So she turned on the bathroom light and showered again, then dressed carefully for work. She put on extra makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes and pulled on a bright sweater, needing it to give her cheeks extra color. It wasn’t much, but she felt better anyway.
Kular paced the hotel room, impatiently making calls to his guards back home while demanding answers of his team working here.
“She wasn’t there! It was past eleven o’clock at night and she wasn’t there. Tell me where she was!” he demanded, not for the first time.
He’d been to ten locations across the United States, trying to track down Rayne but none had yielded her presence. But this time, he was sure that she was here. He felt it in his bones and as soon as he found her, he was going to…kiss her. Yeah, he wanted to kiss her more than anything else. And hold her in his arms, ensure that she was healthy and happy. If she was happy in her new job, would he let her go?
No, he couldn’t.
Rubbing a hand over his face, he sighed, staring out the window at the ocean in the distance. Yes, he would have to let her go. It was essential that she be happy, even if he was positive that he could make her happy himself. He wanted to…Hell, he didn’t know any more what he wanted to do. He was driving his high council crazy as they waited for news that his future bride had been found. But they were growing weary after months of no success.
Where was she? Why wasn’t she with him and why the hell had she left him that morning so long ago? Why hadn’t she stuck around to talk to him? And was she okay? Kular couldn’t shake the sensation that she wasn’t happy. That something was very wrong. He’d felt it months ago and that sensation hadn’t eased up in any way.
His guard stepped into the room and Kular knew that something had happened. “What is it?” he demanded.
“She’s on her way to work,” the man announced. “I have two cars following her, Your Highness.”
Kular looked at his watch. “It’s five o’clock in the morning. What the hell is she doing going to work this early?” he demanded.
The guard looked uncomfortable as he reported, “She works very long hours, Your Highness. I have reports that her supervisor has warned her to leave several nights over the past month.”
Kular closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What else?”
The man hesitated, but then went on to say, “She’s reportedly a superstar employee, Your Highness. Her supervisor might have to tell her to leave, but he’s also praised her, explaining that she’s done more to advance the project than any other employee. She’s brought a whole new energy to the team, bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm. The other team members had been discouraged prior to her arrival. But Ms. Abbot has offered ideas that resulted in several breakthroughs.”
Kular knew that he should be proud that his woman was so brilliant, but in the back of his mind, he kept thinking that he wanted her to be brilliant with him. Not brilliant with another team, thousands of miles away.”
“I’m going to see her,” he announced, causing several people around the room to do a double take.
“Your Highness,” his chief of staff warned, “this is a delicate time right now for Contirra. We can’t be absent from the upcoming events. We need to be…”
“I’m going. Make the arrangements,” he snapped to his head of security, ignoring his chief of staff’s disapproving glare. Kular knew what he needed to do. He needed Rayne. Now!
Chapter 11
Rayne heard the doorbell ring and froze. “No,” she whispered, her shoulders slumping with exhaustion. “I’m too tired for neighbors today.” Over the past several days, she’d felt an almost overwhelming exhaustion seep into her body starting in the early afternoon and deepening every hour until she could barely keep her eyes open by eight o’clock at night.
Unfortunately, the ring was followed up by an impatient knock and Rayne sighed as she finished pulling on her leggings. “I don’t care if I look like a vagabond,” she muttered, grabbing a sweatshirt and pulling it over her head. She’d worn a professional suit to work earlier today and the stretchy material of her leggings felt wonderful!
There was yet another knock, this one louder and more demanding, as she stomped through her tiny apartment.
“Coming!” she yelled, although there wasn’t much force in the word. She simply didn’t have the energy right now. In fact, if she had her way, she’d curl up on her bed for a nap. Or for the night! Yes, even though it was barely six o’clock in the evening, getting into bed and sleeping next twelve hours sounded really nice.
As she reached the door, there was yet another impatient knock and Rayne was ready to knock on whoever was banging on her door. So she whipped the door open, prepared to blast the person on the other side with a nasty comment. But instead, she froze.
For a long moment, Rayne stood in the door, staring up at Kular as if she were seeing things.
“Where have you…oomph!”
“Kular!” she gasped, throwing herself into his arms. Rayne was unaware of the tears spilling down her cheeks as she inhaled the wonderful, male scent of him and reveled in the strength of his arms as they closed around her. She didn’t care why he was here, she was just so happy that he was!
Kular wrapped his arms around Rayne, her soft curves pressing against him in ways that he remembered, but were somehow unfamiliar. With a nod, he indicated to his security team to do whatever it was they needed to do so that he could enter Rayne’s apartment and get answers. For the moment though, he stood there, holding her, closing his eyes for a moment as he simply enjoyed her reaction. Her enthusiasm soothed the fury that had been building up over the past several months as he’d struggled to find her. Now that he was holding her, all his anger and worry over her health and her abrupt departure dissipated, replaced with a deep satisfaction now that she was in his arms, where she should be.
The guards finished their sweep of her apartment at the same moment that he realized that Rayne was crying. Pulling back, he looked into her eyes, but, at that moment, Rayne jerked backwards, glaring up at him.
Watery blue eyes flashed up at him. “What are you doing here?” Her hand lifted to her head as she pushed her glorious red hair out of her eyes. “And why in the world am I so happy to see you?” She poked at his shoulder, her beautiful, blue eyes shooting darts at him. “I’m not happy to see you! Got it? It makes absolutely no sense why I would be happy to see you.” With that, she turned and stalked into her apartment, completely unaware of his guards standing sentry outside.
Kular was confused, but entranced by her response. And curious. So he stepped into the apartment, closing the door and leaning back against it as Rayne paced back and forth across the surprisingly small apartment.
“First of all, why are you here? How did you find me? And why are we even talking?” She demanded, whipping around to glare at him again. He opened his mouth to respond, but she lifted her hand. “No, I don’t care!” She sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. “Of course I care. But it isn’t important.”
She began pacing again, her head bowed as she obviously worked through a thought. “I shouldn’t care,” she muttered, her eyebrows furrowed. “And yet, there was an intense spark of joy when I saw you. Which makes absolutely no sense, because I know who you are and what you do with other women! I know that you are a player and I hate the idea of being with someone who jumps from one bed to another! And prostitutes?” she hissed, looking at him as if he’d killed a kitten. “Why? Why would you sleep with a prostitute? Do you have any idea about the health implications of sleeping with a sex worker? I mean, do they use protection consistently? I’ve read articles that talk about how some men demand no protection because it feels better. But that only increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases! So, why would they do that?”
She stopped pacing and glared again. “Please, tell me that you always used protection! I mean, that doesn’t eliminate the risk, but it lowers it. Which doesn’t mean that you don’t h
ave an STD and I know that I should have gotten tested for diseases when I first thought about it, but I haven’t and I know that I’m a coward but good grief, this is insane!”
“Rayne, what…?”
“And then you slept with me!” She shook her head. “I barely knew you! We’d met only that weekend and then I had the most amazing sex with you! But was it?” She stopped and looked at him, her red-rimmed, blue eyes pleading for understanding. “I mean, really? I’m trying hard to apply logic to our relationship, but what we had, what we did, it defies logic! It makes no sense! So then I tried to apply emotions to my logic algorithm and that was absolutely impossible because emotions and logic aren’t compatible!”
Kular listened to her stream of consciousness rant, amused and confused. Why was she talking about prostitutes? And yes, he always used protection! As ruler of Contirra, he was vulnerable to women wanting a ring on their fingers and purposely becoming pregnant in order to achieve that goal. So, protection had always been mandatory for him.
At the same moment that the thought occurred to him, his eyes skimmed hungrily down over her figure, noting that she’d gained a bit of weight in some places and it looked…amazing! She was magnificent! In the time it had taken for him to fly here to see her, he’d placed a guard to watch out for her and he’d reported that she had been working long hours. So, the guard wasn’t sure if she’d been eating well, since he couldn’t get into the labs of her office building. But he’d explained that Rayne didn’t have a great many groceries in her apartment. Nor did she eat out. So, was she eating well?
Kular half listened to her continued monologue about his crimes and the lack of logic applied to their relationship, but he took his cell phone out and texted his aide, telling him to find a food service company that can deliver pre-made meals for her. He wanted Rayne to eat properly and not have to go out for food. It would keep her safer as well, he thought, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
Then he leaned back against the door, watching as she continued to pace and work through whatever was going on in her brilliant mind. He’d get the details on her concerns soon enough. Right now, he was enjoying watching her walk back and forth, giving him ample opportunity to view her luscious figure from multiple angles. And in his mind, he was considering the best way to make love to her this time.
Kular hadn’t walked in here with the plan of making love to her, although that thought hovered in the back of his mind. No, his intent had been to explain that their future would be together and he would…
She’d stopped and turned to look at him.
“Well?”
Kular chuckled softly, pushing away from the door. “Well, I have no idea why you think that I’ve slept with prostitutes, but you’re concerned with sexually transmitted diseases. As far as I know,” he moved closer to her, watching her eyes watch him, “I am free of diseases, but let’s get tested and make sure.” Her eyes widened when he continued to walk towards her. “In the meantime, I haven’t been with anyone since our weekend in Monaco.” His hand reached out, taking one of her hands and he felt her tremble in reaction. “Have you?”
“No,” she gasped, pulling away from his touch, offended by his question.
“Good. Then let us explore this ‘illogical relationship’ that we have between us,” and he pulled her relentlessly closer. She resisted slightly, but didn’t pull away. In fact, her pupils dilated, her lips softened, and her body shifted, leaning towards his touch.
Rayne inhaled sharply, surprised and, oddly touched by his response. “You were listening!”
Kular chuckled softly. “Of course, my dear. You are worried that I have had sex with prostitutes and that those interactions would put our health in danger.” He kissed her fingers. “I appreciate your concerns, Rayne. That is very responsible of you and let me assure you that we will figure this out. Together.”
She sighed, closing her eyes with relief. “Thank you.”
“And I have never slept with a prostitute.”
She blinked and he pulled her closer. “But…”
“Never!” he assured her, interrupting whatever protest she might have. “So, let us explore the other concerns you have,” he nibbled along her neck. “You’re bothered by the intensity of our feelings for each other,” he bit her earlobe gently. “I too have this concern. I’ve been searching for you ever since I woke up the morning after our night together and I’ve been going crazy, thinking that you were somehow hurt.”
“I’m fine,” she lied. She wasn’t fine. She’d been exhausted, angry, and so hurt, she hadn’t been thinking logically.
Kular ignored her obvious lie. “And I agree that what we feel for each other makes no sense. We barely know each other. And yet, I was furious when I woke without you in my arms. Even more infuriating was that I couldn’t find you. You’d left the hotel, left the country. I know that you left Monaco on a private plane, which explains why there was no record of your departure on the commercial airlines,” he backed her up slightly so that her legs pressed against the back of the only chair in the room. A chair that he intended to get rid of at the earliest opportunity because it looked like a reject from a trash heap. “And even after that weekend, I couldn’t find you, because too many of these damn companies are so secretive.”
He lifted her up so that she was perched precariously on the back of that pathetic chair. He placed her hands on his shoulders, then slid his own down her waist and hips to her thighs, slowly, inexorably, spreading her legs until his hips could nestle against her heat. He kissed her as he explored her body, absorbing every gasp of pleasure from this beautiful woman who had made him crazy because of her sudden appearance in his life, as well as her just as sudden disappearance.
“I’m going to put a tracker on you,” he growled.
Rayne laughed, but Kular knew that he was only half joking. But instead of correcting her impression, he lifted her into his arms and carried her down the ridiculously short hallway to her bedroom, kissing her the whole time. As their tongues dueled, he laid her back against the mattress. His hands skimmed along her body, tugging at her clothing frantically, needing her to be naked, to see all of her and know that she was okay. That niggling sensation in the back of his head for the past few months simply wouldn’t go away and he didn’t trust her to tell him that she was okay. Every instinct in him warned him that something had been wrong. Her rant several minutes ago might have explained his warning bells. But he didn’t think that was it.
Nor did he question why he felt this connection with her. He’d never felt anything like it before and he prayed that he never would again. It had driven him wild. She had become his obsession. Which was why it was imperative that he convince her to come back to Contirra with him. He needed her by his side. He needed…her! Damn it, that was the basic issue. He needed Rayne. Like an addict needs a drug, Rayne was his drug. When she slid her hands over him, he groaned at the way his skin almost throbbed with need in the wake of her exploring fingers. Tearing off his clothes, he took her hand and pressed her fingers against his bare skin.
“Touch me, Rayne.”
He felt her fingers trail along every ridge of his body as he moved to devour one taut nipple, then another. With every touch, he heard her hiss and gasp. With every sound his already out-of-control desire grew higher. Only Rayne could make him feel like this!
Rayne needed Kular to stop, but she knew if he did, she would burst into flames! “Please!” she gasped, her hips pressing against his erection. She knew it was there, but Rayne was too inexperienced to figure out how to get him to give her what she needed. Just like last time, her control was gone and she was working on instinct now, needing him to fill her, to make her whole.
Unfortunately, Kular wasn’t in the mood to give her what she wanted. His mouth teased her breasts, making her core throb with need. And lower still as he made his way down her body, kissing and teasing, tickling in some places only to come back and soothe that spot with his hands and his mout
h. When he pressed her legs wider, Rayne didn’t care what he did, as long as he kept touching her. That’s when she felt his mouth against that most private part of her and shock arched her back, lifting her clear off the bed. That movement only pressed her body harder against his lips, and she felt his fingers grip her thighs. Hard! Oh, that was even better! She felt loved and cherished and crazed, all at the same time. His talented mouth was on a mission and her pleasure was his goal. Over and over again, his mouth circled, his tongue flicked against that nub and she hissed or gasped or tried to pull away, only to find his hands holding her in place.
“Too much!” she yelled, shifting her hips but unable to get away from that tormenting mouth. Only when he latched onto that nub and sucked did she feel that mind-altering, joyous climax wash over her and she screamed his name, her fingers clutching at his hair, holding him in place for a long moment as the waves of pleasure crashed over her body.
When it was all over, she slumped onto the mattress, fighting to breathe, eyes closed. Vaguely, she felt him move up her body again, light, teasing kisses against her heated skin, but Rayne couldn’t respond, too dazzled by the strength of her release.
When she heard the foil tear, she opened her eyes. Watching as he slowly pressed his erection into her soft folds. The last time, he’d been slow and careful, filling her up inch by inch. This time, he pressed into her with a smooth thrust, eased by the wet heat of her body. She shifted her hips, lifting her legs higher so that they were wrapped around his waist.
Then he started thrusting. Slowly at first. But with each press into her body, he took her higher. Impossibly, she felt her body tightening, straining. Looking up at him, she gazed into his eyes as his body moved faster, thrusting into her and she loved it! Her back arched, shifting to get more friction against that sensitive nub that was already so swollen from her first climax. He helped her by sliding an arm under her hips and pulling her against him. That was all it took. Her body exploded! Throbbing, pulsing pleasure that was so intense, she couldn’t hold his gaze. Her limbs tightened around him. She was vaguely aware of his groans as he found his pleasure, but her body was so immersed in her own pleasure, she couldn’t help him. All she could do was hold onto him as they both drifted slowly back to earth.
Pregnant With the Sheik's Heir (The Abbot Sisters Book 2) Page 9