by Various
‘And I love you too.’ But Bella kept her head down for a moment, deeply humiliated that she was showing weakness yet again. Macho man was going to love this. ‘If you’re going to gloat, please go and do it from a distance. I just need a minute.’
‘What you need is a lesson in humility.’ He paused, his expression thoughtful as he studied her face. ‘You’re a surprisingly good swimmer.’
The dizziness cleared slightly. ‘I’m a good swimmer for a woman, isn’t that what you’re saying? Savour your victory while you can—I’ll beat you next time.’
‘There won’t be a next time.’ His bronzed shoulders gleamed strong and powerful under the bright sunlight. ‘Put some clothes on, Kate. And stop trying to provoke me. I won the race. You stay.’
Bella squeezed the water out of her hair. Every part of her body was tingling with awareness and it was impossible not to stare at his strong legs and board-flat stomach.
His gaze lingered on her bra, which was now little more than a transparent film.
Bella had a sudden urge to cover herself, which was ridiculous because she’d never been prudish or self-conscious about her body. She was used to being photographed from every angle, accustomed to being studied by men.
But this man was different.
Ignoring the sizzle of awareness low in her belly, she stood gracefully, instinctively exploiting the advantage she had over him. ‘Take me back to the city, Your Highness.’
She saw the sudden flare of anger in his eyes and then his hand closed around her wrist and he pulled her against him. ‘You play a very dangerous game.’ Pressed against his hard, damp body Bella felt an instant rush of chemistry. Exasperated by her response she twisted her wrist, but it was like being held in a vice.
‘Let me go. I’m not your type and you’re certainly not mine.’
His answer was to scoop her up in his arms and Bella gave a gasp of shock.
“Where do you think you’re taking me? You can’t just throw me over your shoulder like a caveman,’ she muttered, conscious of his hands on her bare thighs and trying to ignore the tiny voice in her head that said she didn’t know another man who could lift her with such ease.
He didn’t pause in his stride. ‘We’re alone in the desert, habibiti. I can do anything I please. And I intend to.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean? You’re proving you’re the Sheikh? I’ve got news for you, Your Highness—I don’t do as I’m told.’
‘Then it’s time you learned.’ Tough and unyielding, he strode into the tent and deposited her on the floor as if touching her had burned him.
‘You can’t just—’
With a warning growl he clasped her face in his hands and brought his mouth down on hers with raw, untamed hunger. As their lips collided the chemistry exploded, the sudden eruption of passion so primitive that it was like being caught in white water. Bella was swept along, her senses churning and tumbling, unable to escape the flow of searing excitement that shot through her body.
Her mouth opened under the demands of his and she felt the erotic stroke of his tongue and the pressure of his hand on her back as he pulled her against him. As their bodies touched, Bella melted. Her head swam, her knees weakened and everywhere there was heat—around her, inside her, frying her nerve endings. With a moan of desperation, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, fascinated by the strength of his shoulders and the sheer power of his masculine frame. But the biggest high came from knowing that he wanted her. He wanted her. Not Bella Balfour. It was the woman he was interested in, not the name or the family connections.
He made her feel beautiful, desirable—irresistible—and she gasped as she felt his hands on her breasts, his touch unerring as he removed her bra and dragged his thumbs over the swollen peaks.
He didn’t speak and neither did she, but their actions said everything as they feasted on each other’s mouths and savoured each fresh exploration. When his hand moved lower Bella closed her eyes, and when he finally touched her there, she shivered and buried her face in his neck, breathing in his masculine scent and savouring the roughness of his jaw with her tongue.
She was so lost in the fire he’d created that she didn’t protest when he lifted her off her feet and lowered her gently onto the mattress. His muscles bunched as he supported her weight and then he drew back slightly, scanning her semi-naked form with eyes that glittered dark with raw, masculine desire.
‘You are truly beautiful,’ he said huskily, and then he removed the last of her flimsy protection with a single confident slide of his hand. Naked, Bella felt a flicker of uncertainty but he shifted his body so that he was covering her, the movement oddly protective. Mesmerised by the startling beauty of his eyes, Bella gazed up at him and then tensed as she felt the skilled slide of his fingers touching her intimately. It was maddeningly, impossibly good and she gave a moan of disbelief and tried to say something but his mouth covered hers again, silencing her incoherent whimper. Displaying an expertise far beyond anything she’d ever experienced before, he created a storm of pleasure so intense that she felt desperate. She’d never wanted anything or anyone as much as she wanted this man. Her pelvis was burning and she shifted frantically, trying to ease the almost agonising pressure, but he refused to release her from her sensual agony.
‘Please,’ she gasped, dragging her hand down his back in an attempt to urge him closer. ‘Please…oh, please, can you just—’
His answer was to fasten his mouth over the tip of her breast and Bella moaned as another explosion of heat erupted inside her, the dark feverish pleasure almost too much to bear.
‘Please…I really need—’
He muttered something in a driven tone, looked at her with eyes blazing dark with passion and then slid a strong hand under her bottom and shifted her beneath him in a purposeful movement that brought her into contact with the powerful thrust of his erection. He was dominant and decisive, very much the controlling male, but Bella didn’t even care—all she cared about was that he do something about the desperate craving that was threatening to eat her alive.
‘Now,’ she begged frantically, and he positioned her the way he wanted her and surged into her quivering, throbbing flesh with a single smooth thrust that joined them completely.
He gave an earthy groan and dropped his head onto her shoulder, his breathing harsh and unsteady as he fought for control.
The feel of him inside her was so shockingly good that Bella couldn’t breathe or move. As he surged into her again, she dug her nails into his flesh and arched against him, moving her hips in response to the urgent rhythm he’d set. It was frenzied, fast and frantic, and almost immediately she shot into a climax so ferociously intense that she couldn’t catch her breath. Again and again he drove her to the same point and then finally, when her mind was blurred and she thought she might actually pass out, he muttered something against her mouth and gave a final thrust that sent them both slamming hard into a solid wall of sensation.
This time Bella was completely out of control, her body overwhelmed by such crazy levels of excitement that she clung to him and sobbed against his sleek skin. Even as the spasms gradually faded she didn’t let go of him. She couldn ’t let go of him. She wanted to hold him forever. In the depths of her passion-soaked brain, she felt as though everything had changed but she couldn’t identify what or why. All she knew was that they’d shared something incredible. She felt sexy, and cared for and special.
The light flooded the opening of the tent and the intense heat shimmered around them, as if the sun was smiling approval. Bella lifted her hand and touched his hair, noticing that it was almost blue-black in colour.
He must have felt her touch because he lifted his head and looked down at her. She noticed that his jaw was the same blue-black as his hair, that his lashes were long and thick and that he had beautiful cheekbones—and she saw that his deep dark eyes were blank of expression.
He was obviously as shell-shocked as she was, Bel
la thought weakly. Her hair was sticking to her neck; she felt wrung out by the heat and by the whole experience. In all the things that had gone wrong lately, this felt completely right. It was the single most thrilling moment of her life. And suddenly she was desperate for him to just hold her. That was all she wanted. A hug.
Tentatively she placed her hand on his chest, the tips of her fingers tingling as she encountered hard muscle and dark body hair. His body was incredible—all golden skin and tightly defined muscle. Glancing up at him, Bella suddenly realised that she felt shy for the first time in her life.
His eyes held hers and then he gave a brief nod of satisfaction. ‘So you are capable of being submissive,’ he drawled in a flat tone, and Bella blinked because whatever she’d been expecting him to say, it hadn’t been that.
Her bubble of pleasure popped.
Shame slid over her. What had made her think, even for a moment, that they’d shared something special? Was she so desperate for affection that she had to magic it out of nothing?
Slowly she removed her hand from his chest, trying to control her breathing, trying to look casual and not to let him see how much his comment had hurt her.
So was that what this had been about to him? An exercise in male dominance?
She’d thought they’d shared something special and all the time he’d been putting her in her place. And she’d fallen for it, hadn’t she? She’d gone along with the whole tough macho seduction routine without so much as a ‘wait a minute.’
She’d been so desperate she’d begged him.
Bella blinked furiously. Suddenly she felt frighteningly empty, emptier than ever before. ‘I’m not submissive.’ It was a struggle to keep her voice light but she was determined she was going to do it. Determined that he wasn’t going to know. ‘Just lazy. I lay on my back. You had to do all the work.’
He stared down at her for a long, disturbing moment and then rolled away from her and sprang to his feet. Everything he did was confident. Sure. Catching her first proper glimpse of his naked body, Bella stared. Wide shoulders, golden skin, long strong legs. She gazed after him hungrily as he prowled to the far side of the tent.
Away from her.
Everyone always walked away from her.
He dressed without once looking in her direction. Which was a good thing, because it meant that she could remove a stray tear without him noticing. The lump in her throat was harder to shift.
The sudden urge to talk to her twin sister almost flattened her. That wasn’t an option, was it? Not only had Olivia been banished to Australia, her sister wouldn’t have wanted to talk to her. They hadn’t spoken since the row. Since that awful night.
Bella watched him in numb silence. What had she expected? That she could fill that gap inside her with a moment of passion? Had she thought it would be something more? She was useless at relationships. All relationships.
Bella thought she wanted to be on her own and then she saw him finish dressing and realised that she really didn’t.
‘Where are you going?’ She blurted out the question before she could stop herself and he lifted his head and looked at her. For a moment they just stared at each other and then he reached for his dagger and secured it in his belt.
There was something about the cold, hard set of his profile that made her stomach quake and suddenly her insides were a mass of insecurity.
‘Did I do something wrong?’ The moment the words left her lips she wanted to drag them back in, but it was too late and she cringed as she listened to herself.
Talk about needy.
Without answering, he strode towards the opening of the tent and Bella felt the tears burn her eyes.
‘Don’t you dare just walk out on me,’ she flung at him, and he turned then—this man with whom she’d shared the ultimate intimacy—and gave her a look that froze her blood.
‘That was—’ he inhaled deeply ‘—a mistake.’
‘Finally we agree on something.’ Trying to keep her dignity, Bella reached for the thin sheet and covered herself. ‘It was your fault.’
Something flared in his eyes. ‘You could have refused me.’
‘How? You weren’t exactly taking no for an answer.’
His head jerked back as if she’d slapped him. ‘If you’d said no, I would have stopped.’
Bella’s face turned scarlet. Was she supposed to confess that she hadn’t been able to think, let alone speak? Was she supposed to confess that she hadn’t wanted to say no?
‘You’re the Sheikh,’ she said flippantly. ‘I didn’t think I was allowed to say no to you.’
‘Since when has that stopped you?’ His mouth tightened. ‘It will not happen again.’
Bella’s ego crumbled into the dust. So much for feeling sexy and wanted. So much for thinking they’d shared something special.
‘That’s fine by me,’ she snapped but she was talking to the thick, oppressive air in the tent because he’d walked out, leaving her alone.
Chapter Five
‘I’VE never had a one-night stand, Amira.’ Bella leant her forehead against the mare’s sleek warm coat and rubbed her hand gently over her back. ‘The newspapers print all those fictitious stories about me because it sells their papers and I play up to it, but if they knew how little experience I’ve had, they’d die of shock. I’m nothing like your master, who must have had quite a lot of experience if his virtuoso performance was anything to go by.’
The horse whickered softly, turned her head and nudged her gently.
‘I can’t take you for a ride,’ Bella said humbly, warmed by the animal’s response to her. ‘Remember what happened last time? I almost killed you and I’m not risking that again. I don’t care about me, but you’re really special.’ She kissed the horse and then tensed as she heard the sound of hooves from behind her. Wary, she turned and saw the Sheikh, and her tummy clenched.
Even on the horse, he looked spectacular—sleek, handsome and totally in control.
Reining in the stallion he sat still, looking at her, his hands steadying the powerful horse. Remembering how those hands had felt on her body, Bella felt an unwelcome rush of heat.
‘Nice ride, Your Highness?’ She’d pulled on her tunic again, but now she was regretting having cut it so short. For once, she wished she was covered up. Determined not to let him see how uncomfortable she felt, she made a fuss of the horse, aware that he was watching her.
‘My name is Zafiq.’
‘Ahh, and I get to use your name because we had sex, is that right? Special privileges.’
The breath hissed through his teeth and he vaulted from the horse and strolled across to her. ‘You are very flippant.’
‘Well, I’m sorry if I don’t please you, but I have no idea what to say in this situation.’ Self-conscious and angry, Bella pushed her hair away from her face, wishing she could have spent three hours being pampered in a spa before meeting him again. Facing him bare of make-up required a confidence she didn’t possess. ‘If this had happened in the city we wouldn’t have had to see each other again.’
‘This would never have happened in the city. In the city I don’t forget who I am,’ he gritted, ‘nor do I forget my responsibilities.’
‘Your life sounds like a laugh a minute.’ Bella brushed sand from her tunic. ‘I’m sorry I made you forget your responsibilities.’
There was a long protracted silence and then he sighed. ‘Don’t be. You were incredible.’
For a moment she thought she’d misheard him. She stared at a point somewhere in the centre of his chest and then slowly lifted her head to look at him, her mouth dry and her heart pounding. ‘Sorry?’
‘You have to understand that I am a very disciplined man,’ he said fiercely. ‘I am not accustomed to losing control.’
‘Really? I’m hardly ever in control. I’m more of an impulse person.’
His smile was wry. ‘That, I have no trouble believing, habibiti. You’re extremely emotional.’
‘Whereas
you are frighteningly unemotional.’ Remembering how he hadn’t touched her after sex, Bella felt her cheeks flush and turned away from him. ‘So we’re imperfectly matched, then. Having finally realised that, I suppose you’ve decided you’re finally ready to take me back to the city.’
He inhaled deeply. ‘That isn’t what I have decided.’
‘Look, this is supposed to be your week of rest and relaxation so you hardly want to be tiptoeing round an awkward situation, do you?’
‘Precisely. This is my week of relaxation, therefore I shall spend it as I please.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ She rubbed her hand over the mare’s neck. ‘What pleases you?’
‘You please me.’
Bella’s stomach tumbled and she turned her head, her eyes wide. ‘What did you say?’
‘You please me greatly. You’re extremely passionate and responsive and once you’re in my bed you stop fighting me.’ He gave a sardonic smile. ‘Therefore I intend to keep you in my bed for the rest of my time in the desert.’
‘So I’m going to be your personal harem while we’re here, is that it?’
The corner of his mouth twitched. ‘One woman does not constitute a harem, habibiti, although you certainly have enough spirit to share generously between at least ten women.’
‘Now wait just a minute—’ Flustered, her face burning, Bella backed into the horse who threw up her head and nudged her hard in the back, pushing her straight into Zafiq.
Strong hands closed around her arms, steadying her, and Bella moaned as she felt the immediate explosion of chemistry.
‘You’re not my type. I’m not your type. This goes against my better judgement.’
‘Mine too—’ his mouth hovered close to hers ‘—but I think we’ve suspended judgement at this point.’ Without warning he swung her up into his arms and Bella thumped him on the shoulder.
‘Where are you taking me?’
