He takes a step back after my question. “I was engaged once. She was promised to me at birth. It was what my father wanted.”
“You didn’t love her?”
“No, but I would have married her anyway. It was an alliance our families made.”
“And what happened? Why didn’t you get married?”
He looks at the sea behind me, his face devoid of emotion. “She killed herself.”
I stare at him, shocked. From the little I’ve read, just like in my religion, suicide is a sin for them. But before I can say anything, he leaves.
Chapter 24
It wasn’t my intention to talk about the past. I didn’t want to ruin the few hours we had together with a scene like that. Memories always have the power to mess with my mood.
We both fell silent for the rest of the cruise.
When we arrive at my house, I’m overcome by the need to possess her just like yesterday. To leave a mark on Madeline’s life as much as she’s doing on mine.
I’ve been watching her all day. I can’t deny that a part of me wonders if she truly is as good and pure as she seems or if she’s playing a game.
It wouldn’t be the first time a woman has pretended to be innocent to try to stay in my life for longer. In this specific case, maybe forever if the pregnancy turns out to be true.
“Thank you. The day was wonderful,” she says beside me as we walk inside my palace.
“We didn’t really get to see much, to be honest. Turkey has many special places to visit.”
We stop in the entrance hall, and I think both of us know we’re just making small talk. In Madeline’s eyes I see an invitation, reflecting the same wild desire I feel.
Up until this point in my life, it has been easy to separate sex from any other emotion, simply physical pleasure. But there’s something in Madeline that has managed to touch a part of me that no one else has ever accessed.
A cynical smile forms on my lips as I think that I’m too old to confuse lust with feelings.
But what if it’s more than that? What if there’s something in her that binds me, something that will always keep me tied to her?
No. She doesn’t belong in my world. The best thing to do is embrace the end when we return to London. If Madeline is right and the pill she takes does the job, our story ends tonight.
“Kamal?” She looks at me, sounding confused and maybe a little intimidated.
I put a hand on her waist, but I don’t pull her closer just yet. “Our last night,” I say, then I do pull her to me.
This time when I kiss her, it’s slow, like we’re savoring the moment. Something primal emerges within me as her hands rest on my shoulders, her body melting against mine.
She moans into my mouth, and the sounds Madeline makes should be saved in a bottle. They could drive a man insane just by him hearing them.
When we break the kiss, her cheeks are flushed and her breath is uneven.
Her hands move to my shirt, taking the initiative to unbutton it for the first time.
She would be terrible at poker. Not only because she can’t lie but because her face reveals everything she’s feeling.
I can see her hands shaking, and her teeth bite her lower lip as she concentrates on the task at hand.
I’m holding back from touching her. Even though it’s not in my nature to stay so passive, I’m fascinated by her courage to try and seduce me.
The shirt is completely open when she looks up at me. “I like how strong you are here,” she says, touching my abdomen. She moves closer, her mouth hovering over my skin. She smells, nibbles, then licks my chest. She lowers herself, tracing a downward path along my abdomen, and my pulse quickens.
“What are you doing?”
