Captive but Forbidden Read online

  She slumped against the sink, her red dress shimmering in the low light of the small room. “Did you just say …?”

  He closed the distance between them, gripped her shoulders and put a finger under her chin. Lifted it so she had to look at him. Her eyes were liquid, beautiful blue pools in which he wanted to drown.

  “I’ve spent my life running away, because it’s all I knew. Because my mother was a drug addict and we were homeless more than we weren’t. Because my father let us go and never bothered to find us again. Running is what I know, Veronica. Staying is much harder.” He sucked in a breath. It felt like razor blades in his throat. “I’m afraid of unpacking the suitcase. Afraid that I’ll have to move again tomorrow. Much easier to stay in motion. But you’re in Aliz, and my heart is with you. You’re the strongest, bravest person I know. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You are my home.”

  She gripped his sleeves then, her fingers twisting into the fabric. “I’m mad at you,” she said, though her eyes were shining. “I really should make you sweat it out. I should make you wonder if you’ve ruined this irreparably.”

  “Have I?”

  She gave her head a tiny shake, and then he was kissing her with all the pent-up passion and love that he could no longer deny. That he no longer wanted to deny. Her arms slipped around his neck, her body melding to his as if it had been made to do so.

  “I love you, Raj,” she said when he finally let her breathe again. “But I’m still mad at you.”

  He laughed against her throat, his lips nuzzling the sweet skin of her neck. “I’ll look forward to letting you take your revenge against me. I’ll even let you tie me up if it pleases you.”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  Veronica awoke sleepily, the church bells in the Aliz City cathedral chiming 4:00 a.m. on Christmas Day. It was still dark out, and her body was languid, lazy. She stretched, a pleasurable ache between her thighs. The bed was empty except for her. She sat up, smiling at the long length of her robe sash that was still knotted to one bedpost. She’d tied him up all right. Tied him up and tortured him until he’d begged her to put him out of his misery.

  Until she’d taken him in her mouth and sent him to heaven.

  Oh, yes, she’d gotten her revenge. A very pleasurable revenge indeed.

  She slipped from the bed and found her robe. It took her a minute to untie the sash, but she did, slipping it around her waist and knotting it loosely. Then she went in search of Raj, knowing instinctively that he hadn’t left her in the night.

  She found him in the living room, sitting on the couch in the glow of the tree. He looked up when she approached, smiled that sexy smile she loved so much.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever sat and just watched the lights before,” he said.

  She knew he’d never really had an opportunity to do so in the past, and her heart hurt for the little boy he’d been. Moving from shelter to shelter and home to home. She sank beside him and curled up against his warm body. He slipped an arm around her.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything,” she said, mesmerized by the twinkling lights. “But I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  He laughed softly. “You gave me all I wanted,” he said. Then he kissed the top of her head. A small package appeared in front of her nose.

  “What’s this?”

  “I came prepared.”

  “Now I really feel bad,” she said.

  “Don’t.”

  She sighed and untied the gold ribbon. Inside the red box was another box, nestled in tissue paper. A velvet box.

  Her gaze flew to his. “Earrings,” she said. “You’ve bought me earrings. I’ll always treasure them.”

  He laughed. “Open it, Veronica. Stop guessing.”

  She did, her heart in her throat. It wasn’t a pair of earrings. Her eyes filled until the large, emerald-cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds was nothing more than a blur.

  “You can say no,” he said. “I’d understand. Or you can say yes, and we’ll have a long engagement.”

  She arched an eyebrow, sniffling. “Is the long engagement a condition?”

  “No. I’m simply trying to give you a way out.”

  She shook her head. “I knew you were far too pretty to be smart. Men can’t be gorgeous and brainy at the same time, you know.”

  She felt the tension coiling in his body. “Are you saying yes?”

  A single tear spilled down her cheek. “Is this what you really want?”

  “Do you think I’d ask if it weren’t?”

  “You didn’t ask,” she pointed out.

  He smiled, and her heart squeezed with love. Then he slipped from the couch and got onto one knee. “I’m doing this right,” he said, “because I don’t ever want you to believe I didn’t want this. Veronica, will you marry me?”

  Her heart filled to bursting. Home. This was home—this moment, this feeling. This man. “Yes,” she said simply.

  Raj slipped the ring onto her finger. And then he made love to her on the Persian carpet in front of the Christmas tree.

  There would never be, with the exception of their third child born on December 25 a few years hence, a more perfect gift than the one they shared on this particular Christmas.

  All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

  All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  ® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

  First published in Great Britain 2011

  by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,

  Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

  © Lynn Raye Harris 2011

  ISBN: 978-1-408-92627-7

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Excerpt

  About the Author

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Copyright