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He smiled and gave a careless shrug. “You are..... sexy, I love the way your mind processes information and your laugh makes me hard. I like you.” He hoped that was enough, he wasn’t good at being sincere.
Her honey brown eyes held his for a long, charged moment, then one side of her mouth kicked up into a smile. “Thanks, Zadir. I like you too,” she added shyly.
A deep rumble of laughter burst from his chest, surprising both of them. She joined in and he could tell the moment she remembered what he’d said about her laugh because she blushed until her entire face was pink. He laughed again, harder than the last time. “See? You really do make me laugh.”
She swatted at him playfully, trying to hide the smile crossing her face. Normally she would have assumed he was making fun of her, but she could relax enough around him to distinguish playfulness from intentional cruelty. “Glad I could entertain you.” She wasn’t mad. Not at all. Zadir had set quite a romantic scene, with a small candlelit table with a gauzy white tablecloth overlooking a private slice of beach just feet from the terrace. A bowl of fresh fruit looked more like art than food and the scent of slightly chargrilled fish made the night just about perfect. And Zadir, she sighed, he looked good enough to eat in a lightweight cotton shirt and pants, highlighting his bronze skin. Watching him smile at her with the gorgeous backdrop of the setting sun, splashing the sky with shades of pink, orange and cold, that was absolutely perfect.
“You entertain all of me, Shala.”
She shivered at the way her name sounded on his lips and took a long sip of wine to gather her thoughts. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”
Zadir’s laugh was low and seductive. “I already saw your response.” He laughed again when a flush rose up her body.
She stood and turned to the balcony, leaning forward to get a good look at the waves crashing below. She tensed briefly when Zadir’s arms wrapped around her waist, before relaxing into him. “Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” Her shoulders sagged in disappointment when he pulled back. Had she asked for too much? She turned slowly, trying to hide the disappointment she was sure reflected in her eyes. He sat back down and was, “Taking off your shoes?”
He looked at her strangely. “So I don’t get sand in my socks and shoes?”
“Right,” she said trying not to look too happy that he was taking her on a walk. A moonlit beach walk.
Zadir stood and grabbed the newly opened bottle of wine. “To ward off the chill,” he smiled and pulled her along with his other free hand.
Shala followed him down the steps and along a stoned paved path that ended where the sand began. The warmth of his strong hand made her body respond in all kinds of surprising ways. She tried to ignore her body’s response to him and simply enjoy the moment. Destroying the moment by asking for more than he was willing to give was not her idea of a good time. She would keep all of that buried so she was present enough to memorize every detail of this night. “This place is so gorgeous and so different from home. The colors are different and even the vibe is different.
“Vibe? I think you’ve been watching too much American television, Shala.”
She tilted her head defiantly, “I love American television and there’s no such thing as too much.” She stuck her tongue out at him and stole the bottle of wine, walking several feet away until her feet were in the warm water. She sought out his gaze as the moon spotlighted him for her and took a long sip from the bottle.
Zadir groaned when her tongue snaked out to get a stray deep red drop of wine. Fists and jaws clenched tightly, he fought for control and he’d gotten it. Until he spotted another stray drop at the corner of her mouth. “Shala,” he growled just seconds before cupping her face and angling her head until their mouths were fused together.
There was something different about the kiss but Shala couldn’t pinpoint it. The obvious answer was that the kiss was hotter and more intense than any of their other kisses. Her nipples were sensitive and stung a little from the pressure of their bodies pressed together tightly. She felt moisture gathering at the juncture of her thighs and her senses were all firing. All she could see or hear, taste or smell, was Zadir. He was where her universe started and ended in this moment. Nothing mattered but him, but them, as their mouths battled to seek and give pleasure. Eyes closed and bent over his arm, a loud groan escaped but Zadir swallowed it, making her body pull even tighter. She pushed at his chest until their mouths were two separate entities again. “Zadir,” she panted, then smiled as her fingers touched on her kiss swollen lips.
“Do I need to apologize?” He prepared for the sting of rejection, the pain of ignoring the built up passion.
Shala shook her head, still gasping for air. “If you do, I’ll punch you. Hard.”
He chuckled and leaned in again. “Good,” he said and took her mouth again in a softer but just as hot version of their earlier kiss. “Because the only thing I’m sorry about is that we’re not somewhere I can do what I really want to do.” He felt her shiver but Zadir also held his breath, hoping his words hadn’t offended her.
She looked up into those green eyes the color of a dark, dense forest and just as dangerous. She knew there was no use pretending she didn’t want this, didn’t want him. She did. Her body wouldn’t allow her to lie about that. She wanted Zadir more than she’d ever wanted any man, and she wanted him to be the one to take her where no one had. If I do this, I can’t let my heart get more involved. She knew it was a pointless argument, she was still in love with him, only this time she was in love with who he really was. Not some fun party boy with a charming smile, but the intelligent and funny and sweet man who would do his family proud if given the chance. If I give him my body and my heart, how will I ever get over him? Because she knew there was no future for them. He wanted her. He liked her, sure, but he also lusted after her and that’s what was driving this. She couldn’t lie to herself about that. She was going to do this tonight, with the only man she had ever loved. And she would have to be okay when he walked away. Shala looked up at Zadir and saw his nervousness. A smile crept up the corners of her mouth. “Then maybe we should go find that somewhere so you can.”
Zadir searched her face, looking for any sign that she wasn’t sure. They’d finished off a bottle of wine earlier but he didn’t think she was drunk. He wanted her, more than he’d wanted a woman since Kerri. He saw his own desire reflected back in her golden gaze and the little pulse at the hollow of her throat said her heart was racing the same as his. She wanted this. He wanted it too, but could he really give her more than a good time? Zadir didn’t know, but when she licked her lips, he groaned and knew he would take this night with her. He had to.
She patted his biceps and squeezed, smiling. “I’m not drunk and I am sure that I want to do this with you. I want you.”
“I want you too,” he told her kissed her until she was breathless and desperately trying to unbutton his shirt.
All of a sudden she was airborne, landing on a hard shoulder with a small thud. “Oh!” She used the time it took him to get from the beach to the house, to roam the expanse of his back, his tight butt that she couldn’t help grabbing. “You know, your body is in excellent shape.” She cringed at the breathy sound of her voice.
His laugh vibrated through her body, making her shiver and making Zadir laugh even harder. “Thanks. I guess that’s the other good thing that came of that stupid accident.”
Eyes closed tight, Shala tried to ignore the words. When that didn’t work she tried to ignore the warm sensation that washed over her. Her hands slid up and down his butt and thighs, and then she was unceremoniously dumped on a bed. His bed. “Oh,” she squealed, but Zadir was on her and swallowing her scream before she could get her bearings about her. He was kissing her, first her mouth and then her neck and then the area between her breasts. She writhed against the steel encased denim as it pushed against her. One hand snaked up her leg, inside her thigh and she vibrated with need when his knuckles grazed her moist center. “Zadir,” she moaned.
Her moan had him even harder, knowing she was turned on and out of her mind with lust for him. He stared at her for a minute, taking in her beauty and her innate sensuality. “You are gorgeous, Shala.” He pulled the zipper at her side and gently pulled the dress off her body. Next was her thin strap of yellow lace. It was summer and bright like her. He tossed them aside and ran a finger through her folds, loving that swift intake of breath. He did it again and again until he felt her thighs tremble.
“Zadir,” she moaned again when he kissed his way up her body, stopping to love on her breasts while she reached for him. “Please.”
That breathy plea nearly undid him. He stood and removed his clothes, eyeing her darkly when she gasped at the sight of him.
“You’re beautiful.”
