by Sophia Lynn
Only when she was whimpering with need did he pull her panties down, throwing them somewhere behind him. Now she was entirely bare to his fingers, his hands, and his mouth. When he bent down to lap at her soft, warm flesh, she nearly levitated off of the swing. Berry's slight motions made the swing rock, and she could feel her mind spin at all of the powerful sensations that were blazing through her body.
Rasul refused to hurry. He took his time, first lapping at her slit, and then dipping two fingers into her warmth. Her hips pressed up towards him desperately, but he refused to give her the climax that he knew he could give her. Instead he teased her, bringing her right up to the very edge of climax before pulling away. She didn't know how much time had passed, and she didn't know how long she had been clenching her fists in his hair, but she was a desperate thing when he finally stood.
"Please, Rasul!" she cried. "Please, please, I need you …"
For a moment, as he looked down on her, she wondered if this was some kind of revenge. Would he simply bring her to the point of climax to walk away?
"I need you," he responded.
With no more warning than that, his dark hand fisted in her dress. With two sharp, focused moments, he tore it open, and left her lying in the shreds of what had once been a dress. He reached behind her to unhook her bra, throwing it wherever he had thrown her panties, and now she lay naked for him like some kind of offering. The sun had set fully, and the soft light of the porch made her skin glow silvery. For a moment, they were frozen, as if they were part of some kind of historic tableau, a tale that had been told a thousand times.
With a growl that was barely human, he fell upon her, his hands everywhere. The roughness of his clothing against her bare skin only made Berry more excited, and she threw her arms around him, hooking her legs around his hips in the need to have him closer.
"Take me, take me, take me," she chanted in his ear, and this time, the tremor that ran through his body turned into a full-scale shudder.
He stood to strip away his clothes, and now he rose above her like some ancient sheikh come to claim his prize. She had time to look at the darkness of his shape above her, the heaviness of his arousal, and then he fell upon her like a wolf on a doe. His hands wrapped around her hips, dragging her to the edge of the swing as he stood, feet planted with his hips angled to meet her.
He can't be thinking …
He was. Rasul's hands landed on the chains that attached the swing to the central chain that reached up to the ceiling. With a single motion of his hands, he could drag her forward and push her away as he chose. With one hand on a chain, the other reached down to urge her legs apart, running a finger along her wet slit. He toyed with her clit for a moment, but then he pulled away again. She would have whimpered with need, but then the blunt head of his bare cock was pressed against her entrance.
"Do you want me?" he asked hoarsely. "Do you want me, Berry?"
"I do, please!" she cried out, and with a single motion, he entered her. She felt his full length pressing inside her, and he didn't stop until they were joined as completely as they could be. She gasped, making him pause.
"Berry? Are you all right?"
"Yes, I am, just please … please don't stop!"
His chuckle was dark and full of masculine satisfaction. "I have absolutely no intention of doing so," he said, and he started to move.
Keeping his hips almost perfectly still, he reached up to grasp the chains holding the swing. With a gentle nudge, he set the swing into motion, and even the slight movements made her cry out with pleasure. She was utterly weightless but supported by the swing. It was directing the motion of her body and how it met Rasul's, and the delicious sensation of being utterly helpless in the face of it made her groan with pleasure.
The pleasure that had been burning low in her belly flared up as if he had thrown gasoline on it, and in a matter of moments, she could feel herself start to shake. She couldn't believe that she was drawing up to a climax so fast, but neither could she stop it. She reached for him desperately, and letting go of the chain, he came down over her, gathering her up in his arms.
"Come," he said softly in her ear. "Give me that pleasure that you have promised me …"
She flung her arms around him, and almost as if by his command, her body seemed to tear itself apart with pleasure. The sensations started low in her belly before expanding out to sweep over the rest of her, shaking her to pieces as she wailed her pleasure to the empty desert.
He shook over her, and Berry knew that somehow, Rasul was feeling her pleasure as if it were his own. Her climax drove him over the edge, and as she started to come down off of the power of her arousal, his motions sped up until he was pounding into her, the swing's motions fast and jerky as he pushed into her over and over again.
When he found his own climax, his shout echoed through the night, and she could feel the heat of his release flood her. She clung to him, wanting to wring every bit of pleasure from the way their bodies were together, from the electricity that existed between them.
When he stopped shaking, he fell down on top of her, his weight a pleasure all on its own. She knew that she should get up, but this intimacy, one that was just as potent as what they had just done together, was hard to resist.
"Please …"
She thought that it was just her imagination at first. The word was small, almost broken, and it could not have come from the proud man who had sparred with her from the first moment that they had met. Berry shifted slightly so that they could lie side by side on the swing. The porch was dark, but it was still possible to make out the expression on his face.
"Rasul?"
"I need you," he said softly. "I am not sure that I have ever said those words to another person before. I need you, and by God, if you must go, then I will allow it, because above all I want your happiness, but I am telling you now that if you stay, I will give you the best I can, every day for the rest of my life. I will only love you more with every day that passes, and I will make you my queen."
Suddenly, Berry felt as if her throat was too tight. She could feel tears stinging at the back of her eyes, and she was terribly afraid that if she said what was truly in her heart, she would simply break. "Rasul, it is not that easy …"
"It can be," he said insistently. "If you will simply … be with me, if you are simply by my side, then everything is details. Everything else can work itself out. I swear to you, Berry. You are the one light in my life, and the thought of losing you tears my heart out of my chest."
She took a deep breath, and she made herself stand up. Deliberately, Berry found her clothes. She couldn't look at Rasul while she said what came next.
"You don't have to lie any longer," she said, her voice small. "I was part of your bargain with Farnsworth. My … company in return for your favor. Don't lie and tell me that I'm wrong, or that I am mistaken."
He stood up from the swing, standing before her. He paid no mind to being utterly naked, and he stood before her without fear or regret.
"No. Farnsworth gave me … an excuse and a lever, I suppose, but it was never about using you, Berry, I swear to that. If anything, I used Farnsworth. I let him believe whatever he wanted to believe so that I could spend some time with you."
He took a deep breath before continuing. "I will be honest, I am not proud of that. I was only desperate for you …"
"And when we came back, when you ignored me? Why was that?"
Instead of responding, he reached for his phone. After a few flicks of his finger, he showed it to her.
Bemused, she found that he had turned the screen to an international headline, one that read "Financial Disaster Averted by Swift Action of UAE Talks." The blurb talked about a crisis that had involved most of the UAE along with many neighboring countries, and in the photo that was taken of the accords, she could see a man that she quickly recognized as Rasul standing in the center, addressing the delegates.
"That's you," she said with surprise.
<
br /> "It is," he said. "And when I tried to contact you when I could, my messages hung up. They were all undelivered when I finally thought to check on it."
"You … during all this, you tried to contact me?"
"I did. It was a special kind of terrible when my Minister of Finance contacted me before I had even sat down. My presence was needed immediately. I had hoped you would understand."
Berry felt her cheeks burn as she realized exactly what had happened.
"But I didn't," she said slowly, "Because of my own damn insecurity, and because Farnsworth … Oh my God …"
Suddenly, she couldn't stop shaking. It felt as if all of the emotions that she had been trying to control for the past few days came roaring up on her. She could feel tears in her eyes, but she could also feel a certain lightness to her heart as well, as if a weight that had been on it had finally lifted away forever.
Rasul's arms came around her, holding her tight, and he lowered them both down until they were sitting in the swing again, this time with her on his lap.
"Will you listen to me now?" he asked, and unable to reply, she nodded.
"You were always more to me than what we could do to each other in bed. When I first saw you in the souk, I would have done anything to get your attention, to make sure that I could see you and speak with you. We spoke, and we sparked off of each other like flint on steel. You disappeared, and I thought that I would never see you again.
"Then at the party, I felt my heart beating out of my chest because there you were, but when I saw you on Farnsworth's arm, I thought you were doubly lost to me. Then, miracles of miracles, there was a chance to see you, to spend time with you.
"Perhaps it was foolish and crude of me to seize on the chance that was offered the way I did, but I did as my heart told me to do, and right now, I have no regrets."
"Rasul …"
"Shh, a little longer, and I will let you say what you need. Right now, simply listen to me."
She swallowed hard, subsiding into silence. Something inside her felt as if it were breaking apart.
"I knew what Farnsworth was trying to do. I knew from the beginning. Men like him make offers to me all the time, and those offers are worth nothing to me, nothing at all. What was far more important was the woman in front of me, and, Berry, please, you must believe me when I say that there was nothing in my head about buying you or taking you. I only wanted … to worship you."
Berry sucked in her breath at his use of that word, the one that had caused them to fall together in the first place while biting and snapping like cats and dogs.
"Worship," she said with wonder, and he smiled a little.
"Yes, worship. Because, Berry, when I look at you … I see a future I had only imagined before. I see the woman I want to treat as the sun in my sky and the moon in my night. I want to love and protect you for all of my days, if only you will allow it. Since the beginning, I have known that you were special. After just a little bit of time with you, I know how truly special you are."
He took a deep breath. For a moment, Berry was reminded of warriors bracing themselves for battle.
"Berry. I love you. I love you with all of my soul. Please, will you stay in Alamun? Will you be my queen?"
Tears started in her eyes, and blindly, she reached for his hands. She was shaking, and at first, she could barely get the words out.
"Yes … oh yes, Rasul, I love you … with all my heart. I love you, I love you …"
She found herself crushed against his broad chest as he embraced her, tilting her face up so he could kiss her.
We will do this forever, she realized, her heart opening with joy. This is forever …
As she looked up into his clear gray eyes, she knew that this love would only grow, that she had finally met the man who would treat her as his goddess, the light of his life.
THE END
Click here
to subscribe to our newsletter & get EXCLUSIVE updates on all offers, secret previews, and new releases!
ANOTHER STORY YOU MAY ENJOY
Royal’s Wedding Secret
By: Sophia Lynn
Free preview below!
Royal’s Wedding Secret
By: Sophia Lynn
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2015-2016 Sophia Lynn
CHAPTER ONE
New York City, Now
Marnie froze, which was very awkward given the fact that she was currently hovering over the cheese tray in the rear corner of the bookshop. She had wanted to make sure that she got some cheese and some grapes before the rest of the crowd realized that there was free food, and she thought she had done quite well for herself before she turned around and caught sight of the dark-haired man closer to the front of the room.
It really can't be him, can it?
She told herself that it was foolishness. There was no way it could be Philip, none whatsoever, but the longer she watched, the more she recognized the man's way of standing, the tilt of his head, even the way he raked his fingers through his thick, dark hair as he spoke.
Cassie elbowed her in the ribs. "Marnie, you really need to step aside and let someone else—oh hello, that's nice, isn't it?"
Her best friend offered the object of Marnie's regard an appreciative look, but when she glanced back at Marnie, it was clear that Marnie wasn't just appreciating a handsome man.
"Look, I know you've not managed to get out for a while, but seriously, we're in New York. There are lots more handsome men around, though I have to admit, the one that you're eying up is pretty impressive. What gives?"
Marnie recovered enough to step back from the table. Without thinking of what she was doing, she stuck herself behind a shelf of travel books. She was short, and it hid her quite well, but still she had to resist the urge to crouch down.
"I know there are more handsome men out there, but this is one that I know." When Cassie still looked a little confused, Marnie winced. "He's one that I know intimately."
"Oh my, one of those situations, eh? Well, what do you want to do? Want me to start talking loudly about politics so you can make your getaway?"
Marnie bit her lip. If she were being practical and sensible, there would be nothing smarter than to take Cassie up on her offer. Cassie was a good friend, and the only thing she liked more than having a good time with her friends was causing a scene.
However …
It was Philip.
Some people enter your life and write their initials on it. Over time, their initials might become eroded or worn away entirely. When it came to Philip, he hadn't just initialized her rock. He had blasted his full name into it, and some days, the letters looked as if they had been cut yesterday.
"I don't know," she said, but then he turned towards her. If she had had any doubts that it wasn't Philip, the man's nearly black eyes would have blown those doubts away. She had never known anyone with eyes that dark, and as always, it was a struggle to avoid drowning in them.
The moment he saw her, he started cutting through the crowd to get to her, and Cassie tensed.
"So what's the plan? Do I trip him so you can make it through the fire exit?"
"There's no plan," Marnie said faintly, but then what else was new? When it came to Philip, there never was.
***
New York City, Six Years Ago
Marnie had been minding her own business, but if she were being honest with herself, that had never saved anyone. She was as wary and mistrustful as any native New Yorker, but the truth was that you simply couldn't be on guard all the time. That spring day, she had had nothing on her mind more pressing than getting down the street to the café to do some writing. Her small laptop was zipped securely in its bag, safe from theft, but apparently, she had left her wallet in the open front pocket.
The thief saw it, and apparently, it was too good to pass up. In another world, the thief got an easy wallet, she cursed her absentmindedness, and Philip Demarier kept right on walking. She didn't live in th
at world, however.
The thief plucked her wallet out of her bag, but somehow, at the last minute, his arm got tangled in the strap. Marnie was pulled back with a hefty yank, and thanks to years of martial arts training, she spun around and got her fists up to defend herself and to also make anyone who threatened her very, very sorry.
At that point, the thief wanted nothing more than to get away, but somehow he had gotten even more tangled in her strap. Marnie, who was not entirely sure what was going on, yanked backwards, making things worse, and at that point, she still had no idea he wanted her wallet.
They were both shouting at each other, unwilling to give a single inch, and that was when Philip intervened.
To Marnie's view, a tall, striking man stepped up and grabbed her strap with one hand, while grabbing the thief's arm with the other. With a surprisingly deft move, he pulled them apart, and when the thief tried to melt into the crowd, Philip shook him just enough to make him quit.
"What the hell is going on?" Marnie sputtered, which in retrospect was not the most charming thing she had ever said to a handsome man.
"This man was trying to pick your pocket," Philip replied, a slight note of humor in his voice. "If it helps, I wasn't trying to do anything but help. You, not him, if there's any confusion."
A policeman had been found surprisingly quickly, and then it was just Marnie and Philip standing in the middle of the pavement while people crowded around them.
"Oh, let's get out of the center of the sidewalk, people are trying to walk," she said.
Without thinking of what she was doing, she hooked her arm through his and tugged him into the slight protected area right next to a building. Now that she was calming down, she was startled to see how truly handsome her rescuer was. He towered over her own five feet nothing, and his black hair and black eyes combined to give him a compelling attraction. His face was stern, but his lips were sensual. When he smiled, he sent a shiver up her spine.