The way he said it, and his leer, implied something seedy and distasteful. No doubt he meant the kind of celebration no well brought up Qusani woman should know anything about.
She blinked, staring in disbelief at the changeling before her. Where was the stoic, witty, sociable man she’d cared for these past days? The one who’d been engaging and friendly, compassionate and even…loving?
He reached out an unsteady hand for the tea she’d brought. The way he clenched his jaw and the white line around his mouth told her his pain was extreme. Automatically she reached to help him, blaming herself for being so weak as to beg for sex from an injured man.
‘Don’t!’ The single syllable was a harsh command. ‘Don’t touch me.’
Wide-eyed, Annalisa stared at the stranger before her.
Even in the extremity of his pain, even delirious, Tahir had never spoken to her in that tone of voice. As if she weren’t worthy to breathe the same air as him.
Her heart squeezed in a spasm of acute distress. Pain, sharp as her grandfather’s treasured sword, transfixed her.
‘You’ve done enough.’ His gaze slid from hers and he lifted the cup to his lips, grimacing in distaste. ‘Let’s hope they can at least make decent coffee in the palace.’
‘In the palace?’ Annalisa sank away from the mattress, lifting her knees and looping her arms around them, suddenly desperate for warmth, despite the hot shafts of sunlight illuminating this corner of the tent. She was cold on the inside. She felt as if she would never be warm again.
‘Didn’t I say I was heading to the palace?’ He rolled his eyes as if in disgust at her ignorance. ‘I’m a relative of the new king, Kareef. That’s why I’m back in this god-forsaken country. To see him crowned, enjoy the celebration, then head back.’
‘Back?’ Annalisa felt absurdly like a parrot, repeating what he said. But her brain didn’t work properly. She was still coming to terms with this shocking stranger.
It was as if, with the return of his memory, Tahir had undergone a personality transplant. From charming companion to the rear end of a camel in the blink of an eye.
The thought of her little cousin’s favourite insult normally made her grin. Not this time. She tightened her grip on her legs, rocking slightly, as if seeking comfort.
There was no comfort to be found today.
If the pain lacerating her was any indication, she was bleeding internally—from the shattering of foolish, barely formed hopes.
How had she ever imagined she had anything in common with a man from another world? Who wore a tuxedo as if born to it? A man of obvious education and wealth and power?
A man, moreover, who had all the arrogance and none of the generosity that riches could breed.
She blinked hard, telling herself it was a speck of grit that made her eyes water.
‘Back to civilisation,’ he murmured. ‘To the bright lights of the city. To business and sophisticated entertainment.’ He lingered lovingly on the final words and bile rose in Annalisa’s throat. She saw the glint in his eyes. There was no mistaking his meaning. Sophisticated women, he meant. With his looks and apparent wealth he’d have his fill.
The notion cramped her stomach.
What had she been? A passing whim? A novelty?
‘No doubt you’re eager to return to your friends,’ she said, as brightly as she could. Unfortunately the words tumbled out rushed and uneven.
‘You can’t imagine how much.’ He didn’t even look at her, just picked at the carefully prepared food on the plate.
Annalisa’s scalp prickled as nausea rose.
How had she been naïve enough to mistake last night for anything like tenderness or caring? She couldn’t blame Tahir for taking what she’d offered—no, what she’d begged for so blatantly.
Shame suffused her, burning her cheeks and every place he’d touched last night.
But she couldn’t forgive him for treating her with disdain. Did he think her lack of sophistication and experience a reason to view her with contempt? Was this her first taste of life in the big wide world?
Abruptly she raised her head, surprised to find him watching her.
She skewered him with a glare and lifted her chin, refusing to let him think she was humbled by his presence. Carefully she rose, ignoring the protest of aching muscles, then pinned on her best bright bedside smile.
‘I’ll leave you in peace. You’ll want to make plans for your return to civilisation.’
When Annalisa’s transport out of the desert arrived before noon, Tahir was ready to leave. He’d made himself thoroughly obnoxious all morning and could no longer stomach watching the effect on Annalisa.