Bartered to the Sheikh: Honour, duty, marriage ... and passionate desert nights Page 10

  The question surprised her, for many reasons. The moon cast a silver hue over him. Her pale brown eyes devoured every detail of his appearance.

  Well? She demanded of herself. What was he? “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

  She turned her back on him, ostensibly to give her attention to the dramatic waterfall. His arms around her waist surprised her. He was close. So close she could feel the hard planes of his body.

  “Nor have I.”

  “About me?” She whispered, shivering as his fingers curled into her stomach.

  “Oh, not about you. I understand what you are, Saaliyah.”

  “But not you?”

  “No.” She didn’t see the way his lips curved in a derisive imitation of a smile. “I am at a loss when it comes to you. The way you make me feel, and the things you make me want, are unfamiliar.”

  She turned in the circle of his arms. “And unwelcome?”

  “Strangely no.” His laugh was a short bark.

  “I’m glad.” She lifted her hands to his chest. The atmosphere around them was contemplative. “I’m sorry for disappearing today.”

  He tightened his grip around her waist. “I know.”

  “You and Kaman were furious.”

  “Yes.” His lips lifted with genuine amusement. “Kaman is the best friend any man could hope for. My suffering is his, apparently.”

  Butterflies laden with guilt batted her stomach. “I had no intention of causing you to suffer.”

  “I know this.”

  “The guard was with me.”

  He brushed an imaginary piece of her hair away. “Don’t forget, habibi, that it was a palace driver who took part in your cousin’s assassination.”

  Her throat knotted as she swallowed her grief. The silence throbbed with sadness and regret. “It must have been very hard for you,” she said finally.

  “Hard for me?” His smile was a gesture of sympathy, rather than mirth. “Harder, I think, for you.”

  “Undoubtedly. But in different ways. Losing Tasha is something from which I’ll never recover. Particularly not given the horrible circumstances. When I think about what she must have gone through, in that last moment. The fear. The terror.” Her sob was impossible to resist.

  “Don’t think of it then,” he closed his eyes against her words.

  “But you,” she continued as though he hadn’t spoken, “had to contend with the knowledge that it was your palace employee who was complicit in it.”

  He focussed his attention on her shrewdly. “You blame me?”

  “Not at all.” She splayed her fingers across his chest. “But I know you now.”

  “Do you?” A flattened tone was in his voice, as though he felt greatly and was trying not to show it. “What do you know?”

  “That you’re an honourable, decent man who takes his responsibilities very seriously. You are bound by your expectations of yourself, as well as what you feel your country deserves.”

  She felt the way his heart was hammering in his chest. “And what makes you so certain this is correct?”

  “Everything. The way you speak to your attendants. The way you’re being so gentle and patient with me. The way you’re trying to keep me safe and protected.” She swallowed. “And the fact you’re prepared to marry, simply to bring an end to an ancient, futile war.”

  It was the reason he’d suggested his marriage to Tashana, and the reason he’d sought Saaliyah as a replacement bride. But standing in the moonlight, he had almost forgotten. His smile was a ghost.

  “So I know that you would have blamed yourself for what happened to Tasha.”

  There was no sense – and no purpose – in denying it. “Yes.” He dragged a hand through his hair. She followed the gesture first with her eyes, then with her fingers. She let her touch drop to his shoulder. It was comforting, and he couldn’t have said why. “I have already told you that I neglected her. I went out of my way not to get involved with Tashana.”

  “But why? You were going to marry her.”

  “Yes. And I still believe a marriage like ours is … better … if the couple has very little to do with one another.”

  She gaped at him, completely at a loss for how to respond.

  His laugh was loaded with self-mocking. “I know. It seems ridiculous given how I am with you. But I went into the engagement to Tashana believing we would continue to co-exist as two separate people. Able to honour the promise of our marriage without really changing who we were.”

  “Hence your ongoing relationship with Hannah.”

  “Hannah?” His eyes narrowed as –briefly – he forgot that he’d even told Sally about his ex. Then, he recalled the night she’d met his family and exhaled a slow breath. “Yes, my relationship with Hannah was one of the things I wasn’t prepared, initially, to sacrifice to my marriage.”

  Was that relationship serious? Did you love her? She wanted to ask these questions of him, but even she, with her lack of experience, knew it reeked of desperation.

  “What else?” She asked, her voice a little husky.

  “Many things.” He shook his head, as if to clear the track his thoughts were taking. “We came here to swim, did we not?”

  She nodded jerkily. Sally knew, in that moment, she would have walked over hot coals if he’d suggested it.

  It was no longer possible to pretend she didn’t love him.

  It didn’t make sense, but then, did love ever obey rational thought? She loved him, in a way that made a future without him absolutely unbearable to contemplate.

  The knowledge, like a tiny husk of truth she wore deep in her breast, made her smile bright and her eyes shimmer. “Yes. We came here to swim.”

  He stepped away from her, so that he could undress. His eyes were on her as he peeled his clothes off, until he stood in just a pair of black briefs.

  Sally was blushing to the roots of her hair, and doing everything she could not to focus on a particularly impressive part of his anatomy, clearly emphasised despite the dark fabric that covered it.

  His smile showed that he knew what she was thinking. And that he liked it.

  He brought his body into contact with hers, and laced his fingers through hers. “Touch me,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. He guided her hand towards his arousal, and she shivered as her touch connected with hard strength. His eyes held hers, as he gently coaxed her over his length. The fabric was a frustration she didn’t want. With a small noise low in her throat, she shook her hand free of his hold. Before he could react to her removal, she snuck her fingers in the waistband of his pants, and touched him properly. His flesh was warm and smooth, and it sent shivers of anticipation along her body.

  He groaned, his breathing ragged, as she timidly began to acquaint herself with his length.

  “Saaliyah,” he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. Only that he had to take control of this situation back, before it became a beast that he couldn’t tame.

  “Khalid,” she responded with a slightly mocking tone to her voice.

  “You should stop.”

  “Should I?” She asked, her innocence genuine, yet exaggerated.

  He should be the one to stop her. He was far more experienced. This was his show. At least, it should have been. She knelt to the ground, and it didn’t even occur to him to worry that the stones would hurt her knees. Slowly, she slid the underwear from him, easing it the length of his legs, so that he could step out of them.

  At the sight of his naked form, right before her, she swallowed. Though she had no point of reference, he was certainly well endowed. Almost frighteningly so. She stood abruptly, her confidence evaporating in the face of such pure masculinity.

  He saw the shift, and he understood. God, she was so beautifully youthful, so completely honest and awkward, in the loveliest of ways. His heart turned over as he contemplated properly what an incredible honour it was to be with her. He had proposed this marriage intending to form a politically sound union. He had not, for a moment
, thought he would be giving himself the greatest gift of all.

  “Your turn,” he murmured, reaching out and lacing his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt. He lifted it slowly, allowing his fingers to brush against her soft skin as he peeled the layer off her. He discarded it carelessly, adding it to he pile of his own clothes.

  His thumbs brushed across her breasts, and he felt his arousal stir. His own nakedness, and touching her as he was, made it impossible to contain his need. He ground his teeth together, hoping he had enough will-power to wait until after their wedding.

  “It’s only one night,” she whispered. “Tomorrow we will be married.”

  Her own thoughts perfectly mirrored his. He dipped his head so she wouldn’t understand the temptation he felt.

  He lowered her pants, and she stepped out of them, leaving only silky underpants between him and complete satisfaction.

  “We came here to swim,” he reminded her, though his mind was shouting at him not to be such a damned idiot.

  “And we will do that too,” she responded, the archness of her statement underscored by the way her voice was shaking.

  He rewarded her with a laugh, and then flicked the waistband of her underpants playfully against her side. As she had done, he knelt before her, then slowly lowered the pale fabric away. She let out an unsteady breath as his fingers danced down her skin, teasing her and making her desperate for fulfilment.

  Sally watched as his dark head bent forward, and then, in something that was both completely confusing and surreal, and utterly sensual, he pressed his mouth to her most intimate core. His tongue invaded her senses, driving wild fevers of need through her.

  Her body jerked as, beneath the moonlight, with the sound of the cascading waterfall humming in the background, Khalid ash-Hareth, esteemed ruler of Tari’ell, knelt before her and made her body his in the most intimate of ways.

  Her fingers were tearing through his hair and her fevered cries were shards of glass in the night’s stillness. “Khalid,” she gasped, as his fingers dug into her back, holding her against him when she might otherwise have writhed away in an overload of sensation.

  Her release was blindingly powerful. She shuddered as the fever reached boiling point and broke within her, sending her spiralling into a universe she still didn’t properly understand.

  Khalid held her tight, murmuring reassuring words in his language as she gradually came back into the moment.

  He stood without releasing his hold on her. His arms around her back kept her pressed to his body and still, he was firm and hard, and his breathing was rushed. She ached for more. She would never fail to want more.

  There were so many things she wanted to say, and none of them seemed right. Nor did they feel sufficient. And so she stared at him, words banging around in her mind while her body attempted to process just what he could do to her.

  He didn’t speak either. Instead, he increased the pressure on her back, guiding her gently towards the water. She walked, her mind frothing with millions of thoughts.

  The water was cool and soft against her heated body. Her limbs felt heavy. She stepped beside him, until they were so deep that she could no longer touch the bottom.

  Instead of stopping, he lifted her, and wrapped her legs around his waist. The intimate connection with his arousal gave her a heady sense of power. She stared at him as he moved them further into the water.

  Still, neither of them said a thing, but their eyes were speaking. Feelings and understanding travelled between them, and Sally could only hope they were drawing the same conclusion. She needed him to see her as she was. Strong but fragile, brave but afraid. His hands rubbed her back, and his mouth kissed her neck, sending more arrows of desire flitting through her.

  “It’s only one night,” she repeated a little unsteadily.

  “Exactly.” It was a word born of complete frustration. “I should be able to exercise patience. It is one night. Why do I feel like waiting – even twenty four hours – to possess you, will ruin me?”

  Sally’s eyes were wide in her face. “You do?”

  “Yes.” He shook his head. “It is a tradition, and as you have observed, these things are important to me.”

  She nodded, wondering how she would cope with her own disappointments.

  Then, Khalid lowered her, gently, his eyes on her face the whole time he guided her over his length. “Apparently tradition does not matter to me as much as being with you.”

  She gasped at the sweet invasion she’d been craving almost since the first moment she met him. He went slowly, allowing her take him at her own speed. But bit by bit, he moved within her, removing the last vestige of her innocence, and filling her not just with him, but with the knowledge of what pleasure was truly about. At the moment he met resistance, he held her tight, whispering sweet words in his own language as he pushed past her innocence.

  Sally clung to him, her body awash with feelings that equalled and exceeded anything she could have imagined. The initial burst of tenderness disappeared almost instantly, leaving only sweet pleasure in its place. His body was a drug. A powerful, heady, perfect drug, making her ache and die and thrive and alive all at the same time.

  Her eyes were moist with tears brought on by the emotional intensity of what he was doing to her, and the perfection of the moment. She blinked them away, staring up at the star-filled sky as he moved her to a point of crescendo. Her fingernails sought his back, beneath the rippled surface of the water. He tilted his head towards the sky, his breath and her muted cries the only sounds that punctuated the air around them.

  Despite the way he’d pleasured her earlier, she felt a burst of surprise when an orgasm began to fill her body. It was unlike anything she’d ever known. Her heart was here, there and everywhere; her body a slave to him, and only him. He loosened his grip around her waist, so that she lay back a little in the water, allowing him to run his hands down her front and fondle the hard peaks of her breasts. He was tormenting her. Adding fuel to the fire when she was already so completely aflame.

  “Khal!” It was a cry of warning, bursting from her lips, as she began to fall apart. His own self-control snapped when she began to moan ceaselessly in his arms. He released himself at the exact moment she exploded; together, they catapulted into the sky above. Sally clung to him, half-afraid she might drown. And indeed, the feelings he inspired threatened to pull her under; to take all last vestiges of her being into the depths of the rock pool.

  “Saaliyah,” it was a throb of feeling; a word laced with the strength of what they shared. “Oh, Saaliyah,” he groaned, pulling her up to his chest. He held her tight, waiting for her breathing to slow.

  He felt her shiver, or shudder, and then heard her sudden intake of breath. Her cheeks were wet. He hadn’t realised at first. He’d been so caught in his own web of acute need that he’d momentarily forgotten where he was. And who with. But her tears brought him back to earth with a resounding thud. “You’re hurt.”

  “No,” she shook her head, her laugh a poor cover for a sob.

  “You are crying.” His face sobered as he studied her carefully. “I meant to wait. To be careful and slow. To be gentle.”

  “You were gentle,” she promised, pulling her lower lip between her teeth. “You were perfect.”

  His frown deepened. “Then why …?”

  She laughed again, and this time, accompanied the sound with a small punch aimed at his shoulder. “Because it was so perfect. You might have waited, Khalid, but nothing would ever have been able to top that.” She stretched her hands out, running her fingertips along the top of the water, as he kept her gripped against his waist. “Look at where we are,” she grinned. “Surely the most beautiful place on earth.” She focussed on his face, wanting to reassure him properly. She lifted a hand to his cheek, telling herself to be brave and speak the truth despite the coy embarrassment that was beginning to tingle through her. “It was perfect. I’ll never forget it.”

  And suddenly, he wa
s Khalid again. Powerful Sheikh, ruler of a land, in control of everyone and everything at all time. He stepped away from her, and the desertion was like a physical pain. Sally almost exclaimed, for how empty she felt. She knew instinctively that it would be wrong to show him that dependence, and so she smiled instead, and did her best to feign casual relaxation. She kicked back, drifting in the water, moving her hands in arcs to propel her along the surface.

  Khalid followed, walking easily behind her. She was completely naked, bathed in the light of the moon, and absolutely breath-takingly stunning. He lifted some water in the palm of his hands and dribbled it over her stomach. A faint flicker of her lips was the only sign she’d felt it.

  “It’s very beautiful here,” she said, her voice a little loud owing to the fact her ears were immersed beneath the water.

  She kicked her feet, bringing herself to standing. Only the water was too deep, and she began to paddle her legs to stay afloat. Khalid cursed inwardly; his weakness for this woman now more than apparent. He snaked an arm out and wrapped it around her back, bringing her back into connection with him.

  “It is a favourite place of mine,” he said, thinking it would now forever be etched in his memory for an entirely different reason than its natural wonder.

  “Why did you and Kaman come here?”

  “As children?”

  She nodded.

  Amusement tickled his chest. “There are the most enormous eels in this water. We spent many hours trying to catch them with our bare hands.”

  “Eels?” She squawked, unconsciously pulling closer to him and looking down into the dark depths of the water.

  “Mmm,” he agreed, stroking her back distractedly. “Some almost as long as you are tall.”

  She curled her legs around his back, and kept looking into the water. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Kidding you? Why would I joke about eels?”

  “It’s so lovely here! And now you’ve gone and ruined it.” She shivered, wondering just how quickly they could get back to the water’s edge.

  He followed her gaze and laughed softly. “Yes, I am kidding you, Emira.”