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“Then be good, little cat,” he teased, chucking her gently under the chin, “and you will be rewarded for the wait.”
With that, he stepped away from her, and suddenly her lungs filled with air. She didn’t even realize she’d been holding her breath this entire time.
What was this man doing to her? His presence alone made her forget to breathe!
When he started to leave, she mindlessly reached out and grabbed his hand with both of hers, pulling him back.
“Shai…” she pleaded.
For what, she knew not. Simply staring expectantly up at him.
His eyes softened then, the guardedness in them receding ever so slightly, and he finally dipped down to kiss her gently on the mouth. Just a lush press of lips upon lips and the warm, caressing brush of his tongue.
It wasn’t a kiss of passion, but of desire and affection.
Of promise.
She loved it just as much. She loved all of his kisses with equal fervor.
He squeezed her hands and let go, turned and walked away.
And Heba all but melted into a puddle on the deck floor. It was a good thing the rail behind her back provided support. Because—
That man!
Later that night, when the men were relaxing and preparing for their own rest, Shai came to her just as he said he would, bolting the door once again behind him.
Heba watched him just as she did the day before, engraving every glimpse of him into her psyche to keep forever.
She missed watching his nightly and daily rituals over the past years that she’d purposely turned away from him. She wondered at her own stupidity.
How had she survived being in the same space andnotlook at him? Especially in such intimate circumstances?
While she realized why she made the decision to save herself unnecessary torture and frustration, she couldn’t now reconcile how she’d been strong enough to avoid the temptation.
Something had changed.
This voyage was changing their relationship in irrevocable ways, and it both frightened and exhilarated her.
But she put those thoughts aside as he came to her in all his golden, naked glory. This time, instead of joining her on the makeshift bed, he pulled her to her feet and hugged her to his body.
“Good evening, little cat,” he greeted, in much the same affectionate way he greeted her this morning.
“Good evening, my Shai,” she returned, her voice firmer this time, her claim on him ringing clear.
He smiled with his eyes and kissed her.
Not where she wanted him to, however. He was meandering across her face and neck again, the maddening, exasperating, frustrating man!
She wrapped an arm around his neck and reached down to clutch his swollen staff in her greedy fist, squeezing as tightly as she could, her fingers nowhere near meeting around his girth. Sending him a message.
A deep-chested chuckle rumbled through his torso, though he didn’t give it voice.
“Patience,” he said against her mouth, finally kissing her lightly there.
“I’ve been very good,” she declared.
“I’ve waited all day without harassing you. I barely looked your way.”
