Page 36 of Forbidden Passion

Again, Falk extracted his hands from her grip. “Myala, stop this now!” he commanded. “You are making a scene.” He looked up and gestured to one of his guards. The man immediately moved closer, as did his other bodyguards. “I think it’s time for you to go back to Itim.”

The woman emphatically shook her head. “No! You and I…we could make it work together.”

“That’s not going to happen,” he told her firmly. Then he nodded to one of his guards. “Please escort her from the ballroom. Find her father too. She’ll need his escort.”

The guards nodded, then one of them placed a hand on Myala’s shoulder. Immediately, she jerked it away. “Don’t you dare touch me!” she hissed. A moment later, she glanced around, noticing that she was making a scene and people werestarting to notice. “I’ll leave, but this isn’t over, Sheik Falk. I know you will come to love me if you just gave us a chance.”

“Enough!” he snapped. “No more!” Then he turned and walked back to his friends.

“Everything okay?” Ramit asked softly.

Falk shrugged his shoulders, then shook his head. “No. That woman is delusional.” He had a bad feeling and looked around. When he found Ciara, he felt slightly better. She was laughing with someone and he couldn’t stop staring. She was so damn beautiful! And much more complicated than he’d realized. Damn, he adored her!

Chapter 31

Ciara was exhausted, but she continued smiling and nodding at whatever the couple in front of her was talking about. She no longer heard the words. She was intensely conscious of her shoes and the way they pinched her toes. The night’s party was almost over. More than half of the guests had already departed and all she wanted to do was kick off her heels and walk barefoot over to Falk. She’d heard whispers about an altercation with him and that weird woman earlier, but she didn’t know the details. She was pretty sure that Falk would tell her about it once they were alone. But she needed more of the guests to head out before she could politely excuse herself.

“I can’t believe how lovely you look, even after hours of socializing,” an older matron commented. “And your shoes!” Everyone looked down at Ciara’s shoes. “Where did you get them, dear?” she demanded.

Ciara laughed and bent down to examine the torture devices. “Oh, these…” she felt a sting on her upper arm, like a bee sting. But that was impossible. She was inside and, surely the bees were in their hives this late at night. Weren’t they?

She straightened up, turning her head to try to figure out why her arm hurt so badly. She noticed a small, white streak. Then slowly, as if in slow motion, the blood started seeping out through the odd-looking wound. Before Ciara could process what was happening, she was tackled. A big, heavy arm had tossed her over his shoulder and she was being carried away.

If her arm didn’t hurt so badly, she might have protested the caveman tactic. But her arm really hurt now! The sting had transformed to an intense burning. And why were her ears ringing?

She lifted her head, looking around. Everyone was screaming. The remaining guests were running? Why was everyone running? Didn’t their feet hurt just as badly hers did?

Unfortunately, the pain in her arm too intense for her to focus. Also, a part of her was wondering why a bee sting hurt so much. Yes, a sting was bad. But was it really this bad? Or was she just acting like a wimp?

Before she could answer any of those questions, she was flipped upright so that she was sitting on a chair. With her head spinning, she looked around, pushing her hair away from her face. Falk was kneeling in front of her. “Did you just…carry me out of the ballroom over your shoulder?” she asked, needing to understand the first bit of information. Before he could answer, she reached over to cover her arm. “I think I was stung by a bee,” she announced, looking around and finally understanding that her bodyguards were standing sentry by the closed door. Why were they so furious? Why were their guns out? Why were they closing the curtains?

“A…bee sting?” Falk repeated blankly. “You think you were stung by a bee?”

Was that a smile in his eyes? Was this man truly about to laugh at her pain? “I know, I’m acting silly because a bee sting shouldn’t hurt this…” she stopped because she was suddenly realizing that her arm was covered in blood. “Why am I bleeding?” she gasped.

Ramit stepped into the room, hand in hand with Maggie. The room was now full of big, bulky men with weapons aimed at every exit.

“Is she okay?”

Falk lowered his head, his shoulders shaking suspiciously. “She thinks she was stung by a bee,” he explained.

Ramit and Maggie stared at Ciara and she was starting to get uncomfortable with the amused expressions.

“But otherwise, she’s okay? She’s not hurt anywhere but her arm?” Ramit demanded.

“She appears to be unhurt except for her…bee sting,” Falk replied tightly.

Ramit sighed, pulling Maggie in close for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist, offering comfort.

Why wasn’t anyone comforting her? She was the one with the…okay, needing comfort because of a bee sting sounded silly. Even if it was bleeding this badly.

“The doctor is here,” one of the guards announced.

Ramit turned, keeping Maggie close. “Let him in,” he ordered.

Doctor Harroby stepped into the room, looking concerned as he clutched at his medical bag.

“Not him!” Ciara hissed emphatically. Then she lifted her non-wounded arm and pointed at the man. “Don’t let him near me!”