by Young, Mila
I cleared my throat and asked a question to divert the conversation away from me. “How’d you become a genie?”
He examined me for a few moments as if he expected my story to continue. Then he rolled onto his side. “That’s easy. A sorcerer summoned me and bound me to a lamp. That’s why I have these golden wristbands. They hold me captive to the lamp.”
My heart twisted at the darkness to his words. I didn’t blame him for being resentful. I’d be pissed, too, if someone had stripped me of my freedom.
“Are you human?” I said, using the question as an excuse to pan my gaze along his fine body. “Where do genies get their magic from?”
For the briefest instant, I caught a red flash of anger in his golden eyes, and he bristled. “I come from a tribe known as djinn.”
Kaza’s sudden shift in mood, from playful to serious, took me aback. Had I touched a nerve? Maybe I should have just stuck to the jokes.
“Under djinn law, those who serve a human are condemned as traitors to our kind and are banished from our realm.” His voice took on a hard edge.
My chest tightened with remorse for him. He was forced into slavery and didn’t agree to it. Could never return home even if I freed him. Never see his family again. Gods. I couldn’t begin to imagine the pain of it.
“That’s not fair,” I said, sliding my arm beneath him and snuggled closer, hoping to take away some of his anguish and restore his cheer.
“Careful, Master," he said, turning back to me, slipping his arms around my waist. "You might get used to this."
Yes. Yes, I could. I didn't want to leave the warmth he radiated. From the promise of fun. Having him so close had my heartbeat skyrocketing.
Before I knew what was happening, his lips were on mine, hungry and passionate. I turned toward him, pressing my body closer, unable to help myself. Not that I wanted to stop when I’d been thinking about kissing him since the first moment I saw him.
He moaned, and I broke away.
“Did I hurt you?” I asked.
“You could never hurt me.” Kaza's hands glided down my lower back.
I trembled, aching to have him closer. Kaza made me feel irresponsible, fun, and carefree. I hadn’t realized how lonely I’d been until today. Too focused on my brother and not myself. Having him beside me stripped my loneliness away. I needed this moment more than my next breath. Maybe a small reprieve from the stresses of life wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
He leaned in to kiss me again, his tongue pressing against my lips and parting them. I groaned and grabbed his arm. He held on to my hips and pulled me toward him, never breaking our kiss.
My hands ran down his hard and chiseled stomach.
Firm hands squeezed my ass, and I mewed. He nibbled at my neck, placing soft kisses there. Fire raged between my thighs.
He glanced up at me with a wicked grin as he tugged the end of my kaftan up.
I snapped a hand across my chest. “Hey.”
Kaza smirked. “Don’t be shy around me,” he said, and I let him slide it off.
I shook, unable to find my words, and my insides burned.
Carefully he slid down the strap of my bra, exposing a breast. His touch left a string of goose bumps in its wake.
“I have a surprise for you.” He lifted me into his arms and carried me across the pool.
“What are you doing?” I dug my nails into him. “I don’t know how to swim.”
The last thing I wanted was for him to throw me in thinking it was fun. The thought of drowning terrified me.
“It’s okay, my desert queen,” he said using a soothing voice. “I won’t do that. I’m just going to bathe you.”
Oh. I felt a bit silly and tucked my head. I hadn’t been bathed by a guy before. The idea excited me. I hadn’t had a wash in a week. Smelling like a fat old man’s armpit was not a turn on. I didn’t want anything getting in the way of having more fun with Kaza.
The genie winced as he set me down gently.
“You shouldn’t have carried me with you sore leg,” I said, getting lost in his gorgeous sunny eyes.
“Anything for you.” He brushed away my hair covering my chest to examine my body. I did the same to him.
Water in the pool reached my knees. It was a brilliant aqua and glimmered as if the sun shone down on it. I doubt I could drown in liquid that shallow.
“Dip in the water,” he instructed. “Then rest on that step there.”
That was easy. I did that in the river to wash myself. Holding my breath, I lowered myself to my shins. The water went up to my lower ribs. I gasped as its cold touch.
“That’s it,” said Kaza, lifting me up and walking me to the seat.
Kneeling on the step below me, he cupped water into his hands and let it dribble across my naked chest. I trembled with anticipation as his he rubbed the liquid across my breasts and shoulders. Over and over he did this, wiping me clean, wearing a wicked grin, as if he imagined what he was going to do to me. I didn’t mind at all, and repaid the favor, brushing water across his hard stomach and his chest.
When he was finished, he squeezed my breast. “The perfect size for my mouth.” He leaned closer and clasped his mouth over it, sucking deep, his tongue flicking my pebbled nipple.
I drifted on a cloud, euphoria trickling through me, diving fast to my libido. I fisted his hair. “That feels incredible.”
He licked my nipples, tickling them.
I broke into a half laugh, half moan.
“Sexy.” He devoured my other breast, his hands grasping my ass, kneading my cheeks.
My breaths quickened from his touch. Blood rushed to the fiery apex between my clenched knees. Every inch of me ached for him.
He released a nipple and glanced at me, arousal in his gaze. His hand sailed down my waist, across my stomach, and parted my legs. His thumb passed over my mound and found my inner lips, silky and ready.
He stared at me as he slid two fingers along my folds. “So wet.”
Shyness gripped me, and I was torn between wanting to look away and beg him for more. I swallowed the boulder in my throat, unable to find my words as I rocked back and forth over his fingers. Everything happened too fast. I couldn’t think straight and drowned in the excitement owning me.
“You’re so beautiful. I want nothing more than to worship you, Master.” His devilish smirk had me wetter.
A small cry fell from my throat as my body responded to him. He inserted two fingers into my sex, and I gripped his shoulders, falling apart under his spell as he pumped into me.
I screamed, my body convulsing as Kaza kept his fingers locked within me. He silenced my moans by kissing me. I needed him like I needed air. Right now, I’d let him charm all of me.
“You liked that?” he asked, pulling out of me.
“Damn…yeah.” I labored to breathe and quivered from his touch. Muscles in my pelvis contracted as warmth spilled through me.
Our mouths met again, and he lifted me with ease, my legs snaking around his hips. Golden rings blazed in his eyes as he carried me back to his sofa, laid me on it and spread me wide. He lowered himself over me. Wildfire from his skin grazed mine. The tip of his hardness pressed into my entrance, and I moaned. His excitement pushed into me, stretching me, widening me, hurting in all the best ways.
I pulled him tight against me with my legs. His fingers intertwined with mine, and he pressed my hands against the cushions. Each of his plunges brought on a fresh wave of pleasure. A groan rumbled in his throat.
I writhed beneath him, unable to get enough air. But the need to draw a deep breath became less important when he plunged into me, the sensation pushing me closer to the edge of another orgasm. His hands were on my breasts, kneading them, and I moaned.
“Kaza… Oh, gods!”
Without warning, he rolled us until he lay on his back, me on top of him. I met his strokes, the full force of his desire against my pelvic wall. One of his hands found the curve of my back, and I arched from his touch.
My movements brought out an even brighter flame in his eyes.
He gripped my hips, pushing his cock deeper into me. Our breaths merged, short and sharp. Every inch of me contracted, and my lower body shook. I was almost losing my mind at how I felt as if I floated in the heavens.
Our moans grew louder and faster as our bodies clashed in rhythm. Another orgasm rolled through me, fast and strong, washing over me like waves. I screamed, trembling against him, and then collapsed onto him as he kept going, holding me tight. He released a loud moan and stiffened as he came. We lay there, entwined, panting, Kaza stroking my hair.
Strange as it sounded, my world felt perfect…as if this was how being with a guy should always be.
An image of a golden flame flashed in my mind. The color of Kaza’s magic. I sensed his heart start, his desire surge, and the pain in his leg swell from what we’d just finished. He’d done something to me. Branded me with his magic.
“What did you do to me?” I said, panting.
“Our hearts are bound now,” he said, tracing the shape of a heart on my chest with a perfect finger.
“What does that mean?” I asked, my lungs heaving.
“I’ve let you into my heart.” He squeezed me. “You now feel what I feel, and vice versa.”
But part of me didn’t believe him. He was the joker after all. How could I let him into my heart when we only had a short time together? Once all my wishes were granted, I’d be alone again. For now, I just wanted to stay content, snuggling into his hard chest, listening to his heartbeat.
He pressed his lips to my neck, laying soft kisses along my ear. His heart whispered to me that he desired me again, called for me to curl in his arms and fall asleep afterward.
But I knew I couldn’t. I had to return to my brother. Get the genies well enough to create my wishes and heal Ali. I kissed Kaza on the cheek and got up.
“Where are you going?” He grabbed my arm.
I pulled away as much as I hated the idea. Part of me toyed with the notion of staying here for eternity and doing nothing more than lying with Kaza, but that was me living in a fantasy land. “I’ve got to get back to my brother.”
Disappointment stormed across his face. “Don’t leave. Stay.”
Our bond told me he didn’t approve of me leaving him. All the women he’d shared his bed with had fawned over him like puppies. He liked to be in charge. The one who’d leave the girls hanging, waiting for him. But I wasn’t a little puppy.
Truth be told, I didn’t want to go. Inside, I fought a battle between my heart and my head. I just wanted to let my hair down. Stay a little longer. Have that wine Kaza offered me. Play a few games. Laugh and joke with him. Definitely continue where we left off and have another round of mind-blowing sex. My heart pumped with such joy. I think I had a crush on him. That was confirmed when I glanced over at Kaza lying on the couch naked, winking at me, and I almost melted and jumped back in his arms.
But I’d promised my brother I wouldn’t be long. Zand might have returned with Kaza’s medicine. I needed the genies to save my brother. The responsibility weighed heavily on me. Eventually, my head won out over my heart.
“How do I get out of here?” I said, wading into the pool for a quick dip to wash the sweat and mess from me.
“Think it,” he said, “and it is.”
Okay… but I wasn’t exactly a magical being.
Once I’d put my kaftan back on, my gaze lingered on him for a few moments. His eyes called to me to stay. Ugh. It took every ounce of restraint to drag my lovesick, giddy ass out of there. I wondered if everything that had just happened replayed in his mind like it did in mine.
No. Cut it out. You’ve got to get back.
Fine.
I kissed Kaza on the forehead. “I’ll be back to check on you when I can.”
He grabbed my wrist. “Is that a promise?”
“To deliver your medicine personally.”
That brought back his delicious smile.
I thought about returning to my hovel and my brother. Smoke furled around me as if responding to my request. The last thing I saw before I was drawn out of the lamp was Kaza blowing me a kiss.
Chapter 6
Everybody’s eyes landed on me when I returned from the lamp.
Karim jumped up and down on one of the boxes. I gave him a quick scratch on the chin and he piped down.
“What’s it like inside?” Ali asked, spooning a mouthful of what smelled like spiced lamb stew. Karim jumped onto his shoulder to sniff my brother’s meal. Ali fed him little bits of vegetable.
Where had that meat come from? We certainly didn’t have the money for expensive treats like that. I wondered if some collective genie magic had been responsible for our good fortune.
More amazingly, color had returned to Ali’s skin. For once, he was free of sweat. Was he getting better? My question was answered with a big, fat no when a coughing fit racked his frail body.
Dahvi was seated beside Ali, and patted my brother on the back until his fit ended.
My heart fluttered with appreciation for Dahvi, who’d obviously been taking care of my brother while I was gone.
Guilt pinched at me for leaving Ali. Talk about selfish. I shouldn’t have put my own interests first or lost myself in a lustful episode with Kaza. Did the other genies know what we’d done? I studied Dahvi, who offered me a smile. Zand stood at the kitchen sink, doing what I think were the dishes. His eyebrows arched as he examined the scrubbing brush and bar of soap as if he didn’t have a clue what to do with them.
I held in a laugh, wanting to see what happened next.
The soap slipped out of hands and splashed into the water. As he searched for it, he stirred up a sink full of bubbles.
This had me in stiches.
He swished around in the sink to find a plate. But when he grasped one, the slippery sucker slithered got away and dropped back into the water. If only he had his magic, this might have worked out a little better.
I couldn’t hold in my mirth any longer and burst out laughing so hard I snorted.
“What?” He flashed a smile, showing a bit of parsley stuck in his teeth.
That got everybody going. Even Karim clapped and hooted.
Gods. I hadn’t felt this lighthearted inside in years. It felt wonderful to have such laughter in my home. For so long, the atmosphere had been too somber.
“Brother,” said Dahvi, pointing at Zand. “You have some mess in your teeth.”
Zand checked in the window’s reflection. “Light my lamp!” His tongue bulged in his mouth as he swiped it across his teeth, cleaning them.
By the time I calmed down, my stomach growled a demand for food.
I leaned over the stove to inhale the cinnamon and nutmeg odor of the delicious, Fesenjan stew. “Where’d this come from?”
“I got the meat from the market,” replied Zand.
Gods. My muscles clenched, giving me pains in the gut. “You didn’t use magic, did you?”
His heavy brows pressed down. “No.”
Thanks the gods. Then I didn’t care how he got it; I just needed something to eat.
It was nice to see his dark mood had blown over.
Zand slapped his brother on the back. “Dahvi needed something to pass the time in the lamp, so took up cooking as a hobby.”
I guessed having everything at their fingertips would get a little boring after a while.
“How’d you eat inside the lamp if your magic was weakened?” I asked.
“We’re like bears,” said Zand, pretending to growl as he handed me a bowl. “We have a hibernation mode.”
“Thank you,” I told him. This lighter side to him was nice to see.
Pale-red flames flickered for a moment when our fingers skimmed as I accepted the bowl. Tiny fireworks went off inside me.
Dazed by our connection, I bumped into a chair, spilling stew broth onto my kaftan.
The corner of Zand’s mouth lifted in a smile as if he knew the e
ffect he had on me. His gaze trailed my neck. “My brother imprinted on you?”
“What?” I touched my collarbone. My skin burned red hot.
Damn. My sex rash. Hope he didn’t know what it was. Shame burned across my cheeks. Gods. Zand must think me a slut for sleeping with his brother so soon. To cover my blotchy skin, I put down my stew and yanked my green cotton shawl off the coat hanger on my front door. Quickly, I wrapped it around my neck, face, and head, concealing the evidence of my special moments with Kaza.
All the pleasant memories from my explosive activity with him drained out my toes. I pulled my shirt tighter across my waist, feeling cheapened by what had happened between us. Gods. These genies were doing something to me. Bringing out strange feelings. Turning me into a lustful beast and I couldn’t control myself.
How was Zand going to react if I said yes? Especially considering they’d all come to be trapped in the lamp first place because Kaza had slept with the former master’s wife. My stomach clenched, and I braced myself for an explosion.
“Now you are connected.” Zand touched his chest where his heart was, then gave me a kiss on the cheek, as if welcoming me to the family.
What? Was this the same broody guy I’d met earlier?
My breath caught in my throat as he squeezed past me. I was a good foot shorter than he was, and my eye level only reached his chest. The bowl I held out to the side almost dropped as my lustful beast took hold, urging me to run my hands along his rock-hard stomach. It took all my restraint to stuff her deep inside me.
Gods. What were these genies doing to me? I didn’t sleep with a guy…correction, a hot genie…this easily. Developing teenage crushes on more than one person—or genie—at the same time wasn’t like me. Suddenly, I was convinced the genies had some sort of magical spell over me. In that case, I had to stay level headed until my wishes were delivered. Focus on what really mattered; I had to save Ali and Kaza.
My stomach grumbled, and I sat down, taking a few spoonsful of stew.
Dahvi kneeled on the floor and lifted my foot onto his leg. “The swelling has gone down.”
Dahvi’s fingers worked their magic as he massaged my good foot, and a groan slipped past my lips. Gods. If I had of known what I was missing out on, I would have gotten another boyfriend sooner. Praise to the gods for blessing me with the genies. They were really going to extremes to impress me.