Shadow of Love (24 page)

.........

She wasn’t sure what woke her up. Was it a draft of cool air or the tiniest sound of the shutters being closed? For a moment, she lay disoriented, her thoughts still confused and dreamy. The dreams were colorful and insane, she thought, as a hot wave of embarrassment washed over her body. They had featured James, the details of them mercifully disappearing in the haze of waking up properly.

Suddenly she heard the sound again, footsteps walking across the tiles of the floor, definite and impossible to mistake for anything else. Someone was in her room while she was lying asleep, clad in nothing more than a pair of revealing knickers and a bra that exposed more than it was hiding.

It took just a split second for her brain to recall all the horrid stories about western women attacked in the countries where modesty was a virtue not to be toyed with. She hadn’t done anything wrong, she thought feverishly, opening her eyes and forcing herself to remain calm. Whoever the intruder, she had the element of surprise on her side, her lungs filling with air as she prepared herself for a loud scream that would bring help.

‘
I wouldn’t do that if I were you,’ an amused voice said, and she sat up, forgetting her plan to ambush her attacker. The voice belonged to James, who stood at the window, his tall, broad-shouldered silhouette outlined against the few rays of sun penetrating the reclosed shutters. ‘It would take a hell of a lot of explaining as to why we are alone, with you barely covered and very much on display.’

‘
It wasn’t meant as a free-for-all show,’ she answered hurriedly, her hands coming up to cover her breasts. She could barely see him, let alone read his face, while he had a perfect vision of her, the thought of what she must have looked like making her cringe in embarrassment.

‘
How did you get in?’ She asked accusingly, the old tactic of attacking while under fire coming to her rescue. ‘I thought it was my room, James. Which means someplace private, where others have to knock to be let in.’

‘
I did just that.’ Totally unimpressed, he stepped forward, close enough for her to notice that he had taken a shower as well, his damp hair curling slightly at the nape of his neck. Dark, sleek, and dangerous, he was definitely too close, his appreciative male gaze going over the swell of her creamy breasts and disappearing lower. ‘I knocked a few times, but you never answered. I started to think that maybe you had the foolish idea of running off, which wouldn’t be unexpected after you met my family.’

‘
It would be a rather stupid thing to do, given the fact we are in the middle of nowhere with me unable to communicate in Arabic.’ She grabbed some of the coverlet and draped it around her, livid with fury.

‘
You can’t come here and watch me sleep, James. You should have looked in, seen me here, and left after you put your overactive imagination to rest. What made you stay?’

‘
You did.’ He came even closer, standing at the foot of the humongous bed and watching her with an unreadable expression that released a thousand butterflies into her shaken insides. ‘I walked in, saw you like that, and was just about to turn around and walk out when—.’

‘
What happened?’ Why was he looking at her like that? His voice might have been calm and controlled, but his eyes didn’t lie. Scorching hot and heavy with desire, he looked down at her as if she were the only woman in the whole world he ever wanted. She felt her own body heat in instant recognition, thousands of tiny tendrils of desire she wasn’t even aware she was capable of, unfurling and trapping her in a thickening web of physical attraction.

‘
You said my name,’ he answered quietly, closing the short distance between them and sitting down next to her, the soft mattress dipping ever so slightly under the weight of his muscular frame. ‘I thought you noticed me and was surprised at how peaceful you sounded, given the circumstances.’ He smiled slightly, his hand reaching out to catch a strand of her dark hair and wrap it around his finger, as he pulled her closer to him in a slow motion.

‘
But then I realized that you hadn’t woken up at all. You were dreaming, and you said my name.’ They were close now, the heavy beat of his blood pulsing all the way to his fingertips transferring into her own body, resonating in it like some kind of wild, pagan melody that couldn’t be silenced.

‘
I don’t remember anything,’ she whispered helplessly, her lips trembling. From that close he was even more magnificent, she realized, her throat drying out and leaving her parched. His skin smelled of pine and crushed needles, a spicy, wild scent that made her dizzy with the wish to forget everything but the sensation of his hands on her skin.

‘
Then allow me to refresh your memory,’ he whispered back, his voice silkily smooth. She watched him with helpless fascination, noticing the golden specks in the darkness of his midnight gaze. Like a moth drawn to light, she offered no resistance as he bent to her, his lips only inches from hers. ‘Let me prove to you that reality can be better than dreams, Emily.’

She knew he would kiss her. This time was different from the show he put on for the reporters at his home back in England. There, she had been unprepared and ambushed, unable to do anything but follow the command of his firm mouth. Now he let her choose, his eyes watching her face as he came closer, his face blocking out everything else in the room. He didn’t rush it, either. She wasn’t sure if she welcomed his restrained attitude, realizing that if she didn’t resist now, there was no one to blame but herself and her foolish heart. It would be so much easier to consider him the villain, forcing himself on her with his unbridled passion. He must have known it all along, because he paused, his mouth barely a hair’s breadth from her lips and waited for her to take the final step.

Her brain commanded her to push him away, saving the shreds of her dignity that had been already compromised. And yet her hands seemed to have acquired a life of their own, travelling to his shoulders and pulling him closer instead. She felt as if her body betrayed her completely, reflexes and sheer physicality taking over and forcing her mind to stand by and watch in silent disapproval.

Her touch was all he needed. Suddenly he didn’t hesitate any longer, his mouth coming down on hers in a kiss so demanding it left no option but surrender. Her mouth opened on its own volition, allowing him a more intimate access that he greedily accepted, the first hot sweep of his tongue against hers sending her head spinning with pleasure.

She felt his hands move up from her shoulders to her neck, tracing the delicate skin and reaching lower towards her barely covered breasts. Never breaking the kiss, he cupped one proud mound, his thumb scraping lazily against the hardened nipple, barely covered by the lacy bra. Emily’s world was spinning off its axis, her dizzy body clinging to the only constant it recognized—James. His mouth and his hands were there to keep her from floating away, she thought, dazed, her body pressing against his hands in shameless response.

She didn’t notice when they tumbled back to lie on the bed, his hard, tall frame bent over her as if he were a planet following an orbit around his own personal sun. She felt his kiss slowing, the impatience of the first moments replaced with something much more dangerous. Tenderness replaced raw passion, his lips softening and shaping themselves around hers almost hesitantly. His hands moved to the clasp keeping her bra in place and released it with one deft movement, her full breasts spilling out from the constraints of their lacy covering. There was no time to be ashamed or hesitant though, his mouth leaving her lips to trace a line of thistledown-like kisses along her jaw, her neck, and lower to the round globes crowned with pebble-hard nipples.

His mouth closed around one erected tip, her whole body arching in delight as she gasped in shock, thousands of tiny electric currents flowing from the nipple to the rest of her breathless body. It felt amazing, she thought through the flames of desire that made any coherent thinking impossible. Her hands reached to his head, weaving their way through his still damp, silky hair and pulling him even closer, suddenly afraid he might stop what he was doing.

Her fear was ungrounded, for the thought to abandon her now seemed to be the last thing on his mind. Instead, his long fingers travelled to the smooth cavity of her stomach, dipping momentarily into the hollow of her navel before moving lower, to the gentle curve of her hip. Slowly, they reached under the lace that covered her most private parts, his index finger drawing tiny circles against the velvet soft skin it encountered.

With agonizing slowness, his hand marauded closer to her heated core, her whole body tense with need that had to be appeased. And then his finger moved forward, the one swift motion bringing it directly to the center of her desire, his fingertip finding it and pressing against it just enough to make her moan in helpless response. Suddenly his mouth on her nipple sucked harder, the rhythmic motion accompanying the steady way his fingers glided over the slick folds of her womanhood. The double assault on her senses was too much, she thought almost desperately, her head thrashing against the coverlet, strands of her dark hair getting caught in the embroidery. It tugged on her hair, keeping her a prisoner, but she was barely aware of it. How could she be, with his mouth moving from one breast to the other, heavy dragging kisses brandishing her sweat-slicked body? His fingers reached even deeper, from the tiny bud that guarded the very core of her, to the sensitive opening that reveled in his touch.

She felt his hips surge forward, his strength pressing against her as he shifted, his erection imprinted against the soft skin of her thighs. His mouth returned to her lips, the kiss almost brutal and impatient as she felt, more than heard, him open the zipper of his pants and pull them down with a swift motion. It was the sudden cooling swoosh in the air against her skin that woke her from her stupor, the sound so alien and different from the whispers and gasps surrounding them that it broke through the haze of passion and made her pause in horror.

What was she doing? She felt James’s hand reach between their bodies, pulling down her underwear with unmistakable purpose. He wanted to make love to her, she thought mortified, her body freezing still. He had every right to think she wanted it, too, given the way she behaved.

She couldn’t do it, she thought now, a wave of acute unhappiness washing over her, cooling off the excitement until nothing was left but a heap of ashes, cold and grey.

James noticed her changed mood instantly, his head going up sharply to look into her face. His dark eyes burnt with fire that made her heart flutter in her chest. For one scary moment, she feared he would ignore her resistance and keep going, his tense, hard body telling her how aroused he was.

He didn’t. Instead he moved ever so slightly, his body coming to rest at her side, one powerful arm still wrapped around her now shrinking shoulders.

‘
What’s wrong?’ He asked, his voice rough and yet concerned. ‘Have I done something you didn’t like?’

That was bad, she thought wretchedly, as she fought the tears that threatened to spill. Much worse than if he were angry with her and pointed out that she had brought it on herself with her total compliance. She almost wanted him to be like that, she thought as she sniffled miserably, if only to help her find strength to resist his magnetic appeal.

‘
It’s wrong, all of it’ she said helplessly, biting her lower lip to stop herself from crying. She felt the moisture in her eyes, the stubborn tears escaping her eyelids and trickling down her cheeks. She hated herself for her weakness, her treacherous body betraying her in yet another way.

‘
Hey, don’t.’ There was no anger in his voice, none whatsoever. Instead, she saw him raise his hand and wipe her cheek, the moisture of her tears smeared against his fingertips. He stroked her face, his other hand going down to grab the coverlet and hoist it over her, until there were only her head and shoulders exposed to his gaze. ‘Don’t cry.’ The fire in his eyes diminished to a slow burn, present yet non-threatening. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable.

‘
It’s my fault,’ he said finally, his admission of guilt catching her by surprise. It was the last thing she expected, she thought as she watched him smile, his self-control firmly restored. ‘I didn’t plan on going that far, believe me. Just a kiss, that’s all. Only you seem to be quite dangerous to my good intentions, Emily. More so than I would have thought.’

‘
That’s not a part of our agreement, James,’ she said helplessly, not quite sure what was the right answer. ‘I… came here with you just for one purpose, we both know it. Combining it with a quick shag just because it’s convenient should not become a part of it. And for all it’s worth, it’s my fault too. So don’t blame yourself.’

‘
Something tells me it would be anything but a quick shag.’ He was smiling, she thought, incredulous, her fear of him getting angry dissolving.

‘
But I don’t think this is the time or place to discuss it.’ He moved fluidly to stand, his warm hand helping her to sit up, the coverlet still securely wrapped around her huddled frame. He made a quick work of restoring his clothes to their immaculate appearance. ‘My family is hoping for us to join them for drinks before we leave for Alexandria. That’s why I came by in the first place, darling. And if I may add, your makeup needs some minor touch-ups, before everyone guesses what we’ve been up to.’ He grinned now, his good mood a mystery she couldn’t solve.

‘
I’ll be ready in a moment.’ She was eager to put some distance between them. ‘Give me a moment or two.’