Louboutin stilettos. She’d looked up the price of those shoes on the internet. If this was Bezakistani custom, then the whole country would be bankrupt very soon.
And still, she was wearing them. She didn’t want to offend her hosts…and she liked the appreciative gleam in their eyes when she donned the sexy shoes.
“Piper.” Kade’s warm voice washed over her as he stood. “Welcome. We’re so happy you’ve allowed us to escort you to our country.”
She wanted to frown at him, but he was so gorgeous and a bit earnest. She couldn’t bring herself to chastise him much. “Allowed? Somehow I don’t think you would have taken no for an answer.”
A little smile creased his perfect face. “Well, we are determined and persuasive. You know, the men in my country are legendary for stealing their brides. It is said in Bezakistan that a man who cannot steal his bride is a man who does not deserve a wife.”
She glanced back at Rafe. “Is this one of the customs you were referring to earlier?”
He nodded. “Indeed. But even as we steal our brides, we take great pride in bringing her pleasure, in protecting and cherishing that which we fought hard to take.”
He phrased it like he meant more than one groom for a bride. Okay, so English wasn’t his first language. But when he talked like that, she went all gooshy inside and lost the ability to breathe. What would it be like to be Rafe’s captive bride, bound to him by his will and the pleasure he gave her?
Piper shivered, then forced herself to stop staring. If they caught her, she’d only be embarrassed. But she’d never get used to being surrounded by such exotic, masculine beauty. It would be smarter to remember she had a job to do when she got to Bezakistan. Then it would just be her and Tal and a whole bunch of number crunching.
And her life would be exactly the way it was now. Same routine, just a different living space. She was a bit shocked to realize that she’d miss Rafe and Kade.
It wouldn’t matter. She needed to put them out of her head. When they got to Bezakistan, Rafe and Kade would go their way and she would go hers.
As she tottered deeper into the body of the plane, she focused again on her surroundings, still adjusting to her new contact lenses. And her jaw dropped.
The plane looked like something a movie star would own. She’d expected rows of narrow seats that had to be placed in an upright position for landing. This looked like a decadent living room. The walls were done in a sultry amber that caught the harsh overhead lights and softened them. There was a curved velvet couch in soft chocolate tones. When she sat, she’d bet it would be like sinking into a slice of heaven. A long table sat toward the front of the plane draped in white linens, all staged for the fine china she’d bet was securely stowed until after takeoff. Even an ornate chandelier hung overhead.
“Wow. This is not what I expected.”
“When we reach a good altitude, the staff will bring out our dinner.” Kade sat down, patting the seat next to him. “I’ve prepared a feast for you.”
Rafe snorted. She kind of loved it when he made the inelegant sound. It reminded her he wasn’t perfect.
She turned back to Kade. “ You prepared the feast?”
He shrugged, a graceful movement of strong shoulders. “I told the chef what to cook.”
That was enough for her. Kade couldn’t know what the last couple of meals had meant to her. The difference between a homemade ham sandwich and a perfectly seared filet was infinite. “I appreciate it.”
His face lit up and he reached for her hand, pulling her down to sit with him. “It is my greatest pleasure. Now, tell me about your day. Did the movers finish?”
Rafe sat on her other side, both men far too close, but she felt so comfortable in the soft velvet, surrounded by their heat and the musky spice of their exotic scents. They seemed to like having her between them. Everywhere they went, they managed to
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