The Sheik's Furious Bride (Love By Accident) (17 page)

Perhaps they could have a discussion about
how she could help
over dinner that evening.  Isla’s step picked up as the thought of being with Hussan, all alone once again and maybe even dining in her bedroom again?  She wouldn’t put a name to what she was feeling though.  She just enjoyed the anticipation of having a long, quiet conversation about her future responsibilities with a man she was starting to….respect. 

She let that word roll around in her mind for a moment and then nodded.  Yes, she was genuinely starting to respect the man she was going to marry and that was definitely a good thing.  My goodness, she thought, smiling as she turned the corner of the main hallway, what a difference one day could make in a person’s attitude! 

She was in her closet, considering the various outfits she could wear for dinner with Hussan, her fingers running over several of the dresses and wondering what his favorite color might be.  She showered, using some of her favorite rose scented soap that Zarah had sweetly sent along with her other makeup and clothing.  She mentally made a note to send her sister a thank you note.  She’d been very sweet and considerate in sending these items.  She would have felt very vulnerable if she’d been forced to wear the same outfit she’d been in yesterday, not to mention going about the palace without makeup on.  She wasn’t
ugly,
she just didn’t want Hussan to see her without makeup.

She bit her lip, remembering their shower earlier in the day.  He’d seen h
er then, hadn’t he?  She hadn’t cleaned her makeup off last night, so she couldn’t imagine how she’d looked in the shower. 

She shrugged her shoulders.  The man hadn’t seemed to mind her appearance one little bit, if her memory served correctly!  She shivered deliciously at the memory, wondering if he might be interested in a repeat of the previous night. 

Not that she was falling in love with him, she told herself sternly.  There was no way she could fall in l
ove with a man after two
day
s
.  She was just….impressed with him. 

She picked up a dark blue silk dress that came down just past her knees, skimming along her figure and hugging her waist
and
wrapping elegantly around her breasts
then
up over her shoulders in an elaborate twist.   She liked the way this dress made her eyes look darker, as if they were a rich brown instead of a hazel-like brown.   Even her hair
appeared
more lush and darker with this color.  She smiled, wondering why she’d never worn this dress before.  She’d chosen it spur of the moment during one of her shopping
trips to Paris last year but she’d never had an occasion to wear it.  Perhaps tonight would be the ideal time? 

She smiled secretly, hoping that the dress was subtle enough to
keep
her pride intact but send
out the right message.  The message being that she wanted Hussan to take her into his arms and make her feel so incredibly wonderful, just like he had last night. 

Was she wanton? 

She twisted to see her reflection and shook her head.  She didn’t care!  Yesterday, she’d fought against him touching her.  Today, all she wanted to do was have him touch her and teach her more about this
lovemaking
business. 

They dined together that night, but there were also about fifteen others, members of his cabinet who also sat at the table and shared their meal.  Isla wondered why she was even required to be here
as she sat miserably next to the man who completely ignored her
. 
Hussan
didn’t have time to talk to her, nor did she enjoy the meal since it was painfully bland again.  The meat was tough, the various grains
that were
served had almost no flavor to them and were chewy instead of being interesting and the vegetables were steamed with no flavorings other than salt. 

She picked at her meal, wondering what she could do to help
with the meals and maybe even with palace life in general
.  She could probably endure being ignored,
even though she was wearing an absolutely stunning dress and Hussan was a great big lout for not mentioning how nice she looked,
but she could
not
deal with bad meals.  Again, she wondered why
Hussan
was putting up with poor food when he should be served a feast.  The man was a mystery, but as she sat at the table, she determined that she would figure him out.  She had nothing better to do, she thought. 

She refused to admit to herself that unraveling the mystery that was
Hussan
was more of a personal need.  She would only tell herself that she was interested because she was forced to marry him. 

After three hours at the table, she stood up. 
Hussan
didn’t even glance her way when she excused herself and most of the men barely nodded in her direction.  She considered it a slight, but knew she’d have to gain their respect. 

Before dessert was served, she excused herself and walked out of the dining room, furious when
Hussan
didn’t even nod in her direction. 
She walked down the hallway back to her bedroom, wanting to tear the dress off and toss it into the trashcan.  She hated that man!  He’d completely ignored her during the meal, he hadn’t even noticed when she’d left and he was just a jerk to have not mentioned that they would be dining with every single one of his department heads.  When was it her time with him?  She didn’t want a great deal of his time, but she was going to put her foot down and demand that meal times be just for them. 

It wasn’t an unreasonable request, she grumbled as she ripped the zipper down her back and wiggled out of the dress.  In her mind, she knew that she should hang it up carefully in her closet so she could wear it for another occasion.  But she was just too angry and she wadded the silk material up and
shoved it into the trash can of her bathroom.  She pulled on a white, silk robe, tying it at the waist and slumped into one of the overstuffed chairs
and glared at the wall.  It was only nine o’clock in the evening.  She was tired, but didn’t feel like going to bed.  Unfortunately, she didn’t have a book, didn’t have a clear mission or the resources to research her mission.  She was at loose ends. 

Suddenly, she stood up and walked to her closet.  Isla tossed her robe onto a chair, then pulled on a pair of comfortable khaki slacks and a red shirt, uncaring if she didn’t look appropriate for the hallways.  She wanted to find out more about the palace and she was going to do it.  Maybe she’d even run into a library and could find something to read.  There was a television in her room, but she hated watching TV, thinking that most of the shows were ridiculous and the others were just mindless. 

Isla looked to the right and left of
the hallway, this one a new direction
that she’d chosen at random.  She wanted to explore her new home even if her fiancé was going to ignore her. 

She found several other rooms, not sure what their purpose was for, but at the end of the hallway, she finally found a library filled with all sorts of books from different eras.  Some were torn up and she could tell that some in one corner had been burned, most likely during the war, but for the most part, they were intact. 

She ran her finger over several of the titles, but none really interested her.  She finally came across one of the classics and pulled it down off the shelf. She’d read this one before, but it was a good story and at least it was something to do besides being angry with her obnoxious fiancé. 

She slowly walked back to her bedroom, wishing there was another place she could curl up and read.  She loved the room, but also wanted to be out of it at times.  Surely there was a living room or den type area where Hussan relaxed once the business of the day was finished. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Hussan demanded as soon as she slipped back into her room.

Isla jumped and spun around, almost dropping the book in her surprise at seeing him there in her room.  “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” he replied, striding over to her and looming when he was about an inch from her.  “Where have you been since you left the dining room?”

“Why do you want to know?” she asked angrily
, wanting to poke him in the chest but knowing it would only hurt her finger
.

“Because you’re my responsibility!
  You didn’t have your guards with you and you weren’t here in your room.  I’ve been here for at least five minutes and no one knew your whereabouts.”

She was furious with him now.  He’d ignored her during dinner and now he was accusing her of
hiding?  How ridiculous.  “If you wanted to know where I was so badly, perhaps you could have spoken a few words to me over dinner!”

His eyes widened slightly with her accusation. 
“Is that what this is about?  Are you just miffed because I had
work
to do?”

She sputtered out her anger. 
“Work?
  You never stop working!  How about just a little bit of recognition that I’m in the room?”

He almost rolled his eyes, but didn’t because he sensed that this was something important to her, although he didn’t completely understand why she was yelling back at him.  In his mind, she was in the wrong and he was still furious over the fear he’d been feeling when he couldn’t find her a moment ago. 
“Don’t be ridiculous!  I knew you were there.”

“Then you could have given me some sort of clue!  I dressed…” she stopped herself before she revealed too much.  “Just get out!  I don’t need you to loom over me all the time.  I have a good book and don’t need
your
company at all.”

Hussan suddenly realized what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.  She was upset that he hadn’t noticed that she’d dolled herself up for him.  She’d almost said that she’d dressed especially to impress him and he’d ignored her efforts.  He felt bad on the one hand, but the more powerful emotion was a
fierce
surge of lust that she wanted him to see her dressed in that gown.  It had been an incredible dress and as soon as she’d walked in, he’d wanted to grab her and make love to her right there.  But his department heads were in the room.  He’d invited all of them for dinner because there was so much more to discuss.  When she’d walked in, he’d instantly regretted his decision, wishing he could dismiss all of them so he could simply sit across the table and feast his eyes on her incredible figure encased in that beautiful work of art.  But he’d had to be disciplined and finish the discussion, not show any weakness around his men.  He wanted them to be just as disciplined and he led by example. 

Instantly, his anger dissipated and he was touched by her efforts for him. 
“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings over dinner,” he said with a softer tone of voice.  He looked down at her hands, noticed the book and figured out that she’d just found the library down the west hallway.  He’d discovered many treasures in that room himself, wished he could lose himself in several of the great books held on the shelves, but had to get this government steadier before he could indulge.  He glanced at the title and nodded his approval. “Good choice.”

Isla blinked and tried to catch up with his change of subject.  “Wait a minute.  Aren’t we fighting?” she asked, and looked up at
him
with confusion. 

“We were,” he agreed.
  He grinned and pulled her closer.  “Now we aren’t.” 

She pushed her hands against his chest and shook her head. 
“Oh no you don’t!
  You’re not going to just ignore me one moment and then expect me to fall into your arms at your convenience!  That isn’t the way this game is going to play out.”

He laughed softly and captured her hands. 
“Oh really?”
  His voice was deep and husky and he loved the way she thought she could have her way.  “How about if you explain to me the way you see this playing
out?” he suggested as his mouth descended to her neck, nibbling along the muscles and making her shiver. 

“Stop!” she gasped and tried to turn her head away.  “I’m saying no.  I’m saying it loud and clear!”

He lifted his head up and looked down at her with a strange light in his eyes.  “That was our agreement last night and you said yes.  It no longer applies.
  Besides, your lips are saying no, but your body is clinging to me and screaming out a louder yes.
”

She hoped he couldn’t feel the way her body was quivering in anticipation because she felt that this was an important point. 
“Hussan, please don’t do this.  I’m angry and you’ve hurt my feelings.  You said you wanted to get to know me last night and yet here you are, not paying attention to anything I’m saying to you.”

Hussan froze and for a moment,
Isla
wasn’t sure if he would pay attention to her.  She knew that he could easily get her to not just participate, but be an active
contributor
who demanded as much as she received during the physical side.  But she couldn’t just forgive him for tonight’s actions.  He’d really hurt her feelings, hadn’t confided in her the evening’s plans or she would have worn something different and now he was trying to push those feelings aside as if they were irrelevant.  She needed to stand her ground and fight for her dignity or he’d do this to her again.