Page 53 of The Billionaire's Timed Wife

I want to lift her, feel her thighs around my waist, raise her dress and taste the heat I know is waiting for me.

I twist a handful of her hair, pulling her mouth to mine, sucking on her lips as sweet as the dates of Rheadur, even knowing I should stop.

But before I lose myself completely in her warmth, a discreet cough sounds outside the curtain.

I leave a few soft kisses and step back, forcing myself to remember where we are.

When she opens her eyes, she looks dazed, lost, as if she can’t quite process what just happened.

“The saleswoman’s outside,” I warn.

A heartbeat later, she shoves at my chest, her breathing fast and uneven. “Get out. You shouldn’t have come in here in the first place,” she says.

I take a step back. “I don’t regret a thing.”

Chapter 25

I’m a bundle of nerves as I wait for my mother’s call.

Jazmina offered to stay with me, but I know this is something I need to do alone. After twelve years without seeing or speaking to her, I don’t want anyone witnessing our reunion, not even my best friend.

Overwhelmed by what’s about to happen, my mind seeks an escape, drifting back to the sleepless night I’ve just had.

I tossed and turned for hours, for the first time truly analyzing the giant step I’m about to take, committing myself to Kaled.

When he asked me to marry him, I felt a mix of fear and excitement in equal measure. I suppose marrying a prince is every girl’s dream, and not just any prince but the prince of my emirate.

But what happened yesterday in that elegant boutique’s fitting room made me see the vast gulf between us, not only in terms of age. In our country, it’s common for women to marry older men. I’m talking about experience.

The things he made me feel and the words he whispered still play in my mind, leaving me trembling.

What confused me the most was that I didn’t care. I felt no shame, no hesitation, simply because it felt so right to be in his arms.

It wasn’t becoming aware that the saleswoman was standing outside that made me angry but the fact that he pulled away. His self-control was far stronger than mine, and even though he wanted me, he still remembered that the world around us existed.

That realization felt almost symbolic, like a preview of what our marriage will be: him always knowing where to draw the line, being guarded, certain of what he wants. And me, surrendering completely, already falling, needing more and more.

I don’t know how to protect my heart from falling in love with Kaled. Yes, because even in my inexperience, I understand that the union he proposed doesn’t come with a promise of love.

A three-year contract. Where did I even get that idea?

And why did he agree to it? Because he truly doesn’t intend to betray me or because, deep down, he knows he won’t be faithful after that and simply doesn’t care?

After what happened in the store, he drove me home in silence.

Like the coward I am, I excused myself and ran straight to my room to change for dinner.

He took Jazmina and me to another beautiful restaurant, but this time I could hardly taste the food. I was too tense.

I could feel his eyes on me throughout the meal, and every time our gazes met, it was like sparks were flying between us. The desire was so palpable it made me dizzy.

My friend and future sister-in-law didn’t seem to notice a thing, chatting happily about her day at the spa. I tried to focus on her words, but I was completely consumed by his presence.

The sudden ring of my phone startles me, yanking me back to the present. To the real world.

I let it ring one more time before mustering the courage to answer.

“Adeela?” The voice on the other end sounds as though it’s coming straight out of my dreams.