Page 47 of Prince of Her Heart
Ramzi leaned in, brushing her hair back as he whispered into her ear, “Ms.Weatherby spikes her morning coffee with whiskey and smokes pot out back after sunset when she thinks no one’s watching.”
Tabitha burst out laughing, clapping a hand over her mouth.“No way!”
“Way,” he replied, his expression absolutely deadpan as he nodded.“My security knows everything.They even have photos.”
Her eyes widened.“What else do they know?”
He grinned, pulling her close so she could feel the heat of his body.“If you want to find out,” he murmured, “you’ll have to come back with me.”
For one electrified moment, they just stared at each other.The noise of the bar faded, the warmth of his hand around hers pulsing like a heartbeat.
Then she made her decision.
“Let’s go,” she whispered, her voice barely audible—but full of intent.
She didn’t bother finishing her beer or saying goodbye.She simply laced her fingers through his and led him out the door, never once looking back.
Chapter 21
“You’re coming back to my place,” Ramzi grumbled, tugging her onto his lap as the SUV rumbled down the dark, rural roads toward town.
Tabitha settled against him, but her expression shifted in the dim interior light.It wasn’t playful or teasing—it was…unexpected.Something softer.Thoughtful.
“I need to stop by my house first,” she murmured.
He might have questioned her—might have argued—but she shifted on his lap, that perfect ass brushing right over a very sensitive part of him, and just like that, all intelligent thought abandoned ship.
Thankfully, his bodyguards weren’t equally compromised.While he was busynotkissing her—because if he started, he wouldn’t stop—they navigated the quiet roads with precision, pulling up outside her parents’ house ten minutes later.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered, brushing her lips against his in a promise that made his pulse stutter.
Ramzi watched her walk inside, heart thudding in his chest like he was still twenty and utterly undone by a woman.Which, to be fair, he was.
He tensed slightly as she opened the door, half-expecting her mother to drag her back by the collar.Tilda didnotapprove of pre-marital anything.But in his mind, Tabitha wasn’t a girlfriend.She wasn’t a fling.
She was already his.
He’d called his parents that morning.Told them he was bringing home his future wife.It had taken all his charm to convince his mother not to hop the first plane from Uftar.She’d been ready to descend like a royal hurricane.
He’d convinced her—gently—that Tabitha wasn’t quite ready for that kind of introduction.Not yet.But if everything went according to plan, after the post-wedding brunch on Sunday, he’d fly Tabitha home.She’d meet his family.His world.
And she’d be part of it.
Inside the house, he could see her talking to Tilda.Her mother’s arms were crossed, her mouth tight, eyes narrowing in the direction of the SUV.Ramzi braced himself.But Tabitha stood her ground.Calm.Composed.Fierce.
Then Ben walked into the frame, quiet and steady as always.He slid an arm around his wife’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s cheek.Whatever was said, it worked.Tilda’s arms fell.Her expression softened, even if it didn’t disappear completely.
Tabitha hugged them both, then turned and walked back out into the night.
That moment… it felt important.A step forward.
But Ramzi could barely hold himself together.His body ached for her, every part of him burning with need.Last night had been fire—urgent and uncontrolled.They’d consumed each other.
But tonight… tonight would be different.
Tonight, he’d take his time.Show her what she meant to him.No frantic tearing of clothes.No desperate groping in the dark.
He wouldn’t say the words.Not yet.
