Monarch of the Sands

ody and the movement made him turn his head to look at her, his eyes narrowing as she gave him a tentative smile.

‘I don’t want to fall out about it,’ she said softly, and with that she reached out her hand to cup the jut of his jaw. She could feel the rasp of new growth there and traced her thumb over his lips, not surprised when he caught it between his teeth and gave it a tiny nip.

‘Neither do I,’ he growled.

‘So couldn’t we … couldn’t we forget it ever hap pened?’

‘Are you crazy?’ The absurdity of her statement stirred him into action and he rolled closer, pulling her against his warm and newly aroused body. And then he sighed. ‘No, you’re just inexperienced—and in a way, it’s a bit of a pity that you’ve started with the best.’

She bristled at the implication behind his words. ‘You mean that no lover will ever match you?’

That hadn’t been what he’d meant at all. He’d meant that sex rarely felt this good—especially given that it was her first time. He wondered why that was, before quickly dismissing the thought. The whys and wherefores were irrelevant—it was the facts they had to deal with. And the fact was that he had just made love to his sweet virginal Francesca and he wanted to do it again.

‘I doubt it,’ he told her honestly.

‘Why, you arrogant—’

He silenced her with the brush of his lips. ‘Arrogance is sometimes the truth, anisah,’ he said sombrely.

When he spoke like that—how could she resist him?

When his black eyes looked as deep and as dark as ink and she just wanted to write her name with them …

‘Oh, Zahid.’

‘Zahid, what?’

She shook her head, shrugged her shoulders helplessly so that the throw slipped down. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered.

And neither did he. All he could think about was the distracting softness of her warm breasts and her evocative feminine scent, which seemed to have invaded his senses. His lips brushing against her shoulder, he slid his fingers between her thighs as he gave into a temptation he had no desire to resist. Why mar this beautiful experience with troublesome questions which could easily wait?

Lowering his mouth onto hers, he gave a low moan as his kiss blotted everything except the hungry clamour of their bodies.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE finger which was stroking circles on her belly suddenly stilled and Frankie made a little sound which was midway between pleasure and protest.

‘That’s nice,’ she whispered.

‘I know it is. Too damned nice.’ With a quick and disbelieving glance at his watch, Zahid saw that it was two hours since they had left the racing stadium. Two hours which hadn’t been scheduled into his busy itinerary, which had been spent exploring her sweet body. With an effort, he pushed aside the covers and forced himself to get out of bed and away from the warm lure of her arms. For a woman who was new to sex she had certainly embraced it with enthusiasm. He had never imagined that she could be so deliciously imaginative.

‘We can’t lie around in bed any longer, Francesca—my bodyguards will be wondering what the hell I am doing.’

His mouth hardened. Actually, they would probably have a pretty good idea of what he was doing, he realised—and it was his own stupid fault. He had broken all the rules by bringing Francesca to his private house and spending the whole afternoon making love to her.

‘Zahid—’

‘Not now. We’d better get dressed and on our way.’ Brutally, his words cut across hers—he was terrified that she might make another breathy little sound, which would compel him to start exploring her hot and tight little body yet again. He stared down at her, naked on his bed. Dark hair spilled over her shoulders and her creamy thighs were parted indolently—and with a big2 groan he swallowed down his rising lust and backed away. ‘Will you stop tempting me?’ he demanded.

‘But I’m not doing anything!’

Now was not the time to explain that she was managing to make him more aroused than he could ever remember feeling before. Because how could he possibly explain something he didn’t understand? Instead, he forced his mind to practicalities. ‘I’m afraid that we’re going to have to wait until we get back to the palace to shower—if you can bear to.’ Because they might as well have taken out a full-page advertisement in the Khayarzah Times if they suddenly reappeared with damp hair and flushed faces. Even if it meant that the return journey would be perfumed with the distinctive scent of sex. ‘Francesca, will you please get up?’

Reluctantly, Frankie did as he asked—acutely aware of the fact that she was stark-naked in front of a man she’d known all her life. It felt strange to be getting dressed in such a bizarre setting—and stranger still to see Zahid, his back now averted, hurriedly pulling on his robes.

Locating her bag and finding a nearby bathroom, she freshened up as best she could. But when she returned to the bedroom, it was to find Zahid looking grim—and suddenly, her heart sank with a sense of dread. Was he going to tell her something she suspected he’d felt all along—that he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life?

‘So … what happens now?’ she asked in a big2 voice.