This kiss was even better than the first one, which she hadn’t thought possible. And she’d been reliving it enough times to remember it in exquisite detail. This time she knew enough not to be so nervous. When his lips brushed back and forth against hers, she softened her mouth to accommodate him. Tiny shivers began low in her stomach and moved outward until her toes curled in her teal-colored pumps. She felt both hot and cold at the same time.
There was too much to take in, she thought, not sure if she should concentrate on the way his strong hands held her so close and so tenderly or if she should focus on the incredibly erotic movement of his lips. Before she could make up her mind, she felt his tongue brush against the seam of her mouth. She parted instantly to admit him, nearly whimpering in anticipation of the pleasure that was to come.
His tongue slipped into her mouth. It was as if the contact between their tongues had a direct line to her breasts and that secret place between her legs. Both began to tingle in a way she’d never experienced before. She pressed her thighs tightly together but that didn’t help alleviate the sensation. If anything, it made the feeling more intense. She had the strong sense of wanting something, but didn’t know what that was.
Even as his tongue continued to dance with her, lighting tiny fires all through her, he began to move his hands up and down her back. Suddenly the cropped shirt and low-slung pants, which she’d felt so awkward about wearing just a couple of hours before, offered all kinds of possibilities. When his fingers trailed below her top to brush against bare skin, she exhaled suddenly and gave a small cry of pleasure.
He stroked her skin slowly and gently, rubbing along her spine. With his other hand he circled around to her front and teased her belly button.
Heidi jumped, then laughed. “What are you doing?” she asked.
Jamal grinned. “Nothing.”
“That wasn’t nothing. You were tickling me.”
“Didn’t you like it?”
He was so close that she could see the various shades of brown, black and green that made up his dark irises. His tanned skin looked smooth from a recent shaving, although she could see the line where the stubble would start later in the day.
Not sure it was allowed, not sure if she had the courage, she slowly reached up and pressed her palm against his cheek. He turned into her touch and pressed a kiss against her palm.
“Who are you, Honey Martin?” he asked, his voice low and husky. “What are you doing in my life?”
She smiled slightly. “I don’t know.”
“What will I do with you now that I have you?”
Another shiver rippled through her. “Do you have me?”
“Not yet, but I think I will.”
She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. It was so grown-up and flirty and sexy, and she never wanted it to end. She loved how being in Jamal’s arms made her feel. It didn’t matter that she felt unsure of what to do, or awkward about putting a foot wrong. So far he hadn’t seem to notice her trepidation or her innocence. Thank goodness.
He lowered his mouth again. This time she parted her lips as soon as their lips touched. He cupped the back of her head, as if holding her still, then plunged inside of her. She wanted him plunging into her. She brushed against him, then followed him back to his mouth and did the same to him.
The heat inside of her increased as did the strange tension. When he touched her belly button again, it didn’t tickle anymore. Instead, the shivering increased and that place between her legs seemed to swell and tighten.
His fingers trailed up her bare belly to the bottom of her fitted shirt. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat in anticipation. Was he going to stop there, or was he going to keep going? Her nipples swelled. She felt a dull ache that was more pleasure than pain, but still uncomfortable.
Oh, please, she thought as he continued to move higher and higher. She couldn’t think about their kissing, couldn’t respond to anything but his touch. Closer…closer…
His hand closed over her left breast. He cupped the virgin curve, holding it gently. Pleasure rippled through her with an intensity that nearly made her weep. She hadn’t known touching like this could be so incredible. Without thinking she clamped her lips around his tongue and sucked. Jamal responded by taking her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, then gently rubbing the tight bud.
A small explosion of intense perfect pleasure filled her chest. Between her legs she felt a sudden spurt of wetness. This couldn’t be really happening to her. Why hadn’t she known all this was possible? She was drowning, and it was the best experience of her life.
Jamal pulled his hand away and broke their kiss. She wanted to grab his fingers and put them back on her, but she wasn’t sure that was allowed.
“Thank you,” he said.
“What?”
Before she realized what he was doing, he’d helped her up into a sitting position, then eased her off his lap.
“I don’t understand,” she said, sitting next to him rather than risking a standing position. Between her quivering thighs and her high heels, she was a fall waiting to happen.
He cupped her face, then briefly kissed her mouth. “I need to get back to the palace,” he said.
“You’re leaving?” He was leaving? But…but…weren’t they going to kiss anymore? Although she wasn’t about to ask that question. “Um, what about lunch?”
“I didn’t come here for lunch,” he told her as he got to his feet. “I came here to see you.”
“Oh.” What on earth was she supposed to say to that? “Will I see you again?”
“Of course.” He kissed her forehead, then rose to his feet. Before she knew what was happening, he was gone.
Heidi stared after him, then kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot to the floor-to-ceiling windows. From there she could see the street below. Several minutes later a silver Lamborghini pulled out and started moving in the direction of the palace.
“Now what?” she asked herself, more confused than ever.
The plan was working. Jamal was attracted to Honey—his kiss proved that. And what a kiss! She pressed her fingers to her lips, which were still swollen. He’d made her feel things she’d never felt before. He’d touched her in ways no one else ever had—and she’d liked it. She’d wanted more.
Except…
Heidi sighed and turned away from the windows. Except Jamal was interested in a woman who wasn’t his wife. Sort of. She was the other woman, but he didn’t know that, so he was cheating on her…with her.
“I can’t figure out if I’ve made progress or messed up the entire process,” Heidi said to herself as she headed for the bedroom where she would change back into her normal clothes.
Still, his passionate response gave her hope. He wasn’t completely caught up in the past. At least she hoped he wasn’t. Maybe he’d been faking the whole thing. Maybe—
“Stop it,” she said aloud as she moved into the large marble bath off the master bedroom. “He kissed you, you liked it. End of story.”
For now she would stop speculating, at least until she had more information. One thing was sure—this secret-life stuff sure made for an interesting afternoon, she thought with a smile. And she’d married a man who knew how to kiss. All in all, it had been a very nice day.
Three days later Heidi sat on her bed in the palace and studied the papers in front of her. Usually she was able to concentrate on her work with no problem, but lately she was having a little trouble. She wasn’t sure how much of the cause was her new location and how much was her changing relationship with her husband.
She put down her copies of the ancient documents. She hadn’t wanted to carry the fragile papers across the palace and keep them in her room. But her current situation didn’t let her work in her office. After all, she wanted to be available to talk with Jamal if he called “Honey,” and the private phone Fatima had arranged only rang in her dressing room. They’d discussed putting an extension in her office, but Heid
i had been afraid there would be too many questions. After all, why would her work require a private line that didn’t go through the office receptionist?
So here she was, working on her bed instead. She felt as if she was back in high school waiting for a boy she had a crush on to call. Well, she’d never had a crush on a boy in high school, mostly because she hadn’t known many. Her all-girls boarding school had been strict with its policy of fraternization between the genders. But she imagined this is how it must have been for other women living through that time. She had trouble concentrating on anything but the call. When the phone rang, she got all fluttery inside, and after he called, she couldn’t stop smiling.
At least Jamal had been playing into her fantasies by phoning every day. And they had another lunch date at the end of the week. This time he’d promised to actually stay and eat food. Although the way her nerves were firing at the thought of being with him again and maybe kissing him, she wasn’t sure she would be able to choke down a meal. But he hadn’t called yet that day, so she was stuck working in her bedroom.
One nice thing that had happened out of all this was that she’d learned to—
“What are you doing here?”
Heidi glanced up then jumped when she saw Jamal had entered her bedroom. She looked around guiltily to make sure she hadn’t left out any “Honey” clues.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Just working.”
“In your bedroom? Don’t you like your office?”
He lounged in the doorway of the bedroom, a tall, handsome man in a perfectly tailored suit. The gray material emphasized the gleaming darkness of his hair, while his white shirt made his tan seem deeper.
She’d always thought he was nice-looking, but now that she knew how it felt to be in his arms, to have his hand on her breast, she found herself responding even more strongly than usual. Her heart rate increased, and if she’d been standing, she would have felt a definite weakness in her knees.
“The office is very nice,” she said, answering his question and hoping she didn’t sound too stupid.
“So why are you working here?”
She glanced toward her dressing room and prayed the secret phone wouldn’t ring. Then she remembered that if Jamal was standing in front of her, he wasn’t about to be calling his mistress.
So why was she working here? Heidi hadn’t expected him to come looking for her, so she didn’t have an excuse prepared. She also wasn’t much of a liar, so she would have to think quickly.
“I, um, really like, the um, view,” she said feebly. “You know, the ocean and all that. It, uh, helps me think.”
Jamal took a step toward her, then glanced around. “Heidi, your window faces the garden.”
She looked to her left and saw that he was right. Argh! “Oh, not in here,” she amended. “When I need a break, I walk into the living room and look from there.”
Feeble, she thought to herself. That was one pitiful excuse.
He didn’t say anything for a long time. Then he shrugged in what she hoped was confused acceptance of her tale.
“I have something for you,” he said, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a computer disk. “Do you remember that general you were talking about? The one who was away from his pregnant wife?”
Heidi put down her papers and sat up straighter. “Of course. I’ve been through dozens of documents, but I can’t find anything more about him.”
He waved the disk at her. “Turns out the defense department has been interested in preserving El Baharian history as well. They’ve already started a computerized archive file for historical military figures. Your general is in the database.” He smiled and held out the disk.
“I can’t believe it,” Heidi said.
“You should. He did make it home to see his wife and was there for the birth of the first of his eight sons. In fact, his oldest granddaughter married a prince of the royal family. I don’t have all the details yet, but I suspect he’s a distant relative.”
She didn’t know what to say. His warm, caring gesture touched her deeply. Not only that he remembered what they’d talked about, but that he’d taken the time to find out the information.
“Thank you,” she said sincerely as she took the disk and turned it over in her hands. “You’re very thoughtful, and I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. I was happy to do that for you.”
A strange light entered his eyes. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but it made her think of their kisses from a few days before. She wondered how shocked he would be if she threw herself at him and begged him to do it again. Except it wouldn’t be “again” for him because he thought he’d been kissing someone else.
“You might want to talk to the historian in the defense department,” he continued. “I suspect you’ll have places where you overlap. You might be able to help each other.”
“I’ll do that.”
She bit her lip, not sure what else to say. Jamal hovered by the side of her bed as if he was ready to leave at any moment.
“Do you have to go back right away?” she asked nervously. “I mean, I could order coffee or something. Unless you’re busy.”
“I’m not so busy,” he said and startled her by taking a seat on her bed. The mattress dipped under his weight, and she felt herself sliding toward him.
He was close enough that she could feel the heat of him. She liked that. She also liked the way he smelled—so clean and masculine. She didn’t think he wore any kind of aftershave. Instead, the scent was his alone. Heidi smiled at the thought that she could probably recognize her husband in the dark, simply by sniffing.
“How are you adjusting to being back in El Bahar?” he asked.
His question was so at odds with what she’d been thinking that it took her a minute to gather her thoughts together enough to answer.
“I love it,” she said simply. “It’s where I’ve always wanted to be.”
He flashed her a smile. “No complaints about the heat?”
She laughed. “I have a college friend who came from Arizona. She always complained about the summer humidity in the East. When we pointed out that it was even hotter where she was from, she went on about how it was a ‘dry heat,’ as if that made a difference.”
“We have a dry heat here.”
“Exactly,” Heidi said with a giggle. “But a hundred and twenty degrees is still really hot, dry or not. It’s going to take me a while to adjust. But I will.”
“We talked about you riding with me. I leave about an hour before sunrise. Would you like to accompany me?”
“I’d love it. I used to ride in the summer when I was younger. My grandfather would take me.”
“Good. We’ll pick a day.” He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I always forget how alone in the world you are. You don’t have anyone but me, do you?”
“I have friends,” Heidi said quickly, not sure if he was being nice or feeling sorry for her. “And the king and Fatima have been very good to me since my grandfather died.”
His dark eyes seemed to see into her soul. “You lost your parents when you were very young, didn’t you?”
“I was four. I don’t really remember them,” she admitted. “They were killed while on safari in Africa. Their Jeep was swept away in a flash flood. Grandfather came home immediately. The first memory I have of him is when he walked into the house calling my name.” She smiled at the recollection. “I’d been staying with neighbors until he could arrive. I think he’d been in China. Anyway, he called until I finally showed myself. He was so big and tall, with a long coat and fierce black eyes.”
The past seemed to close in on her, but all the memories were good ones, and they made her feel safe.
“I stood in the doorway, but I was too afraid to say anything. He turned and saw me. He announced that he’d come halfway around the world to collect his granddaughter. That she was the only one he would have done that for. Which, he said, made
me very special.”
Her throat tightened with remembered emotion. “He crouched down then and held out his arms. When I hesitated, he smiled. It was the most loving, welcoming smile I’d ever seen. He told me that if I would take a step of faith and trust him, he would never ever let me go.”
Jamal lightly traced the length of her arm. She felt the concern in his touch, even through the material of her sleeve. “He kept his promise.”
“Yes, he did. He bought a house and made my room into a little girl’s paradise. I think I had every doll ever made. When I wasn’t in school, we traveled the world together.”
She thought about all the places he’d taken her and how he’d proudly introduced her as the best, most beautiful granddaughter in the world.
“When I was about twelve, we both agreed I would do better in a boarding school. I was reaching that awkward age girls have when we really need a female figure in our lives. Plus, I knew he wanted to spend his life finding adventures, not living in the suburbs. But we still had our summers.”
“Sounds like you were grown-up for someone so young.”
“I tried to be.” She glanced at Jamal and shrugged. “The one thing I didn’t realize until he was gone was how hard it must have been for him when his only son died. I was only four, so I guess it was fairly easy for him to hide his grief, but not even once did he let me know he was suffering. I always believed I was the center of his universe.”
“He was a good man,” Jamal said. “I know he greatly helped our country during the Second World War.”
Heidi nodded. “He told me stories, as did your father.”
“We have that in common,” he said. “My grandfather was a lot like Edmond. He gave much to his family.”
He took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. “There were many reasons I didn’t resist my father’s suggestion that you and I marry. I knew you would be comfortable living in El Bahar. You understand the customs and have a love for the people. You’re intelligent and funny, and you have a wonderful ability to make the crown prince squirm.”
The Sheik's Arranged Marriage Page 12
