They all stood, clapping and nodding in satisfaction. Zuri stood there, accepting their applause for several moments, too shocked and touched to say anything. Finally, she lifted her hands and the clapping slowly stopped. “Thank you. Jabril and Ilara thank you.” She stood there, still reeling. “The world thanks you as well.”
One of the men walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You are wise in many ways, Princess Zuri. And you’ve done us proud.” He turned to the others with a wide smile. “Now we should send her off to be formally introduced to her sister-in-law!”
The other men laughed and Zuri turned to hug the man, then shook the others in the room. “Thank you,” she finally said, then turned and walked out. It took her several moments to swallow the threat of tears. Wow! The resolution was monumental!
Those men continued to surprise her! Their ages ranged from sixty-one to eighty-five. By normal standards, they should all believe that women were an inferior gender and needed their protection. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that they would embrace gender equality! What a glorious day!
At that very moment, Zuri was stunned to discover that all she wanted was to tell Tarin. To find him and celebrate the council’s resolution. It was such a monumental moment that she wanted to celebrate…with Tarin!
Huh! Not Jabril? She stopped in the hallway, startling her guards. For so long, Jabril had been her best friend and confidant. When had that transitioned to Tarin? “This isn’t good!” she whispered, then shook her head when one of her guards turned, tensing as he looked for the threat. “Not good for me. Everything else is fine.” She looked around again and shrugged. “Well, I assume that I’m fine physically. Things should be fine.”
Her guards till looked wary, but she smiled, trying to reassure them.
“Get your head on straight,” she muttered and headed for her office. “Is the plane ready?” she asked her assistant as she entered the room. It was bright and sunny, but with a smaller desk than Jabril or Tarin.
“Yes, Your Highness,” her assistant, Lara, replied. “The plane is fueled and ready to take off as soon as you board. Your bags are packed and on the plane. The pilot is waiting for you.”
Zuri smiled at her assistant. “Thank you so much. I can’t wait to meet my sister-in-law! I’ve heard so much about her, although the reports in the news and from the security team indicate that things in Ditra are still bad.”
“I’ve heard that as well, Your Highness. Are you sure you don’t need me to come with you?”
Zuri shook her head, sifting through the documents on her desk and stuffing some of them into her bag. “No. I need you here for the meetings with the environmental secretary. Take notes and send the details to both me and Jabril. I don’t know how long I’ll be in Ditra, but I’m going to see what I can do to help out.”
“Very good, Your Highness,” her assistant replied, bowing slightly. Zuri nodded her thanks but wondered what it would take for Lara to call her by her first name. They’d worked together for the past several years, spending long hours and too many meals to count as they worked through the details of her work. Lara was an intelligent woman with invaluable experience and wisdom. They laughed and teased each other about whatever was going on during the day…but Lara refused to address Zuri in anything other than formal titles.
Zuri smiled at Lara as she walked out of her office, taking the bag that Lara handed her. “Go take a few days off, Lara. Have some fun.”
Lara chuckled. “I’m not sure I know what that is anymore.”
“Ugh! I’m working you too hard!”
“The pilot is waiting,” Lara reminded her when Zuri opened her mouth to say something else. Zuri snapped her mouth closed and sighed. “Fine. Waste your life working for me! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
Lara only laughed as Zuri left the office. Ten minutes later, she boarded the plane and the pilot took off. It was only a three hour flight to Ditra and, instead of wondering what Tarin was doing, she pulled the files out of her bag and started working, feeling a sense of satisfaction when she finished the last issue only moments before the plane landed at the Ditra airport.
Entering the palace, she was greeted by a servant who explained that “the others” were in the game room playing cards.
“Thank you,” she replied, handing her bag to the servant. “Playing cards” was a nice way of saying that the regular group was here for their monthly poker game. Jabril and a group of friends got together every month – whoever could make it that month – to play poker. Zuri used to be shocked by the amount of money that was won and lost during these poker games. Some people play poker and lose a hundred dollars or so. These men played for millions! The record winnings were over twenty million dollars, although Zuri wasn’t sure who had won that round.
“Is Princess Ilara and my brother in the game room as well?”
“I believe your brother is, Your Highness,” the servant explained.
Zuri had no idea who “the others” were, but she was eager to see her brother and meet his new wife. It had been weeks since the wedding and, although she’d spoken to Jabril occasionally, she’d been too busy avoiding Tarin and dealing with Piara issues to actually meet her sister-in-law.
When she stepped into the room, Zuri was surprised to see so many men sitting around the table. But she recognized most of them. “Oz!” she laughed, rushing over to greet the big guy. “What are you doing here? Are you helping with Ditra’s security?”
“We are, little lady,” Jayce said, pulling her out of Oz’s arms and into his for a gentle hug.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you guys!”
“You look great!” Ryker, his darkly quiet look reassuring her that the world was protected, told her as he leaned in for a hug.
Zuri looked over at the next man and giggled. “Sebastian, you always look so elegant! I’d love to mess up your hair.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I have no response to that,” he told her as he leaned in to hug her as well.
For the first time, she noticed Tarin as he stood off to the side. Zuri had noticed an increased sense of…electricity, but had attributed the sensation to all of the male testosterone in the room. These were big men who liked to do things that the rest of the world might never even know were possible. Mika and Kazar were also here, smiling down at her like the annoying big brothers that they were.
“Hi sweety!” Mika greeted her. “Are you behaving?” Mika was the devilish one of the group, always ready with a smile or a joke. But don’t ever cross him! He was a dangerous man and would crush anyone who hurt his family or his country. A powerful ruler in his own right, Zuri often wished that she’d been betrothed to him instead of Tarin. Although, she only felt affection for the tall, handsome man. Brotherly affection.
“Never!” she replied, kissing his cheek and hugging him. As Sheik of Stilan, Mika, Jabril, Tarin and Kazar had gone to school together. That meant that they visited Piara often and she’d known these guys since she was little.
Often, she’d wondered why she felt so strongly towards Tarin. What was it about him that made her body sing? Every time he came close, or even when she knew that he was in the building, Zuri’s body stirred to life. For a long time, she’d convinced herself that it was because he annoyed her. But after that weekend at his palace, in his bed and…she blushed as Kazar hugged her, but she didn’t hear what he said. She noticed that he looked at her strangely, but the buzzing in her ears was too loud.
“Long flight?” he asked softly.
Zuri smiled, leaning her head against his strong shoulder. “Not really.” Her eyes slid to Tarin, then away again. “Just…?”
Kazar noticed the look and his arm moved to her waist, pulling her in close again. “I get it, honey,” he told her with that same, brotherly affection. “Want me to beat him up for you?” he teased.
Zuri laughed, shaking her head. Kazar would do it too. The man was a behemoth, but so was Tarin, so she wasn’t
sure which man would come out of that fight as the victor.
“Nah,” she whispered back. “I don’t want you hurt.”
She laughed when Kazar growled threateningly at her but she only laughed and stepped quickly out of his reach.
Ignoring Tarin, she went to her brother, laying her hand on his shoulder. “We need to…” Zuri had been about to say something when a stunningly beautiful blond woman stepped into the room carrying a huge book that looked to weigh about fifty pounds, and wearing a silk negligee that was…wow! The soft color of the silk highlighted the glowing, silky locks dancing around her shoulders. And bare feet? Was this…?
She screamed! Something about Jabril and divorces. Jabril got up and walked over to her, but Zuri didn’t hear what the woman was saying because Tarin moved over to her. His hand slid along her back, causing fire to stream along her nerves. “I don’t believe you’ve been introduced to Princess Ilara, have you?” he asked softly in her ear.
“Um…!”
She couldn’t reply, couldn’t say a word. Couldn’t even think because Tarin’s hand curled around her waist, resting just under her breast. Zuri held her breath, wanting his thumb to move higher. She could feel her breasts tingling, anticipating his touch. Was she trembling? Did everyone else in the room know what Tarin was doing to her? She couldn’t…he wouldn’t! But oh, if he would! Just an inch, she thought, her body almost bending over with the need to feel his hands on her breast, his fingers doing that thing to her nipple that…her knees almost went out at the memory of what he’d done to her last time.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, his voice low in her ear.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her brother toss the beautiful woman over his shoulder and leave the room. The others sitting around the table nodded in agreement with Jabril’s actions and she suspected that they were all doing their cave-man approval thing, but she couldn’t think. Not with Tarin’s hands on her.
She peered at him over her shoulder, unaware of the silent message she sent to him. She needed…and his fingers weren’t moving.
“I’m going to escort Zuri to her room,” Tarin announced.
Then his hand was gone! Gone and her stomach felt cold where that huge, warm hand had been only moments ago. “Good night,” she called out.
The other men still sitting around the table waved and they might have said something, but she still couldn’t decipher words. Tarin’s fingers tightened on her hand and she followed him out of the room at what felt like a snail’s pace. She knew that Tarin was a huge man, but she’d seen him move! He was lightning fast when speed was needed. Scary fast! So why was he moving so slowly now?!
“Move faster!” he growled.
Zuri glanced up into his harsh features and knew! He felt it too! “Where’s your room?” she demanded.
“Too damn far!” then he reached down and lifted her into his arms. Now they were moving! She wrapped her arm around his neck, her heart thudding madly, her body heating up to the point that she worried that she could burst into flames.
In what seemed like hours, he finally shouldered his way through a door, slamming it shut behind him. Privacy! She sighed, but her breath was captured by his mouth as his lips moved over hers. There was no time to figure out what was going on. She needed to feel his skin against hers. Zuri whimpered when the buttons of his shirt hampered her progress so she simply pushed the material out of the way.
Tarin was doing something, but she couldn’t help him because there was still fabric hindering her fingers, keeping her from touching him. And he was kissing her! Goodness, this man could kiss! His tongue mated with hers, doing exactly what she wanted his body to do. But it wasn’t enough! Nothing was enough!
Suddenly, she felt his hands pulling her panties down and the wall against her back. She wanted a bed, but had no idea where one might be and then Tarin’s fingers were there! Gasping, she pulled her mouth away from his as her hips ground against his fingers that were moving in and out of her, his knuckles rubbing against that nub and she couldn’t stop her body’s climb. Higher and higher and…
“Damn it, Zuri!” he roared. She wanted to smack him when he took his hand away. She’d been so close! “Do that again!” he ordered and then he was there again, but not his fingers. Something bigger! His erection slid into her body and she sighed, trying to take all of him, shifting her hips against him. “Don’t move!”
“I have to!” she told him, trying to hold on but her arms were getting tired. He shifted positions, angling her more effectively and then…he was thrusting in and out of her and it felt too good! So incredibly good! Every thrust brought her closer and closer and she screamed, writhing against him in an effort to reach that pinnacle.
“Don’t stop!” she told him, unaware of the screaming command as she shifted once again and…
That’s all it took. He continued to thrust into her but Zuri’s body splintered apart in a climax that had her silently screaming his name, her body shaking, as wave after wave poured over her. Thankfully, Tarin’s climax came moments later, but he still thrust into her, sending additional shock waves through her body.
The silence afterwards was broken only by their heaving breathing as they both tried to shake away the lust that seemed to still seethe in the air around them.
When Tarin pulled away, Zuri braced herself for whatever he might say next. No matter what it was, she didn’t think she was going to like it.
“How about doing that again, but a bit slower, this time?” he offered. His voice was scratchy and rich.
Zuri looked up at him and her heart melted a bit more. Tell him no, her brain ordered her lips. Tell him it shouldn’t have happened, that this was a mistake. Sex only confused the unresolved issues between them.
But instead of saying that, she kissed his chest, her fingers sliding down his arms to trace the indentations of each bulging muscle. She gave a gasp of surprise when he pulled out of her, but she didn’t care. Especially when he carried her over to the big, soft bed, holding her as if she were precious. As if he cared.
As he laid her down in the middle of the bed, she watched him, fascinated by the flexing muscles along his arms and chest. He pulled off the rest of her clothes, piece by piece, then his fingers slid along her skin as if he were memorizing her body in his mind.
When he entered her this time, his movements were slow and deliberate. And he watched her, his eyes not releasing her gaze as he shifted in and out of her body, his erection filling her in ways that took her breath away.
This time, her climax was slower, but even more beautiful. It took her out of her mind so only Tarin was there, keeping her safe and warm. She held him as he shuddered with his own release, smiling at how big and powerful…and gentle this man could be.
Curling up against him that night, she smiled into the darkness. He wasn’t such a bad guy, she thought. Yeah, she was surprised at how gentle he could be, how tender and caring. Falling asleep, she wondered what it would be like to sleep like this every night.
Chapter 5
Zuri rolled over, her mind still a bit foggy after last night. But her body wasn’t foggy. Not in any way. Her body was…tingly. A dreamy smile formed as she remembered the passion of Tarin’s touch, and then the gentle tenderness when he’d made love to her the second time.
Turning, she looked behind her, eager to talk to him. But the other side of the bed was empty!
That’s when he walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, another one drying his hair. Immediately, her mouth went dry as she admired his chest, his broad shoulders, and the muscles in his arms. Stunned, she remembered her fingers drifting over those muscles last night and she wanted to do it again.
But more, she wanted to hear Tarin say something sweet and romantic. Silly of her, because Tarin wasn’t a sweet and romantic kind of man. Zuri would be happy if he just…well, if he wasn’t a jerk.
He finished toweling his hair, and turned to look at her. The serious l
ook in his eyes warned her that she wasn’t going to like whatever it was he might say next.
“Zuri,” he started off and her heart pounded with dread. “We need to set a date for our wedding.”
And…there it was. Furious, she threw off the sheets and grabbed her dress, pulling it on over her head, unconcerned about her lack of underwear. Her goal at the moment was to cover up.
“Seriously?” she groaned, her hands becoming tangled in the material. When she finally straightened out the dress and got her arms and head through the correct holes, she turned to glare at him. “How about saying something nice? How about… ‘Last night was the most incredible experience of my life’ or maybe ‘you are beautiful’ or something simple like ‘you look pretty in the sunshine’!” When he stood there staring at her, she harrumphed, grabbed her shoes and underwear, and frowned as she looked at her underwear more closely. “You tore my underwear!” she snapped at him.
Still, he stood there staring, his jaw clenching with frustration. “Zuri…”
“NO!” she spun and faced him. “Last night was an aberration. And it won’t happen again!”
With that, she turned and pulled the door open, walking through it with her torn underwear and bra dangling in one hand while holding her shoes in the other. Angry, disappointed tears escaped and she just wanted to get away and hide somewhere.
“Zuri wait!” Tarin called out, but that only spurred her to walk faster. Whatever he wanted to say to her would only hurt her even more. Last night had been so beautiful, so magical and…all he wanted to talk about was a wedding date.
Zuri knew better than to expect roses and love songs. Tarin was a big guy with a stupid, jerk-headed mind.
“Zuri, stop!”
She didn’t. In fact, she ran faster, needing to get away from him. “I can’t believe I told him that!” she whispered as she yanked the outer door open. Guards were standing sentry outside, causing her to pause for a moment, but she didn’t stop. Instead, she bowed her head and walked out of the apartment. She had no idea where her suitcase had been taken, but she didn’t care anymore. She just…she wanted to leave!
The Sheik's Arrangement Page 6