Now, quite frankly, her manner was insulting. No one dared speak to him this way. The tenuous grip on his temper began to slip. He planted a hand on the wall beside her head, shamelessly using the advantage of his height to tower over her.
‘But,habiba,’ he purred, ‘I’ve had numerous thoroughly satisfied lovers.’
He was rewarded with that blush of hers, blooming over her neck and cheeks. But then she squared her shoulders.
‘Good for you. I take it you went to their homes? It would be difficult bringing them here...as you’re still living with your parents. Does Aisha mind that, by the way? Your other potential fiancée.’
How the hell did she know that? He disregarded the jibe about him still living at home. He was not like other men. This was not a regular home.
‘I have meetings this morning, but we’ll discuss that later.’
She lifted her chin. ‘I may not be available.’
‘I’d advise on making yourself available.’
‘Or what?’ she challenged. ‘What can you do without revealing that I’m only here because you’ve lost millions of pounds and have absolutely no idea where it is?’
‘Perhaps your beloved stepbrother would enlighten us?’ he sneered, ignoring the niggling voice of conscience that told him he hadn’t let her know Nate was safe.
She rolled her eyes. ‘How many times? He doesn’t have it. Which you should have known from the start. I’ve had pet hamsters with more sense than you.’
She was comparing him to arodent?
Nate was forgotten. With a growl, up went the other hand, trapping her between his outstretched arms. ‘Don’t taunt me. You won’t like the consequences.’
She rose to her toes and pushed her face into his. ‘I don’t like itnow.’
Hell, she was arousing. Her sweet rosebud mouth was so close. He wanted to flatten her to the wall and ravish it until she melted against him.
‘Sir?’ Rais had emerged from the breakfast room.
‘What?’ Khaled snarled, not taking his eyes from Lily’s.
‘Perhaps you should take your conversation to a more suitable location?’
Yeah, his bed...with this woman sprawled naked beneath him, asking—no,beggingfor him to take her.
One of his sisters giggled. He dragged his gaze from Lily to see four people watching him: Rais disapproving, Sabir startled, and his sisters peering round their shoulders, looking gleeful.
Damn the palace and its lack of privacy—and damn the way this woman could rile him so easily.
He pushed away from the wall. ‘This conversation is not over, and you will present yourself when sent for,’ he said, spinning away, not giving Lily a chance to respond, and getting the hell out of there before he did something he might truly regret.
Sabir hurried after the Prince and Rais tactfully hustled the girls back into the breakfast room, leaving Lily alone. A small mercy.
She didn’t know if she wanted to howl in mortification or pummel the wall in frustration.
Khaled was driving her crazy.
He’d crowded her—all hard, pumped-up Alpha male, trying to intimidate her. It had had the opposite effect. It had made her want to plaster herself against his chest, tell him to shut up and kiss her already.
This man who snapped at her one minute and the next looked as if he was about to ravish her. This man who was going to marry someone else.
Oh, God.
Lily buried her face in her hands. She didn’t want to feel any of this.
‘Madam?’