An Innocent's Deal with the Devil by Tara Pammi

Author:Tara Pammi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-10-30T15:59:52+00:00

* * *

Yana entered the dining room and came to an awed stillness.

An otherworldly quality permeated the room with its grand sweeping ceilings and archways leading off to yet more rooms, like it belonged in an old film with its brightly lit sconces, gleaming chandeliers and the black-and-white-checkered marble floor. Through a huge archway, the room segued into an open, airy ballroom, where a couple was already slow dancing. With jazz playing on a record player and a low hum of conversation, it looked like one of those intellectual soirees she’d never felt good enough for.

The hum died as every gaze turned to her.

A huge stone fireplace blazed on one side in contrast to the French doors opening into a wide terrace with a view of the mountains. Cigar smoke drifted in from the terrace through the doors and lingered, adding to the dark, mysterious atmosphere of the room. Along with smoke, cold fluttered in, making one side of her deliciously chilly versus the warmth on the other from the fireplace. It was as magical as she’d imagined.

First impressions bombarding her, she noticed that it was an intimate group of guests. That meant less chance of losing herself. Her nervousness grew, thrashing it out with the excitement she’d been feeling all day.

It felt like an audition she was entering to find herself worthy of Nasir’s highbrow group. And even if she didn’t fit in, so what?

Bolstered by those thoughts, she straightened her shoulders. Her gaze moved over four couples, finally landing on Nasir, standing next to the huge hearth. His gaze swept over her, gleaming brighter than the amber liquid in the decanters on the bar cart.

The bright pink chiffon cocktail dress she and Huma had agreed on showed off her tan perfectly. It dipped low in the front with a beaded corset hugging her breasts tight, leaving her back bare all the way almost to the upper swells of her buttocks. It wasn’t the most daring dress she’d ever worn and yet, maybe it was the most daring for this company.

It was cleverly held together by two straps tied at her neck, and that had reminded her of Nasir’s fingers on her nape as he’d reknotted her bikini strings, and the delicious sensations that had engulfed her.

She didn’t know how long they stood like that, gazing at each other across the room, quiet murmurs all around them while the jazz crooned to a soft, sinuous beat, and the sounds of the night drifted in from outside. All of it felt like an inspired, perfectly orchestrated soundtrack for this moment.

“So this is why you’ve been avoiding us, Nasir. You’ve got this beautiful creature hidden away in your castle.” A deep voice quipped from her side, breaking the pulse of tension between her and Nasir. For a fanciful moment, she wondered what kind of vision she’d need to see it arc between them like a rainbow, fizzing with electricity, tugging them closer.

A second voice chimed in. “Our Mr. Hadeed is not as conservative as he’d have us believe.

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