What the hell was she doing? Tadj’s pulse rocketed as he spotted Lucy vaulting onto the back of a half-wild Arab pony. He yelled a warning, but, leaning low over the animal’s neck as it broke into a flat-out gallop, she couldn’t hear him.
And she accused him of taking risks!
Quitting the race, he wheeled his horse around and chased after her. The track was long and full of riders; so many that the youths whose job it was to hang the gourds could hardly keep up. Just as he reached her, Lucy seized a gourd, spun her pony around, and flashed past him. Brandishing the prize high in triumph provoked ear-splitting cheers from the crowd. She might be a stranger in their midst, but she was their champion tonight, and her surprise win had made her the spectators’ favourite. Not his, he thought grimly as he urged his horse to catch up with hers. Seizing Lucy around the waist, he lifted her onto his galloping stallion, which provoked another round of cheers. Not surprisingly, Lucy was distinctly unimpressed.
‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ she yelled at him in fury.
‘Saving you from yourself,’ he retorted grimly as he tightened his grip. Taking her back at a steady canter to the pony lines, he dismounted and carefully lifted her down.
‘I don’t know what you think you’re playing at,’ she said, throwing him off. ‘I knew what I was doing. That was just an advanced version of the games we used to play when I was a child on the farm.’
‘And were you pregnant at that time?’ he remarked coolly.
‘Don’t you dare suggest I’d take risks with my baby,’ she warned as he led her away.
‘Well, you’re not playing games on my watch,’ he said, adding, ‘especially not dangerous games,’ as he escorted her back to her tent.
‘Why not? Aren’t rowdy games an appropriate pastime for your mistress?’ Before he could answer, she added hotly, ‘There were plenty of other women taking part—as well as children.’
‘My interest is you—and you, in case you had forgotten, are pregnant.’
‘Really? I’m your only interest? You could have fooled me,’ she snapped. ‘You ignore me most of the time, unless a particular type of carnal hunger strikes you, of course.’
‘Which it never does for you,’ he fired back, realising as he did so that, while no one could make him laugh like Lucy, no one could rouse every one of his carefully contained emotions as she could. He had never felt this heated before. Lucy’s safety, and that of their child, were paramount.
‘So, is it because I’m a woman that you object to my riding in the games, or because I’m your woman?’
‘Because you’re pregnant!’ he roared, seemingly unable to get his point across.
‘So now you care?’ she mocked.
Pregnancy hormones, he thought as her eyes welled with tears. Upbeat one minute, she was on the edge of an emotional meltdown the next. He’d been doing some reading, as well as investigating, since Lucy had catapulted back into his life, and recognised the signs. ‘Of course I care,’ he insisted, then realised he was shouting. He never lost control—ever. Consumed by frustration, he snatched the sabre out of her hands, and tossed it to a waiting attendant.
‘I’m pregnant, not sick,’ she insisted as he ushered her inside the tent.
‘You’re a damn nuisance,’ he spat out. ‘What if you’d been hurt?’
‘You could send me back as damaged goods,’ she flashed, her eyes welling again, ‘and recruit a new mistress.’
‘Now you’re being ridiculous,’ he insisted with an impatient gesture.
‘Am I?’ she flared. ‘You bring me here with one thing in mind, which is to be your official mistress. Knowing I wouldn’t agree, you trump up excuses about some job or other—anything to get me here.’
‘Which should tell you how much I care.’
‘It tells me you’re a complete control freak.’
‘And what about you?’ he argued. ‘Deceit got you here, and has carried you through this far. Am I supposed to think better of you now?’
‘I don’t care what you think,’ she railed, her voice shaking. ‘I did what I had to.’
‘You do care.’ Grabbing her arms, he held her still. ‘You care too much, which is why you’re always trying to please everyone.’
‘And failing miserably, I suppose.’
He couldn’t bear to see Lucy hugging herself defensively. ‘Yes,’ he confirmed. The truth might be harsh, but it was preferable to how they’d handled things so far.
‘All right,’ she said. Straightening up, she lowered her arms. ‘I will stay, but only on mutually acceptable terms.’
He dipped his head to stare into her eyes. ‘You’re setting terms now?’
‘You bet I am,’ she told him. ‘What’s so funny?’ she asked. ‘Just because you’re not used to people standing up to you, doesn’t mean I’m willing to fall in line. I need to work to support myself and the baby, but I’m extremely keen to learn as much as I can about our child’s heritage, which is why I want to stay on in Qalala—at least while I’m on holiday from college.’
‘So, being with me has nothing to do with your decision?’
Frowning deeply, she remained silent.
Shaking his head slowly, he stared into Lucy’s fierce and determined eyes. She was as stubborn as he was. ‘You are, without doubt, the most annoying woman I have ever met.’
‘I would hate to come second,’ she said.
‘No chance of that.’ Nudging her inside the tent, he dismissed their attendants. ‘Sit,’ he instructed.
‘Sit yourself—or am I to be lectured like a child?’
Anything but a child, Lucy was a beautiful woman, who was carrying his baby, and he could think of no better mother. How to cope with Lucy’s spirit was a question for another day, but did he want to clip her wings? Could he offer her enough to make it worth her while to stay? Money didn’t interest her, so for once in his charmed life he wasn’t sure. ‘As I mentioned on the flight here, I have a proposition for you—and it’s something that doesn’t hang on you becoming my mistress.’
‘Well, that’s a relief,’ she said.
‘Allow me to pause while I take in your compliment.’
‘So, what is it?’ she said, green eyes narrowing with suspicion.
‘I’m offering you a job as part of my team in the sapphire division. You’d be paid the same as everyone else. Anything else is up to you.’
‘And, what would the job entail?’
‘Designing an exhibition for the best of the jewellery. I want to create a heritage museum here on site, as well as a touring exhibition.’
‘Quite a small job, then,’ she said dryly, but there was a distinct glint of interest in her eyes.
‘Quite insignificant,’ he agreed, acting stern.
‘I’d be a tiny cog in a huge wheel,’ she said thoughtfully.
‘Correct. But each cog has something unique to offer, and, without it, the smooth running of the machine cannot be guaranteed.’
‘You put it so persuasively,’ she observed dryly.
‘That was my intention,’ he confessed with the hint of a smile.
‘Are you serious?’ she asked. ‘I mean, this is like my dream job.’
‘Never more so. Why waste your education?’
‘If I agree, you can’t treat me as if I’m made of glass.’
‘I won’t hesitate to pass an opinion,’ he warned.
‘And neither will I,’ she countered with spirit.
‘I would expect nothing less of you.’ And, done with talking, he brought her into his arms.
‘You’ve got a cheek.’
‘Yes,’ he murmured. ‘And you have a beautiful body.’
‘When can I see the mine and the museum?’
‘When I say you can.’
‘And when will that be?’
>
‘You have to earn the privilege.’
As he held her still, she softened. ‘When can I begin?’ she asked, searching his eyes in a way that made him instantly hard.
‘Right now?’
They only had to look into each other’s eyes for understanding to spring between them. They were so well matched, and Lucy could always surprise him, he thought as she sank to her knees in front of him, not to bow in gratitude—oh, no, she’d never do that—but to wrap her mouth around him over the fine linen of his trousers until he couldn’t think straight.
‘Who’s in control now?’ she lifted her head to whisper.
Throwing his head back, he laughed, but shocked pleasure soon silenced him as she tightened her mouth around. Waves of sensation punched through him, and he groaned involuntarily as he opened his mouth to drag in some much-needed air. And this wasn’t all she had in mind. Her nimble fingers were soon working on the fastening at his waist, and she freed him in no time.
The heat of Lucy’s mouth on his engorged flesh was indescribable. Sufficient to say that the rasp of her tongue promised release like never before.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘YOU NEED THIS...we both do...’
‘Witch,’ he groaned as Lucy took control.
‘Just to warn you, I’m no man’s mistress,’ she said as he laced his fingers through her hair to keep her close. ‘I’m doing this because I want to.’
‘Don’t I know it,’ he grated out.
Lucy’s husky tone betrayed her arousal, but this was on her terms, and the challenge she gave him never failed to arouse.
She carried out her threat with surprising skill, but when he remarked on this, she said, ‘I think I should know what you like by now.’
With a bellow of agony, he lifted her and dispensed with her clothes. Settling her onto him, he proved her right about them both needing this. Working furiously towards the inevitable conclusion, they brought each other to the edge efficiently, and within a few firm strokes they were plunged into pleasure so extreme it left them sated, and yet hungry for more.
‘Not tonight,’ Lucy said matter-of-factly. Sweeping up her clothes, she added, ‘I’ll give you my decision about the job tomorrow, after I’ve visited the sapphire mines, which will obviously impact on my decision to stay—so you’ll get that too.’
‘That’s a lot of giving,’ he commented as they locked eyes. ‘Give yourself first,’ he advised. ‘You’ll enjoy it, and it will help you sleep.’
She looked at him as if she couldn’t quite believe he could match her for detachment. Whatever it took, he thought as they stared at each other.
Breath rushed from her lungs as he swung her into his arms, and she yelped when he dropped her on the bed. ‘You’re a very bad man,’ she remarked with an expression that teased and tormented him.
‘That I am,’ he agreed. To pretend otherwise would mean a sleepless night for both of them, and what was the point in that?
Tadj was the most amazing lover. He made every part of her body sing, and he was right about her not being able to resist him. Why should she, when all she had to do was close her eyes and concentrate on pleasure? His steady breathing countering her hectic gasps made her all the more excited, and the crashing release that followed rocked her body and soul. She couldn’t chart the moment when extreme pleasure turned to exhaustion, and finally sleep, but when she woke in Tadj’s arms in the morning, it was the happiest moment of her life.
‘I love you,’ she whispered, safe in the knowledge that he was still fast asleep.
He grunted faintly, but didn’t stir, which was a relief, because laying her heart bare put her entirely at Tadj’s mercy. Tuned to her every mood, he wasn’t long in waking. She was lying on her side with her back to him, which meant that Tadj only had to make the smallest adjustment to his position to take her from behind. Arching her back, she raised her hips to make herself even more available for pleasure. Lazy lovemaking like this was the perfect way to start a day. Clutching a pillow, she concentrated on sensations, and nothing else.
‘Better?’ Tadj soothed when she tumbled noisily off the cliff edge. Moving convulsively to claim the last pulse of pleasure, she was incapable of speech. ‘Is that what you needed?’ he crooned huskily, with a smile of very masculine triumph in his tone.
She could only groan with contentment when he started again. ‘See what happens when you’re a very good girl,’ he murmured.
‘I can’t be good all the time,’ she warned.
‘I noticed,’ he said, seeming pleased.
‘And I’m no pushover,’ she insisted groggily, with a small contented smile.
‘Of course not,’ Tadj confirmed.
‘Did I detect a faint mocking note in your voice?’ she challenged, turning her head to spear a stare into his eyes.
‘Did I detect some residual need here?’ he countered, teasing her in the way she loved.
To hell with it! Thrusting her hips, she claimed him.
* * *
What a wonderful day, Lucy thought, feeling elated as she pulled on her jeans and top after bathing in the lagoon. Her body was still tingling from Tadj’s expert lovemaking. She wanted more. She would always want more, where Tadj was concerned, though she was excited to see what came next when they visited the sapphire mines.
First, there was a short journey by helicopter, which Tadj piloted once again, and when they landed, he announced, ‘We’ll take the SUV from here.’
His excitement was infectious. Gone was the stern and aloof Emir, and in his place at last was the guy she’d met in a café. ‘Are you up for it?’ he asked, nuzzling her neck.
‘For everything,’ she said, sharing a scorching look.
He was so hot, how was she ever going to concentrate? Lucy wondered as they climbed into the vehicle. Tadj’s profile was all the more appealing for being so stern. He made her want his arms around her. With forearms like steel girders, deeply tanned and dusted with just the right amount of jet-black hair, there was no surprise there. Tadj was a stunning sight, in bed or out of it—but more complex than she had ever imagined.
‘Some seams of sapphire are found in rock and call for conventional mining methods,’ he explained in the low, husky tone that made her body thrill with pleasure. He glanced across, the heat in his gaze suggesting Tadj knew that Lucy’s focus wasn’t solely on the precious gems. ‘Others turn up in streams, or even in the silt of a wadi, and need nothing more than a sieve to fish them out. What?’ he asked.
‘You,’ Lucy admitted. ‘I like you better up here in the mountains. You’re a different man.’
‘Than the one who was in bed with you a couple of hours ago?’ His mocking frown teased every part of her as he leaned across to drop a kiss on her neck. ‘I’m the same man with different interests,’ he said, straightening up again.
What did the future hold? she wondered. It was all too easy to think that Tadj, in his banged-up jeans and a simple black top, really was the fun guy she’d met in a café, and it was tough remembering he was the Emir of Qalala, with a different life from hers.
The trip to the mine brightened things up again. It went much better than Lucy had hoped. She was fascinated by the work underground, where the air was warm and still, and on the ground where the mountain breezes whipped at her clothes as she watched the sapphires go through their initial sorting. Tadj had an enthusiastic team in place, and the very latest in equipment, and she couldn’t help but want to be part of it, to the point where she was already working on some ideas for the exhibition.
‘I think we could improve things here at your heritage centre,’ she told Tadj frankly, when he invited comments from the team. ‘You have some of the world’s most spectacular jewels on display in what appears to me to be an uninviting warehouse. Visitors should be taken on a journey—a pictorial tour of all the various mining meth
ods, where they can see examples of rough stones before they’re cut, and then the polished jewels, both before and after they’re set.’
As murmurs of agreement rose from his team, he knew he’d made the right choice in Lucy. Whether that was enough to persuade her to stay in Qalala was the big question, and remained to be seen.
‘There needs to be a lush floor covering that creates a hushed atmosphere of wonder and awe,’ she went on. ‘And, of course, discreet lighting—and music to set the mood.’
‘I can see your enthusiasm is infectious,’ he told her as they left to smiling goodbyes, leaving his team to discuss the latest ideas.
His staff had arranged a picnic by the wadi where he and Lucy could spend time alone. It had rained recently, so the dried-up riverbed now provided a perfect swimming pool, where they could freshen up and cool down after a busy morning touring the mine. As the blistering heat of late afternoon slipped into the cooler lilac light of dusk they settled down to enjoy the feast his chefs had prepared, which was both simple and delicious, made even more so by freshly squeezed juice that his attendants had thoughtfully left cool in bottles they’d tethered in the stream.
Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the bowl of sky overhead, as it turned from a clear, cloudless blue to gold and crimson, as the day moved slowly into night. A chill breeze blew up as the lavender dusk, threaded through with smoky grey, lost its colour completely as the sun disappeared behind the mountains.
‘This is even more beautiful than anything I’ve seen so far,’ Lucy enthused softly at his side. ‘You live in the most ravishing country. I’m not sure you deserve it,’ she added, turning onto her stomach to stare at him with a cheeky sideways frown.
He laughed as he drew her into his arms. He was a man as well as an emir, but when he kissed Lucy Gillingham he felt like the king of the world. Seeing everything through Lucy’s eyes had given him the greatest pleasure imaginable today. And she was right in that Qalala was beautiful. He found it even more so with Lucy at his side. ‘So, you’ll stay?’ he whispered, feeling confident he knew her answer.
‘For a fixed contract,’ she agreed. ‘I think that would be sensible, don’t you?’
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