by Romancing the Crown Series (13-in-1 bundle) (v1. 0) (lit)
Higher, higher, he took her until she felt as if she had left the earth and was floating in the night air, the magic carpet of her culture's mythology becoming real as she was carried aloft.
How could anything feel more wonderful than this?
Amazingly it was possible, she discovered as Gage eased himself over her. He came to her gently, so gently that she wanted to beg him to be strong, to assure him she was strong, too. He made her strong, even as he weakened her with passion. The heat, the momentary pain that made her gasp with shock was nothing compared to what waited beyond the pain.
She could hardly believe one could experience such pleasure and live.
She wasn't at all sure she had lived until Gage's mouth on hers told her so. His heart pounded in time with hers, and his hand felt damp as he stroked her hair, holding her through the tremors rocking her.
Holding her, stroking her hair away from her forehead, Gage could hardly believe what had just happened. Because of who she was, he had known she wouldn't have much experience and had driven himself nearly insane trying to pace himself to her needs. But he had never expected to be her first. The privilege both humbled and exalted him beyond belief. Just as she was, she was a man's dream, but this.. .He felt his eyes swim with the wonder of it.
The lantern light danced over her body, making him want to touch her again, take her to heights beyond her wildest dreams. Too soon, he cautioned himself. Give her time to recover.
But this time she was the one exploring with hands and mouth, pulling his head down to her and molding herself against him until his restraint became ragged and his breathing shallow.
"Not yet, you need time," he murmured, pulling away from her mouth.
She shook her head, her hair making a soft halo around her face. "There is no time, not for us. This night may be all we have."
A pang gripped him. She was right. They may never have more than this precious moment in the moonlight. He wanted more, and was astonished at the intensity of his desire. Afraid it might make him savage when she deserved better, he forced himself to be careful, although he wanted to plunge into her sweet depths and carry her to heights undreamed of in her imagination.
In the end the carrying was mutual. Ancient instincts guided her to touch him and move with him until he was no longer sure who was teaching whom, the experience melding into a feast of pleasurable sensation until they were both utterly spent.
The candles had sputtered low by the time he brought her back to earth, or she brought him. Or both. He only knew breathing had never been such an effort, and his heart felt as if it would beat right out of his chest. But she looked happy. Satisfied, like a cat curled into itself after a surfeit of cream.
He had given her that.
She had given him so much more. He had never known it could feel like this, be like this. How could he leave her, now that he knew what they could be to one another?
He dropped butterfly kisses on her brow. Her eyes fluttered open and her lips curved into a smile. "Wonderful," she said dreamily.
He kissed her open mouth, tasting her. "You're wonderful, my princess."
She smiled teasingly. "More wonderful than any woman you've ever known?"
He affected an innocent look. "There has been no other woman like you." True enough. None like her.
She touched a finger to his lips. "I believe you."
He closed his lips around it, drawing the finger into his mouth, taking delight in her gasp of response. When she pulled away, he said, "You surprised me tonight."
"In what way?"
"I thought Tamiri princesses led sheltered lives."
"We do."
"Then who do I thank for your education?"
She smiled, taking his meaning, and touched the back of her hand to his cheek. "You."
"Not—" what was the name of her first love? "—not Gordon?"
"You should know better by now."
He did. Whatever had passed between her and the other man, they had never really made love. Gage decided not to take too much satisfaction in his own part in her awakening. Pride was a sin even in his culture. Better to humbly appreciate the gift she had given him.
Trouble was, he didn't feel humble. He felt like a giant killer, and he knew she was the reason. "You're bad for me," he murmured.
Her dark brows came together in an expression of concern. "Was I such a disappointment?"
"The very opposite. I've never known a woman like you. You make me feel more of a man than is good for me."
She sat up, shaping herself to the curve of his arm. "I'm not sure I understand the problem."
"The problem is, I have to leave tomorrow. Today," he amended, noticing for the first time the faint fingers of dawn creeping across the sky. "How can I leave you now?"
"If it is in our stars to be together, we will be together. For now, we will both do what we must."
"And that makes you happy?"
She shook her head, resting it against his shoulder so that her silken hair brushed his chest. Her face was hidden from him, but he heard the thickening in her voice. "What would make me happy would be to go with you, but we both know I cannot."
"When will I see you again?"
"At the palace, when you become again Gage Weston, diplomatic attaché."
"By then you'll be Her Royal Highness, Princess Nadia." The untouchable princess. How could he stand it?
"We can't change who we are, Gage."
He could and did. He wondered what she would think if he revealed his true identity.... But too many other lives were involved. He couldn't put them at risk to satisfy his own desires. "You could run away with me." Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't an option.
She knew it, too. "I would be turning my back on my family and my country, never welcome here again."
"That's why I would never ask it of you. But I can dream, can't I?"
"As can I," she said. "You gave me a wonderful dream tonight, Gage. Let's not tarnish it with regret for what we can't have."
He tightened his hold on her and rained kisses on her upturned face. "Whatever I may feel about tonight," he assured her, "it will never be regret."
* * *
That came later, as he was stowing the last of his belongings in his suitcase. He picked up the crumpled shirt that had spent the better part of last night on the floor of the pavilion. Unable to stop himself, he lifted it to his face, smelling her jasmine perfume in the folds. His heartbeat quickened and he let the shirt drop, closing the suitcase and wishing he could do the same with the memories.
He hoped Nadia had been able to return to her suite safely. Having more experience of getting in and out of places undetected, he'd had no trouble climbing the balcony and letting himself into the room. As far as the guard outside his door was aware, Gage had never left.
Nadia had told him that she had slipped away by pretending to go to the kitchen for a cool drink. Her sleepy servants hadn't protested when she assured them she could manage. The rest had been easy. But if any of them, that nosy Nargis, for instance, had monitored how long she was away, she might have some explaining to do.
Nadia was a strong independent woman, Gage reminded himself. Strong enough to be suspicious of Butrus Dabir. As his parting gift to her, Gage had asked her not to share her suspicions with anyone else. She hadn't understood at first, and he'd had to remind her that Dabir was the most likely suspect behind the sabotage of the car.
"Why would he do that?" she had asked.
"Someone may have reported our first kiss."
"He would kill you for that?" Nadia's tone had revealed that she knew as well as Gage did that Dabir was capable of such an action. If he suspected that Gage had made love to Nadia, who knew what would happen.
The thought that he had put her in danger to satisfy his own needs made Gage furious with himself. No matter how extreme the temptation, he should have kept her at arm's length for her sake and his, until he had sorted out this whole mess. Once Dabir was safe
ly behind bars, then maybe Gage could justify getting involved with Nadia.
It was too late now. He was already involved with her. He not only had to find enough evidence to convict Dabir, he had to protect Nadia, as well. He fought the impulse to barge into her suite and take her away to safety right now. That was one sure way to get both of them killed.
As long as Dabir thought she knew nothing, she was safe. Gage had to hang on to that and start working with his head, instead of his heart. Not easy when he kept thinking of her in his arms, remembering the heaven they'd shared.
A sudden flash of the bruises marring her perfect body had his hands clenching into fists. Dabir would pay for every one of them, Gage promised himself. Not today, but as soon as Gage could arrange it.
Chapter 14
Three days later Gage was still no closer to bringing Dabir to account. He'd learned little more from Dani about his host's American visitors and established no definite links to the Brothers of Darkness.
He looked at a message lying on the desk he ostensibly occupied at the British Embassy. He had underlined the three words: "Brake lines cut." The note was signed Hamad, the name of the foreman of the road-construction gang.
No news there, Gage thought, feeling his mouth twist into a grim smile. Hamad hadn't found any clues as to who the perpetrator was, but then Gage would have been surprised if he had. Dabir was proving annoyingly efficient at covering his tracks.
Arranging to retrieve the car and smoothing things over with the rental agency had taken time Gage would have preferred to use to further his mission. When he reported back to King Marcus, the king had sounded frustrated at the lack of progress. That made two of them, Gage thought. As much as Marcus wanted the traitor in the Kamal household caught, Gage wanted Conrad's killer more. Neither of them looked as if they'd get satisfaction anytime soon.
He looked up as his godfather, Sir Brian Theodore, walked into the office. At sixty the British ambassador was an imposing figure, still strikingly good-looking, with a lion's mane of black hair, silvering at the temples.
From Gage's desk the ambassador picked up a bullet between thumb and forefinger, and examined it before returning it to Gage's desk. "Still contributing to international relations, I see," he said in his clipped British accent.
Gage fitted the magazine back into the gun he'd just finished cleaning and grinned. "In my own way, Sir Brian. It's good of you to let me use the embassy as my cover."
"Your father would never forgive me if I hadn't." The ambassador's ties to Gage's family went back to before Gage was born. His wife, Lillian, was from Penwyck, and was a cousin of Gage's father. The ambassador frowned. "I don't know what Sheik Ahmed will make of King Marcus hiring you to investigate his family."
"He won't know until it's over. Then I imagine he'll thank King Marcus for uncovering the viper in his nest."
Sir Brian nodded. "You're probably right, provided you can find enough evidence to convict this viper."
Gage had already shared his suspicions with his godfather, who had turned out to be no fan of Dabir's. Sir Brian's greatest concern was that the attorney would gain sufficient power to take over control of Tamir, ruining what Sir Brian called "a perfectly good country" in the process.
Sir Brian saw Gage's gaze flicker to the royal palace framed in the view from the embassy window. "You're not getting personally involved in this case, are you?"
Gage pulled his gaze back with an effort, aware of a strong reluctance to do so. Nadia was home now, behind one of those carefully screened windows. He hadn't been able to see her again before leaving Zabara, and he felt as if some crucial part of himself was missing. "What makes you ask?"
"Lillian noticed it at dinner yesterday, actually. You know how women pick up on these things. She thinks you're becoming attracted to Nadia Kamal."
Not by a flicker did Gage let his expression betray him. "Lillian is a romantic."
"Then she's wrong about you and the princess?"
Gage saw no point in dissembling. Along with his father, his godfather was one of the few people in the world with whom he could be honest about who he was and what he did. "She isn't wrong," he said heavily.
Sir Brian sat down opposite Gage and steepled his hands on the desk. "Have you considered that Nadia could be in league with Dabir?"
"I've considered it. She isn't."
Sir Brian's eyebrows lifted. "You have evidence?"
"I don't need evidence. I know Nadia."
"I won't ask how well. Just be careful. Dabir won't give her up easily." The ambassador picked up the note from Hamad and frowned. "You already know how far he's prepared to go to secure his future within the royal family."
Gage still had the bruises to prove it, as his godfather was well aware. He and Lillian had been horrified when they heard about Gage's near miss. "I know," he said shortly. "I won't take any unnecessary chances."
The ambassador stood up. "It's the necessary ones Lillian and I worry about."
"Thanks, but there's no need. I know my job."
"Does King Marcus know how fortunate he is to have you on his side?"
Gage holstered the gun, easing his specially tailored jacket over the top. "I'm only on his side to catch whoever killed Conrad. Then it's up to Marcus and the sheik to sort out their own politics."
Sir Brian's mouth softened. "A lot of people would believe you, but not me. You'll do whatever you can to help secure a lasting peace in this part of the world. Even as a boy, you took it upon yourself to broker agreements between your friends, occasionally cracking heads if that's what the
"Are you telling me I haven't changed much?"
"These days you broker more agreements and crack a few less heads. It's called growing up."
Gage grinned. "Or an increasing sense of self-preservation."
Sir Brian sobered. "Quite possibly. Just don't let your personal feelings get in the way of this mission."
"About Conrad?'
"About everything."
His godfather meant Nadia, Gage knew. It was good advice. All Gage had to do was remember to take it.
* * *
In her apartment at the royal palace, Nadia curled her feet under her on the divan, watching Samira try on the dress she'd bought for her at the Black Rock Souk. She had felt strange not buying anything for their younger sister, Leila, but then, she had married a Texas oilman, Cade Gallagher, and gone to live in America. It was impractical to exchange small gifts on impulse, the way they had done when Leila lived at the palace. From her sister's letters and phone calls, Nadia knew that Cade would give Leila the moon if he could. What would it be like to be the focus of one man's desires?
She wasn't fooling herself that Gage Weston felt like that toward her. To him, she was forbidden fruit. Now that he had made love to her, he probably wouldn't want to see her again, even if it was possible. It wasn't, of course. Nadia's father would never permit a man like Gage to court his daughter. The sheik would be horrified if he knew what they had already done.
For herself, Nadia had no regrets. Twinges of conscience, yes, but no regrets. The hours she had spent with Gage remained in her mind like a glimpse of paradise. If she never knew such sublime pleasure again in her lifetime, at least she had known it once, and that was more than many women experienced.
Or so she tried to make herself believe. Only, the ache inside her told her that she would give a great deal to know such ecstasy again. To see Gage again. She found her gaze straying to the window, to where she could see the British Embassy in the distance. Was he there now? Was he thinking of her?
Chiding herself for behaving like a lovestruck adolescent when she knew there was no future in it, she forced her thoughts back to reality. "I knew that dress would be perfect for you the moment I saw it," she told Samira, pleased with the way the color emphasized the sparkle in her younger sister's eyes.
Samira twirled in front of the mirror. "I suppose it's too much to hope you bought something gorgeous for yourself."
Samira bounced to her side. "Where is it? What color is it?"
"It's a glorious shade of coral pink."
"Long or short? Formal or casual? Let me see."
Nadia laughed. "I can't because it hasn't been delivered yet. It's a piece of marble I plan to sculpt into a bust of our dear father."
Samira's face fell. "I might have known. Honestly, Nadia, you'll be the only bride in the kingdom to be married with marble dust in your hair."
"Nargis said much the same thing. She thoroughly disapproved of my buying marble, instead of gowns and jewels."
"You did buy some jewelry, though," Samira said. She gestured to where a jewel case sat on Nadia's dresser. "That's new since you came home. Aren't you going to show me what caught your eye?"
Trust Samira to spot the case. "It was a mistake. I mean to send it back."
Samira's keen glance caught the flush of color Nadia was unable to hide. "It was a gift, wasn't it. From Butrus? Surely not from another man." She swirled around the room, chanting, "Nadia has a secret admirer."
"Stop it. I don't have any such thing."
"A lover, then. You do have a lover. I can see it in your eyes."
"You're fishing, and I'm not going to tell you anything if you keep needling me."
Samira picked up the jewel case from atop the dresser. Nadia had left it there, intending to return it to Gage. She should have done it by now. Why hadn't she?
Before Nadia could say anything to dissuade her, her sister opened the box. "It's magnificent," Samira said on a sharply indrawn breath. She lifted the tiger necklace from its velvet nest and held it up to the light. "Whoever your admirer is, he must care for you very much to give you such a stunning necklace."
"He saw me try it on in a shop in the souk. He thought he was doing me a favor by buying it for me, not knowing how shocked Father would be." Not to mention Butrus, Nadia thought uncomfortably. She was sure her fiancé had tried to kill Gage because he knew Gage had kissed her. What might happen if he knew about the necklace or the hours Nadia had spent in Gage's arms beside the swan lake didn't bear thinking about.