‘I asked what you’re doing here?’
Amir squared his shoulders, although the faint tremor that ran through him slightly mitigated any authority he tried to establish with the move. ‘I’ve come to visit with Farah. Or is that not allowed?’
‘No, it is not allowed.’ Fury emanated from every tense muscle in Zach’s body.
‘Zachim—’
‘It’s fine, Farah.’ Amir did not take his eyes off the prince. ‘I can go.’
‘Yes, you can,’ Zach snarled, his eyes alight with murderous intent as Amir paused beside him and whispered something under his breath.
Farah couldn’t hear what it was but it only made her husband’s eyes turn colder. He raised his hand and security was there in an instant to do his bidding.
Mortified at the way he had just treated Amir who had only been trying to make amends Farah stared at him. ‘Why did you treat my friend like that?’
‘Why did he come into my home unannounced?’
‘Your home?’
‘Don’t play semantic games with me, Farah. What did he want with you?’
‘He wanted to make amends.’
Zach made a scathing noise in the back of his throat. ‘He is not welcome here.’
Affronted by his easy dismissal of her wishes Farah bristled. ‘He is welcome here.’
Blowing out a breath he stopped in front of her. ‘I did not come here to argue with you.’
‘Then stop being such an egomaniac,’ she bit out, trying to keep the hurt from her voice. ‘If I want to entertain a friend, then I will.’
Feet planted wide apart, he glowered at her. ‘Not if I forbid it.’
‘Not if you...?’ All the confusing, unsettling emotions she’d been feeling ever since they’d returned to Bakaan coalesced into anger. Anger at herself, at him, anger at their whole, damned miserable arrangement. ‘Don’t you dare try and dictate what I can and can’t do. I’m not your possession.’
She didn’t have time to say anything else because Zach was on her, his mouth crashing down over hers in a demanding, controlling kiss that left her in no doubt just what he could and couldn’t do. ‘Yes, you are. You’re mine, Farah. Don’t ever forget it.’
His! Of all the... Forgetting her non-violence policy Farah lashed out at him, welcoming the spurt of adrenaline that came with a good fight.
Within seconds, however, he’d subdued her. ‘Temper, temper, my little wild cat.’
‘Oh.’ Farah tossed her hair out of her face. ‘You great, big, patronising—’
She didn’t get any further because Zach’s mouth covered hers again, his tongue duelling with her own and, oh, it felt so good to be held by him like this, so good to be kissing him with all the pent-up passion she’d been unable to express.
Moaning, she arched into him, melting against him as he hitched her thigh up over his hip, angling his body into hers so that she was in no doubt as to how aroused he was. ‘You are mine,’ he breathed against her mouth. ‘And if I don’t want you to see someone because I deem it unsafe, then you won’t.’
Incensed by his words, by her own traitorous body, Farah shoved against him, only coming up against the horse stall for her efforts. ‘I can protect myself if that’s what you’re worried about,’ she panted.
‘Like now?’
He forced her hard up against the brick wall, his thigh wedged between her own in a move reminiscent of when he had trapped her in the alleyway.
Moonbeam shifted restlessly behind him, disturbed by all the pent-up emotion circulating in the room. A feeling of utter helplessness came over Farah and the weight of despair descended on her shoulders. Any hopes she had been harbouring that Zach cared for her, that he might one day want her with him because he respected her as his equal, dissolved into nothing. ‘I hate you,’ she said, unsure if it was him she hated or just herself for loving someone who did not love her in return.
‘I don’t give a damn.’ He released her and swiped his hand across his mouth as if to wipe her taste away.
He didn’t give a damn how she felt? ‘Nice to know,’ she said, before turning with as much dignity as she could muster and walking away from him.
* * *
Zach watched as she slowly walked away from him and nearly put his fist through the wall.
Where had all that anger come from? He hardly recognised himself. He, the king of communication, had just acted like Cro-Magnon man with an obsession.