Page 14 of Out of Office Nights (Royals of Cartana #2)

But…that didn’t mean she couldn’t use whichever persona he presented as fuel.

Explore it. Her senses jumped in that familiar and oh-so-welcome way it did when she was on the right path.

It wasn’t as potent as the euphoria of creating her very first collection, but it was a start.

And she would cling to it with everything she—

‘Tell me what’s going on in that clever brain,’ he invited silkily.

She resisted excited flutters at his compliment. ‘Nuance. Layers. Blinding light and deep shadow.’

Several beats of silence, when he leaned closer, not quite invasive, but near enough to make her painfully aware of every inch of his perfect face. ‘And what brought that on?’ he asked, even silkier, his eyes drilling holes in her.

You . She bit her tongue before that fell out. It would stroke his already over-inflated ego. And worse, she would reveal her unsettled feelings about him.

‘I’ve learned it’s best to just invite the muse to make herself comfortable, not to question her too much in case…’ Silly superstition made her bite her tongue again.

His brows rose, the beginnings of humour lighting his silver eyes. ‘Surely you’re not afraid of your own muse?’

‘We’re not all equipped with the power to command them at will.’

‘No, you’re not,’ he tossed out with pure conceit.

He stepped away, and she immediately wished him back in her space, filling her senses with his intoxicating scent. Because when he was doing that, she didn’t have to think about the fragile transition of transferring her thoughts and elusive vision into reality.

He retrieved the sleek tablet he’d brought with him. Then, striding over to the sofa, he folded his towering figure into the sofa. Again, he’d avoided her grandmother’s chair. Again, Sabeen was secretly grateful. And a little disarmed at his unconscious sensitivity.

‘Well? What are you waiting for?’ he taunted without looking up from his screen.

Curbing the childish urge to roll her eyes, she pulled out a dining room chair, and for the first time in a long time, pure anticipation and adrenaline poured through her veins as she picked up her sketch-pad.

Her first inkling of time passing was when his shadow fell over her. Even then, her pencil raced over the sheet. She felt his fierce intensity. Tapped into it shamelessly with breath held. Almost there.

Almost…

She startled when his hand dropped over hers, stilling her fingers.

‘Time for a break,’ he said firmly.

‘No! I just… Wait, what are you doing?’

The pencil was plucked from her fingers and tossed onto the table. Only then did she notice the cramp in her hand, the bites of discomfort in her back, hip joints and neck.

Redirecting her gaze, she winced as a spasm twitched in her shoulder. That earned her a raised brow.

‘It’s been four hours. It’s time for lunch.’

Her gaze darted to the window. The shadows cast by light through the windows had shifted significantly.

The scent of food then caught her attention. ‘You ordered food?’

‘If Farah’s influence is reaping results for you, I’m not going to hold back from it. My security picked up our order ten minutes ago. Time to eat,’ he insisted, his gaze raking her face for several seconds before shifting to the sketches.

Sabeen held her breath, her senses jumping as she waited for his verdict. He withheld it. Turning, he went over to the wicker basket covered with a folded chequered tablecloth, picked it up and headed for the small, walled courtyard outside the living room.

Throttling her disquiet, she followed, her surprise increasing when she saw the set table, complete with a small carafe of wine. He’d done all this while she’d been lost in her work.

It’s merely for expediency.

She stressed that to herself repeatedly as he pulled out a chair, saw her seated before taking his own and dished out another lavish meal.

Sabeen couldn’t fault the food, her appetite voracious as she ate.

But her gaze repeatedly strayed from Teo to the sketches she could see from where she sat.

Eventually, her frustration outed in a pent-up breath. ‘Are you going to keep me in suspense?’

Like last night, he took his time to answer, sipping his coffee. ‘Did you not agree on delayed gratification being a good thing?’

‘No. I didn’t,’ she said through clenched teeth. ‘Do you get off on riling me up?’ she blurted before she thought better of it.

‘ Get off ? Not entirely. But it makes a difference from that tiresome cloak of equanimity.’

So you like your women spirited?

She thanked heaven the question remained locked tight inside her. Why did she care how Teo liked his women?

‘So order through chaos is your mantra? Or are you more of the pressure-makes-diamonds school of thought?’

His eyes glinted. ‘Tell me what you’re feeling right now.’

She suspected he wanted another unbalanced admission. She wanted to scream because right in this moment, he held all the answers.

‘Like I have more to uncover.’ The state of panic and inadequacy had lessened but not dissipated. And her heart jumped at the thought of reclaiming her sketch-pad.

‘Deeper?’ he prompted.

Her heart flipped. For some absurd reason, her gaze dropped to his mouth. It wasn’t twisting with sardonicism. Or twitching with cruel mockery. It would always be intensely sensual, and she admitted she couldn’t look at it without remembering that torrid kiss.

But right now it was lightly pursed. Contemplative. Expectant.

‘Yes.’

‘ Muy bien ,’ he said then pushed a mouth-watering plate of honey-drizzled almond tarts towards her. ‘First, finish your dessert.’

Just to stop herself from growling her frustration at him and because they were simply divine, Sabeen ate the dessert.

‘Two? Are you kidding me?’

Fury sizzled over her skin. Consternation too.

She’d just watched him burn all but two of the sketches she’d painstakingly spent the whole day working on. That urge to scream spiked again.

She swallowed it down. How had she thought he was anything but what she’d labelled him? He’d been toying with her emotions all along.

Just like…

She speared her fingers through her hair, more to dislodge thoughts of Nathan than anything else, but there was disappointment as well.

‘Are you going to say something or just sit there?’ she threw at him.

He studied her, arms folded across his chest as he perched with one hip propped against the dining table, watching her unravel.

‘Are you taking pleasure in this?’

‘Pleasure? Not entirely,’ he repeated the phrase from before, annoying her even further.

A rough sound escaped from her, unable to be bottled.

For some reason that made his eyes glint, almost encouraging as he watched her pace. Sabeen forced herself to stop and face him, mimicking his posture with arms folded. ‘What the hell is going on?’

‘You’re upset because I’m not hailing your first venture as some extraordinary breakthrough.’

Yes , she wanted to snap. Her gaze swung to where her sketches were now nothing but ash. ‘I sure as hell wasn’t expecting that,’ she said, anger destabilising her voice.

He remained unmoved, not even bothering to glance down at the two sketches he’d deigned to keep. ‘I spent seven hours sketching them.’

‘And in those seven hours, all you did was welcome your muse to take a seat and put its feet up and then refuse to make it work for you. Besides all you’re doing with these barely adequate offerings is indulging the fear gripping you.’

Her mouth dropped open, words failing her at how shockingly intuitive he was. ‘It still doesn’t excuse you burning my work.’

‘No? How else will you do what you promised? How else will you stop wasting time on the surface?’

She gathered her anger like a protective cloak. Her euphoria was completely extinguished, but the panic hadn’t returned with it. Instead determination burned through her. Determination to prove him wrong. Determination to be able to throw her brilliance in his face.

‘The next time you burn my work, we’re done.’

‘Next time you produce mediocre work, I won’t need to burn it. You’ll burn it yourself,’ he predicted in that soft rumble that so mesmerised her.

‘It infuriates me that you think you know me on any level.’

His mouth twitched. ‘I’m aware. Right now, you’re torn between slapping my face and getting back to sketching, just so you can show me how brilliant you are. You’re going to do neither.’

‘Wanna bet?’

Silver eyes turned molten. ‘Will you risk slapping me, knowing what might happen if you did?’ he queried gruffly.

Anger turned to desire. Which she pushed far away, ignoring the fireworks fizzling through her.

She forced her eyes to roll in exasperation. Then froze when he slowly straightened and ambled over to her. His arms unfolded to brace his hands on his lean hips.

He wasn’t going to kiss her. She didn’t want him to. Did she?

‘If you’re about to ask me how I feel, then you must be blind,’ she hastily said.

‘As much as this show of temper intrigues me, I’m more interested in the appetite it’s worked up.’

She frowned. ‘I’m not—’ She stopped herself.

Because, in fact, she was hungry. The hours had sped by again after lunch, and it was approaching sundown when he’d inspected her sketches before casually strolling across the room, lighting a fire in the hearth, and to her shocked anger, burning her work right before her eyes.

Now she watched him turn away.

‘Come on. Our reservation is in fifteen minutes.’

‘What makes you think I’m coming with you?’

‘Because you agreed to do whatever I say, tesoro .’

She pursed her lips, refusing to honour that with another outburst. She’d already exposed too much emotion around this man.

He stopped in the hallway, lancing her with a narrow-eyed look. ‘Are you reneging on the agreement?’

‘You’d love that, wouldn’t you?’

His mouth didn’t twitch as she expected. In fact, his gaze was deadly serious as he looked into her eyes. ‘No, I wouldn’t. Come. Or don’t,’ he taunted with deadly ferocity.

He wasn’t calling her bluff.

Whatever was driving him—and she sensed it was something bigger than just perfecting his next collection—would only accommodate her so far. She could lament her burnt work, or she could step up to the next challenge if she truly wanted this. He opened the front door and stepped out. Out of view.

Sabeen fought that invisible tug pulling at her for a mere second. She arrived to find him leaning against his motorbike. Holding two helmets.

‘I find riding releases tension,’ he stated. ‘Unless you wish to hang on to it, of course.’

‘Stop doing that!’

‘What exactly?’

‘Pretending you’re giving me choices then reminding me I’m under your royal thumb. It’s annoying.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘There’s barely any food in your fridge. I checked. So unless you planned on going to bed on an empty stomach just to spite yourself, we’re going out.’

Striding forward she snatched the helmet from him and slotted it over her head.

‘It’s on backwards, carina .’

That sound escaped again. He didn’t react. Merely took control, readjusting the helmet and securing the chin strap. Then securing his own, he mounted the bike.

Up close, he looked even more magnificent atop the powerful machine. Dragging her gaze from him she belatedly registered she was still wearing her shorts and top.

At some point, she’d slipped on a pair of flats. But her hair was loosening from its morning knot, and she had zero make-up on. ‘I need to change.’

He treated her to another head-to-toe scrutiny that left tiny fireworks in their wake then reached into a hidden compartment and brought out a leather jacket. ‘No need. You’re perfectly fine as you are.’ The slight thickness in his tone sent more sparks through her.

Those sparks sizzled faster when he held out his jacket. ‘The wind can be uncomfortable if you’re not used to it.’

She stared from the soft, expensive leather to his face, frustration joining the soup of sensations bubbling through her.

Sabeen seriously wished he would just pick a lane and stick to it, so she would be free of this rollercoaster.

Or maybe that was what he wanted? To keep her unbalanced and at his mercy?

Why did that send an unwilling thrill through her when she should be shoring up her foundations, ensuring there were no cracks leading to temptation?

Determination kicked her harder, firming her own resolve. She’d sworn in New York she wouldn’t succumb. She would see this through, no matter what. She reached for the jacket. He shook his head.

‘Turn around.’

Determination wavered for a single moment, but she powered through it, turned and let him tuck her into the garment that’d graced his body. Smelling the scent that only grew more heady with each encounter, she wanted to give up and let temptation take her where it desired.

A loud scooter blaring down the alley jolted her out of the insane notions circling her brain. ‘Can we go, please?’

He studied her for another stretch then pointed to a pedal.

‘Step up here.’ She followed his instruction and swung one leg over the seat.

Its slant instantly angled her body forward.

She’d known she would have to hold onto him for the ride, but faced with reality, every sense shivered with the power of the fireworks erupting inside her.

Pursing her lips, she perched her hands over his shoulders, only to feel his muscles moving beneath her fingertips. It took a moment to register the low rumble of his laughter…directly inside the helmet.

‘That’s not going to work, Sabeen. You need to put your arms around me.’

‘Is that absolutely necessary?’

He turned his head and hooked her with a penetrative stare. ‘To ensure your safety, sí . It’s non-negotiable.’

She glanced over to where his bodyguards waited in a perfectly safe, roomy SUV. Before she could voice her change of heart, he’d turned the ignition. The machine vibrating between her legs made her gasp. A thrill of excitement she didn’t even know she craved until that moment slamming into her.

‘Arms. Now.’

Tilting her hips forward, she slowly slid her arms around him. He was warm. Hard. His six-pack rippled beneath her fingers. And…did he just tense? Or was that her? It didn’t matter. They were moving. Another gasp caught as they rolled to the end of her narrow street.

‘Hold tight. Follow the motions of my body. Lean into the corners with me. Okay?’

‘Okay.’ Surely it was the helmet’s acoustics turning her voice husky.

He took off, and Sabeen got why people went crazy over motorbikes. Why he’d rebelled against his usual transport for this.

The unfettered freedom was exhilarating. The smooth, coiled power of his body as he manoeuvred the bike almost theatrically beautiful.

It was when she felt her nipples pebbling, her belly dipping and heat pooling between her legs that she knew she was in trouble.

Because after they reached their destination and Teo helped her off, his gaze watchful, emotions continued to roil through her.