His hand slipped inside the waistband of her panties, down to flesh that had never, ever felt a man’s touch and she cried out in an overload of sensation as he touched that bit of feminine flesh that other women talked about, but she had never ever experimented with finding.
She went rigid and then shook in convulsions that were so strong, her muscles ached from supporting them.
He continued his ministrations until her entire body went limp from the strain.
He pulled her close to his chest, wrapping her in his embrace with strong, sure arms. The tears that had been a trickle became a torrent and she sobbed against his chest with as much abandon as she had given to her pleasure.
He comforted her, whispering soothing sounding words in a language she did not recognize. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t understand the words, their tone was what she needed.
“That was too much,” she said between hiccuping sobs.
“It was more beautiful than the desert as sunrise,” was his response.
“I love you,” she confessed, her heart left unprotected by the amazing experience she had just gone through.
She was hopelessly in love with a man who could have any woman he wanted and that scared her. Refusing to admit it did not change it and there was a certain amount of relief in letting the truth out.
His hands caressed her back and she shivered with another convulsion. If it had been an earthquake, she would have called it an aftershock. It had been close enough.
He picked her up, carrying her as if she weighed no more than one of the throw pillows off the sofa. When they came into her bedroom, he flipped on the small light by her bed, casting a warm glow in the room.
Stopping beside the bed, he bent to lay her down, but she clung to his neck. “Please, don’t leave.”
She couldn’t bear being alone after that.
He tensed.
“Please,” she begged again.
“Do not plead. If you want me to stay, I will stay.”
She let go of his neck and let him lay her down on the bed. He straightened to stand beside her. “Prepare yourself for bed and I will return to hold you.”
“Aren’t we going to make love?” she asked, not at all sure she could stand another dose of pleasure like what she had just gone through, but willing to try.
“Not until we are married.”
She still didn’t believe for a minute they were actually going to end up married. “But…” She could see the hard ridge still pressing against his slacks.
He shook his head decisively. “We will wait.”
She couldn’t expect him to hold her all night in that condition.
“I could…” she blushed without completing the offer, knowing he was a smart enough guy to figure it out.
“I’ll take a shower.”
“You’re going to take a cold shower?” The thought of a sexy man like Hakim having to take a cold shower over her was somehow very appealing.
He smiled as if he could read her thoughts. “As you say. Prepare yourself for bed. I will return in but a moment.”
She nodded and silently watched him walk into the en suite. It was only when she looked down that she realized her chest was still exposed. Her nipples were still hard and wet from his mouth. Oh my. The sight paralyzed her for a full minute before she was able to get up and find a nightgown to wear for bed.
Hakim stood under the warm jets of water, his body buffeted by the pain of unrequited passion, his mind filled with pleasure at how successfully his campaign had gone.
Catherine had agreed to be his wife.
His uncle would be pleased. Her father would be pleased. Hakim was pleased.
Marriage to Catherine would be no hardship.
Under the shy exterior, she was so passionate, so beautifully sensual. It had been harder than he ever would have thought possible to pull back from making love to her completely.
She’d liked that. His sweet little wallflower had liked thinking he was in here taking a cold shower because of his desire for her. The shower wasn’t cold, but only because he’d never found that an effective deterrent to desire. He had found that warm water could sometimes soothe the physical ache of wanting what he could not yet have.
It wasn’t working right now though. His sex was so hard, he was in pain.
He could not banish the image from his head of how she had looked with her dress pulled down, her breasts swollen and quivering with her desire. And the way she had exploded…her entire body bowing with such strong contractions, he had found it most difficult to keep his jewel on the couch. He groaned as his male member throbbed at the memories.
Maybe a cold shower would help.
Turning the knob all the way to the right, he was soon blasted with an icy spray. He gritted his teeth, practicing a self-discipline technique he had learned while training with elite guard in his uncle’s palace.