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He took his waterlogged self to his own rooms and showered and shaved, washing off the smell of lake water and getting his sex-starved body back under control. He wanted Laura Bliss, that was a fact he could no longer deny. And after tonight, trying to kiss her twice, she couldn’t be in any doubt about his feelings toward her either. So, that left a decision. Would they follow through on their mutual desires and conduct an affair during her remaining time here in Djeva, or would they stop this before it even started? He was a modern man, a thoughtful man, a considerate man. Therefore, he would leave the decision entirely up to her.
If Laura wanted him in her bed, then Raheem would gladly comply.
If she did not, then he would go. They could conduct their business together for the rest of her stay and he would not trouble her anymore, no matter how hard it would be for him to walk away. She was so different from all the women he’d ever known before and he wanted her as he’d wanted no other woman.
Raheem slicked his hair back with his fingers then pulled on one of the palace’s thick white terrycloth robes before padding back to Laura’s room to speak to the house physician. Thank Allah, there were no injuries present, and other than a brief bout of hypothermia when she’d fallen into the lake, Laura was perfectly fine. The doctor recommended letting her finish a nice long soak in the bath then rest and relaxation. Raheem thanked the man then walked him out of the suite before ordering a tray of hot tea and scones from the servants. Then he took a seat in Laura’s sitting area while she finished in the bathroom.
He didn’t have to wait long.
Shortly after the servants brought the tea, Laura emerged, wrapped in a robe the same as his and looking pink and fresh from her bath. Raheem longed to take her in his arms and keep her safe and secure, but he didn’t dare touch her again until after they’d talked. For if he did, he wasn’t sure he could ever let her go.
Laura stopped short in the bathroom doorway, obviously startled at seeing him sitting there in his robe and he stood quickly, embarrassed that he hadn’t realized sooner how this might look to her. Eager to put her at ease, he gestured toward the tray of tea on the coffee table in front of him, then clasped his hands in front of him and stared at the floor. “I hope you are feeling better after your ordeal. My deepest apologies that you had to go through that, habibi.” He stopped short, not wanting to assume anything between them. She’d been tired and sick and freezing cold when he’d called her darling earlier. Hardly in the right frame of mind to object. He’d entertained plenty of women in his time, had more than his share of affairs. But he’d never taken a woman who wasn’t ready and willing to be with him and he wasn’t about to start now. “I mean, Laura. I take full responsibility for what happened.”
When she didn’t say anything, he hazarded a glance up at her and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I had the servants bring some refreshments, in case you wanted some hot tea or something to settle your stomach.”
She looked down at the tray then back to him, still clutching the neck of her robe tightly together.
His stomach nosedived to his toes. He’d blown it, big time, in coming here. He was such a colossal idiot that he wished he could kick his own ass, if that was physically possible. With a curt nod, he walked to the door. “I’ll just go now. I only wanted to check on you to make sure you were all right.”
Raheem placed his hand on the door knob, only to feel her touch on his arm.
“Wait.” Laura had moved in behind him, the heat of her and the fragrance of bubble bath and lavender from her shampoo wafted around him. He closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath. “Please. Don’t go, Raheem.”
Slowly he turned to face her, not sure if the hint of desperation in her tone was real or only in his imagination. She stood before him, staring up at him with huge green eyes, her pink lips parted and her cheeks flushed. The neck of her robe had opened slightly to reveal the barest hint of the creamy rise of her breasts and he felt lost. Totally and completely lost, yet one-hundred percent found. Still, he needed to be sure, didn’t want to misread what he so fervently wanted to see shining in her eyes. “Laura, I—”
She reached up and silenced him by putting her fingers to his lips. Then she traced them down his chin, his neck, his chest, until her palm rested against his bare skin, right over his heart. A small smile quirked the corner of her mouth. “What happened to habibi?”
Doubts be damned, he leaned forward and kissed her—long and hard and deep—the way he’d wanted to since that first time in the scarf shop. She tasted of the fine rich wine from their dinner and a sweetness that was pure Laura. She returned his kisses match for match, twining her arms around his neck and holding tight. Needing more, he clasped her waist and picked her up. Laura wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her across the room to the bed, where he laid her down in the middle of the mattress, then stretched out beside her. She looked so beautiful, more beautiful than anyone or anything he’d ever seen before in his life.
“Laura, habibi, I want you so badly I ache, but I need to know that you want me to. That I’m not just making all of this up in my head.”
Cupping his cheeks, she smiled then kissed him again before parting her robe and shrugging it off completely, leaving all of her smooth fla
wless flesh revealed to his gaze. Raheem’s mouth dried and his pulse skyrocketed. Praise Allah, she was magnificent. His cock strained hard and heavy against his stomach, but still he waited for her answer. “Yes, Raheem. I want you. I want you so bad I think I’ll die if you don’t touch me soon.”
That was all the encouragement he needed. He discarded his own robe then pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely. She was his and he was hers, for as long as she’d have him, for as much time as they had left together. He propped himself up on his elbow and kissed a slow trek down her front to her breasts, where he lavished attention on each of her taut nipples before venturing further to the auburn curls between her legs. The spicy scent of her arousal nearly sent him over the edge, but he tamped down his desire as he knelt between her legs to pleasure her with his lips and tongue, savoring the salt of her skin and the tang of her slick folds. Every inch of her was exquisite and as he gently inserted first one, then two fingers inside her wet channel to prepare her for him, Raheem reveled in her soft moans and sighs of need. Soon, her body tensed and her walls tightened around his fingers as Laura climaxed hard.
Afterward, his own need at a breaking point, Raheem kissed his way back up her body to her lips. He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out the condom he always kept stashed there just in case, and put it on. One last time, he held himself above her and stared down into her eyes, now dreamy and drowsy with satisfaction. “Are you sure, habibi?”
“Yes, Raheem.” Laura ran her fingers through his hair, making him shudder against her. “More certain of this than I’ve ever been of anything else in my life. Please.”
She didn’t have to ask twice. He entered her in one long thrust then held there, allowing her body time to adjust to the size and length of him. They kissed and cuddled and he murmured Arabic endearments into her hair, until she shifted beneath him, moving her hips ever so slightly, encouraging him to move within her. Soon, he’d set up a steady rhythm, withdrawing nearly to his tip before thrusting back within her, each time angling to hit that spot inside her that made her groan and tighten around him. She locked her legs around his waist and dug her heels into his bottom, urging him onward. Before he knew it, Raheem felt a familiar tightening in his balls. He reached between them to stroke her swollen clit, wanting to see Laura lose herself in orgasm once more before he took his own pleasure.
She arched hard and cried out, her nails digging into his shoulders as she came hard around him. Raheem drove home once, twice, then stiffened as his own world shattered in orgasm. Wave after wave of intense pleasure rolled over him, taking him under, until at last he rested on the bed beside her, his head resting on her chest, in the valley between her breasts. Her heart beat strong and sure under his ear and her fingers played idly in his hair, and Raheem couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever felt happier.
Tomorrow would bring its own complications for them, he was sure.
But tonight. Tonight was just for them, here, alone, in each other’s arms.
13
Laura awoke the next morning to the sound of persistent knocking. She squinted one eye open and moved out of the protective embrace of Raheem’s arms. A peek at the clock on the nightstand showed it was just after six. Who in the world would be up this early?
Raheem cursed and rolled over in the bed and pulled a pillow over his head. “Unless the palace is burning down, tell them to go away.”
She got up and tugged on her robe, running a quick hand through her hair though she suspected it was beyond repair, then cracked open the door to find all four of Raheem’s sisters standing there looking none too happy, if their matching scowls were any indication. Laura cleared her throat, then said, “Can I help you?”
“We need to speak with our brother,” Jess said, giving Laura a disapproving glare. “And don’t even try to tell us he’s not sleeping in your bed. I know for a fact that he didn’t return to his rooms last night. We all saw him carrying you up here.”
