by Susanna Carr
Nadir’s first wife had had to be hospitalized after her wedding night? Fatimah hadn’t mentioned that, and her cousin would have been eager to add that to her tall tale. There had to be something more to the story. “What are you talking about?”
Amina stopped brushing her hair and leaned forward, their eyes meeting in the mirror. “Didn’t you ever wonder why he’s called The Beast?” she asked in a low, confidential tone.
These women automatically assumed the worst of Nadir. Or were they trying to gather gossip? They wanted scandalous tidbits about her wedding night. Zoe narrowed her eyes. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
“Don’t believe a word of it,” Zoe warned the maids. “The Sheikh is a man of honor. A gentleman.”
Halima raised her hands in mock surrender. “We didn’t mean to offend.”
“We thought we should warn you,” Amina said as she resumed brushing Zoe’s hair.
Frighten her was more like it. Zoe knew she shouldn’t care. She should find it amusing or inconsequential. But she didn’t. Maybe it was because she knew how gossip could harm a person. How it could destroy a future or ruin a life.
Zoe didn’t know why she felt the need to set the women straight. She might be married to Nadir, but she hadn’t sworn her allegiance to the man. “My husband would never harm a woman,” she said with quiet certainty.
“You weren’t there that night,” Amina pointed out.
“No, but I was with him last night. I know what I’m talking about.” But did she? Right now Nadir was on his best behavior, determined to create a bond with his bride.
As a healer for the women in her tribe, Zoe had taken care of domestic abuse victims. She’d listened to the women’s stories as she tended to their wounds, but her concerns about them had fallen on deaf ears with the tribal leaders. She had also seen what went on in her uncle’s house, and learned the pattern of his moods for her own safety.
Zoe didn’t trust men in general, but she didn’t think Nadir was violent. His actions last night alone told her that. He hadn’t forced her into bed, but instead had allowed her to set the pace. A beast would take and take without consideration.
A man like Nadir would never have to raise his hand or his voice to get what he wanted.
“Don’t underestimate the Sheikh,” Amina whispered, her voice filled with foreboding. “You should have heard what Yusra’s mother said. It would curl your hair.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “This is your source? Yusra’s mother? Everyone knows that woman is a malicious gossip. I would never believe a word she said.”
“But how do you explain—?”
“I don’t have to,” Zoe interrupted Halima. “I won’t have anyone gossip about my husband, especially in my presence.”
“Zoe, are you defending my honor?” Nadir drawled in English.
Zoe whirled around, her pulse skittering wildly when she saw Nadir at the door. His dark eyes glittered and an unpredictable energy pulsed in the room. Although he was resting his shoulder against the doorframe, she knew he was not feeling casual. He was tired of waiting and was ready to claim his bride.
Nadir tried to hide the satisfaction that spread through his chest as he held Zoe’s gaze. He had not expected his new bride to defend his honor. It was more than he had hoped for.
But it didn’t mean that she was loyal or committed to him, Nadir reminded himself as he watched Zoe hurriedly dismiss the shamefaced maids. She might be one of those rare women who didn’t like gossip. Still, her response was a good start.
Or was it? She was already getting an idea of what kind of man he was. It wouldn’t be long before she discovered that he was trying to balance tradition and innovation. That he was not like the men he would one day rule.
“Don’t you know never to enter a woman’s dressing room?” Zoe asked sharply as she crossed her arms.
“I can see why. One never knows what one might learn.”
“Those maids have a tendency to repeat gossip without questioning the source. Don’t worry about them.”
“I wasn’t.” His only concern was what Zoe thought of him. She didn’t believe the rumors about his first wedding night. There had been no hesitation when she defended him.
“Why are you here?” Zoe asked after a prolonged pause.
“I was beginning to wonder where my bride was,” he said with a slow smile. “Night has fallen and the suite is empty. I was checking that you hadn’t succumbed to bridal jitters and escaped out the window.”
She gave a start. “Nonsense.”
He caught the guilty flash in her eyes. She wanted to hide. Make a run for it. She’d declared that he wasn’t a beast, but did she really believe that?
Nadir knew he had to tread lightly tonight. He needed to bind her to him, but not scare her. It required him to be romantic and charming while holding back the raw lust that whipped through him. He was determined to give Zoe the night of her life and not scare her with the intensity he felt. The very last thing he needed was a runaway bride.
“I’m sorry for the delay,” Zoe said as she reluctantly stood up. “The preparations took longer than expected.”
Nadir remained very still as he watched her slowly walk toward him. The way she looked, the way she moved, promised to fulfill his every fantasy. “The results are worth the wait,” he said softly. “You are exquisite.”
He watched Zoe blush from the compliment and sensed she wasn’t comfortable with praise. He needed to be very careful as he sweet-talked her into his bed.
“Come,” he said as he took her hand. He ignored the heat coursing through his veins from the simple touch. “Night has fallen and dinner is ready.”
Zoe didn’t think she was going to make it through the dinner without dissolving into a full panic attack. They were alone once Nadir dismissed the servants. They sat together at the low table, side by side. Her posture was rigid, her arms and legs close to her body, but somehow she kept brushing up against Nadir.
She needed something to interrupt them. Something to shatter this spell he was weaving around her.
“I haven’t heard your phone ring,” she commented. “Has everything been resolved?”
“Unfortunately, no. But I turned off the phone for the night. I will deal with business tomorrow.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “You—you turned off your phone? Why?” Why tonight of all nights?
He gave a shrug. “I didn’t want anything to intrude on our first full night together.”
Zoe’s smile froze on her face. “Good planning.” Why did he have to be so attentive? She knew most brides would be thrilled by the gesture, but she needed something—anything—to disrupt his plans of seduction.
Her husband was incredibly charming and attentive, which made Zoe even more nervous. She barely ate, was almost afraid to move in case one of the delicate straps of her negligee fell, and she was very aware of Nadir’s gaze upon her.
She wasn’t used to this kind of attention. Most of the time she had been in the background, excluded and ignored. She preferred it that way. It was safer.
But now a part of her wanted to drink in the attention. How often had she met an incredibly sophisticated and sensual man? If she had met him under different circumstances, like at a nightclub or at a coffeehouse, she would have flirted back.
But this was Jazaar, and if Nadir found out she wasn’t a virgin he could end this marriage with incredible ease. She knew she had to keep her distance, but her wall of icy politeness began to crack as he regaled her with stories of his travels. The man knew exactly how to lower her guard.
She understood he was a man of the world, but he was constantly surprising her with his insights. Educated in the best schools in America, Nadir was well-read and informed. Zoe discovered he had an adventurous spirit and some very modern ideas for Jazaar. She didn’t always agree with his opinions, and was tempted to voice her ideas, but she still bore the scars from the last time she’d questioned a Jazaari male.
As sh
e watched him drink from his glass goblet, Zoe wondered not for the first time why he had accepted marrying someone like her. He could have had any woman in the tribe. Why had Nadir agreed to her?
She was not in his league. It had to do with more than just social status. This man knew how to seduce a woman. One kiss and she forgot everything. He knew it, too, so what was holding him back now?
When they were shopping in Omaira Nadir had gotten his way every time—and that was when he was on his best behavior. Zoe wondered how he would act if he faced a real obstacle. She always felt she would know a man’s true character when he faced pressure. Her uncle had lashed out. Musad had placed her in the line of fire and ran. What would Nadir do?
She watched him pluck a grape from the fruit platter. Zoe was sure this man never had a clumsy moment. Her skin heated as she remembered how those big, masculine hands felt when he caressed her body.
“Taste this,” he said as he offered her the grape.
Zoe pressed her mouth closed for a moment, but she knew declining would be useless. She shyly parted her lips as Nadir slid the dark purple fruit in her mouth. She closed her mouth as he stroked her lips with his thumb. The juicy grape burst in her mouth just as she saw the lust in his dark eyes.
She swallowed hard as hot desire sparked and showered inside her. Her eyelashes fluttered as she tried to hide her feelings, but it was no use. Nadir lowered his head and brushed his mouth against her lips.
The kiss was soft. Gentle. It was like the flutter of a butterfly’s wing grazing her mouth. Nadir pulled away slightly and her lips clung to his for a moment. The unexpected sweetness pierced her, and she almost didn’t want to move in fear of ruining the moment. Nadir waited silently for her to return the kiss.
Zoe turned her head abruptly. What was wrong with her? She’d expected an aggressive sensual assault, but Nadir had caught her off guard. She didn’t know how to confront tenderness. The man wasn’t a beast, but he was as sly as a fox.
She had to take control immediately. Set the pace for the night. She needed to act like a scared virgin for one more night. It would require a balancing act: she could not let things go too far and she must keep him from getting too frustrated.
Zoe stared at the dinner table, her eyes wide as her mind whirled with strategies. Her gaze focused on the fruit platter. “You should try one,” she said hoarsely as she plucked a grape. She held it up to him and stalled, belatedly realizing that she would have to feed him.
It was a simple act, but the gesture of feeding him was too intimate. It held too much symbolism if the look in Nadir’s eyes were anything to go by.
Nadir wrapped his fingers around her wrist and guided her hand to his mouth. His hold was gentle but firm. Zoe didn’t like the way he took control, but she couldn’t do anything but watch.
She frowned as he ignored the grape in her hand and lightly kissed her knuckles. If he felt the gradual tension in her fingers he didn’t comment. Instead he grazed the edge of his teeth against the tip of her little finger.
Zoe didn’t know if the sharp nip was a warning not to play games. He caught her next finger between his lips and suckled the tip. She struggled for her next breath as she felt the erotic pull deep within her.
Startled, she dropped the grape and let it roll onto the floor. She didn’t yank her hand away; she didn’t even try as she fought off the sting in her nipples and the heavy ache low in her hips.
She saw the gleam in his eyes. He knew how she was responding despite her attempts to hide it. He knew her body better than she did.
That scared her. She had to stop this. Stop him before he took over completely.
“Nadir?” she said, her voice rough as she tugged her hand. To her surprise, she easily broke from his hold.
Nadir leaned closer, his hands on either side of her, his muscular arms trapping her where she sat. He nestled his face in the crook of her neck. She curled her shoulder to fend him off, but she was too late.
She closed her eyes and swallowed roughly as he placed a trail of kisses along the length of her neck. She understood he was changing tactics, that tonight he was going slowly to lull her into submission. She should feel relieved that she wouldn’t face the full brunt of his power, but this brand of seduction played havoc with her senses.
“Nadir …” She stifled a gasp as he placed a soft, gentle kiss against the sensitive spot under her ear. “We … we should—”
“Yes,” he whispered against her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin. “We should.”
He captured her mouth with his. His touch was a tender exploration. He leisurely bestowed small kisses from one corner of her lips to the other. By the time he darted his tongue along the seam of her mouth she automatically parted her lips and let him in.
Nadir cradled her head in his hands and deepened the kiss. The care in which he held her, the reverence in the kiss … it sparked something inside Zoe. She glided her hands up his chest and rested her fingertips against the broad column of his throat. She felt the beat of his pulse quicken as she hesitantly returned his kiss.
Her world slowly centered on his mouth. Their breaths mingled as he drew her tongue past his lips. There was something revealing about his kisses. He desired her, but he longed for her trust. He wanted her to surrender, cling to him, but that could never happen.
Nadir slid his hand down her shoulder and against her back. She didn’t notice that he’d lowered her onto the pillows until her spine rested against cool silk. She tensed and Nadir tried to soothe her with the stroke of his hands.
Zoe was tempted to pull back and slow down, but they were only kissing. Their clothes were still on and they were nowhere near the bed. But she felt close to the danger zone, the point of no return.
She wouldn’t let this slow seduction get too far, Zoe decided, as she speared her hands through Nadir’s thick hair and drew him closer. The sound of his muffled groan thrilled her and a heady mix of power and pleasure swirled inside her.
This was how a kiss should be. Two people yielding to each other. Trusting and accepting. Zoe felt as if Nadir shared a little of his soul with each kiss, while stealing a little of hers.
She felt his fingers tremble as he curled them underneath her negligee strap. Her heart skipped a beat. Did he feel the same addictive excitement? Was he also struggling between accepting and resisting? Or was his restraint slipping?
Nadir pushed one strap down her shoulder and splayed his hand over her bare breast. His touch was undeniably possessive. Her tight nipple rasped against his palm. She arched against his hand, biting back a cry of pleasure.
Zoe saw the feral glow of passion in Nadir’s eyes before he banked it. Trepidation trickled down her spine but it immediately disappeared as he laved his tongue against the tip of her breast.
A long moan was torn from her throat. Zoe clenched the back of Nadir’s skull as a streak of white heat suffused her body. He teased her with his mouth and fingers and the slow fire inside her burned brighter.
Her breasts felt tight and heavy and a fierce ache radiated in her pelvis. The sound of her panting filled the air. Nadir slowly hitched up her negligee and skimmed his hand along her leg. When he boldly cupped her sex she bucked eagerly against his hand.
Zoe’s mind shut down the moment Nadir pressed his finger against her slick clitoris. Tingling heat coiled inside her, winding tighter and tighter with each stroke of Nadir’s finger. When he dipped his finger into her wet heat, she writhed under his masterful touch.
“That’s it, Zoe,” Nadir said roughly as he watched her chase the pleasure.
Satisfaction, warm and delicious, rippled from her core through her body. She tried to hold on to the beautiful moment and savor the pure sensation for as long as possible.
She went limp and sagged against the pillows. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she tried to catch her breath. She didn’t hear the rustle of clothing. Her heart jolted, her muscles tightened when Nadir nudged his knee between her legs and settled in t
he cradle of her thighs.
Zoe shook her head as she tried to form words. “I’m not … I can’t …” She felt the tip of Nadir’s arousal press against the folds of her sex. Her traitorous body still pulsed with aftershocks and eagerly accepted him.
Nadir surged into her and stilled. Zoe saw him squeezing his eyes shut and the clench of his jaw. The muscles bunched in his cheek as his arms shook.
Zoe didn’t think she could handle any more of this slow and gentle lovemaking. She instinctively tilted her hips, drawing him in deeper. Nadir tossed back his head and it was as if his restraint snapped. She felt the rumble of his moan deep in his chest before he sank into her.
She had never felt like this before. Wild sensation built inside her with each forceful thrust. It burned hotter and brighter, searing through her, scorching her mind and pressing against her skin, threatening to burst. The satisfaction Nadir gave her was ferocious.
She wrapped her arms around him and held on to him tightly, her breasts flattening against his chest, her legs winding against his hips. She clung to him, knowing that if she shattered into a million pieces Nadir would hold her together.
The red-hot climax ripped through her as Nadir drove into her with abandon. He growled low in her ear. Zoe tipped her head back, her mouth sagged open, but no sound came as she rode out the intense pleasure.
She couldn’t get enough of each savage thrust and mindlessly followed his untamed rhythm. She gulped for air, inhaling the scent of hot, primitive male. Her core pulsed and clenched around him. Nadir’s muscles rippled and tightened beneath her hands. With one powerful thrust he gave a gruff cry and found his release. She felt the tautness of his body before his arms collapsed and he toppled onto her.
Silence immediately descended in the room. All she heard was hoarse, jagged breathing. She gradually became aware of the heavy tension surrounding them. The moment of pure bliss evaporated as Zoe reluctantly opened her eyes.
Her seductive lover had transformed into a dangerous man. She saw the anger and menace in his glare. He pinned her to the floor, his body still joined with hers.
