The Desert Rogues Part 1

by Susan Mallery

  “I suppose you want to take credit for that,” Kardal growled before he could stop himself.

  “Your grandfather raised you and you are now your own man. I think any praise should be shared equally between you and him.” Givon paused, then pressed his hands on the table. “Whatever you might have inherited from me could have easily come to nothing. So no, I do not believe I am entitled to take credit for your success. I will admit to feeling some sense of pride, however misplaced. That is a father’s right. Even a father who has done as badly as me.”

  Kardal didn’t know how to answer that. He wanted to storm out of the conference room and not have this conversation, however he didn’t think he would. He and Givon had been heading toward this moment ever since Cala had issued the invitation to the king.

  There was a pitcher of water in the center of the table, along with several glasses. Givon turned one of them right-side up and poured the water. He took a sip.

  “I should have come sooner,” he said, studying Kardal.

  “Why? What would have changed?”

  Givon shrugged. “Perhaps nothing. Perhaps everything. We will never know.”

  “You wouldn’t have received any better security service.”

  Givon set the glass on the table. “This is not about your work, Kardal. It is about you and I. However much you do not wish us to discuss these matters, we must. I can tell you that I have learned over my life that some things can be delayed, but few can be escaped entirely. I don’t blame you for being angry with me.”

  Kardal continued to sit in the chair. He forced his features to remain calm, but both activities took all his strength of will. He wanted to spring to his feet and rage against the man sitting across from him. He wanted to shout his frustration and demand Givon explain his arrogance in coming here after all this time. He wanted to yell that his father was nothing to him—less than dust and no words were going to change how he felt.

  Anger, frustration and deep, ugly hurt filled him. Emotions he’d never acknowledged before bubbled to the surface. He could barely breathe from the intensity of it. Sabrina had warned him, he thought suddenly. She had said he must prepare himself for what would happen when he finally met his father. That if he didn’t consider the impact the meeting might have, he could be overwhelmed.

  She was more wise than he had been willing to admit.

  “I know you are angry,” Givon said.

  “Anger is the least of it.” Kardal spoke between clenched teeth.

  “Yes. That must be very true. I wish…” He sighed. “I want to explain. Are you willing to listen?”

  Kardal wanted to shout that he was not. But he refused to storm out of the room like an angry adolescent. Instead he offered his father a curt nod and wished fiercely that Sabrina was with him. He could use her gentling presence.

  “Thank you.” Givon leaned back in his chair. “I am sure you know the story of how I came to be here. When your grandfather produced no male heirs, tradition dictated that either King Hassan or I provide Cala with a son. The tradition also stated that the king of Bahania and the king of El Bahar would alternate. The last time there had been no heir had been over a hundred years before. It was my turn, so I left my wife and sons and came here.”

  “I am familiar with the history of the city,” Kardal said impatiently.

  “Perhaps, but this isn’t just about history. This is about the people involved. We are not talking about cold facts. I was married, Kardal. I had two sons. I cared for them very much. None of them wanted me to come here. I did not want to come here. The thought of seducing an eighteen-year-old girl was repugnant to me.” He paused and stared directly at Kardal. “I was the same age you are now. How would you feel about taking one of the elder’s daughters?”

  Kardal shifted uncomfortably. He understood his father’s point at once, but didn’t want to admit that. “Go on,” he said instead.

  “Whatever you may think of me,” Givon continued, “know that I was never unfaithful to my wife. She was pregnant with my third son. We were happy together. But duty called. I came to the City of Thieves and met Cala.”

  As he spoke her name, Givon’s entire face changed. A softness filled his eyes and the corners of his mouth turned up. Kardal frowned, refusing to allow the old man’s emotions to sway him.

  “She was not what I expected,” Givon said simply. “She was beautiful, but it was more than that. She might only have been eighteen, but she and I got along from the first. I found myself mesmerized by her, feeling things for her I had never felt for anyone before. I had arrived with the intention of doing my duty and leaving. But after meeting her, I could not imagine simply taking her into my bed without some kind of understanding between us. We spent time together and began to enchant each other.”

  He leaned forward and picked up his glass. “I was a king, a powerful man, completely enthralled by a slip of a girl. I felt like an idiot and more happy than I had ever been in my life. I loved her and in loving her realized I had never truly loved my wife. Not the same way. So Cala and I decided that I would stay.”

  Kardal stiffened in his seat. “You were going to stay here?”

  Givon took a sip of water, then nodded. “I did not want to leave her. What other choice did I have?”

  “But you didn’t stay.”

  “No.” He set his glass on the table. “A month slipped into two. I knew I would have to give up my monarchy, my sons, everything. I was prepared to do so until my wife arrived. In my absence, my third son had been born. She placed the infant in my arms and asked if I was planning to abandon them all. In the baby’s eyes I saw my future and knew it could not be here. I had been playing a game but it was time to return to my responsibilities. The people of El Bahar mattered more than the state of my heart.”

  Kardal didn’t want to think about how difficult the leaving would have been. He knew his mother well enough to know that she would not have handled the disappointment with quiet dignity.

  “Cala told you never to come back,” he said, believing the words for the first time in his life.

  Givon nodded. “I agreed, but I had no intention of keeping my word. I promised I would return. But within a year, my wife had died. I was left alone with three young boys. I couldn’t leave them to be with you and Cala. They were the heirs, so I could not take them with me, nor would I have forced my oldest son to rule at such a tender age. I sent word to Cala asking her to bring you and join me. She said that you were to be the Prince of Thieves and had to be raised within the city walls. I think she was still very hurt and angry. I don’t blame her. Mine was not a world she trusted. I was not a man she trusted.”

  Kardal didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t wanted to hear his father’s words, but now that he had, he couldn’t erase them from his mind. Nothing was as he had imagined.

  “She never hated you,” he said before he could stop himself. “She never spoke ill of you.”

  “Thank you for telling me.” Givon’s dark eyes turned sad. “For myself, I never stopped loving her.”

  That was more than Kardal wanted to know. He mumbled an excuse to his father and quickly left the room. Hundreds of thoughts tumbled around and around in his brain, but there was only one that mattered. He had to get to Sabrina. Once he was in her company, everything would be better.

  He hurried down the halls of the palace, slowing only when he reached her door. He stepped inside without knocking.

  She sat at the table, several old books opened in front of her. She looked up at him and smiled. He took in the long red hair tumbling around her shoulders, the welcoming light in her eyes, the curves of her body more hidden than revealed by the cotton dress she wore.

  She rose and walked toward him. “Kardal. What’s wrong?”

  “I spoke with my father.”

  He tried to say more, tried to explain how difficult it had been to find out that Givon wasn’t the devil at all, but a man who had been forced, by circumstance, to make difficult decisi
ons. Kardal didn’t feel the older man was absolved from blame. Givon still could have contacted him. But the areas of blame and guilt were less clear than they had been.

  Sabrina watched the emotions chasing across Kardal’s face. His confusion and pain called to her as clearly as if he’d spoken her name. She didn’t know exactly what had been discussed, but she could guess.

  Her heart ached for the proud man standing in front of her. The man she loved but could never be with. Without considering the wisdom of her actions, she crossed to him and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back. Their bodies pressed together, comforting them both. When he lowered his mouth to hers, she had no thought of refusing him or pulling back.

  The passion was as instantaneous as it was familiar. Sabrina felt her bones begin to melt as she pressed against Kardal. He was all hard planes to her soft curves and she thought about how right it was to be in his embrace. His lips, always tender yet firm, pressed against hers. There was something hungry about his kiss. This time he didn’t tease her or play by nibbling. Instead he plunged inside of her, circling her, taking her as if she were necessary for his very being. His desire—almost a desperation—fueled her own growing excitement. She clung to him, letting him take what he would and then following the movements of his tongue, showing him how much she wanted as well.

  His large hands moved up and down her back. One slipped to her derriere and he pressed her to him. She arched her hips forward, and settled her belly against the thickness of his arousal. As she felt his maleness, she shivered from equal parts of excitement, curiosity and apprehension.

  “Sabrina,” he breathed, breaking the kiss long enough to press his mouth against her jaw. He bit the tender skin just below her ear, then licked her lobe and made her squirm.

  When she moved, his need flexed, as if he’d enjoyed the contact. She suddenly wanted to see him without his clothes. She wanted to touch him and understand what happened between a man and a woman. It wasn’t that she didn’t have theoretical knowledge, it was that her practical skills were sadly lacking.

  Just the thought of them lying naked together was enough to make her breath quicken. Her breasts were already swollen and tender. Her nipples pressed against her bra in a way that was almost painful. Between her legs dampness and pressure grew, making her wish he would touch her there as he had before.

  She wanted him. She wanted them to make love. Her bodily needs blended with her emotional connection to this man. Combined they were a force impossible to deny.

  “I want you,” he said, kissing his way down her neck. “Sabrina, I need you.”

  I love you.

  But she only thought the words. She didn’t speak them. For loving Kardal would only bring heartache.

  “We can’t,” she whispered even as he found the zipper at the back of her dress and tugged it down. “Kardal, I’m a virgin.”

  Her dress slipped off her shoulders. She pressed the fabric to her breasts. He cupped her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. She saw the tightness of his expression—the need flaring there.

  “I want you,” he repeated. “It would be worth any price to touch you, to teach you, to make love with you. Please, do not deny me the glory of making you mine.”

  Had he demanded, she might have found the strength to say no. Had he teased or cajoled she would have had some recourse. But the dark pleading, the raw need he exposed to her left her unable to deny him anything. Even when she knew they would both pay a price for this moment.

  He reached for the dress she clutched to her chest. Reluctantly she released the cloth and he drew it away. The garment fell soundlessly to the floor.

  Underneath she wore silk panties and a bra. The peach lace exposed as much as it concealed. Before Sabrina could react to being nearly naked in front of him, Kardal glanced down at her and caught his breath. He made an audible sound—a gasp of pleasure. As if her body were as beautiful as the ancient treasures that filled the castle. Reverence joined need in his eyes. Suddenly she wasn’t embarrassed. She was proud to be the woman he desired.

  “I would die for you,” he breathed and stunned her by dropping to his knees.

  Sabrina didn’t know what to think. Kardal kneeling before her? What did it mean? But before she could figure out an answer, he pressed an openmouthed kiss to her belly and all rational thought fled. Sparks seemed to flare inside of her, leaping through her body in all directions. Goose bumps erupted on her arms and legs and her breasts swelled even more.

  He ran his tongue around her belly button before dipping inside. A trembling started in her thighs, then moved both up and down, making it nearly impossible for her to stay standing. Without thinking, she pressed one hand to his shoulder and the other on his head. She slipped her fingers into the thick layers of his dark hair and gasped when he moved lower, kissing her just above the elastic of her panties. Then lower still, nibbling along her thighs.

  It tickled. It was perfect. She trembled so much, she could only remain upright by clinging to him. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist, holding her in place. Kisses and bites and tantalizing licks—all up and down her thighs. Finally he tugged at her panties, drawing them down her legs.

  She was confused by what was happening. Shouldn’t they be in bed? Shouldn’t it be dark in the room? Or at least more dim than it was with sunlight streaming in through the windows? They were up high enough in the castle that no one could see in, but she felt exposed and awkward as he urged her to step out of her panties. Exposed and very vulnerable.

  “Kardal, I don’t think we should—”

  He kissed her. Not on the stomach or the leg, but in that most private place. A kiss of lips and tongue that made her stop breathing. Pleasure shot through her with an intensity she’d never felt before. Without meaning to, she parted her legs so he could do it again. She held on tighter and prepared herself for the next wonderful kiss.

  He did it again, parting her curls and licking her deeply, finding that single point of pleasure and flicking it with his tongue.

  She cried out and her knees gave way. He caught her easily and pulled her against him.

  “Sweet desert bird,” he murmured, shrugging out of his suit jacket, then gathering her in his arms and carrying her to the bed. “I wish to make you fly.”

  She had no objection. She had no will. She would have done anything he told her, said anything, promised the world. If only he would touch her that way again.

  He lowered her onto her mattress, then reached behind her and unfastened her bra. When she was completely naked, he settled next to her on the bed and bent down to take one of her nipples in his mouth.

  Sabrina had never felt the soft, damp warmth of a man’s mouth on her sensitized breasts. She’d never felt the gentle tugging that pulled all the way down to her most feminine place. She hadn’t thought she was capable of feeling more, but she’d been wrong.

  Over and over he licked her breasts, discovering the shape of them, the sensitive places. His fingers worked on the opposite nipple, making her pant and toss her head. The bottoms of her feet burned, her toes curled into the bedspread.

  She didn’t know how long he touched her that way. Finally, when every muscle in her body had tensed with anticipation of a release—any release—he began to move lower.

  This time she knew what to expect. This time she nearly wept with the glory of anticipating his tongue on her body. He moved between her thighs and she parted to admit him. When he lowered his head, she caught her breath.

  Then screamed his name. He licked her from the entrance of the place that would forever make her his to the tiny point of pleasure hidden within her slickness. Again and again. First slow, then moving faster. She clutched at the bedspread, unable to catch her breath or focus or do anything but exist through the most amazing pleasure she’d ever experienced.

  No one else could ever do this to her, she thought hazily as her body tightened even more. No one would ever touch her body or her heart the way Kardal
had. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to cry out that she loved him, that she would always love him. But words required air and she could not breathe. She couldn’t do anything but hang on for the sudden rush that overwhelmed her.

  The whisper of a ripple slipped through her. Then another and another until she was no longer in possession of herself. It was perfect. It was better than her wildest fantasy. It was impossible, and yet the pleasure continued until she was limp, exhausted and more content than she’d ever been in her life.

  She opened her eyes and found Kardal looming over her. Let him loom, she thought with a smile. Right now he could do anything he wished and she wouldn’t protest.

  “There’s more,” he murmured, kissing her neck, then sitting up and unfastening his tie.

  As she watched, he removed the length of silk, then his shirt. Next he pulled off shoes and socks, finally standing to unfasten his trousers and step out of them, along with his briefs.

  In a matter of seconds, he was as naked as she. Naked and…oh, my. She tried to notice how his honey-colored skin seemed to reflect the light, but she could not. Instead her gaze was drawn down the thin line of hair bisecting his belly, lower until she gazed upon the proof of his arousal.

  He was beautiful in a way only a man desiring a woman would be beautiful. He smiled slightly as he knelt on the bed and lightly kissed her still-tight nipples.

  “I would ask you to touch me, but the results would be most disastrous. I find myself in the embarrassing situation of having to admit that my control is not what it should be.” He stroked her face. “I would like to tell you that it is because I have not been with a woman in a long time, which is true, but the truth lies elsewhere.”

  He reached between her legs and began to rub her sensitized flesh. Instantly tension began to fill her.

  “It is you,” he said lazily, slipping one finger inside of her. “You, Sabrina. You make me want with a fire I cannot control.”

  She hadn’t thought it was possible for her body to need him again so quickly, but in less time than it took him to finish his sentence and her to clutch the words tightly to her heart, she found herself ready for him to take her back to paradise.