CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Paige awoke, opened her eyes and immediately felt tension take hold of her. She sat up, peering into the darkness of the sleeping area. Searching for any hint of the dawn's light in the corners of the tent's fabric, she slid out of bed.
Paige drew her gown across her body, tightening the silk strap around her waist. It was one of the gowns from the trunk. Even though she knew its transparency allowed her body to be seen beneath the gossamer thin fabric, she'd been tempted by its softness and comfort. It had helped her sleep. But for how long?
She checked the time on her cell phone. It was just after five o'clock. Razim hadn't told her what time the sun rose at this time of year. She felt the smoothness of the carpet beneath her bare feet as she padded toward the flap closed over the entrance to the sleeping area. She tugged it to one side and peered out into the main body of the tent.
Razim wasn't there.
On the table, a small candle was burning inside a curved glass bowl made of glass. It cast a warm glow around the room.
Paige wondered where Razim could be. She stepped out into the open space of the tent and glanced toward the entrance. She assumed he must be out there. Perhaps he'd slept by the fire.
Her curiosity drew her to the tent's entrance flap. She drew it slowly aside and gazed out. It was very dark, but she could just make out a figure, lying on a rug by the side of the fire.
Razim.
Paige eased her way outside, feeling the sand between her toes as she stepped carefully toward Razim. The only light was cast by the soft glow from a few dying embers on the fire. Paige glanced up at the sky and out toward the horizon. There was still no sign of the dawn. It must be too early, she told herself. But, surely, it couldn't be long until the sunrise. And then it would all be over, she told herself.
Even as she played with that thought, butterflies tumbled in her middle. Over the last few hours, she'd dreamed about Razim. Images and sensations of his body, his touch, his caresses, that had seemed unbelievably real. She had woken up more than once to find those sensations had left her shaken.
Uncertain.
Tempted.
Perhaps it was just as well they would be leaving soon, she told herself. Then she would be able to forget. Because that was what she wanted. Wasn't it?
A cool breeze enfolded her body, making her skin chill slightly. She walked, gingerly, toward Razim. He lay with his back to her, and she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest.
She took a few final steps, until she was almost standing over him. She gazed down at his sleeping figure. She ran her gaze along the length of his body, taking in the sight of his powerful torso and his broad shoulders beneath the white shirt. His long legs were tucked in slightly, granting her a perfect view of his firmly muscled rear. She felt her throat tighten with treacherous desire. Her heart quickened as she realized he could awaken any moment and catch her taking this final, forbidden pleasure.
This was what she was throwing away, she told herself. The most powerful, dominant man she had ever known. And yet, there was so much more to Razim than simply a desert sheikh who could be demanding and insistent.
He was also incredibly loyal. A man who took his honor seriously. She'd seen that so many times before over the past year. Having thought about his earlier words to her, she had no doubt that, given the chance, he would have done whatever he needed to claim her again.
But, that was about to be consigned to the past, she told herself.
Paige glanced toward the horizon, searching for the slightest hint of the dawn. But there was none.
She decided it would be best to watch for the dawn on top of the same dune on which she had stood with Razim. Moving to one side, she hesitated and glanced down at Razim.
One last look before it was all over.
The soft sound of her bare feet on the sand was barely a whisper. But, it was enough for Razim, whose ears were attuned, like no other man, to the sounds of the desert.
Paige froze as she saw Razim shift, lifting his head and turning. By the soft light of what remained of the fire she saw Razim's astonished features. She heard him gasp.
He sat bolt upright and stared at her as if he thought she was some kind of apparition. "Paige?" he exclaimed.
Instinctively she folded her arms across her body. Sensation swept up the length of her body. For a moment, she thought about racing back to the safety of the tent, but she couldn't move.
Razim leaped to his feet and faced Paige. His eyes were wide with disbelief and with visible appreciation. As he ran his gaze down the length of her body, she saw his jaw tighten. Heard him gasp again. He looked like he thought he was dreaming. But, she knew he wasn't. This felt all too real. Terrifying and tempting, all at the same time.
For a moment, she tried to grab hold of her thoughts, tried to seize her emotions and force some control over them. She knew she had to get away, otherwise something was going to happen which would change everything. Make it impossible to move on.
That was what she wanted, wasn't it?
Doubt flared inside her as she saw Razim take a step toward her. He looked incredibly powerful in the semi-darkness. She felt like she was his prey and he was slowly, unstoppably, chasing her down.
Her heart was pounding, and still she couldn't move. It was as if her feet had sunk into the sand and she couldn't get them out. Her breathing caught in her chest as she saw him take another step. She wanted to tell him to stop, wanted to order him to stay away from her, but something inside her rebelled at those thoughts. The promise of how he could make her feel, overwhelmed her senses. The anticipation made her throat tighten, made her heart beat even faster.
Razim took another step.
This was her last chance. She dragged her gaze away from him and looked out toward the dark horizon. The only light she could see there was that from the shimmering stars gathered at the edge of the desert.
She looked back at Razim and gasped. He was right next to her, within touching distance.
His brows were furrowed with desire and his gaze was so steady, so dark that she felt as if he was looking into her soul.
She knew she had only one moment in which to act. One last moment.
Paige met Razim's gaze. Something passed between them both. Something she couldn't put into words. It was an unspoken communication, wordless but real. An understanding.
They both knew what they wanted, she told herself. She had always known this was what she wanted. There was no man like Razim. There never would be again.
Every nerve in her body strained. She wanted him to touch her. Needed to feel his body against hers. And in that instant, she knew what she was going to to do. She knew what it would mean, but, right now, none of that mattered.
All she needed was him.
As if sensing every one of her thoughts, every one of her emotions, Razim moved quickly and took Paige in his arms. Paige gasped as Razim crushed her body against his. She moaned as his lips crashed down upon her mouth. Sensation flooded her body as his tongue probed hungrily, eagerly. His lips were moist and firm.
Paige let her curves sink against the firmness of his body. His arms wrapped her in a tight embrace. He took possession of her and she willed herself to submit. It felt exquisite. A pleasure she'd denied herself for too long.
His kiss continued. He ran his hands down her side. She felt the roughness of his fingers through the delicate fabric of her gown.
Still kissing her, Razim leaned back slightly, and moved one of his hands to the front of her body. His fingers cupped one of her breasts. A thumb teased at her nipple making it pebble beneath the gown.
Paige gasped as his expert touch sent pleasure quivering through her body. She felt her core begin to warm. Staggering slightly, unsteady on her feet because of the sudden ecstasy, she felt Razim use his other arm to hold her close, making sure she didn't tumble.
He already knew how to make her feel pleasure. But it had been such a long time, she told herself, as another wave of delight swept through her.
How had she been able to wait this long if this was what he could do to her?
Razim shifted his hand to her other breast, making her nipple rise to a peak with his touch. Once again, sensation tingled through her nerves.
Then he did something which shouldn't have taken her by surprise, but it did. It was an indication of the urgency of his need. The ferocity of his desire.
She felt Razim bunch the front of her dress in the fist of his hand and then pull it. Hard and fast.
Paige heard fabric rip and there was sudden coolness at the front of her body. She tugged her head away from his lips and glanced down. The front of her dress had been torn open and her nakedness was fully exposed. She swallowed and glanced at the ravenous expression on Razim's features.
His dark gaze measured her reaction for a moment. Seeing only agreement, Razim released her for a moment and curled his fingers along the front edges of his white shirt.
He tugged, hard and fast, ripping open the shirt. Paige stared, mouth open, at the sight of Razim's powerfully muscled chest and abdomen. A thick layer of dark hair covered his chest. He drew in a deep breath and threw the torn shirt down onto the sand.
His chest was completely exposed now. The sight of his powerful maleness made her chest tighten. His gaze took in the sight of her own nakedness. His jaw tightened visibly, and his brows became deep appreciative ridges.
Suddenly he crashed down onto his knees and enclosed her hips in his firm grasp. He leaned his head forward and began to lavish kisses on her naked belly. She groaned when she felt his tongue trace a line across her soft middle. Pleasure spasmed up her body as he tasted her flesh.
Paige reached down and took hold of his dark hair. She knew it was impossible to stop him. But, she didn't want to stop him. She wanted him to continue tracing lines of pleasure across her skin. Every movement triggered sensations she'd never thought possible.
Her core was warm and becoming ready for him. Somewhere in her mind, amongst all the pleasure, she told herself that she wanted him. And that, if she submitted to him, if she allowed him to claim her as only he could, she would accept the consequences.
No matter what they were. It was what she wanted. What she had always wanted since the first day she'd known him. Since the last time they'd made love in this place.
Because, in spite of all the disagreements, Paige knew that this was the man who would make her feel like no other man could.
Paige shifted slightly when she felt Razim's head move to the sides of her hips. He planted gentle kisses on her skin. Each time he did so, a delicious tingle flared through her body. But still he hadn't gone anywhere near her core. Was he so determined to drive her crazy? Tempting her to the limit of her endurance?
An ache started to pulse at her core. She wanted him to touch her there, just as he'd done in the palace garden. But, moment after moment, he refused to do so. Impatience welled up within her as he continued to kiss her flesh everywhere except at her core.
As if sensing her impatience, Razim rose quickly, faced her and scooped her up in his arms. Her legs dangled in the air. For a moment she was sure he was going to take her back to the tent. But, instead he laid her gently down on the rug in front of the fire.
Where they had lain a year before.
Paige felt the harshness of the rug against her back as she lay there, looking up at Razim. Somehow it didn't matter to her any longer that her nakedness completely exposed to him. They both knew each other's bodies. But the familiarity didn't lessen the strength of the need.
Paige felt her mouth open as she watched Razim shift himself out of his dark pants. Within moments he was standing, feet planted in the sand, completely naked.
Seeing the thick length of his firmness, she drew in a deep breath, trying to calm the frantic hammering of her heart. He looked incredibly powerful, his naked body silhouetted against the dark, starry sky. The soft glow from the fireplace cast a red glow across his skin.
Then he kneeled down and slid his body alongside hers. Feeling the warmth of his skin against hers, made sensation tingle in every one of her nerves.
Razim enfolded her in a tight embrace, drawing her soft body against his hardness. He kissed her again, probing her mouth with his tongue. Pleasure flared through her body, making her core even more ready for him.
For a long while he kissed her body, tracing lines of ecstasy across her skin. She gasped repeatedly, hardly able to control herself.
Then, impatiently, he shifted, poised above her, looking down at her. She knew what he wanted and it was exactly what she herself needed. The moment of questioning changed into one of mutual need.
He lowered himself down onto her. She felt his chest against her breasts, the harshness of his hair against her soft skin. She shifted, opening herself up to him. Then she felt his thickness pressing at her core.
Paige knew she was ready. She would always be ready for Razim. Destiny had brought them here and she was about to be delivered to a future that had been fated from the start.
Razim's features were dark with fierce need. He gazed into her eyes as he thrust into her. She groaned as she felt herself tighten around him. His brows furrowed with ecstasy as he pressed himself deeper into her.
Then he started to thrust, slowly at first. With each thrust he pressed himself against her mound. That sent waves of pleasure coursing through her body. That made her gasp loudly, her voice echoing out to the desert.
Paige curled her legs around him, trying to draw him as close as possible to her. She needed all of him. Wanted all of him inside her.
Spasms of ecstasy swept through her. Nerves flamed into life with every thrust. He groaned, a feral, deep sound that vibrated into her being.
Paige wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding on for dear life as he claimed her over and over with every one of his powerful, desperate thrusts. It was as if an animal ferocity had been let loose.
In him. And in herself.
Somewhere deep inside herself, a voice cried out that this was where she belonged. Joined to Razim.
His firmness filled her, pushing into her.
Over and over, ecstasy swept over her, until finally, she felt the ultimate wave sweeping toward her. Sensing her need, Razim's movements became more urgent. Their bodies moved in perfect unison as her climax began to build. Until the tension became almost unbearable.
Wanting him to share the moment with his own ecstasy, she grasped his hips, curving her fingers around his rear, coaxing him, driving him on. He responded with instant need, his breathing becoming faster, his gaze intensely focused on her eyes, watching her pleasure grow.
Finally, with one more of his powerful thrust, the wave took hold of her. She cried out and, at exactly the same moment, Razim roared, his body quivering as he emptied his desire into her.
Paige felt herself thrown over a precipice, holding onto Razim as if her survival depended upon it. Ecstasy took complete possession of her, making every nerve flame into life. The sensation seemed to last an eternity. And she never wanted it to stop.
Razim's body crashed down upon hers. She felt the heat of his skin and the exquisite heaviness of him as she wrapped her arms around him. All she wanted was to be close to him. All she had ever wanted was to have him inside her, again. That had been her hidden desire. So hidden that she had managed to avoid its truth for a very long time.
Eventually, the pleasure subsided, replaced by a wonderful glow which warmed her body. They didn't need a fire to warm them, she told herself. Their desire was enough to keep away the chill of the desert night.
Razim's breathing settled eventually, and he shifted to her side, letting her wrap her body into his. He held her close with his powerful arms. They gazed into each other's eyes, unable to find the words to describe what had just happened.
Razim leaned his head forward and kissed her again. This time there was none of the urgent need. This time there was tenderness and relief that the truth had won out in the end.
Paige closed her eyes and snuggled in closer to him. His scent was powerful. Raw and intense. She inhaled it and felt herself ease into a warm and quiet drowsiness.