by Leslie North
“Janna.” Nassir took a step toward her, taking in her pink cheeks and fever-bright eyes. Was she sick? “What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”
“No.” She waved a piece of paper in his face, her entire body fairly vibrating with rage. “Everything is most certainly not okay. Explain this.” She tossed the paper at him and crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you think you’re up to, but it won’t work.”
Nassir frowned and read the paper. The invitation. He wasn’t sure how she’d seen a copy of it, but now wasn’t the time to find out. “Janna, I can explain. Please, why don’t we…” He reached for her, but she shrugged him off and stepped back, “Janna?”
Tears welled in her eyes and his heart pinched with unexpected remorse. “Why? Why the deception?”
“Because they demanded it.” He gestured to the other men in the room.
“They who?” Her darted from one man to the next.
“This is the Adjalane Oil board. I made some very costly, very public mistakes and this was their solution. I had thirty days to find an American bride.”
“I see.” Janna’s expression shifted from anger to hurt. “So, I was a means to an end. How barbaric of you.”
“Janna, I realize how this must sound, but if you give me a chance to explain.” Nassir stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. He wished they were anywhere but here, somewhere they could speak privately, but such was not the case. “I was going to tell you all of this tonight, at dinner, but now…” He frowned. “How did you get a copy of the e-invite?”
“Your friend from the restaurant, Hazim, stopped by this morning after you left. He thought I might be interested in your deception. He was right.”
“Hazim?” Nassir clenched his fists. Of course that bastard would do this. He stood the most to gain if Nassir failed. He took a deep breath and forced his voice to calm. “Hazim would gain much if I do not fulfil my obligation to marry. We have a long standing rivalry that extends well beyond business.”
“Great.” Janna’s full lips compressed into a thin white line. “And what about the woman in the burqa? Nehla? Is she your girlfriend?”
“No.” Nassir took Janna by the elbow and tugged her off into one corner of the space. Not exactly the ideal spot for his confession, but it was the best available. He stared down into Janna’s beautiful azure eyes, his tone serious. “I care for no woman but you. I love you, Janna.”
Surprise flickered through her gaze, but she remained silent, her expression beyond skepitcal. Not the response he expected or wanted. Fine. She wanted proof? He’d give it to her. “Come with me.” He led her toward the doors. “Let me show you something.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere with you.” She started to pull away, but he refused to let her go. She glanced around and lowered her voice. “All these people are looking at us.”
“You will want to see this, I promise. And do not worry about them. With the exception of a few words, most of them do not speak English well enough to know what we just discussed. Do not be embarrassed.”
“I’m not embarrassed. I’m pissed off.”
After a perfunctory bow and a mumbled excuse to the board members, he led Janna out into the lobby and over to the elevators.
“Just let me show you this one thing.” He pushed the Up button then waited. “If what I show you does not change your mind, then you are free to go.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.” The elevator dinged and he escorted her on board, then pressed the button for the rooftop level.
“It better be one spectacular something, whatever it is.” She eyed him from where she stood beside him, arms crossed.
Nassir nodded. For his sake, he prayed it would be enough.
Chapter 12
The elevator doors opened again and Nassir led Janna out onto a glass enclosed balcony. All around her were blue skies and fluffy white clouds and the sparkling city below. It looked like something out of a fairy tale and she couldn’t help her delighted gasp, despite the situation. “The view is beautiful, but it isn’t going to change my mind.”
“Yes, isn’t it?” He moved in beside her at the railing and pointed toward the horizon. “What do you see?”
“Well, I see buildings, factories, parks and homes. A hospital over there. All the stuff that makes up a city, I guess.”
“My family and this company helped build this city. Adjalane Oil owns a majority of the buildings. We help fund the schools. Helped build the hospital. We do it all to help the people of Al-Sarid. This is why my marriage is so important. Many people in this country depend on my family’s generosity. Without our help they would not survive. My uncle would see an end to all these endeavours. That is why I cannot allow him to take over control of the company.”
She turned to face him and waited for him to continue, more interested in his explanation than she cared to admit. She’d come here with the full intent of telling him where he could shove his phony invitation and be on the next flight back to the States. But now she stood captivated by his story. He leaned his forearms on the railing and gazed around at the skyline. “Go on.”
He looked over at her. “When the board first told me I must marry an American or lose my position, I was…upset, to say the least. I’d never met a Western woman I wanted to have dinner with, let alone marry.” Nassir gave a rueful smile and her heart tumbled to her toes. “Then I saw you at Amare’s wedding. You seemed happy and so in control. I envied you.”
“Envied me?” Janna snorted. “Why?” He had everything and she had nothing.
“Because you seemed to enjoy your work, your life.”
“Well, you like your work too, right? You certainly do enough of it.” She still felt hurt, betrayed, vulnerable. She didn’t like it and wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easy. What he’d done was wrong and now it was time to make him suffer for it. “You told me that night at the treehouse it was some kind of escape for you. Or was that another one of your lies, too?”
“No.” He had the decency to wince. “That was not a lie. My work is an escape. But escape and enjoyment are two different things.”
Her heart pinched at the desolation in his voice, despite her anger. “So, your work doesn’t fill that part of your life. Surely, with everything you have, you’ve got something else that lifts your spirits and makes you feel alive.”
“When I saw you at the wedding, you spoke your mind freely to Karim and I. You didn’t hold back, nor did you apologize for your opinion, yet you handled all those under your authority with respect and efficiency.” Nassir stared at her, his dark gaze unreadable. “I knew from the moment I spotted you in that service hallway that you were the woman I wanted for my bride. A woman who could help me run my company. A woman who could teach me to smile and laugh again.”
“The service hallway?” Janna couldn’t help but laugh. Figured she’d meet the man of her dreams in some hotel kitchen. She stepped closer to him, and cocked her head. “Why do you work so much, if you don’t enjoy it? And don’t give me that ‘escape’ crap again, either.”
Nassir took a deep breath and inched closer to her as well, his forearm brushing against her elbow. She shivered from the contact and he smiled. “When I broke my leg, that summer, the doctor’s weren’t sure the bones would heal properly because the fracture was so severe. That’s why they put me on total bed rest. There was a very good chance I’d never walk properly again.”
“Oh.” She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, squeezing reassuringly. “But everything turned out all right, yes?”
He shrugged. “At first, I felt quite sorry for myself. Then, of course, my father helped me realize I could direct my energies to other pursuits. In the end, I was proud of my academic accomplishments, but somewhere along the way, I stopped enjoying life.”
“You were only seven. That’s awfully young to become a cynic.”
“It was easier, I suppose, then dealing with my emotions. Until I met
you. Then I realized I wanted to enjoy my life again. Not just for a night, or for a few hours, but every single day. Like you.”
“Well, you obviously have never seen me on a bad day.” She nudged his shoulder with hers. “After my mom’s accident, I had no choice but to grow up fast.”
Nassir took her hand on the railing and laced his fingers with hers. “What happened?”
“I basically took over for her, walking my siblings to school each day, helping them with their homework, doing the laundry, buying groceries. I basically became a mini-adult. But it’s okay. My philosophy has always been life is what we make it.”
“That is a good philosophy.” The heat in Nassir’s grin warmed her. “Your optimism is one of the things that drew me to you, Janna. Then you came here and I got to know you better and I knew that there was so much more to you than your sunny disposition. That you, too, had known real hardship and pain and sacrifice, and that I wanted to keep you close and protect you and give you all of the things in life that you deserve but have never had.” He faced her at last and stared down at her, his eyes full of fire and emotion. “It was wrong of me to hide my intentions, but I’m telling you now. I love being around you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
Dazed, Janna blinked up at him. Yes, she’d fought her growing attraction to him these last few weeks. Yes, she’d even fancied herself in love with him once or twice or more, but this was all happening so fast. Could she dare trust her feelings for him so soon?
She gazed up at him, at his earnest expression and the desire in his eyes. She’d never had anyone pursue her like Nassir had, never had anyone who seemed so genuinely interested in making her happy. Perhaps there were worse things than a quick wedding and everything here seemed so perfect, so right. Caught up in the moment and the man, she nodded. “Okay. Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Nassir.”
“You will not regret this, Janna.” Nassir swept her into his arms and held her tight to his chest, tipping her chin up with his fingers to kiss her. His tongue licked her bottom lip, asking for permission to enter. When she parted her lips slightly, he surged forward, kissing her deeply until they were both breathless with need.
Janna finally, reluctantly, pulled away and whispered. “I want you.”
Nassir moved his lips along her jawline and nipped her earlobe, “Then you shall have me.”
Janna squeezed her arms tighter around his neck and kissed the underside of his jaw, moving her lips upward until they covered his once again. She’d wanted him unbearably for over a week and now her sexual frustration boiled over in an unstoppable flood of desire. She’d have let him have her right there on the balcony if he’d wanted.
Nassir seemed to have other plans in mind, however, as he picked her up and walked back to the elevators. Once inside, he plundered her mouth again as the car descended along with her inhibitions. The doors opened to what appeared to be a private apartment, and Nassir set her down then led her into the spacious, well-appointed set of rooms.
“Come, kalby.” He took her hand and led her through to a luxuriously appointed bedroom then and laid her down on black silk sheets. The blinds were drawn and he pushed a button next to the bed to fill the room with soft muted light.
Above them, the ceiling above the bed was a giant mirror. She watched as Nassir shed his robes and gained a new appreciation for what she’d always considered tacky bedroom decor. Once naked, he stood before her unashamed as he pulled her to the edge of the bed to remove her slacks and button down shirt. At last, she lay before him, naked and ready.
“You are so beautiful, kalby.” His tone turned reverent as he mapped every inch of her body with his lips and his hands, kissing his way down her chest, stopping to pay homage to her breasts then continuing on to her navel.
Janna couldn’t get enough of him, his strong shoulders and muscled chest. His tight, brown little nipples that hardened at her touch.
When he used his hands to part her thighs, she felt a moment of unease, but he quickly covered her body with his own, and the heat of him dissolved the question as quickly as it was formed.
“Janna, tell me you want this as much as I do.” He parted her thighs and moved between them. “Tell me you want me inside you, pleasuring you.”
She writhed beneath him, revelling in his heat, his hardness against her softness. “Yes, I want you too. So much. Just go slow, please. I’m new at this.”
Nassir stilled above her, forcing her to look at him. “Janna. Kalby. You’ve never done this before?”
“No.” Janna frowned. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” He smiled down at her and kissed her gently, a myriad of emotions flickering through his beautiful ebony eyes—desire, happiness, possession. “I will treasure this gift forever, kalby.” His words tightened around her heart and brought tears to her eyes. “Now wrap your arms around my neck and your thighs around my hips.”
Janna followed his instructions, moaning low and deep as he fingers traced over her wet folds, once, twice, then a single finger slipped inside her to knead her swollen clitoris. No one but herself had ever touched her this way and if felt incredible. He seemed to know exactly how to touch her for maximum effect. He leaned in closer to whisper in her ear, “You are so ready for me, kalby.”
“What does that mean, ‘kalby?’” she asked, arching hard against his talented hands.
“My heart.” He kissed her deeply, thrusting first one, then two fingers inside her slick channel, stretching her body for him, preparing her for his invasion. He increased the pressure on her throbbing clitoris as he pumped his fingers within her, curving them slightly to press upward about an inch inside her and her entire body tightened with need.
Release loomed close, closer, so close she could taste it.
“You’ll have to teach me more of your language, if I’m going to stay here.”
Nassir chuckled. “Do not worry, kalby. I will teach you many, many things.”
His questing finger grew more insistent and the pressure inside Janna grew to unbearable levels. “Oh,” she moaned, bucking harder against him. “I’m close.”
“That’s it, kalby. Let go for me. Give me your passion.”
Janna’s head fell back and she closed her eyes, surrendering to the want inside her. Soon, her muscles tightened and her world exploded in a shower of white-hot sparks as she came hard against his hands, warmth flooding through her body as her inner walls fluttered against his fingers. Over and over and over until she slumped against the cool satin sheets, sated and boneless.
Before the last contractions subsided, Nassir raised himself above her and slicked on a condom, then poised his hard cock at her wet entrance. “Janna, I can’t promise this won’t hurt.”
She wrapped her arms tighter around him. “Please, I need you. I know you’ll take care of me.”
Heat flared bright in his eyes as he bent to kiss her deeply. “Always, kalby. Always.”
He pushed inside her in one long thrust then held still, allowing her body to adjust to the size and length of him. She cried out at the sudden, sharp pain, her breath hitching. She’d known it would hurt, but not this bad. Still, the longer he remained inside her, the ache eased and something new took its place. A pleasant twinge of pleasure that only increased with each of his movements.
“Okay, kalby?” He panted, a small muscle ticking near his tense jaw. He stroked away the tears from her cheeks and moved tentatively inside her.
Janna nodded and wrapped her legs around his hips once more, locking her feet behind his lower back. “More please.”
Nassir grinned, all pure masculine pride and sexy seduction. “Your wish is my command, kalby.”
With each thrust, her passion flared higher and soon they were both teetering on the edge once more. Nassir reached between them and stroked her swollen clitoris once more, pressing gently against it, and that tumbled her into a second orgasm. He soon followed behind her, his body going whipcord tight above
her as he came so hard inside her she felt it.
At last, he slumped atop her, resting his head in the valley between her breasts while she gently stroked his hair. She’d never expected her first time to be in the luxury apartment of an Arabian Sheik she’d met only a few weeks prior. Then again, she’d never imagined she’d be engaged to marry said Sheik.
Her day had shaped up to be full of unexpected surprises. But the biggest one was yet to come.
Chapter 13
Two days later, Janna had Hamal take her back to the dress shop. She’d originally picked out the traditional Arabic wedding kaftan, but it had been her second favorite. Now that she would marry Nassir, she wanted to switch to the American-style gown she loved. The seamstress assured her she could have the adjustments done in time for the wedding in two days.
She also stopped by the florist and the cake shop one last time, assuring everything was going as planned. Finally, she reached the palace again and strolled into the gardens to see that the groundskeeper had already begun setting up the red and purple tents that would house their guests during the reception. Different from what they used back in the States, but their burst of color suited the lush gardens. Satisfied with the progress, Janna wandered back toward the grand fountain then sat down on the bench to check her planner one last time.
The last two days had been a whirlwind. Between spending their nights at his luxury apartment then commuting back here during the days, she hadn’t gotten as much done as she would’ve liked. Other than making love in the evenings, she and Nassir had barely seen each other. She sighed. At least he’d managed time in his busy schedule to have lunch with her today before returning to his office. Oh, and their dance lesson. She’d been more relaxed, knowing she wouldn’t have to memorize the steps and teach them later to someone else.
Everything seemed to be falling into place. Everything except her family. Once she’d accepted Nassir’s proposal, she’d called her mother the following morning and told them the news. Nassir had offered to fly them all over for the wedding and cover all of their expenses as his personal guests, but Mom had turned her down.