by Dyanne Davis
The heaviness in his heart grew as he dialed the phone. There was at least one thing he could give Heaven here in his homeland. He would return their passion and bring it back to their bed where it belonged. His goal accomplished, he walked into the exam room and apologized to Dr. Youseff.
* * *
Hours later Hamid sat in the sitting room of his family home with his arm around Heaven. He’d seen his mother look disapprovingly at him a couple of times but he didn’t remove his arm. Heaven was his wife.
“I have a surprise for you,” he whispered. “I rented us a house.”
“A house? Why?” she asked.
This wasn’t what he’d expected. He’d thought he would see a smile spread across her face.
“Why now, Hamid?” Heaven repeated. “Does your family want us to leave?”
“Nah, it’s not that. I thought you’d like some privacy. We talked about it this morning. Aren’t you tired of the knock on the door each morning?”
“I find it amusing.”
He whispered in her ear, “What about us?” She blinked. “I want to make love to you without either of us worrying about the noise.” She laughed. “I thought you promised that where I go you would go also.” Heaven sobered. Hamid smiled.
“They’re going to think it’s because of what happened this morning.”
“Are you going back on your marriage vows so quickly?” Hamid laughed. “Don’t worry, Heaven, I will take the heat for this one.”
Before Heaven could persuade him to wait, Hamid called out to his parents. “Abba, Ammi, I have an announcement. Heaven and I will be moving into a rental home. We need our privacy.” He saw his mother’s eyes, and then he glanced at his father and knew he understood.
“If it’s okay I would like to come in the mornings and visit.”
“I’m sorry, Heaven,” Hamid interrupted. “I want you to come to the clinic with me.”
“Hamid, I’m not going to stay with you all day while you work.”
“Then you can help me. You’re a nurse, there’s enough work for both of us.”
“I haven’t worked as a nurse in over a year.”
“But you’re still a nurse. You haven’t forgotten your training.”
“I didn’t come here to work in your clinic.”
“Nah, you came to be with me, not to spend all of your hours with my mother in the kitchen.” He was pushing her with his words, he saw her eyes dart to his mother and Heaven blinked. A sparkle appeared in her eyes.
“You’re my husband, Hamid, not my father. You don’t give me orders.”
“Nah, I’m making you remember. Where I go, you will go, and I’m going tonight. A husband takes his wife to his home, not the home of his parents. Tonight we go to our home. Now pack some things, just a few, and tomorrow we will have Jhonni bring the rest.” He gave Heaven a stern look. “Now.”
Heaven turned to look at the family, then back to Hamid and again to the family. “I’m sorry, but we have to leave tonight. Please forgive us. I want to thank you for welcoming me into the family. I’ve enjoyed being with you. Don’t worry, we will have you over and we will come to visit.”
“Heaven,” Hamid said, “we need to leave.”
Heaven exhaled before turning to Hamid. “Yes, my lord.” Then she went and packed, trying to hold back the giggle that threaten to erupt. She tamped it down as she kissed the family and even after she got into the car. She didn’t let loose until they had been in the car for five minutes. Then and only then did Heaven start laughing.
“Hamid, what got into you, what made you do this?”
“You did. Today I saw a glimpse of my true wife, and I wasn’t going to lose her to a kitchen or shopping. I’m being selfish, I know, but I’ve missed you far too much to only see you a few hours a day. I was serious about you coming to the clinic with me. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to, but I would love it if you were just…just there, so that when I have a difficult patient I can come into the office and kiss you after, or just kiss you anyway. What do you think?”
“Every day?”
Hamid looked sideways at Heaven. “What, do you have a better offer?”
She grinned. “No better offer, but what if I want to sleep late? You’re getting up before dawn to work.”
“Aren’t you going to make my breakfast each morning?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Hmm, maybe I moved too quickly. Perhaps we should have stayed in my parents’ home.” He laughed and reached his hand over to Heaven.
When they arrived at the house, something popped in Hamid’s chest. This was a new beginning for them. This was the first home he’d provided. In America, they lived in Heaven’s apartment. The three weeks she’d been in Pakistan, they’d lived with his parents. Now he was the provider. And he felt a surge of pride, then a hope, that his wife would like it.
He opened the car door and swept Heaven up into his arms. “Welcome to our new home, Mrs. Ahmad.”
* * *
Heaven smiled, comfortable in her husband’s arms. She’d not known they needed this, or that she’d ever wanted to be the kind of woman that expected to be carried over a threshold, but she found she was. She didn’t know if Hamid understood the custom, but decided it didn’t matter. He was doing it. She’d heard the slight hesitation in his voice and for the first time in their year of marriage, she thought about the fact that their apartment was really hers. Very little there belonged to Hamid, with the exception of his clothes.
Waiting for Hamid to put her down seemed an act of futility. He seemed perfectly content to keep her in his arms as he carried her from room to room. She heard his breath deepening as he headed for the bedroom. Then and only then did he put her down.
“Tonight we get to live my dream.”
Heaven eyed the bed. “And exactly what dream is that?” She couldn’t help laughing when he grinned, showing off his perfect white teeth. Her heart swelled with love for him. “Hamid, can we afford this?”
“My family is quite wealthy. Haven’t you noticed?”
“I’ve noticed, but that has nothing to do with us. We’re adults. We take care of our bills, not your family. This place is like a palace, so you’ll have to forgive me for wondering if we can afford this.”
“Trust me, Heaven.”
She watched as he went into the closet and brought out something rolled. She looked again. A mattress, she realized in surprise. Then she watched as he pulled back the heavy drapes with the ripcord and carried the mattress out onto the enclosed alcove.
“This is beautiful,” Heaven said, admiring what was the American equivalent of a patio.
“Come on,” Hamid urged, his voice husky.
Shivers traveled up and down Heaven’s spine at the thought of what Hamid meant to do. Of course, she should have known he wanted to make love under the stars, literally. She’d thought he’d meant the stars that could be seen through the glass set into the ceiling of his bedroom. But no, not Hamid, she should have known.
“We can’t do this, someone will see us.”
“I think we can do this,” Hamid answered from the doorway. He spread the mattress and returned and scooped Heaven into his arms. “I have everything ready.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I don’t deny that.”
“What if someone sees us?”
“Then I say we’d better be good at what we do.”
“Hamid.” Heaven smiled, for some reason feeling embarrassed, yet at the same time as giddy as a new bride on her wedding night. She’d made the right decision to follow her husband. Somehow, this felt like the first night of their married life together. Heat rushed through her body, flushing her skin. “This is nice,” she whispered.
His eyes bore into hers. And then his lips found hers and kissed her until she was breathless with desire. “Do you feel it, Heaven?” he asked.
“I feel it,” she answered, knowing exactly what he meant. This night was some
how the beginning of their marriage, or maybe just a turning point. She didn’t know how but she did feel it.
“Look up, Heaven.”
She did, amazed at the brightness of the night, of the millions of stars twinkling overhead. She suddenly was overcome by the fragrance of flowers. She took in a breath filled with the perfumed air. It was only then she noticed that the entire alcove was covered in flowers, beautiful and fragrant flowers. She spotted a small table and a champagne bucket and smiled.
“How did you know I would go along with this?”
“Because of your vow, Heaven. I knew you meant the words when you said them. Besides, if you had not come along willingly, I would have thrown you over my shoulder and brought you here by force.” He smiled. “Want some champagne?”
Heaven smiled back as Hamid lifted the bottle of non-alcoholic champagne and filled their glasses.
* * *
A bright light woke Heaven from her dream of her dark-skinned prince, with lashes so long they touched his cheek, and hair so black someone should invent a new word for the color.
She moaned, wanting to return to the dream of the prince making love to her, slowly, tenderly and lovingly. He kissed every inch of her body, dipped her toe in his champagne glass, and then slid her toe into his mouth. She’d squealed at that and had felt deliciously wicked, refusing to kiss him until he sipped from her glass, telling him he needed to sterilize his mouth. He’d looked at her and said, ‘There, is that better?’ They’d made love for hours, laughing and talking and making love some more. And she’d fallen asleep in his arms. Now this light was shining on her, annoying her and bringing her back to reality.
Then she felt his body, naked and warm against her. She felt his flesh, hard and firm, pressed against her rear. It hadn’t been a dream. She peeked out of one eye. She should have known the sun was up and shining brightly down on them. She attempted to move and Hamid pulled her even closer than she’d been.
“I thought you were asleep,” she whispered.
“I was. I was dreaming of making love to this beautiful American princess with the wild hair. And I was dreaming she was kissing me all over, and that she took me in her mouth. I left my body for a moment and joined the stars that shine over Pakistan. And I thought, surely that must be a dream because in a year of marriage my American princess has never before done that. Then I drifted back off to sleep and I thought I could feel her pressed against my erection. I could smell her, the lemony mango scent. And I could smell the scent of love. Then you moved and I knew it was not a dream. Was it?”
“It was not a dream.” Heaven’s head settled on his chest.
“Did you dream?” he asked.
“Almost the same dream, only in mine, there was a prince.”
“Tell me what he did.”
“Well, his fingers were hot and all over my body.”
“Like this?” Hamid asked, touching her. Feeling her jump slightly he chuckled deep in his throat.
“Yes, just like that.”
“Then what?”
“He turned me over on my back.”
“Like this?” Hamid asked, moving away from her body and shifting her just the tiniest bit.
“Yes, like that.”
“Then what?”
“He suckled my breasts.”
“Oh, let’s see.” Hamid’s head bent over Heaven and his tongue found her nipples hard.
“In your dream were your nipples hard?”
“I don’t remember. Are they now?”
“Yes.” He suckled both breasts repeatedly until he thought he felt a shudder in his wife’s body.
“What did your prince do next?” He looked down at Heaven’s glazed eyes. “Tell me, wife, what did your prince do next?”
“He kissed me.”
“Where?”
“I’m not telling,” Heaven laughed.
“I can’t have a man in your dreams doing things that I want to do.” Then he began his descent, kissing her wildly.
“Anything else?”
“His hands traveled my body as he kissed me.”
Hamid laughed. “Forgive me, my princess if I didn’t do all that the man of your dream did. I’ll remedy that immediately.” He caressed her, feeling her brown skin heat with his ministrations. He kissed his way down to her belly, blew a breath of air into her navel, and stopped abruptly.
“Was there anything else he did, Heaven?” He waited a nanosecond, then an eternity, wondering if she would tell him what she wanted, what he knew she needed. “What did he do next, Heaven?”
“He tasted me.”
“Tasted you where?”
“A little lower than you are.”
He stayed just above where he knew she wanted him to be. “Is this where he kissed you, Heaven?”
She moaned and he smiled. “You need to tell me what he did.”
“He kissed me between my legs.”
“Ah, let me see if I can reenact it.” Hamid placed a tiny kiss on her entrance.
“Like that?” he asked.
“Not quite.”
“Then tell me, what did he do?”
“Hamid.”
“Heaven, I don’t know unless you tell me.”
“He didn’t do it nearly as quickly as you just did. He lingered, as though he enjoyed what he was doing. What can I say? Later when he kissed me, he tasted like…me.”
“Ahh, so he didn’t just kiss you?”
“In a way, but it was more of a French kiss.”
“And exactly what is a French kiss?”
“He used his tongue.” Heaven could barely get the words out.
“I see,” Hamid answered, running his fingers over her body. “Would you like for me to do that also, dear wife?”
“Hamid,” Heaven groaned.
“I didn’t understand your response. You must tell me what you want.”
“I want it.” Heaven groaned again, more urgently.
“You want what? Tell me exactly what you want.”
“I want you to French kiss me there.”
He did and Heaven felt desire shoot through her and opened her eyes to the bright sun. This was her prince, her husband. How could she ever go back to living months at a time without him? How could she give up her home, America, and everything that meant? She thought of her business. She’d worked so hard to have it. She needed to have something of her own. Once more unwanted thoughts of Brandon popped into her head. She couldn’t allow Hamid’s dream to become her own.
A moan escaped her lips. But she also couldn’t continue living apart from her husband. They would have to find a better compromise. Then she quit thinking altogether and gave herself over completely to the orgasm that was claming her, knowing that in a few minutes she would become Hamid’s dream princess. And she would make sure he enjoyed it as much as she was enjoying having her dream come a reality.
Chapter Sixteen
When breakfast was placed on the table, Hamid looked up and saw Heaven entering the room. “It looks like you waited until I was done to come out. That was awfully convenient.” He was grinning as he took in her jeans and top. “Are you going somewhere? I thought you wanted to lie in bed all day?”
“I have other plans.”
“Such as?” he asked, hope surging in his chest. “Are you planning to visit my mother?”
“Nah.”
“Going shopping?”
“Nah.”
“Are you going to hire help to do the cooking and cleaning?”
“I don’t think we need any help, especially if you plan on continuing the practice of making love under the stars.” She grinned. “Do you?”
“I do.”
“In that case we definitely can’t have anyone else here with us.”
“I agree. Now tell me where you are going.”
“I’m going to the clinic with you.”
Hamid tried to stop the grin but he couldn’t. It spread over his face and seemed to envelope his entire body. He co
uld swear his skin was bursting apart at the seams, grinning.
“You’re looking very cocky, as if you knew this would happen.”
“With you, Heaven, one never knows. I’m just happy that you’re coming with me.”
“Is this also one of your dreams?”
He grinned and kissed her. “One of my minor dreams maybe, but the other dreams, they’ve been fulfilled.”
“So you don’t want to repeat them?”
Hamid swatted her lightly on the behind. “What do you think? Now eat up. If we’re going to the clinic we have to be there to open in an hour. When we’re done I’ll take you to the market to stock up on food.”
* * *
Heaven dumped the bag of books on the desk in Hamid’s office, glad she’d brought all of them with her. If she stayed in his office and read, she would not be what she’d planned to be with Brandon. She would be merely Hamid’s wife waiting for him, reading. She wouldn’t be trading in her dream for his.
She looked at the title of the books she’d brought with her, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, In My Heart by Melody Thomas and In My Bedroom by Donna Hill. She was familiar with Donna Hill and Melody Thomas’s work and loved both of their voices. Khaled she didn’t know, but the book had been highly recommended, so she picked that one up, deciding to read it first. By the second page, she was totally hooked.
Two hours later Hamid poked his head in the door and Heaven barely looked up.
“How soon they forget.” Hamid looked down at Heaven cuddled in the huge chair in his office and smiled.
“What?”
His laughter broke her concentration and she blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Heaven laid the book spine open across her chest.
“I said, how soon they forget.”
She frowned.
“I fulfilled the things your dream prince did, and now you don’t even remember. I’m wounded, Heaven. Surely the things I did, the things I made you feel should linger in your mind for a few hours.” He grinned and took the book from her chest. “It must be very good,” he said.
“It is. I think it’s going to turn out to be the best book I’ve read in a long, long time.”