*Luna*

As I groan and wake in my bed, I noticed my legs were tangled in Amir's, and the sheet was twisted around his waist. It was the day before our wedding, and he prepared everything for us. Last night we ended up having a romantic candlelight dinner on the rooftop, followed by a private concert he performed for me. It was so sincere and sweet. Since being admitted into that insane facility, I hadn't had any wine, but last night was different. We had a long discussion about alcohol, and I am okay with abstaining from it. What I did with my body affected him.

As I laid here and marveled at how exquisite this man was, I reflected back on the last few days. After Cassie and Faisal injected their antidote, it had proved to be working. They were splashing each other in the pool while Cami was in there playing with them. So two pairs have now taken that serum, and neither have started any convulsions, or foaming of the mouth as we all researched. Raul, Mera, and Darren travel into town to shop for everyone. And each of the men in the house took turns for us to do security, maintenance, and anything else that was needed. Amir had been the only exception of not doing any guard duty since our big day was tomorrow.

Early Monday morning, we told the group that we were indeed engaged. Then we spilled the beans that it will be this Friday. We received shocked faces and quick glances from everyone, but nothing was better than hearing Sarah yell, "Yay! Papa!" Amir was her papa, and that made me feel better. Yesterday, she asked about Daddy Chase, and I told her that he and mommy weren't going to see each other anymore. She frowned, but then she said she figured something was wrong when he waited on Aunty Lib to pick her up one day. I told Sarah he was just looking out for me, which was far from the truth. She was not old enough to understand these things.

Ahmed was able to get in touch with my father again, and he told me that Chase and Dr. Kim went to his house in Los Angeles to inform him on my escape. My father stood up for me and told them he knew nothing and that he didn't care. I know my father was just saying that, but I still felt happy that he kept our location private. We discussed my "quick" romance with Amir and how I'm totally ready to become his wife. Dad said he was actually happy for me, and he seemed to be okay with it. He asked a few questions about where we'll live and what else Amir could do for work. He mentioned about his contact he knew in England who could get Amir a job, but I told my dad to wait on that. So we chatted for five minutes that day, and then I let him go. I had to get off the phone, so we weren't tracked.

Amir called his family, and I spoke to them in clear Urdu. They were excited, welcoming, and so happy to know that Amir had found happiness. I told them I was happy too. His parents asked about Sarah and her biological father, so I explained that he was in Pakistan when he died. And then I explained that Amir was the one who tried to resuscitate Sam. Amir's parents pleaded for me to stop, hearing the slight sadness coming from my throat. I almost wept over the phone, but his family was very comforting. I have a great feeling about them, and hopefully we can travel there. They'll be our family. And it was a warm feeling.

Also, Amir and I have filed a real wedding license for the State of Louisiana. Even though it was risky, we used our biological names and have a neighbor in our community (a fellow tethered soul who was a reverend at his Baptist church down the street) who will officiate our ceremony. We are having an Inter-faith wedding and will sign a real license, plus a Nikah, so this way we are legal in all sense of the Law.

There will be some complications later on involving our relationship, along with the irritating reason why I'm marrying a foreigner. Well, bring it on. They'd see how passionate and genuine Amir and I truly were, and how both of us knew each other very well. We could be in each other's head as we are being questioned, too. So the interviewer who pries into our personal life will see no reason to doubt our love for each other.

I guess we prepared ourselves because of the film, The Proposal. It had become a habit for us to watch it continuously.

I was so excited thinking about our life together. Eventually, we might take Faisal's serum. I just hoped it would be worth it. But if not, Amir and I will be together after death. We will be joined through holy matrimony, and Sarah was excited for us. She sensed our love for one another, and she had been speaking Urdu to him. Once things settle down in a few weeks, we'll move on and hopefully travel unnoticed by Chase and Dr. Kim. I have been dying to step into Islamabad. That was where it all began, meeting my soulmate.

We planned to leave the States by the first week of  August before being discovered here. Our ceremony and filing the papers was risky enough. And leaving the house to go to the Clerk of Court in Baton Rouge was risky, but it will all be worth it once I say the words, "I do", and qabool hai three times which means "I accept". It was customary for a bride to say that during the Nikah.

The company Amir and Faisal worked for had been worried sick since our images were plastered over the news about mental patients escaping. We had every right to flee from there. Cami's parents had tried to track her down, but when she spoke to her relatives who reside in Nigeria, they told her they'll handle them. They urged her to get there as soon as possible before she was caught. They'll protect her and Faisal. Even they know what was happening around the word and how our kind was hunted. The science behind our DNA had yet to be uncovered.

Lying here and doing nothing, I tried to crawl out of bed. Amir and I controlled ourselves, which was difficult, but we did it. We'd managed a tolerance to withhold our sexual urges, and it can be done, regardless of the sensations that run through me.

It wasn't something we should continue to do, but we only had twenty-fours left, and then we could do as we please. Besides, this helped us resist certain actions because there will be many times when we won't be together, or when my monthly friend visits me.

He laid still, bare chested, and wearing sweat pants. We didn't plan for him to fall asleep next to me, but he wanted to make sure I was okay before he went to his room. I had some killer nightmares recently, and different people in the house had been keeping an eye on me. It took some adjustments to try to wiggle free from him. He was one strong King. When I finally reached the end of the bed, I brought my legs to the side and stretched out. Letting out a happy sigh, I tilted my head back, closing my eyes.

"Mm, good morning, beautiful."

My eyes snapped open, feeling startled and realizing that I was a little exposed. I had only my bra and panties on, and he wasn't supposed to get a sneak peek. I was fully clothed before I fell asleep. What happened?

I reached for the sheet, but his hand shot out quickly, grabbing mine. Pure embarrassment shot across my face as I remembered what I had done last night. I drank a little too much, and I ended up trying to get frisky. Wine.

I will definitely abstain from wine after that.

"Why are you trying to cover up?" Amir murmured lazily, his voice husky. He sounded exotic, too. Nice. "You don't have to be modest around me. I don't really see the point, especially in private. I've seen all of you."

My skin prickled as heat was building inside my veins. It wasn't about modesty, really, but about what I would tempt on him, so I felt a little ashamed of myself. The early morning sun streamed in through the window as he glanced up, and I jerked the sheet away from him, covering myself quickly.

He pouted, and then threw a sheet over his face, messing with me. He knows I want to gaze at him all day just as much as he wanted to see my body. Nope. Keeping the self-control in check.

"I told you we can't peek at each other before the ceremony," I said, hearing him groan.

He chuckled, and the deep sound vibrated the bed. Adjusting his body, he leaned close and kissed the tip of my nose. "Not getting a peek isn't torture for me. Not being with you on a personal level is."

"Isn't that what happened last night?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "That was just a friendly gesture. I want to get inside your head, and I mean really inside, and reminiscence every detail about you."

I laughed. "You already do."

"True, but I want to explore more inside you." He rolled over, swinging his legs off the bed.

My eyes widened.

I gazed at him and thanked a silent prayer to God for allowing us to wed. I am about to spend every waking moment with this tall and hypnotic creature. He just stood there at the opened window, showing his body, with abs for life, and biceps that could crush someone's face that ever did him wrong. He wasn't intimidating but was an attractive, full-blooded Arabian hunk. He raised his arms high above his head, stretching to the top of the window. Then his back bowed, his muscles popping and rippling along his skin. The dips around his hips glistened under the morning sun, and I almost wanted to run my hands on every part of his body. Self control, I reminded myself.

Finally, I forced myself to look around the room and keep my mind occupied. "You know, you sit there and talk about me covering up, but you don't around me, knowing my lady parts are squirming inside."

He gave me a cheeky grin and turned around. "Now you understand how I feel each time I'm aroused. But don't worry. After our ceremony tomorrow, you'll get to play with this body as often as you like."

My heart thumped and did a trippy dance. "Is that a fact? Because I can't wait."

He giggled again and then strolled into the bathroom, turning the water on. Feeling like I was on cloud nine, I fell back and close my eyes. After our ceremony? Was this really happening? That had my tummy fluttering in so many ways going through several loops at once. Waking up next to Amir and going to sleep beside him all the time?

I felt like shedding a tear. Never would have thought that this moment in time could be real.

I reopened my eyes when I heard the door crack. He was sprucing up his beautiful dark hair and was rubbing his eyes while he stood at the door. And here I was again, admiring his physique, wanting to go the scenic route to many inappropriate places with him. It was like going to a private place and stepping inside, hoping not to get caught.

He brought his arm down and stood still. "If you continue to keep staring, you'll be drooling all over the place. In fact, I think I see something."

"Huh? I am not drooling." I probably was. Feeling embarrassed, I threw the sheet up over my face, dying in shame. "A gentleman should never point something like that out."

"And a lady wouldn't allow herself to drool that long." He shot forward, trying to snatch the sheet from my face. I held on, but ended up surrendering to our playful struggle. "You don't have to hide. I caught you. It was adorable. Cute. It was exactly what I needed to see from my wife. I make her... wet."

"You're horrible."

"And so are you when you tease me." He threw the sheet to the base of the bed, lowering his body down, making sure I couldn't move. "Okay. Maybe you aren't the only one teasing."

My hormones were already jittery before breakfast. "Exactly."

"You're just very tempting." He cupped a hand around my neck and one on my other side, brushing his fingers through my soft hair. "So tempting."

Laughing, I pushed at his muscular, bronze chest. "You shouldn't get yourself in a position when you could easily lose your self-control."

"Maybe." He moved down until his chest hit mine and his thigh was between my legs. Supporting one side of his body with his arm, he bent down, coming close to my cheek. "Smooch?"

I bit my lip and reach for a few strands of his hair, then leaned forward to kiss them. "There. Hope you enjoyed it."

He lifted his head, groaning. "That wasn't long enough. That felt like a nanosecond."

I cranked my neck up. "So you need a longer peck? Is that what Mr. Bronze wants?"

He chuckled. "Mr. Bronze?"

I shrugged. "Mr. Gray was taken." I smiled up to his mouth. "You have the most beautiful shade of brown skin. It illuminates the room when I look at you."

"Well, thank you, madam."

"You suck."

"Mm. Don't say that word. It's not allowed around my presence until we have our Nikah."

"Well, then, Mr. Mesmerizing-To-Stare-At. No smooches either."

He licked his lips, and a soft smile tipped up. "Smooches are different," he said, arguing with me. "They keep my heart pumping."

"Oh, honey, I know your heart isn't the only thing pumping." He giggled and ran his fingers down my hairline. Then I moved up and kissed his strands once more. "Hmm. There's your wish. That is all Daddy gets."

"Mm. I haven't heard you call me Daddy in a long time."

I snickered. "After our wedding, I'll call you daddy any time you'd like. That's going to be your contact in my new phone when I get one."

The tips of his fingers drifted along my arm and across my shoulder. The featherlight touch continued around my ears, sending shivers through my veins. The whole time, his seductive gaze was locked onto mine. "Well, yours is going to be MILF."

I busted out laughing. "Mom I'd Like To Fuck? Ha. Some imagination you have there, babe. You'll have to change it once we do make love."

He shook his head, staring intently into my eyes. "Not at all. Because that wasn't the acronym I had for it. There's a new one in town."

I stared at him to figure it out, and then it dawned on me. "Mom I Love Fucking."

He shook his head. "Nope. Mom I'll Love Forever." Okay. That was kind of sweet. I am glad he didn't use the other word.

"I figured you'll have a kinky nickname for me. You could have—FAM. Freaky. Ass. Mama. Or..." I lay here and watched as his throat popped while he laughed loudly. "I love the way our life is beginning. You still like my jokes."

"Correction. I love what is in your mind." He kissed the top of my head. "I love what flows inside your heart." He placed a soft kiss on my chest. "And most importantly... I am in love with your soul." He leaned up and gazed passionately into my eyes, then pushed forward to leave a soft peck on my forehead. "Your entire being is what I love. Just this southern American queen that I will get to spend my existence with."

When I didn't speak, he did something clever with his finger that caused my heart to pounce inside my chest. I lifted my body up on my elbows, feeling dizzy and light, bringing my lips near the top of his ear. Slightly kissing the edge of his lips, I heard him groan. Then I started to lay back down. But in a quick notion, he wrapped a hand around my neck.

"Ugh!" He voice was low and filled with disappointment. He wanted to feel our lips touch, and his queen clearly had the upper-hand. "As much as I love your lips, that's not the only place I want to feel them. Maybe I need to show you where they should touch me."

I shivered at the sound of that, his stare deep and intense. My entire body tightened. "You could just imagine it, or," I say, with a coy tone. "You could always go somewhere else inside the house and... visit me. You know, like old times."

"Challenge accepted," he said, jumping up and heading toward the door. "Be right back."

I smiled and laid back, having fun with my companion this morning. As I rolled over onto my right side, a second passed and I felt his strong hand lingering up my leg. I turned my neck and reached my arm around his shoulders, pulling him to my body.

And boy, did he show me what he desired. This moment was perfectly okay since neither of us are engaging into anything physically. We still had our self-control. But if he were back in my room now, in physical form, I might have to give in. All his other kisses had been sweet and mind-blowing, but this kiss was something raw and different. All I wanted to do was keep going, feel his soul urge with desperation from each taste, and feel that longing to give me anything I wanted. I wanted him to get me off, I wanted to feel this hot temptation take over, and it was so hard to hold back our desires before our wedding.

Amir moved over me with his body moving between my legs, and I stayed still, grasping his shoulders. I had to slow myself down before I lost control of myself.

"Moon, what is it?" he asked me, breathless.

I gave him a soft smile and turned away. "I was thinking about how we should slow down a bit."

"I know. I had the same thought. I... ahem... I was close to making both of us... ahem... well, you know." He laid a soft kiss on my hairline and rolled onto his side. We both started laughing. "Just a one more day, baby."

I smiled. "Yep. I will officially become Mrs. Luna Ibrahim Khan."

"Have I ever told you that I love your smile? Doesn't matter. I'm going to tell you that again and again for as long as I live. I love your smile."

"And I love yours," I replied, sitting up. "I am going to take a quick shower."

Amir rose on his elbow. "I could keep you company in there, too. I could sit on the counter and we could talk."

"Mm. Nope. Not going to happen." He chuckled. Tugging my robe around my waist, I scooted off the bed. "It won't take long."

He winked. "Okay. Just let me know when you are done. We can resume our... positions."

I laughed and shook my my head, closing the door behind me. What am I going to do with him after we're married? He was like a raging bull who needed to be tamed. Luna-Tamed.

[Part two of this chapter is next. -->]