Undressed by the Boss (Mills & Boon By Request) (16 page)

Laughing, she chucked the cushion back at him, and somehow in between the tension between them disappeared.

‘Or,’ Raffa said as he thought about it, ‘you could ride in front of me. We’ll travel faster that way.’

‘Do I have to ride at all?’

His eyes darkened with amusement. ‘The more you ride, the easier it gets.’

‘Do I really look that gullible?’ Casey demanded, smiling at him as she planted her hands on her hips.

‘Shall we find out?’ Raffa challenged. ‘Come on.’ In his hands there was a shimmer of something blue. ‘Get dressed and we’ll go.’

‘What is this?’ Casey held up the exquisite silver-embroidered robe Raffa handed her. ‘This isn’t the robe I was wearing earlier.’

‘But you’ve been prepared for the Sheikh since then.’

‘Hah!’ Casey exclaimed, balling it up and tossing it back at him. ‘I’ll wear trousers for riding, thank you. And I should remind you—’

‘What?’ Raffa cut across her with a very wicked look indeed.

‘I’m pretty hopeless on a horse.’

‘But I’m not,’ he pointed out. ‘So no excuses.’

She had never felt safer or more at risk in her life. Seated in front of Raffa on his magnificent black stallion, it was impossible to feel she might tumble to the ground—but that was no help when it came to the far worse peril of falling in love.

The sensation of having her long hair streaming behind her as the stallion raced across the desert plain while Raffa held her safe was amazing. If he had decided to think up the most romantic journey on earth, he couldn’t have made a better job of it. The sky was littered with stars, while the moon lit their way, and the mountains were jagged fingers that seemed to
beckon her ever deeper into the wild land that Raffa called home. He held the reins loosely in one hand and kept her close with the other. She could feel his warmth and his strength, could hear his heart beating, while his fresh minty breath brushed her cheek.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back, allowing her hips to move to the rhythm of the stallion’s explosive gait. Far from hating horse-riding, as she always had, she was beginning to love it, and to hope the magical journey could last for ever.

It would last for ever in her memory, at least. How could it not, when she was riding through the desert night in front of a sheikh who encapsulated every fantasy hero she’d ever had? With his black robes flying behind him and his face hidden behind the mysterious
howlis.
She was wrapped in an erotic fantasy that far exceeded everything she could dream up.

And Raffa’s palace? Casey wondered. What would that be like?

It would be located far from the public gaze, she decided, and protected by the granite peaks they were riding towards. It would be hard to find—it would be an eyrie, a fortress, a lair fit for the golden lion of the desert. There would be sumptuous rooms protected from the relentless desert sun beneath cupolas of solid gold, and there would be intimate courtyards where lovers could meet unobserved. On the walls inside the palace there would be painted erotic scenes, and of course a sheikh-sized bed, over which a softly whirring fan would turn lazily to cool the lovers on their tangled sheets. Jewel-studded walls would bear silent witness to their lovemaking, while fountains in the garden beyond the windows would sing a siren song to the rhythm of their sighs …

A
S HE
reined in, slowing the pace to allow the stallion to pick his way along the rocky approach to the mountains, he wondered what Casey was thinking. She had been quiet for a while now, and she was such a dreamer. He hoped she wouldn’t be too disappointed by what he had to show her. He was opening up part of his life to Casey, because the hunt for someone to work for him had become so much more, and he was hungry to find out everything there was to know about Casey Michaels.

Urging his stallion
Raad
—the word meant thunder in A’Qabani—up the first incline, he noticed the great stallion’s ears prick up as he scented the place they both loved—the place they both considered home.

For once Casey was lost for words.

Raffa turned to her. ‘You’re not disappointed?’

She looked at him as he brought the prancing stallion to a restless halt.

‘Disappointed? How could I be?’ They were at the foot of a sheer cliff, where an icy stream, its source hidden somewhere far above them, tumbled in a series of frothing waterfalls to a moonlit pool. This had to be one of the lesser known wonders of the world.

Springing down from the saddle, Raffa reached up to help
her dismount. ‘You’ll find the water surprisingly warm—though I should warn you the torrent coming down from the peaks is freezing cold.’

‘But the pool is heated by the sun?’

‘The relentless desert sun,’ Raffa agreed, holding her just above the ground so their faces were disturbingly level.

‘You can put me down now … please?’

His eyes beneath the concealing
howlis
glinted dangerously. ‘Or I could throw you in.’

‘Please … please don’t.’ With humour … His eyes were glinting with humour, Casey saw with relief. ‘So you’ve brought me to another spa?’

‘Nature’s spa,’ Raffa agreed.

She could have happily stayed in his arms for ever, but the horse was stamping impatiently and so she stepped away, while Raffa slipped the reins over his stallion’s head. Unfastening the girth, he removed the saddle. She took it from him and rested it carefully against the stubbly trunk of a palm tree while Raffa led the stallion round to let him cool down. When it was safe for him to drink, Raffa removed the bridle too and set him loose.

Casey’s heart ached with longing. She wanted so much more than Raffa was prepared to give. She watched him stroke the stallion’s quivering flanks, knowing what she would do for that same soothing touch. Raffa was so good at everything—he had even made her forget her own lack of skill on horseback, to the point where she’d almost believed she could ride.

Ride? She could fly with Raffa’s arms around her.

But she mustn’t make too much out of this expedition. If anything had been going to happen between them it would have happened at the oasis. This was just an opportunity for Raffa to share the treasures of his country with her; treasures she would be expected to market to the world if she got the job …

‘Come on,’ he said, stretching out his hand to her.

‘Come where?’ She hung back, suddenly feeling shy and
uncertain now the horse was happily drinking and Raffa’s attention was all on her.

‘I want you to see something. You have a little climb ahead of you.’

‘A
little
climb?’ Casey glanced anxiously at the sheer rock wall in front of her.

‘I can carry you, if you like.’

Hearing the amusement in his voice, she assured him, ‘I’m quite capable of standing on my own two feet, thank you.’

‘There is a path, but it isn’t the one you’re taking,’ he said, catching up with her in a couple of strides.

‘Oh …’ She stared about.

‘It’s not obvious unless you know where to look.’

‘And you, of course, know where to look?’

‘I like to think so …’ Raffa’s dangerous black gaze held hers.

‘Then you’d better show me where to go.’

But he didn’t move.

She took a deep steadying breath. It wasn’t easy, containing all the emotion inside her, and as Raffa continued to stare down at her she felt as if this was a pivotal moment in her emotional journey—in her life. Raffa had given her the confidence to admit she wanted him, but did Raffa want
her?

A breeze ruffled the scrub around them, but when she whispered his name he remained silent. ‘Raffa, please,’ she repeated, ‘can I ask you something?’

He knew the moment had arrived. Casey’s fantasy world had finally collided with the real world, and he wasn’t in the least surprised when all her pent-up frustrations poured out.

‘Raffa, what would you say if I asked you to make love to me?’

‘I would tell you that you’re a virgin and that you should be very sure.’ He could see Casey thinking. Was the fact that she was a virgin branded on her forehead?

‘How can you tell?’

‘Years of experience?’ he suggested with a faint smile.

‘Please don’t tease me, Raffa—not now.’

He started to unwind his
howlis.
This was what he’d wanted since he had first set eyes on Casey, but was reality the last thing on her mind? He had enjoyed watching Casey grow in confidence, to the point where she trusted him even when she was naked, but was he just her fantasy? He decided to postpone his verdict for now.

‘Shall I lead the way?’ he suggested, glancing up the path.

She nodded her head, desperately trying to hide her disappointment.

Casey had a lot to learn—not least was that anticipation increased the pleasure of the final outcome. She had made him think that was no longer in doubt now.

They were halfway up the first slope when they turned a corner and a natural platform in the rock was revealed. Broad and sheltered from the elements, as well as from the waterfall that fell by the side of it, it had been worn smooth by the pressure of many feet over the years.

‘I thought we’d set up camp here.’

‘For the night?’ Casey couldn’t help sounding worried.

‘You’re hungry, aren’t you?’

‘Hungry? Yes.’ Now she couldn’t help sounding relieved. She had just one more concern. ‘Where’s the bathroom?’

‘Choose your bush. And your warm bath’s down the slope, with a nice icy shower to follow.’

‘I think I’ll start by making a fire.’

‘You?’ Raffa was on his way down the slope to collect some more things and he stopped.

‘Why not me?’ She might be useless at the game of love, but she could start a fire, and she pulled a firestone out of her pocket to prove it.

Raffa laughed—a flash of strong white teeth to relieve the tension she was almost as good at building as a fire. ‘I had forgotten your firestone,’ he admitted.

She watched him all the way down as far as she could. Raffa
moved with the agility of a mountain lion—the same lion that was the symbol of dauntless courage, bravery and valour. When he was out of sight she cupped her hands to nurture the tiny flame she’d managed to kindle from the available tinder. She was usually better than this at setting a fire, but while her mind was on the job in hand her heart was still with Raffa.

This was a complete and utter indulgence. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had taken a break like this in his favourite part of the desert. Years ago, when he’d been on breaks from the army, he had come here all the time, and it refreshed him and made sense of things …

Made sense of things except for Casey, he amended; the desert had failed him where she was concerned. He stared back up the cliff face, to where a plume of smoke signified success. He smiled. She was never short of a surprise, and he enjoyed her company, but life was never that simple. The only thing he could be sure of was that she’d got the job. The details might be a little hazy right now, but Casey wouldn’t be leaving A’Qaban any time soon.

He returned with rugs, food and drink and other supplies, to find Casey on her hands and knees, blowing determinedly at the one branch that had refused to light. ‘Are you sure you don’t need any help there?’ He came to hunker down beside her, resisting the temptation to touch her.

‘Well, now you come to mention it.’ She turned to look at him. ‘I could use some help with my hand.’

‘Your hand?’

‘Yes. It seems to be shaking …’

They came together like a force of nature. It was impossible to know who moved first. Her nipples rose, her breath quickened, and she was instantly and completely aroused as Raffa claimed her mouth with a fierce and possessive hunger.

The tension between them could never have held. The instant Raffa’s hand covered Casey’s she gladly threw away every
semblance of self-control. But there was more. Pleasure hit so fast she gave a wail of astonishment as she tumbled headlong into a violent climax. Raffa held her safe in his arms as she moaned, ‘Oh, no. Oh, no …’ But the pleasure waves just kept on coming. He kissed her brow, her eyelids and her mouth, until finally she quietened into an embarrassed silence and pulled away from him.

Burying her head in her hands, she wished herself a million miles away.

‘Casey?’ Raffa murmured gently. Cupping her face in his hands, he stared into her eyes. ‘This isn’t right for you.’

‘Who decides that?’ she demanded in a small voice. ‘You?’

He remained silent. This was his fault. He had allowed things to move too fast. He had wanted to share this special place with Casey, but he had underestimated her feelings for him. He shouldn’t have allowed his desire for her to show; she was too young, too innocent. ‘I should never have brought you here—’

‘Yes, you should,’ she argued passionately. ‘I should know the country I’m supposed to be selling to the world.’

‘Casey, Casey …’ Taking hold of her wrists, he drew her hands away from her face with the utmost care. ‘I think we both know this has gone far beyond an interview for a job, and however much I might want to, I can never give you all the things you deserve.’

‘I don’t want anything from you,’ she protested.

She never would want anything from him in the material sense, he knew that; but there were other things Casey deserved. ‘You’d want my time, wouldn’t you?’

The look in her eyes stabbed into his heart. ‘Well, I can’t give you time,’ he said cruelly, to save her before she got into this any deeper. ‘A’Qaban takes up all my time and you deserve better than that. If I make love to you things will change.’

‘Why must they change?’

Only innocence could prompt that question, but as he
reached for her she turned away. ‘Casey, I’m already married—to duty and to my country.’

‘Who mentioned marriage?’ she flared, turning back to him.

He remained silent. He might not have known Casey for more than a few days, but he knew her well enough to understand something of her hopes and dreams. An affair was not what she wanted, and it would break her eventually. ‘Forgive me?’ he whispered.