The Sheik and the Runaway Princess (10 page)

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. If she pressed more tightly against him, perhaps she would feel better. Kardal seemed to understand what she was doing because he moved his leg so that his thigh pressed between hers. At the same time he drew away from her mouth and began kissing her neck. His hand moved from her shoulder down her chest toward her breasts.

There was too much going
on,
she thought frantically, not sure where to put her attention. His leg between hers should have felt awkward and embarrassing. No one had ever touched her there. Instead the increased pressure helped. If she arched her hips and rubbed against him she felt both better and worse.

His hand gently closed over her left breast, even as he licked the inside of her ear. His thumb swept across her tight nipple, making her gasp. His touch was more amazing than she could have imagined. There was an instant connection between her breast and a spot between her legs. The more he touched one, the more the other ached.

She’d never gone this far before, she thought hazily. She should probably make him stop—except she didn’t want to. She felt vulnerable, but not scared. Kardal might be the man who had kidnapped her from the desert, but she was no longer afraid of him. Nor of what he would do. All her life she’d tried to live in a way that honored her family and her heritage, yet her phone call to her father made it clear that he didn’t care. What did it matter if she let Kardal have his way with her? What did it matter if she wasn’t a virgin?

He shifted, moving so that he was between her thighs, supporting himself on his forearms. Sabrina felt the first fluttering of panic.

“Kardal, I don’t…”

He hushed her with a quick kiss. “I
know,
my desert bird. You are still innocent and I’m not willing to accept the consequences of defiling a princess.” He grinned. “I’m very fond of my head and wish to keep it upon my shoulders. I will not go too far.”

His smile faded. He tugged on her dress until it was up to her hips,
then
pressed himself against her.

Something hard pushed into the apex of her thighs. Something she’d never seen until Kardal’s bath, never touched, but there was no doubt as to its purpose.

“I want you to know how much I desire you,” he said fiercely. “How I ache for you. Do you feel my arousal?”

She nodded, unable to speak. There were several layers of clothing separating them. Her panties, his trousers and whatever he wore under them. But the pressure of his need was unmistakable. He moved slightly, rubbing against her. Something quickened inside of her. She caught her breath.

His smile returned. “So you like that? If I do more will you tell me what you want?”

She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

He flexed again. Pleasure shot through her. She gasped.

“Perhaps this is not such a good idea,” he said through slightly clenched teeth. He shifted so that he was lying next to her.

Before she could ask what he was doing, he slid his hand up her thigh and settled it between her legs. The pleasure returned, although she wasn’t completely sure they were supposed to be doing this.

He must have read her concern in her eyes. “Don’t worry,” he murmured, pressing kisses to her face. “You will be as untouched as before.” He pressed in, only the barrier of her panties between them.
“All right, perhaps not as untouched, but still a virgin.”

She wanted to ask him why he was doing this. What was so special about touching her
there.
But before she could form the words, he began rubbing her, circling around. He favored one small spot that made her entire body stiffen in a very good way.

“Kardal?” she breathed.

He nuzzled her neck. “Enjoy, my innocent princess. There are many delights of the body. This is just one.”

As he spoke, he continued to touch her. Her legs fell open. She thought she should be embarrassed, but she couldn’t think about anything except how wonderful he made her feel. When he leaned over her to kiss her, she found herself sucking on his tongue and biting his lips. She needed deep, passionate kisses and the continued stroking of his fingers.

Pressure built inside of her. Her breasts felt so tight that the slightest brush of his forearm against her nipple made her gasp.

Her hips began to pulse in time with his ministrations. The tension increased and she could barely breathe. Kardal muttered something under his breath,
then
stopped what he was doing.

“What?” she asked, dazed, lost and feeling as if she would die if he didn’t
continue.

“I have to touch you,” he growled and quickly jerked off her panties.

With her dress up around her hips, she was naked from the waist down. No man had ever seen her this way, yet she didn’t care that Kardal looked upon her. Not if he started touching her again.

Thankfully he did. But this time was so much sweeter. His fingers parted her curls and found that one spot again. This time he rubbed her, circling her swollen and damp flesh until she found she could not breathe. All of time stood still as he continued to touch her over and over again.

Then, when she knew she was going to die from the wonder of it, he thrust a single finger inside of her. The shock, or the pleasure, thrust her into an unfamiliar universe. The glory of it filled her as her very first release crashed through her.

She clung to him. He kissed her, urging her to continue, holding her close, touching her until the last bit of paradise had faded and she was filled with a lethargy she’d never known. It was an effort to keep her eyes open.

Kardal smiled down at her. “I will not ask if you enjoyed it.”

He was being an arrogant male. She found she no longer cared. “Is it supposed to be that wonderful?”

“Yes. It will also be better next time.”

“That’s not possible.”

He kissed her cheek. “Of course it is. I could touch you again and bring you close to your release. Then, when you were so close as to be shaking, I could enter you, filling you completely. With each thrust you would climax a tiny bit, but build as well until there was nothing for us to do but fall together.”

His word picture made her blush. She pushed down her dress so that she was covered to her thighs. “Yes, well, is that what we’re going to do?”

“No. I meant what I said. As much as I want to make love with you, this isn’t the time.”

“Then why did you touch me like that?”

“To show you the possibilities.”
His eyebrows
raised
. “Now you can dream about me while you sleep.”

He stretched out on his side,
then
drew her toward him until she was facing him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Was that truly your first time?” he asked.

Heat flared on her face as she nodded. “I didn’t get out much.”

“How is that possible? You’re very beautiful. Western men are not blind.”

His compliment made her glow.

“I was always careful about dating. I had a few boyfriends, but…” She shrugged. How to explain the strangeness that was her life? “I didn’t want to be like my mother, going from man to man. So I was more particular. There was also the whole virgin princess thing. I didn’t want the responsibility, but there it was. I always thought that I was supposed to save myself for my husband.”

“No young man tried to change your mind?”

She couldn’t believe they were having this calm conversation lying on her bed. She might be wearing a long-sleeved dress but her panties were somewhere on the floor and just a couple of minutes ago, Kardal had been touching her in a way she’d only ever read about.

“A couple of boys tried to, you know.” She bit her lower lip. “Most of the time I wasn’t interested and it was easy to say no. When I was interested, I felt obligated to tell them the truth about me. They didn’t take it well.”

Humor brightened his dark eyes. “I imagine they did not.”

She laughed, then gathering her courage, pressed her fingers against his high, sculpted cheekbone. When he didn’t protest, she slowly traced his features.
The sweep of his eyebrows, the firm line of his jaw.
She lingered longest on his mouth, outlining his lips,
then
laughing when he unexpectedly nipped at her fingers.

“Did you tell people who you were?” she asked.

“No. The city is a secret. I had to protect it. Besides, telling people I was a prince made them act differently.”

“I know what you mean. Keeping that part of me from my friends meant there was always something between us. I wanted to be close…I wanted to confide the truth, but I couldn’t.”

Kardal rolled onto his back and pulled her along with him. When he wrapped an arm around her, she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I could talk to my grandfather,” he said. “He understood because he’d led the city for nearly forty years.”

“You still miss him.”

“Every day.
It’s been four years and I still long to hear his voice. I have so many questions and no one has answers.
No one who understands.”

She thought about pointing out that King Givon would understand. But even if Kardal and Givon could make peace with the past, it would take time to build a relationship based on trust.

“It’s too bad about your father,” she said.

“I agree. I do not approve of how he handled things here, but in El Bahar, he has been a good and strong leader for his people.”

Sabrina ached for him. “I wish there was something I could do,” she said. “I’d listen, if it would help. I don’t know much about running a city, but I get the whole royal thing. More than I want to.”

Kardal raised his head and looked at her. “Thank you. I would like to speak with you about my concerns.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “I am surprised as well, but then you are nothing like I imagined.”

“Don’t even pretend to tell me what you thought before. You got all your ideas out of those stupid articles. I’m nothing like that.”

“I know.” He sat up. “The troll prince is a most fortunate man.”

He started to say something more, then turned and rose. “Thank you,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her mouth. “I was most honored this afternoon.”

He straightened and adjusted the front of his bulging trousers.
“And most aroused.”

He gave her a smile, then turned and left. Sabrina stared after him. When the door closed, she pressed her head to her pillow and sighed. What a strange encounter. She didn’t understand Kardal at all, yet she liked him. A shiver rippled through her as she wondered how long it would be until he touched her again.

Sabrina, Kardal, Rafe and Cala sat around an antique oval table in a small anteroom outside the old throne room in the palace. Despite the importance of the meeting, Sabrina found it difficult to focus on what everyone was saying. She was too busy admiring the room.

It wasn’t
large,
maybe sixteen feet square, with tall, narrow windows on one wall. Instead of a view of the desert, she could see a beautiful garden. Lush and green with exotic flowers from around the world. The bougainvillea tree looked ancient and she wondered where it had originally come from. What Prince of Thieves had requested it be carried by camel to his secret palace? Or perhaps one of the princesses had wanted something beautiful to gaze upon while waiting for her husband to finish his business for the day.

There were several stunning tapestries on the wall, although she winced when she saw bright sunlight falling directly on a length of cloth depicting Queen
Victoria
attending an elegant picnic. There were faded patches and frayed threads. The tapestry needed immediate attention if it was to be saved.

“Sabrina?”

Kardal spoke her name with some impatience, as if he’d been trying to get her attention for some time.

“What?
Oh, sorry.”
She turned her attention away from Queen
Victoria
and settled it firmly on those in the room.

Cala smiled at her. “Kardal and I have grown up in the palace so we’re used to its splendors, but it can be overwhelming for someone seeing it for the first time.”

“It’s not just that,” Sabrina said heatedly.
“So many of the treasures are in serious danger.
These tapestries—” she pointed to the cloths on the wall “—should never be exposed to sunlight. They’re being destroyed.”

Kardal glared at her. “You may deal with them later. Right now we need to plan for the visit.”

Instead of arguing, Sabrina simply nodded. Kardal had been growling like a lion ever since he’d agreed to allow King Givon to visit. She couldn’t blame him for his temper. No doubt he was fighting nerves, not to mention second and third thoughts about the whole thing. Meeting one’s father after all this time couldn’t be easy.

She reached for her pad of paper and pointedly ignored the sideboard covered with small ivory figurines just begging to be cataloged. “How many will be in the king’s party?” she asked. “
Oh,
and how are they arriving? Will there be extra animals to house in the stables?”

Kardal, Rafe and Cala all stared at her. “I assure you the king of El Bahar will not arrive by camel,” Kardal said dryly.

Sabrina thought about sticking her tongue out at him, but restrained herself. “Like that was something I should know intuitively,” she grumbled. “The palace is in the desert. From what I can tell, there aren’t any big roads. A convoy would have difficulty with the terrain and call attention to the location of the palace.”

Kardal leaned toward her. He sat next to her, with Cala across from her and Rafe on her right. She was fairly comfortable with Kardal’s mother, but Rafe still gave her the willies. The man seemed dangerous when he was just sitting in a chair and breathing.

“I understand your point about the convoy and it is well taken. Still, the king will not arrive by camel. Or horse.”

“Fine.
Then how?”

“Helicopter,” Cala said, consulting a notepad in front of her.

Rafe did the same, only instead of a pen and
paper,
he had an electronic device the size of a paperback book. “The king will travel with the pilot and one security agent. We’ll be responsible for his security once he arrives in the city.”

“No entourage?” Sabrina asked, even as she felt Kardal stiffen. As clearly as if he’d spoken, she knew what he was thinking. Why so few people? Was Givon being
trusting
or showing disrespect?

“My father always travels with at least a dozen people,” she continued. “Even family vacations included staff. Is the king keeping the number down because this is a ‘getting to know you’ kind of visit?”

Cala glanced from her to her son,
then
understanding dawned in her brown eyes. “Exactly,” she said quickly, flashing Sabrina a grateful smile. “He didn’t want a lot of extra people around to call attention to the visit, or to get in the way. We discussed it and thought this would be best.”

Kardal stared at his mother. “You’ve spoken with him?” He made it sound as if she’d been selling state secrets to a mortal enemy. Perhaps in his mind, she had.

“Yes, Kardal,” Cala said evenly. “I’ve spoken with him. We’ve had several conversations. How do you think this visit got arranged in the first place?”

He didn’t answer. Sabrina searched for something to say to ease the tension in the room. Instinctively she shot Rafe a pleading glance. The blond security agent surprised her by filling the silence.

“Keeping the king safe here won’t be a problem,” he said as if he hadn’t noticed the tension between mother and son. “I understand Sabrina is planning the social portion of his visit, so I’ll coordinate things with her. You’ll want him to see the security center, of course, and perhaps tour the air force facility.”

Sabrina had known about the fledgling air force for several days. “Where is all that stuff?” she asked. “I mean, is it far from the city?”

The corner of Rafe’s mouth tilted up slightly. “I can’t give you the exact location of the air force facility, ma’am.”

“Because I’m such a security risk,” she said, glancing at Kardal. “Let me guess. If he told me, he’d have to kill me.”

Kardal turned his attention from his mother. Some of his anger faded. “Yes, and that would displease me.”

“I wouldn’t be too thrilled about it, either. So how long do you need to show off this secret air force and security center?”

Kardal shifted in his seat. Sabrina stared at him thinking that if she didn’t know better, she would swear he was suddenly uncomfortable.

“Give us an afternoon for the air force,” Rafe said, consulting his tiny computer. “We can do the security center whenever we’d like. What works for you, Sabrina?”

Kardal continued to look uneasy. She glanced at him, then at Rafe. Comprehension dawned. “It’s here, isn’t it?” she asked as outrage filled her. “The security center is in the castle.”

Rafe shrugged. “Sure. Where else would it be?”

She turned her attention to Kardal. “Let me guess. There’s electricity and computers. Fax machines, telephones and all kinds of weird Internet stuff.”

Kardal didn’t meet her gaze. “I had planned to mention it.”

“When?
Two weeks after you released me?”

“No. At first I didn’t want you to know and then I simply forgot.” He finally met her gaze. “You are my slave. You have no right to question me. I am the Prince of Thieves and here, within the walls of this city, my word is law.”

“You’re a slimy creep,” she protested. “You let me live like some fourteenth-century sex slave in a room that doesn’t even
have
running water. Do you realize that—
”

Sabrina suddenly realized that all three of them were staring at her. She mentally replayed her last few sentences and felt herself go scarlet when the phrase “sex slave” crossed her consciousness.

She’d done her best to forget what had happened between Kardal and herself three days ago. Actually she’d thought she’d done a good job. Except for strange dreams in which he touched her as he had before, and the occasional moment of inattention as she worked her way through cataloging items in the vault, she’d practically put it out of her mind. Well, not when he joined
her
for dinner or when she bathed in the large tub delivered to her room every day. There was something about being naked and in steaming water that set her mind to wandering to what it had been like in Kardal’s arms. And often when she was alone, flashes of what had happened appeared in her mind. But other than that, it was as if the incident had never occurred.

“I see,” Cala said at last, gazing at her son. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“No.” He didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed when he turned to Sabrina and said, “I had meant to tell you about the remodeled section of the castle. However, with all that has happened the past few days, I forgot. Would you like to move to a more modern room?”

She thought about the beauty of her quarters, the ancient books and the large four-poster bed upon which…She cleared her throat. “No. I like where I am. However, I would like access to a real bathroom.”

“Of course.
Tell Adiva to show you where the closest one is located.” He inclined his head as if to say the matter was closed.
“About the king’s visit.”

Sabrina returned her attention to her notes. “How long is he staying?” She glanced from Rafe to Cala as they seemed to be the ones in the know on the subject of Givon’s visit.

“I’m not sure,” Cala murmured. Now she was the one looking flustered.
“A few nights.
I don’t think it’s necessary to have a formal state dinner.
Perhaps just one with a few close friends.”

Kardal appeared uneasy at the suggestion. Sabrina knew he was wondering what they
would all
discuss. The reasons he, Givon, abandoned his family? Why he’d never acknowledged his bastard son? She sighed. While her summers in Bahania had not allowed her to move in royal circles beyond Bahania, she’d met King Givon several times. From her personal experience, not to mention all she’d heard about the man, he was a decent person.
Stern, but not cruel.
So why had he treated Cala and Kardal so badly?

“What about a small dinner the first night,” Sabrina said.
“Just you, the king and Kardal.”

Cala nodded slowly. “Yes. That would work. Rafe, you are welcome to attend, and of course you’ll be there, Sabrina.”

She wasn’t so sure she wanted to participate in what promised to be a most awkward meal, but felt it was important for her to be there, at least for Kardal.

“As for the meal itself,” Sabrina said, “I’ll discuss several options with the chef and come up with a tentative menu. There is also the matter of entertainment. I was thinking of background music more than an actual show.”

They continued to discuss different ideas. At least Cala, Rafe and Sabrina did. Kardal was no longer participating in the conversation. Sabrina wished there was a way to make this easier for him. She wished a lot of things. She wished that she understood why she cared if Kardal was apprehensive about meeting his father. She wished she knew why she wasn’t anxious to leave the City of
Thieves
. While the opportunity to study the stolen treasure was not to be missed, she was here on the whim of a man who claimed her as his slave. Not that he’d treated her badly. He obviously had no plans to abuse her or mistreat her. So why exactly was she here? What did Kardal intend for her?

Cala asked a question, forcing her attention back to the conversation at hand. Fifteen minutes later everyone stood.

“I think we have a basic understanding of what we plan to do,” Cala said brightly, although her eyes looked more haunted than happy. “Kardal, you are pleased?”

He took his time in answering. Sabrina could practically read his thoughts. He wasn’t pleased about any of this, but he didn’t want to make his mother more uncomfortable. She wasn’t surprised when he replied in a reassuring tone.

“Yes. Well pleased.”

He walked to the door and held it open. Cala went first. Rafe hesitated. Kardal murmured something to him that Sabrina couldn’t hear. The American nodded and stepped into the hallway, leaving Kardal and Sabrina alone.

She collected her notes. “Are you all right?” she asked.

Instead of answering, he crossed to the window and stared out at the elaborate garden. Today he wore western garb—a well-tailored suit in dark gray with a white shirt and red tie. She wasn’t used to seeing him dressed like a businessman. In some ways she found that she preferred Kardal in more traditional clothing.

He motioned for her to join him at the window,
then
pointed to the stone benches circling a large tree.

“This is a replica of a French garden,” he said.
“From some time in the eighteenth century.”

“Early or late?” she asked, following his gaze and staring at the neatly trimmed shrubs.

“Late. When being a member of the royal family put one’s head at risk.” He touched the glass. “It takes more water than it is worth, yet I cannot find it in myself to instruct the gardeners to dig it up.
Sheer folly.”

“I’m surprised the heat doesn’t destroy everything.”

“It would, however in the summer the gardeners hang tarps to provide shade.” He looked at her. “As I
said,
a waste of time and resource. There was an English maze on the other side of the palace. It had taken nearly fifteen years for the hedges to grow tall enough. Every fall and spring there were festivals in the maze. The children loved it.”

“What happened?”

He shrugged. “During the Second World War there were more important concerns than caring for the maze.
It, too, required protection from the desert summer.
The decision was made to dig it up. The land is now a park.
Something easier to maintain within the walls of the city.”