Claimed by the Sheikh

by Rachael Thomas

  ‘In that case I will leave you. I have preparations to make for tomorrow’s meetings.’ He stood up, towering over her, emphasising the power he had. ‘Be ready to leave by ten.’

  ‘No,’ she snapped, jumping up, desperate to keep things as balanced as possible. ‘I need to know about Annie and Claude. I won’t go anywhere else with you until I do.’

  ‘Now who is using blackmail?’ He smiled at her, so full of self-assurance she wanted to scream.

  She shook her head quickly. ‘I’m merely responding to your blackmail, Kazim.’

  ‘You friend’s little boy will have all the help he needs. It is all in hand, exactly as I said it would be.’

  ‘You disapprove, don’t you? A stripper and a single mother shouldn’t mix with a princess; is that it?’ Her words were as hot as her body.

  ‘Your words, Amber, not mine, but true.’ His voice was so cool, so calm it was impossible to think this was the same man who’d just minutes ago ignited an inferno inside her.

  ‘I will not go anywhere unless you keep your side of the deal.’ Indignation made her sound petulant.

  He stopped so very close she could almost feel his breath as he lowered his head so that she thought he might kiss her again. ‘I meant every word I said tonight.’

  As she moved back she exhaled. At least he was going to keep his side of the bargain, but this meant she’d have to keep hers. She was trapped, being forced to do what he wanted, and she couldn’t do anything about it, not if she wanted Claude to receive the treatment he needed.

  He stood and looked at her, authority radiating from every pore in his magnificent body, her own protesting over what she’d denied it. She said nothing, but staying beneath his glacial gaze was as difficult as refusing his kisses.

  As if he’d sensed her turmoil, her need for space, he turned and strode to the master bedroom without a backward glance. She closed her eyes in relief, thankful she’d put her things in the second, much smaller bedroom. At least tonight she would sleep alone.

  * * *

  Kazim shut the door on Amber and ran his fingers through his hair, the heat of desire still thumping around his body, begging for release. The first time they’d spent a night together she’d thrown herself at him and now she was pushing him away. But he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He’d seen it in her eyes.

  Whatever else was between them, the attraction that sizzled there wasn’t going to go away and he planned to explore it.

  She was his wife and he intended to claim her back—in every way.

  CHAPTER SIX

  THE SUN SHONE brightly as Amber watched the polo horses pounding up and down the field. This was the kind of glamour she hadn’t experienced before and in her new silk sundress she felt every bit as sophisticated and elegant as the other ladies. She was acutely aware of the interest Kazim’s presence was causing and the curious glances coming her way.

  She slipped on her sunglasses, which offered her a place to hide, and feigned interest in the game, anything to try and avoid the tension that sliced through the air whenever Kazim spoke to those around them. His deep voice kept drawing her attention, her body painfully aware of his presence after last night.

  This was the informal part of his business meeting, he’d explained as they’d arrived at the country hotel by helicopter a few hours earlier, and she was thankful that soon she could seek sanctuary in the luxury of their suite whilst he met with the other leaders in private. Being constantly near him was proving harder than she’d envisaged. In her heart she still loved him, but was it good for her to yearn after something so impossible? It hurt that he’d only looked for her out of duty and necessity and, if that hadn’t been bad enough, he’d made it clear he hadn’t come to Europe especially for her. She’d been nothing more than an afterthought.

  ‘Are you not enjoying the polo?’ Kazim’s voice startled her and she looked up, prickles of embarrassment colouring her face and a zip of awareness shooting down her spine.

  ‘I was thinking of Annie,’ she said tentatively after his admission last night. ‘I’m worried she will think news of Claude’s treatment is a hoax; after all, she has no idea who you are.’

  Kazim took two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter and set them on the table before sitting down opposite her, his long legs intimately close to hers, and she trembled, shocked by his nearness. ‘You are correct. Annie had no idea who I was, or indeed who you were,’ he said firmly. ‘But that is all sorted now.’

  ‘It is?’ she questioned as she picked up her champagne in an effort to appear calm. How had Annie taken that news? Knowing Annie, she wouldn’t have accepted Kazim’s explanation without giving him the third degree and she smiled to herself, wondering how he’d coped with that. Maybe she should have put more in her note, explained who Kazim was, at least? ‘But did you tell her about Claude’s treatment?’

  ‘I told her, exactly as I promised,’ he said as he looked out at the polo match. ‘Hasim, my cousin, the man I trust above all others will accompany them to America. They leave today.’

  She glanced at him. ‘So soon?’

  Applause rippled around them and she glanced out as a goal was scored. She looked back at Kazim, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the match.

  ‘When I want something I will do whatever is necessary to make it happen.’ The hidden innuendo didn’t go unnoticed. He’d as good as told her last night that he wanted her. Was this his way of making it happen?

  She watched as he sipped his champagne, loving the way the sun shone in his onyx hair. In fact she loved almost everything about this man. Despite all that had happened, she had done so since she’d first been introduced, the day she’d been told of their engagement by her parents. But she couldn’t let him know that; she couldn’t leave herself open for another rejection from him. She already knew from experience how lethally charming he could be if needed, just as he could be brutal and honest.

  ‘Thank you.’ She returned her attention to the polo match, not wanting him to see even the smallest trace of confusion on her face, because confused didn’t go halfway to explaining the tumult of emotions within her.

  ‘I always honour my promises,’ he said as he moved closer to her, keeping his words just for her ears.

  She turned quickly, her face suddenly so very close to his and, despite her sunglasses, she was sure he knew exactly the riot of feelings that were racing deep within her; she could see the same unrest mirrored in his eyes.

  ‘Very commendable,’ she said, adopting a light-hearted tone she was far from feeling, needing to gain control again. She had to distance herself from him, if not physically then certainly emotionally.

  He leant forward, putting his empty champagne flute on the table, his gaze holding hers all the time. The simmering sexual tension that rippled between them seemed to suddenly be at the point of exploding.

  ‘Finish your champagne,’ he said, his voice seductively husky, churning her stomach and sending heat coursing through her veins.

  Her breath caught in her throat and she licked her lips, which had suddenly become very dry as the intensity of desire in his eyes surfaced. The molten bronze swirled against midnight blackness and nothing or nobody else existed. It was just the two of them.

  Hesitantly, she took another sip; the bubbles fizzed in her mouth and he watched every tiny movement of her lips.

  When she took the next sip heat curled around her body as if his strong arms held her against him. Then, in a slow and controlled move, he leant towards her, his lips brushing lightly over hers as if he wanted to taste the champagne on them.

  She drew in a ragged breath and clutched tightly onto her almost empty flute as he drew back from her. The air around them throbbed with desire so raw she couldn’t speak. She didn’t want to say anything that might shatter the moment because right now sh
e was desired and wanted by the man she loved.

  Slowly and with intent, he took the champagne flute from her hand. Without taking his eyes from hers, he placed it on the table. ‘Come.’ The underlying sensuality in that one word was not lost on her. He took her hand, infusing her with even more heat, and stood, leaving her no option but to grab her bag and phone and go with him.

  Amber was vaguely aware of heads turning and curious glances being cast their way as they left the match, but she didn’t care. His hand still held hers tightly, as if he thought at any minute she would turn and run. On one level she had no idea where they were going or why, but with some kind of instinct she’d never known before—she knew.

  Once inside the hotel doorway he made straight for the wide sweeping staircase that led to the first floor and the palatial suites on each wing of the grand building. She pulled off her glasses, her breath coming so fast she couldn’t speak. Their bodies were communicating through the seductive waves of awareness darting between them like shooting stars.

  They reached the door of their suite and he stopped and looked at her, his eyes so heavy with desire she caught her breath, biting down hard on her lower lip. He opened the door and took her hand, but she knew she would follow; she was well and truly under the spell of attraction that sparked in the air around them.

  ‘What was that display for?’ Finally she managed to get some words out. Indignation was the best form of defence, she decided, as the door to their suite closed. It was her only defence against what was happening, the only hope she had of clinging to sanity. He turned to face her. She raised her chin defiantly at him, raw desire burning in his eyes as they boldly raked over her.

  ‘I think you know.’ He swiftly crossed the room and, before she could move or say anything, he’d swept her feet from the floor and taken her in his arms. With intent and purpose he strode into the bedroom.

  Her head became light and a dizzying sensation fluttered around her heart and she knew what he wanted. He wanted her. Passion boiled wildly between them and she no longer cared about what had happened in the past, or what might happen in the future. All she cared about was this moment.

  He laid her gently on the bed as if she was the most precious thing ever then removed his jacket quickly, tossing it impatiently aside before covering her body with his. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer, and was rewarded with a deep guttural growl as his lips claimed hers in a hard, demanding kiss.

  Her whole body sang, as if she’d waited forever for this moment. She had, and one thing was certain—this time it would happen. It was what she wanted. She wanted to be his—completely.

  His hand slid down her side to her hip and she moved beneath him, giving into an instinct that rose up and engulfed her as she encouraged him to take more, to make her his.

  He deepened the kiss and she spread her hands across his back, relishing the warmth of his skin through his shirt, feeling the power of his strength. Everything about that moment was as wild and untamed as she knew he was.

  It was what she’d always dreamed it would be like, passionate and all consuming, not at all like she’d imagined it would have been on their wedding night. Then it would have been nothing more than a signature on a contract. This was so much more. This passion, this heated desire, it was what she wanted and, judging by his response, Kazim did too.

  He broke the kiss and propped himself over her, his eyes heavy with desire. His breath came hard and fast and, unable to help herself, she slid the palms of her hands down each of his arms, savouring the strength and power of his muscles.

  Her whole body was alive, tingling with desire for him. This was what she wanted but at the same time she knew it would only cause more problems, more heartache.

  * * *

  Kazim tried hard to rein in the maelstrom of emotions rushing around his body. Never had a woman driven him so crazy with desire that he’d all but dragged her back to his hotel room in the middle of the afternoon. But then never had a woman made him wait so long. He had, he decided, been ensconced in the desert far too long and now he had very little control left.

  ‘If this isn’t what you want...’ he heard his words come out in a low growl, saw the shocked expression cross her beautiful face, but he couldn’t stop them ‘...then I suggest you say now.’

  She moved beneath him, her body pressing against his erection, and he clenched his jaw hard, hanging onto the last thread of control. She was draining the strength from him and when her hands slid down his arms he almost couldn’t bear it.

  Slowly she reached her hand up to his face, her palm pressing against his cheek, and he wasn’t sure if she was trembling or if he was shaking with the effort of control.

  ‘I want this, Kazim,’ she whispered huskily. ‘I want you.’

  He pushed aside the doubts that had made him walk out on her on their wedding night. He couldn’t think about them now; the raging throb of desire in his body needed quenching. It needed quenching now. He wanted her—completely.

  He looked at her face, the colour creeping over her cheeks as his hand slid down her leg until he reached the hemline of her dress. Slowly, he slid his hand underneath the silk and upwards. The soft brown of her eyes darkened, her breathing deepened and he watched in fascination as her lips parted, a soft sigh escaping them.

  ‘Kazim,’ she pleaded, her gaze fixed on his, her fingernails digging into his arms.

  Just his name on her lips sent him into overdrive, unable to think of anything other than making her his. He touched the lace of her panties at her hip and pulled hard, the satisfying sound of tearing making his pulse race. He lifted himself up on one arm and quickly freed himself from the constraints of his clothes. He was too impatient to remove them all—he wanted her now.

  As if in encouragement, she moved her legs either side of his and he pushed her dress up, watching her face all the time.

  For a fleeting moment he wondered if he should take things more slowly, but as she moved against him, sighing softly, tormenting him with the heat of her body, he knew he couldn’t.

  ‘Kazim,’ she sighed and he shook with hungry need, her husky whisper heightening his desire. Should he use contraception? The question floated on the periphery. No, she was his wife and he needed an heir. If this moment led to such an outcome it wouldn’t be a hardship.

  ‘Kazim...’ She encouraged him again, her voice almost lost to pleasure, her hands pressing him against her.

  He had precious little control left now; all he wanted was to be deep inside her, feel her heat surround him. She wrapped her legs around him, moving temptingly against him. He felt her wetness and couldn’t hold back any longer. In one swift movement he thrust himself into her, the ecstasy of it making him cry out.

  ‘Kazim!’ Her cry of pleasure mingled with his and she lifted her hips up, meeting him, taking him deeper still, until it was as if all the stars in the desert night sky had exploded around him.

  As his heart rate slowed and he regained his ability to think, he felt triumphant. She was his, but he reeled with the shock of realising that she had been a virgin, that the rumours had been nothing more than malicious gossip started by a conman on the make. Now she would always be his, no matter what.

  That last thought sat uncomfortably with him. Didn’t that make him as dominating as his father?

  * * *

  Amber dragged in harsh ragged breaths, her body shaking from the electrifying passion that had so fiercely consumed them both. She looked up at Kazim’s face and it was as if the clock had turned back, as if she was once more being subjected to his scrutiny. She closed her eyes against the pain of that night, turning her head against the pillow.

  She couldn’t do it again. Couldn’t boldly stand and take his rejection. Not now, not after what had just happened.

  In one swift move his hand cupped her
face, forcing her to look back at him. ‘It should not have been like that.’ His words were short and sharp and she bit into her bottom lip, still reeling from his wild and raw possession.

  How should it have been? The question ran around her head as he brushed his lips over hers, easing the soreness her teeth had just made.

  ‘It was your first time. I should have been gentle, more in control of myself.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she whispered so quietly his eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. She could still feel the warmth of his body against her, warmth that was stirring new needs despite the words he spoke.

  ‘It matters.’ His hand left her face, the air cooling the heat on her cheek where his palm had scorched her skin. Swiftly, he lifted his body from hers and then off the bed, marching towards the bathroom. ‘You deserve better than that.’

  She listened as water gushed from the shower, wondering what she should now do. This was almost an exact replica of their wedding night, only this time they had made love. That night he’d strode off to the bathroom too. He’d hardly been able to hide his fury at discovering his bride was not a simpering virgin. She realised her actions had given the wrong message to him, made him think the worst of her.

  She hadn’t said anything, hadn’t defended herself or explained why she’d done it, why she’d tried to be something she wasn’t.

  Suddenly feeling exposed, she pulled her dress down and, sitting up, slid her legs off the bed. She didn’t know what to do now or what mood her husband would be in when he emerged from the shower.

  Images rushed into her mind of his olive skin beneath the jets of water, droplets cascading down him. She closed her eyes against the thought. She might want him, desire him with a passion that could never be doused, but he didn’t feel the same about her. To him, what they’d just shared was once again duty. Just as their marriage ceremony had been.