Feeling brave under his intense stare, Tamara smiled up at him seductively. “Like this?”
“No,” he replied, shaking his head as he grabbed her ankles, slowly, mercilessly spreading her legs wide. “Like this,” he told her, his eyes moving over each part of her. “These have to go,” he said and, with a flick of his wrist, her satin panties were ripped away. Then he reached up and…she pulled back.
“Jurid, this is my favorite bra. Do not rip this off.”
He laughed and looked down at her legs again. “Fine. You take off your bra while I concentrate.” And with that as her only warning, he bent down and, with one of her legs over his shoulders, he kissed her inner thighs only moments before he kissed her there! Right there!
Tamara gasped, immediately trying to wiggle away. But he was merciless and, in the end, she sighed as he began to work his magic on her body. In no time at all, she wasn’t sighing any longer. Her gasps came faster and faster, his tongue and mouth moving over her in an expert pattern of licking, sucking and nibbling at the gentle folds. Before she could get her bearings, he teased that nub one more time and her whole world splintered apart in a beautiful release that left her screaming his name.
Slowly, ever so gently, Jurid eased back. Grabbing a condom from his pocket, he rolled the protection down his length as he watched her shift on the bed. Previously, her hair had been a long, sleek cascade of dark color down her back and shoulders. No longer! Now it was a tangled mess spread out on her white comforter. As he looked down at her, he couldn’t stop himself from bending down and taking one of her pert nipples into his mouth. He loved watching her arch her back, pressing her breast deeper into his mouth, but that only increased his need to be one with her.
“I’m sorry, love, but I can’t wait any longer.”
In response, she lifted her legs, wrapping them around his waist, and he took that as permission, sliding into her wet heat. Closing his eyes as her inner muscles tightened around him, he carefully pressed deeper into her tight sheath.
“Relax for me, love,” he told her, his voice harsh as he resisted the urge to slam all the way in her heat. “Just relax.” He felt her body tighten, then slowly, her muscles loosened and he was able to press into her more deeply. With slow, shallow thrusts, he pressed into her again and again until he was fully inside of her. Looking down at her, he knew that she was just as turned on as he was, but he still wanted to give her another climax.
Rolling over, he shifted so that she straddled his hips. “Ride me,” he whispered, guiding her hips, showing her how. With her palms plastered against his chest, he watched as she figured out how to move against him, finding her own pleasure. Rocking against him, her hair forming a curtain around their heads, which only increased the intimacy of the moment. Over and over again, she moved against him, lifting her hips only to sink back down, absorbing all of him into her body. He knew the exact moment when she was ready to climb that spiral again and reached down, rubbing that nub to help her over the edge.
When she cried out, her body arching as her release caught her up in its throes, he enjoyed the sensations of her body rippling with an explosion of pleasure. But in the end, he couldn’t hold back. He reversed their positions and, with her on her back, he thrust into her quickly, over and over again, bringing him to that glorious peak and…right over the edge with her!
For a long time afterwards, he held her in his arms. He couldn’t seem to stop touching and kissing her. Probably because she shivered every time he kissed her in a new place. He smiled when she hissed after he found a place on her back that she liked.
“I’ll be right back,” he whispered in her ear and disappeared into the bathroom. It took him only a few moments to clean up and dispose of the condom. When he came back to the bedroom, he wanted to tell her to pack that bag so that they could return to his house, which was more comfortable and, even better, safer. But when he looked down at her, her arms and legs tangled in the sheets with her hair a riotous mess around her…Jurid realized that she’d fallen into a deep sleep.
He didn’t want to wake her, he thought. She was wiped out. Instead, he texted his guards, letting them know that they’d be staying here for the night. After that, he pulled the blankets over her and curled up next to her, pulling her tight against his chest. He’d give her an hour to sleep, to build up her strength before he woke her up and made love to her again.
Before he knew what had happened, Jurid fell asleep, smiling slightly when he felt Tamara snuggle against his shoulder.
Chapter 6
Harder, she thought, and turned up the sound on her headphones, pushing to keep up with the tempo of her music.
The world was cold and damp this morning, but Tamara didn’t care. She needed to run. She needed to get out into the world and feel her muscles relax as the tension was pounded out of her by the beat of her feet against the concrete. With every step, she felt more of the tension from the previous night ease out of her muscles.
She’d slept in Jurid’s arms all last night in her small bed. When she’d woken up this morning, she’d found him on his back with her head on his shoulder. It was possibly the best night’s sleep she’d ever had.
But…why did she react to him like she had last night? And what did it mean? From the moment they’d locked eyes last night, she’d wanted to be alone with him. Good grief, they hadn’t even made it out of her apartment last night. His guards were probably around somewhere, but she hadn’t seen them this morning. There’d been two big, black SUVs parked at the curb. Had it been filled with his guards? Her guilt at forcing them to stay out in the cold was intense, but she pushed it aside. She couldn’t handle the guilt over having his men stand outside in the cold as well as her own guilt over how she’d completely abandoned herself in Jurid’s arms last night.
She’d been hedonistic! Uninhibited in ways that she hadn’t even thought possible! Every touch, every breath had sent her body clamoring for more.
Which was why she was out here this morning, trying to make sense of everything.
Tamara didn’t love him. There was no way she could love a man she hadn’t known a week ago.
Perhaps she should get to know him, she mused as she turned the corner and headed over a bridge. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to marry Jurid if she actually knew the man. Okay, so she didn’t want to give in to her father’s pressure to marry the powerful ruler, but was the benefit of defying her father a good enough reason to ignore what Jurid made her feel every time he touched her?
And another question, this passion they felt for each other, would it last? Or was it white-hot now and would burn itself out eventually? If that happened, what would be left? Would they have friendship? Or would their desire morph into something more? Something better?
Tamara didn’t have the answers. She needed to talk with Lana and Willow. But would either of her friends know the answer? Talking to Ms. Dunworthy, the teacher at The Burling School and their former confidant occurred to her. But what would Ms. Dunworthy say? Ms. Dunworthy didn’t have a whole lot of experience herself.
By the time Tamara rounded the final corner and headed back to her apartment, she still didn’t have answers. Relationships were too confusing, she thought and slowed her pace. Eventually, she came to a stop and walked the last block, her finger resting on her pulse to make sure that she was cooled down enough.
Although, her pulse probably wasn’t a good standard right at the moment. Because as soon as she looked towards her building, she noticed that the SUVs were still there. That meant that Jurid hadn’t left. Her heart picked up speed again as excitement over seeing him again this morning hit her.
As soon as she stepped into her apartment, she saw him. He was in a clean pair of slacks, but no shirt and he poured coffee for both of them. “Good run?” he asked as he handed her a steaming mug.
“Yes,” she replied, feeling shy all of a sudden. He looked, and smelled, wonderful! He’d just come out of the shower and she wanted to step into
his arms and breathe in the clean scent of him. But she was still sweaty from her run, so she stayed back and took a much-needed sip of her coffee.
“I have to go into the office today, but would you have time for lunch today?” he asked.
Tamara beamed, feeling that bubble of happiness well up inside of her. Stupid, she thought. But instead of telling him no as she probably should, she nodded eagerly. “Yes. Lunch sounds lovely. Thank you.”
He bent down and kissed her, unconcerned by the sweat. “Good. Noon okay with you?”
“I think so. If not, I’ll text you, okay?”
“Good,” he took another sip of coffee. “Now, if you don’t hurry up and get into the shower, I’m going to strip those tight clothes off and make love to you again instead of getting to my meeting.”
Tamara laughed, feeling that bubbly sensation again. “I wouldn’t want to be the cause of an international incident because you missed a meeting,” she teased and turned on her heel. “I’ll see you at noon, then.” And she walked into her bathroom, hearing his deep, sexy laugh follow her.
Chapter 7
The wolf whistle caused her eyes to narrow.
“I like the dress!” Mike teased as she headed to their desks at the back.
“Thank you,” she replied tartly, sliding her purse into the desk drawer, and kicking off her matching red heels. “Ow!” she hissed.
Mike leaned back in his chair. “What’s with the outfit? Not that I don’t approve! You look fabulous, honey. But normally you’re a jeans and tee-shirt gal.” His smile grew as he watched her. “Does this new look have anything to do with the gorgeously terrifying man that you ditched us for last night?”
Tamara skimmed her hands down the front of her black sheath dress, adjusting the red necklace nervously. The red shoes were a good touch, she thought, but they hurt her feet.
“Jurid is coming by to take me out to lunch today and I just…” her fingers moved to her hair. “I wanted to look nice for him,” she finally explained. “And professional. I want him to take me seriously.”
Mike chuckled softly, his eyes moving down her figure again. “Yeah. In that dress? He’s not going to take you seriously, honey. He’s going to drag you off to bed.”
Tamara’s eyes lit up. “You think so?” she whispered, excited by the possibility.
Mike rolled his eyes. “What gives? Just yesterday, you were asking me how to get out of marrying the man. Last night, you almost broke a guy’s fingers that dared to touch you, even as you were trying to get your picture into the tabloids to prove to your handsome betrothed that you were unworthy of becoming his wife. Then you leave the club with said ‘handsome betrothed’ and today you’re all dolled up and nervous, wanting to…” he stopped, as understanding flooded his face. “Damn!” he whispered.
Tamara looked at her friend and business partner, blinking at his stunned expression. “What?” she demanded. “What’s wrong? Did I spill something?” she asked quickly, looking down at the front of her dress.
“You look amazing, honey, but I just realized, you slept with him last night, didn’t you?” When Tamara blushed, he leaned forward in his desk chair. “You did! You had sex with your betrothed! Does that mean that he’s shifted to the fiancé role instead of just a distant and ambiguous ‘man to whom you are betrothed’?”
“We…uh…” she stammered, not sure what to say. Confirming his suspicions felt tawdry. And it hadn’t been that way at all. It had been…blissful. She might not understand exactly what she was feeling towards Jurid now, but she knew that she couldn’t demean their time together. “He’s a nice man,” she finally said to Mike. “He’s not what I expected.”
“Different in a good way?”
Tamara bit her lip thoughtfully. In the end, she gave her friend the only thing that felt right: complete honesty. “Yes,” she finally admitted. “A wonderful way.”
Mike nodded. “I’m glad, hon,” he said softly and with deep sincerity. “But…” and he handed her several papers, changing the subject to business, “you need to focus because we have some serious decisions to make.” For the next several hours, they were caught up in the normal whirlwind that was their world during business hours. Tamara relaxed into the details, thriving on resolving issues efficiently and ensuring that their clients were satisfied.
She was so caught up in her work that she didn’t notice the time passing. So it wasn’t the clock that warned her about her upcoming lunch with Jurid, it was the sudden silence in the office. Tamara looked up when the normal hum of phone calls and conversations and the incessant clicking on the keyboards stopped.
“Jurid!” she whispered as he spoke softly with the receptionist at the front of their office.
Quickly, she stood up, then remembered she’d flipped her red heels under her desk and sat back down, scrambling to find the stupid shoes. But she was so nervous, and that nervousness was increasing as he approached. So her foot stumbled upon one shoe, but her toes weren’t nimble enough to get the shoe onto her foot.
When he was only a few feet away, she finally found the shoes and grabbed them, pushing them onto her feet.
“'Ahlaan 'ayatuha aljamila” Jurid greeted her.
Tamara stood up and slid her hands down over her hips and stomach. “Hello,” she replied, her voice sounded breathy and nervous.
He didn’t stop at a polite distance. His eyes warned her, but she was too nervous seeing him again after last night to translate his silent message. So it was a shock when he walked right up to her and pulled her into his arms. His kiss was brief and light, but it still singed her lips and sent shock waves of awareness throughout her body.
“You look beautiful,” he told her, his voice a low murmur.
“Thank you,” she replied, again with that delightful, breathy-sounding voice. “You look pretty handsome yourself.” And it was true. His suit fit him perfectly, hiding all of his impressive muscles. The white dress shirt looked perfect against the tanned skin of his neck and she wanted to slide her hands up against his chest, exploring all of those fascinating ridges.
But she was at work and it wouldn’t do to have such obvious displays of affection. So she stepped back, out of his arms.
“Are you ready for lunch?” he asked, understanding what she was doing and he dropped his arms to his sides. The heat didn’t leave his eyes though and she shivered in anticipation.
“Yes,” she replied as calmly as possible. Tamara counted that as a victory because she hadn’t screamed the word, grabbed his hand and hauled him out of the office. “I’m starving.” Which was the truth, but not necessarily for food.
Did her eyes convey that feeling? She certainly hoped not.
“Good. My assistant reserved a table for us,” he said and took her hand. “How long do you have for lunch?”
“Um…,” she stopped and looked at the calendar on her computer.
Mike stepped in. “Why don’t you go make sure that the units are ready for tonight’s guests?” he suggested.
Tamara’s mouth fell open. They had a team of cleaning people that went through and got everything ready, plus Jenny, one of the staff members sitting three desks away, followed up and added small treats to each unit before a guest arrived, and also ensured that everything had been cleaned to the company’s high standards. So why was Mike suggesting that she…?
“Excellent,” Jurid announced, placing his hand over hers. “I would enjoy seeing some of the places you rent out.”
Tamara smiled, suddenly liking the idea and she also knew that Mike was basically telling her to take the rest of the day off. They never did that, even working weekends pretty often when they were renovating a place or something happened and a problem was called in.
“I’ll do that,” she smiled at Mike. “Jurid, this is my friend and business partner, Micah DeSrat, but he prefers to be called Mike. We’ve been friends since university.” She turned to Mike. “This is Sheik Jurid bin Casees of Tular.” She turned back to Jurid. �
�Mike is actually from Tular. He moved here to attend the University of London’s School of Business.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness,” Mike replied with a deep bow.
When Mike straightened, Tamara couldn’t resist lifting a sarcastic eyebrow at his deference.
Jurid ignored, or didn’t see, her expression, focusing on Mike. “It’s is a pleasure to meet you, Micah. Why did you establish your business here instead of coming home to Tular?”
Mike’s eyes shifted to Tamara who nodded slightly, silently telling him to speak the truth. When Mike’s eyes moved back up to Jurid’s, Tamara placed a hand on his arm.
“I’m gay, Your Highness. And being gay in Tular is life threatening.”
Jurid’s body stiffened with anger. “We have laws to protect you,” he countered.
Mike nodded slightly. “Yes, Your Highness. There are laws. But I stand by my statement. Being gay in Tular is not good for one’s health.”
Jurid was silent for a moment, then nodded sharply. “Thank you for your honesty,” he said. Then turned to Tamara. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she replied, leaning a bit closer to him now.
They headed towards the door but Jurid turned as if to say something to her and froze, looking over her shoulder.
“What?” she asked, startled by his expression. But when she glanced over her shoulder at the wall where he was looking, she understood.
Lana’s painting!
Darn it, she should have remembered that the painting was there! Lana was a brilliant artist who used objects set in particular ways on her canvas to express emotions or to tell a story. During their last year of university, Lana had done a large picture for Tamara and Willow and the objects were…revealing!
Willow’s painting demonstrated their friend’s anger over her father’s rejection. Willow had been tossed out of the house by one of her stepmothers and shuffled off to boarding school.
Awakened by the Passionate Sheik (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 2) Page 8
