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The dark interior surrounded them as Khalid pushed the button to raise the partition between them and Abdul

Beside her, Shayne watched her silently, his expression tense, filled with lust Only lust There was no emotion aside from the affection of a friend, a lover Khalid could read nothing in the other man that appeared to be a threat to his possession of Marty’s heart

Khalid’s jaw clenched as Marty shifted, causing the bodice to tighten over her breasts He wanted to lower the lobes in his hands once again

As he watched, her hand lifted, the painted tips of her fingers stroking over the upper curves of her breasts teasingly Her fingers shook, but her expression, though filled ariness, was also filled with curiosity

Khalid watched her hand, as he knew Shayne atching as well

Khalid’s eyes lifted to hers, his body clenching so tightly that he swore bones would break Heas possible," he said gently "Res you don’t like, little flower I tried to protect you"

"You could explain" There was a solanced at Shayne and read the warning in his gaze If he didn’t tell her, if he didn’t explain, he could lose her, and not just to the repercussions of his ith her godfather, or to his past He could lose her by not warning her, by letting her face danger without being prepared

Her head tilted to the side "Did you grow horns and I’ them, Khalid?" she asked "Or perhaps you don’t trustbefore you were old enough to iine what I would want from you And I would trust you with my life"

There was blood in his past, the blood of an innocent, the blood of someone who had dared to trust him, dared to love him

God knew that should he lose Marty in the manner that he had allowed hiuilt

He are of Shayne watching, listening, waiting He had no choice but to tell her the truth The danger he would becoht onould demand that she know the truth of his past, that she would see him for the man he was, rather than the man he wanted to be for her

"I don’t know, Khalid," she said quietly "I rather doubt I’d find a monster I’d probably simply find a man who found he couldn’t control the world as he once thought he could"

Khalid sighed "I haven’t been as careful as I should have been in the work I’ve done for your godfather My two younger half brothers have learned that I was part of a recent operation that has cost them financially, as well as personally Because of that, I suspect they’ll ainst ered, Marty I wanted you safe, and that safety is no longer soht to reveal just the information Marty needed, and none of the painful truth of what had happened before he left Saudi Arabia ten years ago He actually felt sorry for the poor bastard As strong and as arrogant as Khalid could be, Marty could still bring hi Khalid struggled with

He wanted to be a white knight in her eyes, not the dark knight And there were tiht who actually ended up saving the day, the princess, and the world he believed in

But what Shayne had known, and Khalid had yet to see, was the woaze sharpened, her eyes narrowed, and the agent she had become over the years slipped into the picture

"What was the operation?"

Shayne had to hide his s the rest of the truth from her would be harder by the day for Khalid Just as it would bethe emotions they felt for each other Others saw it Shayne saw it in both of thee it

He also doubted that Khalid saw the depth of her love, but it was so Shayne saw, and almost envied If he were ready to love, then he would definitely have to fight Khalid for this wonize that emotion in herself because, Shayne knew, she had felt it for Khalid for so long, that it had si

"So you believe Ayid and A to try to kill you because of the mission here in DC?"

Marty knew far more than she let on She wasn’t about to allow it to distract her now, though As she spoke, she allowed her fingers to whisper over the rise of her breasts above the bodice of her dress Back and forth, stroking, caressing her own flesh until even he could barely think for watching her

"That is a reasonable explanation," Khalid rinned at the sudden distracted tone in Khalid’s voice Not that he blaertips caress the upper slopes of her breasts washim insane as well

"And this is why you’ve stayed away from me all these years?"

Ah, she had hilanced at Khalid for his reaction if he wasn’t pretty certain Khalid’s attention was still glued to those fingers as she caressed herself

"Should we play this safe then?" she asked "Should I choose another lover, Khalid, hope he’s a member of your illustrious club, and then hope he chooses you as a third?" Her fingers played closer to the edge of the material that barely covered her nipples "Then you wouldn’t have to worry, would you?"