Page 10 of The Sheikh's Matchmaker Bride

Aliyah nodded. What did he expect her to say? Was she supposed to just tell him that she'd hardly been able to think of anything else for weeks? Was he expecting some kind of confession from her, that she hadn't slept properly since?

Because it was true, wasn't it? Shahid had been on her mind virtually every moment since he'd started to murmur his golden words into her ear; since he'd almost said something to Aliyah that she'd known would turn both their worlds upside down.

Aliyah sighed and turned her head away from Shahid. When she felt his hand on her chin, and the gentle pressure as he delicately turned her face back to him, she knew that she wasn't going to be able to avoid giving him an answer. Even if it wasn't the one for which he'd come.

She looked at him, a hint of defiance surging inside her. "What did happen, Shahid?"

His mouth curled into a sardonic grin. "You know as well as I do, Aliyah."

She sucked in a calming breath. "I'm not sure I do," she managed to say.

His brows furrowed, but still he persevered. "Don't you remember what I said?"

"Of course I do," she managed to say. Aliyah thrust the memory of his whispered words away. There was no use denying the power of what he'd said to her. She could still hear his voice as he'd started to tell her how much she meant to him, how much she'd always meant to him and what he would like to do with her.

Do to her.

She swallowed as she recalled his words. No-one had ever said such things to Aliyah. Her response had been instinctive, born of years of denying herself the pleasures of any meaningful relationship with a man. That had been why she had thrown herself into the lives of others, why she had devoted herself to family life, why she had made the needs of others more important than her own. It had been a wall she had built between herself and the world.

But Shahid had broken down that barrier, and she realized he'd been breaking down the wall gradually and inexorably for a very time.

Aliyah gazed tenderly at Shahid. "Of course I remember, Shahid. How could I forget?"

She saw hope flicker in his gaze, a sudden encouragement. He raised one inquiring brow, prompting her to continue.

"I don't know what you want me to say."

His hand slid up her arm and rested on her shoulder. Any moment now he would draw her close. She knew it with absolute certainty. She could see it in his eyes.

"Just tell me you feel the same way I do," he growled.

She looked at him. "And just how do you feel?" she asked.

He ran his tongue along his lower lip, triggering a flush of heat in her middle. For a moment he seemed to struggle to gather his thoughts. Then he gazed at her.

"You know I meant what I said." He leaned closer and she felt his sweet breath on her skin. His mouth was inches from hers. "Every word," he added softly.

Aliyah dragged her gaze away from him, away from his tempting lips, away from his dark eyes. She knew that if she allowed herself to fall into that deep pool that promised so much, she would never be able to rescue herself. She couldn't allow that to happen.

She raised her gaze up to him, intent on telling him that there was no point in continuing with this madness; that the only sensible thing to do was to carry on being best friends. But, before she could even utter the words she hoped would keep him at bay, Shahid's head dipped and his mouth was on hers, devouring her, claiming her.

Sensation rippled throughout Aliyah's body and she gasped, feeling his lips crushed against hers. His arms enclosed her and he pulled her body toward him. She felt the hardness of his body press against her, and she suddenly felt small, wrapped in his tender embrace.

Aliyah could taste his sweetness as his tongue began to tentatively probe her mouth. Every movement of his tongue sent a shiver of delight coursing through her.

She snaked her fingers up through his thick hair and she sensed a strong reaction in him, his kiss becoming even more hungry, even more urgent.

For a moment she allowed herself to be lost, abandoning herself to this moment about which she had fantasized so much. Hadn't she been waiting for this moment for most of her adult life? Right now, there was nowhere else she would rather be than to be held in Shahid's arms. He continued to kiss her and she sailed on a sea of ecstasy.

Then, as suddenly as she had abandoned herself to him, there came a stab of emotion, something like a warning, as if her hard won sense of reality had seized hold of her. The urgency of it took her completely by surprise.

What was she doing? Was she mad? Had she taken leave of her senses? This was Shahid, the man she had grown up knowing as a mere friend, the man she had seen mature into someone entirely unapproachable. Someone not for her. Someone she had told herself a thousand times could never be for her. Hadn't she?

Aliyah slid her hand down to Shahid's chest, feeling the matted hair, sensing the quick pounding heart within that broad expanse. She felt his body tense imperceptibly, and then with a gentle push she pulled her lips from his.

Aliyah glanced up at Shahid and saw the remnants of his passion fade to be replaced by consternation. His brows furrowed and he looked almost shocked that she had done anything to reject him.

He released her and she turned away from him. Emotion still pulsed through her body even as she stood with her back to him, and she was glad for the moment of respite, a chance to gather her thoughts. She had to tell him this was impossible, that there was no future for them together. Didn't she?

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