Chapter 4
Faye finished her yoga on the beach earlier than usual the next morning, too excited to see Zantar. Although, she had to acknowledge a bit of anxiety at the thought of seeing him again. After last night’s dreams, and all the salacious things that he’d done to her in those dreams, she was more than a bit embarrassed to face the man.
Logically, her reaction didn’t make much sense. There wasn’t any way that he could know what had happened in her dreams. Good grief, she had no idea where the man lived, much less where he’d slept last night. And yet, she blushed every time she thought about her dreams. They had been so…real!
After stretching her muscles and doing her sun salutations, greeting the morning, and regaining her positivity after yesterday’s brutal cleaning schedule, Faye hurried down the street, her legs eagerly stretching to reach the coffee shop. Was she being too eager? Probably, Faye told herself. And yet, she didn’t slow down.
As soon as she stepped around the corner, she saw him! He was there! And yes, the impressive, glorious man was just as big and handsome and alluring and…sigh…amazing as she remembered from yesterday. His presence literally took her breath away and Faye stood still for a moment, admiring the man.
She’d realized this morning that he hadn’t revealed anything about himself during their time together yesterday. He had deftly turned her questions back to her. So today, Faye was determined to ask him more. She was going to discover something real about this man. Something personal.
“Good morning,” she gushed as he stood up at her approach. He tossed the newspaper he’d been reading onto the table, looking down at her. He wasn’t smiling, but for some reason, she knew that he was pleased to see her. Perhaps it was in his eyes? She didn’t know. Nor did she understand why this man affected her so dramatically. None of the men she’d dated in the past had really sparked any interest in her over the years. They’d all been nice and friendly. But Zantar…he sparked an inferno!
“Sabah alkhayr, Faye,” he greeted, taking her hands and lifting them to his lips. With a softness that belied the muscles on his tall body, he kissed her fingertips lightly and more of those delicious shivers raced through her body. “You look lovely. Did you greet the day on the beach again this morning?”
Faye’s lungs felt as if they had been deprived of air as she stared up at the man. He was just so tall and…and male! Never before had she felt this strong of an attraction to another man in her life.
“Sabah alkayr, Zantar,” she whispered back to him. “And yes, I did my morning sun salutations on the beach this morning.”
For a long moment, the rest of the world faded away. It was just herself and this man. There was no bustling traffic or other commuters walking along the sidewalk. It was simply this man and the intense awareness that rolled through her body.
“Did you have breakfast?” he asked, moving closer.
Breakfast? Had she eaten this morning? “Yes!” she gasped. “Oh, erm, yes! I had breakfast already. But the coffee…I always stop here for coffee after…” she waved her hand in the general direction of the beach. “After I exercise.”
He took her hand and led her to the chair next to where he’d been sitting moments ago. “How was your investigation yesterday? Did you discover anything new about your artist?” When they were seated, he poured her a cup of coffee, then nudged the cream and sugar closer to her.
Zantar watched as Faye lifted the cup to her lips, savoring the rich, fragrant brew. She closed her eyes and tilted her head ever so slightly. It was an erotic expression and he wondered what she’d look like once he pleasured her. He wanted to put that look of bliss on her lovely features. He wanted to give her pleasure and hear her sighs of contentment.
Shifting in his chair, he wondered what the other patrons would do if he lifted her over the table and settled her on his lap so he could feel her pleasure as well as see it.
Soon, he told himself. Soon, he would have this woman in his bed. Normally, he’d never take this much time to court a woman. If she was willing upon their first meeting, and he was interested, then he’d give the woman pleasure before finding his own. He’d kept mistresses over the years, but when those relationships had ended, he hadn’t been overly concerned.
Seeing Faye now, he knew that his relationship with her wouldn’t be superficial like the others. No, there was something special about her. He’d cursed Sheik Astir del Taran and Goran al Istara when he’d heard what was potentially going on along their shared border. He hadn’t wanted to come here and listen to the problems of the other two leaders. But now that he was once again sitting across from Faye, he would have to give both men credit. If this crisis hadn’t come about, he never would have met Faye. And she was definitely worth the trip.
But he was startled when she shook her head. “No, I’m not going to answer any more questions until you tell me more about yourself.” She stared over the rim of her coffee cup at him. “I left here yesterday knowing your name and…” her eyes drifted over his body, “and that you have yummy shoulders. Nothing else.”
He forgave her impudence simply because she called his shoulders “yummy”. His guards were sitting at the other tables and one of them snorted. Later, he’d discover the name of the man and would use him for practice on the mat. But for the moment, he wanted to discover more about Faye. She fascinated him and he didn’t like her holding back any information about herself.
“I practice judo and tai kwon do every day,” he said, wondering if his guards had taken the hint.
Faye’s eyes widened. “That’s interesting! I’ve often thought about taking a self-defense class but I keep putting it off because…” she tilted her head from side to side. “Well, because I’m a bit intimidated and I don’t really want to learn. It’s just something that I feel as if I should learn.” She leaned her elbows on the table. “So why do you?’
“Why do I what?”
“Why do you practice self-defense?” she clarified. Her eyes drifted over his shoulders once again before coming back to look him in the eye.
He shrugged. “I enjoy the physical exertion,” he replied, even if that was only half the truth. “What did you learn about your artist yesterday?”
She shook her head again, her grin widening as her eyes sparkled with challenge. “Nope. I want more.” One dark eyebrow lifted, but she merely laughed at his expression. “Don’t even try it, Zantar,” she chided. “I know your name, that you’re hot, and that you know a few self-defense moves.” She grinned. “How old are you?”
Zantar leaned back in his chair, amused and…surprisingly, he enjoyed her daring. “I’m thirty-five,” he replied succinctly.
“What’s your favorite color?”
“I don’t have one.”
Her own brown eyebrow lifted at that. “What color is your bedroom?”
He stared at her for a long moment, then he blinked and she realized that he didn’t know. At least, not off the top of his head.
“Brown,” he guessed.