"Did you really wait for me for a year?"
"Desperately," he says with a twist of his lips, and the tone of self-disgust in his voice makes my heart beat wildly.
"But does that mean you never had—-"
Sheikh Saif glares at me, and I try but fail to stop myself from beaming when I realize it's true. The sheikh has gone without sex for a year...for me!
"That's why you told your brother I didn't need to know anything about it," I realize with a grin.
"Because I know you, my beauty. You're never going to let me hear the end of it—-"
A bubble of laughter escapes me even as his words have my heart racing like mad.
Oh, this sheikh.
I've been wondering why he seems so attuned to my thoughts, and now I know.
It's because he's been in love with me for an entire year, and well...
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," I say softly, "but I'm afraid you're absolutely right. I will never let you hear the end of it."
"I thought as much." The sheikh's tone is dry, but the way he gently takes my hand in his as we walk to his room tells me something else. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think he actually likes the fact that I now know how much he's in love with me?
Oh, this sheikh.
How adorable can he get?
Epilogue
Did I say adorable?
I was totally mistaken, and now I know my sheikh is actually the world's biggest asshat.
"Stop laughing!"
We're back in his room, and I've just told His Royal Assness what my full name is.
"This is all my fault," Saif says gravely. "Or rather, it is the king's fault, since he forbade me to have anything to do with you for the past year. I was not to look you up on the Internet or hire detectives to follow you around. If I had, then we might not have ended up together. I might have changed my mind if I had known that the woman I intend to marry has the most unimaginable name—-"
"You're going to laugh again, aren't you?"
And true enough, the sheikh has thrown his dark head back with another sexy-but-irritating laugh.
"Seven Meters..."
"Stop saying it!"
"What were your parents thinking?"
"They weren't thinking, obviously."
"And what about your middle name?"
"It's too boring. Forget about it."
A sly smile forms over Saif's lips. "The tone of your voice suggests otherwise."
"Just drop it, okay?"
"Tell me."
"No."
"Please, my love."
Grrrrr!
The sheikh throws me on his bed, but I can't even roll away since he's already flipping me to my stomach, and he has my hands trapped behind my back.
"Saif, please!"
The sound of Saif unbuckling his belt behind me has my senses reeling, and I'm not sure if I'm feeling faintheaded because of fear or excitement.
"It's my first time—-"
But this only makes my sheikh laugh and croon into my ear. "All the more reason to be rougher, my love."