another time?”
That wasn’t her father’s voice! She stepped back, wondering why Rais was talking with another woman. And what was her name? She recognized it, but couldn’t put a face to the voice. Where had she heard that voice before?
“Oh, come on, darling. We always have so much fun together.”
Rais looked down at the woman with long dark hair and too much makeup. What had he seen in this woman before? She wasn’t anything like Rachel, but then again, neither had any of the other women he’d dated over the last decade. He’d tried to find a substitute, but none had matched the real thing. Rachel was light and beauty, laughter and desire so strong he couldn’t believe he’d settled for pale substitutes instead of the real thing. She was so much more in all ways than these women.
“Lila, I have work to do,” he said, trying to be kind, but wanting to get rid of her. He was thinking that he could get his pilot out here and be in Rachel’s bed in less than forty-five minutes if he moved quickly. He’d have to check with her to make sure she was free since he’d arrived a day earlier than he’d anticipated. She might need to work tonight and he didn’t want to do anything to interfere.
Of course, when they married, she wouldn’t have these issues unless she wanted them. He smiled just thinking about Rachel in his home, in his bed back in Dunari. His body actually hardened at the idea of Rachel growing large with their children. Damn he wanted her! For life and not just for a short affair. He had no idea what Rachel had in mind, but he’d talk with her about it as soon as he saw her again. He wanted things settled between them and no more of this temporary, weekend stuff they’d been having together. He wanted her all the time, by his side and at his table as well as in his bed at night.
“I love the way you respond so willingly,” Lila purred, feeling his response and happily assuming it was because of her suggestion.
Rais looked up, not sure what the woman was talking about. Then he noticed the way she was looking down and he quickly shook his head as she approached him. “This isn’t what you…” he stopped when she pressed her body against him, plastering her glossy lips over his.
Rachel felt like someone had just stabbed her in the stomach. Seeing Rais with another woman in his arms, with her lips on his and her body pressing against his hard one just the way she wanted to do, the way she’d been anticipating doing with him only moments ago, felt like the most brutal betrayal she could imagine.
It was also at that moment that Rais looked up from the woman in his arms to spy her in the doorway. The first moment she’d spotted the two in each other’s arms, she wanted to just hide, pretend like she hadn’t seen anything. But that wasn’t an option now.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, fighting the tears that sprang to her eyes almost instantly. “I should have knocked.” She stepped back out of her dad’s office and closed the door. She looked to the right and the left, not really sure what she could do to escape. She knew she just needed to get out of there as fast as possible. She turned to the left, heading for her car. She couldn’t even stop by her father’s cottage to say hello to him, just needing to get away from Rais and his house and everything about him right now.
“Rachel wait!” she heard Rais call out to her. His voice spurred her on and she sprinted down the center of the stables towards her car. She couldn’t see him, didn’t want to hear his explanations. If he was even going to offer one.
She’d known going into this relationship that Rais wasn’t a man who stayed with one woman. She’d seen him with so many women over the years and she’d ignored the warning signs. Rais loved women. He was a consummate lover and competitor who played to win.
She rushed out, digging her keys out of her pocket and pressing the remote to unlock her car door. She heard solid footsteps behind her and made her feet move faster. The tears were blinding her though and she stumbled on something. Thankfully she was able to recover and reach her car. She dove