Possessed by Desire by Elisabeth Naughton Page A

?”
    Anxiety pressed in, stole her breath. “N-none.”
    “Then why would you want to help me? You already said you simply wanted to use me, like everyone else. You’re celestial, even if you are banished. And I’m…smokeless flame. We do not mix for a reason.”
    She wasn’t sure that was true anymore.
    When he tightened his hands on her upper arms, urging her to answer, she gasped. “I know. But…”
    “But what?”
    “But…when I summoned you, I had very specific reasons. I just didn’t expect to feel something for you.”
    His eyes narrowed. “You feel something for me.”
    Her cheeks grew warm. “Yes.”
    “Something like…contempt?”
    The sarcasm in his voice made one corner of her mouth tick up. “No. Most definitely not contempt.”
    “Not contempt,” he muttered, his eyes growing even more suspicious. “Why would you feel anything for me? You barely know me.”
    That was true; she didn’t know him. She bit her lip, thought about how to answer without sounding like a lunatic. Realized there was no way to do that, so simply said, “When I was banished, at first I didn’t feel anything about it. It was…just the way it was. And I was fine with it. I knew eventually my punishment would end, and I’d be sent back. But then…then things changed and…”
    “And what?”
    There was genuine curiosity in his question. And when her eyes met his, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time. He needed to know, just as she needed to feel. His reaction spurred her on. “And I was angry. Really angry. The way you were with Tariq just now. I felt betrayed. I wanted to do something to fix it. But you…”
    “I what?”
    The quickness of his question, the anticipation in his features as he waited for her to go on… It softened her. Right down to her core. No, maybe she hadn’t been wrong after all…
    “You touched me. Not physically—although you did that too—but emotionally. I knew what you were feeling, because I’d been there too. Ashur, your brothers have been frantic to find you. They never wanted you to be with Zoraida. Unlike my situation, you have family that loves and misses you. I wish I had that. I would give anything for that. You have it, and you’re ready to throw it away because you need someone to blame. But sometimes there are no clear answers as to why things happen. Sometimes…they just do.”
    He didn’t say anything, only stared at her with those bewildered and intense eyes. And she wondered if she was making a mistake. If he was truly a lost cause or if the djinni he’d once been before Zoraida had gotten a hold of him was still in there.
    “I want to help you,” she whispered, not sure where this connection she felt was coming from, but unable to stop it. “Because you shouldn’t have to suffer like me. Because…I think at least one of us should be free.”
    “And what do you get out of this?” he asked in a low voice.
    What did she get? She wasn’t sure anymore. “Maybe the chance to do the right thing for once.”
    Though he still held her against the tree, his grip had softened considerably. She tried to read his expression, tried to figure out what he was thinking, but still wasn’t any good at it. And then his gaze dropped to her lips, and his eyes darkened even more with a heat that arced all through her pelvis and sent a flutter straight to her belly.
    He was going to kiss her. Her heart pounded hard, and warmth slid through her veins. She wanted him to kiss her. Wanted to taste those lips again and explore the depths of his mouth like she hadn’t gotten to do before. But not because it might convince him to take her to his realm. No, this time she wanted him to kiss her because he wanted to. Because he wanted her .
    Silence stretched like an eternity between them. He didn’t move closer. Didn’t make any attempt to bridge the gap. Only stared at her lips. Licked his own. The movement making every cell in her body yearn for more. For