The Sheik's Virgin

by Susan Mallery

  He kissed her gently, yet with a hint of fire that left her breathless. Somehow she found the courage to kiss him back. Tiny electric tingles raced up and down her arms and legs, making her shiver. Mazin moved closer, until they were practically touching. He swept his thumbs across her cheeks, which made her want to part her lips. When she did, she felt the light brush of his tongue against hers.

  The contact was as delightful as it was unexpected. The tingles in her arms and legs turned into ripples and she found it difficult to stand. She had to hold on to him, so she rested her hands lightly on his shoulders. They were kissing. Really kissing.

  He stroked her lightly, circling her, exciting her. After a minute or so, she found the courage to do the same to him. Every aspect of the experience was amazing.

  Of course, she’d read about this in books and seen passionate kissing in the movies, but she’d never experienced it herself. It was glorious. No wonder teenagers were willing to do it for hours. She found herself wanting to do the same.

  She liked everything about it—the way he tasted, the scent of him, the heat flaring between them. Her body felt light, as if she could float away. When he released her face and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, she knew there was nowhere else on earth she wanted to be.

  Their bodies touched. From shoulder to knee, they pressed together. She’d never been so close to a man, and was stunned to find every part of him was muscled and hard. She felt positively delicate by comparison.

  At last he drew back and rested his forehead against hers.

  “That was a surprise,” he said, his voice low and husky.

  “Did I do it wrong?” she asked before she could stop herself.

  He laughed. “No, my dove. You kissed exactly right. Perhaps too right.”

  Their breath mingled. Phoebe felt all squishy inside. She wanted to stay close to him forever, kissing until the world ended.

  Instead of reading her mind, Mazin straightened, then glanced at his watch.

  “Unfortunately, duty calls,” he said, then put his arm around her. “Come. I will see you back to your hotel.”

  She wanted to protest, but he’d already given her so much. In a single day she’d experienced more than she could ever have imagined.

  “You’ve been very kind,” she said, savoring the weight of his arm around her waist. He waited while she picked up her purse and shoes, then drew her close again.

  “The pleasure was mine.”

  Oh, please let him want to see me again.

  They walked to the car in silence. Once there, Mazin held open the passenger door.

  Phoebe told herself not to be disappointed. One day was enough. She could survive on these memories for a long time. But before she slid into the car, he caught her hand and brought it to his lips.

  “Tomorrow?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Yes,” she breathed in relief. “Tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Phoebe stepped carefully along the stone path through the center of the botanical garden. A light rain had fallen early that morning, leaving all the plants clean and sweet smelling. Overhead tall trees blocked out most of the heat from the midday sun. It was a pretty darned perfect moment.

  “There are legends about ancient pirates coming to the island,” Mazin was saying. “Archaeologists haven’t found any evidence of raiders on the island, but the stories persist.” He smiled. “Children are warned that if they don’t behave, they’ll be taken from their beds in the middle of the night.”

  Phoebe laughed. “That should scare them into doing what they’re supposed to.”

  “I’m not sure they actually believe in the ancient pirates.”

  “Did you?”

  He hesitated, then grinned. “Perhaps when I was very small.”

  She tried to imagine him as a little boy and could not. She glanced at his strong profile, wondering if his features had ever looked childish and soft. Her gaze lingered on his mouth. Had he really kissed her yesterday? It seemed more like a dream than something that had actually happened.

  The hem of her dress brushed against a bush growing out onto the path. Drops of water trickled onto her bare leg. She tugged on her short-sleeved jacket and knew that, dream or not, she had been foolish to put on a dress that morning. Slacks would have been more sensible.

  Only, she hadn’t been feeling very sensible. She’d wanted to look special for Mazin—pretty. As she didn’t wear makeup or know how to do anything fancy with her hair, a dress had been her only option. Now that she was with him, she hoped he didn’t realize she’d gone to any effort. Yesterday he had said kind things about her appearance, but she wasn’t sure she believed the compliments. Of course she’d had plenty of time to relive them last night, when she’d barely slept at all.

  “Are there other stories about the island?” she asked.

  “Several. Legend has it that when there is a lunar eclipse visible from Lucia-Serrat, there is magic in the air. Mysterious creatures are said to appear, and animals can talk.”

  “Really?”

  He shrugged. “I have no personal experience with talking animals.”

  A branch stretched across part of the path. Mazin took her arm and led her around the obstruction.

  His fingers were warm against her bare skin. Sometime before dawn it had crossed her mind that he might be trying to seduce her. As she had no experience with the process, she couldn’t be sure. If he was, should she mind? Phoebe couldn’t decide.

  Her plan had always been to go to college and become a nurse. She knew little of love and less of marriage. For years she’d had the feeling both were going to pass her by—hence her education-career plan. She wanted to be prepared to take care of herself.

  But an affair was not marriage. She was on the island for only a few weeks. If Mazin offered to teach her the mysteries between a man and a woman, why on earth would she say no?

  They turned left at the next opportunity. Tall bamboo shared space with different kinds of bananas. Some were small, some large. Many were unfamiliar.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said as they paused next to a cluster of red bananas.

  “Florida is tropical,” he reminded her.

  “I know, but where I live it’s more suburban. There are some exotic plants, but nothing like this.”

  “You moved there when you were young, I believe?”

  She hesitated. “Yes.”

  “You do not have to speak of your past if you do not wish to.”

  “I appreciate that. I don’t have anything to hide.” They began walking again. Phoebe folded her arms over her chest. She didn’t mind talking about her life—she just didn’t want him to think she was some backwater hick.

  “I was born in Colorado. I never knew my father, and my mother didn’t speak of him. Her parents died before I was born. She did…” Phoebe hesitated, her gaze firmly fixed on the ground. “She didn’t like people very much. We lived in a small cabin in the middle of the woods. There weren’t any other people around and we never had contact with the outside world. There was no electricity or indoor plumbing. We got all of our water from a well.”

  She cast a quick glance at Mazin. He seemed interested. “I did not know there were parts of your country without such amenities.”

  “There are some. My mother taught me to read, but didn’t discuss much of the outside world with me. We were happy, I guess. I know she cared about me, but I was often lonely. One day when I was eight, we were out collecting berries. There was a lot of water from the spring snow runoff higher in the mountain. She slipped on some wet leaves, fell and hit her head. I found out later that she died instantly, but at the time I didn’t know why she wouldn’t wake up. After a few hours, I knew I had to go get help, even though she had always forbidden me to have anything to do with other people. There was a town about ten miles away. I’d stumbled across it a couple of times when I’d been out exploring.”

  Mazin stopped walking and gr
abbed her by her upper arms. “You had never been into the town before?”

  She shook her head.

  “You must have been terrified.”

  “I was more scared that there was something wrong with my mother, or that she was going to be mad when she woke up.” She sighed, remembering how she’d been trying so hard not to cry as she explained what had happened to several strangers before one of them finally took her to the sheriff’s office.

  “They went and got her,” she said. Mazin released her arms and she started walking. It seemed easier to keep moving as she talked. “Then they told me she was dead. I didn’t know what it meant for a long time.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “Into a temporary foster home until they could locate a relative. It took about six months, because I didn’t know anything about my family. They had to go through all of her personal effects to get leads. In the meantime I had to adjust to a life that everyone else took for granted. It was hard.”

  Those three words couldn’t possibly explain what it had been like, Phoebe thought. She still remembered her shock the first time she’d seen an indoor bathroom. The toilet had stunned her, while the idea of hot running water on demand had been a taste of heaven.

  “I started school, of course,” she said.

  “You must have had difficulties.”

  “Just a couple. I knew how to read, but I’d had no education. Math was a mystery to me. I knew my numbers, but nothing else. Plus I’d missed all the socialization that most children undergo. I didn’t know how to make friends, and I’d never seen a television, let alone a movie.”

  “Your mother had no right to do that to you.”

  She glanced at him, surprised by the fierceness in his voice. “She did what she thought was best. Sometimes I think I understand, other times I’m angry.”

  They stepped into the sun and Phoebe was grateful for the warmth.

  They walked in silence for several minutes. There were things about her past that she’d never admitted to anyone, not even Ayanna. Her aunt had been so kind and supportive from the first that she hadn’t wanted to trouble her.

  “I didn’t make friends easily,” Phoebe whispered. “I didn’t know how. The other children knew I was different and they stayed away from me. I was grateful when they found my aunt, not only to have a home, but to get away from the loneliness.”

  Mazin led her to a bench on the side of the path. She settled in a corner, her hands clasped tightly together, the memories growing larger in her mind.

  “Ayanna drove out to get me. Later she told me it was because she thought the car trip would give us time to get to know each other.” She smiled sadly. “Her plan worked. By the time we reached Florida, I was comfortable with her. And I did a little better making friends. I’d learned from previous mistakes. Unfortunately, I had more trouble in school. For a while the teachers were convinced I was retarded. I couldn’t even score well on the IQ tests because I didn’t have the frame of reference to answer the questions.”

  “Yet you were successful.”

  She nodded. “It took a long time. Ayanna took me to the library every week and helped me pick out different books so that I could learn about things. It’s the little things, like knowing that the word pipe has two meanings.”

  She suddenly realized how long she’d been talking, and groaned. “I’m sorry. I don’t even remember what you asked me. I know you couldn’t have wanted this long answer.”

  “I’m happy to hear about your past,” Mazin told her, lightly touching the back of her hand. “I am impressed by your ability to overcome a disadvantage.”

  She supposed his answer should have pleased her, but it didn’t. She wanted him to see her as someone he could find exciting, not as an example of a job well done. She wanted him to take her in his arms again and kiss her thoroughly.

  With a fierceness that both shocked and frightened her, she found herself wishing that he did want to seduce her.

  But instead of kissing her or even holding her close, he rose.

  Reluctantly she got to her feet.

  They continued to walk through the garden. Mazin was a most attentive host, pointing out plants of interest, inquiring about her state of well-being in the hot morning. As the sun rose in the sky, her spirits plummeted. She shouldn’t have told him about her strange upbringing. She shouldn’t have spilled her secrets. How could he think of her as anything but odd?

  “You have grown silent,” Mazin said when he realized Phoebe had stopped talking.

  She shrugged.

  He took in the slump of her shoulders and the way her fingers endlessly pleated her skirt. “Why are you sad?”

  “I’m not. I just feel…” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t want you to think I’m stupid.”

  “Why would I think that?”

  “Because of what I told you.”

  She had told him about her past. From his perspective, the information had only made her more dangerous. Yesterday she had been a pretty woman who attracted him sexually. Their kiss had shown him the possibilities, and the accompanying arousal had disturbed his sleep. Today he knew that she was more than an appealing body. He knew that she had a strong spirit and that she had succeeded against impossible odds. Why would that make him think she was stupid?

  Women were complex creatures.

  “Put it from your mind, my dove,” he told her, taking her hand in his. “I admire your ability to overcome your past. Come, I will show you our English rose garden. Some of the rosebushes are very ancient, and still annoyed to find themselves so far from home.”

  * * *

  The next morning Phoebe had almost convinced herself that Mazin meant what he said—that he admired her for her past. However, she couldn’t quite embrace the concept, mostly because he hadn’t kissed her goodbye. He’d kissed her on the first day, but not on the second. Didn’t that mean they were moving in the wrong direction?

  She stood in front of the bathroom mirror and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. As the dress hadn’t created any magic the day before, she was back in slacks and a T-shirt. Maybe now he would want to kiss her.

  She finished with her hair and dropped her hands to her side. After only two days in the company of a handsome man, her brain was spinning. It was probably for the best that there hadn’t been any kissing. Except she’d really enjoyed how she’d felt in his arms.

  “At least I’m having an adventure, Ayanna,” she said as she smoothed sunscreen on her arms. “That should make you happy.”

  She was still smiling at the thought of her aunt’s pleasure when the phone rang. Phoebe turned to look at it, her stomach clenching. There was only one person who would be calling her, and she already knew the reason.

  “Hello?”

  “Phoebe, this is Mazin. Something has come up and I will not be able to join you today.”

  She was sure he said more, that he kept talking, but she couldn’t hear anything. She sank onto the bed and closed her eyes.

  He wasn’t coming. He was bored with her. He thought she was a child, or maybe he’d been lying when he’d said he appreciated her past. It doesn’t matter, she told herself, squeezing in the pain. This trip wasn’t about him—it never had been. How could she have forgotten?

  “I appreciate you letting me know,” she said brightly, interrupting him. “I’ll let you get back to your day and I must begin mine. There is so much to see on this beautiful island. Thank you, Mazin. Goodbye.”

  Then she hung up before she did something stupid like cry.

  It took her fifteen minutes to fight back tears and another ten to figure out what she was going to do. Her aunt had specifically left her the money to visit Lucia-Serrat. Phoebe couldn’t repay her by wasting time sulking. She read Ayanna’s list and then studied the guidebook. The church of St. Mary was within walking distance. Next to that was a dog park. If the beauty of the architecture and stained glass didn’t ease the disappointment in her heart, then the antics
of the dogs would make her laugh.

  That decided, Phoebe headed out on her own. She found the church, a stunning structure with high arches and cool interiors. She admired the carvings and let the silence and peace ease her pain.

  She’d known Mazin only a little over two days, she told herself as she sat in a rear pew. He had been more than kind. It was wrong and foolish of her to expect more of him. As for the kiss and her fantasies that he might want to seduce her, well, at least she had been kissed. The next time, with the next man, she would do better. Eventually she would figure out how to be normal.

  She left the church and walked to the dog park. As she’d hoped, there were dozens of dogs playing, running and barking. She laughed over the antics of several small Dalmatian puppies and helped an older woman put her Irish setter in the back of her car.

  By the time she stopped for lunch, her spirits had risen to the point where she could chat with the waitress about the menu and not think about Mazin.

  While waiting for her entrée, she made friends with the older English couple at the next table, and they recommended she try the boat tour that went around the island. The trip took all day and offered impressive views of Lucia-Serrat. As they were all staying at the Parrot Bay Inn, they walked back together and Phoebe stopped at the concierge desk to pick up a brochure on the boat trip. Then she headed up to her room, pleasantly tired and pleased that she’d gotten through the day without thinking of Mazin more than two or three dozen times.

  Tomorrow she would do better, she promised herself. By next week, she would barely remember his name.

  But when she entered her room, the first thing she noticed was a new, larger spray of flowers. Her fingers trembled as she opened the card.

  “Something lovely for my beautiful dove. I’m sorry I could not be with you today. I will be thinking of you. Mazin.”

  Her throat tightened and her eyes burned as she read the card. She didn’t have to compare the handwriting with that on the first card she’d received—she knew they were the same. The fact that he had just been trying to be nice didn’t lessen her pain. Perhaps she was being foolish and acting like a child, but she missed him.