Bella and the Merciless Sheikh

Bella gave an outraged squeak and made a grab for the tunic. ‘That was a one-off performance, caused by too much sun and the fact that you bulldoze your way over everyone.’

He threw the robe out of reach, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he stripped off his own clothes. ‘Why do you fight me?’

Averting her eyes from temptation, Bella glanced past him, trying to gauge her chances of making it out of the tent without him catching her. ‘Once was a mistake—twice would be a disaster.’

‘If you run, I’ll just bring you back.’

She looked at him then and was trapped by his devastating smile and the unmistakable look of raw sexual intent in his eyes. Her body melted with a desire so intense that it was impossible to breathe. He was unreasonably, unfairly gorgeous. ‘I’m not your prisoner.’

‘No.’ He retrieved the knife from the folds of the robe. ‘You’re an aggravating, feisty, defiant woman. And I find that unbelievably erotic.’ There was an elemental primitive strength about him that made her shiver and Bella was suddenly acutely conscious that she’d never dealt with anyone like him before in her life.

Wary, Bella eyed the knife. ‘What’s that for? Are you planning to threaten me into submission?’

‘Don’t worry,’ he purred softly. ‘When I take you a second time, you won’t be fighting me any more than you did the first time.’

Bella’s heart was pounding and her mouth was dry. ‘My brain is back in working order now. And this whole Neanderthal caveman routine doesn’t really do anything for me. I like a man who can hold a conversation.’

‘And I like a woman who knows when to remain silent.’ He dropped the dagger onto the ground. ‘I’ve watched you since the moment you arrived. And I was still watching you when you were writhing underneath me. It was a very satisfying sight.’

Squirming at being reminded of how easily she’d succumbed to him, Bella lifted her chin. ‘That was all an act to protect your ego.’ She tried to scramble to her feet but Zafiq gave a half-smile, caught her round the waist and dropped her back on the mattress.

‘You are talking because you are nervous, and that is good because it shows that you are vulnerable. But you don’t need to be afraid.’ His expression thoughtful, he sat down next to her, every muscular curve of his bronzed torso so breathtakingly perfect that Bella found it almost impossibly distracting.

‘I’m not afraid…I’m—’ His mouth silenced the rest of her sentence and she felt her head swim, but she was determined not to make a sound. He already thought he was a god; there was no need to feed his ego by letting him know he was an exceptionally good kisser. Ignoring the rush of heat that swept through her body she pulled away and tried to look bored.

‘Sorry, was I supposed to feel something?’ But the husky note of her voice betrayed her and he gave a slow, masculine smile, closed his hands over her shoulders and pushed her back against the mattress.

‘Are you ever honest about your feelings?’

No, Bella thought helplessly, thinking of the number of times she’d been hurt in her life. Never. ‘I don’t have feelings,’ she whispered, and he lowered his head, his lips brushing against hers. Their eyes held, the connection between them pulsing, intimate and deliciously exciting.

The heat in the tent went from oppressive to stifling and Bella sucked in a breath as his thigh brushed against hers and his breath mingled with hers. ‘Last time we took things too fast. This time will be different. This time we will drive each other crazy.’ His burning gaze slid slowly down to her mouth, and then to her throat and finally to her breasts. Bella moaned as she felt her nipples harden against the flimsy fabric. ‘Stop looking at me like that.’ But her words lacked conviction because she didn’t want him to stop looking at her. She loved the way he was looking at her.