Читать книгу The Desert King's Pregnant Bride - Annie West - Страница 7

CHAPTER THREE

HE COULDN’T. He mustn’t.

This woman was exhausted, not thinking clearly. He mustn’t take advantage, no matter that his need for her was visceral, all-consuming. She deserved his protection.

Her eyes glowed a shimmering green-gold. She looked pale but beautiful, her fine-boned features pure, alluring and incredibly sexy with that hopeful pout.

‘You’re hurt. This is your pain speaking.’ Khalid forced the words out. ‘But this isn’t the answer. You want someone who can give you more. More than a few snatched hours.’

More than a man who could only promise physical pleasure. Who had given up on emotional commitment years before.

For one absurd moment he felt a piercing jealousy for the man who’d one day give Maggie Lewis everything she wanted.

Her chin tilted fractionally in a way that spoke of pride and pain together.

‘What if I said a few snatched hours are exactly what I want? That I’m not in the market for anything more? Not any longer?’

Tension held Khalid rigid as desire spiralled and his groin tightened. Each muscle was rock-hard at the effort of remaining still when he wanted to lean over and imprison her beneath his hungry body.

Desire he understood. He had a healthy male appreciation of a sexy woman. But this craving was something else entirely. It shook him to the core. Unbelievably this felt far more significant than the simple sexual urge he’d assuaged through the recent years with beautiful, willing women.

This felt…different. More real, more vital than anything he’d experienced in years.

A shadowed vision of velvet-soft brown eyes filled his mind and pain lanced his chest.

‘No. I can’t.’ He forced the words out over a constricting throat.

‘Yes, of course.’ Her whisper drew his sensitised flesh to prickling alert. ‘I understand.’

Khalid drew a shuddering breath. He’d done the right thing, the honourable thing. Now he just had to—

The sight of her bowed head, her white teeth cutting deep into her bottom lip, brought him up short.

‘Thank you for helping me tonight,’ she said stiffly, looking away. ‘I’m sorry I embarrassed you with my…with my…’ She shook her head and soft hair the colour of toffee swirled round her neck, catching the light.

‘I apologise,’ she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. ‘You must have women coming on to you all the time.’

Apologise?

Her profile was taut, her lips pinched. His chest hollowed as he realised he’d caused her more distress. Instinct overcame caution as he cupped her chin in his hand and turned her face around. She resisted, even grabbed his wrist as if to tug his arm away.

‘You don’t owe me an apology.’

Bright eyes met his, startled and disbelieving. He wished the texture of her soft skin weren’t so enticing.

Khalid hoped fate would repay him one day for his superhuman restraint. It was killing him by degrees, inhaling her tantalising scent, sexier than any bottled fragrance. The feel of her, the sight of her, seduced him, more real than any shadowy memories of the past. That scared him, yet he ached to learn the taste of her.

She reared back, away from his touch. Her chest rose and fell rapidly beneath the oversized robe.

‘I understand.’ She spoke too quickly, her words tripping over each other. ‘It’s all right.’

But it wasn’t. She thought he lied about wanting her. Could she really be so blind? What had happened tonight to make her so unsure of her attractiveness?

‘I think I should leave.’ Her voice wobbled on the last word. Automatically she angled her chin higher as if to counteract any sign of weakness.

She was a fighter, this woman who played havoc with his good intentions, who’d got under his skin from the moment he’d seen her. Who had to be one of the most alluring women he’d ever met. Even without make-up, drenched and shivering in her underwear, she’d exerted a terrible fascination.

The hot tide rose in him, welling and cresting, and his resolve crumbled, his caution disintegrated.

One kiss. He’d permit himself a single kiss to alleviate the compulsive need to touch her again. To reassure her that she was desirable.

‘Maggie.’ Once more he lifted her chin, this time bending close. Her eyes widened, her mouth slackened just a little as she realised what he intended. Perfect.

Her lips trembled beneath his and he wrapped his arms around her, sweeping her close. The brush of her slender, feminine form and her fresh, sweet taste on his tongue sent a roaring wave of need juddering through him. Khalid breathed deep, summoning control. He had to concentrate, to keep this a gentle, exploratory kiss.

The feel of her lips shaping to his and the sound of her soft sigh were poignant. She fitted his arms as if made for him. It was as perfect as any lover’s kiss he’d known.

He reeled as the discovery slammed into his astonished brain.

Her tongue slid tentatively against his as he entered her mouth and a dart of pure pleasure shafted through him.

Just another minute…

Maggie clung to his shoulders as the world spun and she closed her eyes, dizzy with delight. The feelings he evoked with the touch of his mouth and his arms holding her close swept her into a new world.

She felt desire, daring, a thrill of excitement as his tongue stroked her mouth. Shivers ran down her spine, along her arms where the skin pulled tight and down to her nipples. She gasped as he delved deeper.

Their hearts pulsed in unison, their mouths fused as need exploded. She clamped her hands desperately to the back of his skull, pulling herself higher, closer.

Still, it wasn’t enough.

Her need for him was a twisting, hungry sensation in the pit of her stomach, and lower, where a curious ache filled her. Maggie squirmed, trying to ease the hollow feeling deep within.

Recklessly she kissed him back, the fever in her blood urging her on. For now, for tonight, this was what she craved, the sweet headiness of shared passion. All Khalid’s magnificent power concentrated on her.

When he cupped her breast she gasped against his mouth, unprepared for the electric charge his touch evoked. Blue-white fire flickered behind her eyelids as he brushed his thumb over her nipple. Incendiary sparks exploded through her, drawing her body tight and expectant.

Maggie pressed forward into his hand and was rewarded as he firmed his hold. She arched her back in a spasm of pleasure. Yes!

‘Please,’ she mouthed, not even knowing what it was she pleaded for.

Devastation hit when he removed his hand, but a moment later he slipped it into the neckline of her robe. Her skin contracted, sensitised to his touch. His hand closed again around her breast, only this time there was nothing between him and her. No barrier. The feeling of him slowly massaging, then gently squeezing her there was indescribable. Perfect.

She sagged back against his embracing arm, breaking their devastating kiss as she gulped oxygen into her air-starved lungs. She gazed up at him.

Eyes like glittering dark pools shone down at her, unreadable. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed quick and deep. His heavy-lidded eyelids spoke of passion, tightly leashed. So powerfully controlled.

Would he go now? Would he slide his hand away? Could he possibly leave her alone and so desperately wanting?

She couldn’t bear it. He’d given her a taste of something special, miraculous, something only he could give. And she wanted more. Was it so bad to seek, just this once, the intimate pleasure she’d never had?

Maggie covered his hand with her own, pressing into his hold. His fingers tightened and delicious ripples spread through her.

‘Please, Khalid.’ She knew what she asked this time. She wanted him to show her more, let her experience the intimate joy of truly being with a man.

His face looked grim, the flickering firelight emphasising the sharp cut of his cheekbones, the hard, aristocratic line of his nose and his set jaw.

He was going to do it, she realised. He was going to leave her. Pride warred with need. Already tonight she’d cast aside any pretence of dignity.

Wordlessly she pulled the other side of the robe open to reveal her bare breast.

Cool air shivered across her skin.

Her heart pounded fast in trepidation and anticipation. She watched the muscles work in his throat as he swallowed. Then his chest expanded on a mighty breath.

She waited, trembling, but his next move was to slip his hand away.

Maggie knew defeat then. He didn’t like what he saw. Why was she surprised? She’d always known she wasn’t feminine enough with her underdeveloped curves. She dragged the robe back, covering herself, even though it was too late for modesty.

The touch of his hands made her jump. Before she could gather her wits she was hauled off the couch and up into steel-hard arms. His eyes were molten hot as they clashed with hers.

‘Are you sure you want this?’ His voice was a low burr that reverberated deep in that hollow place within her.

She nodded, her mouth too dry to speak as excitement effervesced in her bloodstream. There was silence but for the crackle of the fire. Maggie held her breath, waiting.

‘Then so be it.’

He turned so fast the room blurred. A moment later they were in a massive, shadowed bedroom. Maggie had an impression of sumptuous furnishings, of a vast royal-blue and gold bedspread, before he ripped the covers back in a single ruthless tug and tumbled her down onto the sheets.

Their eyes met and held and her blood pumped harder, faster. It was a thunderous buzz in her ears as his hands went to his shirt and he tugged it off, not bothering with buttons. Seconds later the rest of his clothing dropped to the floor.

He stood before her, magnificent and more beautiful than anything she’d seen in her life. The warm glow of the bedroom fire gilded his skin and cast shadows across his body. Each plane and curved muscle was thrown into relief. He was long-limbed, strong and virile. She’d never imagined a man could look so potent, so perfect.

Maggie pushed back a moment’s doubt, wondering if she should tell him she was a virgin. He wouldn’t have taken seriously her crack about being untouched.

But she didn’t want him having second thoughts now. A man such as this must have had many lovers. Would he be disappointed? Maggie quashed the worry as soon as it entered her brain.

For this one night she’d live for the moment, thrust caution aside and take what life had to offer.

Heat washed her as he reached into a bedside drawer to retrieve a foil packet and put it on the table.

She was grateful he’d thought of protection, but somehow this reminder of real-world responsibility made her feel awkward and nervous.

‘You have too many clothes on.’ His words short-circuited her thoughts. The sound of his voice drew her skin tight over her bones. Then his hands were on her, drawing the belt from her robe, slowly opening it, laying the sides wide so she lay virtually naked. He stood there, not saying a word as his gaze travelled the length of her body. She had time to feel anxious again, wondering what he thought of it.

He drew in a deep breath and Maggie watched, mesmerised, the movement of muscle and tendon tightening across his torso. He had the superb body of an athlete.

Then there was no chance for further thought as he bent and stripped the robe away, flinging it to the floor. A moment later he was crowding her back on the bed. His body was as hot as a furnace. Everywhere they touched she registered unfamiliar, exciting sensations. The brush of wiry hair as his legs tangled with hers. The impossibly erotic slide of his chest against her heated skin; hard-packed muscle and a drift of silky hair against her own sensitised breasts. And, lower, his heavy erection on her thigh.

Her breath shuddered as sensory overload hit.

But there was more to come. He lowered his head to her breast and ecstasy consumed her.

‘Khalid!’ Her hoarse cry was barely audible as she fought to catch her breath. The sensations coursing through her as he suckled, at first gently, then hard, stiffened her body in shocked delight. Then his hand was on her other breast, circling and teasing. She wondered if it was possible to die from pleasure. His body heat against hers was exquisitely exciting.

Her fingers speared through his thick hair, holding him close. Liquid heat throbbed through her bloodstream and pooled between her legs. An urgent longing filled her. She wanted him. Now.

But Khalid was in no hurry.

‘Patience, little one.’ He turned his attention to discovering her body with a single-minded intensity that made her head spin and her blood sing.

From her shoulder to her fingertips, from the sensitive place just behind her ear to her collarbone and her breasts, he took his time caressing, kissing, learning her. Arousing her. She sighed as he moved lower, to her navel, her hipbone, her thigh, even the back of her knee.

Pleasure rippled through her as sensation after sensation bombarded her. She grew alternately limp and stiff with excitement at his touch. The one constant was the ever-building need that grew stronger by the minute. Soon it was a throbbing ache.

Hours might have passed by the time he paused to reach out a hand to the bedside table. Then he was back, his hard hands tender, his breath hot on her sensitive inner thighs and higher, on the place where the heat scorched brightest and hottest.

She cried out as he caressed her there, at the very apex of her need, and she almost jolted off the bed as jagged lightning shot through.

She was burning up; she couldn’t breathe. Her pounding heart must surely suffocate her.

‘Khalid.’ Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she tried to drag him higher. Her legs twisted wide as instinctively she offered herself.

There was no doubt in her mind now. This was right. He was right. It was almost as if he was the one she’d been waiting for all this time.

The burgeoning realisation fractured into nothingness as he covered her body with his and she ceased to think.

He was heat and power, hard muscle and surprisingly silky skin. Maggie slipped her hands around his neck, her breath faltering as her breasts rubbed his chest.

Dark, fathomless eyes held hers and amidst the maelstrom of desire she felt…safe.

She hung on tight as he propped himself up on one arm and she felt the muscles in his shoulders ripple. His other hand moved down to touch her between her legs. His fingers glided through slick folds, over the throbbing nub and inexorably lower. Wildfire blazed in her bloodstream at his touch. Her body convulsed as he pushed inwards and her breath tore away.

For a long quivering moment she waited, eyes wide, fingers clenching tight in his hair as her body tugged at him. She saw his pulse jerk heavily in his throat and felt the throb of his erection against her.

She shifted against him, not sure how to proceed but knowing she’d die if he stopped now.

Clumsily she unwound an arm from around his neck and slid it down till her fingers curled around him. He came to life at her touch, pushing into her palm: hot, heavy and powerfully strong. Tentatively she squeezed.

A guttural rumble of Arabic near her ear might have been encouragement or an oath.

‘Stop!’

Instantly she loosened her hold.

Khalid’s lips were drawn back in a grimace of pain. Or pleasure? His eyes glittered febrile-bright as he stared down at her.

Then he moved and there were no more doubts. He braced himself over her as his palm spread her thighs wider. Her legs shook as she complied. He nudged at her entrance and instinctively she rose up to meet him.

He dipped his head to her neck, kissing and grazing her tender skin with his teeth as he pushed in. The movement was smooth, easy and impossibly long. Maggie experienced a strange sensation of fullness, of stretching, of weight and heat. There was discomfort at first, but when he stopped she couldn’t believe the feeling of oneness.

Khalid raised his head, a pinch of a frown marking the centre of his brow. He stared down at her through narrowed eyes for a long moment. Then raised a hand to her cheek in the gentlest of caresses. To her amazement Maggie registered a tiny tremor in his touch.

She turned her face into his palm, revelling in the slide of his callused fingers against her cheek.

‘You are a treasure. So generous,’ he murmured in a deep husky voice that curled her insides.

His mouth took hers in a sensuous kiss. His body moved away, then slid back, again and again in an easy rhythm that set incendiary sparks flying through her body. Frantically she hugged him, giving him back kiss for desperate kiss as the tension coiled tighter and tighter inside her.

Then the fire they’d built consumed her in a flare of white-hot light and the world exploded around her, blotting out everything but the perfection of that single climactic moment that went on and on and on.

It was dark when Maggie woke. Time for her early start in the stables. Yet she didn’t stir. She felt lethargic, yet energised. She tingled with effervescent energy as if her bloodstream ran with champagne.

Her lips curved as she snuggled down on her pillow, enjoying the remarkable sense of well-being that filled her. She felt like a different woman. Not plain old Maggie Lewis. Then she registered the heat behind her. The living heat of another body.

Khalid.

Memory crashed upon her in a bitter-sweet tide.

She thought of last night, of Khalid’s passion and the way he’d made her feel…beautiful. She’d never been given such a gift before. She hugged the memory tight to herself.

When he’d made love to her she’d even, for a moment, believed herself to be a desirable woman.

The tentative curve of her lips faded. Her mouth flattened into a grim line. Her—desirable? No, she couldn’t fool herself like that. She was strong enough to face the truth.

Khalid had made love to her because she’d thrown herself at him. She’d seen the pity in his eyes. She’d read his initial unwillingness. She’d played on his sympathy and he’d read her desperation.

It didn’t matter that she’d needed him so badly she’d felt she might shatter with the force of her feelings. Or that their love-making had been the most wonderful experience in all her twenty-three years.

Last night she’d told herself she should grab what she wanted. Anger had welled at Marcus’s duplicity, at the dull, demanding life she’d accepted for so long, at the hurt she’d endured. She’d wanted for one night the powerful pleasure she’d known instinctively Khalid could give her.

He’d probably spent the encounter thinking of some voluptuous beauty, not the awkward emotional woman in his arms.

Mortified, Maggie felt her face burn.

She was strong, a survivor. But did she have the nerve to face him this morning? She imagined him trying to stifle his distaste.

Maggie darted a furtive look over her shoulder. He lay asleep. Even in the pre-dawn gloom the set of his shoulders and deep chest above white sheets snared her gaze. Heat built inside her. That needy ache was back again.

No! She buried her face in her pillow, only to inhale the faint spicy scent that lingered there. The evocative scent of Khalid’s skin. Her resolve splintered. The temptation to stay was so strong.

But Maggie was done with fantasy. Last night had been a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it couldn’t lead anywhere. Better to let Khalid wake alone. He deserved that. He’d be relieved to find she wasn’t clinging to him still.

Slowly, her heart heavy, she pulled back the covers and slipped noiselessly from the bed.

Khalid woke at dawn. His recall of last night was instantaneous, evidenced by his early-morning erection. Despite the startling perfection of sex with Maggie Lewis it had been a frustrating night. Once was rarely enough for Khalid and last night his climax, despite its rare intensity, had barely scratched the surface of his need. He’d itched for more.

Only the knowledge that, incredibly, he was her first lover had restrained him from sating himself in her slim, sexy body again and again.

A powerful shudder ran through him.

Her first. The knowledge stirred a deeply primitive satisfaction in his belly. He didn’t deflower virgins. He sought pleasure with women who were worldly, experienced and unlikely to cling. Women who knew he no longer had a heart to bestow even on the most generous lover.

Yet here he was, rampant with sexual hunger for his next taste of Maggie.

Last night’s shock at her inexperience had worn off. So too had his reservations, that hint of guilt that he’d taken advantage of her vulnerability. She’d wanted him. Had eagerly welcomed him. Then afterwards had curled into him with the trusting innocence of a kitten. No, there could be no regrets.

The liaison had been unlooked-for, but now it had begun he knew no qualms about pursuing it further. He was a generous lover and she would have no regrets. He’d change his flights to extend his stay. But first… He rolled over, seeking the warm, welcoming embrace of his new lover.

The bed was empty.

He swiped his arm over the sheets. There was barely a trace of her warmth. A single movement propelled him out of bed, striding across the room. She wasn’t in the bathroom. Her clothes had disappeared.

Khalid’s puzzled frown accelerated into a scowl.

She’d left him without as much as a word? As if he was some sordid secret to be ashamed of! He sucked in a deep breath and willed his clenched hands to relax. But nothing could stem the surge of annoyance, of…outrage.