by Linda Conrad
“You’re absolutely beautiful, my love.” He had taken her hands from his hair and, capturing her wrists in one of his big hands, lifted them above her head. The move had made her breasts arch toward his mouth as her sensitive tips pebbled in anticipation.
She’d felt the beginnings of wet heat between her legs and squirmed under his gaze, wanting—something. With one knee, he’d opened her legs and propped them wide. Not sure what was coming, she had known that whatever it was, bliss would surely follow.
Needing him to help her find the edge, she’d managed enough of a voice to plead. “Please, Shakir. Please.”
He’d drawn one of her breasts deep into his mouth and slid his tongue back and forth over the nipple. Fire had raced through her blood as both nipples grew impossibly hard. She’d gasped and arched her back even higher.
Releasing her wrists, he had slid his hands under her hips and blazed kisses down her belly. Her body had tightened, trembling with tension as his tongue explored and lathed.
He’d made love to her with his mouth and with his whispered words of encouragement. Mindless, she’d reached for him, grasping fistfuls of his shirtsleeves, desperate to make him hurry.
“Now.” She’d twisted and sobbed, rolling her head from side to side. “Shakir, for God’s sake now.”
Moving quickly, Shakir had raised his body, hovered above her. “Yes!” He’d thrust into her hard and fast.
Nicole had cried out at the sharp, fleeting pain. She’d been lost in the moment, in the heat, and hadn’t expected it. Hadn’t prepared.
He’d hesitated, staying perfectly still. “Nicole? Look at me.”
She had then did as he asked. Gladly. The pain had receded and her body had already started to become accustomed to the intrusion. But when she’d gazed up into his eyes, she’d found them glazed over in sympathy.
“Don’t stop,” she gasped.
When he’d begun to ease back from her, she’d wrapped her legs around his hips in an effort to make him stay. The movement had driven him deeper and she’d moaned in appreciation.
The wild sound of her voice had seemed to bring him out of his trancelike state and he’d begun moving again. Picking up his pace, he’d thrusted as she swivelled her hips to meet him move for move. They strained together she’d known nothing this intense, this perfect, could ever happen with anyone else.
Too soon, a wave of heat and rocket blasts of pleasure had shattered violently through her body. At the same moment, Shakir had arched, thrown his head back and shouted to the heavens, following her over that elusive cliff.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she couldn’t help but scream out her release. “Shakir!”
Moving swiftly in the darkness, Shakir checked their surroundings through the NVGs and then swung around, rushing to Nikki’s side. He found her eyes glazed, her body rigid.
Taking her by the shoulders and giving them one hard jerk, he tried to make her focus on his face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Shakir?” She shook her head and seemed to be steeling herself in order to face whatever terror she’d spotted.
Then she did the strangest thing. She smiled. Not one of the timid or forced smiles she had been giving him ever since he’d first discovered her in Umar’s prison. No, this smile was something else entirely. Something he recognized instantly.
He’d seen that satisfied smile on her face before. A long time ago. And he’d dreamed of it many times since. Seeing it now made him go hard.
His gaze raked over her body, making note of the hardened nipples under the rough material covering them. A familiar connection rushed through his body. But instead of doing what came naturally… Instead of backing her up to the nearest boulder and taking her hard and fast, he let his demon furor replace reckless lust.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” His whispered shout was rough, hoarse. “This isn’t a game we’re playing. Do not yell unless you’re in real trouble. Even then, try to gain my attention by any other means besides raising your voice.”
The smile disappeared. “I’m sorry. I guess I was sort of daydreaming while we walked.”
He knew what she’d been doing. He’d gone off in his head inappropriately on occasion, too. But not when it was a question of life and death. Both of their lives hung by a mere gossamer web, whether she had come to terms with that fact or not.
As Shakir swallowed down his quick flash of anger, he also tried swallowing the idea that it had been his name she’d called out in her daydream. With no real proof he had been the one who starred in her dreams and not her son’s father, he wanted to forget what he’d heard. He needed to keep his sense of possession in check where she was concerned. He had no right. She’d sent him away, and he had given her up, turned tail and walked out of her life.
The new moon suddenly came over the mountain peaks and bathed her body in a golden glow. He flipped off the NVGs and studied her again. This time he felt himself drowning in her eyes.
Her face was streaked with dirt, her shoulders slumped with fatigue. Her whole body trembled in the frigid night air. She was exhausted, but her eyes shone brightly as she stared up at him in the moonlight.
As quickly as that flash of desire had appeared in those amber eyes of hers, it was replaced by a flicker full of determination. Slightly on the wild side, her expression also held untamed resolution and something bordering on hysteria. She was starting to lose it. He’d pushed her too far and too fast. They’d already covered the ground he had planned to make for the night. It was time to rest.
After spotting a cave on a high narrow ledge, he helped her climb the basalt cliff to reach it. He left her at the cave’s entrance while he checked for traces of wildlife in the vicinity. Knowing that in this desolate mountain range not many four-legged creatures survived to hunt, his first priority was to poke around searching for reptile holes.
Not finding any sign of vipers or spiny-tailed lizards, either outside or inside the cave, was both good and bad news. Good news because Nikki could rest easy in the cave. Bad news because that meant he would have to scout over the ridge, near the next watering hole, for something they could eat.
Their temporary shelter was deep and he led her halfway into the cave and down a side passage before spreading a Mylar blanket on the ground for her. She needed undisturbed sleep most of all. He bunched up a couple of his T-shirts for her to use as a pillow. Then he dug a trench around her and sprinkled it with rubbing alcohol from the first aid kit. If snakes and lizards did come looking for a warm place to rest, they would hesitate before crossing the trench.
He insisted that she drink the rest of the water in her canteen, then walked to the front of the cave, speaking to her over his shoulder. “We can see the foothills for miles from this position. We’ll be safe here. In a couple of hours, I’ll make for a fresh water spring I know is nearby. Maybe I’ll even find something for us to…”
He turned and through his NVGs realized she was already fast asleep. Good. He would rest for a little while, too, and then go hunting.
It might take him some time to complete that first kill of the night. He’d been gone from these inhospitable deserts for many years, and it had been quite some time since he’d needed to slay any prey. His skills were rather rusty.
Shakir spent a few minutes reconnoitring the area surrounding the cave. Nothing stirred. Somewhere in the distance, he heard night carrion as they searched for scraps of meat. The carrion’s presence could possibly signal that other humans were somewhere in the vicinity. Not wanting to draw attention to the cave’s position, he quickly changed course and headed over the nearest ridge.
In twenty more minutes he’d located the natural spring he remembered from his boyhood. Human prints were clear in the sand below the trickle of water drip ping from a crack in the rocks. Bedouins had been here—recently.
He did not fear his ancestors’ people. They had raised him, turned him into a man. They would not attack one of their own. But he worr
ied for them. A caravan of Bedouins inside Zabbarán these days could mean great trouble. Taj soldiers would not hesitate to murder and maim anyone they found in their path.
Shakir filled his canteen and two more skins. Before he was done, distinct signs of life tickled his senses and caused him to stop, sniff the air. Some other creature was thirsty and coming for the spring water, too.
Quietly, like the sand cat, he climbed the silica-faced chimney above the spring and hunkered down behind a boulder to wait. He was not there long before two desert hares eased out into the clearing in the soft bluish light of dawn.
In the silent language of the ancient desert warrior, Shakir asked for their forgiveness and gave the small creatures great thanks for providing sustenance. “I take only what I must to survive, my neighbors.”
As he drew the Ka-Bar, he vowed not to kill the female. For it was taught that she must survive to bring a new generation into the world. But the male would make a good breakfast for Nikki.
Quicker than a blink, the deed was done and Shakir was on his way back to the cave. He singed and dressed the hare before approaching the safety zone near the cave, imagining Nikki would not appreciate seeing her food prepared from scratch in the way of his ancestors.
But when Shakir came close to the clutch of boulders and the ledge nearest the cave, his nose scented something out of place. Smoke. He froze, worried that he’d been too long out of range. Had someone attacked Nikki as she slept? Tried to burn her out of the cave?
Rechecking the air and his instincts, he didn’t sense any unknown human activity nearby. But wildfires did not happen by accident in this part of the world. Nothing in nature here would cause natural combustion.
So who could have started a fire without him being able to sense their presence? It made no sense.
He stealthily climbed the basalt, approaching from a different direction and hoping to sneak up downwind of whoever had started the fire. His body wouldn’t move fast enough while his mind raced with worry about Nikki.
She had to be all right. He would not live in a world without her.
The smell of smoke grew stronger the closer he came to the cave’s entrance. He flattened himself to the rough surface of the rock and sneaked a peek inside the darkness but could see nothing. In fact, nothing at all seemed out of place and there weren’t any visible signs of a smouldering fire. If it hadn’t been for that whiff of smoke, no one would’ve known anything was amiss in their hidden desert shelter.
But Shakir knew. And he worried.
Nikki hesitated with her hand over the heat of the tiny flame. There it was again. A noise. Just a whisper. But it was clear that someone, or something, was in the cave with her.
Damned Shakir, anyway. She’d been stunned to find that he’d really deserted her when she’d awoken all alone in the dark cave. But she should’ve guessed it would come to something like that. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t disappeared on her before. This time he might even return.
Perhaps he’d thought he hadn’t quite left her defenseless. His pack and the compact assault rifle remained behind. But she didn’t have the first idea of how to assemble or fire the weapon. If only he had left her his knife instead. Now that she could’ve used.
Giving her surroundings a quick glance, she decided the backpack might at least give her something to hide behind. The pack was huge—and heavy. When her adrenaline started flowing, maybe she could manage to lift the pack and wield it like a club. She really hoped that wouldn’t be necessary. If this intruder was a wild animal, maybe she could scare it off.
“Nikki?” At the sound of Shakir’s voice, all the air whooshed out of her lungs.
“Thank God.” She fell back and her bottom hit the sand. She stared up at him over the fire as he came close enough to see.
“Who started the fire?”
“Yes, I’m fine and glad to see you, too.” Damn him. “Where’d you go?”
He bent down beside the fire and sat back on his haunches. “Later. Who made this fire for you?” He poked around the edges of her fire and blew on it a couple of times to fan the tiny flame.
Of all the nerve. “You left me totally alone and didn’t bother to tell me where you were going. I was cold and scared in the dark. I made the fire myself.”
“You? Don’t be ridiculous. How? With what materials?”
Now he was really getting under her skin. “Do you want a blow-by-blow account? I was hoping you would trust me enough to believe that I was telling the truth.”
A strange expression came over his face as he stared at her through the shadows. “I believe you, but I still don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand why you would leave me, either, but…” She sighed, deciding it wasn’t worth the effort to argue. “All right. When I woke up—alone—I crawled around until I found your pack and the flashlight I’d seen stashed in the outside pocket. Once I had light, it was pretty easy to get out of the cave. I climbed down the rocks the same way we came up and then found a trail with the materials to build a fire.”
When he tilted his head and scowled, she took pity on him. “Before I left to come to Zabbarán, I took a quickie course in desert survival from my neighbor. He teaches at the local college, and…”
“What would he know about surviving in Zabbarán?”
“Desert survival. Deserts are pretty much the same all over the world, aren’t they?” It wasn’t a real question and she didn’t wait for an answer. “He used to be in the French Foreign Legion and originally came from Egypt. A very smart and tough guy.”
She eased a couple more of her precious grass sprigs into the fire and watched them catch. “Camel dung. Dry grasses.” She shrugged. “Not hard to find. It was harder searching in your backpack for a lighter. Couldn’t find one and had to settle for matches.”
“I’m impressed.”
She could tell that he was more than impressed. He was amazed. She wasn’t sure whether to take his accolades with a smile—or if she should smack him over the head for assuming she was still the pampered princess she’d once been.
“Why did you leave? Where did you go?” If she was supposed to be this fragile creature, why had he deserted her?
“We were running out of water. The nearest spring would’ve been a half day’s journey for you. I thought I could make it there and back before you woke up.”
“You didn’t. But did you bring the water?”
The corners of his mouth cracked up in a form of amusement. “Yes. And I brought something else, too. Breakfast.”
Her stomach rumbled at the idea of a croissant covered with soft white cheese. “Great. Let’s eat now.”
“We have to roast it first.” He produced a small skinned animal that looked similar to the rabbits her local butcher hung in his shop. “Good thing you already had the fire going. This shouldn’t take too long.”
A little later when the meal was over, she decided the meat had been too stringy and tasted gamey. But then, starving people couldn’t be choosy and the protein was giving her a whole new outlook on things. When one had strength, everything seemed possible.
Nikki worked on destroying her hard-won fire and tried to make the cave look as though no one had ever been there while Shakir watched their backs. He suddenly stopped at the mouth of their cave, standing as still as the rock beside him.
“What is it?” she asked.
He shook his head and moved back into the cave to whisper in her ear. “Taj soldiers. Close by.”
“How do you know it’s the Taj?”
Shakir wrinkled up his nose. “I can smell them. Even if they don’t find this cave, we still won’t be able to get past them without being discovered.” He dug out a small handgun from under his belt and vest and handed it to her. “Here. Stay behind the pack and shoot anything that comes into the cave. Except me.”
She almost laughed, but kept her expression sober. “What are you planning?”
He turned away from her, and she thought he mus
t be trying to keep her from seeing his face. “I’m going to take care of it.”
Drawing that big knife of his from its sheath, he made a couple more demands. “Stay here. Wait for me.”
Before she could say anything, he was gone.
Chapter 6
No chance in the world of her doing that.
Nikki wasn’t about to cower in a dark cave, waiting for ferocious soldiers to come torture and kill her. Not in this lifetime, thank you.
She wasn’t crazy about carrying the gun, either, but Shakir had shown her how to use it earlier. Hold it with both hands. Keep it low. Press halfway down on the trigger and aim before firing.
A lot to remember. But she stuck the barrel inside her belt and prayed that it wouldn’t go off accidently while she carried it. Straightening the kuffiyah disguise on her head, she made her way out into the early morning light.
The heat was not yet oppressive, but Shakir was already out of sight—of course. Nikki looked right and left and then glanced downward toward the base of the cliffs. If she couldn’t follow him, then she would have to think like him. Where would he find the soldiers? Where would Taj soldiers rest for the day if they weren’t near a cave or a watering hole?
In the shade. And probably close to the trail she’d located last night.
Next, the most important question of all came into her mind. How would she manage to back up Shakir without actually being caught by the soldiers or dying in the effort? She couldn’t die. Not yet. Not until she brought William out of Zabbarán.
At that moment a large bird swooped low, sailing on the air drafts above her head and capturing her attention. That was it. She would need to stay high. Up in the rocks where it would be hard for the soldiers to see her.
Feeling smug, she inched her way around the ledge and looked out for any cracks or tiny ledges where she could place her feet. Within moments she realized this expedition wouldn’t be so easy. She had to hold on with both hands and watch carefully where she stepped or risk a horrific fall.
