power than all of the beautiful women he'd ever encountered all rolled together.
She had the power to not only touch his body but, he realized with a fear he'd not known in years, his impenetrable heart.
His breath was gone, his legs wobbly, his mind reeling with the knowledge that Faith had the power to destroy him with just a kiss. A simple kiss.
But perhaps not so simple.
A kiss that changed the way he looked at her, saw her, thought of her.
And himself.
He felt weak, vulnerable, capable of being hurt.
It frightened him as nothing had since his youth. No woman had ever had such power over him, not since Jalila.
"Ali." Frightened, Faith pulled away from him, trying to take a breath. Her head was spinning. "We—This—" She shook her head, trying to clear it, to step out of the fog, but she was unable to put her tumbling thoughts together coherently.
Somehow the music had stopped, started again. Couples, oblivious to them on the crowded floor, danced around them.
Resolve resurfaced, and with it, the knowledge that she had done the unthinkable. The thing she'd sworn her whole life never to do.
Let physical or emotional need render her senseless. Witless.
Like her mother.
Faith glanced around and realized they were in the middle of a dance floor at an elegant black-tie gala. And she'd been standing here kissing Ali with the abandon of a sixteen-year-old.
Embarrassed, she shook her head, trying to shake some sense back into it.
"I'm sorry, this shouldn't have happened." She had to swallow. Her throat was so dry it was difficult to speak. "We…we can't do this."
Regret, sharp and deep, streaked through her. She knew this man was a danger to her. Knew it, and had walked willingly into his arms.
Just like her mother had done so many times with her father.
The thought was like a splash of cold water and Faith tried to take a step back, to put some much-needed distance between them, hoping distance would quell the heat that was still rocking her body with aftershocks.
"Can't?" Ali looked at her, his face thunderous. Can't was not a word he was used to, people rarely denied him anything. Especially a woman. How could she stand here and deny the most elemental feelings that surged so gloriously between them?
If he wasn't so aroused, so unfulfilled, so filled with longing he would have been amused that she could think such a ludicrous thought.
"I believe it is too late for can'ts, Faith." He reached for her again, but she stepped back, out of his reach, holding her hands in front of her like an armor.
"Like it or not, it has happened." He would not let her deny something that had so profoundly affected him. Could not let her deny it, not when the evidence of their passion was so visible.
Her eyes were glazed, hazy with passion, a passion he knew had not yet fully developed, or exploded. When it did, he knew it would be a beautiful thing.
Two bright spots of color touched her cheeks, and her mouth—that beautiful, glorious, sensuous mouth—was parted and slightly swollen from their kiss. He wanted to cover her mouth with his again, to sip of her sweetness, to feel her body pressed against his, to feel her heat match his.
"I want you," he said simply, slipping an arm around her slender waist to draw her closer. He couldn't bear to have her so near and yet so far. "You want me. It is not a complicated thing. Do not be afraid of what you feel, of what is between us. It is the most natural thing in the world."
"No." She shook her head, and even though her legs were shaking, she stepped out of his embrace. She wasn't afraid of what was between them—she was terrified of it to the tips of her soul.
"I don't want you," she lied, raising her chin and letting her gaze defiantly meet his.
He looked at her long and hard for a moment. "Your mouth tells lies your body denies, Faith." A small, sad smile touched his lips. "Who is lying now, Faith?" he asked quietly. "Who is lying now?"
Ashamed that he'd turned the
She had the power to not only touch his body but, he realized with a fear he'd not known in years, his impenetrable heart.
His breath was gone, his legs wobbly, his mind reeling with the knowledge that Faith had the power to destroy him with just a kiss. A simple kiss.
But perhaps not so simple.
A kiss that changed the way he looked at her, saw her, thought of her.
And himself.
He felt weak, vulnerable, capable of being hurt.
It frightened him as nothing had since his youth. No woman had ever had such power over him, not since Jalila.
"Ali." Frightened, Faith pulled away from him, trying to take a breath. Her head was spinning. "We—This—" She shook her head, trying to clear it, to step out of the fog, but she was unable to put her tumbling thoughts together coherently.
Somehow the music had stopped, started again. Couples, oblivious to them on the crowded floor, danced around them.
Resolve resurfaced, and with it, the knowledge that she had done the unthinkable. The thing she'd sworn her whole life never to do.
Let physical or emotional need render her senseless. Witless.
Like her mother.
Faith glanced around and realized they were in the middle of a dance floor at an elegant black-tie gala. And she'd been standing here kissing Ali with the abandon of a sixteen-year-old.
Embarrassed, she shook her head, trying to shake some sense back into it.
"I'm sorry, this shouldn't have happened." She had to swallow. Her throat was so dry it was difficult to speak. "We…we can't do this."
Regret, sharp and deep, streaked through her. She knew this man was a danger to her. Knew it, and had walked willingly into his arms.
Just like her mother had done so many times with her father.
The thought was like a splash of cold water and Faith tried to take a step back, to put some much-needed distance between them, hoping distance would quell the heat that was still rocking her body with aftershocks.
"Can't?" Ali looked at her, his face thunderous. Can't was not a word he was used to, people rarely denied him anything. Especially a woman. How could she stand here and deny the most elemental feelings that surged so gloriously between them?
If he wasn't so aroused, so unfulfilled, so filled with longing he would have been amused that she could think such a ludicrous thought.
"I believe it is too late for can'ts, Faith." He reached for her again, but she stepped back, out of his reach, holding her hands in front of her like an armor.
"Like it or not, it has happened." He would not let her deny something that had so profoundly affected him. Could not let her deny it, not when the evidence of their passion was so visible.
Her eyes were glazed, hazy with passion, a passion he knew had not yet fully developed, or exploded. When it did, he knew it would be a beautiful thing.
Two bright spots of color touched her cheeks, and her mouth—that beautiful, glorious, sensuous mouth—was parted and slightly swollen from their kiss. He wanted to cover her mouth with his again, to sip of her sweetness, to feel her body pressed against his, to feel her heat match his.
"I want you," he said simply, slipping an arm around her slender waist to draw her closer. He couldn't bear to have her so near and yet so far. "You want me. It is not a complicated thing. Do not be afraid of what you feel, of what is between us. It is the most natural thing in the world."
"No." She shook her head, and even though her legs were shaking, she stepped out of his embrace. She wasn't afraid of what was between them—she was terrified of it to the tips of her soul.
"I don't want you," she lied, raising her chin and letting her gaze defiantly meet his.
He looked at her long and hard for a moment. "Your mouth tells lies your body denies, Faith." A small, sad smile touched his lips. "Who is lying now, Faith?" he asked quietly. "Who is lying now?"
Ashamed that he'd turned the
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