It was unnecessary to demand cessation, for he simply removed her, and she was unable to prevent an involuntary gasp at the acute sense of loss.
With an economy of movement he replaced the discarded covers, then settled back against the pillows.
She was incapable of saying so much as a word, although many chased incoherently through her brain. How could she tell him that no other man had made her feel the way he did? Or that there had been no one else because she’d never met a man with whom she’d wanted to share her body? Until now.
She lay quite still, consciously marshalling her breathing into a slow, measured pattern as she silently willed the tears to remain at bay.
They didn’t, slowly welling and overflowing from the outer corners of her eyes, rolling down to disappear in her hair.
She wanted to slip out from the bed and dress, then leave the house and drive one of the vehicles through the night to the palace, where at first light she’d pack and have a taxi take her to the airport so that she could catch the first plane back to London. Except that she had no idea where the keys were, or how to neutralise the hunting lodge’s security system.
‘Why didn’t you warn me?’
Kristi wasn’t sure if her voice would emerge intact through the constriction in her throat, so she didn’t even put it to the test.
The light from the bathroom cast a wide shaft of illumination across the bedroom, highlighting a strip of carpet, a large rosewood cabinet and a valet frame.
He shifted slightly, turning towards her, and even in the shadows he could determine a measure of her distress.
‘If I had declared I’d never been this intimate with a man, you probably wouldn’t have believed me,’ she managed huskily. She’d led an active life, enjoyed numerous sporting pursuits. How could she have known her hymen was still intact?
‘No,’ Shalef admitted drily. ‘Women usually choose to play the coquette, or pretend an innocence which doesn’t exist.’
She didn’t want to look at him, for she couldn’t bear to see the mockery that she was sure must be evident, or glimpse the frustrated anger of a man who had pulled himself back from the brink of achieving sexual satisfaction.
She felt rather than saw his hand move, and she was unable to prevent the faint flinching of her facial muscles as he touched light fingers to her temple and discovered the damp trail of her drying tears.
She closed her eyes tightly as he followed their path, then slowly roamed her cheek with tactile gentleness, pausing at the edge of her mouth as he felt the trembling of her lips.
An arm curved over her waist and slipped beneath her shoulders as he drew her close, ignoring the stiffness of her body as he tucked her head beneath his chin.
Kristi felt his lips against her hair, and the light caress of his hand as he soothed the taut muscles in her back.
A rawness crawled deep inside her, an aching loss so intense that it was all she could do not to weep silently. She had come so close to an emotional catharsis that not attaining it generated a feeling of deprivation. And deep inside she experienced a measure of anger—with herself for being so blind in believing that her innocence didn’t matter, and with him for calling a halt when, at that finite moment, she would have welcomed the pain in order to experience the pleasure she’d believed must surely follow.
She lay very still, lulled by the solid beat of his heart beneath her breast, and she closed her eyes, wishing desperately for sleep to descend and blank out the events of the past hour.
Part of her wanted a separate space, wanted to turn away from him and move to the side of the bed, yet the delicate tentacles of need were too strong, the comfort he offered too pleasurable, so she remained where she was, gradually relaxing until the shadows deepened and she descended into a dreamless state.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NOT quite dreamless, Kristi acknowledged from the depths of her subconscious as she ascended through the mists of sleep. She felt deliciously warm, and all her senses seemed to be finely tuned to the faint, musky smell of male skin beneath her lips. She could feel the soft brush of a hand as it trailed along her lower spine, while the other teased the softness of her breast.
Sensation unfurled as her body slowly wakened in response to his feather-light touch, and she murmured indistinctly as her breast burgeoned, its peak hardening in anticipation of the havoc his mouth could create.
She stirred, unable to remain still as the hand at the lower edge of her spine began to explore the contours of her hip, slipping down over her thigh to seek the core of her femininity. Her hastily indrawn breath was followed by a purr of pleasure, and her body arched against his as he began to tantalise her with leisurely expertise.
Every nerve-end began to pulsate until her whole body was consumed with a slow-burning fire that heated her veins and sent the blood pumping at an accelerated rate.
Slowly, with infinite care, he continued an evocative exploration of her body, heightening each sensual pleasure-spot to its ultimate pitch until she became suffused with an aching warmth. Not content with that, he repeated the exploration with the touch of his lips, creating such unbearable sensations that she clung to him unashamedly, silently begging for release from the tumultuous tide of emotion threatening to consume her.
Gently he eased himself between her legs, adjusting her hips as he coaxed her aroused flesh to accept his masculinity.
Kristi felt a sense of total enclosure as silken tissues expanded and stretched, and her faint gasp was caught as his mouth closed in possession over her own, the kiss so erotic that she didn’t notice the sting of pain.
He began a gentle pacing, so that she felt every movement, every inch of the journey as the music of passion built deep within her, its tempo increasing as she urged him further and faster in a crashing crescendo that culminated in shock waves shuddering through her body as she reached breathtaking ecstasy.
A total loss of control, she mused as she began the slow descent back to reality. Although reality would never be quite the same again.
Instinct relayed to her the fact that his response had been too controlled, almost as if he had kept a tight rein in order to ensure that she experienced the ultimate pleasure without threat of it being overshadowed by his own.
Awareness defined new dimensions, and she savoured the musky scent secreted by their skin, the warm heat generated by their bodies, their still rapidly beating hearts, his, her own, and felt them slow as languor replaced passion in the sweet aftermath of satisfactory sex.
Lovemaking, Kristi corrected silently. What they’d shared was more than just sex.
Slowly she turned her head, marvelling as the first light of the new day’s dawn slowly crept up over the horizon, shifting shadows and bathing all before it in a soft, hazy glow.
‘Do you want to ride out into the desert?’
The promise of a new day enthralled her, and she couldn’t suppress the delight in her voice as she answered him. ‘Yes.’
He buried his fingers deep in her hair, then bent his head and bestowed a brief, hard kiss on her mouth before moving to the side of the bed. ‘How quickly can you dress?’
Kristi slid out to stand beside him. ‘As quickly as you.’
Ten minutes later they were cantering out of the compound, the horses whickering slightly in anticipation of the exercise.
Her mount was a beautiful thoroughbred, with an arrogant head and a fine, pacing step that promised speed once she gave him the rein.
Shalef moved beside her, looking magnificent in traditional thobe and gutra.
The steed he’d chosen was large and powerful, and as soon as they cleared the compound he urged it into a steady canter.
It felt wonderful to ride again, to enjoy the exhilaration and the power. The terrain of the desert was stark, the sense of isolation intense, yet she could understand the fascination it held, for there was a sense of timelessness apparent, almost a feeling of awe for early civilisation. With a little imagination, one could almos
t picture the camel train of an ancient era traversing the distant sanddunes highlighted against the early-morning sky, a caravan of wandering Bedouin seeking food and a temporary camp. And the marauding plunder of tribal bands who sought to gain and mark territory in a land which had known violence since the beginning of time.
A faint shiver ran down Kristi’s spine, and in an attempt to dispel such introspection she leaned forward in the saddle and urged her mount to increase his speed. Faster, until every muscle in her body strained and the air rushed through her clothes, tearing at her headscarf and loosening her hair.
Shalef drew abreast and maintained an identical pace as they raced together across the wide plain without any sense of competition, until Kristi eased back slightly, allowing her mount to slow to a canter.
A hand reached out and caught hold of her reins, and she straightened in the saddle, her features alive as she turned towards the man whose thigh was almost brushing her own.
He wasn’t even breathing heavily, while she needed precious seconds to gain control of her voice.
‘That was incredible!’ Her eyes were deep brown velvet specked with glowing topaz, and her cheeks held a blush-pink glow from exertion. The scarf had come adrift, and her hair was in a state of tousled disarray.
‘So are you,’ Shalef offered softly, and her eyes widened as he leaned close and took her mouth in a long, hard kiss.
It was after seven when they entered the compound, and as they drew close to the stables two Filipino servants emerged to take care of the horses.
‘Would you prefer a cold drink or coffee?’ Shalef enquired as they entered the house.
‘Cold,’ Kristi responded without hesitation, following him through to the kitchen.
‘Water or orange juice?’
‘Juice.’ She ran a hand over the taut muscles of one arm. ‘Then I’m going to have a long, hot shower.’
The cook looked up as they entered, moving quickly to the refrigerator to extract a carafe of orange juice and chilled water before she tended to the coffee.
Kristi was supremely conscious of the man at her side, and all her fine body hairs seemed to extend like tiny antennae in recognition of his proximity. All her senses appeared to be in a state of heightened anticipation, for she was conscious of every breath she took, every beat of her heart, and it bothered her more than she cared to admit.
The hand that held her glass felt slightly unsteady, and she drank quickly in the need to escape his disturbing presence.
In the bedroom she gathered her spare set of clothes, which seemed to disappear and reappear freshly laundered in a short space of time each morning, and went through to the bathroom.
It took only seconds to discard her jeans and blouse, briefs and bra, and for a moment she looked wistfully at the spa-bath, then decided on the shower.
Kristi moved the dial to ‘WARM’, stepped beneath the flow of water and picked up the bar of soap. ‘Bliss,’ she breathed minutes later as she applied shampoo to her hair, only to freeze at the sound of the shower door sliding open.
Shalef stood framed in the aperture, and her eyes flew to his in consternation.
‘You can’t,’ she protested as he stepped in beside her and closed the door.
‘I can.’ Irrefutable, the words merely confirmed his action, and she gave a startled gasp when he removed the shampoo bottle from her hand and completed her task, massaging her scalp with tactile expertise as the water rinsed the suds from her hair.
The soap came next, and she swept his hand aside as it glided over one breast then moved towards the other. ‘Don’t.’
The remonstration brought forth a husky laugh. ‘You are embarrassed? After what we shared together in the early hours of this morning?’
His hand moved to her abdomen, then traced across to her hip and slid to the base of her spine, soothing in a manner which tugged alive a fierce ache in the pit of her stomach.
‘Shalef—’
Whatever else she might have uttered was lost as his mouth covered hers in a kiss that became flagrantly seductive as it gently coaxed, seeking a response that she was afraid to give. Her hands reached out, touching hard muscle and sinew as her fingers conducted a slow tracing of his ribcage, the indentation of his hard waist, and down over the flat musculature of his stomach.
A deep groan sounded low in his throat as he caught hold of her hands and held them, then his mouth eased away from hers and he rested his chin on the top of her head.
‘Enough,’ he said heavily. ‘Otherwise we’ll never get beyond the bedroom and there are guests who expect to sit down to breakfast with me in fifteen minutes.’ He moved fractionally, letting his hand slide to cover her breast. ‘Go.’
Kristi went, pausing only long enough to collect a towel, basic toiletries and her clothes.
By the time he entered the bedroom she was dressed and doing the best she could to persuade her damp hair into a semblance of order.
She was aware of his every move as he extracted briefs, trousers, shirt, and donned each of them before reaching for a clean thobe.
‘Ready?’
Physically, although her emotions were in a questionable state!
The meal seemed to last for ever, the men inclined to linger over several cups of coffee, and it was almost ten when Shalef accompanied them out to the waiting helicopter.
The sound of the rotor-blades intensified, then the craft lifted off, paused, then wheeled away to the east.
Kristi listened till the sound disappeared, and she turned as Shalef re-entered the house. Her eyes locked with his as she tried to disguise her uncertainty. ‘When do we leave for the palace?’
His expression was impossible to read. ‘There is no immediate need to return for a few days.’
Kristi couldn’t think of a thing to say.
‘Unless, of course, you object,’ Shalef added quietly.
She knew she should. Knew that to remain here with him was akin to divine madness. Yet the rational part of her brain was motivated by the dictates of her heart, urging her to embark on an emotional experience that would almost certainly end in heartbreak...although the journey itself would be unforgettable.
‘I’ll stay.’
Without a word he closed the distance between them and swept her into his arms.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she asked in a faintly scandalised voice.
‘Taking you to bed.’ He carried her down the wide hallway to the room at its very end, then, once inside, he closed the door and allowed her to slide down to her feet.
Her eyes widened slightly at the vital vibrancy evident in those strong facial features, and she was unable to hide her own haunting vulnerability as his head began a slow descent.
The touch of his lips tantalised as they traced the outline of her mouth with evocative persuasion, then slid to the sensitive cord at the edge of her neck, grazing the sweet hollows before trailing up to take possession of her mouth.
Firm fingers dispensed with her clothes, then his own, and before she had time for coherent thought he urged her towards the bed and drew her onto its wide expanse.
Kristi lay still, mesmerised by her heightened senses and enraptured by the dark passion evident in his eyes. This close, she could sense the clean body smell emanating from his skin, and awareness coursed through her body like an igniting flame.
Her lips parted as he sought an erotic exploration of the sweet depths of her mouth, teasing the delicate ridges of her tongue with the tip of his own in an oral dance that matched the rhapsody created by his hands as they drifted with sensual sensitivity over her aroused skin.
She lost track of time, of place, as he submitted her to an erotic tasting of such exquisite proportion that her entire body began to ache with the need for fulfilment, and she began to move, silently enticing his possession.
His lips settled in the vulnerable hollow at the base of her throat, then trailed slowly down to the gentle swell of her breast, and she cried out as he took t
he engorged peak into his mouth and began a tender suckling that slowly intensified until it became a physical torment.
Kristi was unaware of the soft groan emerging from her throat as she reached for him, instinctively begging him in a voice she didn’t recognise as her own.
Wild, pagan need consumed her as he began an intimate exploration, his touch attacking the fragile tenure of her control until she began to sob in helpless despair.
Then with one slow movement he entered her, his hard length enclosed by a tight sweetness that took his breath away.
She clung to him, unashamedly caught in the deep, undulating rhythm as she instinctively matched him stroke for stroke, exulting in the sensation that radiated through her body with such exquisite exhilaration.
Pagan, she acknowledged seconds later as he tipped her over the edge, then joined her there in a shuddering climax of his own.
Kristi was supremely conscious of every nerve-end, every cell in her body as she became filled with a languorous warmth, and she cradled his large frame close, loving the feel of his weight, the heat of his skin, slick with the sweat of his passion.
His heart beat strong and fast close to her own, and she sought his mouth, initiating a kiss which soon became his as he deepened her soft foray, changing it to something that staked his possession and branded her his own.
Afterwards he rolled onto his back, carrying her with him, and she arched her body, laughing softly as she felt his immediate response.
His hands slid up her ribcage and cradled her breasts, testing their weight as he began to caress each peak with the pad of his thumb, delighting in her reaction as she threw back her head.
Erotic abandon, she admitted a long time later, unsure whether to be pleased or dismayed that she’d become a begging wanton in his arms as he’d led her down a path to sensual conflagration.
‘Should we get up, do you think?’ Kristi queried as she lay in his embrace.
‘I can’t think of one good reason why right at this moment,’ Shalef drawled, moving his head to brush his lips against her shoulder.
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