CHAPTER EIGHT
Kadeem lay next to Eliana, holding her in his arms. He could hardly believe what they'd just shared. The most intimate moment possible with the princess he'd thought would always be out of reach.
Well, now she was in his arms. And, as far as he was concerned, he never wanted to let her go.
He glanced at her face as it rested against his chest. By the soft light of the bedroom, he saw the tumble of her blonde hair, some of which settled on the dark hair of his chest; he gazed at her closed eyes, the soft lashes like delicate feathers; he took in the sight of the flushed skin of her face. There was a look of sheer contentment on her face.
Kadeem sighed softly. He thought about what had happened in the last hour. Their union had been intense. And not just the first time. But the second time had been just as pleasurable as the first. He'd surprised himself with the extent of his need. And his ability to satisfy that need. But he hadn't been able to contain himself. Not now that he had Ellie in his bed.
Eliana shifted as if sensing that Kadeem was thinking about her. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He just wanted to savor the sight of her lying next to him, here in his bed. Where she belonged, he told himself.
Finally she spoke: "What are you thinking?"
He smiled at her. "I'm just trying to find the words to describe how beautiful you are."
He saw her cheeks turn pink. "You're pretty handsome yourself," she replied defensively.
He leaned his head down and kissed her forehead. Her skin was moist and he'd never tasted anything so sweet. "My amazing princess," he said softly.
Her brows furrowed. She rose and propped herself on one elbow and squinted at him. "Does that make you my incredible sheikh?"
He smiled and shook his head. "If that would make you happy," he said. "Although, you must admit, that sounds a bit cheesy."
He twisted and faced her, drawing her nearer to him. They were both still naked. He felt her body crush against his. She seemed to notice his hardness. "Nothing can stop you, can it?" she said with a sly grin.
"You can't," he retorted. "Why would I want to stop, now that I have you where I want you?"
She giggled. "You're insatiable," she said. "You know that, don't you?"
He tilted his head casually. "Let me see about that," he said.
Eliana lay on her back as Kadeem shifted on to her. As before, their bodies fitted perfectly together. He savored the softness of her body, the delicious scent of her.
She gazed up at him. He'd never seen her look so happy. All the tensions of the last few weeks had been banished. There was a new light in her eyes. And he was sure she could see the same look in his dark gaze.
Eliana wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He dipped his head and kissed her. This time his kiss was a tender as he could make it. The urgency of their passion had been satisfied. Now, all he wanted to do was be close to her. To feel her softness next to him.
The kiss ended, he looked at her for a long moment. An understanding passed between them. It was unspoken, but they both knew what it had meant.
However, before they had a chance to act on that understanding, the silence of the room was cut by the sound of the telephone next to the bed ringing noisily. Kadeem's shoulders slumped and he shifted from Eliana. He reached for the phone.
"Yes?" he said irritably.
"Kadeem?"
It was his father's voice. Immediately, Kadeem sat up straight, resting his head against the headboard of the bed. "Father," he said in a flat voice.
Kadeem glanced at Eliana. She squinted at him and sat up, wrapping the bed clothes about her naked upper body.
"Where is the princess?" Zaeed asked sharply.
Taken aback for a moment, at first Kadeem didn't know how to respond to that question. He glanced at Eliana and saw she was watching him intently.
"What do you mean?" Kadeem asked.
He heard a growl of disapproval from the other end of the line. "Don't try to tell me you don't know where she is, Kadeem. I had a call from the embassy."
Kadeem felt a tightness in his chest. "You did? Why?"
He heard another snort of indignation from his father. "I know you were at the embassy earlier this evening, Kadeem. And that the princess left with you. Is that true?"
Kadeem knew he couldn't lie. And, after what had just happened between him and Eliana, he was even more determined not to do that.
"She's with me," he admitted in a quiet voice.
He saw Eliana's eyes widen and her mouth open in shock.
"Is she safe?" Kadeem's father asked.
Kadeem controlled the impulse to make a sarcastic reply. He sighed. "She is."
"You must bring her back to the embassy. Immediately," Zaeed barked down the phone.
Kadeem wanted to argue. He wanted to tell his father that, whatever he said to Kadeem, there was no way that Kadeem was going to give her up. Not after this evening.
He glanced across at Eliana. She was staring at him, and there was clear embarrassment on her features. It was such a contrast to the way she'd looked at him only moments before.
For her benefit at least, Kadeem was determined not to create a scene. "Okay. I'll do that."
Zaeed sighed heavily. "I don't know what you thought you were doing, Kadeem. And I don't know how I'm going to explain this to the princess' father. But, I suppose I'll have to find a way."
"Fine," Kadeem said abruptly, desperate that the call be ended as quickly as possible.
Kadeem hung up the phone. Eliana leapt out of bed. For a moment, Kadeem's gaze lingered on her nakedness. Need shifted inside him. This time it was accompanied by a sharp twist of indignation. He didn't want her to go, but he knew she had to.
Kadeem slid out of bed and started to get dressed. Eliana put on her clothes and slid her feet into her flat shoes. Neither of them wanted to say anything, it seemed. The call had killed whatever passion had been lingering in the air.
Kadeem saw the concern on Eliana's features. Before she left the bedroom, she propped a hand on her waist and peered at Kadeem. "They know where I am now?" she asked.
Kadeem tilted his head. "Seems someone at the embassy put two and two together."
He saw Eliana's jaw tighten. Her eyes flashed. "I don't know what I was thinking of," she snapped.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
He started to move toward her, but she gave him a stern look which made him halt in his tracks.
"I knew this was a mistake," she exclaimed.
Shock raced through Kadeem. "Mistake?" he demanded.
Eliana drew herself up to her full height and peered at Kadeem. "I didn't mean it that way," she said.
"What way did you mean it?" he asked sharply.
Eliana turned and raced into the other room. He followed and caught up with her in the middle of the room. He took her arm and she halted. She turned and glared at him. "I have to go, Kadeem. I can't allow this to go on."
"Are you serious?" he asked. "After what happened, you think you can just leave as if it was nothing."
Her eyes narrowed. "It was a mistake, Kadeem," she said. "We both know that."
She wrenched herself free of him and started toward the elevator door. Once again, he caught up with her. "Eliana," he called out.
She halted at the door. The elevator could only be called by Kadeem who owned the solitary keycard. "Can you arrange for me to be taken back to the embassy?"
"We have to talk about this," he stated.
"There's nothing to say," she replied sharply.
"If I take you back, I can at least explain what happened," he said.
She lifted a skeptical brow. "That you smuggled me out of the embassy so you could bring me here?" she asked. "So you could do what you wanted with me?"
"Is that what you think?" he asked incredulously.
She shrugged. There was a cold, steely look in her eyes. "What other explanation is there?"
He stared at her, astonished that she could even think such a thing. For a moment, he was almost speechless at that response. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Eliana nodded toward the elevator door. "Please, Kadeem. This has gone far enough."
He shook his head. "It hasn't, Eliana. Not as far as I'm concerned."
She frowned. "Nothing has changed."
He gazed at her. She leaned back against the wall. It was a defensive move which cut into his heart when he saw it.
He had to do something, he told himself. This might be his last chance to say what had been on his mind all day.
He moved closer to her and her eyes widened slightly. Did she think he was going to do something she wouldn't want him to do? That wasn't how things were between them, he told himself. Not any more.
When he spoke, it was with a deep voice filled with absolute conviction. His words were measured and decisive. "You might leave now, Ellie. But even if you do, you must know this. After tonight, I will do whatever it takes to claim you."
He moved a step closer to her and lowered his voice. "To own you. To make you mine. Nothing will stop me. You belong to me, now."
There was a long, heavy pause during which they gazed at one another. Her mouth opened, and she stared at him as if she couldn't believe what he'd just said. He saw her face flush red with emotion. Her gaze softened, moistening slightly. For a moment, he thought he'd won some kind of victory. Encouraged, he waited for her response.
But then he heard her heavy sigh.
He was sure she was going to reject what he'd said. Sure that she would tell him he was crazy to think that what had happened between them changed anything. But, instead, she just looked at him and said. "Please let me go, Kadeem."
A heavy weight sank into the pit of his stomach. He felt a sudden nausea. It had been a futile attempt, after all.
For now.
He hesitated a moment and then nodded. "The driver will take you back to the embassy, " he said slowly. "If that will be satisfactory."
He swiped the card across the panel to open the elevator. The doors slid open and Eliana stepped inside.
Kadeem gazed disbelievingly at her. Eliana looked blankly at him and then the doors closed. And she was gone.