Chapter Twenty-seven

“Is she your cousin? Your niece?” She bit her lip. “Surely she’s not young enough to be your…your daughter?”

Clenching his jaw, he looked away.

“You aren’t going to tell me, are you?”

“No,” he bit out.

“Because you promised her you wouldn’t?”

He gave a single unsteady nod.

Familial. So she wasn’t his mistress. She wasn’t his lover. Laila was a member of his family, or at least that was how he felt toward her.

Sylvia’s heart suddenly lightened. She took a deep breath. She looked up at him.

“You also promised,” she said softly, reaching up to stroke his face, “that you would kiss me if I begged you.”

Looking down at her, he sucked in his breath.

“I’m begging you.” She let her hand slowly trail down his bare throat, placing her palm against his shirt, over the rapid beat of his heart. “Kiss me. Kiss me now.”

She heard him gasp, then he grabbed her hands in his own. “All right,” he rasped. His voice was raw. “All right.”

“All right?”

“God help me—” He crushed his mouth against hers, hard