Page 79 of Kismet

She looked over her shoulder at him. He sat quietly, his gaze filled with what she could only define as warmth and tenderness. The expression rattled her badly. What if it was simply another lie? A dream she’d wake up from? Closing her eyes, she knew now what he’d already surmised. She would surrender to him the moment he demanded it. Her blood rushed through her veins, dragging heat to every part of her body. He was only slightly aroused, and she frowned at the fiercely intent expression on the sharp, angular lines of his face.

“Show me your back.”

The soft command astonished her as she met his steady gaze. Why did he want to see her back? It was nothing but a scarred mass of tissue, something she was grateful she couldn’t see. But every day she felt the ridges rubbing against the silk of her dresses. They were a constant reminder of what Nassar had done to her.

“Please, Allegra. I want to see your back.”

The sorrow and regret echoing deep in his voice compelled her to reach for the pearl buttons that lined their way down her back. As her fingers slipped and fumbled on the buttons, he called her to him. She didn’t even think of refusing as she joined him at the bed. His hands were gentle as he turned her away from him and proceeded to undo her gown.

The bodice of her dress quickly fell to her waist, leaving only her chemise covering her scars as a corset was still too painful to wear. Warm fingers gently slid her chemise up and over her head. His sharp intake of air made her glance over her shoulder the moment he was able to see the full extent of Nassar’s handiwork. Anguish swept over his dark features, and he closed his eyes. Arms crossed over her breasts, she stepped back as she faced him once more.

Shame suddenly flooded its way through her. She didn’t know why, it just did. She had nothing to be ashamed of, and yet she felt as though she’d done something to cause his pain. His dark gaze locking with hers, he stood up. Leaning forward until there was next to nothing between them, he simply bent his head and kissed her. It was a gentle touch. Tender, sweet, and devoid of passion, but the emotion flowing through it shook her to the core of her being. She swallowed hard at the caress. Always he’d been so masterful, so demanding, but this . . . this was a touch that sang to her soul. He drew back from her, and she saw his jaw flex with tension.

“I love you, Allegra. I know I’m not worthy of you, but I love you.”

Her mouth went dry as she closed her eyes to keep her tears at bay. His sincerity seemed so real. She felt him move to stand behind her. He lightly touched her shoulder, and she shuddered as the rough calluses of his fingertips traced over the scars on her back. Seconds later, his lips gently kissed first one scar and then another. A light dampness lingered where his face had brushed across her skin. With each scar his mouth caressed, the ridged tissue became wet beneath his tender touch. Slowly he continued to make his way down the scars lining her back. A drop of moisture slid across her skin, and she stiffened with surprise. As she started to turn around, his trembling fingers sank into her waist to hold her in place.

“No,” he choked out in a hoarse voice.

Stunned, she realized the dampness on her back were tears. His tears. His shudders vibrated through her as he continued to kiss the scars on her back. He was giving penance for what she’d suffered at Nassar’s hands. Oh God, he was telling her the truth. Only a man who loved her deeply could offer up such a tender tribute of remorse. With a low cry, she jerked free of his hands. Whirling around to face him, she bent over him, her hands turning his face upward so she could press frantic kisses against his skin.

“I love you, Shaheen,” she murmured as she feathered his face with kisses. “I love you so much.”

A deep groan poured out of his throat as he stood up to tower over her and crushed her mouth beneath his in a kiss that made her shudder from the depth of emotion it conveyed. The caress was without passion, yet it was filled with a heated tenderness that only love could render. When he released her, she murmured a protest. Brushing his fingers across her mouth, he returned to the bed, his eyes locked with hers. Tension held his upper body taut, and she saw him swallow hard.

“I don’t know what that bastard did to you, mon coeur, and I’m not sure I can handle knowing.” He winced and stretched out his hand to her. “But today and for the rest of our lives, mon amour, you’ll be the one in control in our bedroom.”

“I don’t understand.” She met his troubled gaze with bewilderment as she slid her palm over his.

“I want you to be the one to say what pleases you or not. I don’t ever want to see you look at me in fear when I make love to you.”

“I could never be afraid of you, Shaheen. When I’m with you, I feel safe.” He closed his eyes, and the pain lashing across his face pulled a soft cry from her. “Oh don’t, my darling. Please don’t.”

Her skirts rustled quietly as she sank down on the bed next to him, and buried her face in the side of his neck as she held him close. He wrapped her in a tight embrace, his mouth pressed into her hair. They remained that way for a long time until Shaheen forced her to look up at him. The love she saw in his dark brown eyes made her heart skip a beat, and she stroked the side of his cheek. A look of incredulity swept across his face, and he shook his head.

“I don’t deserve you, mon amour.”

“Ah, but I deserve you,” she teased with a small smile.

Determined to banish the darkness from their lives, she stood up and swiftly removed the remainder of her clothing. She didn’t take her eyes off him as she did so, and her heart jumped at the love and need glowing in his expression. With her hand, she gently pressed him backward onto the bed. Although a troubled look crossed his face, he said nothing, simply giving her complete control over the moment. The doubt and concern in his eyes warmed her as nothing else could. He was questioning his worthiness, and she didn’t want him to. She wanted him to understand that with him there was no darkness, only the light of their love warming her, protecting her.

Keeping her touch light, she ran her fingertips across his chest and downward toward the narrow line of hair that pointed toward his swiftly growing erection. Her fingers circled the tip of him, and his entire body flexed beneath her touch. She loved staring at him, at his beautiful body and the way he responded to her. Her palm skated over the hard, thick length of him, and she watched as he grew larger just from her touch.

A deep groan rumbled in his throat, and she looked up at his face. His beautiful eyes were closed, but the pleasure on his dark features told her how much her touch delighted him. Sliding her body up over his, she braced her palms on either side of his head then brushed her hips against his. The tip of him rubbed across her sex, and she pulled in a sharp breath at the rush of liquid heat that dampened her thighs. His eyes flew open at the sound, and she smiled down at him.

“The jahīm anasi has a request of Sheikh Shaheen of the Amazigh.”

“You have only to ask, mon amour.” A dark hand caressed her cheek, and his gaze blazed with a desire she knew he was desperately fighting to keep in check.

“The jahīm anasi prefers that Sheikh Shaheen takes charge of her pleasure as only he can.”

For a long moment, his gaze seared hers. Then with a guttural sound, he rolled her onto her back. His mouth sought hers in a hot kiss as his hands lovingly slid along her curves. One hand cupped a breast, and he flicked his thumb across the stiff peak. The touch drew a soft cry from her as she arched her back, offering him access to her throat. His mouth slid downward across her skin, and a nipple brushed invitingly across his lips.

Unable to help himself, he suckled her. God, but she tasted wonderful. Hot and sweet in his mouth. He rolled the hard tip of her nipple back and forth across his tongue. A soft moan slipped past her lips, and her fingers spiked their way through his hair. The joy that squeezed at him nearly stole his breath away. To love someone like this and to be loved in return was something he’d never believed possible. But for her to love him after all that had happened—it was beyond anything he could ever hope for. Slowly, his hand glided across the curve of her hip before brushing inward over her thigh. As his fingers dipped into the creamy, white-hot heat of her, she bucked beneath his touch.

“I want you,” she whimpered as he gently stroked the tiny nub between her folds. “Please, my love.”

The soft plea tugged at his heart, and he knew he’d never be able to deny her anything. Rising up over her, he poised himself at the center of her heat then slid into her hot silken sheath. A spasm ripped through her, tightening her grip on him. Hot cream flowed over his cock as he slid in and out of her with increasing speed until she shattered around him and tugged his own release from him. A shout of fulfillment roared out of him to mingle with her cry of joy.