She smiled grimly when she found the one that she wanted. This particular book wasn’t as big or heavy as the others, but it wasn’t light either. She carried it over to the table and set it down with a hefty thud, flipping through the pages until she found what she wanted. “There!” she snapped, reading through the legal paragraph pertaining to marriage of the ruler.
Her eyes were still a bit blurry, but the words confirmed what she’d expected. “Right!” she exclaimed triumphantly, startling the guards who were standing sentry right outside of the room. Hefting the book under her arm, she walked out of the law room with determination. “Any idea where my husband is?” she asked the nearest guard.
The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “He is with the others, Your Highness.”
Ilara blinked. “What others?”
The guard bowed slightly. “They are playing cards in the game room, Your Highness,” he explained.
Chapter 14
Jabril tossed another few poker chips into the pot. “Call,” he announced. There was about twenty million dollars on the table right now. And he didn’t give a damn if he won or lost. His mind wasn’t on the game anyway, although he sincerely appreciated all of these men coming here to Ditra to get his mind off his current problem.
“I noticed several new stores have opened,” Sebastian announced, tossing his chips into the pot as well before taking a healthy sip of his bourbon.
“And the ships in the harbor seemed to be coming and going without issue now,” his friend Mika, the Sheik of Stilan, announced, tossing his chips in. “That’s better, especially since several of those ships contained supplies from my country.”
Jabril grunted; in man-speak, that was enough of a mention of gratitude needed.
“What do you have?” Oz demanded, tossing his cards over to show two aces.
Jayce turned his cards over, displaying three twos and smirked at his older brother. Oz simply rolled his eyes.
Sebastian turned his cards over to reveal two nines and took another sip of bourbon. “My team has handed out about a million dollars in small loans. That’s about the anticipated rate.”
Ryker turned over his cards and the table groaned as they saw the full house; three tens and a pair of twos. Ryker, being the intensely serious man that he was, didn’t even blink as he took a swallow of the beer by his elbow. “Security is improving as well. The training is working.”
Jabril flipped his cards over and the men stared at the cards in stunned silence for a moment. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Oz demanded. “You just lost about four million dollars on a hand with absolutely nothing!”
“Leave him alone,” Ryker ordered. “He’s in love with his wife.”
Jayce sighed. “That would do it.”
Oz looked at him with shock. “How the hell would you know anything about love?” he demanded. Jayce didn’t reply as he gathered the cards to him since it was his turned to deal.
There was a commotion in the doorway and a lovely woman with dark hair and the most amazingly sultry eyes stepped through the doorway.
“Is he still moping?” the gorgeous woman asked as she entered the room.
All eyes turned in greeting as Princess Zuri al Mutrar stepped up to the table, laying an affectionate hand on Jabril’s shoulder.
Immediately, four of the men stood up, giving the woman effusive hugs. “Don’t mess with your brother,” Oz said as he wrapped his arms around the woman, giving her a hug. “He’s in a desperate situation.”
She snorted, but laughed and ducked quickly when Jayce pretended to mess up her elegantly styled hair. “Hey squirt!” he greeted her, giving her a hug as well. “It’s been too long. Are you still driving Tarin crazy?”
She rolled her eyes at the mention of the man her parents had betrothed her to before their passing several years ago. “Don’t mention that man’s name in my presence,” she practically growled. “And not in Jabril’s presence either. It seems that every time his name comes up, the man himself shows up. And it seems that the odious man thinks it is his life’s purpose to annoy me.”
Ryker took her hands, his eyes serious. “Do you want me to hurt him?”
The startled expression in Zuri’s eyes caused the other men to laugh. “No!” she yelped, then realized that she might have revealed too much and glanced at Jabril. But his smirk annoyed her further and she looked back up at Ryker. “Thank you very much for the offer, my friend. But I don’t want anyone to be hurt.”
Ryker leaned in and gave her a gentle hug. “I understand, honey.”
“We all understand,” Jabril called out. Zuri didn’t look at her older brother, ignoring the subtle meaning behind his words.
Sebastian was more formal, taking her hands and kissing her fingers. “Ignore them, my dear. They are just jealous that you are not their betrothed.”
Zuri laughed. “Right. The men sitting down to play another hand of poker aren’t upset about anything other than losing to you.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek before stepping back. “How is Chloe?”
Sebastian didn’t smile at the mention of his tiny daughter, but there was a lightness to his features. “She’s doing well. Thank you for asking.”
“Next time you visit, please bring her along. She’s so adorable and I miss her laughter.”
“I will.” Sebastian returned to his seat and Zuri moved back to stand behind her brother. “What brings you here?”
“I have yet to meet Jabril’s wife,” she announced. “He left Piara, telling me that he was going to bring her back. But that was weeks ago. So instead of waiting around…”
“Which you never do,” Oz interrupted and the men all chuckled. Zuri’s impatient nature was well known.
Zuri shrugged, acknowledging the truth of the statement. “So I decided to come and meet her myself.”
Ilara paused in the doorway, no longer feeling the cold marble under her bare feet. Her fingers clenched the leather-bound book tightly as a fury hit her unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
“Get your hands off of my husband!” she snarled, glaring daggers at the stunningly beautiful woman with the exotic eyes and silky, dark hair. Whoever she was, Ilara hated her. She was possibly the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. And she was touching Jabril. Jabril didn’t seem to mind either. In fact, the two of them seemed to think that her touch was normal. So Ilara suspected that these men all knew about the woman’s relationship with her husband.
The woman’s startled expression was wonderfully satisfying. But Ilara noticed that the woman didn’t take her hands off of Jabril’s shoulder.
Stepping into the room, Ilara glared at the woman who dared to touch her man. “Who the hell do you think you are? He’s mine! Jabril is my husband and I won’t…not in my home!” she hissed in a voice that trembled with fury.
Jabril stood up and the gorgeous woman’s hand automatically slipped away. Ilara wasn’t fully aware of the four other men sitting at the table, although she was aware of the stunned silence. As Jabril stood, one of the other men took that woman’s hand, pulling her protectively towards him. Ilara recognized all of the men, knew that they were extremely important to the success of Ditra’s recovery. She also acknowledged that her behavior at the moment was horribly inappropriate.
She didn’t care! For too long, she’d suppressed her hopes and dreams for her relationship with Jabril. Even now, she held the book that she’d retrieved that would give Jabril his freedom. But she wouldn’t agree to a divorce if that woman was his next…or current…lover!
It was one thing to suspect one’s husband of having a lover. But for that lover to come to her home, to flaunt her affection in front of Ilara…that was just…she hated the woman! Never before had she hated anyone as deeply and intensely as Ilara hated the horribly beautiful woman who dared to touch her husband!
“Ilara, honey…let me introduce you to…”
“Don’t you dare!” she gasped. “Don’t you dare introduce me to your mi
stress.”
She ignored the chuckles from the table as she continued to glare up at Jabril.
“Honey, Zuri isn’t my…”
Turning to face the woman in question, Ilara could barely register anything other than her hurt and fury. “Get her out of my home!” Ilara ordered stiffly. A moment later, she shoved the book at Jabril’s chest. “Here! If you want her, then you have to divorce me. And I’m not letting you divorce me!” She turned her glare on the woman who looked to be trying not to laugh. That only inflamed her fury more.
Turning to the woman, Ilara’s eyes narrowed. “How dare you laugh at me! Who do you think you are?!”
Jabril tossed the book to Ryker who caught it easily. “Honey, that’s…”
“I want her out of here,” she snapped.
“Honey, that’s…”
Ilara understood that Jabril wasn’t going to order the other woman to leave, so she ignored him, ignored the searing pain in her chest and turned to face the other woman full on. “Get out!”
Jabril’s laughter only inflamed her fury more. But before she could say anything more, she was flipped over Jabril’s shoulder. “If you’re not going to listen, then I’ll have to do this differently.”
Jabril turned to the others in the room. “Ryker, take care of Zuri and make sure she gets settled.”
“Will do,” Ryker called out.
“Gentlemen, I’ll see you all in the morning. Thank you for the game, but I think I need to set my wife straight on a few things.” And with that, he swung around and walked out of the room, carrying Ilara over his shoulder and ignoring her furious demands to be put down. Her small fists were pounding his back, but she wasn’t hurting him. Seeing her jealousy…and all of her soft, sexy curves highlighted in the silky whatever that she was wearing…told him that his lovely wife needed more than just a good night’s sleep tonight.
After that beautiful display of jealousy, Jabril wasn’t just going to hold his wife tonight, helping her sleep. He was going to set a few things straight. First of which was that he wasn’t holding back any longer! If she was jealous of Zuri, that meant that Ilara didn’t want him touching other women. He chuckled as he walked into their private apartment, kicking the door closed behind him. He didn’t stop until they were in the bedroom. Only then did he lower his fuming, hissing, furious wife to the floor.
“Okay, now that we have some privacy, how about if we…”
“Don’t you dare!” she hissed, tossing her hair out of her eyes. Jabril stared down at her, his eyes moving over her figure. The silk enhanced everything! And he could barely think now that he could see and enjoy what she’d put on for him. He was beating himself up for playing poker with his friends when she had clearly donned this outfit for him tonight. Since Ilara usually wore some virginal white nightgown to sleep in, he was fairly sure that this negligee was all for him.
He absolutely loved it!
But she was still furious. He’d need to diffuse her anger before he could fully appreciate all of that silk. As well as what was underneath that silk.
“You bastard!” she yelled.
“Zuri is my sister,” he announced, then waited. Watching. Fascinated by the shift of emotions that flitted over Ilara’s features. Fury. Disbelief. Acceptance and then…horror.
“Your sister?” Ilara whispered in a small voice.
“Yes. Zuri is my sister. And she wanted to meet you. Before I left Piara the last time, I promised to bring you back so that you could meet Zuri, but you need my help here more. So she stopped waiting; patience isn’t a strong characteristic of hers, so she came here to meet you instead. She’s been taking care of Piara for me.”
“Your sister?” she repeated, then cleared her throat, feeling her stomach drop to somewhere around her knees.
“Yes. Zuri is my sister. Princess Zuri al Mustar. She’s annoying, but has some good points as well.”
Ilara buried her face in her hands. “I just…yelled at your sister!” she gasped.
Jabril chuckled, taking her hand and pulling her closer. “Yes. You did. In a beautiful display of jealousy that I will never forget, love. I think it’s time we had a talk, Ilara.”
She wouldn’t look at him, so he kissed the top of her head. “I like what you’re wearing.”
Jabril kissed her forehead, her cheek. Still, she remained stiff and still in his arms. “Did you put this beautiful negligee on for a reason?” he asked gently.
Still nothing. When his lips moved to her neck, finding that spot right below her earlobe, he finally felt her react. A shiver shot through her and he breathed a sigh of relief. “You were jealous.”
“Yes,” she replied, bowing her head.
“I liked it.”
“Why?” she demanded, still stiff, but relenting a bit.
“Because I’m so damned tired of only holding you at night, Ilara. I want more. And your jealousy told me that you want that too.” His hands slid down along the silk covering her arms. “Am I wrong? Did you put this sexy thing on for another reason?”
Her hands reached for the tie around her waist but she didn’t release the knot.
“I…um…” she stammered, but shrugged.
“Were you perhaps going to entice me into something more than sleeping?” he asked, his voice deeper as he thought about making love to her. Finally! It had been so long!
“Yes.”
That one word was all he needed. With a rush of feeling, he lifted her into his arms and gently laid her down on the bed, drinking in her figure clad in shimmering silk. “I love it. And it definitely would have worked. If I’d known that you were here waiting for me, I would have been here, Ilara. I’ve waited for a signal from you, anything that might indicate that you wanted me.”
She lifted a hand to her cheek, her fingers touching the scar along the side. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she whispered back.
He smiled, his hand moving to the knot at her waist and tugging. “So you did this instead.”
“But you didn’t come tonight.”
“I stayed away,” he admitted. “Because holding you at night is nice, but not enough.”
She bit her lip, her fingers moving to his shoulder as his own hands slid against her waist, then higher, cupping her breast while his thumb teased the pert nipple underneath the material. Her eyes closed, her mouth falling open. So he pressed against that tip harder, eliciting a moan.
“Ilara!” he groaned, lowering his head to taste her lips again. He’d meant to give her a gentle kiss. But it had been so long since he’d kissed her, felt her shivering in his arms like this that he couldn’t hold back. The passion he’d been pushing down over the past several weeks roared to life. Thankfully, she seemed just as frantic! When he felt her leg slide up his hip, he rolled so that she was underneath him, pressing his hips against that warm juncture.
The ripping sound might have slowed him down a bit, but before he could register the fact that he’d just ripped the silk negligee to shreds, he looked down at Ilara’s breasts and every thought other than tasting her again flew from his mind. Her nipples called to him and he wasn’t strong enough to resist that call. Nor was he willing. He teased the puckered tip with his lips, his tongue stroking and his teeth scraping along the sensitive skin. He felt her hands in his hair but ignored everything other than eliciting those sounds he remembered. They were like a drug, as were the trembles and shivers. Over and over again, he kissed and teased, needing her body in ways he didn’t fully understand.
When his hand moved to her thigh, sliding around so that he could slide just one finger into her heat, he just about died when he felt that wet heat. She was ready for him and he pushed out of her arms, watching her as he stripped out of his own clothes. Looking down at her, seeing her body trembling with need…for him! Grabbing a condom, he rolled the protection down over his shaft and, with one swift thrust, he entered her. At her gasp, he slowed down, worried that he might have hurt her.
“Are you okay? Did I�
��?”
“Move!” she gasped, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Just move for me, Jabril,” she sobbed, twisting and arching her body when he didn’t move fast enough.
Thrusting slowly at first, then faster and faster as she met him thrust for thrust, Jabril stared down at her, loving every feature on her beautiful face. Too quickly, he felt her body’s release and, as her inner muscles throbbed around his shaft, he couldn’t hold back his own climax, his body shuddering as her fingers slid up his arms, her nails biting into his shoulders and…that was all it took. The waves came hotter and faster than ever before and all Jabril could do was hold her until the waves of intense pleasure subsided.
When it was all over, he collapsed down on top of her, rolling to his side to take his weight off her.
Breathing fast, he felt her body tremble against his as the aftermath slowly eased.
A long time later, he pulled out of her warm body and moved to the bathroom. Cleaning up, he smiled at the memory of Ilara’s fury when she’d walked into the game room earlier tonight.
Walking back to the bedroom, he found her sitting in the middle of their bed, the sheet held up over her nakedness.
“I accused your sister of being your mistress!” she groaned, one hand coming up to cover her face.
Jabril slid under the covers and pulled her back into his arms. “Yes, you did. And it was a glorious display, might I add.” He laughed when she buried her face against his neck.
For too long, he’d refrained from touching her. But now, feeling her against him like this and the memory of her righteous anger, he didn’t hold back. His fingers moved up and down the soft, silky skin of her back, enjoying every moment and every shiver.
“I can’t believe…” she gasped and pulled back. “Your friends! They all saw me like that!”
He laughed and pulled her back down against his chest. “They will love you even more for your anger. Trust me.”
“Why in the world would they love me more for being a termagant?”
Resisting the Sheik's Commands (The Diamond Club Book 1) Page 14