The Sheikh's Last Mistress (Harlequin Presents)

by Rachael Thomas

  Slowly her body floated down to earth, leaving the stars behind, and she opened her eyes, aware of the weight of Zafir’s body on hers. His heart was pounding, echoed by hers, and his breathing was still fast and hard. It had been wonderful, more beautiful than she’d ever dreamt, but his words of warning came rushing back to her.

  This is all I can give, this night.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Zafir’s voice was low and full of concern. ‘It should not have been like that for you. I should have had more control, more thought for you.’

  He stood up from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. Her heart plummeted. How should it have been? What should she have done? Should she have told him she’d never had sex before?

  She sat up, dragged her abaya down and clasped her knees to her chest. She closed her eyes against the rush of emotions engulfing her as she heard water running in the bathroom.

  Was her night of passion over already? Well, if it was, she wasn’t going to let him know how much it hurt.

  * * *

  Zafir stopped when he came back into the bedroom and watched as Destiny curled her knees up and dropped her face onto them. It was such an innocent movement, reinforcing what he now knew for sure. That despite her flirtatious teasing, her provocative words of desire, she was inexperienced and innocent.

  She’d been a virgin and he’d taken her in a heaving rush, with scant regard for her pleasure. So intense had his need been he hadn’t even removed his clothes. He hadn’t seduced her as he’d planned, hadn’t explored her glorious body while he lay naked next to her—he’d been nothing more than an eager youth demanding his own satisfaction.

  He’d wanted to take things slowly, to seduce her and enjoy every moment of their short time together, but she’d been his undoing. Her kisses had inflamed a passion deep within him like no other he’d ever felt before. All sense of control had slipped away into the dark desert night.

  He sat on the bed next to her and she looked up at him. Her brown eyes were wide and watchful. The forced smile on her lips twisted his heart and he touched her face softly. ‘I’m sorry. I should have been gentler.’

  ‘Why?’ Her voice croaked with raw emotion and he ached to hold her, to ease the pain he’d caused. ‘Because I’m inexperienced and it was my first time?’

  Her stark words lanced through him but he couldn’t look deeper into what they meant to him; he didn’t want to acknowledge the tradition that as a ruler, a man of power, he should never take a woman’s virginity, unless it was that of his wife. He pushed those thoughts away. Right now he had to make things right with Destiny.

  He shook his head as he slid his palm across her cheek before pushing his fingers into her hair, holding her head, preventing her from looking away. ‘Because you deserved more than that. I was like a teenager, eager, crass and totally selfish.’

  She smiled at him, a real smile that reached her eyes, making them sparkle. ‘No, not you.’ She laughed softly, a sexy sound that made his pulse race all over again. ‘You could never be that, not when you are the Sheikh.’

  ‘And because I am the Sheikh, you should have told me you were a virgin,’ he said, forcing his tone to remain soft as the guilt finally hit him.

  ‘It’s not exactly something a girl wants to admit, especially to a man like you. But isn’t that why you came here tonight as the man I met in England, not the man who rules Kezoban? I expect nothing from you, Zafir. You made that very clear. We have only one night.’

  He felt something tighten in his chest, as if he was being squeezed, and he knew she was right. He had come to her as Zafir, the man, in an attempt to shake off the guilt which just having her here in the palace was intensifying. Out of duty to his kingdom he’d forced Tabinah into a marriage she didn’t want and yet in complete disregard for his duty he wanted to go to Destiny, a guest in his palace and a totally unsuitable woman.

  Despite the war between duty and desire raging within him, he couldn’t leave her yet. He might have behaved like a sex-starved youth, taking her so quickly, but now he wanted to hold her, to feel every part of her against his body and give her the pleasure and satisfaction she deserved. He wanted her more than ever and the hours of darkness were still around them. This was still their night. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

  Slowly he leant towards her and brushed his lips over hers, whispering against their softness, ‘Can you forgive me?’

  Her hand caressed his cheek before she kissed him. It was a soft lingering kiss which set fire to his blood all over again. No woman had ever made him feel so hot. Never had he lost control like that so spectacularly. Yes, it had been a long time since he’d sought the pleasure of a woman’s body, but that was no excuse for such animalistic behaviour.

  ‘Only if you take me to bed,’ she said shyly and looked into his eyes.

  ‘I promised you a night of pleasure—’ just thinking about her naked body made his voice turn hoarse ‘—and there are many hours before dawn in which I intend to make amends.’

  ‘Promises, promises,’ she teased, her fine brows rising suggestively, her innocent eyes darkening with desire.

  ‘This time,’ he said, standing up, taking her hands and pulling her up to stand before him, ‘we’ll take it slowly.’

  The air around them sparked with sexual tension as he began to remove the silks from her body. She moved with him, lifting her arms until everything was just a crumpled heap on the floor. He watched as she slid her hands behind her back, undid her bra and dropped it to the floor, leaving her completely naked.

  ‘You’re so beautiful,’ he said, not wanting to touch her yet, wanting to gaze at her pale skin, glowing in the lamplight. His gaze moved down to her breasts, watching them move slightly with each breath she took, her nipples dark, hard and so tempting.

  Slowly he undid his shirt, enjoying the hungry look in her eyes as she watched him. He dropped his shirt on top of her discarded abaya and feasted his eyes on the thick curls nestled in the apex of her thighs, feeling himself harden with desire.

  ‘And the rest,’ she said, stepping closer to him, her light floral scent weaving around him once more.

  He pulled the remaining foil packets from his pocket, tossed them onto the bed and removed the rest of his clothes, leaving only his underwear. She quirked her brows suggestively and he pulled the silk down over his hips and moved towards her, taking her naked body against his.

  He kissed her, delving his tongue deeply into her mouth, entwining with hers, as his hands moved over her silky skin. She was so beautiful. Tonight she was his and if he discarded his duty and guilt it felt completely right, as if they were meant for one another.

  * * *

  Destiny savoured the warmth of his bronzed skin against hers. Her breasts were so sensitive that the coarse hair of his chest against her nipples almost sent her over the edge again. She smoothed her hands down his back, over his buttocks, pressing him closer against her.

  ‘Zafir,’ she gasped as his lips left hers. She felt as if she was the one about to lose control as thoughts of pushing him back onto the bed and sitting astride him ran riot in her head. She’d never done anything like this before, had no idea how to take the lead. But with him it was different, as if her body knew his and knew exactly what to do.

  Swiftly he swept her off her feet, cradling her against him as he walked over to the bed. She pressed her cheek against the firmness of his chest and inhaled his virile musky scent. In that moment her whole body burned with need and she bit her lip as he placed her on the bed.

  Naked and aroused, he stood before her. She drank him in, from the wide shoulders to his firm chest muscles and the dark chest hair which arrowed down over his flat stomach. With hands that shook slightly she reached out and touched him, the heat of him arousing her further. He groaned in pleasure as she wrapped her fingers around him, exploring and pleasuring him.

  Suddenly his hand grasped hers and he swore in his native tongue, his voice rasping. ‘You’re pushing me too far,�
� he growled as he lowered his body down next to her. ‘When I go I’m taking you with me and I’m not ready to go there yet, my little desert minx.’

  Destiny arched her back as his fingers slid down over her stomach and into her curls, teasing her until she squirmed against his hand. Then, slowly, his fingers slid inside her and she bucked against him, closing her eyes, trying to hold on to herself.

  ‘Let go,’ he whispered as he leant over her, his tongue twirling around her nipple.

  ‘Zafir...’ she gasped as his fingers went deeper and his teeth nipped at her. ‘It’s too much.’

  ‘Let go, Destiny,’ he said against her breast, his breath warm on her moist skin.

  Suddenly everything splintered around her and her body floated away on the tide of passion, drifting endlessly on sensations she’d never felt before. She could feel him kissing down over her stomach, but was powerless to move as the ebb of desire carried her away.

  Slowly she came back to reality and opened her eyes and looked directly into Zafir’s handsome smiling face. She pulled him to her, wanting his lips on hers once more. His body covered hers as he kissed her with fevered passion, then suddenly he moved, pulling her with him until she sat astride him.

  A blush crept over her cheeks. Had he known that was what she’d wanted to do?

  She leant down and kissed him tenderly, her hair falling forward, creating a dark curtain around them. His hands moved over her back and down to her bottom, bringing her intimately close to him, and he moved upwards to her, sliding deep inside. She moved with him until reality hit her like a flash of lightning across the night sky.

  ‘Zafir,’ she gasped as she felt him insistently moving within her, as if he was on the brink of losing control, of claiming her as his once more. ‘Protection—we need protection.’

  ‘See what you do to me,’ he rasped out as he withdrew and reached for the condoms he’d carelessly tossed on the rumpled bed earlier.

  She smiled down at him, kissing him once more, this time eagerly welcoming him into her. It was like nothing else she’d ever experienced and throwing back her head she cried out as he took her over that edge once more, his own ragged groan letting her know he was with her.

  For some time after she lay on him, feeling the thud of his heartbeat slow and inhaling his smell, knowing it would be burnt into her memory for ever. Trying not to think of what tomorrow meant, she moved off him until her body was curled against his. His fingers traced a slow pattern over her naked back, becoming lighter as sleep claimed him.

  A tinge of sadness formed around them as she lay against his sleeping body. She was painfully aware of the hours ticking by. This was all she ever would have of him. He’d warned her, but still her silly heart wished for more. What woman wouldn’t with the man she’d fallen in love with?

  Zafir stirred, moving against her naked body, pulling her close against him. He mumbled something in his native tongue. She didn’t have a hope of knowing what he meant, so kissed him gently, smiling when, through the haze of sleep, he responded.

  In the dim light before dawn she could see his eyes were heavy with sleepy desire and the simmering heat inside her bloomed once more. His lips were soft and coaxing, the urgency of earlier now forgotten in a moment which seemed more loving than passionate.

  Slowly and more gently than she’d ever imagined possible, she became his once more, knowing that the first tendrils of dawn would soon be slipping across the sky and this would be the last time she would ever be his.

  * * *

  For the first night in a year Zafir had slept without the intrusion of nightmares of Tabinah. He knew why. The reason smiled shyly at him as he opened his eyes. ‘Good morning, beautiful,’ he said softly and brushed his lips over hers.

  Why couldn’t every morning be like this? Why couldn’t every night be like last night?

  He felt his body tense as the answer hit him as if he’d woken to one of England’s cold and frosty mornings. Nights and mornings could never be like this because he was the ruler of his kingdom and a man who had to put duty before his own needs.

  ‘I really don’t want to—’ he moved to prop himself on his arm and look down on her; with dark hair spread across the pillow and passion-dazed eyes looking at him, he had to steel his body against the urge to make love to her one last time ‘—but it’s time I left. I am already late for my morning ride and wish to avoid any speculation.’

  ‘I know.’ She smiled up at him and his chest constricted, making breathing difficult for a moment. ‘We had one night. Now we must return to our own worlds.’

  He blinked in shock, not having expected her to be so brutally honest. It dented his male pride to think she didn’t want to cling. Already he knew it would make his need for her stronger, more intense, but he couldn’t waver. He had to move forward in his life, do his duty, not just for his kingdom but the memory of Tabinah. It was time to select a bride from those who’d been chosen for him.

  ‘Yes, Destiny, we must.’

  He thought of the meetings planned for later that month, meetings that would procure him a bride—the woman with whom he would produce heirs for his country.

  He clenched his jaw.

  Duty again.

  Always duty.

  Duty had destroyed his relationship with Tabinah, forcing her to take such drastic actions. Those actions and his guilt now dictated that duty was his only choice.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  LATER THAT DAY Destiny found concentrating on her work harder than ever, especially when Zafir arrived to watch her working with Majeed. She could barely function, just thinking of him and the hours they’d shared last night. Each image which came to her mind made her heart flutter and her pulse race. It certainly had been a night she would never forget, but it was over and time to move back to a professional relationship.

  One quick glance at Zafir as he stood watching her, arms folded, his expression almost fierce, confirmed that. He would be expecting nothing but detached professionalism from her and that was what he’d get.

  One night was all he’d been able to give. One night was all she’d wanted. One night to imagine what being loved would be like, but she hadn’t anticipated it would be this hard the next day. She’d thought she was freeing herself, allowing herself to sample the pleasures of being with a man like Zafir without the complications of love, which for her mother had been the start of all her trouble.

  Focus, she told herself as dust from Majeed’s hooves in the sand rose around her. She was here to do a job. What had happened last night was not and never would be part of that arrangement. But, try as she might, she couldn’t keep her mind from wandering and she certainly couldn’t continue working with Majeed. Not with Zafir’s brooding presence so close. She’d told him once she preferred to work without an audience, but perhaps it was time he was reminded of that, put herself back in control.

  As if sensing her distraction, Majeed came to a halt and looked at her, his eyes watchful and his ears alert. She had at least gained the stallion’s trust, but she knew that gaining Zafir’s trust would never be possible. For whatever reason, he shut himself away and even last night, in the depth of passion as they first made love, he had guarded his soul. In the hours that followed, before dawn had lightened the room, she’d seen the real man and what being loved by Zafir could be like. It made her long for more, but she knew it was a futile dream.

  ‘That’s enough for today,’ she said to Majeed and the stallion walked towards her and waited until she began to lead him back to his stable.

  ‘You have made remarkable progress with him.’ Zafir’s words warmed her and not just because he was pleased, but because he was close—much too close.

  She should have expected Zafir to join her. Of course he would want to know just how well his horse was responding to the hours she was spending each day with him. What she hadn’t expected was the way her body heated, the way her skin tingled and the way her stomach somersaulted as he walked beside her or the w
ay she yearned to have him close.

  Thank goodness the stable boy was around to take Majeed from her. She was in grave danger of turning to Zafir in the hope he’d take her into his arms and kiss her as he had done last night. She knew they couldn’t have any more so why was she grieving for something she’d never really had?

  ‘I am confident that he will go beyond the palace walls before I leave.’ Home was the last thing she wanted to think of. The idea of returning to England and leaving behind the man she’d given her virginity to was too much. How could she possibly turn her back on what they had?

  But what did they have? He’d made it clear it was for one night only, that there could be no more than that.

  ‘Walk with me back to the palace.’ He didn’t look at her and the superior tilt of his chin warned her it was far from a request. Unexpected anger zipped through her. He expected her to do just as he wanted, proving he was as controlling as her father. But didn’t he have a right to be? He was her boss, even if temporarily, and he was a Sheikh, a ruler. Didn’t that give him every right to want to be in control?

  ‘We do not have an escort,’ she pointed out, challenging him and his superiority.

  He watched as the stable boy led Majeed away, then he turned to her, his eyes dark and his brows heavy. She couldn’t help but look at his full lips and remember the kiss that had set fire to her so spectacularly. She could still feel the roughness of his trimmed beard on her skin.

  ‘I don’t give a damn. After last night things have changed.’ The intensity in his voice shocked her.

  ‘Nothing has changed, Zafir. I will return to England in a month and you will select your bride. Last night changed nothing. You made that very clear and I accepted it.’ How could she be so bold, standing her ground so strongly when her whole body hungered for just one last caress, one final kiss?

  He took her arm and led her casually away from the stables, but from the rigid line of his back she knew he was feeling far from casual. As they entered the cool arched walkways that ran the length of the palace, he stopped, forcing her to do the same. She turned to look up at him, noting the firm set of his jaw.