‘You’ve had news? From the Council?’
‘Just now. The vote was unanimous. They want me to stay.’
For a second she shut her eyes and he saw a shudder run through her. It was a reminder that it wasn’t just Karim whose future had hung in the balance. Safiyah’s had—and Tarek’s.
‘It’s all over now,’ he reassured her. ‘I’ll make a public announcement in the morning.’
She nodded and he watched her swallow convulsively. She’d hidden her fear well but clearly she’d been worried.
Karim smiled. ‘I have to thank you, Safiyah. Not every woman would have stood by me the way you have. And you’ve done more than that. I appreciate the way you’ve worked to help me, both in public and behind the scenes.’
Her eyebrows lifted. Had she thought he hadn’t been aware of her networking on his behalf? His staff had informed him of much he hadn’t seen personally. It was one of the reasons he knew he could bridge the gap between himself and his wife.
He moved closer, but then she spoke. ‘What choice did I have? You’re my husband. My son’s fate rests with you.’
It wasn’t the words alone that stopped him. It was her tone—flat and bitter. As if she regretted being married to him. As if she had no personal interest in his fate.
For a second, and he didn’t know why, he thought of his mother. Had she been bitter about marrying the man her family had approved for her? Had she wished from the beginning that she could escape?
But Safiyah wasn’t like his mother, running away and leaving her children. Safiyah had done everything she could for Tarek—even accepting a marriage she didn’t want.
Karim’s pulse dipped at the thought. Things would be better between them now. He’d make sure of it.
He watched her wrap her arms around her slender waist, her mouth a flat line. Her body sent an unmistakable message of rejection, but he persisted.
‘I know I hurt you, Safiyah, and I’m sorry for it. But I also know there was more to your actions than necessity.’
There had to be. Once he’d taken for granted that she cared for him. Lately, learning that she’d never betrayed him as he’d believed, Karim had found himself yearning again for that devotion. Strange to realise how empty his world had felt without it. He’d told himself during those years in exile that he’d been like a rudderless ship, because he’d been cut off from the life he knew. Now he realised it was this woman he’d missed—Safiyah he’d wanted as his anchor.
Her arms tightened, pulling the fabric over luscious breasts. Karim felt a kick of masculine response in his belly.
‘What more could there be?’ Her eyes were dull with denial.
Karim rocked back on his feet. He’d thought it would be simple. He’d apologised for hurting her and now, with this news, they could start afresh.
But Safiyah wasn’t ready to move on. His chest clogged. Pain circled his ribs. She hadn’t forgiven him. The tenderness she’d once felt had drained away. She hadjust helped him because they were legally tied.
He felt a fool. He’d imagined she’d worked tirelessly on his behalf,theirbehalf, because she cared about him—about them. Now it turned out there was nothing personal about what she’d done.
Hurt vied with anger. And with a dawning sense of loss so vast it threatened to engulf him.
‘Safiyah. Don’t talk like that. You know you want—’
‘There’s nothing I want, Karim. Not now I know your position is secure and Tarek is safe.’ She hefted a deep breath. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
As if he were a servant to be dismissed!
Karim’s jaw clenched, his body stiffening.
And yet Safiyah’s body betrayed her. Karim saw her nipples peak against tight fabric, the out-of-control flutter of her pulse.
A hint of musky feminine arousal tantalised his nostrils. His body quivered in response.
She might be trying to hurry him out through the door, but still she wanted him. He lifted his hand to stroke one finger down her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered, then she jerked her face away, staring back with dislike.
Yet she couldn’t disguise the glow of amber heat in her eyes—a sure sign, he’d learned, of sexual arousal.
Heat punched his belly. Triumph surged. Safiyah might not want to want him, but in this at least they were still partners, each caught in the same tangle of desire.