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seen her brothers in pajamas many times, but none of them had looked like this. And then there was the white kaffiyeh that he wore on his head. Silhouetted in the moonlight that flowed through the window, he looked the epitome of the tall, dark and handsome prince that he was.
    Inhaling deeply, she needed all of the strength she could muster to hold her own with him, especially after the kiss they had shared; a kiss that made her breathless just remembering it. And it didn’t help matters that she was noticing things she hadn’t noticed before; like his hands and how perfect they looked. The fingers of those hands were long, deft and strong. They were fingers that had once swallowed hers in a warm clasp while he had kissed her; fingers whose tips had touched her cheek, traced the outline of her lips, and fingers that had touched her intimately. Then there were his eyebrows. She had been so taken with his eyes that she had failed to notice his brows. Now she did. They were deep, dark, slanted, and together with his eyes were deadly combinations.
    “Delaney, I asked if you were going somewhere,” Jamal said.
    She swallowed as she gazed across the room at him and nearly came undone when he nailed her with his dark, penetrating eyes and those slanted brows.
    “I’m going to the store,” she finally responded. “There are some items I need to pick up.”
    “At this time of night?”
    Even in the dim light Delaney could see the frown darkening his face. She met his frown with one of her own. “Yes, this time of night. Do you have a problem with it?”
    For a long moment they stood there staring at each other—challenging. Delaney refused to back down, and so did he. To her way of thinking he reminded her of her brothers in their attempts to be overprotective. And that was the last thing she wanted or would tolerate.
    “No, I don’t have a problem with it. I was just being concerned,” he finally said. “It’s not safe for a woman to be out at night alone.”
    The quiet tone of his voice affected her more than she wanted it to. And the way he was looking at her didn’t help matters. Intentionally or not, he was igniting feelings she had been experiencing lately; feelings she had tried ridding herself of by staying in her room. But now she felt the slow pounding of blood as it rushed to her head and back down to her toes. She also heard the ragged pant of her breathing and wondered if he heard it.
    “I’m used to living alone, Jamal,” she finally responded. “And I can take care of myself. Because of my study habits, I’m used to going shopping at night instead of in the daytime.”
    He nodded. “Do you mind some company? There are some things I need to pick up, as well.”
    Delaney narrowed dark eyes, wondering if he actually needed something or if he was using that as an excuse to tag along. If it was the latter, she wasn’t having any of it. “If I wasn’t here, how would you have managed to get those things?”
    He shrugged. “I would have called Asalum. And although he would be more than happy to do my shopping for me, I prefer doing things for myself. Besides, it’s after midnight and he needs his rest.”
    Delaney was glad to hear that he was considerate of the people who worked for him. Slowly nodding, she said, “Then I guess it will be all right if you come along.”
    Jamal laughed. It was a deep, husky, rich sound that madeheat spread through the lower part of her body. She slanted him a look. “Something funny?”
    “Yes. You make it seem such a hardship to spend time with me.”
    Delaney sighed, looking away. He didn’t know the half of it. Moments later she returned her attention to him. “Mainly because I had thought I would be here alone for the next few weeks.”
    He grinned at her suddenly. It was so unexpected that her anger lost some of its muster. “So had I,” he said huskily, slowly crossing the room to stand in front of her. “But since we’re not alone and it was your