The Sultan's Choice

After a long moment something indefinable shifted between them and Sadiq started to pull back. Without even intending it, she gave a little mewl of protest. He pulled his head back and with excruciating slowness sanity returned to Samia’s brain, along with much needed oxygen.

It seemed to take an age for her to be able to open her eyes, and when she did all she could see were two stormy blue oceans. Her arms were around his neck, one of his hands was on her head, his other hand was cupping her bottom. His erection hadn’t subsided one bit, and she had to fight not to give in to the urge to rock against him with her pelvis—a completely instinctive move, seeking friction.

Along with the shock filtering into her brain was something much more nebulous and disbelieving. He’d kissed her. Why had he kissed her? He’d kissed her as if he were a drowning man in the desert who’d just found water. Or had that been her? She’d certainly been drowning.

Instantly aware of how she was clinging to him like some kind of octopus, Samia pulled back, dislodging his hands. She felt the absurd urge to apologise, her eyes darting away from that gaze which saw too much. She felt over-hot and dishevelled. Had she thrown herself at him? Overcome with a build-up of desire she hadn’t even acknowledged?

A hand come to her chin, forcing her to look up at him again. She was undone and he looked … amazing. Her belly clenched hard with another spurt of desire.

His mouth quirked and her belly flip-flopped. ‘I can see you doubting what just happened.’

Samia went pink. Was she so easy to read?

Sadiq smiled. ‘I kissed you because I’ve thought about little else since we last kissed. I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you—because your face, your eyes—’ his eyes dropped to her mouth ‘—your mouth is all I can think about.’

Samia gulped, wondering if she was dreaming. She could see the horses standing restlessly just feet away. She could feel the heat of the unrelenting sun on her head. She frowned, trying to make sense of this development and the burgeoning lick of excitement within her.

‘But why … why haven’t you wanted to spend any time with me?’

Sadiq grimaced and let go of her chin. ‘Because of exactly what just happened. I’m not in control around you …’

He cursed and spun away for a moment and Samia blinked. Not in control around her? That was as fantastical a thing for her to hear as if Sadiq had just told her they were expecting a snow shower any moment.

Obeying some urge to clarify this, or to see if he was mocking her, Samia reached out to touch his arm. He turned around and she dropped her hand, the feel of those muscles through the thin material of his robe far too disconcerting to her very shaky equilibrium.

She steeled herself. ‘I don’t know … What you’re saying is crazy.’ Sanity came back, and along with it the insecurity she’d battled all her life. He had to be lying, or jesting, or something. ‘I don’t believe you.’

The most powerful, gorgeous man in the world could not be standing here telling her that she turned him on to the point of distraction.

He looked grim. ‘I couldn’t believe it either.’

Samia flushed. If anything, that statement convinced her. Of course he hadn’t believed this. The bookish, boring wife he’d chosen was turning into something of an anomaly. No wonder he was grim.

She hitched up her chin, emotion threatening to constrict her throat. She felt as though some long-diminished part of her was being allowed to breathe again, but Sadiq clearly resented it because it didn’t fit with his plans. ‘It’s obvious that this isn’t something you expected, but as we’re to be married then surely …’ Her bravado crumbled. ‘Surely at least it’ll make things … easier?’

He quirked a brow. ‘You mean in the bedroom?’

Samia’s face flamed but she nodded. Sadiq moved closer again, and Samia had trouble standing her ground.

His voice was low and wickedly seductive, all grimness gone and replaced with sensual promise. ‘It’ll certainly make things more pleasurable. The only problem will be keeping my mind on issues of the state rather than my wife’s delectable body. I hadn’t anticipated that.’

Samia had a vivid memory of his conversation with his lawyer that first day, and how he’d laid out his reasons for wanting a conservative bride: because the stability of his country came first and he wanted no distractions. Hurt at his obvious surprise and reluctance at this turn of events had her retorting waspishly, ‘I’m not going to apologise for the failure of your efforts to choose a wife so unappealing that you wouldn’t have to deal with the annoying complication of attraction. Clearly it’s just your libido that’s rampant. I’m sure any other woman standing in front of you would be having the same effect, even one as unassuming as me.’

Samia turned and walked jerkily over to her horse, gathering the reins before finding her footing in the stirrup and swinging lithely onto the horse’s back. She set off back the way she’d come, not even looking to see if Sadiq was following her. When she heard him behind her she straightened her spine and fought the urge to make a gallop for it.

Sadiq looked at the tense back of the woman in front of him. He’d almost grabbed her to him when she’d whirled away just now—to do what? he asked himself. To keep kissing her until he couldn’t stop and had them both on the desert ground, making love against the unforgiving sand? Because that was what would have happened if he hadn’t clawed up some elusive self-control from somewhere and stopped kissing her.

She was wrong. He couldn’t imagine any other woman turning him on as she just had. Some of the most beautful women had thrown themselves at him, and one memorable time one had even been waiting naked in his bed. He’d had no problem turning his back on them.

And with the women he had chosen, he’d had no problem turning his back once he was done with them. He’d certainly never lost himself in a simple kiss as he just had with Samia. Something about her artless innocence mixed with that earthy sensuality made his brain turn to liquid heat.

He’d told himself that his ability to control himself with lovers had been down to the lesson harshly learnt when he’d been so young and so foolish. As if he’d consciously trained himself to control base desires. But he was realising now that the reason he hadn’t lost control was because he simply hadn’t felt a depth of desire so strong that it obliterated anything in its path. It was that depth of desire that made him want to ride up alongside Samia and pluck her from her saddle so that he could feel her body pressed up close to his.

Not wanting to have to think about those uncomfortable revelations, he did just that. Caution was thrown to the wind as he pulled up beside Samia. The voices in his head quietened. Reaching over, he pulled her, protesting vociferously, from the back of her horse and onto his saddle in front of him, between his legs, where his erection once again came to throbbing life. But he didn’t care.

As he took the reins of her horse in one hand to lead it home he could hear her spluttering and working up to a tirade. She was tense enough to bre

ak between his legs. He bit back a smile of satisfaction and bent his head to whisper in her ear. ‘Relax, Samia. And you’re wrong, you know. There’s not another woman on the planet right now who could induce me to lose my mind with a simple kiss.’