by Bobbi Smith
Tori thrilled to his exciting embrace. She was filled with longings as old as the sun, and she knew Serad was the only man who could make her feel this way. She loved him . . . As terrible a truth as it was to her, she finally admitted it to herself. This pirate . . . this desert prince . . . this mysterious sheik had stolen her heart, and she would be his forever in all ways.
The moon had risen and was lighting the night with its soft, mellow glow. Inside the tent, in the sanctity of their love retreat, there was just enough illumination for Serad to see the beads of water that still glistened tantalizingly on Tori's skin. In arousing, erotic play, he began to kiss and lick each tiny droplet from her body. His lips forged paths of feverish excitement upon her willing flesh until she was moaning aloud in frenzy of need.
"Oh, Serad . . . Please . . ."
"Please what, Tori?" He rose up above her to gaze down at her. He could see the need in her eyes, but he had to hear her say it. He had to know that this was what she wanted.
His demand was torture for her. She didn't understand why she had to say it out loud. "Please . . ." she whispered raggedly.
"No, love, I have to hear the words from you. Tell me, Tori. What is it you want from me?" he urged in a deep voice that was gruff with sensuality as his hand sought the soft, round fullness of one breast. He teased the hard peak with knowing caresses.
"Make love to me, Serad. I need to . . ." She didn't finish her thought as he pressed a heated kiss to the taut crest.
"You need to what, Tori?" Serad asked as he nuzzled at her breast and then at the throbbing pulse at her throat.
She arched as he continued to work his magic with his hands. He stoked the fire of her desire until she was nearly mindless, and it didn't matter what was said, it only mattered that he filled her with his strength and made her his once more. "I need to have you inside me . . ." she finally blurted out in her weakness.
Her words sent a lightning shaft of desire through him, and he could wait no longer.
Serad undressed and then returned to her. He sought her lips with his as he slipped his hands beneath her hips. He lifted her to him and drove home the proof of his claim upon her. Tori was his, and he would never let her go.
Any logical thinking was wiped from his mind as he thrust deep inside her. When her arms encircled him, encouraging him on, he obliged. His kiss was a blazing imitation of his body's actions and she reveled in it. She lifted her legs to wrap them about his waist and when she did, Serad gave a groan of ecstasy as he rolled sideways, bringing her with him. He continued to move within her, celebrating their coming together. His hands sought her breasts as his hips ground against hers. They were one in body, and it was perfect.
The fierceness of his loving possession took Tori over the precipice. The heat within her erupted in a glorious explosion of ecstasy. All thought was lost. She could only feel as surges of pure rapture vibrated through her.
"Serad!" She cried out his name as she clung to his broad shoulders.
Knowing that he'd brought her pleasure completed the perfection of the moment for Serad. He sought his own release then, plunging deeper into her hungry body. He matched her in that wonderful joy, attaining the heights of love as his body pulsed within her.
Serad kept his arms wrapped around her as they soared to oblivion together. Complete in each other, they tasted of love's delight and then drifted to the peace just beyond.
The night hours passed in rapturous bliss as they sought and found ecstasy again and again. Sometime after midnight, Serad rose and drew Tori up with him.
"Where are we going?" she asked, clinging to his side, never wanting to be apart from him again.
"Since you didn't get to bathe earlier, I thought we could do it now . . . together."
His idea left Tori feeling decidedly wicked, but tonight there would be no modest protests or fears. Tonight she was on a sensual exploration with the man she wanted and she would not resist him in any way.
The water felt chilly against their love-heated flesh. Tori shivered, but she wasn't sure if it was from the water or from the excitement that urged her onward.
"Put your arms around my neck," he told her, suddenly deciding that bathing was the last thing he wanted to do with her.
Tori went to him and eagerly did as she was told. The almost fiery heat of his chest against her cool breasts aroused her and she moved against him, enjoying the water swirling about her.
Serad surprised her when he took her by the waist and lifted her, guiding her legs to link them about his hips. She stared at him in wide-eyed wonder over the intimacy of that contact. Her soft vulnerability was open to him without barrier, without defense, and his masculine pride was ready and waiting to enter her feminine enclave.
They said no more as he braced himself and then slipped easily within her. The contrast between her hot, tight body surrounding and holding him and the cold water left him nearly ready to explode. He began to move, unable to help himself.
The motion of the water about them added to the sensuality of their mating, and Tori had never imagined anything could feel so wonderful. Between his kisses and caresses and the water's silken touch, her senses were crying out for satisfaction. Serad thrust hungrily into her waiting womanhood, giving her all of himself.
Caught up in the power of their joining, they reached the pinnacle together, each wanting to give the other equal joy. Tori collapsed against his chest, sobbing in the aftermath of ecstasy.
No more thought was given to bathing as Serad shifted her to his arms and carried her back to the warm seclusion of the tent. He had always known that this place was special and now he knew why. Forever, he would remember this night and the wonder of Tori. She had come to him and given herself freely. It had been heaven for him.
Tori could not believe the breathless beauty of what had just transpired between them. When he lay her down upon the rugs again and moved away from her, she uttered her protest at this separation from him.
"Serad . . ." She called his name, wondering why he was moving away from her.
"I have a gift for you . . ." he said in a husky voice as he retrieved the emerald necklace he'd meant to give her the day before. Tonight, now, was the perfect time to replace the necklace he'd taken from her and thrown to the bottom of the sea. Tonight was the time to replace that Englishman in her heart. She was his now. There was no way she could claim to love another and respond to him as she did.
"A gift?"
He returned to her with the treasure in his hand. "I bought this for you. It reminded me of you." He held it up so she could see it, and she gasped at the beauty of the precious gem.
"It's lovely," she exclaimed in awe, touching it gently as he placed it around her neck.
Serad fastened the chain and then bent in a deliciously sensual move to kiss the stone where it lay nestled between her breasts. It was a simple matter to continue his caresses, and Tori arched in ecstasy as he kissed her breasts, too. They came together once again in a flawless blending of hard and soft. The victor became the vanquished as he claimed her and she took all he could give. Sated, they slept.
Dawn came and Serad roused to find Tori still slumbering by his side. The new day called to him, and taking great care not to rouse her, he slipped from the bed, dressed, and went outside to enjoy the freshness of the morning. He thought of the night just past and smiled. It had been a pure paradise to love her. He knew in that moment that no matter what, he could never let her go.
He tended to their horses and then retrieved his rifle and set about cleaning it. It was some time later when he looked up to find Tori standing in the door of the tent, holding the flap before her to shield her lovely body from his view.
He chuckled at this renewed sense of modesty on her part as he went to greet her. "You've slept well this morning," he said as he came to stand before her. He lifted one hand to caress her cheek.
"I had reason to," she replied with a soft smile. "I was up very late last night."
Serad's smile was gentle and loving, and Tori felt her heartbeat quicken. She had no regrets about what had passed between them last night. She loved him.
"Or perhaps," he continued, "we should never leave our bed at all?" His gaze darkened as it dropped to the glittering jewel that named her as his. He brushed the tent flap away from the front of her so she stood in all her naked splendor before him in the daylight. His eyes caressed her, traveling from the beauty of her bosom to the curve of her waist and her trim thighs. Her legs were long and shapely, and the memory of them locked about his waist stirred his passions again.
As he realized the direction of his thoughts, Serad gave himself a fierce mental shake. Want her though he did, there were other things he'd planned for them to do today. A wry smile curved his lips as he realized how very easy it would be to take her back to his bed and never get up again.
"Come, let's ride this morning," he invited as he moved inside the tent.
"Ride?" Her eyes rounded at his invitation. She had thought from the intensity of his regard that he'd wanted to make love again.
"I am eager to see if your boast is true. I only need to saddle the horses and we can go. I await your pleasure," Serad told her.
Tori gave a small laugh. "There are few things I enjoy more than riding, but I fear I have not suitable clothing."
"What do you normally wear to ride?"
"I have riding habits at home . . . skirts that are split so I can ride astride," she explained.
He looked thoughtful, then went to his small trunk of clothing and handed her a pair of his trousers and one of his tunics. "I'm sure they're far too big for you, but if you roll up the bottoms they will do for today."
Tori pulled on Serad's clothes and couldn't help but laugh as she practically drowned in them. She rolled long cuffs on the pants and sleeves, and when he gave her a belt it helped make the tunic look more like a dress. She knew she looked silly, but it was worth it if she got to ride. It had been months since she'd last ridden, and she could hardly wait to sit a horse again.
Serad's eyes went over her with amusement, noting the way she practically wallowed in his clothing. "I'll always prefer you in silk, but it will pass for today."
Tori longed the entire time for her riding boots, but made do with her own low-heeled shoes. Serad had gone out ahead of her to saddle the horses, and when she joined him they were tied up and ready to be ridden. He helped her mount and was surprised when she chose to ride astraddle. Swinging up on his own mare, Serad led the way from the oasis. He kept the pace slow at first to make sure she was a good rider, and then with that proven, he put his heels to the mare's side and they rode to the wind.
Tori was in heaven. She was dressed like a boy and riding astride. It was her favorite way to ride, though it had always drawn disfavor from her father and from Jonesey. She enjoyed the feeling of freedom that was hers as she pursued him across the desert sands. The ride was invigorating and stimulating as he challenged her on horseback and she matched him stride for stride. Only the proof of Serad's superior mount spelled the difference, and by the time they returned to their camp, she had earned his respect for her riding ability.
"You never cease to surprise me, Tori," Serad told her as they reined in at the oasis. "You were very honest in your estimation of your skill."
She smiled, pleased by his comment. "Someday, I will have a horse the equal of yours, and then we will see who the real horseman is."
"I'll look forward to the challenge."
They shared a light midday meal and then he decided to see if she was as good with a gun as she had been on a horse.
"I recall you bragged also of your talent with a gun," Serad commented as he came to her side holding two rifles. "Are you willing to take this dare?"
The fact that he trusted her enough to give her a gun made her feel good, and she grinned at him proudly. "Of course, just set your target. It's been a few months since I last hunted tiger in India, but I don't think I've forgotten how to shoot."
The news that she had hunted tiger impressed him, and Tori again won further respect from him with her marksmanship. He realized with some chagrin that he'd been very lucky she hadn't wanted to shoot him first and talk later that day in the cabin on the Scimitar!
Tori knew she couldn't wear Serad's clothing on the return trip to Algiers. Going to his trunk, she found that he'd brought the emerald garment along and she put it on. When Serad entered the tent moments later, he went completely still.
She was mesmerizing in the emerald silk, and the necklace he'd given her sparkled in the light. She looked as he'd thought she would look that first night she had come to him, and he went to her without pause.
There could be no denying his desire for her. Every minute he was with her, he wanted her. She was unlike any woman he'd ever known, and the thought that she'd put on the silk garment to please him stirred him to take her in his arms. They came together in ecstasy, knowing this was their last chance to enjoy the privacy of their desert paradise before it was time to leave for Algiers . . .
As the sun had begun its westerly descent, the servants arrived to dismantle their camp, and Serad and Tori rode for the city. She was wearing Jonesey's dress again. As he watched her riding her own mount proudly beside him, Serad vowed to find her some practical clothing for accompanying him in the desert. Certainly, this would not be their one and only trip to the oasis, and though Algierian women did not ride with their husbands, Tori was different. He wanted her with him and he intended that they would ride together often in the future.
Malik shot Hasim a strange look as he digested what he'd just been told. "You're certain about this?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true," Hasim reaffirmed. "I went to speak with Serad about the trouble you've been having with Muhammed Ibn Abbas, and that's when I found out from his servants that he'd taken the Englishwoman and gone into the desert."
"He took the woman into the desert . . ." The dey gave a disbelieving shake of his head before remarking thoughtfully, "I believe my other son has fallen in love."
"I believe you're right." Hasim smiled knowingly.
"It is about time. Do you know when he'll return?"
"Tonight," Hasim answered.
"Then we will delay your departure until then, but no later." His expression turned serious as he thought of his old enemy Muhammed and the threatening news they'd just heard concerning his activities.
Almira sought out her mistress with the gossip she'd heard about Serad just as soon as she could, for she knew how concerned Rabi was about her nephew and his captives.
"You're certain about this?" Rabi asked, her expression bleak after listening to the tale of her nephew's activities.
"Yes, Rabi."
"I see." She realized sadly that her words of warning to Serad had not touched him as she'd hoped, and it filled her with despair.
"They are supposed to be returning from the desert tonight."
"Thank you, Almira."
"There is something else, Rabi . . ."
"Yes?"
"I have also heard that Malik is planning to send Serad on a trip with Hasim this very day and that they should be away for almost a week."
Rabi's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she came to understand what the servant was telling her and what she had to do. "Almira . . . is it possible?" There was no need for her to say more, for she knew what her mistress wanted.
"I have made all the contacts that are necessary."
"Then we must act. The sooner the better."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Serad and Tori returned to the city at dark, and she went willingly to the harem to bathe and change clothes while Serad retired to his own chambers. There he found his servant waiting for him with the news that his aunt needed him. His first fearful thought was that she was ill, and he left to see her immediately.
Rabi was upset. During
her previous talk with Serad when she'd scolded him about his behavior, she'd hedged on telling him the complete truth behind their remaining in Algiers all these years. After hearing of his activities with his young captive, though, she'd known it was now time to have it out with him. She'd sent Almira to his home with the message for him to come to her as soon as he returned, and she waited for him now.
As disturbed as Rabi was with Serad's failure to heed her words, she was also nervous about what she was going to say to him when he finally did come to see her. Malik's threat to separate them, along with her fear of Avery and what he might do if he found out they were alive, had kept her silent for all these years. She had never forgotten her brother's vicious betrayal. She realized Avery could be in London right now, living the high life, and if so, she and Serad might face grave danger if they ever managed to return.
But returning to England and their family was not something Rabi thought would ever happen. Serad was very happy with his life in Algiers. As the son of the dey and very successful corsair reis, Serad had just about everything a man could want and seemed truly a North African now, but even so in her heart and soul, she still thought of him as Alexander and always would. Though it hurt her to admit it to herself, she doubted his title and inheritance in England would hold any great attraction for him. Still, Rabi knew the time had come when she had to be completely truthful with him, if not for his own sake, then for the sake of the girl he held hostage.
"Aunt Rabi?" Serad was relieved when he found her at her favorite place in the garden. "Are you well?"
Rabi didn't say a word at first, but just turned to look at him. He was used to finding love, approval, and affection in her regard, and the sadness he saw mirrored there in her gaze unsettled him.