Claimed by the Sheikh

by Rachael Thomas

  It was always duty with Kazim.

  Yes, she’d married him out of love—a love born of teenage dreams once their engagement and planned arranged marriage had been announced—but she had always been aware the untamed playboy prince everyone believed him to be took his duty very seriously.

  She looked down and saw her torn and discarded panties on the floor and fire burned in her cheeks as she remembered just how wild and reckless she’d been, how totally abandoned. She’d virtually begged him. Embarrassment took over and inwardly she cringed. All she wanted to do was take off the soft silky sundress she’d bought yesterday and slip back into her usual jeans and T-shirt. She’d be safe then, able to hide once more behind her wall of defence.

  Her heart pounded as she thought of what could have come of today if she hadn’t been taking the Pill, for medical reasons rather than contraception. The thought of having a child, of bringing it into a family where its parents didn’t love one another, was too much. She knew well enough how such a child would feel, having grown up with parents who didn’t show their love to her, let alone each other.

  She undid the buttons down the front of the pale blue silk dress and, despite loving its soft quality against her skin, couldn’t wait to discard it. She tossed it roughly aside, kicked off her heels and yanked open the drawer to grab another pair of panties. They didn’t match her bra, but that was the least of her worries now. She just needed to get dressed and quickly. The shower had stopped.

  ‘So beautiful.’ Kazim’s husky voice sent goosebumps over her body as she tugged her jeans from the drawer. Holding them against herself, slowly she turned to face him.

  Her mouth dried. He stood before her in nothing more than a towel slung low on his hips. A very small towel. The late afternoon sun filled the room, making his damp skin gleam, and heat gathered deep inside her as her stomach somersaulted.

  He moved closer to her, his eyes, swirling with molten bronze, held hers and she couldn’t move. Slowly, he reached out and tried to take the jeans from her, but her fingers were clutching them so tightly he had to tug them free. Now she had nothing to hide behind but resisted the urge to cover herself with her arms. She wouldn’t let him know how uncomfortable and out of her depth she was, standing before him in just her underwear.

  Her jeans dropped with a thump to the floor, but she hardly heard it over the thudding of her heart. She could smell his body, fresh from the shower, but nothing could mask the intoxicating scent of pure male. Her head spun and she kept her gaze fixed on his ever blackening eyes. To look at his naked and glorious body would be so easy, but she didn’t dare. She didn’t trust herself.

  ‘This time,’ he said in a thick and unsteady voice, ‘will be how it should have been on our wedding night.’

  Her knees weakened and she bit down hard on her lower lip, wishing she could break eye contact but at the same time not wanting to. He pushed her hair back from her face and then with both hands held either side of her head gently as his lips met hers. The kiss was soft and persuasive, teasing and tormenting her until she had no choice but to respond.

  He deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding between her lips to entwine with hers, and she sighed with pleasure, her body melting and swaying towards his. Still his hands held her head, gently keeping her just where he wanted her, so that his kiss became the most erotic sensation she’d ever known, making every part of her so sensitive she could feel the heat of his body even though they weren’t touching each other.

  Unable to fight the instinct that seemed as natural as breathing, she traced her fingertips over his biceps, felt them flex. The growl that came from him as he kissed her harder urged her on. She slid her hands up his arms to his broad shoulders then down his back, moving her body closer to his until just a sizzle of electricity separated them.

  ‘From the first moment I saw you, you’ve driven me wild.’ His seductively low voice sent shivers down her spine as he broke the kiss, his hands sliding down her back, pulling her hard against his almost naked body.

  The slightly coarse hair of his chest made her breasts tingle despite the white lace that still covered them. He crushed her against the hardness of his chest, her breasts pressed close to him. The ridge of his arousal, hard against her, sent shivers of anticipation spiralling around her and she dropped her head back, a sigh of pure pleasure escaping.

  ‘And now I’m going to drive you wild,’ he growled as he kissed her exposed throat until she couldn’t stand it any longer and raised her head, stopping the torment.

  You’ve driven me wild. The words floated like a dream in her head and a little spring of hope was born. He wanted her, desired her. Could there be a future for them and was it so wrong to abandon herself to the pleasure of the moment with the man she loved and always would?

  Another gasp of pleasure escaped her lips as he unclasped her bra and stepped back slightly to pull the lace from her body, his eager gaze on her naked breasts, which tingled with hunger for his touch.

  He lowered his head and took one firm nipple in his mouth, his tongue twisting around it, and she plunged her hands into the silky depths of his hair, closing her eyes to the sensation that raced through her. His hands slid down to the small of her back, caressing her skin and leaving a trail of fire.

  ‘Kazim.’ The whisper of his name from her lips made her heart pound wildly and she thought she wouldn’t be able to stay on her feet for much longer.

  His mouth left her nipple, the cool air making it tingle but, before she could move or say anything, he’d claimed the other one. The onslaught of desire continued and her hips pushed towards him.

  She couldn’t take any more of this. Each touch was seducing her into total surrender. Her fingers gripped his hair, currents of desire rushed through her and her knees buckled as his mastery continued.

  He caught her as she slid against him, pulling her upright and holding her firmly; his lips claimed hers once more in a hard and demanding kiss, one that gave no mercy. She closed her eyes as the room spun and kissed him back.

  He moved against her, forcing her to step back until she felt the bed behind her and fell back onto it, bringing him with her. His demanding kiss continued as his hand slid down her body, his breathing hard and fast. He pulled back from her and levered himself off the bed, reached down and in one swift movement pulled her panties down her legs, throwing them aside.

  He stood before her as she propped herself up on her elbows, strangely comfortable with her nakedness. His black eyes swirled with molten desire, firmly focused on her. The energy that zipped between them was intense and potent, manipulating both of them. His lips lifted into a teasing smile as he pulled the towel from his hips and slung it aside, leaving him totally naked to her eager gaze.

  He was magnificent, his bronzed body a work of art. Total perfection. Hungrily, she took in every detail, from an old scar on the left side of his chest to the tantalising trail of dark hair going down over his abs, drawing her gaze to his erection.

  Before she could register any thoughts, let alone say any words, he’d joined her on the bed, lying at her side, propping himself up on one elbow. The heat of his body scorched into her and she turned her head to face him, wanting his kisses, needing his touch.

  She touched the scar and he dragged in a deep breath. ‘What happened?’

  ‘My father...he lost his temper with my mother.’ His expression hardened and her heart sank. Had she asked the wrong thing? ‘I tried to protect her. But now is not the time to talk.’

  She allowed her fingers to trace the scar once more and whispered softly, ‘Sorry.’

  He trailed his fingertips across her lips, silencing her sympathy, then down her face and throat and to the hardened peak of one nipple. He was distracting her but she couldn’t help herself and writhed in pleasure as he lightly circled it before moving to the other one. She gasped as her lips sought h
is.

  He laughed, a soft, low, sexy rumble that made her heart skitter. ‘Such a beautiful body,’ he said as he kissed her gently, but she could taste the underlying urgency he held firmly in check. ‘And you are all mine.’

  She pushed aside the words of possession, not wanting to think of anything now, only to surrender herself to this moment. ‘Make me yours again,’ she whispered boldly against his lips. Deep down, she knew that, whatever happened, she would always be his, that she would always love him, and right now she wanted to sample that elusive dream of love and happiness that existed only inside her.

  His fingertips continued their torture as he trailed lower, circling over her stomach for a moment before moving down between her legs, to the centre of her throbbing desire. He’d barely touched her as the first wave of ecstasy broke over her body like a wild wave crashing to the shore. She moved against his touch as each wave rushed over her, threatening to drag her away.

  As the last ebb of delight slid over her so did he, his hard thighs nudging her legs apart as he slowly slipped deep inside her.

  ‘Amber—’ his voice demanded her attention, but she was still floating from his touch and now the feel of him inside her was too much ‘—look at me.’

  She opened her eyes and saw the flush of desire cross his face, saw his eyes grow heavy. His momentum increased, taking her once more to a place she’d only just discovered. Their gazes locked as she lifted her hips, moving with him, increasing the pleasure of the moment.

  Harsh words she could barely recognise rushed from him as he moved harder and faster within her, taking her to the heights of ecstasy again, this time clinging to him, her fingernails deep in his back as their cries of pleasure mingled together.

  She lay against the pillow, her hands absently stroking down his back as her heart rate slowed. He rolled away from her to lie on his back and she stole a look at him, the harshness he hid behind already back on his face, and her heart sank. It had not been the loving moment for him that it had been for her.

  It had been possession. Duty.

  * * *

  The afternoon sun had gone from the room and Kazim stirred, his body languidly replete. He was more relaxed than he’d been for many months. Was that why he’d allowed the desire that had throbbed between him and Amber to explode so spectacularly?

  The second time, he’d tried to be gentle but it had been beyond him to do so. Urgency had driven him again. Memories of that altercation, the moment he’d lost all control and lashed out at his father, had been stirred by her sympathy. The scar to his skin wasn’t deep, but emotionally it was still livid and raw, brought to the surface once more by Amber.

  She moved against him and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms again, kiss her awake and make love to her for the rest of the night, but he had further meetings this evening.

  He ran his fingers through his hair as the relaxed feeling he’d woken with disappeared. He should have made it clear to her exactly why her presence in Barazbin was required. He should have told her that she was not only expected to be his princess but the mother of his heir. But wasn’t that why they’d married in the first place? To secure his succession and the future of Barazbin.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Her soft voice tentatively asking the question roused him from his thoughts and he looked at her lying sleepily in his bed, her lovely hair like silk spread over the pillow.

  ‘I was just thinking about the final meetings I have this evening.’ He danced around the truth, not wanting to tell her that the meetings would take place only because she was here with him, that their reconciliation was already having an effect on his country’s relations with its neighbours.

  ‘You’re leaving me—again?’ She smiled teasingly at him.

  Even so, guilt ripped through him at the hidden rawness of the question. He’d hurt her badly before, handled it all wrong. ‘For a few hours, yes, then I will be back.’

  He wanted to pull her close, to kiss her and reassure her, but didn’t trust his ability to control himself. Instead, he chose that moment of unguarded openness to ask what he’d wanted to ask almost a year ago. What he should have asked.

  ‘That dance you performed on our wedding night?’ He kept his tone soft and coaxing, reaching out to stroke her face.

  Her eyes closed briefly but he waited.

  ‘I made a mistake,’ she said then looked at him.

  ‘As did I.’ He’d believed the rumours, which he now knew were unfounded.

  ‘I’d hoped I could distract you... I didn’t want you to think I was completely inexperienced.’ She paled as she said the words and he realised he’d stopped stroking her face and that his own was set in a hard frown.

  ‘That is why you performed that dance? So that I wouldn’t think you were a virgin?’ He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Surely she knew that in his culture a man prized virginity above all else when he married?

  ‘I had been warned by my mother that you had a reputation, that you wouldn’t appreciate inexperience.’ Her face coloured as she explained her motives and inwardly he cursed her mother’s unintentional bad advice.

  He swore harshly, unable to believe what she was telling him, and she pulled back from him, physically and emotionally. ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘It’s in the past,’ Amber said as she slid from the bed and disappeared into the bathroom, coming out a few moments later wrapped in a white towelling robe. ‘Let’s just forget it and move on. All I need to do now is return to Barazbin with you. Once you have sorted things with your father we can divorce and go back to our lives. Providing Claude has had his treatment, that is.’

  He had to tell her everything.

  ‘We can’t divorce, Amber, not ever.’

  * * *

  Amber felt as if the floor she stood on had turned to quicksand and that she was sinking—fast. Was there no end to his ability to shock her?

  She shook her head. ‘That can’t be right.’ She’d wanted a happy ever after since she was a young girl, had dreamed of marrying a handsome prince and being loved. So far she’d only got one part of that dream.

  Kazim threw back the sheets and got out of bed, not even trying to cover his naked body as he crossed the room and took clean clothes from the wardrobe. He turned to face her, his bare chest, sporting the scar, drew her attention until he spoke.

  ‘You knew I was heir to the throne. Just as you knew our marriage was arranged to unite two kingdoms and nothing more. We should never have parted, certainly not within hours of the ceremony.’ He paused and looked at her, as if letting the words sink in.

  ‘Now your father is ill,’ she whispered, more to herself, finally understanding the implications of what he was trying to tell her.

  He nodded. ‘That is why you must return to Barazbin. I am the sole heir to the throne. We cannot divorce.’

  ‘But you don’t love me.’ The words rushed out of her as his stern face regarded her from the other side of the room.

  ‘Love has nothing to do with it,’ he snapped and he picked out a shirt, roughly pulling it on. ‘It never has and never will.’

  She watched as he continued to dress, obviously preparing for his final meeting. She couldn’t wait for him to go. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts and the knowledge that she would never be free of the man she loved—a man who didn’t love her.

  Shock made her shiver and she sat down on the bed, hardly able to stand any longer. ‘You knew this all along?’

  ‘I am doing my duty, Amber, just as you are.’

  Indignation flared to life inside her. ‘By first blackmailing me and then seducing me? You even let me carry on believing I only needed to return to Barazbin for a short while.’

  His handsome features clouded with anger as their eyes locked. She didn’t know what to think. How had life be
come so complicated? Because Kazim had come storming back into it.

  ‘I haven’t time to discuss it now.’ He strode to the door, his anger evident with every step. ‘Be ready to leave for Barazbin as soon as I return. It is time to go home.’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  AMBER WOKE TO new sounds as the palace came to life around her. The heat of the desert invaded her room and scents from the courtyard garden drifted in through her open window. It was a magical place but right now, just as she had been on arrival late last night, she felt immune to its beauty.

  Emotionally bruised by the last few days, she just wanted to curl back up under the crisp sheets of her massive bed and stay there. She had no idea what time it was; the night flight to Barazbin had totally confused her, as had the man who’d accompanied her.

  She hadn’t been able to help herself and had fallen utterly under Kazim’s spell. Memories of the time they’d spent making love still warmed her body. His callous dismissal before he’d left for his meeting reminded her she needed to guard her heart against him. She’d been silly to believe, even for one moment, that he really desired her. All he’d wanted was to do his duty and make her truly his wife and she’d made it easy, falling into bed with him.

  She heard voices and sat up in bed, the opulence of the room startling her. High ceilings, domed and ornately painted, rose above her and the vastness of the room was broken by intricately carved marble pillars. The four-poster bed was so large and soft white tulle hung from it, draping to the floor as if the room was meant for romance. This wasn’t the room she’d spent her wedding night in.

  As confusion settled over her she heard Kazim’s voice, unmistakable and strong. It sent a ripple of awareness cascading over her. It wasn’t right that he could be so unaffected by her when she only had to hear his voice to stir all those longings.

  She couldn’t let those heady desires take over again. They served only to expose her emotional vulnerability—to herself and Kazim.