Been there, done that, Ella thought humorously. As the saying went, 'it took one to know one', and from her very first meeting of Sheikh Altair, Ella had known right away that she and Safiya's betrothed were peas of the same cynical and distrustful pod. For people like them, people as pure as Safiya was akin to a miracle, and when they also happened to be as adorably serious as her new friend—-
Ella discreetly studied the couple that currently had most of the other students in the university's dining hall gaping in a mixture of shock, awe, and not a small amount of envy. That the sheikh was back in Mushriq for two days in a row now was pretty shocking in itself, but for the Ramilian military commander to also have his betrothed sit on his lap while feeding her...
It almost had Ella wanting to pinch herself, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming...for her friend's sake. In the six months that her friend hadn't heard a peep from the sheikh, not once had the girl uttered a single word of criticism or complaint about the situation. But even so, she and Aurora had felt furious on Safiya's behalf, and it was only at their respective husbands' insistence that they kept themselves from meddling.
Well-meaning concern can be misinterpreted as an international conflict, Khal had warned her bluntly, if your friend happens to be a princess from another kingdom.
Be that as it may, however...
Ella's gaze narrowed at the couple. While she was truly happy that Safiya and Altair's betrothal appeared to be a love match as well, that didn't mean she was letting her guard completely down. Even though she had only been a princess for a few years, it was also long enough for Ella to cherish the few real friends she had. And Safiya being one of those rare few—-
Altair was not unaware of the way the princess' friends were carefully observing him behind their smiles and polite chatter. While Aurora, the Crown Princess of Layla, appeared more inclined to give him a chance, the American girl who had married the Crown Prince of Kivr hadn't even bothered to hide the suspicion in her gaze.
They were clearly protective towards Safiya, and while others might find their attitude insulting—-
For Altair, their attitude towards the princess only made him more grimly aware of how much his own attitude towards his betrothed had changed.
Just one damn taste of her had him completely unraveling; she had become his addiction in an instant, and it was one he had no plans of curing himself from. One damn taste, and Altair's hunger for her knew no bounds. He wanted her so fucking much that he found himself entirely incapable of imagining an end to his desire. He would never have his fill of her. Never. And when he looked down into her big, dark eyes—-
Like now...
He knew.
He fucking saw the truth in her eyes.
Heard it in the way her breath would catch.
Felt it in the way her fingers suddenly tightened and clutched his robe.
It was the same for her.
She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
And when he saw her lips part in unconscious yearning—-
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Ella and Aurora were startled when the sheikh suddenly spoke.
"Excuse us for a moment. Her Highness and I have a private matter to discuss."
Since the sheikh sounded rather abrupt, Aurora was about to ask if there was anything they could do to help when she saw the sheikh gently lift Safiya off his lap before rising to his feet—-
Safiya was bemused when she saw the way her friends suddenly turned red and simultaneously averted their gazes from her and the sheikh.
Altair, having seen the same thing, bit back a groan when his betrothed glanced up at him with a mixture of curiosity and trust. The way Safiya was looking up at him now, it was as if she believed he would always be able to answer any and all of her questions. Her faith in him was absolute, and damn if it didn't amuse and arouse him at the same time.
Bending his head, he felt Safiya's body jerk in awareness as he whispered straight to her ear.
"I want a taste of you again, hamira, and your friends know it."
Safiya's eyes went wide.
A moment later, her gaze flew down.
Oh.
Another moment, and her gaze flew to her friends.
"I'm sorry," she told them with grave sincerity. "Please do not be offended by the sheikh's reaction. It isn't his fault that he is wonderfully endowed—-mmph!"
Dark color stained the sheikh's high-boned cheeks as he swiftly clamped his hand over Safiya's mouth.
The princess' friends, in the meantime, were no longer embarrassed, and Altair could feel his flush deepening as the two girls burst into peals of laughter.
Ella was privately relieved to see the sheikh looking discomfited at hearing his fiancée compliment his, er, physical endowment. As much as Ella hated to admit this, Khal was so used to being showered with praises that he wouldn't have any problems taking such words in stride.
Sheikh Altair, however...
The man clearly did not believe himself attractive, and it probably had much to do with the scar that marred the left side of the sheikh's face. Ella herself had a hard time not staring at it the first time she had met the sheikh, but only because it was rather prominent at certain angles.
Just like Safiya thought herself more an ugly duckling than a swan, the sheikh appeared to see him more a frog than a prince, and well...
Altair was slightly puzzled when he noticed the way the Crown Princess of Kivr was suddenly smiling happily at him. He had no idea why she seemed to have changed her opinion of him out of the blue, but since he was not the kind of idiot that questioned a gift horse in the mouth, the sheikh simply smiled back, politely repeated his excuses
