Harlequin Presents February 2024--Box Set 2 of 2 by Maisey Yates

Author:Maisey Yates
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2024-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

When the door opened, the room was lit by a single lamp. Miranda paused on the threshold, gripping the neckline of her robe close, cautiously surveying the room. Her face was scrubbed bare of make-up, she wore no adornment but her golden wedding band, and she’d never looked more lovely.

Was it his sharply indrawn breath that caught her attention, or did she sense him in the shadows?

One step into the room she paused, head turning unerringly to where he sat on the window seat.

‘Zamir?’

‘Who else did you expect?’

It hit him that, if Miranda got her way and they lived separate lives, one day some other man would share the intimacy of midnight conversations. And more, much more. His pain grew excruciating.

He rose. ‘We need to speak.’

‘It’s very late. Let’s talk tomorrow.’

Zamir rolled his shoulders, trying to unknot the tension there. ‘No. This is too important. You had your say. Now it’s my turn.’

For the longest time she hesitated, then with a tiny nod she crossed the room, her expression guarded. ‘I’m sorry, Zamir. Truly sorry.’

Sorry! A tide of fury and fear rose at her decision to desert him. But he pushed it down. He couldn’t let emotions control him now. He needed to get this right.

He gestured for her to take one end of the long, cushioned window seat. When she did, he sat at the other end, turning to face her.

The lamplight left this part of the room in shadows but the moon was out and he could see her features. They were so familiar he could almost read them in the dark anyway. One good look told him she suffered too. Regret as well as anxiety were in the way she folded and refolded the silk of her robe. And there was pain around her mouth and eyes.

His anger crumbled. Pride had no place here. He wanted to reach out to her but instinct told him she needed far more than physical reassurance.

Besides, this wasn’t just about Miranda. It was about them. No wonder he was on edge. He had no margin for error.

‘I’ve been thinking.’ He shook his head as his carefully planned words fled, replaced by such banality.

Zamir swallowed, fighting to conquer his own apprehension. He wasn’t a man given to anxiety. He was used to decision-making and high-stakes negotiation but nothing in his experience had prepared him for this.

‘What you said tonight has made me reassess.’

‘You’re rethinking our marriage? You’ll organise a divorce?’ Strangely, Miranda didn’t sound thrilled.

Was he grasping at straws?

‘Not rethinking our marriage. Reassessing my priorities.’ He paused, struggling with words to explain. Discussing emotions was new to him. ‘You explained what you wanted from life, what was important. I respect you for being honest.’ Even if it came as a crushing blow. ‘It made me think about my feelings and needs.’

Silence stretched between them. Had he thought she’d help him out?

She doesn’t know what you feel. How could she when you didn’t even know yourself?

Zamir looked at his hands, bunched fists on his thighs.

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