CHAPTER TWO
"I'm not going to Qazhar with you, Razim," Paige exclaimed. Paige leaned forward, grasping the sides of the seat. "No way."
The front of her dark blue coat opened. Razim's eyes widened at the sight of Paige's full body encased in a tightly fitting white dress. He felt his throat tighten. He still remembered what it felt like to hold her close to him. To be inside her. His heart quickened at the prospect of being with Paige again.
She stood quickly and started to head toward the open door. "I'm leaving," she stated. "This is ridiculous."
Before she made it to the door, Razim caught her arm and held it. Paige's head whirled around. Her eyes blazed with fury. "Let me go, Razim."
He nodded and released her arm, but not before positioning himself between her and the door. "Let me explain," he said quickly.
Paige shook her head. "There's nothing you can do to make me go back to Qazhar," she said sharply.
Razim stood his ground and peered into Paige's eyes. "There will be no divorce if you don't come back with me."
Her brows furrowed disbelievingly. "I knew I couldn't trust you," she blurted out. Now there was genuine emotion in her voice. "Let me pass," she said trying to step to one side.
Razim shook his head and moved to stop her from reaching the door. "Just give me two minutes to explain."
"Explain what? How you tricked me to come out here in the middle of the night so you could take me back there?"
Razim sighed. "I didn't trick you, Paige. You came of your own free will."
"I came to sign divorce papers, Razim," she snapped.
Razim felt a tight ball of pain twist in his gut. He wondered if he would ever get used to hearing her say those words.
One thing was for sure. Paige was beautiful when she was angry. Even more beautiful than usual, he told himself.
She folded her arms and stared defiantly at him. Her pretty features were tightened into a furious expression. Her blue eyes flashed with barely contained indignation. Her moist, full lips twisted into a tempting pout. He remembered what those lips tasted like. The incredible sweetness.
She groaned and ran a hand through the lustrous thickness of her loose blonde hair. He wanted to do what he'd done so many times before. Reach out and snake his fingers through that hair, savoring the softness of it. Lift the hair to his face and inhale the intoxicating scent.
His gaze flickered down the length of her body. The coat was fully open now, revealing her long legs, small feet encased in high heels, her wide hips, and the delicious fullness of her breasts.
Razim felt desire harden inside him. This was his wife. A woman with whom he had shared many a passionate night. He knew every one of those delicious curves. Although he and Paige had been apart for three months now, he ached to touch her. Be with her. Try to control her anger with soft caresses. And even more.
Razim moved toward her, and her eyes narrowed. "Please, Paige," he said. Reaching out, he caressed her upper arm. He felt her shift slightly, as if she didn't want him touching her.
"Don't touch me, Razim," she said in a steady voice.
He removed his hand. "Sit down, Paige. Just for a moment."
She glanced back at the seats, thought for a moment and then nodded. He followed her back to the seats. They both sat down. She faced him and folded her arms. "This better be good," she said.
"I admit I didn't tell you the full conditions of the marriage when we married," he admitted.
"So you did lie to me," she accused.
Razim shook his head. "No. It is traditional in my country that, for a marriage to be annulled, it can only be ended on Qazhar soil."
Paige gasped and shook her head. "I could have signed the papers before I left."
Razim frowned. "If the one year annulment rule is to be invoked the papers can only be signed on the day after the last day of the first full year of the marriage." He lifted a brow. "So you couldn't have signed them before today."
Paige breathed out noisily. He could almost feel the tension in her body from where he was on the other side of the table.
She glanced down at the papers. "Why did you bring those?"
"To show you evidence of my good faith," he replied.
She scoffed. "Good faith?" She smiled sarcastically. "Now you are joking," she snapped.
Razim leaned forward. "I'm deadly serious, Paige."
He peered at her directly, desperate that she would see his sincerity. Even as he did so, he felt the familiar pangs of regret surging inside him. He hated doing this. For the last three months, all he'd thought about was how he was going to stop this divorce from happening.
Razim saw Paige examining him intently. He could see thought in her eyes. She was considering her options. The truth was, she didn't really have any. If she wanted the divorce, she would have to come back to Qazhar with him.
The mere prospect of being back on Qazhar soil with Paige produced an intense anticipation in Razim. He'd missed her while she'd been hiding here in New York. Her absence in his life had developed into a burning wound. An ache in the core of his being.
But he had promised her he wouldn't come to New York and search her out. If nothing else, Razim knew one thing about himself. He was a man of his word. So, he had stayed away. It had been just about the most difficult thing he'd ever done.
Now, though, there was the prospect that Paige would come home. To Qazhar. And, once she was there, he knew there was a chance he could persuade her to stay. A slim chance, but a real one nonetheless.
That was all he needed. One chance.
A last chance.
Paige sighed and positively glared at Razim. "Okay," she said. "I'll go. Since you give me no other option. I want this over and done with as soon as possible, Razim."
Before he had a chance to respond, she lifted one hand to stop him from speaking.
"On one condition."
Razim narrowed his eyes. "Name it."
Paige's brows furrowed thoughtfully. Nothing was ever easy with this woman, he told himself. And that was one aspect of her character which he valued above almost everything else. She liked to defy him. At every possible moment. It had made the first nine months of their marriage feel like an exquisite battle of wills. For most men that might have been their worst nightmare. But for Razim it had been a revelation. He had loved every moment.
What had started as a marriage of convenience had developed into an intense relationship where every day made Razim feel more vitally alive than he had ever felt before. Certainly, he'd never felt that with any other of the women he'd been with. Paige was unique. Unforgettable. And she belonged by his side.
"You must promise me that the papers will be signed as soon as we get there. No delays," she said.
Razim nodded. "I promise."
He saw her eyes narrow, as if she was trying to see if he could be lying again. "Really?" she probed.
Razim nodded. "It'll be done when we get there," he said.
Her lips twisted in that cute was they did whenever she was unsure about something. There were so many little gestures he'd gotten used to seeing. So many he'd missed since she'd been gone.
He stood. "I'll tell the pilot we're leaving."
Razim saw doubt flicker across her features. "That quickly?"
He shrugged. "Why should we wait."
Paige tugged at her coat. "I haven't exactly come prepared," she explained.
"Have you forgotten?"
"What?"
He walked across and opened the door to a cabinet. Inside it were hanging some of her clothes. Some of the ones she'd left behind when she'd left. Back at the palace there were whole closets of her things.
Paige stood and came to the cabinet. "You brought these?" she asked running her hand across the dresses.
"I thought you might want a change of outfit."
She frowned. "There's something wrong with the way I look now?"
Razim let his gaze drift slowly down the length of her body. He shook his head. "You look perfect," he murmured. "Absolutely beautiful."
He was pleased when he saw the effect of his words. Her cheeks blushed red and her mouth opened slightly. Temptingly, she bit her lower lip. Now he knew for certain that he had gotten through to her with his words.
"I'm fine wearing these," she stated.
He closed the cabinet. "Get comfortable while I tell the pilot we're going back to Qazhar."
She peeled off her coat and hung it in the closet. Razim felt his heart pounding as he took in the sight of her full body. For a moment, he saw her eyes narrow, examining him, as if sensing the intensity of his interest in her. Then she walked back to her seat, giving Razim a delicious view of her from the back.
As he started to make his way toward the front of the plane, he told himself this was going to be quite a flight back to his homeland. Even if it was with the sole purpose of ending his relationship with his wife.