by Sophia Lynn
When the tremors finally died down, she was vaguely sore from the way that her muscles had clamped down so hard. Erin nearly spilled forward into Askari's arms, and distantly, she heard him chuckle.
"Are you done?" he asked, even as the tremor in his frame told her that he hoped to God she wasn't.
"No," she said, hearing a foreign rawness in her own voice. "I want you. Please, Askari, don't leave me..."
She felt a powerful tremor run through his body, and with a groan, he lifted her so that she was backed against the wall. Her legs went instinctively around his waist, and he stepped close to help support her.
She gasped at how easily he held her. To him, she seemed as light as a bag of feathers.
"I am going to take you now," he said, and the savage precision of his words made her moan.
He pushed deep inside her with a single stroke, and she cried out as he filled her. It was such a different pleasure from what he had given her before, but it was one that she needed just as badly. When he did this, they were as close as they could be, perfect, hot, and needy.
With a barely muffled shout, Askari started to push up into her, lunging into her body with unrestrained strokes. He could not ask her if she was all right or if he was hurting her now; at the moment, all he could do was fill her over and over again. The rage that had seized him was savage, primeval. When he was in this state, all that existed was himself, her, and his need.
Erin clung to him with everything she had, trying to give him the same pleasure he had given her. She kissed him frantically along the shoulders and the neck, and more than once, out of a savage instinct of her own, she bit.
Whenever she gave him a bit of her teeth, he groaned, and encouraged, she bit harder and harder.
Finally, with a barely suppressed roar, he spilled inside her, shuddering as he filled her with a delicious heat. The shivering in his body slowly died down, but his hands holding her up were as strong and steady as ever. When he finally pulled back, she looked up at him with wide eyes.
There was so much that they needed to speak about, so much to be said, and Erin was certain that none of it could be said right now. Despite that, she clung to him, unwilling to lose the closeness that they had just found together.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice hoarse. She nodded, and he smiled. It was the most relaxed she had seen him in more than a year.
“Good,” Askari said, leaning in to kiss her.
He reached over to turn off the water, which was still running, and then he carefully carried her out of the shower. Erin thought that he would put her down, but instead he perched her on the edge of the bathroom counter.
She started to ask him what he was doing, but then he plucked up a towel and proceeded to dry her. The brisk rubbing gave her skin a glowing warmth, and she practically purred with pleasure. The power of her release in the shower had sapped her energy. All she could do was watch him with soft eyes as he dried himself.
When he was dry, she hopped down from the counter and took his hand.
“What's the matter,” he asked in surprise, and she shook her head.
“Nothing is the matter at all,” Erin whispered. “I just want you to come to bed with me.”
The moment she said that, she knew that it was a mistake. It was one thing to give each other pleasure in the shower. Sleeping together was more intimate. It was the one reliable act of closeness that they had managed to share. It would be too much now, too many memories, too many pauses and quiet moments for it to be safe.
It was on the tip of Erin's tongue to tell him to forget about it, that it wasn't necessary and that he shouldn't worry about it, but then his large hand squeezed hers. The look on his face was more wistful than she had thought it could be, and then he smiled at her.
“Beautiful little one, it is the only thing I want right now...”
She started to answer, but then there was a high thin cry from the nursery.
He laughed.
“Well, I might want Tabitha to be a little quieter. But I'll go see to her. Why don't you go climb into bed and start getting it warm for both of us?”
She laughed a little at the resignation in his tone. Before she let go of his hand, she squeezed it as well, hoping that some of the deep warmth within her traveled to him.
“I'm pretty sure that's Tonya,” she said, “but yes, hurry back.”
She meant to stay up and to wait for him. Perhaps they could actually have some of the talk they needed to have. Perhaps it would be good to finally get some of the things that had been unsaid out and to find out what he really thought. Over the past few weeks, they had learned more about each other than they had in the time they had spent together before. Every new day was a revelation, and there was no telling what tomorrow would bring.
However, by the time he opened the door and padded to the bed, Erin could barely keep her eyes open. She tried to rouse herself back to wakefulness, but then he came under the covers to rest behind her. He felt so good there, and so right, that all she could do was rest against him, feeling the warmth of his body spooning hers.
“Rest for now, my love,” he said softly. “We can talk in the morning.”
She murmured something that might have wanted to be a protest, but then she yawned so hard that it felt like she had unhinged her jaw. As she drifted off to sleep, she heard Askari's soft chuckle, felt the warmth of his arm over her hip and his breath ruffling her hair.
This feels just right, she thought sleepily. This feels perfect.
She was resolved, however. She refused to be pulled into a sweet oblivion like she had been in Haz what felt like so long ago. She would resist the urge to let things stay as they were. She refused to be lulled into complacency. Tomorrow, she was going to speak to Askari about what this meant for them, what kind of future they might have together, and what would need to happen to make sure that the world was safe for their daughters.
That was the plan, at least.
Erin believed that that was exactly what she would have done if she hadn't awoken to find Tabitha burning up with fever.
Chapter Fourteen
She woke up before Askari the next morning. He was such a warm and delicious weight next to her that she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with him, to allow them both to slowly waken together. Then she sighed, because surely that would be an excellent way to keep putting off the inevitable. No, it was better by far to stay out of the bed until things were a little better resolved, until she knew what was going on.
Stealthily, she crept out of bed and slipped her clothes on. Wearing the soft tunic and wide trousers that she had taken to wearing around the house, Erin padded down the hall towards the nursery. When she opened the door, however, she knew that something was very wrong.
Her heart beat faster than it should have been in this situation, and her pace quickened as she made her way to the cribs.
A quick check showed that Tonya and Talia were fine, though Tonya was awake and looking slightly fretful. She patted the fretful Tonya for a moment, and when she turned to Tabitha, she felt an alarm start to sound in her mind.
A quick touch told her that her inquisitive daughter was burning up. Tabitha felt hot to the touch, far too hot for such a small girl. Biting her lip, she immediately reached for the underarm thermometer that was kept in a small drawer nearby. She was suddenly very grateful for the long flight from the United States that allowed her to make an extraordinarily complete nursery list.
Tabitha's temperature came back at just a hair under 101 degrees Fahrenheit. That would technically be just fine for a baby of her age to wait it out, but Erin's instincts were screaming at her for some reason. She took a deep breath and told herself to stay calm. Of course, that was when Tabitha woke up and started to fuss. Of all the girls, Tabitha was likely the calmest, and there was an angry and aggravated note to her cries that made Erin even more nervous.
"Sorry, I'll be back for you two soon, I promise..."
With Tabitha in her arms, she made her way to the bathroom. Before she could get there, Askari appeared in the hallway, wearing nothing more than a pair of pajama bottoms. He started to smile upon seeing her, but the smile was interrupted by a surprised look.
"Erin..."
"Tend to the other two," she said tersely. "Make sure that they are clean and feed them. I have Tabitha."
She didn't stop to look back. She knew that he would take care of the other two girls.
In the bathroom, she balanced her daughter on her hip as she filled the crystal sink with warm water. The longer she held Tabitha, the more concerned she became. Tabitha ordinarily would have loved looking around the bathroom, at the mirror and at the gleaming taps. Instead, she simply sighed with a sound that sounded slightly like a tiny balloon deflating and leaned against her mother's shoulder.
Tabitha was almost unnaturally quiet, but then Erin stripped her and lowered her into the water. For the most part, Tabitha was indifferent to water, and sometimes she loved playing in it. However, at this point, she started crying almost piteously when Erin sat her in the water.
Moving as quickly as she dared, Erin bathed every inch of her daughter. She didn't dare use water that was truly cold, as that would have been shocking for such a young child, but even the cold water made Tabitha wiggle and squirm.
It felt like bathing her took an eternity, but in reality, it was just a few minutes. When she lifted her daughter out of the water, Tabitha was ramping up to a powerful cry, even if there was an exhausted sound to it.
"It's okay, baby, it's okay, baby..." Erin found herself chanting. "I promise, it will all be okay..."
When Tabitha was dry, Erin noted that her temperature had gone down, but it still felt overly warm to her.
Erin had the idea that if she took the little girl's temperature, she would find her still normal, but there was definitely something going on. For some reason, Erin couldn't force herself to say that something was wrong.
She made an abrupt decision.
Erin went to the door and pulled her own silk robe off of the hook. She figured that the silk would feel good and cool against Tabitha's warm skin, and the baby did seem to be a little calmer when she was bundled up in the silky fabric.
Askari appeared in the doorway, an obviously worried look on his face.
"What's going on?"
"Tabitha has a fever, and we are going to the hospital right now."
Askari's face went pale with fear.
"The hospital? Do we need an air lift, or..."
"No, nothing is going to be any faster than me getting in your rental car and driving there," she said, moving past him. "Stay with the other two..."
"I'm certainly not," he snapped. "I'll take Tabitha, and..."
"You will not!" Erin growled. If there hadn't been a baby in her arms, she would have shouted it. "This is my daughter, and she needs me. If you can't accept that... No, we are not having that discussion right this moment. Stay with the other two girls and see if you can keep them calm. Call the damned nanny you hired to help me if you want to come to the hospital. Right now, I need to get there to ensure that my baby is going to be alright..."
"Erin..."
This time, her voice was close to a shout, and Tabitha whimpered, burying her face into Erin's shoulder.
"No! Do as I say," she said. "Tabitha needs help right now, and for some reason, you are preventing me from getting it for her!"
Askari looked like he might argue, but then he nodded tightly, stepping out of her way.
For the first time, Erin didn't look back as she left Askari.
***
The hospital at the resort town was beautiful and gleaming, a modern marvel. She and the triplets had been there once before, after landing in Hazn. They had been assigned a pediatrician, a friendly woman who introduced herself as Dr. Amira, who had immediately struck Erin as competent and kind.
Dr. Amira had told Erin that the triplets were all in excellent health, but that if she had any new mother jitters that she was welcome to bring them back. On the nerve-wracking drive to the hospital, Erin had hung on to the idea that Dr. Amira would tell her what was wrong with Tabitha, but then the receptionist stated that Dr. Amira was assisting with an emergency surgery.
"Then I need to talk to someone else," Erin said. It seemed so simple. Why was everyone getting in her way today?
"Of course, ma'am, if you'll take a seat..."
"No," Erin said, her eyes narrow. "I will not. You will find me a doctor immediately."
The receptionist's face took on a more stubborn cast.
"Ma'am, I am very sorry, but right now..."
"No," Erin interjected, "you are not very sorry right now, but you will be. This little girl is the daughter of Sheikh Askari himself. If she comes to any harm over something that could have been improved by being treated a single second sooner, if she contracts something from being exposed in a hospital, if she even worsens a little bit, I can guarantee you that I will personally ask the sheikh to make your life a living hell."
Erin had no idea how sincere she sounded, but the woman's eyes widened, and she immediately walked over to the paging system, speaking in rapid-fire Arabic.
Erin watched her, unable to prevent a glare from crossing over her face. She held on to Tabitha a little more tightly, and she looked around with suspicion. If it even looked like the receptionist had called security...
A young doctor with premature silver in his hair appeared, and though he was slightly flushed from coming down so quickly, he greeted her with a calm smile.
"Ms. O'Reilly, I am Dr. Nasir ibn Saheed, and I will make sure that your baby is taken care of. Will you bring her into the examination room, please?"
She answered questions as tersely and as accurately as she could. She did her best to be polite to the people who were after all only trying to help, and when a nurse came by to draw blood from Tabitha's tiny arm, she only had to take a deep breath before she allowed them to do it.
A nurse was explaining how it was time to give Tabitha another sponge bath when Askari appeared in the doorway.
"How is she?" he asked softly, coming to stand by Erin's side.
"They're trying to figure out if it is a viral fever or one caused by bacteria," Erin said shortly. "It'll determine what course of treatment they can give her."
They both sat back as the nurse expertly bathed her daughter. Everything in the world felt muted for Erin right that moment. When Askari took her hand, she started to feel as if things were a little better, but then the doctor returned.
He greeted them both deferentially, and someone must’ve told him that the sheikh was in attendance, because he did not seem shocked.
He explained to them that while Tabitha's temperature was on the high side, it was likely a simple bacterial infection that had weakened her immune system. He told them that a course of antibiotics and some children's ibuprofen would be enough to cure what she had, and of course, if they were worried, they could always return.
He sat through their questions, and when they were both as satisfied as they could be while their daughter was ill, they were allowed to leave with their medication and their weary daughter.
Tabitha looked as if she was exhausted after everything that had happened. She slouched low in her car seat when they were on their way back to the house, and Erin had to keep turning around to touch her, to make sure that she was still there.
Throughout the drive back to the cottage, Askari's hand kept closing over hers as comfortingly as he could.
"You just finally realized that the mother of your children is a crazy woman, didn't you?" she said with some amusement.
"What do you mean?"
"When I am afraid that my child is in danger, I turn into a bit of a monster," Erin confessed, leaning back in the seat. "Giving you orders, threatening the receptionist... if that nurse had looked the least bit incompetent when it came to bathing Tabitha, I would have decked her."
; Askari chuckled.
"Honestly, it makes me feel better than anything else could," he promised. "It tells me that the mother of my children is a strong woman who will fight for them no matter what."
She laughed because it was a nice idea, but she thought nothing more of it, or at least she didn't until a few days later.
Tabitha recovered quickly, and just short of a week after their ordeal at the hospital, she was all better. Erin was playing with all three girls on the play mat, stretched on her belly and making faces, when Askari arrived back from a very short trip to Haz.
"Hello," she said with a smile. "Do you want me to make you something?"
"No, I want you to stay right there," he said tenderly, and there was something about his tone that made her sit up. She was wearing a tunic stained with food from Tonya's lunch, her red hair had been piled on top of her head to keep it out of the way, and it was in every respect a normal morning.
That was why she was so unprepared when Askari knelt next to her and opened a ring box so she could see the deep ruby and blue sapphire ring inside.
"Askari...!"
"Being at the hospital with you showed me something," he said. "It showed me that I could make the best possible choice for someone with whom to spend my life, that I can depend on you to protect my children, and that my family line will never lack for passion or determination while your blood runs in it."
"Askari, you can't mean..."
"I do. I love you, and I want you to marry me. Say yes."
How like him to phrase it as an order, she thought, warm joy spreading through her, and with tears in her eyes, she nodded.
He slid the ring onto her finger, and then he dragged her into his arms.
"This is real," he growled. "This is forever. You cannot take this back. I love you. I belong to you. I will never leave your side, and I will never allow you to leave mine..."
She laughed, and then he kissed her, passionate and deep, and she knew that this man, this man would be the one to complete her.
When he pulled back, there was a bright light in his eyes.
"Tell me you love me," he said, another order, and this one she gladly obeyed.