‘Besides,’ he continued, pushing himself up on one arm, using the other to emphasise his points, ‘there is nothing for you here. Nothing but the ghosts of your past. And you will love Australia, Sera. There are deserts and endless skies, like here, but there are snow-capped mountains and tropical islands, and rainforests and cities that sprawl along the coast.’
It sounded wonderful, and she longed to see it all, especially at Rafiq’s side, but still she didn’t understand, didn’t want to read too much into his offer. It didn’t mean what her heart wanted it to mean. It couldn’t. Not given this was the man who had so recently professed his hatred for her. But maybe he didn’t hate her so much any more—at least not when they were in bed. Or maybe that was how he’d redirected all that energy…
‘You mean, like a holiday?’
‘Live with me! I have a house in Sydney that overlooks the cliffs and the sea. You should see the surf when it storms, Sera, it is spectacular—like the passion unleashed in you when you come apart in my arms.’
‘But I don’t understand what you’re saying. I thought… You said before that you would never marry me. Yet now you are asking me to live with you?’
He raked a hand through his hair. He was struggling to make sense of it too, she could tell.
‘How could I ever contemplate marriage after what happened?’ His eyes appealed to hers, the pain of her betrayal laid bare in their blue depths, and then he reached out and laced her fingers in his. ‘But I didn’t understand. I thought you wanted to marry him. I thought you wanted a rich husband and the lavish lifestyle to go with it. But I was wrong. I couldn’t see past my pain. I understand now why you acted as you did back then. I understand you had no choice. I want you, Sera, and if having you in my bed has shown me anything, it’s that whatever this attraction is between us isn’t going away any time soon. A few nights longer here won’t be enough. I want you in my bed at home.’
His words swirled and eddied in her mind. She was scared she was imagining it all. She was almost too scared to breathe.
‘Anyway,’ he continued with a shrug, his thumb making lazy circles on the back of her hand, ‘when it all boils down to it, live with me or marry me—what’s the real difference? Maybe we should get married. Then you can make a start on those six children you always wanted.’
‘What are you talking about? You said you’d never marry me. Never!’
‘That was before. Before I knew the truth. My father treated you abysmally—everyone treated you abysmally—and I was so wrong. Why not marry me and let me make up for the wrongs of the past?’
It was too much to take in, and her mind was spinning with the possibilities. Marriage to Rafiq. Bearing his children. Her heart thudded against her ribs, echoed loud in her veins, his words her every fantasy come true. Did he understand what he was offering? What an unbelievable gift he was holding out to her?
Could it mean the impossible?
Was there a chance his love for her had been revived after the crushing weight of years of hatred?
It was crazy, just crazy to imagine it. Crazy to think that after all this time they could be together, could wipe away those painful years and start over. But if he loved her…? Maybe it could work. But he hadn’t said he loved her, had he? He’d given her no inkling that love was any part of this crazy plan. No inkling at all.
‘It doesn’t work like that, Rafiq. You don’t just marry someone and have their babies because you enjoy the sex. What if you change your mind in a week or a month? What if you’ve had enough by then and we’re stuck together? It doesn’t make sense.’
He didn’t understand it either. He only knew that he wasn’t about to let Sera go. Ever. And if the best way to do that was to marry her, he’d do it. Gladly. And then he hit on the perfect way to convince her.
‘Don’t you see?’ he added, his eyes suddenly alive with excitement as he sprang up on the bed. ‘It makes perfect sense. The Marrashis want a royal marriage. We’ll provide them with one. Save all the legal hassles of renegotiating the contract terms. It’s the sensible thing to do.’
The contract. Sera felt her fledgling hopes take a dive. Rafiq was nothing if not a consummate businessman. Of course it would all be about the contract. Of course he didn’t love her.
The Marrashis had tied his hands. He could marry or face some kind of renegotiation and possibly risk the entire contract in the process. Marrying her was clearly the lesser of two evils. Sensible.
‘Sera, what do you think? Isn’t it perfect?’