by Cheryl Holt
“To us,” he said.
“To us,” she echoed.
“May our relationship prove long and fulfilling.”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself.”
They drank in silence, emptying their glasses, then he refilled them.
“I remember how much you like your whiskey,” he said, “so I have plenty.”
“Try to keep up with me, would you?”
“I will, but I’m already discovering you’re much faster than I am—in many ways.”
“I’m not fast,” she insisted. “It’s simply that when I see what I want, I don’t dither.”
“And you want me?”
“Very much, Mr. Preston Price.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
He gazed at her so intently that her heart made a distracting flip-flopping motion. From their prior tryst at the hotel, she knew he wasn’t shy, that he didn’t dither either, and she gazed at him in return, eager for him to take her in his arms.
But he didn’t move, the tension driving her mad with anticipation. This was another thing about being with an older man. He was never in a hurry.
Eventually, he reached for her glass, downed the contents, then set it aside. When she couldn’t stand the suspense another second, he drew her to him.
He kissed her fiercely, and she kissed him back. His tongue was in her mouth, his hands in her hair. Gradually, he laid her down on the blanket, and he came over her. He was very large, and when he pressed her down, her initial reaction was to shove him off, but she forced herself to refrain.
It was all happening so rapidly that she felt dizzy and couldn’t get her bearings. She could have asked him to slow down, but she’d be silly to vacillate.
She craved what he was offering. Didn’t she?
“We didn’t sufficiently enjoy ourselves in Cairo,” he said.
“There wasn’t nearly enough time.”
“Will your mother sleep ’til dawn?”
“I’m betting she will.”
“Then we can dally all night.”
“I’m game if you are,” she breezily retorted, anxious to appear worldly and sophisticated.
She knew what transpired between men and women. Not with one-hundred-percent certainty, but she had the general idea. She’d spent years in the dormitory at school, and there had been vivid stories from the other girls. And she and Neville had actually misbehaved in several shocking ways.
Yet they’d never proceeded to the end, and she didn’t quite grasp the details. It would be very physical, it would hurt, and she probably wouldn’t like it, but it was what a man relished above all other conduct.
By all accounts, she had to grit her teeth and bear up while he had his fun, which was exactly what she planned to do.
She hadn’t learned any pertinent information about him, and she wasn’t a fool. She should have a ring on her finger and a vow to bind them, and she was positive they would arrive shortly. She wanted him good and truly ensnared by passion, so there was no point in spurning his advances. It they went too far he couldn’t refuse to wed her.
He seemed genuinely smitten and perhaps even in love with her already, so a proposal had to be just around the corner. Her entire future was unfolding just as she’d always envisioned.
He started kissing her again, and he was massaging her breasts, stroking them over and over in a manner that felt incredibly nice. He was playing with the bodice of her dress, steadily lowering the fabric so her bosom was exposed to the cool air.
Her partial nudity was depraved and scandalous, and she hadn’t imagined adults would act so raucously right out in the open. But what had she expected? He was so urbane, and this was precisely the sort of decadence he would demand and require from a partner. And how could it matter really? There was no one to see them.
He dipped down and sucked a nipple into his mouth. Neville had done this to her, and she’d enjoyed it. She’d enjoy it with Preston too, so long as he didn’t raise her skirt or poke around in her private parts.
“You’re very beautiful, Susan.”
“What a precious compliment.”
“I’m so lucky to be with you like this. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am.”
“I have no idea what that means. Are we talking about tonight or tomorrow or a few weeks from now? This can’t be a mere fling. We can’t simply flirt and dabble.”
“My dear, of course we won’t. It has to be much more than that.”
She was excessively cheered by his response, and he had to be thinking what she was thinking. They were so compatible, so much alike. Their life together seemed destined.
Before she could push the conversation any further, a shadow fell over them. She scowled and glanced up to find a native man looming over them. His robes were stained, and he was dirty and unwashed. He had a large knife, and it was aimed directly at Preston.
She shrieked and wiggled away. Preston leapt away too, coming up to his knees.
“What do you want?” he asked the man.
The man replied in Arabic, which neither of them understood.
“Is it our food?” Preston gestured to their picnic. “The liquor? What?”
Waving to the satchel, the man indicated Preston should pack their supplies in it. Preston started to comply, as Susan hastily arranged her dress, but the brigand’s prurient gaze was fixed on her breasts. Gad, how long had he been spying on them? How much had he seen?
He jiggled the knife at Susan in a menacing way, and Preston murmured, “I believe he intends to take you with him.”
Susan’s bladder nearly let go. “You can’t allow him to, Preston. Please.”
“No, I won’t.”
The man barked an order at Susan, and she clumsily climbed to her feet. Preston rose too, and he was clutching the liquor bottle and hadn’t put it in the bag. He swung it very hard and hit the man in the face. He dropped like a stone, the bottle shattering with the contact.
Susan screamed, but Preston clapped a palm over her mouth.
“You little fool!” he hissed. “Do you want the whole desert to hear? What if he has chums lurking in the shadows? Will you bring them down on us? Or perhaps you’d like your mother to come running.”
Her eyes wide with terror, she shook her head to signify she wouldn’t make a peep. He eased away, and they glared down at the man, but he hadn’t stirred.
“Is he dead?” she whispered with a sort of horrified fascination. “Did you kill him?”
“I don’t bloody care. Let’s get out of here.”
He shoved her off the ledge and down to the sand, and he jumped down too. He grabbed her wrist, dragging her along as they raced toward the river, and she was grateful for his tight grip. If he’d released her, she’d have collapsed in a stunned heap.
She peeked down to their joined hands, and she blanched as she saw smudges on her skin.
“Are you injured?” she asked. “Are you bleeding?”
“I cut myself when that damned bottle broke.”
“Shall we stop? Should I look at it?”
“Bugger my hand. Keep moving. I don’t wish to meet any of his companions.”
Soon, they approached the water, and they slackened their pace, then staggered to a halt. They peered back, and they weren’t being followed.
They dawdled, their respiration slowing, their pulses reverting to a normal rhythm. She was on the verge of tears, but she didn’t dare act like a child around him.
“For a moment there,” she said, “I thought we were about to be murdered.”
“Be quiet!” he fiercely commanded. “You know how sounds carry in the desert.”
She nodded that she understood.
“We’ll wait a minute or two,” he fumed, “then you’ll sneak onto your boat. I’ll watch to be certain you arrive safely.”
“Shouldn’t we…ah…tell someone what happened?”
“Tell them what? That we were frolicking out in the dark, and we were attacked by a
savage? I don’t think so, Susan. Gather your wits, would you?”
“What if he’s dead?”
“What if he is? Shall we confess to the crime? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Why would we be in trouble? He deserved it.”
“He definitely did, but we are in a foreign country where the law is bizarrely applied. Who can predict what might occur? Now please, cease your hysterics and go to your boat!”
His tone was arrogant and snotty, as if it was her father ordering her about, and she muttered, “All right, all right.”
“And not a word about this to anyone.”
“But…”
“Not a word!”
She wanted to tarry, wanted to argue, wanted to discuss how frightened she’d been. She’d planned a romantic tryst, with a handsome older man who was about to settle her future. Instead, they’d been assaulted and had barely escaped with their lives.
He was glowering as if she was an annoying child, but it wasn’t her fault they’d been accosted. The tears that had threatened surged to her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She didn’t bother brushing them away. She spun and tiptoed off without a goodbye.
Theo was sitting on the sand, braced against a palm tree so she could stare out at the river. It was very late, and the moon cast the surroundings in shimmery shades of silver.
She should have been in her bed in her small cabin, but it was so hot and stuffy that she’d tossed and turned for hours and had finally given up and come outside.
Suddenly, from directly behind her, a man whispered in her ear.
“Boo!” She jumped a foot as he hastily said, “It’s just me. Don’t be afraid.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see Soloman Grey on his knees and grinning as if he’d played the best trick in the world.
“You rat!” She whispered too. “You scared the life out of me.”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t, but figured I would.”
“My pulse might never slow to a normal speed.”
He crawled nearer to sit against the trunk of the tree too. Then he lifted her and pulled her over so she was seated between his thighs, her back pressed to his front. The intimate position was exotic and exhilarating.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“It was too hot to sleep. How about you?”
“I was checking on things, making sure all is well.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” He nibbled her shoulder, and she squirmed and smiled. “You shouldn’t be off the boat alone. In fact, we probably should have anchored out in the middle of the river so no brigands can sneak up on us.”
“I feel like we’re camped at the end of the Earth. What could possibly occur?”
“You’d be surprised. The rules are different here. The people too, and the land is so empty and vast. Any misfortune could strike, and you’d vanish before anyone realized you were missing and that they ought to search.”
At the warning, she shivered and frowned at the shadows that suddenly seemed much more menacing.
“You certainly know how to ruin a perfect moment of solitude.”
“I merely want you to be more cautious. I won’t always be around to rescue you.”
“I’ve lumped along for twenty-three years without your help.”
“You were in boring old England all that time. Your condition is a bit more dicey now, and as I’ve quickly discovered, you have a knack for getting yourself into jams.”
“Jams creep up on me. I don’t instigate them.”
“You’re blameless?”
“Yes.”
He huffed out a breath that indicated his disagreement, and they were quiet for a pleasant interlude, watching the moon on the water.
“Are you glad you came to Egypt?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m not glad about the scandal that initiated it, and I didn’t believe I should have had to leave London. But now that I’ve arrived, I’m thunderstruck.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Indescribable.”
“And you’re not even out to Cedric’s pyramid yet. After you’ve spent a few hours exploring, you’ll never be the same.”
“How about you?” she inquired. “Are you glad you’re in Egypt?”
“Most of the time.”
“If you had the chance to return to England, would you?”
“No.”
“Too many bad memories there?”
“Definitely.”
“Edna told me your father was an earl.”
“He was.”
“Did you like him?”
“What a strange question. Of course I liked him. He was wonderful in too many ways to count.”
“The trouble with your brother must have been awful. After what transpired, have you ever felt as if you failed your father?”
There was the longest pause in history, where she truly assumed he’d expound on the terrible incident, but he said, “I don’t care to discuss it, Theo.”
“What do you think happened to your brother?”
“I have no idea. One day, he was napping in the nursery, and then he wasn’t. He vanished without a trace.”
“Might he still be alive?”
“I have no idea about that either.”
“How old would he be now?”
“Nine? Ten? I try not to dwell on it.”
“Let’s pretend he’s hale and happy. Let’s pretend he was found by a doting couple who raised him in a lovely home and spoiled him rotten.” He snorted at that, and she murmured, “Your relatives have all passed on.”
“Not all of them. My cousin, Benjamin, is around to plague me.”
“You’ve exiled yourself from all that’s familiar. Is it hard to be so alone? Are you ever lonely?”
“Lonely! Gad, you pop up with the most peculiar comments.”
“You seem like the most solitary person in the world to me.”
“I’m fine, Theo. Could you let it go?”
She shifted so she could look at him, and he leaned nearer and pressed his forehead to hers.
“I’m fine,” he insisted again. “Really.”
“You don’t appear fine to me.”
“You don’t even know me. I can’t imagine why you’d have an opinion.”
“We’re scarcely acquainted, but I feel as if I know you. I feel as if I’m entitled to an opinion.”
“You’re just nosy and bossy.”
“Perhaps.”
He chuckled and pulled her even nearer so he could kiss her. She leapt into the embrace, being delighted that he’d proceeded.
As their lips parted, he snuggled her to his chest, her ear over his heart where she could hear its steady beating.
“It’s so hot tonight,” he said. “It never cooled down after the sun set.”
“I’ve decided I probably won’t be comfortable again until I’m back in England.”
“Shall we go swimming?”
“Swimming?”
“We could strip off our clothes and dip in for a few minutes. We’d have to be quiet though.”
She sat up so they were nose to nose. “Strip off our clothes?”
He grinned. “Yes.”
“We’d be naked.”
“We certainly would be.”
She scowled. “Adults behave that way? They strip naked and swim together?”
“More often than you’d suppose. Am I corrupting you by mentioning it?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean we can’t swim?”
“Yes, that’s what it means. Besides, I don’t know how.”
“You’re on a boat trip down the Nile. What if it sank?”
“I’m not planning on it sinking. I’m too much of an optimist.”
“Why can’t you swim? Didn’t you have a pond at your estate? I thought every rural estate had a pond.”
“We did. We do,” she said, “but I almost drowned in it once when I was a girl. A neighbor dragged me out, then
my father gave me a whipping for being such a nuisance.”
“Your father whipped you because you almost drowned?”
“Yes. He claimed I never pay attention, and he was desperate to ensure I focused more from that point on.”
“Considering your penchant for mishaps, he might be on to something, but to whip you! Under the circumstances, that seems a tad harsh.”
“Not for my father. He’s not the kindest fellow, and he never wanted a daughter. He was confused about how to handle me.”
“Have you any siblings?”
“No. The poor man had a daughter and no other children.”
“And with you being that child, it had to be quite a burden.”
“I was a horrendous burden.” She paused, then corrected herself. “Well, not really, but he always thought so.”
“I hope I don’t ever meet him. I doubt I’d like him.”
“I doubt you would either. He cured me of my interest in water though. I never jumped in the pond again.”
“So if I see you fall overboard, I need to dive in after you?”
“Yes. Promise you won’t let me drown.”
“It would serve you right for being such a menace.”
“’I’m not a menace!” she insisted.
“Being a menace, Theo, is in the eye of the beholder. Or the rescuer—as the case may be.”
He kissed her again, more deeply and with greater urgency. He turned her so she was on her stomach and stretched out between his legs. Their chests and bellies were pressed together, their loins too. He actually reached down and grabbed her buttocks to pull her even closer.
They kept on for an eternity, until his crafty hands began to roam over her torso. The sensation he generated was so riveting that she had to bite down a gasp. Eventually, when the pleasure became too much to bear, when she felt as if she might explode with joy, she drew away and nestled herself to him.
“I like kissing you,” he said.
She chuckled. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I am surprised.”
“You kiss women all the time. I watched you with Mrs. Valda, remember? Since I know you’re a cad, and I’ve seen you in action, I can’t believe I’ve permitted you to behave the same way with me. Obviously, I have no pride.”
“When I’m with a female like Cassandra, I like to do things besides kissing.”