by Kristi Gold
She gave the impression she was quite skeptical. “Only at times?”
“The majority of the time, if you must know.”
“That’s what I thought.” She cleared her throat and briefly looked away. “I wanted to apologize to you about our conversation this morning. I didn’t give you enough credit. Providing Yasmin with a safe place to stay is very magnanimous.”
Yet she had inadvertently pointed out an obvious flaw in his character. “There is no need for that.”
“Yes, there is. I have no right to judge you. Many men wouldn’t give an orphan a second thought, much less open their homes to one. They would rather give money and let someone else handle it. You should be commended for your compassion.”
He tossed aside the trowel and leaned a hip against the work table. “Save your commendation for someone who merits it. You were correct on several points. Yasmin does need a full-time father figure. She needs a man who deserves to be called papa.”
“Is that what she calls you?” Kira asked, a note of awe in her voice.
“Yes.”
“Then apparently that’s how she sees you.”
“It makes me somewhat uncomfortable,” he reluctantly admitted.
“Why?”
“Because I believe I am not worthy of the endearment.”
“Maybe you should work a little harder to remedy that.”
She would not understand his reticence unless he explained further. “I fear she will become too attached to me.”
Kira’s frown deepened. “I don’t view that as a problem unless you plan to send her away.”
“I would never consider such a thing.” His tone sounded unquestionably defensive.
She studied him for awhile as if trying to peer into his very soul. “Then maybe you’re afraid you’re going to become too attached to her.”
Her insight astounded him. “Perhaps you are correct.”
She crossed one leg over the other and leveled her gaze on his, as if preparing to analyze him. “What’s the basis for this fear, Tarek?”
“Attachment leads to betrayal. You should know that as well in regard to your former fiancé.” Now he had said too much.
She swept one hand through her hair as she appeared to ponder that a time. “That’s different, Tarek. We’re talking about a child. I’m going to guess that your parents somehow wronged you, or maybe you feel betrayed by your mother’s death.”
He had been deceived by his mother, yet not in the way Kira believed.
When a landscaper began planting shrubs nearby, Tarek thought it best to suspend the conversation. “Our privacy has now been disturbed so it is better we return to our duties. Did the table you requested for the kitchen arrive?”
Kira rose from the bench and sent him a slight smile. “Yes, and it’s exactly what I was looking for. I’m about to meet with the designer and inspect the furniture in the restaurant. Would you like to go with me and give your seal of approval?”
He would like to go with her to another place that had nothing to do with the resort. “I plan to complete this project before day’s end.”
She did not appear at all pleased with that. “I hope you return to the villa tonight at a decent hour so we can finish this discussion.”
As far as he was concerned, they had. “I should be there before sundown, yet I would prefer to spend our evening in ways that will not require discourse.”
She started away before hesitating and facing him again. “It’s really imperative we talk, Tarek. I have something important I need to tell you.”
He could only imagine what that might be. Perhaps in her eyes he now seemed dishonorable due to his reluctance to permanently commit to raising Yasmin. Or perhaps she no longer intended to stay. Regardless, he would attempt to convince her that he wanted her by his side, for however much time they still had together. He had the means, and the methods, to make her forget they ever had this conversation, though he most likely never would forget.
* * *
The man was nowhere to be found. Avoidance, plain and simple.
Kira strode through the living area in search of someone who could tell her Tarek’s whereabouts. She assumed their conversation earlier today had him running scared. Or at least running from her.
She reached the cook’s kitchen—all stainless steel, granite and glass—to find the one member of the staff who seemed to have a human radar where his employer was concerned. “Alexios,” she began, “have you seen Mr. Azzmar? He didn’t come back for dinner and I was wonder—”
“He’s taking a walk on the shoreline, Ms. Darzin,” he replied without missing a beat folding the cloth napkins. “He told me to inform you of his location should you need to speak with him.”
Oh, she needed to speak with him all right. And he knew it. “Thank you for another wonderful dinner tonight.” Too bad she’d had to spend it alone. Again.
Kira made her way past the pool and through the gate that led to the private beach. The moon wasn’t quite as full as it had been on their impromptu cruise, but it provided enough light to guide her way. She didn’t have to walk far to see the silhouette of a man seated in the sand, his arms casually resting on bent knees.
After kicking off her sandals near a small rock formation, Kira approached him slowly and the closer she came, the better she could see his profile. Handsome and rich, her first thought. Troubled and stoic, her second. He seemed so immersed in contemplation, she almost hated to disturb him. But the mission she was on—sharing the information that might very well change their future—could no longer keep. She’d waited too long to tell him and worried that he wouldn’t take the news well, even though she’d seen a nurturing side to him that both pleased and surprised her.
In a matter of minutes, she arrived at his side, claimed the spot beside him and hugged her legs to her chest. “You look rather pensive tonight.”
“I have been reflecting on what you said to me this morning about Yasmin.”
She regretted some of her comments, but others, not so much. “I didn’t mean to intrude, Tarek.”
His thoughts seemed to drift away momentarily before he began to speak again. “She is a very gregarious little girl. She possesses a free spirit and rarely goes anywhere without running.” He paused to smile. “She is also quite the conversationalist. At times, I listen quietly to her only to hear the sound of her voice. She seems unaffected by the hardship that has befallen her.”
The hint of emotion in his voice touched Kira deeply. “Children are resilient. They only want to be loved.”
His expression turned suddenly somber. “Perhaps another family would better serve her needs, one with both a mother and father.”
We could have that family, she wanted to say, but stopped short of spilling her secret. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Tarek. You have inherent compassion and the capacity to love her more than you realize.”
He glanced at her, then reached over and took her hand. “I sincerely appreciate your faith in me, yet I feel as if I am bereft of any true emotion. I am not certain I can change that.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Hearing you talk so fondly about Yasmin leads me to believe you already have. Or maybe those emotions have always been there and you’re simply afraid to feel them. I’m really sorry that someone has hurt you that badly.”
He remained silent as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over her wrist in a soothing rhythm. “It is warm tonight.”
Leave it to him to talk about the weather when she was getting too close for his comfort. “It’s a beautiful night. Just enough breeze to make it totally comfortable.”
Without warning, he leaned back and took her with him. Without words, he kissed her thoroughly. She so needed to ask him to stop so she could tell him about their child. She als
o needed to protest when he rolled her onto her back and slid his hand beneath her top to cup her silk-covered breasts.
“Tarek, we still need to talk,” she managed when he turned his attention to her neck.
“Later,” he muttered as he brushed his knuckles down her belly.
Later seemed like a banner idea, especially when he released the button below her waist and slid her zipper down. Much later, she decided as he worked the cotton shorts down her hips, taking her panties with them. She didn’t have the strength to utter one protest when he moved over her, gently parted her thighs and kissed his way down her torso.
Now there she was, lying on a bed of sand, completely out in the open with her bottoms down to her ankles and Tarek working his magic with his talented mouth between her legs. The ultimate intimacy could prove to be her emotional and physical undoing. The tempered strokes of his tongue could send her straight to the three-quarter moon above them. The ensuing climax could very well cause her to actually scream from the pleasure.
Fortunately she had enough presence of mind to remain quiet except for a low moan when the orgasm took over. She couldn’t recall ever feeling so grand and so ready for Tarek to complete this sensual journey.
She had to wait for him to shrug out of his white tailored shirt, which he spread out on the ground.
“Lay on this,” he said as he took off his slacks and underwear.
As Kira stretched out on the makeshift blanket, Tarek joined her and guided himself inside her. He kept his gaze locked on hers while he moved lightly at first, as if bent on teasing her into oblivion.
She loved the closeness of his body, the feel of his weight. She loved the sound of his breath at her ear, growing more uneven with each passing second. She loved the power of his thrusts, the crude but sexy words he uttered until he didn’t speak at all. She loved...him. She had no idea when it had happened, or why she would let herself be so vulnerable. She did know that despite his efforts to present himself as a man who wanted no emotional ties, a caring man resided beneath the hardnosed businessman.
After Tarek collapsed against her, Kira stroked his back and relished the feel of his weight. All too soon, he rolled over and draped an arm over his eyes. They lay there for quite some time beneath a host of stars, serenaded by the sound of lapping waves. She could stay here forever, shutting out everything aside from these few special moments. But the secret she held—the one she desperately needed to tell him—continued to play over and over in her mind.
Tarek transferred back to his side, rose above her on one elbow and smiled. “You are a most amazing woman.”
She released a curt laugh. “First the boat, now the beach. I’m beginning to think I’m an exhibitionist.”
“You are more daring than you would wish to believe.”
Yet not quite daring enough to blurt out the truth. “I’ve never been that way before you. Actually, you’re only the second man I’ve been with.”
He looked both pleased and surprised. “I am honored. You are the first woman I have trusted implicitly.”
The gravity of what she had to reveal weighed heavily on her heart. If she told him now, she would ruin the wonderful aftermath of their lovemaking. And when he kissed her tenderly again, she decided to wait until tomorrow to tell him she had been lying to him all along. With that revelation came the probability of a permanent goodbye.
Eight
“Have you not told him yet, cara mia?”
Seated cross-legged in the middle of Tarek’s king-size bed, Kira gripped the cell phone and instantly regretted calling Elena to check on the state of affairs at the palace. “No, I haven’t found the right time.”
“You have been there almost three weeks.”
She found herself caught in the grip of shame. “Yes, but we’ve been very busy readying the resort. The grand opening is less than a month away.”
“And I would estimate your pregnancy should begin to show around that time.”
Kira realized Elena was right. Her waistbands had already begun to grow tighter and her belly had become much more rounded. If Tarek had noticed, he hadn’t said. He’d definitely seen her eat like two-hundred-pound man, and naked on more than one occasion. “The signs aren’t obvious unless you know I’m pregnant. And I promise I’m going to tell him very soon. At least before I return to Bajul next week.”
“I believe it is imperative you do and soon. Now I have a question for you. Do you happen to know Tarek’s mother’s first name?”
“Actually, no, I don’t. Why?”
“Someone I once knew a long time ago was acquainted with a woman by the last name of Azzmar.”
“Was she from Morocco?”
“Yes.”
“That’s odd. I’d wager the chances of it being the same woman are slim, but it is a small world.”
“Much smaller than you realize, cara. Please call me when you are on your way to Bajul. And if you don’t mind, ask Tarek to stop by and see me when he returns to the palace. Perhaps we can make a connection between the two women.”
That seemed like a strange request. “I’ll ask him, but I make no promises. He’s very guarded about his parents.”
“I have no doubt about that. Stay well, Kira.”
With that, the line went dead, and Kira’s mind shot into overdrive. Elena’s cryptic words could keep her guessing for the duration of her stay in Cyprus. Tarek’s astounding lovemaking could keep her in a sexual frenzy as well.
As if she’d conjured him up, the breathtaking billionaire strolled into the room wearing a black shirt and tan slacks, along with a sinfully sexy look. “It is nice to have the remainder of the day off.”
It was nice to see him after spending the morning with a cross contractor who didn’t care for her suggestions. “We deserve it after working so hard the past few weeks.” Busy weeks dealing with the resort pitfalls and wonderful nights spent in the throes of passion.
Hands in pockets, he approached the bed slowly. “How would you propose we spend the time today?”
Playing truth or consequences per her promise to Elena would be good. Kira patted the space beside her and geared up for the revelation she had put off for too long. “We could talk for a few minutes.” Or not, she thought, as Tarek toed out of his loafers, pulled off his socks and began unbuttoning his shirt.
After he removed and kicked off his slacks and underwear, he stood beside the bed looking like a very proud Adonis. “We will talk later,” he said as he crawled toward her like a sexy, stalking cougar. “At this moment, I need you very badly.”
“I noticed.” Boy, had she ever.
He rose to his knees, quickly divested her of the yellow sundress that didn’t require a bra, slid her panties down to toss them over his shoulder and then gave her a long, lingering look. “I wish to have you this way all the time.”
“That might be awkward when we’re out in public.”
He smiled as he circled her nipple with a fingertip. “Would you like to try something new?”
She managed to move the comforter from beneath her and Tarek, uncovering another set of exquisite silver sheets. “Are you suggesting perhaps we make love on the rooftop? We’ve already initiated your shower, this bed several times, the beach, the yacht, and oh yes, the supply closet at the resort. Lucky for us we didn’t get caught.”
He sent her a knockout grin before he kissed her senseless, using his wicked tongue in some very suggestive ways. “I suppose we could utilize the kitchen countertops here,” he began after breaking the kiss, “but unfortunately dinner preparation has begun.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled at his sudden show of humor. “Honestly, I like being on a comfy mattress.”
“I was actually suggesting a new position we have not tried before.” He rolled her to her side and whi
spered, “One that will only enhance your climax.”
When he pressed his erection against her bottom, she looked back with him over one shoulder. “I’m going to trust you on this.”
He draped her leg over his thigh. “You may trust that you will feel sensations you have never felt before.”
When Tarek slipped inside her, Kira wholeheartedly agreed with his assessment. She keenly experienced every nuance of his body as he began to move in a steady rhythm, felt every gentle caress with heightened awareness as he delved between her legs with skilled fingers. She did miss seeing his face so she could witness that instant when he achieved his release, but his nearness almost made up for that piece of the sensual Tarek puzzle.
When he picked up the tempo, with both his thrusts and touches, Kira quit thinking about anything as her orgasm began to arrive with the speed of a runaway locomotive. The first strong spasm hit, but Tarek didn’t let up, bringing their lovemaking to new, wild heights. She felt the tension in his frame and heard the sound of his harsh breathing as he tightened his hold on her. By the time he climaxed with a shudder and a groan, Kira was as spent as she’d ever been in his arms, and more satisfied than she ever thought possible.
In the quiet aftermath, she realized all too well that this would soon be coming to an end, something she had known all along but hadn’t wanted to accept. Even if Tarek opted to be a part of his child’s life, he would never forgive her for not telling him sooner. He would probably want nothing to do with her after they left Cyprus. Only one way to find out, as painful as it might be.
After Tarek laid back and took her into his arms, Kira rested her cheek on his chest, her favorite place to be. A brief span of silence passed before she decided it might be best to lead into the disclosure with casual conversation. “I talked with Elena right before you came in.”
He began rubbing the side of her thigh with slow, even strokes, refueling her hormones and hindering her concentration. “I hope all is well with the palace and you are not being summoned back to Bajul.”