turned, glaring at his brother. “Do you think I haven’t tried?

” He sighed, running a hand through his hair again.

“Every time I try, she just…,” he paused, not wanting to admit to his brother and cousins that, every time he tried to talk to her, Carys distracted him with kisses.

Unfortunately, he wanted her so much that it worked every time.

She just had to kiss him or, hell, simply smile at him, and Rafi was so turned on he could barely think straight.

Hell, he couldn’t count the number of times that he’d forgotten to use protection because he was just too hot for Carys.

And that thought made him freeze. No protection. Carys…they hadn’t used protection about half the time when they’d made love!

Even more startling, Rafi couldn’t remember the last time Carys had had her period! Every time he’d come to her, she’d been more than welcoming. In his experience, women didn’t like having sex while they were menstruating. In the past, he hadn’t cared.

But…Carys was different! He’d never walk out on her.

Hell, if she’d been on her period, Rafi knew that he would have been perfectly fine just holding her for the night.

He would have gotten her chocolate or a heating pad or whatever the hell women needed while on their periods!

Rafi had no idea what women needed since he’d just vacate the area whenever the woman he’d been seeing had been indisposed.

He hadn’t cared enough to learn how to support women on their periods.

But with Carys, he cared! He cared a hell of a lot!

“Oh hell!” he grumbled, then set his crystal glass down on the low coffee table, nearly running in his haste to grab his phone.

Laith stared at the doorway through which his brother had just disappeared. “What just happened?”

Tiro snorted. “I think your brother just realized that his woman might be pregnant.”

Laith stared at him for a long moment, then he swallowed hard. A split second later, he stood up and bolted from the room.

Angela laughed, then snuggled against her husband. “I guess the family history has a way of repeating itself!”

Zayn grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “No way am I sticking around for the show,” and he walked out.

“And now, we’re alone!” Tiro announced with a familiar light in his eyes.