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He stirred within her, yet with the waft of a sigh, his hands moved away from her breasts and onto the cushions beside him. He moved no more, leaving her to her repose.
Amanda waited. His desire for her did not abate. But he did nothing that would awaken her. Slowly she shifted, as though aroused from sleep. She lifted her head close to his ear.
‘I had a beautiful dream,’ she whispered, ‘in which you gave me great pleasure. More pleasure than I ever thought it possible for a woman to have. Now it is my turn to please you.’
She started moving on him until he could bear it no longer. When he had to take control, Amanda did nothing to restrain him. She gave of herself with all the ecstatic bliss of knowing the giving in his heart.
Afterwards, as the stars faded from the skies, they slept together in each other’s arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY
KOZIM could barely conceal his bewilderment. Life is change, he told himself, but the changes were so sweeping it was difficult to adjust to them and the rate at which events were unfurling was truly staggering.
The wedding preparations were no problem. Kozim was used to organising huge ceremonial occasions. This, of course, would be the grandest of them all, but there was no set of ordered arrangements he could not handle with ease.
The proclamation that no future queen could be sent to the rat-hole was another matter entirely. It was a complete break from tradition. Not only that, it was to be imbedded in the constitution of the country, turning the proclamation into unbreakable law. Such tampering with history had no precedent. Kozim found it deeply disturbing.
The geologist’s daughter, he reflected, had a way of getting things done that he himself had never possessed. Kozim pulled himself up on that thought. It was the princess, not the geologist’s daughter. A slip of the tongue on such a point over the future queen could result in the most fateful consequences for himself. He needed to take care. Xa Shiraq was obviously besotted over his wife-to-be.
She certainly had the most voluptuous and exciting body...and the radiance of her hair was entrancing...
Kozim sternly suppressed such thoughts. They could lead to the permanent separation of the head from the body, a punishment he had once favoured, but upon more mature reflection, it seemed as extreme as the rat-hole. Perhaps the mellowing effect that this woman was having on Xa Shiraq was also having an effect upon himself.
Today had been very busy with the sheikh holding open court for his people. The majlis had extended into the afternoon and still there was one more deputation to deal with, yet Xa Shiraq appeared amazingly relaxed. His fingers were not tapping like a measured metronome. They seemed to be dancing on the armrest of his chair, in time to some light, frivolous melody.
Kozim shook his head. There was so much that was beyond his comprehension. How Xa Shiraq had changed his mind about the geologi—the princess—and obviously believed her, long before the hydraulic jack was examined, was a total mystery to Kozim. But it had proved right. The device had snapped under the load of that huge rock and the woman was not to blame at all.
Still, Xa Shiraq could very easily have lost his life. If he had not been able to leap the chasm and work his way up through the mountain to the eagle’s eyrie, from where he could use the transmitter in his signet ring to summon the helicopter, Xabia could now be without a ruler. Kozim could be without a job. He shuddered at such a terrible prospect.
And all for the sake of gathering those strange crystals for his wife-to-be! It made no sense to Kozim. The crystals were quite pleasant to look at, and for some reason the air about them seemed sweeter and fresher, but obviously they were intrinsically worthless. Why Xa Shiraq had ordered them to be set in gold seemed...Kozim clamped down on the critical thought. The gold did increase their value. He still thought it a poor wedding gift for the future queen, but undoubtedly the sheikh had his reasons.
Kozim noticed, with alarm, that more than five minutes had passed and Xa Shiraq had not said a word. Kozim gave a nervous little cough. ‘I did send a messenger to the princess, Your Excellency,’ he said, anxious not to be found at fault.
Xa Shiraq bestowed a benevolent smile. ‘It is of no consequence, Kozim. The princess will arrive when she is ready.’
That was another thing that disturbed Kozim. The rigid time-keeping to a planned schedule had suffered considerably since the night of the Queen of Sheba veil. It was totally incomprehensible to Kozim that Xa Shiraq apparently accepted that the princess exercised a will of her own. Kozim did not like to think where such a thing might lead. He consoled himself with the assurance that Xa Shiraq knew everything and it must therefore be a wise course.
The doors to the hall of government opened. Kozim and Xa Shiraq instantly sprang to their feet as the princess entered. She was a vision of rare beauty. She wore a misty lilac gown that flowed enticingly around her very feminine body as she walked forward.
Kozim struggled to pull his thoughts into appropriate order. Of course the gown was supremely modest, whispering down to her feet, and with long graceful sleeves that caressed her soft, shapely arms. The princess was certainly a credit to the sheikh. Kozim had thought the proposed marriage a mistake at first. It would not cement any alliances or extend profitable areas of trade but...no man could possibly look upon the princess for long and continue to think of her as a mistake.
* * *
Amanda flashed Mr Kozim a smile as she walked up to meet Xa Shiraq. The stout little man was such a sweet person once one got to know him, a trifle uncertain of himself at times, but she would help him find his feet. He was always so anxious to please, to get everything right. He also thought Xa Shiraq was the fount of all wisdom, which made him invaluable as a personal aide.
She extended a much brighter smile to the man she loved. His eyes were soft black velvet as he greeted her. A smile hovered on his lips, giving them a sensual curve. He took her hand to lead her to the chair that had been set beside his, and Amanda once again marvelled at the pleasure of his touch, the tingling warmth of his skin against hers, the strength and the tenderness of his long, supple fingers.
‘Why did you want me here?’ Amanda asked, surprised that he should ask her to join him at a majlis where he listened to the problems brought to him by his people.
His eyes twinkled wickedly. ‘I want you everywhere.’
She laughed. ‘Not in front of Mr Kozim. He would definitely be shocked.’
‘You are right. I am not sure Kozim can sustain many more shocks. We shall consider his feelings. There is a matter that concerns you.’
He saw her seated, and raised a hand to Mr Kozim as he
settled in the chair beside her.
