Her Forbidden Sheik (The Del Taran

Series Book 4) Elizabeth Lennox

Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebookmass.com/product/her-forbidden-sheik-the-del-taran-series-book-4-eliza
beth-lennox/
 Her Forbidden Sheik
By Elizabeth Lennox

Register for free stories at http://www.elizabethlennox.com/subscribe

Follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Author.Elizabeth.Lennox
Or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ElizabethLenno1

Copyright 2022
ISBN13: 9781950451593
All rights reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the
product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either
electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited,
unless you have the direct consent of the author.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Neville’s Fate:
Excerpt from “Untamed Billionaire”
Chapter 1

“I know how to fix this!” Princess Ayla del Taran announced, bursting into her older brother’s office.
She flattened her hands on Astir’s desk and repeated, with an excited voice, “I know how to fix this!”
Sheik Astir Del Taran stared at Princess Ayla, irritated by her intrusion, but not overly
surprised. “Fix what?” he demanded. With anyone else, Astir might be surprised by her unannounced
presence in his office, but this was his baby sister. She was always energetic, always vibrating with
energy and enthusiasm for whatever cause had caught her interest.
She didn’t notice his eyes shifting away from her, too eager to tell him about her idea. Ayla
ignored his irritated tone and continued, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet, unaware of the
wiggling of her back end as she tapped her fingers on her brother’s desk.
Her eyes twinkled as she said, “I’ve heard about the issue down south, where the entire
village collapsed on itself. Several people were hurt and one person died, not to mention everyone’s
homes and businesses were destroyed. From what I understand, you’re rebuilding, but the recovery
effort…” she fluttered her fingers in the air as if his plans were not significant. “Then there was the
problem in Silar where someone tried to start another illegal mining operation. And just last year,
there was the problem in Citran with all of those trucks and…well, whatever. I know that nothing
horrible happened in Citran because…okay, so the reason doesn’t matter.” She lowered her hands so
that they were braced wide on her brother’s desk. “We all know that the efiasia deposits are huge and
cover four different countries. Apparently, the person in charge of placing minerals under the Earth’s
crust didn’t pay attention to our national boundaries, right?” She straightened, clapping her hands.
“Now there’s a problem in the border town between here and Minar. The crime rate has skyrocketed
in recent months, right?”
“Yes, but…”
With her typical energetic style, Ayla continued. “I know that everyone thought that the
arrests in Citran have stopped the efforts to mine efiasia, but I don’t agree. In fact, I think that the
same issue that was going on in the other towns is now happening in Boutir,” she said, referring to a
small but bustling town on the border between Silar and their neighboring country of Minar. “But this
time, whoever is trying to mine underneath the town is attempting to get the residents out of their
homes. I think that the increased crime rate in that area is just to cover up this mass relocation! The
bad press towards mining companies all over the world that occurred after the cave-in at Dilan here
in Silar was brutal, and drew a lot of international attention. So now, I think that the mining company
corporate executives have hired goons and thugs to infiltrate Boutir, create panic with the residents,
then someone from the mining company comes in an offers the families a ridiculously low offer to buy
their house and or their business.” Ayla clapped her hands together once more, still bouncing
excitedly. “It’s actually a brilliant plan. It lowers their operating costs and gets all of the residents
out of the way so that when the mining equipment moves in, there’s no one around to complain.”
Ayla watched her brother’s expression carefully, wondering if he would dismiss her. Before
he’d met Rachel, his lovely wife, Astir had an annoying tendency to dismiss all of her ideas. But
lately, he’d been a bit more receptive. She just hoped that this time, he’d truly listen to her because…
well, she was right! Ayla had done her research and just knew that something illicit was going on in
the southern town.
Astir didn’t dismiss her. Not immediately, at least. In fact, he leaned back in his office chair,
lacing his fingers over his annoyingly flat stomach and looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Why do
you think the crime rate in Boutir is connected to another attempt to mine efiasia?” Astir asked.
Ayla took his body language as a sign that he might actually agree with her. “Because of the
geology report you commissioned several months ago. The guy explained that he thinks the deposits
of efiasia are that large.” She was warming up to her argument now that her brother hadn’t casually
dismissed her. “It costs approximately fifty-seven percent less to produce a computer using efiasia.
It’s incredibly cheap, easy to manipulate in the factories that produce the microchips for the
computers, but it isn’t very stable. The computers break down after a year or two.”
Astir nodded his understanding. “That’s all true, however…” Astir started to explain.
Ayla was on a roll, so before he could tell her that she was wrong, she continued, pulling out
a graph that she’d created to demonstrate her thoughts. “Here is the crime rate in Boutir over the past
two years.” She laid the graph down in the center of his desk. “See this spike?” she pointed out,
relieved that her brother was actually listening to her and looking at the chart. She pulled out another
paper from her file. “And this one shows a map of the efiasia deposits, as well as the roads going
through Boutir.” She ran a manicured finger along one line. “This is the border between Silar and
our neighbors in Minar. If someone were to use this road,” she explained, pointing to a road that
wiggled back and forth over the shared border, “it goes all the way to the coast. It would be a simple
way to get the efiasia out of the country without digging the damaging and expensive tunnels they
found in Citran.” She paused for a breath, then continued. “If the deposits are as large as your
geologist thinks, then it would be foolish to dismiss the possibility that the problems in Boutir aren’t
related to a renewed mining effort.”
Astir stared at her for a long moment and Ayla concentrated on her brother, ignoring the
tingling sensation that niggled at her conscious. It felt…sort like someone was watching her. But…
Ayla focused on her brother. This was too important. She had to convince Astir to go with her plan.
When he still didn’t dismiss her, Ayla’s hopes soared. She pulled out three more pages,
laying them down on top of the map and the crime chart. “Furthermore, I also know that you’ve sent
several investigators from various government agencies down to Boutir and they’ve all disappeared.
Which means that sending additional personnel to that area is the very definition of insanity.”
Astir’s eyebrows shot up at that last sentence. “It is?” he asked in an amused tone.
Ayla nodded firmly, ignoring his tone because this was too important. “Doing the same thing
over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.” She leaned forward
again, her gaze intense as she stared into her brother’s eyes. “I have a better idea.”
With that announcement, she straightened and waited, holding her breath in the hopes that her
brother would be open to new ideas. He was a great leader, she thought. He’d done a wonderful job
of improving the lives of the people in Silar. He was well loved and open minded.
She just hoped he was open enough to new ideas!

Astir glanced behind Ayla, glaring sternly at the tall man who was currently relaxed in one of
the leather chairs off to the side. The man had been pouring two glasses of scotch when Ayla had
burst into Astir’s office. As she’d explained her ideas, the man had taken a seat, sipping the damn
scotch and…hell! Astir wanted to snap at his friend for staring at Ayla’s butt. However, Ayla wasn’t
the only one with a brilliant mind. Astir’s mind was working, making connections and…yes, he had a
plan as well.
With that plan in mind, Astir didn’t bother to warn his baby sister that there was another man
in the room. Especially not this particular man. He’d seen the sparks flying the last time these two
had been together. Perhaps it was time to see where this might go.
With that in mind, he relaxed back in his leather chair and focused his attention on his sister.
“What’s your idea?” he prompted, promising himself that he’d deal with his friend’s
lascivious gaze later.
Ayla smiled eagerly, relief making her tensed shoulders drop. “Well, what if one of your
investigators poses as a potential fiancé to me?” She must have recognized the look of horror on
Astir’s features and shifted forward, hands out to stop his immediate protest.
“Hear me out before you completely reject my idea!” Ayla paused, waited for him to focus
back on her eyes, then proceeded. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve lost about six or seven agents and
investigators over the last few months. They’ve just disappeared as soon as they tried to figure out
what is going on in and around Boutir. However, if one of your agents poses as my fiancé, then you
could send along a contingent of military personnel, plus my own bodyguards, plus a slew of other
agents who could act as my fake fiancé’s bodyguards. It would be an easy way to get enough people
into Boutir to figure out what’s really going on without scaring off the people who are behind the
problems. We could visit a couple of other cities before heading to Boutir, giving the appearance of a
formal courtship with all the fanfare. We could even invite reporters – and within that mix of
reporters there could be additional agents who could be taking pictures all over town without anyone
asking any questions.” She tapped her finger on the papers still resting on Astir’s desk. “Think of
how easy it would be to find out what’s really going on! Boutir is small enough that strangers stick
out. And it isn’t a tourist destination, so there isn’t an easy way to get new people inside. This will
work!”
Ayla forced herself to stop speaking, then waited tensely for her older brother to respond.
She thought it was an ingenious plan! But would he? Astir was very protective, but in this instance,
he had to understand that the people in Boutir needed their help!
Worried that he might not like her idea, Ayla continued. “At the end of the ‘courtship’, once
you’re able to find the person who is committing all of the crimes, then I can call off the courtship and
tell the reporters that we simply don’t suit. I could even arrange to meet this suitor at several other
restaurants in a few months, have someone photograph us being friendly with each other so that the
world doesn’t think we have any hard feelings for each other, then both of us go on our merry way!”
Again, she stopped and waited, wondering what could be wrong with the plan. It would
work. She just knew it would! There were so many advantages, and not a lot of disadvantages that
she could think of.

Nasir el Bodar, Sheik of Minar, had been almost too focused on the lovely derriere that kept
wiggling in front of him to follow what the princess was saying. Ayla! Damn, he couldn’t remember
a time when he didn’t desire the lovely woman! In contrast to Ayla’s sister, Princess Calista, who
was calm and elegant, always poised and in control, Ayla was a bundle of energy. Every time she
dined with them, Ayla was always moving. Even if she was still, there was an energy about her that
made her seem to be vibrating.
He wanted her. Nasir wanted all of that passion and eagerness. He wanted to make love to
her and feel all of that vibrating energy in his hands. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss
her until every fiber of her energetic body was focused on him and only him!
Unfortunately, she’d been in love with some idiot she’d met at university and didn’t ever
notice Nasir when he was around. The guy had passed away over six months ago and Ayla had been
grieving ever since. This was the first time Ayla hadn’t looked as if she was about to burst into tears
since the funeral.
Even back then, Nasir had wanted to gently pull her into his arms and assure Ayla that
everything would be okay. That he’d make it okay. He wanted to hold her and absorb all of her pain.
He wanted to give her small presents in the hopes of getting just a small smile from her, a fraction of
the brilliance that used to shine from her eyes before the other man’s death.
Unfortunately, Nasir didn’t have that right. As ruler of Minar, the country bordering her own,
he had to respect not just her boundaries, but all of the damn protocols that surrounded him as leader
of Minar.
Not to mention the wrath of Ayla’s older brother! Nasir couldn’t even imagine what his
friend, Astir, would do if he ever made a move on Ayla.
And now the little woman was talking about pretending to be interested in another man? Oh,
hell no! Not in this lifetime! Even a pretend courtship was offensive to Nasir!
Granted, eventually Ayla would fall in love and marry some other man. But Nasir was
determined to put off that future event as long as possible.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea!” Astir finally replied.
“No!” Nasir blurted out. He shoved out of the leather chair so forcefully, that it almost
toppled backwards. The scotch in the crystal glass…well, it was gone now, although Nasir couldn’t
remember drinking it.
Ayla spun around, her beautiful, dark eyes wide with surprise and shock. Obviously, she
hadn’t realized that he was in her brother’s office. From past experience, Nasir suspected that Ayla
escaped the palace whenever she discovered that he was coming for a visit, either official or just
friendly, to Silar. And she’d never accompanied Astir when her older brother came to Minar for a
visit. Not even in an official capacity. It had always been Calista who had accompanied Astir, until
Rachel, Astir’s wife, arrived in the man’s life.
Nasir noticed that Astir was now leaning back in his leather chair, a smug smile on his ugly
face. Nasir wanted to punch his friend, but there was no way that Astir could know about Nasir’s
feelings for his sister.
Astir chuckled as he said, “What’s not to love about the idea? It really solves all of the
problems you and I have been trying to figure out for the past hour. She’s absolutely right. If Ayla
travels to Boutir, I could justify sending a large military contingent along with her.”
Nasir’s hands curled into tight fists and he had to restrain himself from throwing himself at
the other man.
Astir continued, unaware of how close he was to being pummeled. “I could also include
several of my best intelligence agents along with her.” He laced his fingers together, laying them
casually over his flat stomach. “Hell, you could send some of your investigators along as well and
they could work on your side of the border. You were just saying how the spike in crime reports was
no longer confined to Boutir now. That you suspect something is happening over the border in
Minar.” He tapped the map on his desk. “Ayla is right. This road winds back and forth over both of
our countries. It is the perfect extraction route.” He stood up and shifted the papers slightly. “Ayla’s
presence in Boutir would also allow you to send a large military force down to the border towns,
with the excuse that you don’t want any trouble seeping over the border when she’s in town. It would
allow everyone to investigate, and we might not lose any more agents. It’s the perfect cover.”
Everything Astir said sounded right, and yet, the idea of putting Ayla in danger just…no. He
couldn’t allow it.
“In fact,” Astir continued, a slow, evil smile forming on his face, “an even better solution
would be for you to pose as her potential fiancé!”
Nasir had been staring into Ayla’s eyes ever since she’d turned around, unable to look away.
But with that announcement, both of them turned to stare at the man, both of them looking at him with
stunned horror.
Nasir stared at his friend, wondering if the man had lost his mind! And yet, Astir just looked
back at Nasir, acting like he’d just solved world hunger!
“No!” Ayla gasped, actually stepping back to reinforce her rejection.
Astir’s eyebrows lifted and he asked, “What’s wrong with that idea? Nasir is having
problems on the border near Boutir. We’re having problems. We’ve spent too much time and too
many resources trying to stop whoever is behind this illegal mining operation already. Everyone
thought that after Citran, the issue had stopped. But now we all suspect that they are back and even
more evil than before.” He shrugged, nodding his head. “Your suggestion is brilliant. Why not join
forces so that we can figure out who is behind the issue?”
Acting as Ayla’s fiancé? Her lover? The idea made Nasir’s body throb with need, but he
could too easily see the downsides. “I won’t put Ayla in danger!”
Astir leaned forward, his hands splayed out over the charts and research laying across his
desk, amusement still lurking at the corners of his mouth. “So you admit that it’s a good idea.”
Nasir’s jaw clenched as he glared right back at his friend. “Not. In. Danger!” he said,
pausing between each word. Nasir glanced over at Ayla, not sure what the look in her eyes meant. It
didn’t matter. He couldn’t…wouldn’t…put Ayla in harm’s way just for expediency.
But the adorable woman straightened up, glaring up at him. She stepped closer and he could
smell the soft, beautiful scent of her. Freesia, he thought. Light and refreshing, just like her!
And angry! Damn, he loved the fire in her beautiful, dark eyes!
 “Okay, big guy,” Ayla snapped, poking him in the chest. “You got a better idea? Or are you
willing to let several more agents die in the quest for information when I could easily get everyone
into Boutir, and potentially stop whoever is creating misery for the lives of the people in that town.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t think you fit as my potential fiancé though. The person in that role
would need to be a trained agent. Someone who knows how to investigate these kinds of issues.”
Her arms crossed over her stomach, which only pushed her breasts higher into view,
distracting him for a moment. Only a brief moment though. Her words broke through to his lust
muddled mind.
He’d thought he’d reached the limit of his fury at her refusal to take him as her fiancé.
However, when the woman questioned his ability to protect her, he literally saw red!
“You think I can’t handle myself in a tense situation?” he demanded, moving closer. He
completely forgot about Astir leaning back in his chair. All of his attention, and his fury, was focused
only on her. She didn’t think he was capable of protecting her? Of finding out information that might
stop whatever was going on in Boutir and the surrounding areas?!
He felt her eyes move over his arms and shoulders, but not by a blink of her long lashes did
she indicate if she appreciated those muscles. The woman would make him nuts!
“I’m sure that you’re very well…” another glance at his shoulders, “trained.” She huffed a
bit. “However, I don’t think that we could pretend to be a couple. Or even a potential couple. That
would only make the world, and whoever is hurting the people of Boutir, suspicious. The whole
point of this charade is to trick everyone into thinking that I’m considering the man as my potential
husband.”
His temper flared hotter and he stepped closer to her. He fisted his hands at his waist, trying
to keep himself from throttling her. Or kissing her! Yeah, that would prove that he was “capable”! In
fact, he was “capable” right this moment!
“So now you’re questioning my diplomatic capabilities!” How could he want to throttle the
woman and kiss her at the same damn moment?
He watched as she blew out a puff of air, her temper rising right along with his own. “You
just won’t work!”
“Actually,” the third person in the room spoke up, disrupting the red haze of fury that seemed
to be enveloping both of them at the moment. “I think that the two of you as a potential couple is the
perfect solution. Ayla’s right,” Astir said to Nasir. “She is the perfect person to travel through the
cities. Wherever Ayla goes, the press follows. The citizens of Silar love her. She’s some sort of
weird saint in their eyes.”
“Weird?” she interrupted, but was ignored as Astir moved towards the leather chairs, lifting
up his forgotten glass of scotch and continuing to speak. “Her bodyguards can protect her. They’re
well trained and they’re used to the way she moves. But with the extra tensions and crime in that
region, it would make perfect sense to send in a military contingent, telling the press as well as the
town government and law enforcement agencies that the extra military presence is merely to help them
out. It would put them all at ease while the investigators did their thing. That would also slow down
the crime rate in Boutir for a few days and allow our,” he looked at Nasir, “intelligence agents to
move into Boutir and the surrounding areas to find out what’s going on. The crime rate really has
skyrocketed and families are moving out in droves. Since there’s no natural disaster or economic
pressures to justify the impetus, not to mention all of the problems I had after the previous town just…
collapsed into the earth after the illegal mining issues, this plan really does make sense.” He looked
at both of them, smiling as he continued, “And the two of you are the perfect couple for the job.”
Nasir ground his teeth and looked down at Ayla. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders,
framing a face that was dominated by her huge, dark eyes with impossibly long lashes. Damn, she
was so beautiful!
And so in love with a dead man!
His mind frantically considered all the angles, then he wondered why he was even
questioning this idea. Being close to Ayla? Showing her that he wasn’t just a benign friend to her big
brother? Maybe if he could get close to her, he could get her to really see him. Perhaps if she got to
know him, she might truly consider him as a potential husband!
The thought of having Ayla as his wife, as his lover, made his whole body tighten with
anticipation. Impulsively, he nodded. Eyeing her carefully, he hid the motivation behind his words.
“You’re right, of course. If Ayla thinks she is strong enough to handle the pressure of the mission, then
yes. I’ll agree to act as her potential fiancé.”
With that challenge issued, he turned and walked towards the door.
At the door, he paused with his hand on the knob, looking over at her. Daring her. “Give me
a call when you decide. I’ll start setting things up on my side.” He looked at her carefully. “But
know this,” he said with a warning tone, “if we do this, then you’ll be under my protection. I’m not
going to let anything happen to you, Ayla.”
And with that, he walked out.
Chapter 2

Ayla couldn’t stop thinking about Nasir’s final words. If taken out of context, they could be a bit
insulting. Did he think she couldn’t take care of herself? Or that her guards were inept? Some of her
bodyguards had been with her for years! They knew her, knew how she moved about the world,
understood her preferences and her spontaneity. They were her friends!
But the warm, almost gentle tone in which he’d issued that last “threat”, seemed to indicate
that he hadn’t meant the words in a negative way. His statement had almost been…a promise! A soft,
gentle, warm promise.
That was silly though. She tossed another pair of shoes onto the stack of shoes already
selected to be packed. She moved back and forth between her closet and her bed, unaware of her
personal maid’s curious glances.
Surely Nasir didn’t think of her in a romantic way. No, he’d only meant that last comment as
a brotherly assurance. Nasir was one of Astir’s best friends. As world leaders, both of them were
very conscious of how important true friendships were. Too many people wanted to manipulate
world events by gaining a friendship with either of them. They were both powerful and just one
statement from either of them could tip world markets, skew industries, and wreak havoc. They were
always careful about who they let into their lives.
So why had his words been so soft? So…urgent?!
“Is the schedule set for the week?” her maid asked.
Ayla glanced at the growing pile of clothes, sighing with resignation. “Yes. I’ll need clothes
for hiking and formal evenings. Casual day clothes and…goodness, I wonder if Nasir will be
traveling with this many shoes!” Ayla grumbled, tossing a pair of well-worn hiking boots onto the
pile. Did he even like hiking? Would he enjoy the fresh air? The soft sounds of nature?
She’d suggested the itinerary to his assistant and there hadn’t been any changes requested by
Nasir. But Ayla thought it impossible that he enjoyed all of the activities she’d placed on that list.
Surely he had some objections!
Perhaps he hadn’t seen the itinerary. Perhaps his assistant had merely reviewed the list for
anything outrageous and sent back a proxy approval.
But that raised the question once again – would Nasir need this many shoes? Was he bringing
this many changes of clothing? Had she packed properly for all of the events on the itinerary?
“Probably not,” her maid replied, answering Ayla’s original question, if not all of the others
swirling through her head. The maid smiled as she scooped up several pairs of shoes to pack them
into the traveling case.
Ayla groaned again, shaking her head at how much effort it took to appear “casual” and as if
she weren’t really trying to impress Nasir. And yes, she was definitely packing with the intention of
impressing the man. No way was she going to let him continue to think of her as just a little sister. If
she was doing this farce, she was going to glam things up!
With a determined glint, Ayla tossed another pair of shoes, red stilettos, onto the pile. Nasir
won’t know what hit him! He would take her seriously!

Calista stepped into Ayla’s room and smiled. Ayla was staring at two pairs of shoes, one
silver, the other black. “Bring both of them.”
Ayla’s head jerked around, her eyes shifting from confused to excited. A moment later, in
typical Ayla-fashion, Calista’s younger sister jumped up from the floor with a squeal and raced across
the room. Seconds later, Calista was enveloped in her sister’s enthusiastic greeting.
“You’re here!” Ayla gasped, hugging Calista tighter. “Oh my gosh, you’re actually here!”
Pulling back, Ayla started in with the questions. “How is married life? Is Goran treating you well?
Does he spoil you? You look beautiful! Why are you glowing! Oh, right! Because you’re pregnant!
Are you eating well enough? Is the baby okay?”
Calista laughed, warmed by Ayla’s enthusiasm. “Good. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Don’t know
and…” she paused, looking at the ceiling as she thought about her next answer, “I think so and yes,”
she paused to let her hands rest on her slightly swelling belly. “The baby is doing extremely well.”
Ayla laughed and bounced slightly. “What are you doing here?”
Calista smiled at more evidence of Ayla’s enthusiasm for life. “I heard that you were going
on a trip with Nasir and I had to make sure that you were okay,” Calista explained, taking both of her
sister’s hands and leading her over to the sofa. “Tell me, does he know?”
Ayla lowered her lashes and sighed, taking a seat next to her beautiful, calm, extraordinary
sister. “Know what?” she replied, biting her lower lip and looking anywhere but at Calista. Her
older sister was so beautiful and so perfect! Calista always knew what to do in every situation. She
never bounced, never burst into a room, and had fallen in love with a very wonderful, very attainable
man.
“Does he know that you’re madly in love with him?” Calista asked softly.
Ayla’s mouth stretched into a cringe, but she shrugged her slender shoulders. “I don’t know
what you are talking about.”
Calista’s thumb rubbed against Ayla’s hands. “Your feelings for Nasir, Ayla. I’m worried
about you. You’ve been in love with the man for years and your feelings for him have only deepened
as you’ve gotten to know him better. I’m worried that he’s going to hurt your feelings during this…
pretend engagement.”
Ayla thought about arguing, telling Calista that of course, she wasn’t in love with Nasir.
But…well, Calista knew all and saw all. Denial was pointless.
“We’re not pretending to be engaged. We’re pretending to consider becoming engaged.
There’s a difference.”
Calista waited until Ayla lifted her eyes. “Not to you, I think,” she finally said.
Ayla’s shoulders drooped. “When I suggested this, I thought that the fake fiancé would be a
trained agent, someone from Astir’s intelligence agency. I hadn’t even realized that Nasir was in
Astir’s office when I made the suggestion.” She sighed, remembering how…enthusiastic…she’d
been, and had probably looked merely childish. Ayla cringed inwardly at the memory. “Then when
Astir jumped on the idea, saying it was a good one, I was more than a bit stunned when he suggested
that Nasir should be the potential fiancé.”
“And now you’re stuck.”
Ayla’s mouth twisted. She took a long, slow, deep breath, then exhaled, straightening her
shoulders. “It will be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Calista asked softly.
Ayla hesitated. “I’ll be fine. I’ll protect myself. Besides, it’s the least I could do. We
haven’t been able to find out who has been trying to illegally mine the minerals since the last
discovery of illegal operations in Citran and people are getting hurt. That’s three times, possibly four
if the events in Boutir are part of the issue, that someone has hurt the people in that region just
because of a cheap, mostly useless mineral. The crime rate in Boutir has sky rocketed lately and…
whoever is doing this, has to be stopped.”
“But not by you,” Calista said, careful not to hurt Ayla’s feelings more.
Ayla lifted eyes that glistened with unshed tears. “If not me, then who?” she quipped, trying
for a casual, non-emotional tone and failing miserably.
“There’s also the issue of Kirk.”
Ayla jerked at the name of her friend. “What about Kirk?”
Calista tilted her head slightly. “Your friend died only six of months ago, Ayla. And now
you’re diving into a new challenge. Are you dealing with your feelings over your friend’s death?”
Ayla smiled weakly this time. “Kirk died of cancer. He’d been battling the disease since he
was in elementary school. He lived twelve years longer than the doctors expected.” She sighed and
pulled a pillow over her stomach, hugging it tightly. “Am I sad that he didn’t have an extra fifty
years? Yeah. But he got those extra twelve years. And we had a lot of fun together right before he
passed away. He lived larger in those last two years than most people live their whole life.”
Calista smiled as well. “Thanks to you.”
She shook her head, giving Calista a wry smile. “No, thanks to Kirk. He could have
wallowed in self-pity and succumbed to the pain as the cancer ravaged his body. He lived with it
every day. I don’t think I would have been that brave.”
Calista sighed, patting Ayla’s hands. “Okay, so let’s go over your strategy for the upcoming
few weeks.” She glanced over at the pile of shoes the maid was slowly packing. “The red shoes are
a must.” For the next hour, the two women went through Ayla’s wardrobe choices, laughing and
talking and catching up after a long separation.

Petro Zinhaden glared at the television, mentally cursing every romantic inclination in every
human being. “What the hell?!” he growled.
Princess Ayla Del Taran is courting?! Why did she need to court someone? And why was
she courting the freaking Sheik of Minar?! The massive brute should stay in his own country and keep
out of Petro’s way! This…traveling crap…what in the world? Who traveled around a country while
“courting”?
Walking over to the window, he looked out at the new intimidation tactics. A dozen men
were slowly getting out of their vehicles, none of them joking around with the others. Everyone was
serious. All loners. There was no camaraderie among thieves and thugs. They were each out for
themselves, focusing on what would benefit their own interests. Each had been promised an amount
for every house that went up for sale. Their nightly efforts were to cause panic among the residents,
give everyone in the small town of Boutir the impression that the crime rate was too high and they
needed to get out as fast as possible and find a new place to live.
No way was Petro going to end up like all the other bastards who had tried to get the stupid
efiasia mineral out of the earth. Their deaths had been…horrific. Mutilated bodies and sliced
throats…Petro smiled at the thought. He’d hated Jeff Kipsinger. The ass had thought that he was
better than everyone else. And Ned? Well, Ned had done some pretty bad things to both good and
bad people. Petro considered the man’s death a justifiable end to the guy. The other man…Scott
something or other? Well, the man had been an idiot. Granted, Scott had figured out how to get the
mining equipment into position and the trucks in and out of the area without detection, so he had a few
brain cells. However, Petro was a thug, not a mining director. He’d simply implemented Scott’s
transportation model and Jeff’s mining methods here in Boutir, replicating the parts that had worked.
Then he’d overlayed his own expertise, being a thug, and things seemed to be humming along.
It was just an issue of getting the residents out of their homes so the freaking Earth didn’t
collapse down on top of everyone like it had that first time. Petro chuckled at the memory. It had
been almost comical, seeing all of those buildings literally falling into the Earth, almost as if the
ground had decided to swallow up everything.
Only one death though. That had been too bad. And that death hadn’t been directly attributed
to the collapse. The death had happened afterwards, a heart attack or something. Petro hadn’t been
fond of a few of the local law enforcement guys. It would have been great if a few of them had fallen
into that pit along with all of the houses.
But now it was his turn as the top dog, and Petro wasn’t going to lose that enormous bonus
that the old man Neville was offering. Petro had demanded double the bonus and Neville had
agreed. Greed was a powerful force, Petro thought.
Turning, he focused back on the current situation. So far, he’d scared about twenty percent of
the residents out of their homes. He needed to speed things up if he was going to make the delivery
deadline. Fortunately, that was his area of expertise!
The flash of the television caught his attention again. So…the lovely princess was
considering marriage. Huh! What did that mean for Boutir and his operation?
Probably nothing, he thought. The princess wouldn’t come here to Boutir. The current crime
rate would ensure that. Sheik what’s-his-name would keep his little sister far away from any kind of
trouble.
So maybe this courtship crap was a good thing, he thought. If the princess wanted to be
courted, the press would flock to her, wanting pictures and quotes. Yes, maybe this was good! There
hadn’t been another investigator sent down to Boutir in a while. Maybe that was because of the
princess’ intentions!
Yep, that made sense! The Sheik’s goal was to keep his sister protected and maybe also pull
the headlines and attention away from the rising crime rate in a small, podunk town that no one really
cared about.
Chapter 3

Nasir tried to appear calm as he stood at the foot of the stairs to the plane, waiting for Ayla.
Unfortunately, the woman was late. Pacing back and forth, he went over the plans in his mind once
again, trying to find areas where the bad guys might hurt Ayla.
Maybe he should just call this off. They could come up with another plan, he thought. If
anything happened to Ayla, Nasir knew that he’d never forgive himself!
He was just lifting his phone out of his pocket when a line of SUVs drove onto the tarmac. A
second later, there was a rush of reporters running across the tarmac towards him. His guards
immediately stepped up, forming a line, but the reporters halted at the roped off area, pulling out their
cameras and shoving their recorders into the air, yelling questions to him.
But the moment Ayla’s SUV came to a stop, there was absolute silence. The reporters even
forgot to lift their microphones while the cameras of the photographers remained limp in their hands.
It was as if everyone’s breath stopped for a moment, holding in their lungs as they waited for Princess
Ayla to step out.
One beautiful red stiletto. Then a sexy calf. A dark skirt. A moment later, the rest of Ayla
emerged from the SUV. That was their cue for the reporters to go nuts, all of them screaming out
questions to Ayla, trying to be overheard over the din of the other questions.
For her part, Ayla took it all in stride. It was like she was a rock star, and the paparazzi were
salivating for just a coy smile in their direction. She walked over to him and…he had the same
reaction. His breath caught in his throat as he watched her walk over to her. Was she moving in slow
motion on purpose? The smile she gave him…it was both a promise and dare. A challenge and a
salacious gift that carried over the heated currents of air towards him.
And Ayla didn’t just walk. She sauntered. Her hips swayed just enough to make a man’s
mind blank. Her silk blouse almost hugged her breasts, teasing him with the tantalizing knowledge of
what was underneath. And her legs! Dear heaven, her legs were…too long for such a short woman!
Nasir watched, his eyes taking in every detail of her red silk blouse and black skirt, her red shoes
and…and her dark hair. Damn, her hair was pulled back into some sort of twist. He didn’t like that.
He preferred her hair to flow over her shoulders, tempting him to reach out and run his fingers through
it.
It wasn’t fair that she controlled him with just a walk and a smile. He almost resented the
woman for being so damned beautiful! And yet, she’d always had this kind of an impact on him. For
years, he’d watched her, lusted for her, respected her, and knew that she would grow into just this
kind of woman.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” Ayla said with a sultry smile to her red lips.
“You look beautiful, Ayla,” he said, taking her hand and lifting her fingers to his lips.

Ayla trembled as his lips touched her fingertips, trying to hide the shiver of awareness. She
wanted to jerk her hand away, not let him know the power he had over her. Since stepping out of the
vehicle, she’d had eyes only for Nasir. He was so tall, dark, and powerfully handsome. He
compelled her. He pulled her in, like a giant magnet and she was the steel. Ayla knew that she should
have gone over to the reporters and answered some of their questions. But as soon as she’d seen
Nasir standing here at the base of the stairs, there had been no other action other than to walk to him.
And now she stood here, not sure what to do. Not sure what to say. How could he have this
kind of power over her? Why did she turn into a tongue-tied school girl whenever she was around
this man?
What had he said? Something about her looks. “Thank you,” she whispered, lowering her
lashes because she just couldn’t take the intensity in his eyes now. She’d thought she was prepared
for this. For him! But standing here now, feeling her knees wobble, Ayla was terrified of falling on
her face. Wouldn’t that be a good headline for tonight’s news? “Princess Falls at the Sheik’s
Feet!” Oh, that would definitely go viral!
“I guess we should get on with it?” she offered.
“Perhaps we should,” Nasir replied, lowering her hand. “Should we speak with the
reporters first? They seem to be under the impression that we are already betrothed.”
Ayla glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see such a large crowd of reporters. “How
many are your agents?” she asked.
“None,” he replied smoothly, tucking her hand onto his arm. “My agents, and the ones your
brother assigned to the mission, won’t show up until our first stop. We both thought it would be odd
for a stranger to show up in the throng here.”
She nodded her head, smiling slightly and completely oblivious to the cameras who were
recording every moment of their interaction. “I guess a new reporter would sort of stand out with
these reporters. Whereas, if a new person shows up in their midst at the first town, they’ll seem like
just a local reporter.”
He smiled down at her and Ayla almost tripped over her feet while standing still. “Exactly.
Easier to blend in as well. And we’re hoping that the journalists here will start asking questions of
the local ‘reporters’ and will provide a few answers along the way.”
“Very smart of you,” Ayla replied, forcing her lips to smile when all she really wanted to do
was to run back to the very nice, very comfortable SUV and hide away from this man.
“We have our moments,” he teased. “Shall we board the plane or talk to the reporters? It’s
only a two hour flight to our first stop so we have time.”
“I think we should just get on the plane and leave a mystery for the reporters to guess at,” she
replied with a secret smile. At his nod of approval, Ayla stepped forward, walking up the stairs to
the plane ahead of him. Ayla was painfully self-conscious of her butt right in front of his face as she
walked up the stairs. She was two steps higher than he was, which put her tush right there at eye
level for him.
Please don’t fall! Please don’t fall! With every step, she prayed that she wouldn’t trip on
some invisible something or other that would cause her to tumble to her knees. Or worse, fall
backwards into Nasir. Yep, that would be an even better headline! “Princess Throws Herself at the
Powerful World Leader!”
 When she stepped into the air-conditioned interior of the plane, out of sight from the cameras,
Ayla breathed a sigh of relief. No fall. No trips. No embarrassing moment! Stepping out of the way,
she moved deeper into the plane so that Nasir could get out of the limelight as well.
“Good morning, Your Highnesses,” the pilot greeted them both with a bow. “It’s a pleasure
to serve you. As soon as you are ready, we are cleared for takeoff.”
Ayla watched as Nasir pulled off his jacket, handing it to the blond and beautiful flight
attendant. “Thank you, Captain,” Nasir said, nodding briefly at the blushing blond.
Ayla wanted to scratch the woman’s eyes out! How dare that woman flirt with the man that
might, potentially, if everything goes right, become her husband? Okay, that was a lie. She and Nasir
wouldn’t ever be married, much to her disappointment. But the blond woman didn’t know that! So
why was she flirting with Ayla’s man! How rude!

Nasir sensed the sudden anger in Ayla. That didn’t make sense. A moment ago, she was
smiling and sexy, all into her role and playing the potential fiancée and femme fatale to the nth
degree! For a moment, even he’d been fooled! So what had her in a tizzy now?
“Are you okay?” he asked, taking the wide, leather seat opposite her as they both buckled
their seat belt, preparing for takeoff.
“I’m fine,” she replied, her tone a bit snappish. She reached into her tote bag and pulled out
a book.
He eyed her carefully. Since she was flipping through the book, snapping the pages and not
really reading anything, he knew that she wasn’t “fine”.
“Is that a code word for ‘not being fine’?” he teased, remembering articles about husbands
warning the world that “fine” was bad. Very bad!
Just then, Janette brought him a cup of steaming coffee, then turned to smile at Ayla. “Can I
get you anything, Your Highness?”
Ayla barely even glanced at Janette before she replied, “I’m fine.” Then looked down at her
book once more.
Now Nasir was fairly certain that Ayla definitely wasn’t “fine”. “Care to share?”
“Share what?” she asked, then snapped another page in her book.
“Why you’re so angry all of a sudden?”
Ayla glanced behind him. Nasir twisted his head around and caught Janette closing the
plane’s door, twisting the locking mechanism. Suddenly, he had a brief thought. Surely…Ayla
couldn’t be…jealous?! The thought was so outrageous that he blurted out the question even before
he’d thought about it a second time.
“You’re not jealous of Janette bringing me a cup of coffee, are you?” he asked, stunned and…
okay, a bit thrilled at the possibility that she cared.
Ayla’s furious eyes glanced up at him, then she snapped another page in her book. “That’s
ridiculous.” She huffed a bit, pulling her eyes away from the flight attendant. She sat in silence for a
long moment, but Nasir waited patiently. Ayla wasn’t one to hide her feelings. Sure enough, moments
later, she slapped her book closed and glared at him. “But it seems a bit odd that you’d bring your
mistress along with us on this kind of mission. We’re trying to portray a happy, potential couple, if
you’ll remember.”
Nasir stared at her for a long moment, tossing her words around in his mind. The answer that
kept coming back to him was that, yes, she was jealous! Of Janette!
Stifling the sudden surge of lust, he tried for a calm, rational tone as he said, “Ayla, Janette
always brings me a cup of coffee before takeoff. She knows that I’ll want it so she doesn’t bother to
ask anymore. She’s very efficient and…” He stopped when the anger in Ayla’s eyes intensified. He
chuckled then, before saying, “And just so you know, Janette would not be interested in me. Maybe
you. Although, if her partner got wind of you flirting with Janette, I doubt that your bodyguards would
stand a chance against Linda.”
There was a long silence as the plane taxied down the runway. Finally, after several furtive
glances towards Janette who was most likely strapped into one of the jump seats at the front of the
plane where the flight attendants worked, Ayla could only squeak out, “Linda?”
“Janette’s wife,” he clarified, just in case Ayla didn’t understand.
Ayla’s jaw went slack. She glanced at Janette one more time, then her mouth formed an “O”
before she snapped it shut. “I see.”
There was a primness in Ayla’s shoulders now and Nasir was hard pressed to keep his
amusement smothered. She looked so adorable now. But even better, Ayla had been jealous! Damn,
she’d been jealous over him! Was he missing other clues? Was Ayla more interested in him than he’d
realized?
Chapter 4

Hiking through the woods was supposed to be a peaceful experience. Ayla glanced over her shoulder
and sighed as the crowd of journalists and photographers tripped over logs and stones in an effort to
keep up.
“They’re pretty noisy, aren’t they?” she whispered to Nasir.
He laughed softly and moved closer to her. “I think the whole point of our excursions is to
draw their attention. So I think we need to give up on peace and quiet until this mission is over and
the culprits are caught.”
Ayla didn’t even realize that she’d moved closer to Nasir until she felt his hand touch the
small of her back. And even then, it was disturbing only because she liked it so much.
“I suppose we should…talk to each other.” She glanced up at him, hoping he didn’t think she
was trying to be invasive. “I mean…the whole point of this is to pretend that we’re trying to get to
know each other, right?”
“Yes,” he replied and paused to let her walk ahead of him through a narrow part of the path.
“What would you like to talk about?”
She smiled, but the expression felt…odd. Sort of forced. “Well, why don’t we share stories
about our childhood?” She glanced up at him worriedly. “I mean, it would be a good start, right?
Don’t other couples share stories like that?”
She looked so worried, Nasir wanted to pull her into his arms. “I don’t know,” he replied
gently and pulled a branch back, allowing her to duck under the leaves. “I’ve never actually had a
real relationship.”
Ayla felt an odd pang of…something strange…hit her chest. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged, drawing her gaze to his delicious shoulders. He really had very nice shoulders,
she thought. Broad and muscular, the kind of shoulders that made her want to lean her head against
one of them.
“The relationships I’ve had with women over the years have been more…” he paused,
considering his words carefully before he said, “transactional, I suppose.”
Ayla blinked, not sure what he meant. “How can a romantic relationship be transactional?”
she asked, stunned by that description.
He laughed and Ayla loved the sound. His laughter sent shivers of delight racing through her
whole body. And she felt warm, as if she’d gifted him something precious!
“There has never been much romance in my relationships with women, Ayla,” he told her,
staring straight ahead.
The warmth sputtered away and she stopped hiking, turning to look up at him. “What does
that mean?” she asked, startled and…hurt. Although, she couldn’t really define why she felt hurt.
He stopped and turned, facing her. Ayla was once again startled by his height and the
shocking number of muscles that had always been hidden underneath the suits he normally wore.
“Because women don’t approach men in my position for a romance,” he told her, his hand
coming up to take her hand. “Women approach men like me for financial gain.”
Her mouth dropped slightly. “You sleep with prostitutes?” she gasped, trying to yank her
fingers out of his grip.
He didn’t relinquish her hand as he explained, “No. Not prostitutes, but the women in my
past expected…things from me. They expect me to take them places, to fancy restaurants, give them
gifts and…well, mistresses are a bit different than a romantic relationship.”
Mistress. No, not singular. Plural. Nasir had enjoyed several mistresses over the years.
Ayla felt odd now. She wasn’t exactly sure how to react to this news. Was she relieved that he hadn’t
ever been in love with the women he’d slept with? Or was she angry that he’d paid for his pleasures,
even if the cost wasn’t explicit in the negotiations?
Then Ayla remembered that she didn’t have the right to be jealous or relieved. Nasir was
merely an actor in this mission. A game of hide and seek with the perpetrators of something most
likely very evil.
“Well, that seems…very complicated.” She pulled her hand away and started walking again.
“Actually, it was the opposite of complicated.” He put a hand to the small of her back again,
then took her elbow, helping her over a fallen log even though Ayla was perfectly capable of walking
over it herself. Regardless of her abilities, she still enjoyed his touch, so she allowed him to hold her
elbow. If they’d been alone, if this had been a true courtship, Ayla would have stepped on top of the
log and turned, put her hands on his shoulders and looked down at him. She would have enjoyed
feeling taller than Nasir since she was always looking up at the man. A small bit of power exchange
would have been nice.
However, she continued walking, not stepping on top of the log. A noise to the side reminded
her that they were surrounded. Not just by her bodyguards and his, but also a pack of reporters who
were racing through the woods, unconcerned about poisonous snakes or plants in their desperate
efforts to get the “perfect” picture.
“This is awkward, isn’t it?” she asked him, needing to change the subject. But she tossed a
smile over her shoulder.
“It’s certainly a …different…courtship,” he replied, then took her elbow, pulling her back so
that he could throw his arm over her shoulder. “Now that you know about my love life, or lack of
one, it’s your turn. Tell me about the men you’ve dated in the past.”

Nasir waited, not sure he wanted to hear about Ayla’s romantic history, and yet, he needed to
know. Was she going to tell him about the guy who had just passed away? The man she’d been in
love with for years?
Bracing himself, he focused his mind on the trees and the sounds of the… reporter tripping
over a hidden root, a muffled “oomph” coming through the trees before the man pushed himself up
again and was once more running through the trees.
 “Romance,” Ayla sighed and he felt her lean towards him slightly. His arm tightened,
savoring the moment. He might not have Ayla for long after this, so he was going to relish every
moment with her.
He almost stopped when that thought formed in his mind. When had he given up on winning
her affections? Why the hell was he allowing himself to accept defeat before he’d even started the
battle? He’d never surrendered in his life. Why would he contemplate failure now?
With that in mind, he loosened his arm, but kept her close. Their steps became more synced
so when they took a step, their bodies moved together. It wasn’t awkward. It felt…natural. And
pretty damn wonderful too!
“Yes, tell me about the men you’ve dated in the past. What drew you to them? What did they
do that irritated you?”
She laughed and he squeezed his arm, a sort of half hug at her lighthearted humor.
“Well, I had a male friend during my first year at university,” she started off and Nasir’s mind
rebelled at the idea of her loving one man for so long. “He was a lot of fun, but since he and I hung
out most of the time, that sort of intimidated other men. I didn’t date very much during those years.”
For some reason, her explanation caused more confusion. He wasn’t sure what she meant.
“So this guy…Kirk?”
She jerked to a halt and looked up at him. “Yes. How did you know his name?”
He waved her question away. “Your brother must have mentioned the guy’s name once or
twice,” he offered. Nasir didn’t tell her that he’d asked about the guy every time he and Astir got
together.
“Yes, well, Kirk had a very profound influence in my life. When I met him, I was sitting in
the back of the university’s dining hall, terrified of approaching anyone and asking if I could sit with
them during the meal.”
He glanced at her sharply. “Didn’t you have a roommate?”
Ayla groaned, nodding confirmation. “Yes, but she was…odd.”
“Odd how?” Nasir remembered Astir mentioning something about a roommate but had
dismissed the issue. He only wanted to know if Ayla had fallen in love with any man and wasn’t
overly concerned about “odd” people.
“She didn’t talk to me. Like…at all. I know it wasn’t something I did or said to her, because
she literally didn’t speak to me since the moment we met. She smiled when I introduced myself, then
got to working on making her bed. There was no conversation after that in any way. During the
weekends, she’d sleep all day long, never coming out from underneath her blankets. Or she’d go
home to her parents’ house on Friday afternoon and didn’t arrive back in the dorm room until after her
last class on Monday.”
“That sounds like an uncomfortable situation.”
Ayla shrugged. “Well, that’s why I was sitting alone in the dining hall. Most roommates
bond over the phone before classes start and then go around together until they end up hating each
other by the middle of the first semester. But by then, each person has met others in their class, so
they’d made other connections.”
“That didn’t happen on the first day though. So what happened?”
She smiled fondly and Nasir was once again confused. Wasn’t she in love with the guy?
“Well, Kirk walked right up to my table, put his tray of food down and announced that we
were going to be friends. He told me that he wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
Nasir looked away, unable to watch the soft expression in her eyes. “That sounds a bit…
abrupt.” And annoying, Nasir thought. Yes, he was jealous of a dead man. And that annoyed the hell
out of him!
“Kirk is…was…the kind of man who lived life in a very powerful way. He wasn’t slowing
down and told me that he didn’t have time for the polite chitchat associated with making friends. He
thought I was pretty and looked as if I needed some adventures. So he just…decided I was going to
be his partner in crime!”
Nasir grunted, then steered Ayla towards another fork in the path. He knew that this section
would take them towards a waterfall where they might have a bit more privacy. Not the intention of
this walk, he reminded himself, but he was growing tired of the snapping of cameras.
“What kinds of things did you and Kirk do?”
Ayla chuckled as the memories flooded her mind. “Oh, he was gentle with me at first. We
would go off on walks together, but those walks always had to include walking along bridges or
walls. It couldn’t just be a sidewalk. It had to have an edge to it.”
Nasir looked back at her sharply. “He didn’t put you in danger, did he?”
Ayla laughed and pulled away. “No. He was always a gentleman. But he taught me how to
live life more fully.”
“You’ve always been energetic, Ayla.”
“Yes, but I’d had private tutors for most of my life. Then I went to boarding school in
Switzerland with Calista. So I hung out with her most of the time during those years. It was safer that
way.”
“Safer how?”
She shrugged and started to climb the rocks. “This is lovely!” she gasped when the waterfall
came into view.
Nasir climbed the big boulder right behind her, trying, and failing, to keep his eyes off her
very nice derriere. He really loved her figure. She was beautiful inside and out, and it was a
struggle to stop himself from looking at every delicious curve of her butt and her hips.
“Oh my!” she sighed as she stood on a flat rock overlooking a relatively high waterfall. The
water tumbled cheerily over a cliff into the pool below.
“Don’t jump,” he teased. “The water isn’t very deep down there.”
She laughed but took a step back. “I’ll take your word for it.” She turned around and tilted
her head back. Nasir couldn’t stop his hands from coming to rest on her slender hips. “So…what do
we do now?” she whispered.
Nasir wanted to kiss her, but he was aware of the photographers creeping around over the
rocks, not getting too close because his guards were forming a perimeter and stopping anyone who
became overly adventurous.
“This would be the perfect time for me to kiss you.”
She laughed nervously. “I don’t think I want our first kiss to be in front of…” she stopped,
her eyes widening. “I don’t mean,” she started off, only to stop and start again. “I mean… we
aren’t…you don’t have to…the kiss. I meant, the kiss…you don’t…I’m not expecting…”
The blush staining her cheeks was lovely. “When I kiss you, it definitely won’t be in front of
cameras,” he told her softly, his voice deepening as desire surged through him.
She stared up at him and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. Nasir stared down at
her, his hands and body absorbing the trembling in hers, and awakening a lust in his. He desperately
wanted to taste her lips, but…the damn reporters! He’d be damned if the rest of the world got to
share his first kiss with Ayla! Not a chance in hell.
“We should keep moving,” he told her, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t move. Not right at
the moment.
“Yes, probably.”
Ayla started to step away, but he held her firmly in front of himself. “Give me a moment,” he
told her, amusement lighting his eyes now. Amusement and chagrin that this tiny slip of a woman
could so completely make him lose his control.
“A moment? But…Oh!” she gasped, then looked around as she pressed herself closer to
him. “Yes. That would…um…well.” She paused and lifted her eyes up to him. Thankfully, there
wasn’t any amusement in her lovely features now. “That seems rather…annoying. Is it?”
He chuckled, shaking his head at her question. “It is when I can’t do anything to fix it.” And
her leaning against him like this wasn’t helping.
Her grin widened and she spoke the thought that had just passed through his mind. “And me
leaning against you is helping, is it?” she asked, her tone skeptical. “I’m not very…uh…experienced,
Your Highness. However, I don’t think that my proximity is a very good solution to your
predicament.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled, lifting his gaze and noticing all of the cameras pointed towards them.
“But it’s a pretty nice predicament.” He ran a hand over her back. “Just give me a moment. I’ll think
pure thoughts and it will go away.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Does that really work?” she asked, wiggling slightly as her
balance faltered on the uneven rock.
He growled low in his throat with her movement. “Not when you do that, it doesn’t!”
She laughed, putting her hands on his chest. “Well, let me know what I can do to assist you.”
“You can make that offer later tonight when this ‘predicament’ comes back!”
 Another tingling laugh and Nasir suspected that she thought he was kidding. He wasn’t!
How the hell was he supposed to court the woman when she had no clue that his intentions
were completely serious?!
“You know, payback is hell,” he commented, causing her to laugh again. That caused her
body to shift against him once more. He tightened his arms around her, enjoying her laughter, even if
it was at his expense. She was such a delight! Even the torture of her body pressed against his was
worth the pain.

Ayla just couldn’t stop laughing. She wasn’t sure how much of it was amusement and how
much was nervousness. “I can’t believe that we’re standing in the middle of a forest with a beautiful
waterfall behind me and…we’re trapped.”
“And the worst of the situation is that we’re trapped of our own design.”
That made her laugh harder and she pressed her face against his chest. In retribution, Nasir
lowered his head and bit her earlobe. Thankfully, her long hair hid his action from the cameras that
were most likely snapping away, logging every second of this moment.
“What are we going to do?” she asked, lifting her head, trying to see him.
He glared down at her. “You’re going to remain very still for the next few moments.” He
paused, then added, “And you’re not going to laugh at my predicament, or I will do my utmost to
return the favor at a most inconvenient moment.”
Ayla pressed her lips together, trying valiantly to stop her laughter. But it was there in her
eyes.

Petro watched the manic press coverage of the ridiculous “romance” between the brutish
Sheik el Bodar and the relatively tiny Princess Del Taran. What the hell the woman saw in the guy,
Petro couldn’t fathom. The man was more than a foot taller than her short stature and she was
gorgeous! Petro wondered what she looked like underneath all of those prim, prissy outfits that only
made her slender figure look even more appealing.
As amusing at the duo appeared when they were standing near the waterfall, they weren’t
helping his cause. At first, he’d thought that the romance might be good. That the press would focus
too much on the romance and would leave him to get his tasks accomplished.
But now he was struggling to get people here in Boutir to pay attention. They were gaining
hope and started talking with one another again. The romance between the princess and that other guy
was bringing everyone out of their homes and…well, they weren’t focused on the crime rate! Damn
it, the press was too focused on the stupid antics of that woman and the sheik-guy and they weren’t
hyping up the fear that was the impetus for his operation here.
It pissed him off that a freaking romance was slowing down his mission. He had work to do.
How could someone with so much responsibility, such as the Sheik of Minar, have the time to spend
just romancing some chick? He didn’t doubt that Princess what’s-her-name had the time to spare.
Women were really only good for one thing. As long as they kept their teeth out of the way, he was a
happy man. Otherwise, they were useless.
Flipping his keychain around on his forefinger, Petro contemplated his next move. Perhaps it
was time to up the ante, so to speak. He needed the press, at least the local press, to focus on the
crime rate here in Boutir. Maybe it was time to release the choke hold on his gang of goons.
Chapter 5

The marketplace was hopping with people today. However, the people weren’t customers so much as
reporters and an entourage of guards.
“Just breathe,” Nasir commented, moving closer to Ayla when he noticed the tension in her
smile and in the tightness of her shoulders. He reached up, pressing a thumb into each side of her
shoulder muscles, smiling when she gasped. A half second later, she moaned, leaning back against
his body. Damn, she was stressed!
“Oh, that feels too good!”
“Why are you so tense?” he asked, his mouth brushing against the delicate shell of her ear.
He absorbed the shiver, smiling at how responsive she was.
“Umm…because you’re teasing me?”
He laughed, keeping his mouth close to her skin, wondering if there was some way to nibble
on her neck. He could smell her soft perfume, a flowery, pretty scent that matched her personality
perfectly.
“I’m acting the part of a suitor, remember?” he countered. “We’re supposed to be getting to
know one another.”
She paused as a shiver raced through her system. “But we don’t need to be this…cozy to do
that,” she argued.
“Ah, but how will we know if we’re sexually compatible if we don’t explore each other?”
He pressed his thumbs against those tense muscles again, stopping her from pulling away from him.
Every time he massaged those muscles, she melted against him. What an incredibly sensuous
woman!
“I thought we were merely supposed to pretend?”
Nasir chuckled, then gave into the temptation and nipped at her earlobe. She gasped and he
pressed his fingers against her muscles again. Her reaction to the dual onslaught was fascinating!
She shivered again and he wrapped an arm around her stomach, pulling her back against him.
“You’re beautiful, Ayla,” he said, then nipped at her neck. “I would very much like to…”
“Your Highness, we should…!” His assistant stopped, eyes almost popping out of his eye
sockets when the man realized that he’d inadvertently interrupted a very intimate moment. “I’m so
sorry!” he gasped, backing up.
“Not a problem,” Ayla replied, smiling brightly at the man. Perhaps a bit too brightly? “We
were just practicing for later when the reporters might be watching.”
The man’s mouth opened and closed, obviously not sure how to reply to that. Ayla and Nasir
were in a small building at the entrance to the marketplace, hidden from the reporters for the moment.
Their security team had asked that they standby in this building while they got the crowds and
reporters under control.
 “Big problem,” Nasir growled, but released Ayla as she moved across the small room. He
was only slightly mollified when he looked at her and noticed that the tips of her breasts were
pressing enticingly against the thin material of her linen shirt. Good, he thought, in a foul mood now.
At least he wasn’t the only one that was affected by their interludes!
When she lifted a hand to fan her face and pinch the front of her shirt to swish some air
inside, he almost laughed. And a plan formed in his mind. A very nice plan!
“We’re ready, Your Highness,” his head guard announced.
“Shall we?” Nasir asked, extending his hand towards the door to pull it open. He then
waited for her to walk through with her usual sexy sashay. Nasir watched her walk, enjoying the
view and wondering if she had any idea how lovely she looked when she walked. Especially in the
khaki slacks that hugged her bottom so perfectly! That was when he realized that there weren’t any
panty lines. What the hell did that mean? He almost groaned at the thought of her not wearing any
panties. His body instantly reacted to the possibility and he moved closer, wanting to shield her
backside from anyone else who might notice the lack. No way was he letting anyone else ponder the
potential that his soon to be fiancée was without underwear!
“Good morning!” she greeted the first vendor.
“Good morning, Your Highness!” the man gushed, blushing as he bowed and his wife
curtsied. They both looked overwhelmed at the possibility of selling something to royalty.
“Everything here looks beautiful!” Ayla commented. “Teas and herbs?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the man replied, then pulled his wife closer, almost knocking her
down with his efforts. “My wife, she makes the blends. You’ll never find better! We grow most of
the herbs ourselves. The lavender tea is our specialty,” he said, pointing to the largest container
which was handily resting right in the center of the man’s stall. “We have to make extra of it every
week because most people want it.”
Ayla brightened. “Oh my, that’s an excellent recommendation.” She leaned forward and
smelled one of the lavender pouches. When she stood up again, she was nodding. “I’ll definitely
have some of that!”
The woman beamed with pride and hurried to grab a plastic pouch, scooping a large portion
into the bag, then sealed it. “On the house, Your Highness.”
Ayla shook her head. “Absolutely not! We are here to shop and I appreciate your
recommendation.” She pulled some money out of her wallet and handed it over. “Will this cover it?”
“We’ll get you change!” the wife replied.
“No need for change,” Ayla commented. Then she quickly moved to the next stall, looking at
the vibrant scarves. “Oh, these are lovely!”
“This one would look good with your eyes,” Nasir commented, taking a soft blue one off of
the hook. He then stepped in front of Ayla and wrapped the filmy scarf around her neck, ensuring that
he brushed his fingers against her neck as he settled the fabric artistically on her shoulders.
“Beautiful.”
They stood like that for a long moment, staring into each other’s eyes. Nasir wished that he
could kiss her. She truly did look beautiful in blue. It caused her creamy skin to glow and her eyes…
they already were bright, but the color darkened her eyes, making everything look soft and warm. He
knew that she normally wore silks, wool or cashmere scarves. This one was made from polyester
fibers, but he didn’t care. It still looked perfect.
“I’ll take it,” he said to the merchant. Nasir then turned and handed the man some money.
“Thank you for the lovely gift for my lady.”
The man nodded his head, eager and excited to have promoted the cause of romance.
They continued through the colorful aisles of the outdoor market, purchasing something from
each stand. And Nasir ensured that he touched her, brushed his fingers against her skin or simply
pressed a hand to the small of her back with every step. He could feel her trembling and loved it. Of
course, he was just as affected. He also was surprised at how nice it was to just be with her, to touch
her and walk with her, see her smiling eyes as she looked up at him while they decided on the various
options at each stall.
So it was a surprise when she paused in between aisles and looked at him with pleading in
her lovely chocolate eyes.
“We have to go,” she whispered, but kept the smile on her features.
Nasir looked down at her, worried. “Are you okay?” he asked, instantly shifting his body so
that she was protected from view.
She bit her lip, glancing around and then lowering her lashes as she said, “I’m fine. But…I
just…I need you to stop touching me!” she hissed the last few words.
He moved even closer so that their conversation couldn’t be overheard. “Ayla, we’re
supposed to be getting to know each other.”
She shifted slightly, looked to the right, then the left before bowing her head. “Yes but…
well, you don’t understand!”
He blinked, waiting for her to continue. “What don’t I understand?” he asked when it became
obvious that she wasn’t going to continue. He then plucked a hat off of a hook behind her, plunking it
down on her head. The hat looked ridiculous, but it gave him another opportunity to touch her, to feel
her shiver as she leaned closer to him ever so slightly.
“You have to be kidding!” she said, bursting out with laughter when she looked at her
reflection in the mirror nailed to one of the posts of the stall.
“I think it looks good!” He leaned forward and whispered, “Besides, this is my retribution.”
“For?” she asked, then almost giggled when his hand slid around her waist, his thumb sliding
inconspicuously under her shirt and…the dratted man tickled her! And he knew he was doing it too!
She couldn’t squeak or object, because there were too many cameras around.
“For yesterday at the waterfall,” he replied smoothly, taking another hat and plopping it down
on his head. “What do you think?”
She laughed at the horrible hat he’d selected. It was brown and orange…and possibly the
ugliest hat of the entire batch.
 “What do you think of this one?” he asked, putting the ugly, orange hat back and reaching for
another one. Ayla’s delighted peals of laughter filled the entire marketplace, causing many of the
others to stop for a moment, turning to look at the playful couple.
Immediately, she smothered her laughter, shaking her head. “I think we should get out of
here. I suspect that we’re overplaying our roles in this mission.”
“Never a good thing to overplay anything, eh?” he asked, putting the hat and her scarf back.
Then he put his arm around her waist and pulled her forward. “Wouldn’t want to give anyone the
wrong impression, would we?”
As their bodies connected, each of them froze, their eyes catching and holding. Just like
yesterday at the waterfall, the chaos around them faded away. It was just the two of them, and she
could feel her heart pounding against her ribs, her breathing speed up. Ayla leaned forward, feeling
Nasir’s fingers tighten on her waist and then…!
A burst of cheers roared up in the air. Ayla blinked, looking around, then moved closer to
Nasir as he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders. “What’s going on?” she whispered.
“They thought we were about to kiss,” he replied. Gone was the flirtatious, amused tone
he’d used all morning. His voice was now gruff and…irritated?
Ayla pressed the side of her body against his, appreciating his strength as well as his height.
She felt safe and secure here against him. Protected! She probably should pull away, but goodness,
he felt right! And since she wasn’t getting that hoped-for kiss now, she would take what she could
get!
“That’s ridiculous!” she whispered back.
“Is it?”
“Yes!” she replied firmly, still walking beside him. But a moment later, she looked up at him,
noting the tension in his jaw. “Wasn’t it?”
Nasir merely stared right back at her as he led her through the stalls that they’d shopped
through for the past two hours. The smells and sounds were still there, but Ayla felt the added tension
now. There was an overlay of sensual awareness.
“You weren’t going to kiss me!” she reiterated.
“If you say so,” he replied smoothly, then touched her elbow as she stepped into the back seat
of the waiting SUV. Their guards immediately closed the doors, then moments later, the vehicles
were all moving down the street.
Ayla sat next to the man, his large, muscular thigh less than an inch from her own. A second
later, he reached behind her, placing his arm on the back of her seat. The movement caused his body
to feel as if he were hugging her somehow. It was…nice.
Too nice!

Nasir’s phone rang and he glanced at the caller. It was a member of his council and he had to
take the call. But as he spoke to the man, he watched Ayla. Her head turned towards the window and
her long lashes fluttered while she stared at the passing scenery. But he had the sense that she wasn’t
really seeing anything. She was thinking…dare he hope…about their almost-kiss? He’d been wrong
about their previous interactions. Ayla was interested. But how interested? Did she want just a
fling? Or was she interested in more?
For some reason, Nasir simply couldn’t see Ayla as the type of woman to indulge in casual
affairs. Perhaps that was a bit…sexist of him. Women could have casual affairs, he told himself.
Both men and women should explore their sexuality, learn what they like and dislike in a partner.
Just not Ayla.
Nasir wanted to teach her everything. He wanted to show her how her body could enjoy
touching and sexual interactions. He wanted to…or did she already know all of that? Had that
bastard Kirk shown her what a romantic touch could feel like? Had the bastard touched her and made
her sigh with pleasure?
The very thought made his stomach ache. He must have sounded more abrupt with his
answers to his council member because Ayla turned, her big, brown eyes looking up at him with
concern.
When he ended the call, she shifted slightly as she asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Fine,” he replied sharply as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. “Just…some
issues that I have to deal with tonight after we’re done.”
“This is a huge burden on your time, isn’t it?”
“It’s fine, Ayla.” His eyes sharpened on her lovely features when she opened her mouth to
say something. But before she could speak, he interrupted her thought. “This affects my country as
much as yours. If we don’t catch whoever is doing this, the mining company or someone else, then the
effects will be felt in a larger area. We have had too many problems over the past several months.
It’s time to put a stop to this. So whatever is going on, whoever is causing these problems, they are
my highest priority. I will not stand for the citizens of Minar, Citran, Silar or Skyla, or any other
country, to be beaten down and hurt by someone doing bad things to them.”
She smiled and he had no idea what he’d just said to make her smile. But for some reason,
she also seemed much more relaxed.
“You come across in the news as a very harsh person.”
“I am harsh!’ he snapped, although that smile had loosened some of the anger brewing inside
of him.
She shook her head and all of those long, dark tresses shimmered in the sunshine streaming in
through the window. “No. You’re really just a big, cute softy when it comes to your people.”
He didn’t feel very soft, Nasir thought with a mental groan. “Ayla, don’t mistake my desire to
see my people safe as anything more than it is. I want to find this bastard. Not just the people on the
ground doing the crimes. But also the person behind all of this mess.”
She tilted her head, blinking those long, dark lashes that framed her chocolate eyes. “You
think there’s someone pulling the strings?”
 “Yes. There’s definitely a puppet master. And a lot of money is involved in the attempts. No
single person can manipulate so many people without being well funded. The people that have been
incarcerated so far just weren’t financially savvy enough or mercenary enough to have pulled off
events like what we’ve seen so far.”
She sighed, shifting slightly and he wanted to pull her onto his lap. Unfortunately, that was
out of the question.
“I wonder why someone thinks that this mineral is so important. All the person is going to do
is ruin the reputation of the computer company that sells the laptops with the bad microchips in it.
Efiasia just isn’t reliable as a data transfer mineral. There are too many other, better, options out
there.”
“Yes, but whoever is building the computers with the weak microchips merely needs to get a
distribution and marketing system in place. Once those processes are in place and ready to go, it’s
very easy to rebrand. It just takes a good printing press, and a whole new company is ready to sell
‘new’ computers to the world. They use the same distribution companies, use the same marketing
tactics, just with a new logo. It’s actually pretty ingenious.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “Good grief! I hadn’t thought of it that way! I’d just thought
that the company was trying to sell as many bad computers as possible before going out of business.”
She pondered his words for a moment. “So you’re saying that, whoever is behind this will sell as
many computers as possible under one company name, then just change the company name and keep
on selling the exact same computer?”
“Yep, and most likely everything will be coming out of the exact same factory.”
“So a new company is born and they just need to…?’
“Get their computers into the stores and online. It happens all the time. Especially with
online stores. They don’t even have to change anything other than the name. If you look at the major
retail markets, as soon as one brand gets enough bad reviews, they simply sell the exact same product
under a different name. Sometimes, they don’t even wait for the bad reviews. There are many
instances where bad products are sold under multiple brands at the same time. Everything still comes
from the same factories and shipped to the same warehouses. Just different name brands but with the
same owner.”
“That’s horrible! Consumers can’t trust anyone!”
He nodded curtly, his eyes grim. “It’s starting to feel that way. That doesn’t take into account
all of the products that are stolen from the owner, sold under a different name but they are the same
product. The market is a bit of the wild west right now.”
Ayla shifted again, her eyes troubled now. “So, even if we succeed in figuring out who is
behind these mining issues, someone else will come along and scam everyone?”
Nasir took her hand and pulled her around so that she was looking at him once more. “Ayla,
we can only right one wrong at a time. We can make laws that try to protect our people. But in the
end, we all just have to be vigilant.”
She stared up into his eyes and, for a long moment, she wanted to kiss him. But her eyes
glanced to the guards in the front seat as well as the guards driving behind them in the next SUV.
Once again, everyone was watching. There was no way she was going to kiss this man while others
could view, and probably categorize, all of her faults. She could imagine her guards and his in the
guard room later on, rating the kiss, laughing about it.
Pulling her hand away, she shifted again and sighed. “You’re right, of course. One bad guy
at a time.” She smiled, trying to pretend that she was okay.
But Ayla wasn’t okay. She wasn’t sure if Nasir felt the same way about her as she felt
towards him. She wanted to kiss him, to feel his lips against hers. She would know then. She’d
understand his feelings for her if only…if she could just…!
Oh, what was the point? She was floundering now and she wasn’t sure what to do about her
attraction for Nasir.
“We’re almost to the hotel again.” The words broke the painful silence, but the sound of her
own voice was still startling.
“Right,” he replied. Was there a tone of resignation in his voice? She glanced at him
sharply, wondering if he was just as frustrated by their lack of privacy as she was. “We leave tonight
for Boutir.” He glanced at his watch. “Four hours. Just enough time to shower and change, maybe
grab a bite of food.”
“Always on to the next stop, right?” she teased, but her voice didn’t sound very teasing at the
moment. It sounded sharp and…and just a little bit tired. Thankfully, she didn’t sound as tired as she
felt. Of course, her fatigue wasn’t physical. It was mental and emotional exhaustion. She hadn’t
counted on this roller coaster of emotions. She hadn’t anticipated that they’d be close, touching
during every interaction.
Ayla needed to get control of her emotions. Looking over at Nasir, she realized that he was
once again on the phone, talking to someone and giving them more instructions. What was this issue?
Something about taxes or economic impetus mechanisms.
The man didn’t need her lusting after him, she told herself firmly. He definitely had enough
problems without her adding to them.
Namely, ensuring that some illegal mining operation digging under a village and killing off
private citizens was brought to justice! Of course, there wasn’t any evidence of that happening again.
No, this time, people were getting hurt by a gang of thugs.
Or was it more complicated? She supposed they’d get more information as soon as they
arrived in Boutir.

“You saw it here, ladies and gentlemen!” the reporter smiled as she spoke into the camera,
her heavily made-up features looking as excited as if she’d just recreated sliced bread. “Princess
Ayla del Taran and Sheik Nasir bin Zaminista are having a grand old time. It’s always exciting to see
royals out and about doing things that normal people do. But in their case, their romance is much more
visible. The ‘dates’ where they are trying to get to know one another are public and the press isn’t
giving them any privacy to…”
Petro flipped off the television, irritated by the woman’s voice. She was pretty enough, but
why did the women on camera always have to wear the sleeveless dresses that hugged their figures
while the male reporters wore suits and ties?
Not that he was much of a feminist. The difference in the women’s clothing only reinforced
how there are different rules for different people. His people were criminals. He was able to get
things done without pesky laws interfering in his plans. The rest of the world? He almost laughed at
how everyone else obeyed the stupid rules.
In his mind, rules were…well, suggestions perhaps. Or guidelines on how to do what he
wanted to do without getting caught.
He laughed to himself. That sentence probably only made sense in his own mind.
Sitting down, he ignored the squeal of the metal chair as he lifted his feet up on the desk,
tapping the newly sharpened knife against his denim clad knee. He’d thought that the local press’
fascination with the budding romance between the beauty and the beast would be an unfortunate
distraction. But it was actually helping him. Sure, the local news wasn’t broadcasting the newest
crimes from the night. However, people had gained a notch of hope after watching a silly romance
start to bloom. Then one of Petro’s guys would come in and shatter that pathetic hope.
Nothing better than crushing someone’s dreams to make them succumb to his plans faster, he
thought to himself.
Chuckling again, he dropped his feet down onto the floor. He’d give the thugs a bonus before
they headed out for their meanderings tonight. The idiots would most likely spend the extra money on
alcohol. Fortunately, the booze would merely make them more aggressive. A few of them might get
caught by the local law enforcement, but Petro would just get them out of the jails tomorrow so that
they’d be back at work the next night. He’d handed out enough bribes to the local cops, and now it
was time for them to earn their money!
Chapter 6

“What’s up, Chockran?” Nasir asked to the captain of his security team. The hotel valet was packing
his clothes while his assistant went over a stack of documents that he needed to review and sign
before they headed for Boutir.
“I apologize, Your Highness, but General Stannis has asked us to hold off on our planned
arrival time.”
Nasir sighed, tossing his pen down on the documents. “What’s going on? We have the whole
mission planned out.”
“That’s true, Your Highness, but there was an odd uptick in violence this afternoon. General
Stannis would like his men to move in tonight and get the situation under control before your arrival.”
Nasir stood up, considering the man’s news. “Hold on for just a moment,” he said to the
captain. “We need Ayla in here for this conversation.” He walked out of the suite’s office and moved
down the hallway, ignoring the sputtering of Chockran. The man was old school and didn’t believe
that women should be included in security decisions. But since this whole mission was Ayla’s idea,
she should be involved in any decisions that would change the entire plan.
“Ayla!” Nasir called out, knocking on her bedroom door. She’d taken over the opposite end
of the penthouse suite and he knew she’d gone to her rooms to shower and change right after their last
outing. He’d done the same thing as soon as they’d arrived back from the marketplace, but he doubted
he had as many steps prior to a public appearance. Ayla couldn’t just shower and shave. He
suspected that her makeup alone would take at least a half hour. Women definitely were held to a
higher standard.
So he was startled when she opened the door, looking fresh and beautiful and in a pair of
black slacks and a pink silk blouse. Damn, she looked amazingly beautiful! The woman definitely
knew what colors suited her best. Blues and pinks, yellows and dark reds. She was absolutely
lovely!
“What’s up?” Ayla asked, bringing his attention back to her face. He realized that he’d been
staring at her breasts as they pressed up against the soft silk. Yes, Nasir was actually jealous of the
blouse! That was how far gone he was!
Pulling his eyes away from the soft, enticing mounds, he looked up and down the hallway.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he glanced down at her feet, then behind her at the hotel maids that were
packing up her clothing.
“Is everything okay?” Ayla asked, concern in those dark eyes.
Brutally, Nasir pulled himself together. Problems. They had a problem and needed her
input. With that reminder, his brain cells connected once more and he was able to speak.
“General Stannis has asked for a meeting. There are a few problems that might require us to
adjust our schedule.”
Ayla’s mouth fell open in stunned surprise. But she rallied quickly, pulling her shoulders
back and nodding sharply. “Right! Um…okay. Then…let’s have a listen!” She turned to the maids
and smiled. “I’ll be right back.” The maids smiled in return but continued with the packing as Ayla
followed him down the hallway to the main area of the penthouse.
“What’s the problem?” she asked the captain.
The captain of the guard shifted on his feet slightly, but after a quick glance at Nasir, he
nodded, then began to explain.
“We all know that there was an increase in crime in Boutir, which is why we’re heading
towards that village, trying to determine if the current crime wave is connected to the other issues
along the border towns with the illegal mining.”
“Yes, go on,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well, yesterday, there was an odd spike in the crime levels, even higher than the previous
levels, and the crimes over the past twenty-four hours were more…personal in nature.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, moving closer.
Chockran sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly. “There were three home invasions and one
woman was…she was badly beaten.”
“That’s horrible!” Ayla gasped. “What do the police say about the spike in the crime spike?”
General Stannis shook his head. “That’s the issue. We don’t know what happened over the
past twenty-four hours. There is no information from the local law enforcement officials.”
The guard captain took over, saying, “We’re asking if you could delay your arrival for
another twelve to twenty-four hours. Just long enough for General Stannis’ teams to get into position.
He’s aware of the problems and your reasoning for visiting the town. But the area is just too hot right
now. We need time to ensure your safety.”
Ayla glanced over at Nasir. He didn’t look pleased by this change in the schedule.
She lifted her eyebrows in question. “You think we should go ahead as planned.”
“Yes,” he replied. Then Nasir sighed and shook his head. “And no.”
She smiled briefly, amused, but too concerned by the brutality of what was happening in the
small town.
“I get it,” she said, understanding their unspoken message. “If we go in now when everything
is in chaos, people might panic. But if we don’t move in, more people could get hurt.
“Exactly,” he confirmed with a sharp nod.
She turned back to Chockran. “What do you suggest? How will you get your teams into
position without our presence there as cover?”
The man’s mouth compressed and his eyes sharpened in thought. “It will be more of a
challenge, but we’re using the normal excuse. Security teams are always sent ahead when either of
you visit. We’re hoping that the residents won’t be overly suspicious when the military is part of that
staging team.”
“And what if they are?” She shifted around so she was looking at the general. “Why don’t
you ask the military personnel to come in from various angles instead of straight through? And maybe
do it in stages. It might seem like a large, invading force if large military vehicles suddenly appear in
the small town.” She tilted her head. “I hadn’t thought about that when I’d suggested it at the
beginning of this mission.”
“We had,” Chockran replied. “But at the time, it hadn’t seemed like a bad thing, considering
all of the crime that was happening each night. Before, the crimes were focused around thefts of
vehicles or someone breaking into a business and stealing merchandise. There were a few muggings,
but mostly it was vandalism and thefts. However, because of the more personal crimes that occurred
over the previous twenty-four hours, I think…” He stopped, hesitating to speak the words.
Ayla understood and finished for him. “You and the teams were concerned that, if there was
a surge, I would think that the residents would appreciate an invading force,” Ayla commented into
the pause.
Nasir stepped in. “I agree, but the whole point of this mission is to slip into the town and not
scare away the perpetrators. A massive force moving in, especially after last night’s criminal
activities, might scare the goons into hiding.”
“That makes sense,” she replied with a sigh. “Okay, so what’s the next step?” she asked,
turning to Chockran. “How do you get your people in without me and Nasir arriving on your heels
and justifying their presence?”
Chockran had obviously been prepared for this question. “We don’t need a large gap between
our presence and yours. If you could just wait twenty-four hours, that would give us enough time to
move in at a more circumspect manner. There won’t be an overwhelming force, which is what we
were planning initially. We’ll move in more carefully and most of the military personnel hold back,
but form a perimeter to ensure that, whoever is responsible for the crimes, they aren’t allowed to
escape.”
Ayla turned to Nasir. “Any concerns on your side?”
“No,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Although I’m sorry that we can’t be more aggressive
about the resolution.”
Chockran smiled and the expression was a bit…scary. The man was big and definitely
looked capable of handling any type of threat. “We will be aggressive, Your Highness. But the
additional time will allow us to be stealthy as well.”
With that, he bowed, then turned on his heel and walked away.
The tension in the room suddenly shot up and Ayla looked over at Nasir. He was staring right
back at her, a heat in his eyes that…caught her breath! Goodness, he was gloriously handsome, she
thought. And now they had twenty-four hours together with nothing else on their schedules.
“I suppose we both have work that we need to see to,” she blurted out, clasping her hands in
front of her. She was trying to hide her nervousness, but suspected that it wasn’t working very well.
“Actually,” he replied as he pushed away from the back of the sofa where he’d been leaning,
“I cleared my schedule in order to attend to this mission.”
She backed up a step, but felt something hard behind her. The dining room table, she
suspected but wasn’t sure. Nor could she pull her eyes away from his gaze as he stepped closer. And
closer!
“But…” her eyes dropped to his mouth, her heart pounding frantically against her chest.
“You’ve taken phone calls!” she asserted. “Your staff needs your guidance.”
He stopped when he was mere inches away from her. “I don’t hear my phone ringing now.”
He reached out, gently tugging her hands apart. “Why are you so nervous all of a sudden?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but the words wouldn’t come. Perhaps because her mind
couldn’t concentrate on anything other than his hands holding hers. But then he lifted her hands,
placing them on his chest and he moved even closer.
“Talk to me, Ayla,” he ordered in a husky voice. “I want to make love to you. But if you
don’t want this, then tell me now.”
Make love to her? How in the world had they gone from having a free night together to…to
making love?!
“But…you…!” she swallowed, distracted when he pulled her into his arms. “You think of
me like I’m a little sister!”
He froze for a stunned moment, then threw back his head, laughing at her statement. When he
looked down at her again, he shook his head. “I guarantee that I don’t see you as my little sister,
Ayla,” he replied, then lowered his head and kissed her.
Their first kiss, she sighed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back.
Unfortunately, he lifted his mouth away before she could really invest in the kiss! When she
looked up at him, she shivered at the heat in his dark eyes. That look was definitely non-sibling
related!
“Do you see me as a big brother?” he asked, brushing his lips against hers. It was very soft.
A gentle, tentative caress.
She pulled in a slow, shuddering breath, then shook her head. “No. I’ve never thought of you
as a big brother.”
Nasir wanted to ask if she was thinking of Kirk at the moment, but he didn’t want to know.
With determination, he vowed that he would make sure that she was thinking only of him tonight. All
night!
Sliding his fingers into her dark, soft tresses, he cupped the back of her head as he deepened
the kiss. He needed to taste her. He needed to know that she wanted this. Nasir teased and nibbled
along her lips until she shivered. In that moment, he knew that she’d given in to her desire and he’d
won. At least for tonight, he’d won Ayla!

His kisses were too much and…not enough. There would never be enough kisses from
Nasir! She debated pushing him away. She didn’t want to be just another female body to him. At this
moment, though, he wasn’t thinking of her as a baby sister. Over the past few days, he’d touched her
as a man would touch a woman. And right now, he touched her as if she was a desirable female.
Ayla made the decision that she was going to show him that she was a mature, grown woman. A
woman who could match him touch for touch.
With that intent in mind, she lifted up onto her toes, slid her fingers into his hair and pulled
his head down lower. Then she kissed him. Really kissed him. No more of those silly teasing
kisses. She’d enjoy those later. Tonight, she didn’t want teasing. She wanted passion!
“Kiss me!” she urged a moment before she lifted up onto her toes and kissed him with all of
the love she felt deep inside of her for this man. Then she shivered with delight and terror when he
returned that desire. One of his hands held her head, tilting her slightly so that he could deepen the
kiss. The other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his hard body and Ayla loved
every moment of it. Needing to feel his touch, feel him against her, she shifted her body and trembled
as her taut nipples rasped against the linen of his shirt.
She heard him groan and absolutely loved the sound. She wanted to hear him do that again so
she slid her hands down along his shoulders, then explored the chest area. Her fingers inched along
the muscles, discovering the ridges and the male nipples. When he groaned again as her fingers slid
over those areas, she touched them again. And again! Every time, he almost froze with her touch,
then his kiss deepened, as if he were silently asking her to touch him like that again. It was a thrilling
experience to have this man at her mercy like this simply because of a touch.
But before she could thoroughly explore that new-found power, he growled and pulled away.
Ayla was so startled by his abrupt move that she simply stared up at him, worried that she’d done
something wrong. That impression evaporated when he bent down and simply lifted her up into his
arms. Ayla grabbed onto his shoulders, her feet swinging up into the air as he carried her with one
arm behind her back and another under her knees.
“Where are we going?” she gasped, not sure if she wanted to laugh or…or lean forward to
kiss his neck. Oh, kissing his neck seemed very tempting!
By the time she’d made the decision, he was kicking the door to his bedroom suite closed and
carrying her through a large sitting area towards a big, beautiful bed. The room was similar to hers
with the cream, silk covered walls and tall windows draped in a slightly darker shade of cream.
Cream damask covered bed and cream carpeting that was so thick, it absorbed all footsteps.
He paused at the edge of the bed and released her legs, but kept his arm around her back.
The movement caused her body to slide deliciously against his and Ayla lifted her face up, needing
another kiss. No, she needed to kiss his neck. The skin was so warm and she just knew that he would
smell delicious! But he was too tall! And he took control, kissing her again and again until her mind
was spinning with the need coursing through her body. Trembling, she gripped his shoulders, shifting
her breasts back and forth against his hard chest.
Abruptly, he pulled back, his eyes almost black in the dim light. Before she could translate
his heated message, his hands moved to the hem of her blouse and simply pulled it up and over her
head, dumping it on the floor beside them. Then he stood back and Ayla was intensely relieved that
she’d donned a pretty bra earlier.
“I like this,” he growled, one fingertip running along the lace edge of her white bra. Because
of the presence of photographers wherever she went, she always wore a thickly padded bra. So Ayla
was frustrated when that long, tanned finger drifted over the cup of her bra and Ayla felt nothing. Her
mind kept telling her that she should feel something.
 So instead of waiting for him to take off her bra, she reached behind her back and released
the catch. Immediately, the straps loosened and she pulled back enough to drop the bra onto the floor.
Then she grabbed his hand and, closing her eyes, whispered urgently, “Please, do that again!”
Silently, she waited for the touch of his fingertip against her peaked nipple. She’d thought
that she’d braced herself, was prepared for his touch. But nothing could have prepared her for the
surge of sensation when his fingertip slid lightly against her nipple. She gasped and jerked his hand
away.
“Let me,” he urged, gently tugging her fingers off of his wrist. Nasir then lightly teased her
nipples while Ayla closed her eyes, gritting her teeth in a pointless attempt to withstand his touch.
But it was too much! Her mouth fell open and she leaned into his touch, wanting more and more!
Finally, his big hands moved slightly and she felt his hands cupping both of her breasts, the
thumbs sliding mercilessly over the tips again and again until she cried out, shaking her head as she
turned her body away.
His only response was a soft chuckle, but before she could admonish him for laughing at her,
he was kissing her, abandoning her breasts so his big, wonderful hands could move around to her
back. They slid lower and lifted her up against him, cupping her bottom as he pressed a hard,
muscular thigh between her legs.
This was a new sensation and Ayla wasn’t sure how to handle it. She gripped his shoulders,
gasping with every shift of his thigh against her core. When he stopped, she groaned and was almost
frantic to get the feeling back!
In that moment, she felt his fingers against the waistband of her slacks. His deft fingers were
releasing the button, then sliding the zipper down. Because they were loose slacks, as soon as the
catch was gone, they slid silently to the floor to puddle around her ankles. Ayla was left standing in
front of him in nothing more than a pair of satin panties and black heels.
“Perfect!” he hissed, then lifted her up again. Instantly, her legs wrapped around his waist,
needing that sensation back on her core. But he wasn’t going to give her that. Well, he did for a short
moment, kissing her as he laid her down in the center of the bed. Ayla pressed against that
magnificent erection, kissing him back and showing him how much she needed him.
When he pulled out of her arms, she whimpered her objections. But then she felt his fingers
hooking into the sides of her panties. He tugged and Ayla automatically lifted her tush up so he could
slide the panties down.
She was completely naked now and almost painfully self-conscious since Nasir was fully
clothed. “But…!” she started off, closing her legs. He stopped that move by putting his hands on her
knees and shaking his head.
“I want to see all of you, Ayla,” he rasped out. “Don’t hide anything from me.”
The heat in his eyes encouraged her, as did the pressure on her knees where his hands
pressed her legs wide once more. With a blush, she let him, giving him a full view of her whole
body.
He stood back, looking down at her. Ayla was warmed by his gaze, wishing that he would
touch her with more than just his eyes.
 But he stepped back, his eyes never leaving the pink folds that were normally hidden from the
world, as he quickly stripped off his clothes. He wasn’t gentle about his disrobing and there might
have been a few rips, but both of them were too fascinated by each other to worry about clothing at
the moment.
“You’re beautiful!” he groaned, staring at her. He was now completely naked and Ayla could
see all of his amazing muscles. The man was packed with muscles! His arms and shoulders rippled
with his movement and even his abs were ripped! She was almost too amazed by the view, so she
nearly missed the movement of his hand as he gripped his erection and stroked himself. Instantly,
Ayla’s gaze moved lower and she watched him, fascinated by the way he touched himself. But her
jealousy was too much and she shifted onto her knees, wanting to do that herself.
“Can I…?”
“Not yet,” he growled, releasing himself as he lifted her up. Somehow, Ayla was back on her
knees, kissing him, but also falling backwards. Quickly, she gripped his shoulders to steady herself
and, a moment later, found him leaning over her, pressing her legs wider as his body moved between
them. His chest was warm against her breasts and she whimpered when he brushed the sensitive
peaks. It was almost painful because of the lash of need that stoked her body higher.
He tore his mouth away from hers and Ayla cried out her objection, but that sound was stifled
when his mouth moved against her neck, nibbling and sucking, scraping his teeth against the skin then
nibbling the same spot before moving to another place. Over and over, he nibbled and sucked,
finding new spots that sent her body tingling and writhing underneath him.
Then he moved lower, capturing one nipple in his hot mouth. She cried out and tried to get
away from that tormenting sensation. But as soon as his mouth was gone, Ayla needed him back, her
fingers tugging at his hair until he laughed and pinned her hands against the comforter on either side of
her head. That’s when she knew that she was in trouble. His mouth latched onto her nipple, his tongue
laving it, teasing the peak and she screamed, her hips shifting against his, trying to find some small bit
of relief from the almost unbearable torment. But he didn’t give up. He simply moved to her other
nipple, driving her crazy for several moments before he moved lower. And lower!
Ayla was gasping in relief when he finally released her nipples, but that relief was short
lived. She was breathing in great gulps of air, closing her eyes to try and regroup. So she wasn’t
aware of him moving lower on her body until his mouth teased her core. That throbbing nub was
enveloped in warm heat as Nasir’s mouth covered her, his tongue flicking against that nub over and
over until…Ayla screamed, arching her back as pleasure surged over her in rolling, crashing waves.
She was unaware of her fingers pulling at his hair as the throbbing pleasure eased up and she melted
into a puddle on the bed. Every part of her was limp now and she tried to smile, or maybe even thank
Nasir for such a beautiful moment. But words…her mouth wouldn’t form the words. Or perhaps it
was that her mind couldn’t function enough to send the message to her lips.
She felt movement and forced her eyes to open. Nasir was there, staring down at her and she
felt his fingers against her belly. They were drifting lazily back and forth as he watched her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, then licked her lips, wishing that she could offer more profound
words. A simple thank you just didn’t seem adequate for what she’d experienced.
He chuckled, his fingers lighting over her stomach again and again. “Oh, you think we’re
done?” he teased, shifting once again.
That’s when his hand moved higher, cupping her breast. “We’re definitely not finished!” he
assured her when she opened her mouth to try and respond. But before she could, that diabolical
thumb brushed against her nipple. Then he pinched the tip, just lightly, but with enough pressure to
send pointed jolts throughout her body, ending right down at that nub that had so recently been happy
and satisfied. No longer!

Nasir might have smiled when Ayla’s back arched, but he was in too much pain at the
moment. He needed her. He needed to slide into her heat and lose himself in her softness. He
reached into the bedside drawer and pulled out a condom, but then he lowered his head, taking that
nipple into his mouth. She was so damned responsive and he couldn’t seem to get enough of her cries
and sighs.
He could barely stand it now. He had to be inside her. When his hand drifted lower,
smoothing along her soft stomach and then lower, and lower, he teased those delicious folds, finding
her core and…damn, she was so hot! So wet!
Before he could shift positions so that he could enter her, he felt her soft hands on his chest
and just…froze. For so long, he’d fantasized about Ayla touching him, her soft, pretty hands gliding
against his chest. But the reality was so much more intense, so much hotter than any of his fantasies.
While his finger slid into her wet heat, she gasped, her sharp fingernails digging into the skin on his
chest. He liked that! Damn, he liked that!
She shifted her body, turning towards him and, because his hand was still inside of her,
sliding in and out of her heat, she moaned and lifted her mouth up, kissing him as her leg moved over
his hip. She grabbed his shaft and…and his mind exploded. There was no control now. He was
mindless as her hand stroked him and he stroked her. It was too good and…not good enough!
Pulling her hand away, he ignored her cries of protest as he shifted their bodies and then…
thrust into her! She felt…incredible! And…a virgin?
Shock ripped through him and he stared down at her. She’d closed her eyes, her pretty white
teeth biting her lower lip. Gone was the passion of moments before, replaced by…. pain?
“Ayla!” he growled, too shocked to try and temper his words. “You’re…!”
“Not anymore,” she gasped, her features squinching up as she tried to adjust to his invasion.
“Don’t move, alhubu,” he told her, although he wasn’t sure if that would help ease the pain.
He’d never been with a virgin before. How the hell was he supposed to know how to ease anything?
When he felt her body relax ever so slightly, he eased himself out of her ever so slightly.
When she didn’t cry out, he moved inside of her again. Gently this time. Her lovely eyes popped
open now. He saw the startled look in her eyes and moved again. Not a full thrust like his body was
clamoring for him to do. Just a small movement designed to ease the pressure.
When she gasped, her fingers gripping his shoulders, he stopped. But Ayla opened her eyes
again, licking her dry lips as she said, “Do that again,” in a tiny, low whisper.
Nasir was relieved, but he restrained himself, moving in slow, gentle movements. “Tell me if
I hurt you again,” he ordered, then pulled out a bit more, sliding carefully back into her heat.
“That feels…?” Ayla’s eyes were closed, her fingers clenching at his shoulders.
Nasir stopped, waiting for her words. Was he still hurting her? Was she okay? No! Okay
wasn’t good enough! He needed her to be more than just okay!
“Good!” she told him, her lips curling into a surprised smile.
He almost laughed, his relief was so intense. But instead, he shifted his body, giving her
longer strokes. When she was okay with that, he moved faster, watching her eyes and her mouth as
indicators that she was enjoying his movements. When he shifted again, she gasped out, her body
shifting against his. “That’s right, habibi. Tell me what makes you feel good.”
She almost laughed, but he felt her hips shift and did that lip biting thing again.
“What about you?”
He groaned when he felt her inner muscles tighten around him, gripping him! It took a great
deal of control to not thrust into her faster and faster. He had to be careful. His brutish manner had
hurt her before and he would not hurt her again!
“Talk to me, love. Tell me what you are feeling.”
He kept his movements slow and gentle.
She shifted against him and he groaned at the movement, closing his eyes to try and gain some
control.
“I think…could you…” she gasped when he shifted again and Nasir knew that he’d hit that
nub perfectly, so he did that again. And again! “Yes!” she sighed, arching her back and shifting
against him. Now she was ensuring that he rubbed that nub and he felt her hand move from his
shoulder to his butt, her fingers pressing into him.
He listened to her gasps now, moving in time with those sounds as well as the shifting of her
hips against him. Faster, he lifted up slightly and adjusted his hips once more. Her back arching was
his first indication that she was about to climax. But then he felt her inner muscles tighten again and
he thrust faster, harder, but trying to be careful not to thrust too hard.
A moment later, her body shuddered as her climax washed over her and there was nothing he
could do at that moment other than just ride out his own release. It was too much, too intense and her
muscles gripped him, creating the most intense climax of his entire life.
Cradling her, he thrust into her again and again as pleasure rode him and he tried to be gentle,
but it was just too incredibly good!
When it was all over, he stilled, frozen as they both stared into each other’s eyes. Then he
collapsed, his arms giving out on him and he wrapped his body around her, cradling her gently against
him as he buried his face against her sweet-smelling neck.
Chapter 7

“We have to get married now.”

Ayla was confused about what she was feeling after such a…spectacular moment. But his
statement seemed to come out of nowhere. And it wasn’t even close to the top ten things going
through her mind.
Granted, the top five thoughts in her head at the moment were along the lines of “Wow!” and
“Holy Cow!” Not the most articulate thoughts, she told herself. But how had he taken the leap right
into marriage?
“Let’s…uh…” she shifted, trying to slip out from underneath him but his hands moved along
her naked skin and she froze.
“Let’s what?” he asked, shifting slightly so that he took most of his weight off of her, bracing
his upper body on his arms. “Marriage is the only outcome after tonight.”
And with those wholly unromantic words, Ayla went from giddy and happy to…tears
suddenly sprang to her eyes. No! She would not cry! That was such a girly reaction after sex.
Wasn’t it?
How would she know? This had been her first time and, it isn’t as if all of her friends
whispered secrets about their first sexual experience to her! They’d been at boarding school during
their teen years. High up in the mountains of Switzerland, the closest male was a bear or perhaps a
deer.
Of course, several of the other students had gone home during the school breaks and enjoyed
romantic moments with boys. But it wasn’t until Ayla had gone off to university that she’d enjoyed
any sort of attention from the male half of the world population. And she’d been too shy until Kirk
had exploded into her life.
Yes, Kirk would know what to say in this kind of a situation. Of course, Kirk knew what to
say in every situation. And if he hadn’t known, he’d just fake it until he stumbled upon something that
worked.
And since Ayla had committed to channeling her friend after his death, she frantically
considered what Kirk might say. He’d laugh and push Nasir’s shoulder, act as if the man was just
teasing.
Unfortunately, Ayla was a bit too emotional right at the moment for that kind of a reaction.
So instead, she went for…blasé.
“I don’t think we need to go that far,” she whispered, pulling the comforter over her
nakedness. She needed a bit of privacy at the moment, but he was laying on top of the comforter so it
would be hard for her to grab the sheet and flip it over her body toga-style.
“We do,” he asserted firmly, taking the comforter and pushing it away. “You were a virgin,
Ayla.”
She blinked, her arms coming closer to her chest in a pointless effort to hide herself from his
searching gaze while she tried to understand what he was talking about.
“Is that the only reason why we should get married?” she asked, pain filling her and pushing
her closer to those insipient tears.
“No,” he responded. His quick response soothed her, but she still tensed, waiting for him to
continue. “I think we should get married because we’re compatible, it would be beneficial to both of
our countries and the sex was phenomenal.” He kissed her lips, but she couldn’t respond. “And
because you were a virgin.” He lifted his head again. “Marriage is the only appropriate response.”
Ayla played his words over in her mind. Appropriate. Beneficial. Compatible. As far as
romantic proposals go, that one was pretty…unromantic!
“I see.” She shifted, pushing at his shoulders. Thankfully, he moved out of the way and Ayla
stood up. She knew that her clothes were at the end of the bed somewhere. At this moment, she was
pretty desperate to just get away from here so she could…she had no idea what she needed to do
other than just leave and find a private place where she could lick her wounds.
Putting on a brave front, she scooted to the edge of the bed and, thankfully, discovered her
clothes. Grabbing her slacks and silk blouse, she pulled them both on without bothering to don her
underwear. It wasn’t currently visible, so she’d just…find it later.
“What are you doing?” he asked, sitting up himself but Ayla didn’t look back at him. She
couldn’t. He might see the tears threatening and he’d ask other questions. No way could she tell the
man that she didn’t want to be appropriate or beneficial. She wanted to be crazy and outrageous! She
wanted him to tell her that he wanted to be with her regardless of the political benefits to their
relationship. That she was an essential part of him. That he enjoyed being with her and talking with
her. Hell, at this point, she could even be grateful if he told her that he’d actually enjoyed the sex
with her!
Oh. He’d said that. In fact, “phenomenal” was mentioned. Was that enough? Could she
accept him simply because the sex was good? No. Not good. Phenomenal. The sex was…!
Yep, she was searching for scraps now. Which meant it was time for her to get out of here
with as much dignity as she could muster.
“I’m leaving. It’s late,” she replied, although she had no idea what time it was. She had lost
all concept of time after he’d started kissing her. It could be nine o’clock at night or it could be
dinner time. Had they eaten dinner?
No. They’d sort of skipped over that event. Come to think of it, they should have eaten on
the plane. She glanced out through the window as she searched for her shoes. It was dark and her
shoes were lost.
Standing up, she pulled oxygen into her lungs and…she paused when she glanced over at
him. He looked…amazing. And confused! But her pain trumped his confusion and she turned.
“Thank you for tonight. It was…nice.” Ugh. Nice? She’d lost her mind when he’d touched her!
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
And with that, she hurried out of his bedroom.
“Ayla?” he called out to her, but she merely lifted her hand in the air as if offering him some
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Nell’impluvium di questa bella casa, sovra base di marmo, si
rinvenne un gruppo in bronzo del più puro stile greco e di
rimarchevole bellezza, raffigurante Ercole che ha raggiunto alla
corsa la cervetta, dalla bocca della quale usciva un getto di acqua, e
che per la poca cura che s’ebbe dapprincipio degli scavi si lasciò che
se ne privasse il Museo di Napoli, che solo ne serba una copia in
gesso, l’originale trovandosi nel Museo di Palermo. In questa casa,
come in diverse altre, nel fondo della abitazione si osserva un
lararium, nicchia o piccolo tabernacolo, con frontispizio, a custodia
dei domestici numi o lari, spiriti guardiani della famiglia. Vi si trovò
diffatti un idoletto di metallo, un vasetto e una moneta d’oro, e dodici
altre di bronzo di Vespasiano.
Per ciò solo che comprenda tre abitazioni e senza alcun altro
apparente motivo, dove non fosse un altare pel fuoco sacro nella
terza corte che somiglia a un tempio, non lungi dalla casa del
Chirurgo, della quale a suo luogo ho già intrattenuto il lettore, fu
detta casa delle Vestali, quella che è in Via delle Terme, e la quale
ha sulla soglia il saluto: salve. Ha essa tre cortiletti con portico
all’ingiro a colonne. Al lettore tenni già parola della casa di Cicerone,
che è nel Pagus Augustus Felix, nè vi aggiungerò altro.
Di moltissime altre già scoperte dovrei fare menzione, come di quella
dell’Argenteria, per molti vasi di questo metallo rinvenuti; di Cajo
Memmio, di Cajo Vibio, di Caprasio Primo, di Fusco, di Polibio, di
Pomponio, di Popidio Prisco, di Popidio Secondo, di Gavio Rufo, dei
Diadumeni, di Spurio Meseor (mietitore), di Giulia Felice, per non
dire di quelle altre moltissime che ricevettero nome da pitture o
sculture, o da qualche particolare circostanza come le case di Zeffiro
e Flora, di Venere, e Marte, delle Nereidi, di Nettuno, delle Amazoni,
di Atteone, delle Danzatrici; dell’Arciduca di Toscana, dell’Imperator
di Russia, di Giuseppe II, del Re di Prussia, della Regina
d’Inghilterra; dei vasi di vetro, dei tre piani, del torchio di terra cotta,
della muraglia nera, dei bronzi, dei fiori e vie via di tante altre; ma
come dissi, suppergiù l’una all’altra somiglia: le sole decorazioni più
o meno ricche distinguendole; rese poi più o meno interessanti dalla
preziosità dagli oggetti che vi si ritrovarono.
D’una sola tuttavia m’incombe il debito di particolarmente descrivere,
per ciò appunto che nella sua distribuzione e nelle diverse sue
attinenze diversifichi dalle altre: essa è posta nel sobborgo, nella via
delle Tombe, e si designa piuttosto come una casa suburbana o di
campagna.
Posta rimpetto al sepolcreto di Marco Arrio Diomede, liberto di Arrio,
maestro del Pagus Augustus Felix, come leggeremo sull’iscrizione di
esso nell’ultimo capitolo di quest’opera, si credette che la casa fosse
a lui spettata; onde proseguiamo noi pure a ritenerla per sua. Essa è
l’ultima abitazione a sinistra della via delle Tombe, e presentando
due piani, riesce indubbiamente di particolare interesse. La
descrizione di essa e la descrizione delle sue ville che fa Plinio il
Giovane nelle sue Epistole ci forniscono l’idea completa d’una
romana villeggiatura.
Si entra nella casa di M. Arrio Diomede, discendendo alcuni gradini
di marmo aventi a ciascun dei lati una colonnetta di materia laterizia.
Subito si presenta, come osserva Vitruvio parlando delle case di
campagna, una corte aperta, atrium, recinta da quattordici colonne di
ordine dorico pur di mattoni rivestiti di stucco che dovevano formar
portico. Questo medesimo piano, avendo verso il giardino una loggia
scoperta, lo dominava. Nella detta corte c’era un impluvium e da
ciascun lato stavano due puteali per attingervi l’acqua. A destra
dell’atrio, le camere per gli schiavi e una scaletta per ascendere al
piano superiore destinato forse alle donne; a sinistra, l’appartamento
per il balineum, o bagno privato, che già il lettore trovò parte a parte
descritto nel capitolo delle Terme. Dall’un dei portici dell’atrium si va
alla dispensa, dove intorno ad una tavola di marmo si trovarono
stoviglie da cucina. Quindi seguono i cubicula, o camere da letto, già
ricche di pitture e musaici. Il triclinium era nel mezzo di forma
semicircolare e le pareti dipinte a pesci natanti nell’acqua. Tre larghe
finestre riguardavano alla campagna e lo rendevano più allegro.
Ancora dalla corte scoperta si accedeva ad altro appartamento,
costituito da un’exedra, o sala da conversazione, e da altri salotti, da
cui si entrava in una galleria, su di una sala maggiore, oecus, e da
ultimo sulla loggia scoperta, sul giardino e per isfondo il mare. A
livello del giardino, v’è un appartamento terreno, le cui camere erano
a volte decorate di pitture e i pavimenti a musaici che or sono al
Museo. Sotto il portico era una fontana, e dal giardino si discendeva
alla lunga cella vinaria, che corre tutta la lunghezza di tre portici,
dove ho già detto altrove quanti scheletri e preziosi oggetti siano
stati rinvenuti e che era rischiarata da spiragli. Da un lato del
giardino vedesi un recinto che già notai essere stato un
sphæristerium, e all’angolo sinistro s’aprivano due piccole camere,
dove pure fu trovato uno scheletro con un braccialetto di bronzo ed
un anello d’argento.
Veduta così come fosse la casa pompejana, ed osservato ad un
tempo in che differisca la casa romana, naturale è il passaggio a
ragionare della famiglia, e lo farò con quella maggiore brevità che
ponno comportare l’economia dell’opera e l’importanza del subbietto.
Anzi tratto, parmi doveroso accennare quale fosse il vero principio
che tenesse unita e compatta la famiglia romana, perocchè tutto
quanto la riguarda sembrerà allora subordinato ad esso.
Chi per avventura lo ebbe ad indagare più profondamente e
giustamente, è per mio sentimento il signor Fustel de Coulanges
nell’opera già superiormente citata La Cité Antique, che meritamente
venne coronata dall’Accademia Francese e dovrebbe ancor meglio
essere apprezzata. Io indicherò un tale principio colle parole e
dimostrazioni di quell’illustre e dotto scrittore.
Il principio della famiglia antica — scrive egli — non è unicamente la
generazione. Ciò che lo prova è che la sorella non è nella famiglia
quello che vi è il fratello; è che il figlio emancipato o la figlia maritata
cessano completamente di farne parte, e per ultimo lo provano
parecchie altre disposizioni delle leggi greche e romane.
Il principio della famiglia non è tampoco, come potrebbe
agevolmente reputarsi dal lettore, l’affezione naturale. Imperocchè il
diritto greco e il diritto romano non tengono conto alcuno di un tal
sentimento. Esso può esistere in fondo dei cuori, ma non si trova nel
diritto. Il padre può esser tenero della sua figliuola, ma non può
legarle l’aver suo. Le leggi di successione, vale a dire, tra le leggi
quelle che più fedelmente attestano delle idee che gli uomini si
facevano allora della famiglia, sono in flagrante contraddizione, sia
coll’ordine della nascita, sia coll’affezione naturale [78].
Gli storici del diritto romano, avendo assai giustamente osservato
che nè la nascita, nè l’affetto fossero il fondamento della famiglia
romana, hanno creduto che questo fondamento si dovesse trovare
nella potenza paterna o maritale. Ma di tale potenza essi fecero una
specie di istituzione primordiale; non ispiegando per altro com’essa
siasi formata, a meno che non sia che per la superiorità del marito
sulla moglie, del padre sui figli.
Ora è un grave errore il collocare così la forza all’origine del diritto.
L’autorità paterna o maritale, ben lungi dall’essere stata una causa
prima, fu essa stessa un effetto: essa è derivata dalla religione e fu
stabilita da questa. Essa adunque non è il principio che ha costituito
la famiglia.
Ciò che nei membri della famiglia antica, fu qualche cosa di più
possente della nascita, del sentimento, della forza fisica: fu la
religione del focolare e degli antenati. Essa operò che la famiglia
formasse un corpo in questa e nell’altra vita. La famiglia antica è una
associazione religiosa più ancora che una associazione di natura. La
donna infatti non vi era veramente contata se non in quanto la sacra
cerimonia del matrimonio l’avesse iniziata al culto: il figlio non vi
contava pure, se rinunziava al culto, o se era emancipato, e
l’adottato invece vi era un vero figlio, perchè se non aveva il vincolo
del sangue, aveva qualche cosa di più, la comunanza del culto; e il
legatario che rifiutava d’adottare il culto di questa famiglia, non
conseguiva la successione e finalmente la parentela e il diritto
all’eredità erano regolati, non dietro la nascita, ma dietro i diritti della
partecipazione al culto, come gli ha stabiliti la religione. Certo che
non è la religione che ha creato la famiglia, ma è dessa sicuramente
che le ha dato le sue regole, e di là conseguitò che la famiglia antica
ebbe una costituzione così diversa da quella ch’essa avrebbe avuto
se i sentimenti naturali fossero stati soli a fondarla.
L’antica lingua greca aveva una parola ben significativa per
designare una famiglia; dicevasi επίστιον, parola che significa
letteralmente ciò che è appresso ad un focolare. Una famiglia era un
gruppo di persone alle quali la religione permetteva d’invocare lo
stesso focolare e d’offrire il banchetto funebre ai medesimi avi [79]. Si
comprende così l’importanza delle espressioni: pro aris et focis.
Premesso così quanto concerneva il principio fondamentale della
famiglia, pel migliore intendimento, debbo far precedere la
spiegazione, secondo il concetto romano, delle tre parole potestas,
manus, mancipium, nelle quali si compendiano i diritti esistenti nella
famiglia, ed allora meglio ancora verrà compresa la costituzione
della stessa.
Per la parola potestas, intendevano i Romani la potestà del padrone
sullo schiavo e quella del padre sui figli: per la parola manus, la
podestà alla quale le donne erano in certi casi sottomesse: e per la
parola mancipium, un diritto d’una certa natura, che se non è sì
agevole il definire, verrà nondimeno chiarito dalle dimostrazioni che
ne farò.
Qual fosse il potere del padrone sugli schiavi, dirò più avanti
parlando di costoro; quasi egualmente esteso era quello del padre
sui figli. L’ingresso del figlio nella famiglia, dice il sullodato signor
Fustel de Coulanges, era segnalato da un atto religioso. Era mestieri
dapprima che fosse accettato dal padre. Questi, a titolo di padrone e
di custode vitalizio del focolare, di rappresentante degli antenati,
doveva pronunciare se il nuovo arrivato fosse, o non fosse della
famiglia. La nascita non formava che il legame fisico: la
dichiarazione del padre costituiva il legame morale e religioso.
Questa formalità era egualmente obbligatoria a Roma come in
Grecia.
Occorreva di più pel figlio una specie d’iniziazione. Essa aveva luogo
poco tempo dopo la nascita, il nono giorno a Roma, il decimo in
Grecia. Quel giorno il padre riuniva la famiglia, chiamava de’
testimonj e faceva un sagrificio al suo focolare. Il figlio veniva
presentato al dio domestico; una donna lo portava nelle sue braccia
e correndo gli faceva fare più volte il giro del fuoco sacro. Questa
cerimonia aveva un duplice scopo, di purificare il bambino, cioè di
togliergli la macchia che gli antichi supponevano avesse contratto
pel solo fatto della gestazione e di iniziarlo al culto domestico. Da tal
momento il figlio era ammesso in questa specie di santa società e di
piccola chiesa che si chiamava la famiglia. Ne aveva la religione, ne
praticava i riti, era atto a dir le preghiere e più tardi dovrà essere egli
stesso un onorato antenato.
Tali solennità non si richiedevano per la figlia, appunto perchè ella
non potesse esser chiamata a continuare il culto della famiglia,
potendo il matrimonio applicarla ad un altro culto, come si dirà tra
poco.
Al punto di vista del diritto pubblico, era il figlio libero e indipendente
e poteva però esser magistrato, tutore e votare nella tribù e nella
classe del padre suo; ma al punto di vista del diritto privato, in
qualunque età rimaneva sotto la podestà del padre.
La donna in manu era considerata come la figlia del proprio marito, e
se questo medesimo era figlio di famiglia, veniva essa considerata,
come la figlia del figlio: nelle relazioni del padre di famiglia, diventava
mater familias e abbandonava la famiglia d’origine. La conventio in
manum, importava per sè una minima capitis diminutio, cioè il
cambiamento di famiglia; da non confondersi colla capitis diminutio
media, che significava una certa diminuzione di libertà, cioè la
perdita della cittadinanza, come la capitis diminutio maxima era la
perdita completa della libertà, lo che traeva seco la piena incapacità
civile. — Cessavano così nella donna i diritti d’agnazione o di
parentela civile fra lei e la sua antica famiglia.
Tuttavia la manus non era una conseguenza necessaria del
matrimonio; ma s’acquistava colla confarreazione, coll’uso e colla
coemzione. La prima consisteva in un solenne sacrificio, al quale
assistevano il gran pontefice, il flamine diale e dieci testimoni
cittadini romani, ma era riservato a’ patrizii, e i matrimoni così
celebrati si avevano per sacri. Dirò per altro più sotto degli altri riti
che precedevano od accompagnavano questa prima sorta di
matrimonio. L’uso, era quando la donna aveva abitato col marito
durante un anno senza interruzione e la donna che evitar voleva la
conventio in manum, bastava che ogni anno ella passasse tre notti
fuori del domicilio coniugale, lo che dicevasi trinoctium usurpatio. In
questo modo ella poteva farsi rivendicare dal padre suo, o dal tutore
e così riacquistare la libertà. La coemzione era una specie di
vendita, nella quale la donna, autorizzata dal padre o dal tutore, si
vendeva al suo marito. Questa era la forma primitiva del matrimonio
ed era certo anche la più semplice: epperò durò più lungo tempo.
Il padre investito della potestas e il marito della manus, potevano
vendere il loro figlio o la loro moglie ad un terzo e questa vendita che
aveva luogo colla mancipazione, dava al compratore un diritto che si
chiamava mancipium, equivalente alla proprietà; sì che mentre la
patria potestas e la manus cessavano alla morte del padre o del
marito, il mancipium passava agli eredi del compratore. Ciò
malgrado, la persona in mancipio, se non poteva esercitare i diritti
politici, non perdeva la sua prima condizione d’ingenuità, o civile.
Questo diritto si venne poco a poco restringendo, ridotto quasi
esclusivamente al caso che il figlio avesse cagionato un danno, nel
quale il padre lo cedeva alla persona lesa in mancipium, a titolo di
indennità.
Il debitore insolubile e chi si vendeva gladiatore, auctoratus, e il
romano prigioniero di guerra riscattato da un altro romano, si
trovavano nella medesima condizione di chi era in mancipio.
Ciò premesso, la famiglia romana si componeva di tutti gli individui
discesi da maschi da un autore comune, od entrati nella famiglia per
mezzo dell’adozione o della manus, che creavano dei veri vincoli di
figliazione. I diversi membri della famiglia si chiamavano agnati, e di
questi coloro che succedevano in linea retta, i figli ed altri
discendenti, dicevansi sui hæredes, i fratelli e sorelle consanguinei.
L’agnazione era la parentela del diritto civile, e però non poteva
appartenere nè ai latini, nè ai peregrini, cioè ai forastieri.
I Romani, inoltre, conoscevano la parentela naturale che dicevano
cognazione, cognatio, e si estendeva fino al settimo grado, ed una
terza parentela, l’affinità, ossia le relazioni esistenti fra un coniuge e i
parenti dell’altro coniuge.
Se il matrimonio presso i Romani era un’istituzione del diritto delle
genti, non era meno un’istituzione di diritto civile, regolandone il
diritto romano le condizioni e gli effetti, assolti i quali, si chiamava
legitimum matrimonium, ed anche justæ nuptiæ. La capacità di
contrattar un simile matrimonio, appellavasi connubium, e per regola
generale non era questo concesso che fra cittadini romani: per esser
concesso a’ peregrini, abbisognava dell’autorizzazione del potere
legislativo.
Modestino definiva il matrimonio: consortium totius vitæ, divini atque
humani juris comunicatio e Giustiniano vi aggiungeva: individuam
vitæ consuetudinem continens, ossia la completa e indivisibile
unione dell’uomo e della donna: ma ciò malgrado, il divorzio era
ammesso e ne veniva anche spesso abusato. Va per altro detto
come pel corso di cinque secoli non uno se ne avesse a contare: e
rimase ricordato dalle storie il nome di Carvilio Ruga che fu il primo
che ricorse a codesta misura. Non si creda però che ad essa fosse
fomite pensiero di lussuria od altra condannevole causa: egli
teneramente amava la moglie e di nulla aveva a lagnarsene, se non
che di sua sterilità; ma siccome nella formula del maritaggio aveva
giurato menarla sposa per aver de’ figli, ella non avendogliene dati,
sacrificò l’amore alla religione del giuramento [80]. La religione diceva
che la famiglia non doveva estinguersi e che ogni affezione e diritto
naturale dovessero cedere davanti a questa regola assoluta. Nè era
altrimenti in Grecia, dove Senofonte [81] e Plutarco [82] narrano che
quando il matrimonio fosse stato sterile per fatto del marito, dovesse
il fratello od un parente del marito sostituirsi a lui e la donna
accondiscendervi, e il figliuolo che ne fosse nato si avesse a
considerare come figlio del vero marito.
Ma del divorzio, col progredire del tempo, venne come dissi,
abusato, nè fu la voce della sola religione che il reclamò; ma
bastarono i litigi colla nuora, od anche l’impudicizia; e Paolo Emilio
ne allegò unicamente a causa l’essere stato dalla moglie offeso;
Sulpizio Gallo, perchè uscita a capo scoperto; Antistio Vetere,
perchè parlottò in segreto con una liberta volgare; Publio Sempronio,
perchè ita a’ giuochi senza sua saputa. Cicerone ripudiò Terenzia
dopo trent’anni di convivenza, perchè gli abbisognava una nuova
dote onde spegnere i debiti; e Publio perchè parve rallegrarsi della
morte di Tulliola. Essa Terenzia fu di Sallustio, poi di Messala
Corvino, poi di Vibio Rufo; Tulliola passò per tre mariti, e l’ultimo,
Dolabella, la ripudiò incinta. Bruto, il virtuoso Bruto, rinviò Claudia
per isposare Porcia. Un famoso ghiotto fu sul punto di cacciar la sua,
perchè in momenti critici visitò la cella dei vini, ch’e’ temeva se ne
inacidissero. Cajo Titinnio minturnese menò a bella posta la
scapestrata Fannia, per espellerla poi come impudica e tenersene la
dote. Cesare ebbe tre mogli, Pompeo quattro, quattro Augusto,
cinque o sei ciascun membro della famiglia di esso, e v’erano donne
che, al dir di Seneca (De Benef. III, 26) contavano gli anni dai mariti,
non dai consoli [83].
Il matrimonio era di consueto preceduto dagli sponsali, o promessa,
consistente in una stipulazione tra il futuro marito e il padre della
futura sposa: chi vi avesse dipoi mancato, era passibile dapprincipio
dell’azione di indennizzo: più innanzi si limitò a colpire d’infamia colui
che avesse mancato alla data fede e contratto altri sponsali.
L’età pel matrimonio era di dodici anni nella donna, di quattordici
nell’uomo, e quando gli sposi fossero alieni juris, occorreva il
consenso delle persone nella cui podestà si trovavano; per le
fanciulle, comunque sui juris, era indispensabile il consenso de’ loro
parenti e tutori.
L’importanza del matrimonio presso i Romani, come presso i Greci,
non si è presto compresa se non si designano i caratteri essenziali di
esso. Già superiormente ho toccato della religione domestica o del
focolare, e del come da casa a casa potesse differenziare, poichè
ogni padre-famiglia, essendo pontefice di tal religione nella propria
casa, serbasse o adottasse que’ riti che meglio a lui fossero piaciuti.
Ora è evidente che la fanciulla che andava a nozze dovesse
rinunciare alla religione del proprio focolare, per abbracciar quella
del focolare del marito. Così doveva dimenticare quelle cerimonie,
quelle preghiere, quelle pratiche nelle quali era fin allora cresciuta,
per apprenderne altre, e per dirla con Stefano di Bisanzio: «a datar
dal matrimonio, la donna ha nulla più di comune colla religione
domestica de’ suoi padri; ella sacrifica al focolare del marito.» E
Fustel de Coulanges che cita codesto scrittore nell’opera sua La Cité
Antique [84], soggiunse: «Così quando si penetra nel pensiero di
questi uomini antichi, si capisce di qual importanza dovesse essere
per essi l’unione conjugale e quanto l’intervento della religione vi
fosse necessario. Non era forse mestieri che la fanciulla avesse ad
essere da qualche sacra cerimonia iniziata al culto che doveva
quind’innanzi seguire? Per divenire sacerdotessa di questo focolare,
al quale la nascita non l’aveva legata, non le occorreva forse una
specie di ordinazione o di adozione?»
Il matrimonio era dunque la cerimonia santa che doveva produrre
questi grandi effetti. Gli scrittori infatti, latini e greci, indicano il
matrimonio con parole esprimenti un atto religioso. Polluce, che
viveva al tempo degli Antonini, istruttissimo ne’ vecchi usi e nella
antica lingua, dice che ne’ primi tempi, in luogo di designare il
matrimonio col suo nome particolare (γάμος), lo si designava
semplicemente colla parola τέλος, che significa cerimonia sacra [85],
quasi il matrimonio fosse stato la cerimonia sacra per eccellenza.
E tal cerimonia non si compiva ne’ templi degli Dei, ma nella casa,
ed era il Dio domestico che vi presiedeva. Certo che in seguito,
quando la religione degli dei del cielo, divenne preponderante, si
adottò di adire preventivamente i templi e di offrire a questi Dei
sacrifici che si chiamavano preludii del matrimonio; ma la parte
principale ed essenziale della cerimonia dovevasi sempre compiere
davanti il focolare domestico.
Il matrimonio romano, quello almeno che si considerò per più legale
e fu il più usitato, perchè procedente dal mutuo consenso, mutuus
consensus, somigliava d’assai al matrimonio greco, e comprendeva
com’esso tre atti: traditio, deductio in domum, confarreatio.
La prima si compiva dal padre, che distaccando la figliuola dal
domestico focolare e dalla propria autorità, la consegnava al marito
che l’assumeva nella propria.
Quindi la sposa veniva condotta a casa dello sposo, velata, recinta il
capo d’una corona, mentre una face nuziale precedeva il corteggio,
e si cantava un inno col ritornello Io! Hymen, Hymenee, e coll’altro
Talassia, parola quest’ultima della quale i Romani del tempo di
Orazio non comprendevano tampoco il senso. Il corteggio giungeva
avanti la casa del marito, dove veniva alla sposa presentato il fuoco
e l’acqua; il primo, il lettore già lo sa, emblema della divinità
domestica: la seconda è l’acqua lustrale che serve alla famiglia per
tutti gli atti religiosi. Allora lo sposo, a simulare il ratto, sollevava la
sposa nelle sue braccia e la portava in casa, senza che i piedi di lei
toccassero la soglia.
Finalmente ella è condotta davanti il focolare, dove sono i Penati, gli
dei domestici e le immagini dei maggiori: gli sposi fanno un sacrificio,
versano la libazione, profferiscono preghiere e mangiano insieme il
panis farreus, o focaccia di fior di farina; onde il nome al matrimonio
di confarreatio.
Codesta grave e solenne cerimonia produceva così importanti effetti
giuridici e sociali, da non potersi ammettere la poligamia.
La bigamia pertanto era severamente proibita: principale
impedimento al matrimonio era la parentela e l’affinità: il divieto fra
cognati e cognate non fu introdotto che sotto Teodosio. Si proibiva
pure il matrimonio fra liberi e schiavi, e nell’antico diritto anche fra
liberi e liberti; ma la proibizione di sposare liberti fu ristretta dalla
legge Giulia ai senatori ed ai loro discendenti, nè fu soppressa che
sotto Giustiniano.
Altre proibizioni esistevano, come fra una patrona e il suo liberto,
una donna libera e il colono d’un terzo — e colono era un uomo
libero sì, ma vincolato al suolo, tal che il proprietario del fondo
avesse una sorta di potestà su di lui, un diritto di correzione, non
potesse da lui esser tratto in giudizio e lo potesse, fuggitivo, trattar
come schiavo fuggiasco. — Era pur conteso il matrimonio tra il tutore
e la sua pupilla, l’adultera ed il suo complice, il rapitore e la rapita,
Romani e barbari, il governatore e una donna della sua provincia; a
meno che non ne avesse ottenuto dispensa dal Senato, e più tardi
dall’imperatore.
Più sopra ho detto del divorzio, ora veggiamo come seguisse la
separazione de’ coniugi.
Quando il matrimonio era seguito per confarreazione, la separazione
si compiva con una cerimonia detta diffarreatio. Siccome la religione
aveva operata la confarreatio; così anche la diffarreatio doveva
essere compiuta dalla religione, perchè essa sola poteva slegare ciò
che aveva congiunto. I due sposi che volevano dividersi
comparivano per l’ultima volta davanti il focolare: presenti un
sacerdote e i testimonj. Si presentava ai conjugi, come al dì del loro
matrimonio, una focaccia di fior di farina ed essi in luogo di spezzarla
e mangiarla, la respingevano, quindi in luogo di preghiere
pronunciavano formule d’un carattere strano, severo, odioso e
spaventevole, come assicura Plutarco [86], una specie insomma di
maledizione per la quale la moglie rinunciava al culto ed agli dei del
marito. Da quel punto il legame religioso era rotto e cessando la
comunanza del culto, cessava pure di pieno diritto ogni altra
comunanza e il matrimonio era disciolto. Ma il divorzio vi succedette
di poi, talmente che bastò la volontà d’un solo conjuge a far cessare
il matrimonio dietro la semplice formula, Res tuas tibi habeto, cioè
pigliati le tue robe. Anche la donna sottomessa alla manus era libera
di divorziare, mandando al marito il libello del repudium e forzandolo
ad affrancarla dalla manus: se la donna divorziava senza motivo, il
marito riteneva il sesto della dote per ciascun figlio sino alla
concorrenza di tre sesti, il marito adultero perdeva il beneficio del
termine alla restituzione della dote.
Il marito investito della manus aveva sulla moglie il diritto più esteso
di correzione, poteva ucciderla persino quando colta in flagrante
adulterio: ne’ casi gravi dovea pigliar avviso da’ parenti. Il marito che
non aveva la manus, dovevasi limitare al repudium, perchè il diritto
di correzione spettasse soltanto al padre di lei od a’ parenti.
La moglie, andando a marito, poteva portare la dote, a minorazione
delle spese del matrimonio, anzi le leggi Giulia, Papia e Poppea ne
imposero l’obbligo al padre. Essa poteva eziandio costituirsi da un
terzo o dalla sposa medesima, quando fosse stata sui juris.
Costituivasi la dote in tre modi, colla dizione, colla stipulazione, o
colla dazione, ossia collo sborso reale della stessa. Doveva farsene
il pagamento, pei mobili entro dieci mesi, per denaro in uno, due, o
tre anni; e circa i lucri e la restituzione, potevasi convenire, come si
fa pur oggidì. Libera la donazione per causa di matrimonio, donatio
propter nuptias: era nulla e revocabile fino alla morte del donatore,
se fatta fra sposi.
La vedova, pena l’infamia, non poteva rimaritarsi che dopo dieci
mesi dalla morte del marito; gli imperatori portarono questo tempo
ad un anno.
Esisteva poi un altro modo di convivenza della donna coll’uomo
autorizzata dalla legge e in ispecie dalle suddette leggi Giulia, Papia
e Poppea, e dicevasi concubinato, ed aveva d’ordinario luogo fra
quelle persone che non potevano sposarsi fra loro. La concubina era
stata per consueto la donna di cattiva fama, la liberta o la schiava. Il
concubinato tra il patrono e la liberta era il più frequente e il più
protetto dalle leggi.
Or tocchiamo qualche cenno sulla patria podestà.
Il Padre era quello, dissero i romani giureconsulti, che è dimostrato
tale da giuste nozze: pater est quem justæ nuptiæ demonstrant: il
figlio legittimo era dunque colui che derivava da queste giuste nozze.
Fuori di queste, il figlio non poteva invocare che la figliazione
materna. Se vi era stato connubium, il figlio seguiva la condizione
del padre; se no, quella della madre: nel primo caso era sottomesso
alla potestà del padre; ma conveniva per ciò che padre e figlio
fossero e restassero cittadini romani, e allora essa podestà durava
tutta la vita dell’investito, ed estendevasi a tutti i discendenti in linea
diretta, senza distinzione di grado.
Aveva il padre diritto di vita e di morte sul figlio, poteva giudicarlo in
caso di crimine e condannarlo, escludendo i tribunali publici; e la
severità dei costumi stava mallevadrice che il colpevole non sarebbe
impunito. Più tardi fu imposto a’ padri il concorso de’ magistrati nei
casi gravi; ma così restò sempre il potere de’ padri, che giammai si
accordasse l’azione d’ingiuria ne’ figli contro di essi.
Potevan essi vendere i figli; ma cessava il potere paterno dopo la
terza vendita, per le figlie dopo la prima: i figli non perdevano però la
loro qualità di ingenui.
Tutto quanto i figli acquistassero era pel padre, ma esercitandone un
mestiere diverso, per consueto il padre loro abbandonava quel
peculio, che per altro non potevano senza il di lui consenso alienarlo
a titolo gratuito o per testamento. Augusto tuttavia concesse a’ figli
disporre liberamente per testamento ed anche tra’ vivi del peculium
castrense, ossia del peculio guadagnato all’armata.
Uno speciale diritto trovasi ricordato dagli storici concesso alle
famiglie che fossero numerose di figliuolanza, e veniva perciò
denominato jus trium, quatuor, vel quinque liberorum, o natorum,
diritto, cioè, dei tre, dei quattro o dei cinque figli.
Importa se ne dica qui alcuna cosa.
A Roma, fin dal tempo della repubblica, come altrove in questa mia
opera ho già scritto, le continue guerre avevano d’assai diminuito la
popolazione, e tale diminuzione di cittadini era venuta crescendo in
ragione diretta del lusso e della corruzione. Metello Numidico
censore tenne, appunto in vista di una tale straordinaria diminuzione
di popolazione, a’ suoi concittadini una allocuzione tendente ad
esortarli a pigliarsi moglie, e se le parole da lui dette e riferite da
Aulo Gellio furono veramente le sue, ebbe questo scrittore ragione di
soggiungere che fossero poco proprie a conseguirne l’intento,
perocchè enumerando esse le cure e gli inconvenienti del
matrimonio, non fosse il modo più conveniente per persuaderlo. Tito
Castrico invece, opinando che il linguaggio d’un censore dovesse
essere ben diverso da quello di un retore, trovò che Metello avesse
la sua concione debitamente conformata al soggetto. Giudichi ora il
lettore a qual dei due la ragione.
«Romani — avrebbe così parlato il Censore — se noi potessimo
vivere senza moglie, tutti noi eviteremmo tal noja; ma poichè la
natura abbia voluto che non ci fosse dato nè vivere tranquillamente
con una moglie, nè viverne senza, occupiamci allora della perpetuità
della nostra nazione anzi che della felicità d’una vita che è sì corta.
La potenza degli Dei è grande, ma la loro benevolenza a riguardo
nostro non deve andar più in là di quella de’ nostri parenti. Questi, se
noi perfidiamo nella via dell’errore, ci diseredano: che dovremmo
attenderci dagli Dei immortali, se noi non imponiamo un fine a’ nostri
traviamenti? L’uomo, per meritare i favori loro, non deve essere il
suo proprio nemico. Gli Dei debbono ricompensare la virtù ma non
darla» [87].
Ciò che le guerre esterne ed il lusso avevano incominciato, le guerre
civili compirono; de’ pochi cittadini rimasti, la più parte non erano
ammogliati; onde Cesare, pervenuto alla dittatura, sua prima cura
era stata di studiare il modo di por freno al male. Parvegli dapprima
potessero giovare le ricompense, epperò, come riferisce Svetonio,
distribuì le terre della Campania fra venti mila cittadini padri di tre o
più figli e vietò alle donne al disotto de’ quarantacinque anni e che
non avessero nè marito nè figli di portar giojelli e di valersi di lettiga.
Dopo di lui, Augusto nel 736 u. c. pubblicò la legge De Maritandis
Ordinibus, che ventisette anni poi si rifuse nella legge Papia Poppea,
così denominata dai suoi due proponenti Marco Papio Mutilo e
Quinto Poppeo Secondo, e nuovi oneri vennero imposti a quelli che
non fossero ammogliati e nuovi privilegi aggiunti per contrario a’
matrimoni fecondi. De’ due consoli, a cagion d’esempio, colui che
avesse avuto numero maggiore di figli prendeva pel primo i fasci; tra
più candidati veniva accordata la preferenza al padre di più
numerosa figliuolanza. Ma tra i più importanti capitoli di questa legge
e di cui l’applicazione era la più frequente, era quello che esentava
da ogni carico il padre che in Roma avesse avuto tre figli; in Italia, il
padre di quattro; nelle provincie, il padre di cinque.
Altri molti privilegi erano consentiti a questo jus trium, quatuor,
quinque natorum, ed appetiti assai eran quelli che apportavano a chi
ne fosse investito la triplice porzione di frumento nelle distribuzioni
che si facevano dagli imperatori e la facoltà di sedere in un posto
distinto negli spettacoli.
Pel contrario, eranvi pene per coloro che si fossero serbati celibi.
Così costoro non potevano raccogliere eredità, nullo era il legato a
lor favore disposto, che però devolvevasi al fisco; ed è a coteste
disposizioni della legge Pappia Poppea che l’acre Giovenale allude
in que’ versi:

Nullum ergo meritum est, ingrate ac perfide, nullum

Quod tibi filiolus vel filia nascitur ex me?
Tollis enim et libris actorum spargere gaudes
Argumenta viri. — Foribus suspende coronas,
Iam pater es: dedimus quod famæ opponere possis:
Iura parentis habes; propter me scriberis hæres,
Legatum omne capis, nec non et dulce caducum
Commoda præterea jungentur multa caducis;
Si numerum, si tres implevero [88].

Ma siccome non v’abbia cosa, per savia che possa essere, della
quale non venga abusato; così ben presto le eccezioni a questa
provvida legge divennero numerose più che non fossero le
applicazioni e il jus trium natorum con tutti gli inerenti privilegi
vennero concessi anche a persone che non contassero tre figli e
vivamente sollecitati.
Sappiam dagli epigrammi di Marziale come egli avesse ottenuto
questo diritto dei tre figli da Tito e da Domiziano, esso
annunziandolo alla moglie siccome ottenuto in mercede de’ suoi
poetici studi [89]; e dalle Epistole di Cajo Plinio Cecilio Secondo,
denominato il Giovane, com’egli lo avesse sollecitato da Trajano ed
anche conseguito a favore di Svetonio Tranquillo, lo storico dei
Dodici Cesari.
Quanta importanza si aggiungesse a cotale diritto è agevole
comprendere, oltre che dal valore dei surriferiti privilegi che vi erano
annessi, dalla risposta altresì che l’Imperatore faceva a quella
domanda del suo diletto Plinio e che mette conto di riferire nella
fedele e buona versione del Paravia.
«Trajano a Plinio.
«Quanto sia parco nel conceder sì fatte grazie, tu lo sai certo, o mio
carissimo Secondo, protestando io di continuo anche in Senato di
non averne mai trapassato quel numero, che io dissi bastarmi
dinanzi a quell’illustre consesso; ciò nondimeno io satisfeci al tuo
desiderio, ordinato avendo che si noti ne’ miei registri, aver io
conceduto a Svetonio Tranquillo il privilegio de’ tre figliuoli con le
solite condizioni» [90].
Forse di questi scrupoli di Trajano, non ebbero gli altri imperatori.
La patria podestà poteva risultare anche dall’adozione, e dalla
legittimazione. Quest’ultima aveva luogo quando il padre pigliava la
concubina per legittima sposa, quando faceva inscrivere il figlio sulla
lista de’ curiali, e quando, come poi fu disposto da Giustiniano,
l’imperatore l’accordava con suo rescritto.
Quanto all’adozione, essa era altro necessario effetto di quel
principio che ho già ricordato, o piuttosto dovere che vi era di
perpetuare il culto domestico. Adottare, disse Cicerone nell’orazione
Pro Domo sua, è chiedere alla religione ed alla legge ciò che non si
è potuto ottenere dalla natura; e tanto era ciò vero, che si compiva
mediante una sacra cerimonia, che sembra essere stata eguale a
quella che facevasi al nascere di un figlio. Così, divenendo al figlio
adottato comuni col padre adottivo numi, oggetti sacri, riti e
preghiere, dicevasi di lui in sacra transiit, come l’Oratore potè dire
nella succitata arringa amissis sacris paternis, per rinunziare
coll’adozione al domestico culto paterno. L’adottato addiveniva poi
così affatto straniero alla sua antica famiglia, che morendo, il padre
naturale di lui non aveva il diritto d’incaricarsi de’ suoi funerali o di
condurre il mortoro, precisamente perchè adoptio naturam imitatur,
come si esprimono i romani giureconsulti, e dei diritti, come degli
obblighi paterni, diveniva l’adottante assuntore.
L’emancipazione era poi l’atto che sottraeva il figlio alla patria
podestà, affinchè potesse accettar l’adozione. Precipuo effetto di
essa era la rinunzia al culto della famiglia, nella quale s’era sortito i
natali, e l’abdicazione a tutti gli inerenti doveri. Consuetudo, scrisse
Servio, apud antiquos fuit ut qui in familia transiret et prius se
abdicaret ab ea in qua natus fuerat [91]. Si chiamava però
l’emancipazione da’ Romani, secondo Cicerone e come abbiam
veduto, amissio sacrorum [92], e secondo Aulo Gellio, sacrorum
detestatio [93].
Le persone sui juris, che per l’età si fossero trovate incapaci
d’esercitare i loro diritti, ricevevano un tutore. D’ordinario veniva
designato dal padre; la madre lo poteva del pari eleggere nel
testamento, ma conveniva intervenisse l’approvazione del
magistrato. In difetto di tutore testamentario, la tutela passava agli
agnati. La tutela de’ liberti spettava al patrono ed a’ suoi discendenti.
In difetto anche di essi, devolvevasi ai gentiles, cioè, come dice
Cicerone citando l’autorità di Scevola, a quelli che hanno lo stesso
nome e discesero da’ maggiori che mai non furono schiavi [94], e
questi puro mancando, su domanda delle parti interessate, si
conferiva da’ magistrati competenti. Le donne, eccettuata la madre, i
pupilli, e dopo Giustiniano, i minori de’ venticinque anni, erano
incapaci ad assumere la tutela. Se lo schiavo venisse per
testamento nominato tutore, per ciò solo significava ch’esso veniva
fatto libero, non potendo come schiavo esercitar l’ufficio di tutore.
Il tutore amministrava i beni del pupillo e completava col proprio
intervento ciò che a quest’ultimo mancasse per compiere
validamente i diversi atti della vita civile. Circa l’educazione del
pupillo, questa non era cosa che spettasse al tutore. La tutela finiva
per gli uomini a quattordici anni; la legge Pletoria accordò
nondimeno l’azione penale e infamante contro chi avesse abusato
della inesperienza de’ minori di 25 anni.
La tutela delle femmine era d’una durata indeterminata: le Vestali
però e la madre prolifica erano prosciolte dalla medesima.
Eravi anche la curatela. Il pazzo e il prodigo tenevansi incapaci di far
alcun atto della vita civile; epperò o tra gli agnati o tra i gentili
eleggevasi il curatore e in loro mancanza eleggevalo il pretore.
Ma nella casa romana, o pompeiana che si voglia dire, non erano
soltanto codesti gli individui che vi abitavano; anzi, fin dal primo
ingresso, non era nei padroni, nelle persone, cioè, che finora abbiam
considerato, che si scontrava; ma nell’ostiarius, nello janitor, nel
nomenclator, nell’atriensis, ecc., in esseri infelici insomma, che la
civiltà, ajutata dal Vangelo, tolse di mezzo, negli schiavi intendo dire,
servi, i quali reclamano adesso da me particolari cenni.
Tutti i popoli dell’antichità avendo avuto schiavi, i giureconsulti
collocarono la schiavitù fra le istituzioni del diritto delle genti.
Diventando lo schiavo un membro della famiglia, e dovendo però
parteciparne al culto, la sua prima introduzione in casa era
accompagnata da cerimonia religiosa. Comuni ai due popoli greci e
latini molti riti e consuetudini, lo schiavo entrava in famiglia
mettendolo in presenza della divinità domestica: quindi gli si versava
sulla testa dell’acqua lustrale e divideva colla famiglia la focaccia e le
frutta. Prendeva poscia parte alle preghiere ed alle feste della casa,
come Cicerone ricordò in quelle espressioni Ferias in famulis
habento [95], e così il focolare proteggeva pur esso, e la religione dei
Lari apparteneva tanto a lui che al padrone: quum dominis, tum
famulis religio Larum [96], di qui il diritto dello schiavo ad essere
sepolto nel sepolcreto della famiglia.
Lo schiavo apparteneva come cosa al padrone, il quale però poteva
venderlo, punirlo e uccidere perfino. Ecco il conto che ne faceva
Giovenale e che riassume la generale estimazione che si aveva di
essi:

Pone crucem servo. Meruit quo crimine servus

Supplicium? quis testis adest? quis detulit? audi:
Nulla satis de vita hominis cunctatio longa est.
O demens! ita servus homo est? Nihil fecerit: esto
Sic volo, sic jubeo; stet pro ratione voluntas [97].

Non poteva lo schiavo scendere in giudizio, non contrar matrimonio;

e l’unione sua era come semplice relazione di atto e dicevasi
contubernium, nome che, secondo Columella, significava anche il
domicilio di una coppia di schiavi, maschio e femmina [98].
Tuttavia ho già in addietro reso conto della legge Petronia, forse del
tempo d’Augusto, perocchè non mi consti che gli scrittori ne
accertassero l’epoca di sua promulgazione, e la quale comminava
severe pene a chi vendesse schiavi per farli combattere contro le
belve nel circo e vietava punirli di morte, senza permesso di
magistrati, classificandolo anzi come crimen publicum: qui era
l’opportunità di ricordarla di nuovo.
E fu il principio d’un miglior trattamento, finchè Ulpiano ebbe a
consegnare nelle sue opere questa ancor più umana sentenza: ipsi
servo facta injuria inulta a prætore reliqui non debuit [99].
Nondimeno, malgrado però che la giurisprudenza riconoscesse in
progresso di tempo che lo schiavo fosse un uomo, in pratica non
poteva togliersi di dosso mai la qualità di schiavo, nè considerarsi
eguale all’uomo libero.
Eranvi molti modi di diventare schiavo. Lo si era per nascita, quando
la madre al momento del parto fosse schiava; lo divenivano i
prigionieri di guerra, come già dissi altrove; i cittadini che non si
prestavano al censimento od alla leva; la persona libera che si
lasciava vendere per frode onde rivendicare in seguito la libertà e
finalmente, pel senato-consulto Claudiano, la donna libera che
viveva in concubinato collo schiavo d’un terzo e rifiutava
separarsene malgrado gli avvertimenti del padrone. I condannati a
morte, alle miniere, alle bestie, al circo, diventavano schiavi della
pena, servi pœnæ.