Desert Rogues Part 2 (45 page)

She laughed. “That I can't figure out what you're doing with me. I saw the magazine articles and the type of women you usually date. They're gorgeous. Movie stars and divas and daughters of really, really rich men.”

“I see. And you do not consider yourself like them?”

“I can hold my own.” Sort of. “It's just weird.”

“Two nights ago you accused me of being ‘weirded out' about your past. You have a fondness for the word.”

She sighed. “See. I can't even speak correctly.”

He kissed her fingers, which made her heart do the happy dance.

“You do extremely well. I am delighted to be with you and honored by your presence.”

“Jeez, do you know how to get the girls or what?”

“You doubt my sincerity.”

“Not at all. I'm just trying to keep up.”

“This is not a competition, and my world is not all you think it to be. I was sent away to a British boarding school when I was nine years old. At seventeen, I went to America, to college. My brother, Reyhan, had made the mistake of letting people know who he was when he first entered college, so he was followed and judged and kept in the press for the entire four years.” He kissed her fingers again. “I learned from his mistake and decided to keep my identity a secret.”

She could imagine the feeding frenzy as the coeds found out there was a single royal prince on campus. “Did it work?”

He nodded. “I managed to get through with only a few close friends finding out. I met women who were interested in me for myself.” He smiled. “It was a most humbling experience.”

“I doubt that.” He was the sort of man women would want regardless of his royal status.

“When I reached twenty-one, women descended on Bahania. They wanted the opportunity to marry a prince. I am not sure what I wanted, but they were not it. Still, some played the game very well and I was fooled more than once.”

“That's understandable.” The combination of willing women and the natural desire to believe it was all about him could have made things very complicated.

“I married one of them,” he said.

The statement was so unexpected that had she been drinking she would have spit.

“You what?”

He looked at her as he rubbed her fingers. “From what I could see, she was perfect. Beautiful, well mannered. There was some trace of European royalty in her heritage, her father controlled multinational banks. It was a match that delighted everyone involved.”

Married? As in…She carefully withdrew her hand. “You're not married now, are you?”

He took her hand in his and smiled. “No. I am not married now.”

“But you were?”

“Yes. We were married. The wedding was a state occasion and it only took me six months to realize my wife had a heart of stone.”

Billie had done some reading about Jefri, but none of the articles had mentioned a wife. “You're divorced?”

He nodded. “She was not someone I wanted to be the mother of my children.”

That sounded a little imperious but she understood his point. “Was it really hard to get over her?” she asked, liking how he kept circling her palm with his thumb. “I mean with your heart broken and all.”

“My heart was not broken.”

“I don't understand. You can't just turn off love.”

“I did not love her.”

The waiter arrived with their bottle of red wine, which gave Billie some time to work on getting over being stunned. Jefri didn't love the woman he married?

“How is that possible?” she asked when they were alone again. “She was your wife.”

“Yes, and she could have been the mother of my children. There can be respect and mutual understanding, but love is not required.”

“Hello? I've seen your brothers. They're wildly in love with their wives.” So much so that she'd felt a twinge of envy.

“There is passion between them,” he admitted. “But love? I doubt it.”

“I…You…” She grabbed her wineglass. “That's just crazy. How can you marry someone you don't love?”

“A royal match has certain requirements from both parties.”

“What about being swept away? What about wanting to be with someone so much you can't think of anything else?”

His eyes darkened. “That I completely agree with. Despite these trappings of civility, I am at heart, a man of the desert. My blood runs hot.”

She nearly dropped her glass. They'd gone from talking to something very different in the space of a heartbeat.

“You know what I want,” he said, his voice low. “Tell me what you desire. If it is for me to leave you alone, you only have to speak the words.”

And if it isn't? But she already knew the answer to that. No one had ever asked her a question like that. No one had put it all on the line. She felt Jefri's barely concealed passion and it excited her. That he wanted her enough to plainly state it made her quiver.

As for her…She knew her heart's desire. The sensible side of her brain warned her that there was no happy ending in this. That if she allowed herself to care, she would only get her heart broken. She knew who and what he was as well as she knew she would never fit in his world. Worse, he was a man who had married because it was the right thing to do, and not for love. She wanted a husband who was completely devoted to her and their family.

So this wasn't going to lead to a happily ever after. Was she still willing to take what he offered?

She stared into his eyes. “All my life I've been fearless in the skies. There is no plane I won't fly, no barrier I'm not willing to break through.”

But in her personal life, she'd allowed herself to be ruled by her brothers' pronouncements and maybe a little by her own fear.

“I don't want you to leave me alone,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

“Are you sure? We can call for the plane or stay the night.”

She glanced around at the elegant restaurant. “Right here?”

He smiled. “I have a villa on the edge of the sea. It's beautiful and private.”

She knew what she wanted. One night with him would be a memory she would always treasure.

“A villa, huh? Do you want to go now, or do you want to wait until after dinner?”

Jefri stared at her for several seconds, then raised his hand to the waiter. “We would like the check, please.”

I
f she'd had time to picture a villa owned by a sheik, she wouldn't have been able to imagine a place as beautiful as the one on the edge of the sea. Their car dropped them off in front and Jefri used a key to let them in.

From the foyer, she could see through to the dark lapping ocean. The marble floor was the color of the inside of an oyster shell, the walls, a pale peach. Instead of overhead lights, there were candles everywhere. Candles and rose petals and the scent of promise.

“You planned this,” she said, not sure if she should be upset or not.

“I hoped. There is a difference.”

He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. At the same time he moved her hair aside, then leaned down and lightly kissed her neck. Instantly her skin puckered and her blood heated. She felt the desire course through her. Muscles tensed and between her legs, a faint throbbing began.

She decided she needed to keep her wits about her as long as possible. Even if that meant only for the next fifteen seconds.

“So, ah, do you bring women here often?” she asked.

He chuckled as he kissed his way to her spine. “You are my first, but not
the
first. This villa belongs to the king of El Bahar. It was built nearly five centuries ago as a home for the king's mistress.”

He whispered the words in her ear, then lightly bit her earlobe.

“Because a harem isn't enough?” she asked, barely able to speak.

“This offers what the harem does not. Privacy.”

Ah, yes. Something that seemed like a very good idea.

“So you called him early today and said ‘Hey, Your Highness, I have this girl I'd like to impress. Mind if I use the love shack?' Or words to that effect?”

Jefri turned her in his arms so they stared at each other. “Why do you mock me?”

“Because I'm nervous. Is that against the law?”

He smiled. “Not at all, but I may have to punish you for your impertinence.”

“Really? What does that involve?”

“Let me show you.”

He bent down and kissed her. In the nanosecond before their lips touched, she tensed in anticipation. Then, when he brushed his mouth against hers, she couldn't help melting against him, letting her body sag against his as he claimed her.

She parted for him, wanting him to deepen the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and savored his eagerness as he pulled her hard against him.

He was strong, she thought, her mind blurring with need. Hard to her yielding. Her breasts nestled against the planes of his chest. Her stomach pillowed the hard proof of his desire. When she clamped her lips around his tongue, he pulsed against her, delighting her with the promise of feminine power.

“Are you all right?” he asked as he broke the kiss and pressed his mouth to her jaw. “Does any of this make you nervous?”

She shifted her hands to his face and cupped his cheeks. He straightened and looked at her.

“I'm not afraid,” she told him as she stared into his passion-filled eyes. “Jefri, I'm not a virgin.” Funny how this was the second time in as many days that she'd made the announcement. Until now, it hadn't been an issue in years.

“After I'd been attacked, I really withdrew from men and dating,” she continued. “Then I realized I couldn't keep doing that, so I deliberately set out to get a boyfriend. We were in Australia for a few months and I met someone there. He was sweet and very gentle. Anyway, we became lovers.”

She remembered being awkward and scared and all the things Jefri feared she would be with him. She had a feeling that Andrew had been as inexperienced as she had been. They'd fumbled through making love several times before she'd left the country.

“My point is, I've done this before.”

His dark gaze gave nothing away. “And since that first lover? Have there been many?”

“Um, well, not exactly. But that's not because I was afraid.”

“Lack of opportunity or lack of interest?” he asked.

“A little of both.”

“I see.”

He spoke the words with a confidence that came from…actually she wasn't sure what, but it made her shiver in anticipation.

“Thank you for letting me know I do not have to worry about your past,” he said as he took her hand and led her down a short hallway. “Still, it is my nature to take things slowly at first. I hope you will indulge me.”

“Of course.” After all, what did she know about the whole process? Well, the basics, of course, but she had a feeling that Jefri's lovemaking would be nothing like Andrew's.

They walked into a large bedroom. Rose petals littered the marble floor. In the corner stood a massive tub filled with rose-scented water. Steam rose toward the painted ceiling. A bed filled the center of the room. Cream-colored linens invited her to touch. A netted canopy offered the illusion of privacy. Here as in the main room of the house, candles provided flickering light.

“For your hair,” Jefri said, handing her several clips.

She saw he'd taken them from a carved dresser by the door.

She twisted her long curls into a coil and pinned it up on her head. When she'd finished, he shrugged out of his jacket and left it on a chair.

“We're getting in that, aren't we?” she asked, pointing at the tub.

“If you do not mind.”

“Before or, after, you know.”

He smiled. “Before. You may step behind that screen and undress,” he said and pointed.

She followed his gaze and saw a painted screen concealing a corner. Huh. She'd assumed he was going to be taking her clothes off. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed to be doing it herself.

Still she walked behind the screen where she found a chair and a silk robe waiting. She stepped out of her shoes, then unfastened her dress and carefully hung it up. Her bra and panties followed. When she was naked, she slipped on the robe.

The silk was cool and soft against her heated skin, but even the delicate fabric seemed to tease her tight nipples. The sensation was both pleasurable and frustrating.

When she walked out from behind the screen, she saw Jefri also in a robe, although his was black and hers pale pink. He motioned to the tub.

She moved closer, then hesitated, not sure about getting into the deep, hot water in front of him. But he came up behind her and reached around her to unfasten her robe, not giving her a whole lot of choice.

Clenching her teeth against potential embarrassment, she shrugged out of the garment and stepped into the steaming tub. First one foot, then the other.

“You are incredible,” he said, his voice nearly a growl.

Billie looked up only to stare at a reflection of herself. She'd been too focused on the water to notice the mirror behind the tub. She glanced over and met his passionate gaze in the glass. Then he dropped the robe and moved close.

“I must touch you,” he breathed. “For a moment. Please.”

She was unable to move, barely able to breathe. He put his hands on her waist, then moved one up and one down. The fingers on one hand reached her breast at the same movement fingers on the other slipped between her thighs. She was already wet, swollen and ready. The combination of touches with the visual before her made her want to swoon.

“Exquisite,” he murmured before he kissed her neck. “How soft you are. Your skin.” He brushed his thumb against her tight left nipple. “Your secrets.” He slid fingers in deeper.

One brushed against that single point of pleasure and she jumped. He bit her shoulder, then smiled at her in the mirror.

“I want to please you,” he told her. “All of you.”

Who was she to argue? she thought as he stepped back and she sank into the hot water.

She figured he would join her, but he didn't. Instead he moved behind her so when she stretched out, her head rested against his chest.

A tray sat next to the tub. He picked up the first bottle and opened it.

“What do you think?” he asked, letting her smell the orange-spicy scent.

“It's nice.”

“I want more of a reaction than that.” He continued to open bottles for her until a musky-floral scent got her attention.

“That one,” she said.

“Good.”

He poured some lotion onto his hands and rubbed his palms together. She'd expected soap but the liquid didn't lather. Instead it thickened and glistened like some kind of oil.

This entire experience was so out of her regular world, she didn't know what to think. But if this was basic prince seduction, then someone had to sign her up for at least a monthly session.

Jefri slipped his hands under the water and moved toward her breasts. When his palms cupped her curves, she realized the lotion was an oil. A slick, warm concoction that didn't dissolve in water and made her nerve endings even more sensitive than usual.

He circled around her breasts as if discovering every inch of them. Around and around, without touching her tight nipples. She squirmed and ached and shifted in the water, but still he touched only the pale flesh, leaving the tips mournfully alone.

Heat poured through her. Need built. He kissed her neck so lightly when she wanted to beg him to do more. Touch more, bite more, something. Anything!

At last he stroked her nipples and she nearly cried out in relief. He rolled them between his thumb and forefinger, sending ribbons of pleasure directly down her chest, through her stomach and between her legs. She ached there. She ached everywhere. She wanted with a desperation that nearly frightened her.

Arousal poured through her body, making her writhe. At last she couldn't stay silent.

“More,” she pleaded.

“Yes. Move forward.”

Then his hands were gone. She grasped the sides of the tub and slid toward the other end. At the same time she turned to look in the mirror as Jefri stood and dropped his robe.

He stood there naked and aroused. His need jutted forward proudly, making her want to part her legs and beg him to take her. Instead she waited while he stepped in behind her and sank into the tub.

The two of them fit easily. He pulled her against him so her back settled against his chest. His erection pressed against her back, which wasn't the least bit satisfying, but she found she didn't mind so much when he once again slipped a hand between her legs.

She closed her eyes as he began to touch her. He found that one perfect place at once and gently rubbed it. Her breath caught, then she couldn't breathe at all. Faster, she thought. No, slower. No, just like that.

She arched into his touch, wanting all of it. Tension filled her body. She clutched the side of the tub and let herself experience the steady build toward—

He put a hand on her breasts. One second he hadn't been touching her there and the next he was matching his movements and she lost control.

Her orgasm crashed into her with no warning. Suddenly her body convulsed into exquisite pleasure. The waves of her pleasure shuddered through her over and over until at last they slowed.

She returned to consciousness only to find the water in the tub still shifting back and forth. His hand still stroked her between her legs and she was slightly embarrassed to feel herself getting aroused again.

“You should probably, you know, stop,” she said although she didn't push him away.

“Why?” he asked. “I like touching you.”

“And you're really good at it.”

“Turn around,” he said.

She did as he requested, only to find herself straddling him. His dark gaze dropped to where her breasts floated in the water.

“You are a fantasy come to life,” he said.

“As are you.”

He pulled her close and they kissed. His arousal rubbed between her legs, exciting her. She wanted to shift just enough for him to slip inside, but before she could, he pushed her back.

“This was only the appetizer,” he said as he stood.

He stood dripping and naked while he collected a towel for her and gently wrapped it around her. Only then did he claim one for himself. He dried every inch of her before escorting her to the bed where he had her stretch out on her back. From a carved nightstand he produced a condom, but he didn't slip it on. Instead he knelt between her ankles and gently kissed her instep.

From there he made his way to her shin, then her knee. He repeated the procedure on her other leg, but this time moving higher and higher still.

She didn't know what to think, what to say, so she decided only to feel. No one had ever done this to her before. She'd never really understood the combination of vulnerability and amazing pleasure when a man's mouth pressed an open kiss on the very heart of her.

Her breath caught as her body went up in flames. It was too much. It would never be enough. She ached, she burned, she wanted.