Desert Rogues Part 2 (29 page)

His heart stopped for a full second, then resumed at a thundering pace. His body heated as blood raced down to his groin. He was instantly hard and ready to take.

Emma was in his bed.

R
eyhan told himself to leave, to back out of the room before she awoke. As much as he wanted her, he couldn't have her. Not now, not ever. But he couldn't move. The passion was too strong. He could only stand in place and drink in her beauty.

He must have made a sound, or perhaps she sensed his presence, because she stirred, turned over then opened her eyes.

“Reyhan?” she asked, her voice sleepy. She pushed her hair out of her face and raised herself on one elbow. “What time is it?” She glanced at the clock, then back at him. “I've only been asleep for a couple of seconds. I thought…” She blinked. “Wait. What are you doing here?”

“This is my room.”

“What?” She glanced around. “Oh.” Her breath caught. “
Oh!
Right. I, ah, I had dinner with the king and your family and while we were eating someone came and told him that a pipe had broken in my suite. So he said he would put me somewhere else. Which turned out to be here. I thought it was weird, but it was late and I figured I would just stay here until morning, then straighten it out. I didn't think you'd be back tonight.”

Of course she didn't. He hadn't told her when he would return. But he'd told his father who had most likely arranged for him to find Emma sleeping in his bed. While he was curious as to why his father wanted to tempt him with Emma, he was more concerned about the temptation itself. He had to get out of here before he said or did something he would regret. Before he gave in to the hunger consuming him.

“I'm sorry,” she said, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest. “I should have said something right away. I can go find somewhere else to sleep.”

She started to climb out of the bed. He caught a glimpse of semitransparent fabric and sensuous curves.

“Don't,” he said, turning away and staring blindly out the French doors. “Just stay there. I'll leave.”

“But this is your room.”

“Tonight it is yours.”

Tonight and always, he thought, knowing he would never forget seeing her there. In the morning, when she was gone, he would haunt the rooms, searching for some hint of her presence, some clue that she'd been there at all.

“How were your meetings?” she asked.

“They went well.”

“Did you really have to go, or were you just avoiding me?”

The softly worded question surprised him. The Emma he remembered would never have been so bold. He returned his attention to her and found her sitting cross-legged, staring at the sheets.

“I was avoiding you, but not for the reasons you think.”

Her chin lifted and her eyes widened. “I don't understand.”

Perhaps it was the night. Perhaps it was the ache inside of him, an ache that grew and fed on his soul. Perhaps it was the hint of sweetness in the air, the scent of which could only come from Emma. Perhaps it was madness. Regardless of the reason, he decided to speak the truth.

“I cannot be around you without wanting you,” he said. “Rather than give in, I went away.”

Understanding dawned slowly. The soft light of the moon didn't allow him to see her blush, but he imagined it. She swallowed, then shrugged.

“Oh. I, ah…” She cleared her throat. “You mean sex.”

Her acceptance nearly made him smile. He wasn't sure if she was trying to act casually or if she was truly unsurprised by his admission. What had she learned in their six years apart and who had been her teacher?

“I prefer to think of it as making love, but, yes.”

She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I guess it's a guy thing,” she said. “I never understood all the fuss.”

He did his best not to react to her words, not to hope too much. “Your lovers have not pleased you?”

Her nose wrinkled. “I've sort of avoided the whole man-in-my-bed thing. It's not my style.”

Two warring thoughts invaded his brain and produced two very different reactions. First was pleasure and relief that she hadn't been with anyone else. That she was still only his. The second was stung pride that he hadn't satisfied her when they'd been together. He knew now that he'd been too intent on his own release, on claiming her over and over. He hadn't taken the time to pleasure her.

“Not that it's your fault,” she said, interrupting his internal battle. “I was too young. We went from kissing, to, well, you know, too fast for me. You were right about what you said before, that I wanted a schoolgirl's courtship with kisses and presents.”

So hard that he thought he might explode, Reyhan forced himself to walk to the chair close to the bed and sit down.

“You were a virgin,” he told her. “That fault lies with me. I was young and eager to take my bride. Too eager.”

She ducked her head again. “Yes, well, it happens.”

“It should not have happened that way. The women I had been with before had been older and more experienced. They had been the teacher and I the student. With you…” He clenched his teeth. “I should have been more patient, more understanding. I should have seduced you with slow kisses and soft touches. Only when you were begging for more should I have taken you.”

A shudder rippled through her body. “That sounds nice,” she whispered.

The slight quaver in her voice told him she was not unaffected by his words. The knowledge nearly propelled him to his feet and across the room to the bed. What would happen if he slid in beside her? Would she welcome him? Want him? Respond to him? Every cell in his body screamed for him to find out.

No! He could not. He knew the price of being with her again. A single moment of exquisite pleasure followed by a lifetime of wanting what he could not have. Better to not have her at all.

He forced himself to stand but not approach, and nearly shook with the intensity of his feelings. “Good night, Emma,” he said as he turned away. “Sleep well.”

“Reyhan, wait.”

A rustle of sheets told him she had slid out of the bed. Her footsteps made no noise on the thick carpet but he
felt
her approach.

His blood boiled, his erection throbbed. It was more than he could bear and yet he did not turn around. He would not do this. No matter how much resisting cost him.

“Before,” she whispered, her voice low and husky. “When you kissed me. It was different.”

He thought of her passion, of how she'd clung to him, demanding as much as he. They'd fit together perfectly. Everything about her had called to him, yet he'd forced himself to pull back.

“It
was
different,” he agreed.

“I'm not that child anymore.”

Five simple words—an invitation to paradise.

He heard them and was nearly afraid to believe.

It doesn't matter, he told himself desperately. Taking her now, making love with her, would be a disaster. How would he let her go? How would he marry someone he didn't care about and live with her for the rest of his life? What of his future, his plans? What of being strong?

What of Emma?

Without thought, he turned slowly and stared at her. She stood only a few feet away, naked except for the diaphanous silk nightgown skimming her curves. Her long auburn hair tumbled over her shoulders; the curling ends lightly teased the tops of her breasts. Her eyes were bright, her lips slightly parted, her breathing rapid.

He told himself he could still resist her, and he nearly believed himself. Until she walked closer, raised herself on tiptoe and pressed her mouth to his.

The soft, gentle, chaste pressure undid him. It was as if the savage beast inside had been set free to prey upon the world. He grabbed her and pulled her close, wanting to touch everywhere at once. As his mouth settled on hers, he rubbed her back, her hips, then her fanny. He could feel the smoothness of her skin under the thin gown, but it wasn't enough. He needed more.

Tilting his head, he swept his tongue across her lower lip. When she parted for him, he plunged inside, stroking, exploring, needing. At the same time he tugged on the fabric of her gown, pulling it higher and higher until it bunched in his left hand. With his right, he stroked the now-bare skin of her hips, then slid up her back. She shivered and wrapped her arms around him.

He ground himself against her, rubbing his arousal against her belly. She flexed into him and moaned softly.

He let the nightgown fall back to her ankles and raised his hands to her shoulders. The thin straps slid down easily. He moved from her mouth to her jaw, then her neck, tasting her skin, licking, sucking, nip-ping. He bathed her long, slender neck with sensual attentions that made her shudder and cling to him. He bit her shoulder, then licked the wound.

The silk clung to her breasts, but one quick tug drew the fabric over her tight nipples so that it fluttered to the floor. Then she was naked.

Torn between looking and touching, he bent down and took her nipple in his mouth. He circled his tongue around the hard peak and she groaned her pleasure. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and the other around his neck. Her fingers tunneled through his hair.

“Reyhan,” she breathed. “It's too good. All of it.”

Her words were like icy water thrown in his face. Reality crashed in on him as he realized what he was doing. Taking her hard and fast. They weren't even in bed. He was still fully dressed. Had he learned nothing?

Reyhan swore under his breath, which didn't bother Emma nearly as much as when he stopped what he'd been doing. He straightened, leaving her nipples damp and achy. Everywhere he'd touched, she burned. Tension tightened her muscles and made her tremble. She didn't even mind that she was naked—not as long as he kept touching her.

“I'm sorry,” he breathed.

She stared at him, at his dilated dark eyes and the firm set of his mouth. “For what? I liked it.”

One corner of his mouth pulled up in a smile. “I'm glad you liked it but my plan was to seduce, not take.”

“Taking works. Really.”

“That is because you haven't been seduced. Come. I will show you the difference.”

He led her to the bed and urged her to lie down. While she made herself comfortable, he quickly stripped out of his clothes, leaving only the briefs covering his arousal. Her interest in the long, hard bulge dissipated when he slid in next to her and pulled her close.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered into her ear right before he took the lobe between his teeth and nibbled.

Shivers rippled across her skin.

“You're soft,” he continued as he kissed below her ear, then down her throat. One of his hands lightly stroked her belly.

“The scent of your skin drives me wild with passion. I ache to be inside of you. Filling you slowly, deeply, until your pleasure makes you scream your delight.”

Scream? She didn't consider herself the type. But under the circumstances, she was willing to give it a try. Just the feel of his hand on her belly made her want to squirm. Up or down, she thought as he kissed her jaw. He needed to move that hand either up or down. Having it right there in the middle was making her crazy.

“The color of your nipples,” he whispered. “Like a fully ripe peach. Open your eyes.”

The unexpected request took a second to sink in. Emma opened her eyes and saw Reyhan lean over her breasts. As she watched, he touched the tip of his tongue to the tip of her left nipple. The combination of seeing and feeling was the most erotic experience of her life. She cried out in delight.

He circled her nipple, then drew it fully into his mouth. The gentle sucking had her arching against him. At the same time, his hand finally dipped south, slipping through her curls and between her legs.

She parted for him, catching her breath as he rubbed against her slick center.

This was nothing like before, she thought as tension filled her body. She ached with every fiber of her being. When he shifted his fingers slightly and found a single spot of pleasure, she nearly rose off the bed.

“Reyhan,” she breathed. “Don't stop.”

Thankfully, he didn't. He continued to touch her, stroking her, teasing, circling, as he worshiped her breasts. The combination made her mind go blank, her legs go limp and her breathing come in fast pants. She couldn't bear herself enough to him. She wanted to be more naked, more exposed, more intimate.

Her wish was granted when he shifted so that he knelt between her legs and kissed his way down her belly. Part of her suspected what he was going to do while the rest of her couldn't believe it was really happening. She'd heard…she'd read…but before, he'd never…

He kissed her between her legs—an openmouthed kiss that made her tremble. Tension exploded inside of her as muscles tensed and collected. He found that one spot and licked it over and over until all she could do was dig her heels into the mattress and clutch the sheets with her hands. She tossed her head from side to side, tried to catch her breath, then gave up air completely as her release claimed her.