Oasis of Eden (10 page)

“Breaking her arms sounds like a good plan.” Havliah sneered and pulled Jade tighter against her body. Jade squeaked at the
agonizing action, but from beneath Havliah’s hand, it wasn’t nearly loud enough to gain anyone’s attention outside of the tent-room.

Lothar approached Jade and rubbed a strand of her hair between his fingers. “She would break your arms, she’s a heartless bitch.” Havliah hissed at him, but he continued. “I’m sure if you agree to come with me, we can escape together unharmed.”

“Oh, Lothar, your sentimentality sickens me. Just take her.”

“What the falk is going on here?” Eli’s voice boomed from the entrance, and without another word from anyone, he stepped forward, his fist connecting with Lothar’s face with a crack of skin against skin. Lothar sprawled upon the ground at the opposite side of the tent.

Eli turned to Havliah. Fury darkened his features.

Havliah gasped and released Jade. “It is Lothar. He commanded me to help him.”

“You lying bitch!” Lothar said, his hand holding the side of his jaw. “You wanted to get the Omari into bed and bade me come to get the new Lambish out of the way.”

Jade’s status in this camp, however temporary, needed to be put to rest here and now. “I am not a Lambish!” she yelled.

“Such nonsense.” Havliah tisked. “I saw the way you were dressed, your swollen assets displayed to tempt all in your path.”

Lothar rose from the ground. “Jealous, Havliah?”

“Enough!” Eli boomed. “Get out of my tent, both of you. Havliah, pack your things. You are no longer welcome in Omari Amun.”

“But—but I am helping Me-Ma serve at the feast tomorrow night!”

Jade’s gaze shot to Eli’s face. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“Very well. You will leave the night after you help Me-Ma. Now get out.”

Havliah spun on her heel, but as she past Jade, her hand raised, claw-like next to Jade’s cheek. Jade turned to the bitch, ready for an all-out brawl.

Eli reached out and took Jade by the arm, pulling her out of the reach of Havliah. “If you value your life, Havliah, you will retract your nails.”

“You will regret this. Neither she nor any of the other camp whores have the skills to please you!” she cried.

“You’d best hold on to those skills. They’re all you have.”

Hard on the heels of Havliah, Lothar tried to tip-toe past Eli. He flinched when the Omari spoke.

“You know the penalties for entering a tent without the occupant’s permission in my camp.”

Not meeting Eli’s scrutiny, Lothar continued slinking toward the door.

“If it happens again I will break your jaw, and no one will fault me for it.”

Chapter Eight

Jade had been shaking with a curious intermingling of anger and fear ever since Lothar and Havliah were tossed from Eli’s presence.

Eli’s host skills were in full swing, thank goodness. He’d shown her to his retiring room and made her comfortable with dozens of pillows and a soft, thin blanket. He’d ordered a meal from Me-Ma’s kitchen, then fed Jade in the quiet of his tent with an aching tenderness that further endeared him to her. Who’d have thought that big hulk of a man was capable of such affection? She felt her shattered nerves slowly return to normal as Eli continued to fuss over her.

Trying to soothe the bruises while he cleared the meal dishes away, she rubbed her arms. “Too bad you can’t lock the door to your tent.” She gave him a half-hearted smile.

From across the room, he sent her one of his funny looks, the ones he usually gave her just before conveying his confusion at her words. He tossed aside a drying cloth he’d used after washing his hands, and then poured two glasses of water.

She shook her head at him in a subtle reprimand as he strode towards her. “You don’t have to be so serious, Eli. I’m not permanently damaged, you know.”

“Drink this. You’ve hardly had anything to drink these past few days.”

He’d spoken to her as if she were a child. “Yes, Daddy,” she teased and tilted the water to her lips.

“All of it, now.”

Funny how comforting his words and actions were. He was sure a doll when he wanted to be.

She finished and sighed, settling back against the pillows. “Aren’t you tired? You’ve been at it for over twenty-four hours now.”

He shrugged and swallowed his water. “I’ve gone longer.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’ll bet.” How unfortunate that her sexually playful innuendo was lost on him.

Eli set their glasses upon a nearby table. “You are an impertinent female, you know that?” he taunted and settled next to her.

“What, you don’t like cheeky girls? Would you prefer me to cower at your feet like a simpleton?”

“I’m sure I wouldn’t like you half so much if you did.” His arm snaked around her shoulders.

“Mmmmmm.” She snuggled closer to him. “Now that’s flirting, baby.”

He chuckled. “Sometimes, Zsa-ninah, you make no sense.” he nuzzled her ear. “But the purr in your voice brings me to life.”

Jade raised her gaze to his, and his lips touched hers ever so lightly.

She let lose a great, contented sight, and it suddenly hit her. Jade Anne Poole, the flapper who had vowed not to go all the way unless he was “the one,” wanted this gorgeous bull of a man. And yes, he was arrogant at times, but with that undeniable strength and commanding presence, his superiority waxed appropriate. He respected the land. He protected and cared about his people. Regardless of his high-ranking position, he’d shown her such kindness since she’d come to Omari Amun—and the most intense physical pleasure she’d ever encountered—how could she not grant him a special place in her heart? She pushed to the back of her mind a warning that she’d probably never see him again once she found her camp.

Eli whispered unintelligibly against her skin, bringing Jade out of her thoughts.

Feathery light, his lips crisscrossed her cheeks and jaw and ever so slowly, inched their way back to her mouth. She squeezed her thighs together, desirous of more stimulation.

It was decided, then. Why fight it? She needed to be careful about the way she presented herself to him, though. Last time, when she was drunk with the nectar of those lovely blossoms, he’d not taken her up on the offer. In fact, he’d flat out rejected her. Maybe this time she would let him ask. He had before, after all, she smiled to herself.

Yes. It was time. Tonight she’d throw caution to the—Eli deepened his kiss—wolves and something about sheep and clothing—and a dish running away with a spoon. Whatever she’d been thinking, before Eli’s tongue swept in to entwine with hers for a brief moment, drifted to the ceiling of the tent and dissipated. All that mattered to Jade was the man with his arms around her, his lips on hers, and nudging against her thigh his big—

“Oh, yes,” she murmured, her breath mingling with his.

“Tell me. Are you finally free of the spell of the poison flower?” He sprinkled more kisses around her mouth, just at the edge of her lips.

Jade grinned at the ticklish sensation. “If you mean has my head stopped spinning as if I’ve just come from a speakeasy, then the answer is yes.”

“You sure were a little wanton under its venom.”

“Yes, well. I’m…easily influenced.”

He stopped kissing her. “No, you’re not.”

Still close enough for him to be out of focus, she protested. “What? Why do you say that?”

“I’ve been trying to influence you for three days now.”

“Except when—”

“Yes, except when your blood ran hot with that flower’s nectar. Can you see why it’s been outlawed—why everyone has been told it is actual poison?”

“No. And I think frightening everyone with the false information is a silly thing to do.”

“You must understand. If the flower had the same effect on every woman, we’d experience a population explosion. Our oases wouldn’t be able to support the populous then. We would all starve to death. What sort of a future would that be for our offspring?”

“But surely you would—”

“Hush now. I should not have mentioned it, forgive me. I don’t wish to spoil our time here.”

Jade pressed her lips together. Egypt was not the only place in the world to live, after all.

“How are you fairing? You seem to have recovered from Lothar’s unwelcome visit.”

“I am.” She nodded, and he placed a kiss on each of her temples. “Tell me, Eli. What is the penalty for going into someone’s tent without permission?”

Eli’s mouth stamped warm lip marks down to her earlobe. “The owner gets to decide if malice was intended.”

His words buzzed in her ear, and she shivered. “And?”

“Different punishments for different situations.” He set tiny kisses beneath her jaw.

“Such as?” She was indeed curious, but her body refused to do anything that remotely resembled a protest of his adoration.

“Do you really want to know?” Eli drew a circle inside the hollow at the base of her throat with his tongue, and then kissed his way up to her other ear.

“It does interest me, somewhat.”
Not that I’ll be able to think for much longer if he keeps that up.

“But I can’t talk and use my mouth on your body at the same time.” He breathed into her ear.

Jade gave up the ghost. “Oh, Forget I mentioned it.”

“With pleasure.”

Eli pulled her shirt tails from the waistband of her skirt, and his hands gravitated to her breasts. Jade arched into his hot palms, greedily seeking all sensation he was willing to create.

“I can remove those if you wish,” Jade murmured, referring to her clothes.

He shook his head. “And take the fun out of my treasure hunt?”

A breathless laugh escaped from deep within her chest. “Well, then—by all means, do continue.”

Eli chuckled and rolled her onto her side. He tugged her skirt off, tossed it out of the way and slid down so that his face lay even with her tummy. With a hand on her lower back, he held her against his mouth, kissing, sucking and laving at her skin.

She squirmed with pleasure next to him and tried to bring her hips into contact with his tongue—that amazing trumpet player’s tongue. Jade growled in frustration; he wouldn’t let her move lower.

“I know that which you seek.” He kissed and tongued the hollow of her belly button. “Give me more time, and you shall have it.”

“I can’t wait any longer, Eli!” her voice broke, husky with passion.

“You will wait or I will stop altogether.”

Jade froze and clenched her jaw tight, vowing to endure this sweet torture. But if that tongue of his wasn’t teasing her kitty in about three minutes, she’d go screwy.

He rolled her over again, this time onto her belly. She protested with a groan, but he wouldn’t relent. He shoved her shirt out of the way, and his lips and tongue blazed maddening trails across her lower back, each time ending at the tops of her bum cheeks.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he began depositing tiny love bites over her rump. She squealed at the first few bites, but the sensation settled down to a pleasurable pain. No matter how many times he’d move to a different spot, she still felt his teeth marks where he’d begun. Her bottom stung like the dickens, her breasts felt heavy and full as they pressed into the pillows beneath her, and the juncture of her thighs oozed hot honey.