by Albany,Cara
"We've put you in separate rooms," Raz explained. He glanced at the door to the suite right next door to Lucy's. "You're there, you'll be pleased to know," Raz said with a grin.
Azim nodded. "That should make things interesting," he said.
Raz stepped a few steps away from the door and Azim followed him. "How are things between you and Lucy?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Azim lifted his gaze to the ceiling and sighed. "To quote Lucy, things are complicated," he said.
Raz's brows furrowed. "How?"
Azim shook his head. "Maybe we can talk about it later."
"Join me downstairs after you've changed and washed up," Raz said glancing down at Azim's robes. "I think you could do with a change of clothes. There're some things in your room. Stuff I haven't had a chance to wear, yet." Raz smiled. "Ella likes to go on these huge shopping trips for me. She comes back from Qazhar with bags of stuff. Most of it I never even get a chance to wear."
"That's reassuring," Azim joked.
Raz laid a hand on Azim's shoulder and smiled warmly. "It's good to see you, friend. I can see we've got some catching up to do. Join me downstairs when you're ready," he said.
Azim went to the door and opened it, revealing a luxuriously decorated room, just like Lucy's next door suite. Doors opened onto a balcony which faced to the sea. The doors were open, and Azim could hear the delightful sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below. The air in the room was fresh and it was with huge relief that Azim stripped off his robes and plunged, naked beneath the welcoming torrent of the cold shower in the bathroom.
He was instantly reminded of the last time he'd plunged into cold water, back at the oasis. As he thought of what that had led to, he felt himself firm, sensed tension return to his body. He saw the effect those thoughts were having on his body and groaned in frustration, turning to temperature of the shower down to icy cold. That made him roar out loud and he wondered if Lucy had heard the sound. What would she think he was doing in here?
After a while he felt clean enough, and calm enough, to step out of the shower and towel himself dry. He found some crisp white shirts, dark pants and flat shoes to wear. Once dressed he found some mineral water and stepped out onto the balcony. He stood at the balustrade and gazed out across the sea, taking in the view, savoring the sheer power and beauty of the sea in the early evening light.
What a day it had been, he told himself. He felt a rush of emotion as he thought about everything that had taken place during the last twenty-four hours. It was almost too much to comprehend, almost took his breath away just to reflect upon it.
He thought of Lucy and desire curled inside him, a sudden burning need that he knew would never be extinguished. No matter what happened in the coming hours and days. Whether she stayed with him or not, there would never be anyone else for him except Lucy. He was destined to be with her.
All of the events of the past two had proved that to Azim. How else could he explain what had happened? What else could explain the way that fate had intervened to bring them back together like this?
The only burning issue left now was how he was going to go the extra mile to win her over, to convince her that she belonged by his side. Forever.
Because, he knew that was the truth. If Azim was to have any chance of happiness in the future it could only be with the gorgeous American woman who had seized his heart, who now owned his soul.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Do you like it?" Ella asked Lucy gazing around the suite.
Lucy spun around in the middle of the room and smiled. "It's beautiful, Emma. But, are you sure we're not putting to any inconvenience. You and Raz must have plans."
Emma shook her head. "Don't be silly. It's not every day I get to talk to a fellow American. I'm not going to pass up that opportunity, am I?"
"I guess not," Lucy said.
Emma opened the door to a large wall-in wardrobe and pointed inside. "You can change into something from here, if you like," she explained.
Lucy stepped inside the wardrobe. Outfits of all kinds hung from the rails. At a glance, Lucy could see everything hanging there was expensive.
"No, Emma. Really. I couldn't put you to that trouble."
Emma grinned. "Have you seen yourself in the mirror?"
Lucy glanced at herself and gasped. From head to toe, her entire frame was layered in a fine covering of brown sand.
"I won't have you walking about in that," Emma explained with a mischievous grin.
Lucy sighed and nodded. "I see what you mean."
"I'll let you get out of those clothes. I suppose you'd like a shower?"
"That's putting it mildly. I've never been in sandstorm before," Lucy declared.
Emma shook her head. "I don't know how you did that."
"Well. I did have some help," she said.
Emma paused and then said: "You and Azim seem to get along real well."
Lucy sighed. "You think so? You can tell that so quickly?"
Emma shrugged. "You two just look good together," she said. Lucy felt a rush of emotion. Noticing Lucy's sudden reaction, Emma quickly added: "Maybe it's just the fact that you're both covered in sand," she joked.
Lucy laughed and followed Emma out of the walk-in closet.
"Join me downstairs when you're ready. I can give you a quick tour of our home," Emma said modestly.
"Your home?" Lucy exclaimed. She gazed around the room. "This is more than just a home, Emma," she added.
"I know," Emma agreed. "Every morning I wake up and ask myself one question. How did I get so lucky?"
Lucy smiled at Emma. She could see that Emma genuinely meant what she'd just said. It had been obvious to Lucy when she'd seen how Emma and Raz looked at each other, that the couple adored one another. Lucy knew she had no right to feel envy, but she couldn't control the envy that tugged at her upon hearing Emma's words.
Was this what life was like for an American woman, happily married to a wealthy, powerful sheikh? Was fate so determined to torture Lucy that it had provided her with an intimate glimpse of a life that might be for her? If she were to accept the truth, the one thing she was doing everything in her power to avoid.
How she really felt about Azim, especially after these last two days. That she might even be in love with him.
Still.
She could hardly even admit that to herself.
Emma left the suite and Lucy undressed. It was time to get clean. Again. Only this time she wasn't going to have to use a desert oasis.
She walked into the bathroom and gasped. It was as luxurious as the rest of the palace. There weren't any gold taps on the sinks, but if there had been, they wouldn't have been out of place.
As she undressed Lucy glanced at herself in the mirror and groaned. She looked like a mess. Her hair was matted with sand, her skin was dry and she looked tired.
She turned on the shower and stepped, naked, beneath the warm water. It felt fantastic. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the relaxing sensation of the cleansing torrent. Immediately she started to feel her muscles soften, and she hurriedly washed her body clean. As far as she was concerned she could stay underneath the sharp needles of water forever.
As she stood there, her mind drifted to thoughts of Azim. She wondered if he was doing the same. Was he, at this very moment, naked beneath a drenching shower, cleaning his toned body. The images made her throat catch, her heart skip a few beats, and she tried to busy herself washing her hair. Anything to avoid thinking of Azim. Especially like that.
After a while, she was ready to get out of the shower. She reached for her towel, eyes closed as water dripped down her face, only to feel the soft towel gently placed into her hand. She dropped the towel onto the floor and let out a cry that echoed in the bathroom.
Lucy opened her eyes, startled to see Azim standing right in front of her at the entrance to the shower. Lucy instinctively covered herself and took a step back beneath the tumbling water.
"Azim!" she
exclaimed, feeling suddenly utterly exposed.
She saw that he was barefoot, dressed in a plain white shirt and dark pants. He looked completely different from the man with whom she'd traveled across the desert. No longer wearing his traditional robes, he looked like a gorgeous, sexy playboy. The effect was made even more intense by the ravenous expression on his face as he gazed at her naked body. He stood in the cloud of steam from the shower, looking like something out of a dream. But, she was in no doubt that he was very real.
"What are you doing here?" she managed to gasp. Why hadn't she just grabbed the towel, she asked herself. She could have just demanded he leave, but she hadn't. One look at the expression on his face told her why she hadn't done just that.
His brows were furrowed, his eyes dark with desire, his full lips set into a determined line. He took a step closer to Lucy and she leaned back against the tiles, feeling the hardness against her back. What was he doing? Surely he wasn't going to make love to her in the shower. Emotion surged through, heart pounding suddenly faster. She felt a tightening in her middle as she watched him plant his bare feet on the wet tiles.
Water from the shower tumbled onto him, making the white shirt cling to his torso. She could see the darkness of his chest hair beneath the soaking wet material, see his sculpted muscles.
Water drenched his pants, so that he was now utterly soaked. But he seemed oblivious to any of that, because his entire attention was on her, his gaze drifting down the length of her naked body.
Finally his head was beneath the still running shower and his dark hair was drenched, water running down his face. She'd never seen him look like that, before. Right now, he had all the appearance of a hungry animal and she felt like his prey, cornered and aroused.
Heat flared at her core when he reached out and took her shoulders. Her arms dropped and she was now completely open to him. His gaze flickered quickly down, and she saw his nostrils flare with feral desire. She'd never felt like this in her life. And, when he dipped his head out of the shower water and claimed her open mouth, sensation ignited throughout and she gasped even as his lips began to devour her.
She felt him press against her, his clothing a damp layer between their bodies. But, she could feel the firmness of his desire pressing through the material of his pants. The insistent hardness promised so much. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing him closer to her.
The pleasure juddering through her, she realized this was no fantasy. He was really here, pressing against her, consuming her with his desire. His tongue probed and once again pleasure ignited in every nerve of her body.
A sudden treacherous thought invaded her mind. What would Emma think if she walked into the shower, right now?
Instantly that thought was obliterated by another wave of ecstasy that surged through Lucy as she felt his hand curve around her breasts, teasing sensation from her nipple. Pleasure coursed through her and she groaned, which merely seemed to encourage him even more.
Had he lost his mind, she asked herself urgently? Didn't he realize what he was doing to her? What had possessed him to come into her room and do this? Didn't he know what he was making her feel?
Of course he knew, she told herself. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, just as he'd known back in the desert encampment.
Lucy curled a leg around him and he pushed harder against her, his torso crushing her with exquisite pressure. For moments that seemed to stretch into eternity she gave herself over to him, submitted to his urgent need, a desire that felt inconceivably, inexplicably right.
Then his hand drifted down across her belly and she felt him return to the place from where she knew there would be no going back. If he touched her there, if he did to her what he'd done before, she knew she would be beyond a point of no return. And then what would happen?
In the instant before he began his sweet, tender caresses, an impulse seized her, one that was both surprising and inevitable. Before she even realized what she was doing, her hand went quickly down, and she curled her fingers around his wrist.
Immediately she did that, she felt his lips part from hers, and she saw his confused, frustrated gaze beneath furrowed brows. Water dripped down his face and he peered at her, questions filling his gaze.
Lucy felt herself come back to this place, sensed reality chasing back in upon her. The sound of the water seemed suddenly louder, the cloud of steam around them starting to dissipate.
Once again, she saw him look inquiringly at Lucy. She felt her body tighten and he took a step back. The shower drenched him again, rivulets of water racing down his face. He took one more step backward and then he was completely out of the shower gazing back in at her.
He bent down, lifting the towel she had dropped on the floor. He handed it to her and she turned off the shower and wrapped the dry towel around her.
She saw him turn away from her, and she stepped out of the shower. His back still to her, he gazed at her in the mirror. Water pooled around his bare feet. She saw the expression on his face and felt something twist inside her. It was almost as if he was suddenly embarrassed by what he'd done.
Azim turned around and looked at himself, the water draining off him. He smiled sardonically and looked at her. "Serves me right, I guess," he said.
Lucy just stood silently, unsure what to say.
Then he did the last thing she would have expected him to do. He started to unbutton the wet, white shirt. She wanted to avert her gaze as he twisted his arms out of the shirt, but no matter how hard she tried to lower her eyes, she couldn't help staring at him as he slid the soaking wet shirt off his amazing body.
Then he started to unbutton his pants and she couldn't stop herself from saying something. "What are you doing?" she asked incredulously.
"I can't go back to my room dripping wet," he explained. "I'll leave a trail. Everyone will know what went on here. Or even worse. They might just come to the wrong conclusions."
Lucy turned her back quickly on him. "If you're going to do that, would you make it quick," she ordered.
In the mirror she saw him grin as he started to lower his pants. He wasn't wearing any underwear beneath the pants. Lucy cleared her throat noisily as she watched him slip his legs free and then he was momentarily naked.
She drew in a long, slow breath. God. He looked amazing, she told herself. There was no use denying it. He had the body of an adonis. And she could see that his arousal hadn't diminished any since he'd backed away from her in the shower.
She saw him pick up a towel from the rail and then he wrapped it around himself.
Lucy turned back to face him. "Azim. I want to explain..." she started to say, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.
"You don't need to say anything, Lucy. I shouldn't have come in here like that. It wasn't fair to either of us."
He picked up his wet clothes and put them in a basket by the door. "I'll get these later," he explained.
Then, before she had a chance to say anything, he padded barefoot out of the bathroom, leaving her gazing at herself in the mirror. She squinted at herself and frowned. She might be clean now, after the shower, she thought. But, there was one thing she knew after what had just happened.
She was no nearer understanding what she had to do about the love she felt for Azim.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"What's wrong, Azim?" Raz asked him as they stood on the long jetty that stretched out into the sea. Over Raz's shoulder, Azim could see the palace, perched high up on the edge of the cliff. They'd come down from the palace to where Raz kept his boat moored.
Azim glanced at the shape of the large white yacht, expensive and luxurious, tied up alongside them. It was big enough for a dozen people and he was sure Raz put it to good use. The way Azim felt right now, he could understand the appeal of getting away from everything by heading out to sea.
The early evening light was soft, and the cooling breeze from the sea went some way to calming Azim's nerves.
Az
im shook his head and plunged his hands into the pockets of the fresh pair of pants. "I don't know what I'm doing, Raz," Azim said.
"Lucy?" Raz asked simply.
Azim looked up at his friend. "Is it that obvious?"
Raz grinned. "Yeah. It isn't just me who's noticed. Ella said a few things to me."
"Like what?"
Raz shrugged. "What you'd expect from a woman like Ella. Sometimes I think she can read minds. She thinks you and Lucy are good for each other."
Azim's brows rose. "Is it that obvious?"
Raz nodded and grinned. "If I can see it, then it is obvious." Raz laid a hand on Azim's shoulder. "I know what you're going through, Azim. Do you remember what Ella put me through before we got married?"
Azim smiled. He recalled how Ella had come to Qazhar on behalf of a charity. She'd been determined to discover the truth about a toxic spill in the coastal regions of the border. During the course of doing that, Raz and she had fallen for each other. In a really big way. And, one thing had led to another, leading ultimately to marriage.
"Seems like I'm being put through the same torture," Azim groaned.
Raz laughed, the sound of his voice as loud as the waves rolling against the rocks at the base of the cliff. "Nice torture, though. I'm sure you'd agree," he teased.
Azim sighed heavily and shook his head. "I'm not winning this battle, though," he said. He peered into Raz's eyes. "I think once Lucy leaves here tomorrow, she'll be heading back to the States. I might never see her again. Ever."
"But I thought you two were back together again," Raz said.
Azim shook his head. "Since we were reunited, it's been like a roller-coaster. One minute I think I've won her over, the next it feels like she's a million miles away from me. Even worse, that she'd do anything to avoid being with me. I don't know what to make of it."
Raz smiled softly. "That sounds familiar," he said. "Ella made me feel just like that when we met."
