AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Would he be there in the middle of the night? Of course, he might, she chided herself, as she padded out of the sleeping alcove and into the center of the tent.
She paused, listening.
Gemma could definitely hear sounds of him in the pool. The movement of water. That could only mean one thing, she told herself.
Ahmed must be naked out there.
Naked.
Her heart began to beat faster as the images of that what he would look like floated into her mind. Her pulse raced quicker and she drew in a deep breath.
Just thinking of Ahmed's naked body, just imagining what it would look like, triggered sensation that swept treacherously and rapidly through her body.
She turned to go back to bed, determined to ignore the temptation, and then she heard the sounds again. Once again, the images of his nakedness flashed into her mind. Curiosity tugged at her.
She moved toward the tent entrance and carefully pulled open the flap. Outside, the only light was from the moonlight. With the moon sinking toward the horizon behind the encampment, the entrance to her tent was shrouded in a black shadow.
From her right she heard the sounds again. Once again her heart pounded faster. Her mind was a blank. Temptation had taken full hold of her now.
She eased her way to the corner of the tent. She leaned back against the tent fabric, still in the shadow. She gazed across toward the pool.
There he was. In the water.
He was moving slowly, only his head visible for now. He was lying back, gazing up, through the tops of the overhanging trees at the sky. He had his eyes closed for the moment, almost as if he was content to float in the cool water.
Gemma eased forward slightly, her eyes straining to see him. This felt so wrong, she told herself.
So wrong, but so good.
Since meeting him for the first time in the garden, a part of her mind had speculated just what that powerful body would look like beneath the elegant suit and white shirt.
She might know for sure any minute, she realized.
Ahmed eased his arms across the surface of the water, moving slowly, simply floating. He looked so relaxed. So at home.
Gemma could only imagine how cool was the water, how much relief it would bring to a tired body.
Ahmed shifted suddenly and quickly, raising his shoulders up out of the water. Gemma moved back quickly into the shadow, panic seizing her in an instant. The last thing she wanted was to be caught watching him like this. Then how would she explain herself?
She chided herself at that thought. Why should she even be bothered by such a worry? She was old enough to make her own decisions, to decide on her own pleasures.
Ahmed's wide and powerfully muscled shoulders glistened with the covering of water. Gemma felt her throat tighten and she tried to swallow, but it was difficult. Her pulse was racing as she peered at his strong upper torso. She figured he must be standing on the sand beneath the water. He was tall enough to do so.
She saw Ahmed scoop up water into his cupped hands and drench his head. The water ran down the length of his hair and face, all the way across his shoulders and down his upper torso. That just made his skin shimmer in the moonlight, made his muscles stand out in even more clear and stark relief.
His body was everything she'd imagined it would be. He was perfectly shaped, someone used to physical activity. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. His arm muscles were taut as he continued to wash his upper body with scoops of water.
Gemma began to feel calmer, now. The previous guilt she'd felt moments ago, hiding in the shadows, watching him like this, had faded. Now, she just felt fascination as she watched him move slowly and confidently in the water.
Gemma's body was no longer tired. On the contrary, she hadn't felt this alive and excited in a long while. The forbidden aspect of what she was doing made it feel even more thrilling.
Then she saw him move toward the water's edge. He was coming out, she told herself. Her pulse quickened suddenly.
She told herself, maybe she should go back inside. She didn't want him to catch her here, in the shadows, gazing at him. Gemma wondered how he would react, what he would say.
She remained in the shadow just for a few moments as she watched him move slowly to the edge of the pool.
Gemma was just about to move back toward the entrance to the tent, when impulse halted her.
