LITMIR.BIZ

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it—is it the child? Are you—”

      “No. It’s nothing like that. The baby’s okay.”

      “Perhaps we should not have.” He hesitated; his voice lowered and she felt the warmth of his breath at her temple. “Perhaps we should not have made love.”

      Madison looked up. “What we did,” she said, “was have sex.”

      “Lean your head against me, damn it!” The ice cube moved lightly over her skin again. “Perhaps you should eat something.”

      “We just had lunch …”

      “Hours ago,” he said sternly. “Besides, you are eating for two now, remember? Yusuf!”

      Yusuf came running, as if conjured by Aladdin’s lamp.

      “My lord?”

      “Bring us something to drink. Water. Juice. Something cold.”

      “Certainly, your highness.”

      Yusuf inclined his head and started toward the galley. Tariq’s bellow stopped him.

      “Sir?”

      “Bring something sweet, as well. Cake. Chocolate.”

      “Of course, your highness.”

      “And do it quickly!”

      “I will, sir.”

      Madison, face still tucked against Tariq’s shoulder, gave a little laugh.

      “Doesn’t he know that dawdlers can be drawn and quartered?”

      “Very amusing. Do you feel better?”

      “Yes. I can get up now.”

      “You cannot.” She heard the cube of ice plop back into the glass. “What you may do is lift your head. Slowly. Good.” His arm tightened around her. “Sit still and take deep breaths.”

      “Are the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ not part of your vocabulary?”

      “Excuse me?”

      “I said—”

      “I heard what you said.”

      Yusuf appeared with a tray. Tariq took a tall glass of iced orange juice from it and held it to Madison’s lips. “Drink.”

      “Oh, for pity’s sake, I’m pregnant, not—” Her eyes lifted to Yusuf’s, whose face was a perfect blank. “I’m pregnant,” she hissed to Tariq, “not sick. I don’t need you to hold the glass for me.”

      Tariq frowned but he handed her the glass, then watched carefully as she drained it.

      “Thank you.”

      “You are welcome.”

      “I was speaking to Yusuf.” Deliberately, Madison smiled at the attendant, who looked horrified as he took the glass from her and scurried off.

      Tariq glared at Madison.

      “Do you think you will win allies by insulting me?”

      “When are you taking me home?”

      “I asked you a question.”

      “Answer mine first.”

      By Ishtar, the woman was impossible! Had she no sense of propriety? They would have to discuss her behavior, and soon.

      “Not until you tell me if you feel all right.”

      “I already told you that I did.”

      “That’s not what I mean.” A muscle knotted in his jaw. “Before. What we did.” Damn it, he was stumbling all over his words. “When we made love. Did I hurt you?”

      “I told you. We didn’t make love, we had—”

      “Madison. Please. Did I hurt you?”

      Please? That was a first. She thought about lying, but to what end? “No,” she said, “you didn’t.”

      “Good. Because I—I did not think …”

      “It’s too late to apologize.”

      His eyes narrowed; he caught her chin and turned her face to him.

      “I am not apologizing. A man would be a fool to apologize for what happened in that bed.” He paused. “But I should have considered your condition. I should have thought of the child.”

      “The baby.”

      “That’s what I said.”

      “You said ‘the child …’ You always say ‘the child,’ except when you call my baby your heir.”

      “I’m not trying to quarrel with you, Madison. I only asked if the child—the baby—is all right.”

      “My baby’s fine.” Her cheeks bloomed with color. “Sex won’t hurt it, not even the kind a man forces on a woman.”

      “Is lying and pretending you didn’t want what happened the way you make peace with yourself for crying out in my arms?” he said, his voice rough.

      “You forced me into this situation. If you hadn’t—”

      “We would have ended up in bed eventually.”

      “That’s a lie!”

      “It’s the truth and you know it. We wanted each other from the beginning. That I ended up spending my seed in your womb by means of a syringe instead of as nature intended was a quirk of fate.”

      Madison stared at him. His eyes had gone that shade of silver she knew meant he was aroused. And, incredibly, so was she.

      How could talking about a sexless act be so sexy?

      And how could he have taken the conversation so far from where it belonged?

      “I don’t know why we’re talking about this. The only thing I want to discuss is—”

      “I took the liberty of preparing some things besides chocolate and cake, your highness.” Yusuf paused beside them with a wheeled cart. “Shall I—”

      Tariq waved his hand. “We will serve ourselves.”

      The attendant inclined his head and left them. Tariq uncovered platters of cakes and cookies, a selection of cheeses, crusty bread, fruits and chocolates. Everything looked and smelled delicious.

      Tariq filled a plate and put it in front of her.

      “Eat,” he commanded.

      She thought of saying no. Of telling him she was not one of his servants, trained to sit and stay on cue but her stomach gave an unladylike growl. Tariq laughed, she shot him a cold look, and dug in.

      She emptied her plate, drank more iced orange juice and just when she looked wistfully at the coffee in Tariq’s cup, Yusuf appeared with a pot of mint tea.

      “Thank you,” she said, and was rewarded with a blush.

      “You are welcome, my lady.”

      “Princess.”

      Both Yusuf and Madison looked at Tariq. He smiled as he reached for her hand, though his eyes flashed a warning.

      “The lady has done me the honor of becoming my wife.”

      “No,” Madison said sharply, and winced as his hand tightened almost painfully on hers.

      “My wife wished to keep our news secret as long as possible,” he said, raising her hand to his lips, “but since we will land in my country—her new country—in another few hours, I thought it was time to announce our news. You, Yusuf, are the first to know.”

      Yusuf beamed at them both. “It is wonderful news, sir, and I am honored you

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