“That is because you haven’t been seduced. Come. I will show you the difference.”
He led her to the bed and urged her to lie down. While she made herself comfortable, he quickly stripped out of his clothes, leaving only the briefs covering his arousal. Her interest in the long, hard bulge dissipated when he slid in next to her and pulled her close.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered into her ear right before he took the lobe between his teeth and nibbled.
Shivers rippled across her skin.
“You’re soft,” he continued as he kissed below her ear, then down her throat. One of his hands lightly stroked her belly.
“The scent of your skin drives me wild with passion. I ache to be inside of you. Filling you slowly, deeply, until your pleasure makes you scream your delight.”
Scream? She didn’t consider herself the type. But under the circumstances, she was willing to give it a try. Just the feel of his hand on her belly made her want to squirm. Up or down, she thought as he kissed her jaw. He needed to move that hand either up or down. Having it right there in the middle was making her crazy.
“The color of your nipples,” he whispered. “Like a fully ripe peach. Open your eyes.”
The unexpected request took a second to sink in. Emma opened her eyes and saw Reyhan lean over her breasts. As she watched, he touched the tip of his tongue to the tip of her left nipple. The combination of seeing and feeling was the most erotic experience of her life. She cried out in delight.
He circled her nipple, then drew it fully into his mouth. The gentle sucking had her arching against him. At the same time, his hand finally dipped south, slipping through her curls and between her legs.
She parted for him, catching her breath as he rubbed against her slick center.
This was nothing like before, she thought as tension filled her body. She ached with every fiber of her being. When he shifted his fingers slightly and found a single spot of pleasure, she nearly rose off the bed.
“Reyhan,” she breathed. “Don’t stop.”
Thankfully, he didn’t. He continued to touch her, stroking her, teasing, circling, as he worshiped her breasts. The combination made her mind go blank, her legs go limp and her breathing come in fast pants. She couldn’t bear herself enough to him. She wanted to be more naked, more exposed, more intimate.
Her wish was granted when he shifted so that he knelt between her legs and kissed his way down her belly. Part of her suspected what he was going to do while the rest of her couldn’t believe it was really happening. She’d heard…she’d read…but before, he’d never…
He kissed her between her legs—an openmouthed kiss that made her tremble. Tension exploded inside of her as muscles tensed and collected. He found that one spot and licked it over and over until all she could do was dig her heels into the mattress and clutch the sheets with her hands. She tossed her head from side to side, tried to catch her breath, then gave up air completely as her release claimed her.
She hadn’t known, she thought hazily as her body released and muscles contracted, that this much pleasure existed in the world. That she could feel so good, so right, so everything.
Her climax rippled through her and still he touched her, gentling the contact until the last drop had been wrung from her body. She opened her eyes and stared at him.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
He smiled. “Better than before.”
“Miraculous. I’ve never…” She wiggled, feeling more than a little self-conscious. “You know.”
“Yes, I know.”
He sat up and removed his briefs. She barely had time to gaze at his arousal before he settled between her legs and kissed her breasts. She felt a shivery kind of ache all over. Suddenly there were more possibilities than she’d ever realized and she wanted him inside of her.
“Yes,” she whispered, as he raised his head and stared at her. “Be in me.” She reached between them and guided him inside.
He was large and stretched her in the best way possible. She felt filled, yet the need for more grew.
He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close so they pressed together everywhere. She clung to him, urging him deeper.
“More,” she breathed as he withdrew only to fill her again.
The rhythmic thrusting made her pulse against him. She couldn’t get enough and she couldn’t seem to keep control. She strained toward him, reaching, needing, wanting. She dropped her hands to his hips to pull him closer.
“Take me,” she begged. “Oh, Reyhan, yes.”
In and out, in and out. Tension grew again. She couldn’t focus on anything but what they were doing. And then her body convulsed in release and she could only hang on as he took her to heaven and back. At the very end, when she was sure there couldn’t be anything else, he shuddered in her embrace and called out her name.
Later, when the moon had set and they were both lying naked under the covers, Emma rested her head on Reyhan’s shoulder. He was warm and relaxed next to her. She had the thought that things could have been awkward between them, but he’d made everything so easy and right by simply pulling her close. As if he never planned on letting her go and this was exactly where she belonged.
Emma awoke to a bright sunny day and the feeling that she could quite possibly fly. As she lay in the large bed and relived her night with Reyhan, she felt herself smiling, tingling and fighting the urge to break out in song.
So that was what all the fuss was about, she thought happily as she rubbed her hand against the sheets where Reyhan had slept. Amazing how she’d missed the whole point before. Now she got it completely. Her only regret was that he hadn’t taken her again and again, as he had on their honeymoon. For the first time, making love several times a day made perfect sense.
“We’ll have tonight,” she said as she tossed back the covers and stood. She was still naked, but there wasn’t anyone around to see. After grabbing her robe from the foot of the bed, she walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
As she stepped into the steaming spray, she had the thought that night was really far off and maybe he wasn’t doing anything for lunch. Or there was that massive desk in his office. The surface might be a little hard, but the space had possibilities. She was still laughing when she began to shampoo her hair.
Forty minutes later she made her way through the hallways of the palace. She found Reyhan’s office with only a single wrong turn and practically beamed at the man in the foyer.
“Princess Emma,” he said, leaping to his feet. “I’ll tell your husband you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
Emma continued to smile at no one in particular and practically floated into Reyhan’s office. He hung up the phone as she entered.
“Is there a problem?” he asked, sounding both distant and stern.
“No. Of course not.” She paused expectantly and waited.
He stared at her. A grandfather clock in the corner ticked. The silence grew.
She felt some of her happiness bleed away, and with the sensation came the chilling thought that he had regrets about what had happened.
After a few seconds, he rose and circled around his desk. “I’m very busy, Emma. Is there something you need?”
He spoke almost coldly, as if she were an assistant who had lingered too long. Trepidation clutched at her chest and she took a step back.
“I thought…” She swallowed. “I was just…” Mentioning her fantasy of a lunch break on his desk seemed impossible.
Who was this distant stranger? she wondered frantically. Where was the hotly passionate man from the previous night? What had happened?
He waited, watching her, giving nothing away. She remembered then that he’d tried to leave the bedroom and she’d been the one to stop him. Had she kept him against his will? Had he not wanted to make love with her? Had he done it out of obligation?
Her eyes began to burn but she refused to give in to tears. She was all grown up
now, and she’d known what she was doing when she’d invited him into her bed. She’d wanted to make love with him. If there were consequences, they were her responsibility.
Pride squared her shoulders and raised her chin. She met his dark gaze. Maybe this was the moment to get answers to her questions.
“Why did you ever marry me?” she asked. “And once you decided to return to Bahania, why did you stay married to me? I don’t believe it was because you were afraid to tell your father what you’d done. You fear no man.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Maybe not to you but I want to know what’s going on. You disappeared from my life for years, then you dragged me back here, played the charming host, then disappeared. Last night—”
A knock on the closed door interrupted her.
Reyhan frowned. “What is it?” he called.
His assistant stepped into the room. “I’m sorry, sir. I wouldn’t have disturbed you except you and Princess Emma have been summoned by the king. He wishes to see both of you right away. It seems her parents have arrived at the palace.”
“They can’t be here,” Emma murmured as she and Reyhan walked through the maze of corridors. “They don’t like to fly. They never wanted me to. All our vacations were by car.”
But here they were. As she followed Reyhan into a large reception room, she saw her parents standing with the king in an obviously awkward moment of silence.
When she came to a stop, Reyhan paused beside her. So far, he hadn’t said anything, and she was grateful. This was going to be difficult enough without him taking on her family for withholding significant information from her for years.
In the second before they looked up and saw her, she studied them. Her mother was small and a little bent, her thick hair more gray than red, her father much taller and spare. They looked old, frail and out of place. Funny how all her life they’d seemed so powerful. She’d been afraid to defy them, to question the rules. Her only act of rebellion had been to fall in love with Reyhan and then run off with him, and she’d paid for that several times over. Now she saw they were just people. Older, out of their element and afraid for her. They had acted out of love, however misplaced, taking control because she’d never told them they shouldn’t.
“Emma!” her mother shouted as she saw her. Both her parents rushed over and hugged her fiercely. Reyhan moved away.
“Are you all right?” her father asked. “Have they hurt you?”
“What? I’m fine. Everyone has treated me exceptionally well.” She thought about last night. Well didn’t begin to describe it.
“You shouldn’t have left Dallas,” her mother said as she brushed at Emma’s sleeve. “You know you’re not strong. Situations like this confuse you.”
“I would think finding out you’re a princess would confuse anyone,” Emma said, trying to step back, but they held on tight.
Flanking her, they turned to the king. “We’ve filed an official complaint with the State Department protesting our daughter’s kidnapping,” her father said.
“Dad, no. I wasn’t kidnapped. I’m here as the king’s guest to deal with my marriage to Reyhan. You’re seriously overreacting.”
“Am I?” He looked at her. “You up and disappeared, you lied to us about where you’d gone. For all we know, they’re brainwashing you.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Reyhan take a step forward. Outrage darkened his features. She didn’t want to think about how much her father had just insulted the king.
“I’m not being brainwashed,” she said, then realized it was a foolish argument. If she was, would she know?
“As your daughter’s husband, it is my duty to care for her,” Reyhan said stiffly. “I assure you, her safety and well-being are my primary concern.”
“Some concern,” her mother said tartly. “You’re the reason she’s here in the first place. If you hadn’t carted her off back then none of this would have happened. She was just a child.”
“I was eighteen,” Emma reminded her. “I loved him.”
“You don’t know what love is,” her mother told her, still glaring at Reyhan.
“You seduced her and then ran off,” her father added. “What kind of concern is that?”
Reyhan glared at the older man. “I attempted to contact her on several occasions. You’re the ones who kept me from her.”
“Good thing we did. Who knows what would have happened if we hadn’t?”
She would have come to Bahania, Emma thought. She would have been Reyhan’s wife. They would have had children.
“This isn’t accomplishing anything,” she told her parents. “I married Reyhan and now we all have to deal with it. I don’t want you interfering. You already got between us once. It won’t happen again.”
Her mother stared at her. “You said you were here to get a divorce.”
“I am, but—”
“Then there’s nothing to get in the way of, is there?”
“No, but—”
Her mother narrowed her gaze. “We’ll be taking our daughter with us this afternoon. If you would have someone pack up her things.”
“I’m not leaving,” Emma said. “Not yet.”
“Why not?” her father wanted to know. “You can’t possibly plan to—”
“Silence,” the king said.
His voice wasn’t especially loud, but something in the tone got everyone’s attention. They all turned to him.
He smiled at her parents. “You are my honored guests for as long as you would like to stay in Bahania. Or you may leave at any time, as may your daughter.”
That surprised her. Reyhan also looked startled.
“The divorce,” he said.
His father nodded. “That is a separate matter.” The monarch paused.
Emma felt her inside clench in panic. Suddenly she didn’t want to hear what King Hassan had to say. Was he granting the divorce a few days early? It made the most sense, but she didn’t want him to. Things were too unsettled between herself and Reyhan. She needed to understand what last night had meant and why he’d been so cold this morning. She wanted to know what the fluttering when he was near meant. Was it just about sexual attraction or was there more?
Time. She needed time.
The king looked at her and it was as if he could read her mind. His kind eyes seemed to tell her that everything would be all right. To trust him. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.
“Despite Reyhan’s request for a divorce, I am not convinced it is the right course of action,” the king said.
“No!” her mother protested.
“This is an outrage,” her father said.
Reyhan was completely silent and Emma felt only a sense of relief.
“It is my decision that Reyhan and Emma must get to know each other again. Something drew them together enough for them to impulsively marry. Was it a youthful prank or true love? Only time will tell. Therefore they must spend two months in each other’s company. Not a day or a night apart. At the end of that time we will speak again. If they still both wish to divorce, I will grant it and their marriage will disappear as if it had never been.”
Chapter Nine
Emma felt both relief and panic at the king’s proclamation. Two months in Reyhan’s company. If there were more nights like the previous one, that would hardly be difficult duty.
She glanced at the man who had married her. It was as if his expression were made of stone. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, nor could she see anything friendly or welcoming in his dark eyes. One thing she was sure of—he didn’t look happy.
Without saying anything, Reyhan turned and left the room. Emma watched him go and tried to ignore the knot that returned to her stomach.
Beside her, her parents continued to protest.
“There has to be some legal court we can take this up with,” her father said heatedly.
The king appeared more amused than insulted. “Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, please.” He ope
ned his arms in a gesture of welcome. “You are honored guests in my country. I would ask you to stay here in the palace as long as you would like. Visit with your daughter. Get to know my people. You will find things very pleasant. As for your daughter—” he smiled at Emma “—she is a charming young woman. You must be very proud.”
Her mother sniffed. “Of course we are. She’s a very good girl.”
Emma felt like a wayward puppy who had finally been pronounced housebroken.
“I do not wish to be unreasonable.” The king turned to her father. “You are right—there are courts and laws. They state all royal marriages must be approved by the king. Reyhan defied me when he married your lovely daughter. Having met Emma, I can forgive his impulsiveness. Who could blame him?”
While she appreciated the compliment, she thought he was laying it on a little thick.
“This isn’t her world,” her mother said. “She belongs home, with us.”
“She is a grown woman. Perhaps it is time for her to say where she belongs. In two months she will have that opportunity.”
He beckoned someone from the rear of the room. Emma saw several servants approaching.
“Show the Kennedys to their quarters,” he said, then nodded and left.
Emma’s mother huffed. “Just like that. You have a life. Has he forgotten that? Responsibilities. A job.”
Emma blinked in surprise. Honestly, she’d forgotten all about that. Her world back home. Funny how it had faded from her memory so quickly.
“You’re right. I’ll have to take a leave of absence.”
“They won’t like that,” her father told her. “You’ve not even been working there a year.”
Good point. “I’ll have to explain things,” she said, not sure how she was going to. Would anyone believe her? “If I do get fired, I’ll find another job when I get home.”
“A very cavalier attitude,” her mother said. “You were raised better than that.”
“Mom, I know you’re worried. I appreciate that, and I know you only came here because you care about me. But I’m twenty-four. It’s time to let me live my life my own way. If I make mistakes, then I’ll recover from them.”
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