“Slowly,” I whispered, withdrawing my fingers and bringing them up to my mouth. Meeting the Prince’s hot gaze, I sucked them.
He laughed and dropped his head back onto the sofa, blowing out a breath before returning to watch me with a look of helplessness in his eyes.
Smiling wickedly, I returned my fingers to her pussy and stroked her. I couldn’t believe how wet she was, and how swollen. Moving my fingers up, I brushed them over her clit, and she jerked and groaned.
I lifted her hair away from her neck and lowered my mouth there, tasting her skin and sucking gently as I continued to stroke her with my fingers. She widened her knees, giving me better access.
“Fuck.” Jasim pulled out of her, watched her tight hole close, then thrust forward in one smooth motion, burying himself deep inside her.
She gave a long, low moan, and I knew she wasn’t far from coming. I removed my fingers, though, delaying her climax until I could be sure the others were ready.
Jasim was thrusting slowly, his face creased with pleasure, and I was certain he would come as soon as the Prince gave permission.
I looked up at Kedar. The slave had tightened his fingers in Jamila’s hair, and I watched as he held her head and pushed his cock into her mouth. I could see her lips and his cock glistening with her saliva. My eyes widened as he pulled back then pushed forward again, so deep that her nose pressed against the curly thatch of hair in his groin.
“Argh!” Farah had obviously been watching too, because she couldn’t hold on any longer. Malik must have felt sorry for her and slid two fingers inside her. I watched her come, clenching her hand in his hair as she gasped out her pleasure.
The Prince tutted his disapproval, but he smiled and placed a hand on her small bump, and I was touched to see her cover it with her free hand, their fingers locking together as she rode out her climax.
As always, Alesha followed her lead and came shortly afterward, despite the Prince’s admonition to her to wait, and he sighed as she clenched around Hamal’s fingers, also burying her hand in his hair.
I watched her face crease with pleasure, and listened to her high pants of ecstasy, my muscles clenching deep inside. I longed for release myself, but I remembered the Prince’s instruction not to join in. You are mine tonight, he’d said, and that statement held enough promise to encourage me to rein in my passion.
“My wives are being exceptionally rebellious tonight,” the Prince stated good naturedly. “I can see I will need to mete out some punishment in the near future.”
Farah sighed at the thought, and I chuckled. She was always the cheeky one, constantly teasing him, although I had the sneaky feeling he enjoyed the occasional challenge.
I turned my attention back to Jamila, wanting to give her the same pleasure that the others had experienced. I had been playing with her nipples while the others were being pleasured, but now I slid my hand down her body and slipped my fingers into her folds.
She moaned around Kedar’s cock, and he groaned in response, thrusting hard into her mouth. Behind her, Jasim picked up the pace too, sliding in and out of her, his fingers digging into her hips.
I circled my fingers over her clit, loving the way the small button had swollen and was obviously so sensitive. Her breaths came in ragged pants, and I imagined the pleasure she was feeling—the slow build-up of tension in her abdomen, the spike of bliss with every stroke of my fingers, and the inexorable approach of the sensations that threatened to blow her away.
Glancing up at the Prince, I silently begged for permission, and his slow smile granted it.
Sliding two fingers inside her, I pressed the heel of my hand to her clit. Jamila thrust her hips, pushing back against Jasim’s cock, then forward against my hand, until suddenly her body stiffened.
I felt her muscles tighten around me, and then she gave a muffled cry, tensing with a series of what I knew must be exquisite pulses.
Kedar cried out, and then he too stiffened, clutching his fingers in her hair. His hips jerked, and I imagined how he must be spilling jet after jet of hot, salty come into her waiting mouth.
Behind her, Jasim too finally let himself go, and I watched him shudder and come inside her, continuing to thrust as he did so.
All three of them locked together for a few moments in a paroxysm of ecstasy, and I buried my face in Jamila’s hair, aching for a similar release.
I wanted the Prince inside me, I wanted to feel him thrust, then tighten and spill the same way Jasim had. Would he grant me that desire? Or was wishing on a star a futile, childish game that would never work?
With a grunt, Kedar pulled out of Jamila’s mouth, and behind her Jasim pulled out too. Jamila hung her head and swayed, and I put my arms around her and stroked her hair. I knew that feeling of exhaustion following absolute bliss, and I pitied and envied her at the same time.
The Prince stood and came over to us, and he helped Jamila to her feet and folded her into his arms.
The others rose somewhat shakily, got dressed, and prepared to leave. The Prince kissed Jamila and led her toward the door too, and he spent a few moments speaking to them all and saying goodbye.
I sank onto the sofa for a moment, tired and shivery with unfulfilled desire, and watched him kiss Farah and Alesha and let the others lead them and Jamila out and back to the harem.
He stopped Malik before he left and spoke to him quietly, giving him some directions before he, too, departed.
Closing the door, the Prince walked over to me.
“What did you say to Malik?” I asked, curious.
“I said that he and Hamal should return here and pleasure themselves if they wished.” He walked across to place his empty cup on the tray. “I don’t like to think of anyone leaving here unfulfilled, but I have my own desires to think of now.”
Immediately, my mouth went dry. My heart hammered too as he turned to me and held out a hand.
I rose and walked to him. “Did you enjoy your birthday gift?” I asked as he pulled me into his arms.
“I did.” He smiled. “It was unexpected and very…different.”
“You have not received pleasure yourself tonight,” I pointed out.
“Later,” he said. “There is something I want to do first.”
To my surprise, he turned and picked up a long tunic lying over a chair to one side. Returning with it, he lifted it over my head and let it fall. It must have been his, because it came almost to my feet and it was far too big. He laughed and straightened it on my shoulders. “It will have to do.”
Puzzled, I let him lead me to the door. Was he returning me to the harem? If so, why hadn’t he just let me go back with the others?
But we weren’t going to the harem. He led me along the corridor and down the stairs, walking with his usual long strides so I had to jog a little to keep up.
“Where are we going?” I whispered, clutching his hand. He seemed excited. He walked quickly, and in the moonlight that streamed through the windows his eyes were bright.
He turned, and to my shock, bent and slid an arm beneath my knees, lifting me. “We’re going stargazing,” he said, and he planted a hot kiss on my lips before exiting the building and heading out into the gardens that led across to the observatory.
Chapter Five
The night was quiet and clear, desert-cold, and I shivered in his arms as he strode across the courtyard.
“It is not far,” he murmured, holding me tightly to his chest. He looked down, amused. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this. Quite clearly, you are well aware of the location of the observatory.”
“I have not made you angry by visiting it?” I would hate to think he disliked me being there.
His eyebrows rose. “Of course not. Why would it make me angry?”
I fingered the embroidery on his tunic. “It is a place where you go for peace and quiet—I wouldn’t want you to think I had invaded that.”
“Nedira, I am thrilled to think you have been there. It pleases me ver
y much that you are interested in the stars.”
Heat spread through me at the warmth in his voice. He was glad I shared his passion. The thought thrilled me.
He carried me easily, as if I was but a pile of blankets, and I curled against him, loving the feel of his arms tight around me. He smelled divine, of sandalwood—his favorite scent, and he also smelled sweet, of raisin pastries and the rich scent of wine.
He entered the colonnade opposite our bedchambers, and walked along the corridor to the stairs that led to the observatory.
“What do you think of it here?” he asked me.
He had designed the building himself, and it always astounded me that he had created such a beautiful piece of art that was also a working observatory.
I looked up at the entranceway, a huge arch, decorated with colored glazed tiles and gold. “It is amazing.”
“I am glad you think so. It has the world’s largest sextant. It can predict eclipses, and it can calculate the hour of the rising sun and the altitude of a celestial body.” His spoke with pride as he climbed the steps.
I would have asked more, but at the top two guards stood keeping watch through the night.
They said nothing, just opened the doors for the Prince, but I saw their gazes pass over me, curious and amused.
The Prince merely said, “Good evening,” confident in his authority. I looped my arms around his neck, liking the way he tightened his arms and planted a kiss on my hair.
He crossed the large marble entrance hall and entered the doors to the outer foyer. This room was filled with desks covered with charts and figures written on thin Chinese paper. Many scholars from the local university were seated at the desks, and they all looked up, startled to see the Prince carrying a woman through the room.
He greeted them as he passed, climbed the steps, paused to let the two eunuchs standing by the doors open them, and walked into the main observatory.
One of the eunuchs smiled at me as I passed. He knew me well, as I visited here often. I tended to rise before dawn when Rasha awoke for her morning feed, and after I had settled her back down, I would come here. The scholars also knew me, and although it was unusual for a woman to be interested in such things, they were happy to let the Prince’s wife sit in the corner and read.
As always, the huge room took my breath away. Panels of Samarkand glass—famous the world over—filled a honeycomb frame that formed a large dome above our heads, exposing the night sky to our gazes. Tonight it was beautifully clear, and the dark velvet was filled with sparkling stars.
Several men were in the room, some working on the giant sextant that lay on the table in the middle, others recording figures on charts. Candles flickered, but the room was mainly lit by the nearly full moon that hung in the sky above us like a lantern.
“Please leave us,” the Prince said, lowering my feet to the floor.
They looked up in surprise, but immediately bowed when they saw whom it was. Casting me brief smiles, they exited the room, greeting the Prince as they passed.
The doors closed behind us.
The Prince met my gaze, and my heart fluttered. He smiled and held out his hand, and I placed mine into it.
Slowly, we walked around the room. The Prince paused occasionally to look down at the charts the scholars had been working on.
“They have plotted the coordinates of over a thousand stars and forty-eight constellations,” he informed me.
I could see how fascinated he was by astronomy, and how proud he was of his observatory. I could also see that he wanted to show me his achievements. He liked that I was interested.
I saw the patterns of the zodiac on one large chart and pointed them out to him. He nodded and moved to stand behind me, his body warm against mine.
“See here,” he murmured, covering my hand with his and tracing a wavy line that passed through all twelve constellations. “This is the path of the sun on the celestial sphere. We call it the ecliptic, and the constellations of the zodiac are aligned on this path.”
“That is why we say we are born under a certain sign,” I said, understanding for the first time. I traced my finger across the scorpion. “The sun must be here at the moment.”
“That’s right.” He placed a kiss on my shoulder. I was taller than his other wives, but he was still so much bigger than me. The muscles in his arms stretched the sleeves of his tunic, and he radiated strength and power.
“Thank you for my gift,” he said, caressing my hips. “I appreciate it.”
“You are welcome, my Prince. Everyone else in the harem has made you a present, too.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. We will bring them to your chamber later. We all wanted to show how much we love you.”
He turned me in his arms, and I leaned back against the table. I caught my breath—behind him, the panorama of stars was spread out like a bag of diamonds dropped onto black velvet.
“I am very blessed,” he said. His deep voice sent shivers through me.
Taking the bottom of my tunic in his hands, he lifted it, and I pushed myself off the table so he could draw it over my head. After dropping it to the floor, he placed his hands on my waist and observed me.
He studied the henna stars on my body, and traced his birth sign with his fingers. I shivered as he went from star to star, his touch light, and my nipples tightened. His lips curved, but he didn’t say anything.
After tracing the scorpion, he studied the rest of the stars—I had attempted to display as many of the constellations as I could, although I’d had to draw them from memory, and Farah had occasionally taken a bit of artistic license, so I doubted they were very accurate. Still, his face showed admiration as he obviously recognized the various shapes.
His hands returned to my shoulders, and this time they followed the curve of my figure, passing over the swell of my breasts, into my waist, and out over the flare of my hips.
“Your body has changed since giving birth,” he said.
I swallowed as nervousness rose inside me. “It displeases you?”
He looked startled. “Of course not. It fascinates me to think you have grown our child inside you, and brought it into the world.” He frowned. “Why would you think it displeases me?”
My face warmed. “You have not asked me to your bedchamber since I had Rasha.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then looked away, out of the window into the night sky. His expression suggested he was troubled.
I lifted a hand to his face and brushed his beard with my thumb. “What is it, Tash? You can tell me.” I used his name on purpose, to remind him that I was his wife, and that we shared a close bond. I wanted to understand what bothered him.
His gaze came back to me, and he tipped his head slightly, pressing his cheek into my palm. “It is not often I feel…” He hesitated. “Ignorant,” he finished.
“Ignorant?” I would never have associated him with that word.
He cleared his throat and moved away, his hands behind his back, and began pacing. “I spoke to my physician when Jamila was first pregnant. I wanted to know more about pregnancy and childbirth, but he was quite horrified. He told me that such matters were the business of women, and that it was not appropriate for me to be involved.”
“And you did as he said?” I raised my eyebrows, teasing him. “That is unusual.”
He sent me a wry look. “At the time I had much on my mind, and I did not press it further. I attempted to talk to Jamila about it, but it was clear she was uncomfortable with discussing such things with me, and I did not want to force her to do so.”
He suddenly looked quite young, and I could see his uncertainty. He had a thirst for knowledge, and he wanted to understand the process of pregnancy and childbirth, but even though in most matters he did not hesitate to impose his princely authority, in this case he was unsure of the appropriate thing to do. He did not want to upset his wives, and he would not want to press the physician if the man disapproved.
He spoke to Jamila about many things, so if she was uncomfortable discussing the process of pregnancy and birth, it would make it difficult for him to approach anyone else with his questions.
“You should have said,” I scolded him softly. “I am not uncomfortable with discussing it with you.”
His eyebrows rose, and he stopped pacing. “Truly?”
“Truly. I would—and will—answer anything you care to ask me. I believe, as you do, that knowledge is power. I am yours, Tash—every part of me, at all times. As long as it doesn’t disgust you, I am happy to talk to you about it.”
He came back to me and rested his hands on my hips again. “Childbirth doesn’t disgust me,” he said. “Why would it? It is a miracle.”
“I wasn’t sure if the notion of me having given birth was…um…a bit of a turn off.”
He laughed. “Nothing turns me off, Nedira—have you not realized that by now?”
My lips twisted. “That is true. I should have known.”
“I would have asked you to my chamber many weeks ago, but the physician said I should wait six months for you to heal.”
I blew a raspberry. “Clearly the man knows nothing.”
The Prince smiled and moved closer to me. “You are fully healed?”
“I am fine, Tash. Good as new.”
He slid a hand against my cheek. “Your body is amazing. You are amazing. I feel as if I am falling in love with you all over again.”
I met his gaze, emotion rising within me. “I am glad you still love me.”
“Of course I love you. Never, ever think that I do not.” He lowered his lips to mine.
I let him kiss me, fighting against tears of pleasure and relief at his words. He pressed up against me, and I lifted my arms around his neck and opened my mouth to his searching tongue. He tasted sweet, and I felt a delicious ache grow inside me as he held my face with his hands so he could kiss me deeply.
Moving back, he grasped his tunic at the back and drew it over his head, then dropped it to the floor. The moonlight highlighted the curves of the muscles in his arms and chest, and turned his dark hair silver. I wanted this man so badly I almost groaned, filled with an ache only he could satisfy.
The Prince's Harem Box Set: The Prince's Harem Books 1-5 Page 12
