by Kristi Gold
Now she felt totally breathless—and optimistic. “I’ve dreamed of you, too. Every night for the past week.”
“But my duty to you prevents me from doing what I would very much like to do with you. To you.”
Jamie sat back and released a frustrated sigh. Regardless of his sexy words, the man was as immovable as a boulder. “What does duty have to do with this? Or is it that I’m not good enough for you? Maybe you’d prefer a princess to a peon?”
He cupped her cheek with strong yet gentle fingers. “You are probably too good for me.” He stroked a thumb back and forth over her jaw. “Fine as the most expensive silk. Pure. Too pure. Too innocent.”
“I’m not that innocent.” Okay, so maybe Billy Joe had barely reached first base, but Jamie was primed for a home run in Ben’s arms.
She covered Ben’s hand with hers and slowly slid it downward—past her throat, beyond her collarbone, and laid it on her breast. “Touch me, Ben. I need you to touch me. Kiss me. Prove to me that I’m good enough for your attention.”
Before Jamie could prepare, she found herself laid out on the sofa, underneath Ben’s large lean body. And he was kissing her. Boy, was he kissing her! And with an urgency that sucked her breath from her lungs. He thrust his tongue between her lips in a slow, fluid rhythm, and she felt it everywhere.
Every muscle, nerve, private place ached for him. Ached for what she knew he could give her. He made her feel all woman, and he was definitely all man.
He broke the kiss and framed her face in his palms. “Damn your beauty, your persistence,” he murmured. “I will give you what you need.”
Then he kissed her again and sent his hand underneath her knit shirt, cupping her breast through lace. She wanted more. So much more. She wasn’t even sure what exactly more meant, but she’d know it if he gave it to her.
Slowly he lifted her shirt and released the front closure of her bra, then pushed the barrier aside. For a few moments he simply stared at her, then stared at his finger as he traced a path round and round her nipple. He muttered something in Arabic before raising his eyes to her. “You are exquisite.”
For the first time in her life, Jamie actually felt exquisite.
Lowering his head, Ben sent brush-stroke kisses down the cleft of her breasts, homing in on her taut flesh with lips as soft as the featherbed she’d slept in since that first fateful morning.
Something deep within Jamie told her she should stop him. Not because she didn’t want this. She simply didn’t want to fall in love with him. She needed to be in control, and right now Ben was controlling every move with his wicked mouth and roving hands.
When he suckled her breast, she shuddered from the long-awaited sensations. He lifted his mouth and placed his lips to her ear. “Do you still want more, my Jamie? Have you needs that I have not yet met?”
“Yes.” The word came out on a sigh.
“Then so be it.”
Pulling her to face him, with agonizing slowness he traced a line down her sternum to her belly with a fingertip, pausing at the waistband of her shorts. He kept her locked into his gaze with hypnotic eyes. Then he kissed her again, all the while toying with the snap, but not opening it. Jamie thought she might actually scream at him, Just do it! Before she totally lost it, he undid the snap with one smooth move. She felt the track of the zipper as he lowered it and held her breath, waiting, wondering, hoping he wouldn’t stop. She would die right on the spot if he didn’t follow through.
He slipped his fingertips beneath the denim, drawing her shorts farther down her hips. But he didn’t remove them completely. He didn’t remove his hand, either. Instead, he worked his way beneath her panties, but went no farther.
A pleading sound bubbled up in her throat, brought about by impatience, by desire, by a need so great she wasn’t sure she had the strength to face it head-on.
Then he found her secrets with his strong fingers, steadily stroking her as if she were something fine. Something to be cherished. He whispered in her ear, more words she didn’t understand. But she could imagine. She didn’t have to imagine what he was doing to her; she could feel it.
She wound tighter and tighter as he centered on her tender flesh. Her body moved beneath his hand of its own accord. She couldn’t seem to control it. She couldn’t control anything at the moment. Not the moans from her mouth that Ben tried to silence with another kiss. Not the steady throb of desire and the building tension beneath his clever fingers. Not the climax that overtook her in strong breath-stealing swells, causing her body to pulse wildly out of control.
She whimpered like a child and clung to Ben in fear he would let her go. If he did, she would drift away to another dimension and might never come back again.
She drifted anyway. Shattered into shards of sheer feeling, as if she were made of crystal. Slowly she descended from heights she’d never dreamed she could achieve. Her respiration returned to her in slow degrees. Her eyes felt drugged, her body heavy, but it wasn’t from Ben’s weight. While she was recovering, he had gotten up from the couch and stood looking down at her.
She stared up at him, confused. He didn’t seem at all pleased. In fact, he looked madder than a hen in a coop full of barking dogs. He might be furious at her, at himself, but he wasn’t unaffected by what had happened between them. The proof was there for anyone to see, right below the waistband of his tattered jeans.
Jamie lowered her blouse and rose on bent elbows. “What’s wrong?”
“You should not have to ask.” He sounded irritated, his face hard as steel. A monument to an unbendable will.
“Ben, I’m—” She had no idea what to say. What could she say? Ben, I’m really needing you. Ben, finish what you started. Ben, dammit, get back here right this instant.
She reached out her arms to him. “Please, Ben. Don’t leave me. Stay here with me.” Make love to me.
He perched on the edge of the sofa and took her hand into his. “You do not understand, nor do I expect you to. I have broken a vow to myself not to let this happen between us. I do not wish to hurt you.” He touched her cheek reverently. “But I fear I already have.”
He rose slowly, looking pained and more than a little worried. Maybe even regretful.
Jamie grasped for the right words. “But—”
“There is nothing more to be said. I am sorry. I should not have done what I did.”
Jamie’s desire was replaced with frustration that he would just drive her over the edge then leave her so unsatisfied. Himself unsatisfied. “I’m glad you did do it, Ben. I have never felt that way before. Ever. And you’re not going to make me feel guilty.” She worked her shorts up her hips and sat up. “But if you’re too stubborn to realize that I’m a big girl who knows her own mind and body, then you’re hopeless.”
A wry smile formed on his lips. “Then you do understand. I am hopeless, Jamie. Hopeless when I am around you. But it will not happen again. You can trust me on that.”
He turned to leave without another word, and Jamie’s heart sank to its lowest point in her life. But her determination grew to the length of a football field.
Prince Ben was in for a big surprise. He could try to fool her with his duty and honor, she wasn’t falling for that. But was she falling for him?
Nope, she wasn’t going to do that, either. She’d somehow convince him that the chemistry they shared was natural. And there would come a time when she would have him. All of him. Now she just had to come up with some plan to make him see it her way.
“Klimt’s still around, Ben.”
Ben strangled the phone’s receiver, trying to digest Matthew Walker’s words. “Are you certain?”
“Yeah. I rode out to Miller’s place on Old Tackett Road. A man fitting Klimt’s description stopped by there yesterday, according to Miller’s foreman, Gus.”
“What did he want?”
“To use the phone. Long-distance. He gave Gus some money after the call.”
“Does he know who Klimt contacted?
”
“Nope. Gus just said he spoke in some language he didn’t understand. I suspect he probably called Payune.”
“Then we should be able to prove it.”
“I thought about that, but Justin says he doesn’t want to get Winona in trouble, so we can’t go asking for phone records yet. Not unless we want to involve the police. Right now we need to let Klimt make the next move and hope he’ll lead us to the diamond, since he seems to be getting more desperate.”
Which meant Jamie was in more danger, Ben thought. “I will tell my men to be exceedingly cautious.”
“Yeah, you do that. And keep an eye on Jamie.”
Ben had kept more than an eye on Jamie earlier, and the simple memory of how she had felt beneath his hands, looked in his arms, her cheeks tinged pink, her eyes soft with satisfaction, made him want to climb the walls now closing in on him. “I have been watching her closely and I will continue to do so. But I am not certain how long I will be able to convince her to stay here without telling her the whole truth.”
“You’ve got to try. The less she knows, the better.” Matt chuckled. “You’ll just have to use every trick in the book to make her stay. I have faith in you.”
Ben clenched his teeth to keep from cursing. If only Matt knew how little he deserved that faith. “I will do my best to convince her to stay, but she is not so easily swayed.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
“Anything more?”
“No. We’re just keeping our ears to the ground, trying to find out more about the plot to overthrow Asterland’s government. Looks like we might be forced to send Dakota Lewis over there after all.”
Ben felt an overwhelming sense of relief that they had chosen Dakota for the mission. The last thing Ben needed was an assignment to Asterland when he had promised his mother a trip home in the near future. “He would be the natural choice.”
“Yeah, but we’re not ready to do it just yet. If we’re lucky, Klimt will not only lead us to the diamond, he’ll also lead us to Payune. With that proof, then maybe we won’t have to do anything. We can just let the Asterland officials handle it themselves.”
Ben prayed that would happen soon, and that Klimt would make a mistake and find himself caught before he again tried to get to Jamie. Then Jamie could return to her apartment, and Ben could go on with his life. His lonely life. “I must go now, Matt. Keep me informed on what you might learn of Klimt’s whereabouts.”
“You bet. And Ben, one more thing.” Matt cleared his throat. “No one here expects you to be a saint. Things happen. I found that out the hard way, but I don’t regret meeting Helena. So if you and Jamie—”
“You have no worries there, Sadíiq. I do not intend anything to happen between us. I only intend to keep her safe.” What a liar he had become.
Matt released a grating laugh. “Yeah. That’s exactly what I said about Helena. And look at me now, just a few weeks away from getting hitched and damned glad about it.”
Ben was happy for Matthew Walker, but he would not allow himself to fall into that same trap. Marriage was something he could not consider, especially with a woman like Jamie. An American woman full of life and optimism, a need for independence.
No, he would never be the man to make Jamie Morris happy. She was too innocent, no matter what she claimed. Too good for a man like him.
She’d just have to be his mistress.
That thought haunted Jamie all afternoon. Amazing that she could even think at all after what Ben had done to her, but since then, she’d been thinking as much about what he’d said several nights ago in his bed. About the women who served him. What did they have that Jamie obviously didn’t? Maybe she should just come out and ask him? Like he’d really tell her.
As usual, he had retired to his office, and she to her lonely bedroom to mull over her situation. Refusing to read another magazine, she’d done a lot of mulling over the past few hours. Now she was determined to take action.
Tossing her book aside, Jamie went on a quest for information, in search of answers. And the one person other than Ben who might put to rest her curiosity was Alima.
She found the housekeeper two doors down in a guest room, wearing her usual plain gray cotton dress and white apron. The room was much the same as Jamie’s, brightly colored and luxurious, but still empty by all rights, except for Alima who roosted on the edge of the bed, tuned in to her favorite soap opera on the small TV, a vacuum cleaner nearby. She was hiding out, Jamie suspected, since Ben was at home, squirreled away in his office. He hadn’t been in the best mood lately.
Silently Jamie slipped onto the bed next to Alima. “So who’s the good doctor pursuing today?”
Alima shot Jamie a sideways glance. “The SaHafi. Newspaper woman. The one who is, how do you say in English?”
“Loose?”
“Yes. She goes from one man to the next. Such terrible morals, that one has.”
What a perfect lead-in. Maybe her luck was changing. “Speaking of loose women, tell about those in your country.”
Alima turned her attention to Jamie, probably because of the commercial break. “I do not understand.”
Jamie pulled her legs up and crossed them in front of her. “You know, those women. The mistresses. What do they do to please a man?”
Alima clucked her tongue. “A young girl such as you should not worry about these things.”
Jamie raised her chin a notch. “I’ll be twenty-three in two months, long past the need for a nursemaid. I’m sure as heck not worried. I’m just curious.” For reasons she didn’t dare reveal to Alima, Ben’s surrogate mother. “Well, how do they please a man?”
Alima hid her face behind her hands for a moment before revealing a toothy smile. “There are many ways.”
“How many?” Jamie cringed at how anxious she sounded.
“Countless. In my culture, these women learn to please by learning to be pleased, letting a man guide them.”
Jamie’s eyes widened. “How do the men learn?”
“At a very early age, the men are given a book that instructs them on how…” Alima looked away. “I should not be telling you these things.”
Jamie touched her arm. “I won’t tell anyone. What kind of book?”
“A book describing places on a woman’s body, where to touch them to make them…” Alima averted her gaze, “…ready for the man.”
Well that explained a lot about Ben. Just the thought of his touch made gooseflesh pop out all over Jamie’s body. She had been more than ready. She still was. “So they have this book, they read it, and then they practice with these women?”
“Yes, that is the way.”
“And do the women receive a book?”
“No. They must learn from the men.”
That figured. Jamie wondered what happened to those poor women who had the misfortune of coming upon a rotten teacher. “So they learn by doing.”
“Yes. They learn how to entice. How to undress to drive the man to—” Alima studied Jamie long and hard, wariness calling out from her near-black eyes. “I have said too much.”
“No, really. Tell me more.”
“Why do you ask me these questions?”
“I told you, I was just wondering.”
“And you have no other reason?”
“Well, in case I might encounter a man from your cul—” Jamie had done it now. She could tell by the suspicion on Alima’s face. “Not that I would anytime soon. I mean—not that there’s any man around here that I would encounter in that way.” Not that she wouldn’t like to, and soon.
Alima sent her a knowing smile, taking Jamie by surprise. “Should you come upon this man, it is important you remember that he has been taught to remain in control. It is a strong woman who can break that control. Yet her strength lies in her willingness to quietly do his bidding.”
“You mean to be passive.” The word left a bitter taste in Jamie’s mouth. She hated passive. She’d never viewed women as the weaker sex, a
t least not herself. But if being passive and restrained in her seduction would break Ben down, make him give her his all, then she’d do it. Once, and only once. Because if she didn’t have him soon, she’d go nuts.
Standing, she put her best smile forward. “Thanks, Alima. You’re the greatest.”
“And you are a devious child.” At least she said it with a grin, making Jamie feel a bit less guilty.
“Not devious, just interested.” So maybe it was a teeny-weeny lie.
Alima went back to her TV program as Jamie headed to the door.
“Miss Morris.”
Jamie turned to find Alima still staring at the tube. “It’s Jamie. I prefer you call me that.”
“As you wish, Jamie,” she said, without turning around. “I have seen the book.”
Jamie took a step forward. “You have?”
“I came upon it in the sheikh’s library while dusting. It is placed next to the fourth book on the top shelf. Very pretty flowers on the cover. It is an English translation.”
Jamie was now beyond shocked. She was flabbergasted. “Sounds like a very interesting read.”
“I would not know. I do not read English well. There are many pictures, though.”
Obviously Alima had sneaked a peek. “You certainly speak English very well.”
“Prince Hasim is a good teacher of the American language. I believe he would be a fine teacher in many areas.”
Jamie walked to the bed and gave Alima a hug. “Thank you.”
Before Jamie released her, Alima patted her hand and said, “Be cautious, my child. A woman who strives to lose her innocence may lose her heart to one who cannot give his in return.”
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
Jamie left the room with Alima’s cautions echoing in her brain. If she followed through with her plan, would she be in danger of losing her heart to the sheikh, a man who obviously had no interest in love?
No, she would not allow that. If she could keep from it. She couldn’t consider that now. At the moment she needed to find the book, then find a way to practice passive.
