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YANAFELTNASIR’Sappraising gaze on her, as if it were a finger on her cheek. Somehow, she managed to keep her smile locked tightly in place.
His guests spoke at once, their greetings effusive enough to move the moment along. She shook their hands and couldn’t help gushing when one of them was Nasir’s longest standing friend and editor.
“Close family friend is so droll, Nasir. Especially the way you’ve been eyeing her from the moment she walked in,” he said.
Before Yana could tuck his comment into a corner never to be opened again, one of the women spoke up. “This is the stepsister you’re quite protective about?”
A chorus of reactions ensued, taking the whole secret stepsister idea and running with it. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was tied up in knots about which one of her shenanigans Nasir had shared with the woman, she would’ve enjoyed the flights of fancy.
As if sensing her distress, Nasir’s fingers tightened on the bare skin at her back.
The woman, sensing the current of tension pinging back and forth between her and Nasir, said in a whisper, “Nasir just wanted to know about what kind of emergency measures one might need to take with type-one diabetes. As the castle is quite cut off from immediate medical centers.”
Yana couldn’t help but send a glance at Nasir, perplexed yet again by his motives.
“I have made similar inquiries about Ammi’s heart condition, Ahmed’s ulcers and one of the staff’s recurring back pain,” Nasir said calmly.
She relaxed immediately.
Another gorgeous man, dressed to the nines, grabbed her by the waist with the charming insouciance she knew well from working in the fashion industry.
“Yana Reddy!” He kissed the back of her hand with a regal flourish that made her laugh. “Now I know why Nasir demanded that I come to this party. Usually, it’s my partner James that he can’t do without,” he mock-whispered. “He knows the rest of this crowd is too boring and fuddy-duddy for a glorious creature like you.”
Yana turned to the man who wouldn’t bore her if they lived together for a hundred years. “Is that true?”
Nasir raised his palms in surrender, his gaze holding hers in a silent siege. “Before you misunderstand my intentions yet again, I simply wanted you to have fun tonight.”
Before she could respond, a short, squat man approached them. Recognition flared even as James introduced his famous musician partner.
“Where have we seen her before?” asked Dimitri.
“Other than the fact that she’s a hot supermodel?” James quipped and then clapped. “Ilyavich’s paintings. Her nudes were the best he ever did.”
Comprehension dawned on Dimitri’s face. But instead of the usual mockery or disdain, excitement lit his eyes. “That’s it! You know, I’ve tried so hard to get my hands on one of those paintings. After that first private buyer got hold of them at the initial auction, they never surfaced again.”
“I’m glad they didn’t,” Yana said. “I don’t regret doing them, but the whole episode was ruined for me thanks to the dirty accusations I had to face afterward.”
“It’s almost like the buyer was looking out for you,” said James, casting a pointed look at Nasir.
Yana’s response misted away when she caught Nasir’s reaction. Her skin pebbled into goose bumps. He knew who had those paintings? How? The next thought came like a torrent after the first. Strike that—he didn’t just know where the paintings were.
Hehadthe paintings.
Then she was being dragged away by a smug-looking James. But she couldn’t help casting a look behind her.
Sure enough, the answer to her dilemma danced in Nasir’s eyes. And Yana suddenly knew that she was in a lot more danger than she’d ever realized.
It was past midnight, and most of his friends had drifted off to various bedrooms when Nasir stubbed out the one cigar he’d allowed himself for tonight and sought the woman who filled him with adolescent anticipation.
His mother’s warning about how necessary Yana was for Zara buzzed like background noise in his head, but made no difference as he walked toward her. Slow jazz was still drifting up from the record player and Yana was sandwiched between James and Dimitri, the three of them swaying to the soft beat.
“My turn,” he said, taking her hand in his, and spinning her away from his friends. Despite her surprise, she came like a feather, light on her feet. Her delicious scent sank its tendrils into him, filling his chest.
She stiffened for a second before settling her hands on his shoulders. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, the bare skin there an irresistible temptation.
All evening it had been impossible to look away from her. But he also felt a kind of savage satisfaction in seeing the real, tempestuous, funny woman come out of that ice cocoon she’d spent the past few weeks wrapped in. She’d engaged in a rigorous discussion with his editor about books, given James and Dimitri a run for their money when they suddenly decided to start singing old melodies, and had generally been a warm, wonderful, passionate hostess, even if she didn’t know she’d played the role so naturally.
Not even a month in, and already Nasir didn’t remember what the castle was like without her. Without her and Zara’s giggles and running around and playing hide-and-seek and making the staff join in and just generally filling the empty spaces in his life. But he was only an audience, as he’d wished to be for so long, instead of a participant.
