AllFreeNovel
Share Us
From the corner of her eyes, Lacey saw that someone wore all black. A jacket...no, a suit. The formality was at odds with the party. The darkness was out of place among the bright rainbow colors. But there was something familiar about the person’s movement. What was it that... Her heart lurched, and she went still.
Hafiz. She froze as the wild hope and surprise ripped through her. Hafiz was here? No, that was impossible. She blinked, and he was suddenly gone. Lacey rubbed her eyes. Was she now having hallucinations about him along with her dreams?
Her pulse skipped hard as she quickly scanned the crowd. Why did he seem so real? Shouldn’t her memory become hazier as time went on?
She frowned as she resumed her dancing. Her memory was definitely playing tricks. Lacey didn’t understand why she envisioned him in a black linen jacket, collarless shirt and black trousers. Usually she remembered him in a pinstripe suit, in traditional robes, or in nothing at all.
Lacey squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to discard the images of Hafiz in various stages of undress flickering through her mind. Forget about him, she decided as she forced herself to dance. It’s time to start living again.
* * *
Hafiz watched Lacey dance, her body moving with the same earthiness as when they shared a bed. It had been four weeks since he’d seen Lacey. Since he had declared his love. It felt like an eternity. He shouldn’t be here, and yet he couldn’t stay away.
Now he wished he hadn’t given in to the impulse. Anger and indignation swirled inside him, ready to explode. From what he could see, Lacey was the center of the party. She wasn’t laughing or smiling, but her intense expression suggested that nothing mattered more than exploring the music.
He glared at the bikini and sarong she wore. It flaunted her curves instead of hiding them. The bikini top lovingly clung to her breasts. Her nipples pressed against the fragile fabric. The sarong hung low, emphasizing her tiny waist and the gentle swell of her hips.
His gaze traveled down her taut stomach. The ivory skin was sun-kissed, but she had lost weight. Pining for him? Hafiz glanced around the party and scoffed at the idea as he crossed his arms. He wished. More like too much partying.
The brightly colored sarong teased his senses, and he couldn’t drag his gaze away from her bare legs. He remembered how they felt wrapped around his waist as he drove into her.
When Lacey rolled her hips, Hafiz’s restraint threatened to shatter. Where was a voluminous caftan when you needed one? He was beginning to see the advantages.
Lacey was surrounded by cheering men, and she unknowingly taunted them with the thrust of her hips. Hafiz swore she was more sensual than any belly dancer without even trying. Did she know that these men would do anything to get her into bed? They couldn’t hide the desperation to take his place in her life.
Had they already?
The possibility fueled his bitter jealousy. He could not hold back any longer. He stepped through the circle of the men posturing for Lacey’s attention and reached for her. Hafiz grasped her wrist and was painfully aware of the heat coursing through him from the simple touch.
Lacey opened her eyes just as he slid her against him. Blood sang through his veins as her soft breasts pressed against his hard chest. He shuddered as his control slipped. After a month without her, every primal instinct told him to pounce and never let her go.
“Miss me, Lacey?” he murmured in her ear.
He watched as she blinked at him. His chest ached as he waited, wondering how she would greet him. Would she push him away? Would she welcome him with the same cool friendliness she’d welcome an old acquaintance? Or would she treat him with indifference?
“Hafiz?”
He drew her closer as the people and the noise faded around them. He had eyes only for Lacey. She pressed her hands to his face. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered.
He held her hand and pressed his mouth against her palm. “You did miss me,” he said, purring with satisfaction.
“Of course I did.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him fiercely. “How can you ask?” she asked against his chest.
“Let’s get out of here,” he insisted as he drew her away. He was too impatient to taste Lacey’s mouth on his. He needed her more than his next breath. “I want you all to myself.”
