Innocent in the Harem

by Michelle Willingham

  He wanted to believe that Suleiman had not brought him here to die. But the first attempt on his life had already happened. Though it might have been coincidence, likely it was only the beginning. Right now, he felt the need to squeeze every last drop out of his life. For it might be the last moments he had.

  It was nearing sunset, but there was one last horse he wanted Laila to see. Given her skill with animals, he wondered how she would respond when she saw this particular horse. He led her toward the last stable at the far end of the grounds.

  “Where are we going?” Laila asked, replacing the veil over her face.

  “There’s another stallion I want to show you.”

  They walked in silence, her hand fitted within his. She seemed more at ease in his company, and it pleased him. A horse’s whinny broke through the stillness, and Khadin led Laila to the fenced enclosure where a white Arabian paced. The restless stallion saw them approaching and galloped closer, rearing up as if to intimidate them.

  Laila’s face turned to dismay when she saw the reddened scars upon the horse’s back. “Who did this to him?”

  Khadin shook his head. “I don’t know. I won him in a wager, a few days ago. The pasha promised an Arabian horse as his forfeit. I didn’t realize at the time that it was one he’d confiscated in battle.”

  Laila seemed lost in thought for a moment. “An Arabian is a horse of great value. This one is worth more than a slave.” Her fingers slipped free of his, her expression pleading. “I could tame him for you…in exchange for my freedom.”

  He understood her reasoning, but it wasn’t possible. “Even if I did grant your request, you have no brothers or father to escort you home,” he pointed out. “It is far more dangerous outside these gates.” There was also no way of knowing where the survivors of her tribe might be. It was better for her to remain here, where she would be protected.

  “Please,” she begged. “It’s the only thing I can offer to you. Let me try.”

  Khadin reached out and slid his fingertips beneath her veil. He lowered the soft wisp of fabric covering her face, revealing her mouth. With the slightest touch to her lower lip, he leaned in and stole a kiss.

  From the moment his mouth met hers, it was clear that she did not know how to kiss a man. He nipped at her lips, coaxing her to respond. “It is not the only thing you have to offer, güzelim.”

  This time when he kissed her, he coaxed a faint response. She was awkward in kissing, but he cupped her face in his hands, drinking in the taste of her lips. Gradually she caught the rhythm, and her hands slid around his waist as if for balance.

  He was glad she was not entirely resistant to him. And despite her inexperience and how little they knew each other, he wanted to spend more time with her. Unlike the other women he’d known, not once had she made sly remarks, insinuating an interest in his wealth. All she craved was her freedom.

  When Khadin pulled away, her cheeks flooded with color, replaced by a stricken expression. Though she’d said nothing to offend him, he saw that she did not want to yield. Like a caged wild animal, she had no intention of embracing her fate. And yet, there was uncertainty in her eyes, as if he’d conjured an unexpected response.

  Khadin released her, walking over to stand by the fence. He waited long moments before at last, her soft footsteps approached. From behind him she murmured, “I know you rescued me from a worse fate today. Any other woman would be weeping for joy to live in a palace such as this.”

  “But not you.”

  She shook her head, her forearms resting upon the fence. “I feel lost here. And I know I don’t belong among the others.”

  The evening sunlight silhouetted her face, though she had replaced the veil to cover her mouth. She sent him a sidelong glance. “The guards are watching us, aren’t they?”

  He gave a curt nod. “At all times. Only when I am in my bed chamber, am I permitted to be alone. Even then, there are always kapici outside the doors.”

  A faint shiver seemed to pass over her. “I wouldn’t want to live that way.”

  “It’s the price of being a prince.” He made no excuses, for it had always been thus. Only within the boundaries of Nerassia, could he do as he wished. The dark sense of foreboding enfolded him, making him wonder if tonight was his last night.

  For the next half hour, they both stood watching the horse. Laila was entranced by the animal, and there was a determined look upon her face. A confidence that she could bring this proud, stubborn animal to yield before her.

  Khadin wondered if he could tame her in the same manner. Like an Arabian princess, she would not surrender to any man. But he sensed that she was a woman with much to give, if she would let him touch her. He wanted to awaken her to her own passion, teaching her how to experience pleasure. And he wanted to watch her come apart when he joined his body with hers. Perhaps she could relieve the shadow of assassination, helping him to forget that these moments might be his last.

  “You want your freedom, I know,” he began. His words immediately caught her attention, and she faced him with hope in her eyes. She joined her hands with his, fervent longing in every part of her body.

  “Please,” she whispered. In her eyes, he saw a woman who would give up anything for her freedom. And though he ought to feel like a bastard for even suggesting it, he wanted her.

  “When I leave the palace for Nerassia, I will escort you myself.” That is, if he was permitted to leave. Khadin refused to consider the alternative. “You may spend your days with the stallion, attempting to train him. If you succeed, I will give him to you. At night, you will sleep within my chamber.” He leaned down and removed the veil covering her face, dropping the barest kiss upon her lips. “And you will surrender yourself to me. Willingly.”

  Chapter Three

  Laila didn’t respond at first, though her pulse quickened. The very thought of sharing Prince Khadin’s bed sent chills through her. He was a dangerous man, one who held her life in his hands. And yet, when he’d kissed her, she sensed his own tension. There was something else beneath the surface, a troubled man who had secrets. In many ways, he seemed as trapped as she.

  It was foolish to think that he would leave her alone. The only reason he had brought her to the palace was because he desired her. But why? She couldn’t understand why he would not choose any of the hundreds of beautiful women in the harem. Their bodies were lush and full, nothing like her lean limbs. And they had the sexual experience she lacked.

  She wanted to tell him no. She couldn’t allow herself to be used in that way. Not for any man. Not for her freedom.

  “What is your answer?” he prompted, his knuckles grazing her cheek.

  Her mouth opened to refuse. But the words seemed to catch in her throat when she met his gaze. He looked at her, as though there was no other woman in the world he wanted more. Even though she was a stranger to him.

  If she refused, it would take at least six years to earn her freedom in servitude. The thought of remaining imprisoned behind these walls for so long was unthinkable. What if he left her here, to be claimed by his father the sultan? The very air she breathed seemed to suffocate her.

  The nearness of Khadin was starting to cloud her judgment. She couldn’t deny that he was handsome. His intense blue eyes seemed to reach within, touching the deepest part of her. And worst of all, she did desire him. When he’d kissed her, she’d been frozen, unable to conceive of what was happening. But his mouth had shaped to hers, conjuring up shivers of need. Even now, standing beside him, her clothing was tight against her breasts. The idea of being his lover, letting him touch every part of her, was tempting.

  Khadin leaned down, his warm breath holding traces of mint. For a long moment, he rested his cheek against hers, awaiting her answer. “I want to touch you. And tempt you.” His hands moved up her rib cage, slowly drawing across her breasts. Her nipples rose up in response to the gentle touch, and she fought against the arousal he conjured.

  “But I won’t take you, unt
il you’re ready. Until you ask me to.” His firm lips captured hers, coaxing a response she didn’t want to give. But her body seemed to crave the unexpected temptation, perhaps because he was so forbidden.

  Warmth bloomed through her skin, traveling down between her legs where she grew moist. His tongue slid against the seam of her mouth, and when she opened, he penetrated. The way he would take her body this night, if she allowed it.

  Give in to him, her body urged. Your tribe will never know of it. Take the pleasure he offers, and your freedom with it.

  He gripped the back of her head, intensifying the kiss. His hot mouth claimed hers, not allowing her to protest, until Laila found herself trembling. Her mind was numb to everything, and she pulled back. “You ask too much of me,” she whispered. “Choose someone else.”

  “It’s your freedom,” he said quietly. “And you have the choice to refuse. I’ve been honest with you about what I want in return.”

  He reached up and replaced her face veil. There was no emotion upon his face, no hint of his own feelings. Without another word, he began to walk away.

  Her chance for freedom was leaving with him.

  “Wait!” she called out. “Don’t go. Not yet.”

  Prince Khadin stopped and cast a glance back at her. His arms folded across his chest, and she realized that he was not going to ask her again. This was her only opportunity, and it was about to disappear.

  Even several weeks of slavery were better than years. And though it angered her to be caught in this position, surely she could endure it. “All right,” she murmured, returning to his side. “I’ll stay with you.”

  Her mind rebelled against this choice, but at least he’d promised not to take her against her will. Surely she could resist him until she had regained her freedom.

  He started to guide her back, but she stopped him. There was something she had to do first. Extending her palm, she asked, “May I have the dates you brought along?”

  The question seemed to catch him off guard. “You’re hungry?”

  “Not for me. For the stallion.” Although there was not enough time to begin training the horse, she wanted to start building trust between them.

  Khadin passed her a handful of sugared dates, standing back so she could enter the enclosure. Laila studied the white stallion and moved slowly as he trotted around the circle. The horse appeared angry at his circumstances, and he bared his teeth.

  “I understand how you are feeling,” Laila murmured, keeping her voice soft. Opening her palm, she revealed the dates, letting him see the treat. Though it was far too soon to feed him from her hand, she untied the veil covering her face and set the dates upon it. It would allow him to learn her scent.

  The horse snorted as he eyed the pile of dates. Laila backed away until she stood several paces away from the offering, facing the stallion.

  Come to me, she willed the horse. Know that I mean you no harm.

  Behind her, she sensed Khadin watching. He climbed over the fence and moved beside her, careful not to stir the animal’s temper. As they waited for the stallion to approach, she grew more conscious of the prince’s touch. Steady and strong, he made no sudden moves. But he held her close, his arms resting beneath the curve of her breasts. Her skin warmed, and when the stallion finally leaned down to eat, Laila breathed a sigh of relief. It was a small victory.

  “I want to be here in the morning, before he’s fed,” she murmured. “I should be the one to give him his food, so he learns that I won’t harm him.”

  Khadin started to move toward the fallen veil, but she stopped him. “No, leave it. I want him to learn my scent and remember me.” The prince lifted her back over the fence, and she added, “When a stallion has suffered at the hands of another, he does not know whom to trust.”

  “As you do not trust me.”

  His low voice was a caress, and she shrugged. “I don’t know you.”

  “You will,” he murmured, his thumb stroking her palm. She couldn’t stop the slight shiver from his touch.

  The sun had finally set, and the last rays of sunlight slipped below the horizon. Khadin led her back to his quarters and with each step, Laila’s nerves intensified. His hand rested upon the base of her spine, and the quiet warmth set her senses on edge. She tried to remind herself that it couldn’t be so bad. He had been kind to her. He could easily have forced her into his bed, rather than bringing her to visit the stables. Instead he’d quieted her terror by bringing her to the one place where she felt at home—among the horses.

  Though it had hardly been a choice at all, he’d given her the right to refuse him. That was what bothered her most—that she’d enjoyed his touch. Beneath the years of guarding her virginity was a woman who wanted to know passion. She suspected there was a great deal more he might try to teach her: the secrets of the harem women.

  Lady Murana had promised she would know great pleasure. Though Laila had doubted it at the time, now she was beginning to wonder. Khadin did not appear to be the sort of man who would simply satisfy his needs.

  No, there would be more. But what it would be, she could not imagine. Her thoughts returned to the velvet pouch, and the vial that lay therein. A sudden ache took root between her thighs, a yearning need she didn’t understand.

  When they entered his chamber, Khadin dismissed the slaves, leaving them alone. Wildly, Laila wondered what would happen next. A thousand tangled thoughts closed off her mind, while her imagination fed off her insecurities.

  “You’re still afraid,” Khadin said, picking up a plump grape from the plate. He teased it against her lips until she opened her mouth and ate.

  “Yes,” she admitted. With a chagrined smile, she added, “You know that I don’t truly wish to be here.”

  He cupped her cheek, and his mouth bent to her ear, his tongue causing another ripple of sensation as he nipped at the soft lobe. “You need not fear me, güzelim.”

  He took her lips once more, his warm mouth tasting hers. It was not a threatening kiss but one meant to entice. A tingling sensation spiraled down to her breasts, heating her skin.

  Khadin slid off her ferace and anteri tunic, revealing the filmy gömlek gown beneath it. Laila clutched the undergarment, even knowing that he could see through the soft fabric. Beneath it, she wore her şalvar, the light trousers falling to her ankles.

  His blue eyes stared at her in a long, heated gaze. It was as if he were touching her already, and her skin flushed with embarrassment and unexpected anticipation.

  With his hands, he touched her waist, spanning his fingertips across her rib cage. Though he made no move to cup her breasts, her nipples tightened in the cool marble room.

  “If I could, I would command you not to be afraid.” Khadin touched her shoulders, leaning in to kiss her again. When his tongue slid within her mouth, his palms moved down her spine to press her bottom close. She felt so warm, as though she had stepped from a hot bath. Before she realized it, he’d removed the gown, leaving her bared from the waist up.

  Laila closed her eyes, trying to distance herself from him. If she let him claim her body, no longer would she be a virtuous Bedouin woman, intended for marriage. She would become a prince’s concubine.

  For so long she’d been guarded, kept away from all men. She’d never met a man like Khadin, someone with consummate power who maintained a strict control over himself. If she but voiced her refusal, she knew he would stop.

  But when his palms moved up to her breasts, her willpower started dissolving, like droplets of rain against the sand. She blocked out the voices crying out against her and kissed Khadin back. With her mouth, she captured him until he took command, ravaging her lips.

  The drowning sensation of physical need enveloped her, and she pressed herself against him, as if she could get closer. He stripped away her şalvar until she wore nothing else.

  The kiss went on, and as he kindled the secret desires within her, he brought her body close to his. “Do you want me to stop, Laila?” His mou
th moved against her throat, his palms filled up with her breasts.

  Say the words, her mind begged.

  But she couldn’t think when he was touching her. The silk of his garments seemed to chafe her skin, and he removed his kaftan and the remainder of his clothing until his bare skin rested against her.

  “Look at me, Laila.” He stood back, staring into her eyes. “This night will be for pleasure, nothing more.”

  Despite herself, she couldn’t help but study his naked form. His chest was muscled with a light dusting of hair, tapering down to a taut stomach. She felt an urge to touch the ridges there, wondering how a prince would be so physically strong. This was not a man who indulged himself with rich foods and idleness. His manhood was fully erect, the thickness leaving no doubt of his desire. Strong thighs showed that he was accustomed to riding. She wondered what it would feel like to have his body covering hers, joining in the way a stallion mounted a mare. The thought evoked another shiver of wildness within.

  “Bring me the velvet pouch Lady Murana gave you,” Khadin ordered.

  When she passed it to the prince, he reached inside and withdrew a vial of scented oil.

  “Lie down,” Khadin asked. She did, and the softness of the bed was welcome beneath her weary muscles. She wanted to curl up in the silken sheets, luxuriating in the comfort.

  The prince sat beside her and poured a small amount of oil into his palms, rubbing them together. She inhaled the scent of cinnamon and cloves, a spicy mixture that intrigued her. “I’m going to massage this into your skin,” he said quietly. “It will make you more sensitive to my touch. And as I’ve said, you have only to say the word and I’ll stop.”

  He took a droplet and touched the tip of her erect nipple. A shudder washed over her, and between her legs, she felt a deepening ache. “I’m going to touch every part of you, Laila. And then you’ll do the same to me.”

  It was a torment, imagining what it would feel like to have his hands all over her body. He took his thumb and forefinger, massaging the oil into her nipple.