Lord of the Abyss & Desert Warrior

by Nalini Singh

  “I don’t think I can eat dessert.” Some time later, she put a hand on her stomach. It wasn’t terribly full, but she was aware that she might be engaging in some strenuous exercise soon.

  Tariq’s eyes traveled in a slow journey from her lips to her breasts, to the curve of her stomach. This time she couldn’t fight the glow that tinged her skin the color at the heart of Zulheil Rose. The instant he became aware of her response, he ran a finger across the top of her breasts. The fleeting caress made her feel weak and tingly inside.

  “We’ll leave it here.” Tariq rose to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. “In case you get hungry later.”

  Jasmine almost stumbled when she caught the meaning of his husky words. However, when she looked up, she saw that he continued to exercise rigid control over his expression. If she surrendered now, she wouldn’t be any closer to breaking through the sensual barriers between them than she’d been at the start of the evening.

  What now? she thought, frantic at the prospect of failure. He wasn’t aroused enough if he wasn’t ripping off her clothes. She was sick of being gently undressed each night. She wanted her passionate, insatiable and teasing lover back. He led her into their bedroom, stopped by the bed and lifted his fingers to the buttons on her blouse.

  Jasmine took a deep breath and pushed Tariq’s hands away. They dropped at once, but he’d already half unbuttoned her blouse, leaving her breasts in imminent danger of falling out.

  “You do not wish to proceed?” He was painfully correct in his speech.

  “Tariq, would you grant me a boon?” The old-fashioned words seemed appropriate. She was dressed like a princess from a fairy tale, or perhaps a sensual goddess from myth, and in front of her stood a dark warrior she had to woo to her side or all would be lost.

  “You do not have to ask a boon, Jasmine. I accept your desire not to…” He began to back away. Only the way he clenched his fists at his sides revealed his true feelings.

  She gripped his shirt in desperate appeal. “I want you.”

  His hands went to her buttons again. She shook her head.

  “What is it, Mina?” He sounded impatient, more like the lover she’d known before he’d started to withdraw. And he’d called her Mina.

  “I just…” She bit her lip. “Would it be okay if I touched you tonight?” This time, she went for his buttons.

  He groaned. “I’ve told you, touching me is permitted at any time.”

  “But I want you not to touch me.”

  “I do not understand.” He was wary again.

  “I lose my mind when you touch me, and for once I want to be able to explore you. Please?” She knew asking him to give her control was a risk. But if he said no, she’d just keep trying, she decided. He was already acting with more heat than he’d shown for the past two weeks. She undid the button she’d been toying with and moved on to the next one.

  His hand touched her hair in a light caress before he pulled out the pins. The soft curls tumbled to her shoulders in a fiery waterfall. “And what am I to do while you…explore me?” She didn’t miss either the slight hesitation or the abrasive roughness of his voice.

  CHAPTER TEN

  JASMINE UNDID ANOTHER BUTTON. “Just lie back and enjoy it. I’ll do all the work.”

  Silence filled the room, broken only with the sounds of their breathing. Jasmine bit her lip again and stopped herself from pleading.

  “I’ll allow you to do this.” His hands settled on her exposed hips, his skin warm against hers.

  Jasmine smiled and reached up on tiptoe to press a soft kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”

  He appeared startled by her open enjoyment of the situation, but was willing to do as she wished. She drew back and finished unbuttoning his shirt, then pulled the tails out of his pants to complete the task. His beautiful chest felt as hard as steel under her questing fingers. Delighted by the freedom to explore, she ran her fingernails down the center line of his chest. He sucked in a breath.

  “I love your chest.” She threw caution to the winds. “Every time I see you come out of the shower, I want to pull you into bed and kiss you everywhere.” She moved her fingers to his flat male nipples and then ran her nails over both. His groan was music to her ears.

  Emboldened by his response, she wrapped her arms around his rigid body and put her hands flat on his back. His skin was so hot it almost burned. Then she flicked her tongue over one of his nipples. His hand moved up her back to clench in her hair. Delighted, she continued to kiss his chest, alternating soft warm kisses with wet openmouthed ones. She kissed her way down to his abdomen until she was kneeling in front of him. When she reached the waistband of his pants, he tugged on her hair with innate gentleness and pulled her back up.

  “Mina,” he whispered, against her mouth. “Have you had enough exploring?” His voice was heavy, sensual, encouraging.

  She gasped when he sucked her lower lip into his own mouth. He took his time kissing her, bestowing nibbling love bites on her lips before urging her to open. When she did, his tongue swept in and proceeded to taste her with arrogant thoroughness. It was a long, lazy kiss that left her feeling as if she belonged to him. When he released her, she shook her head, breathless and aroused. “I’ve just begun.”

  She trailed her fingers down the bare part of his arms. His golden skin strained to contain the pure strength of the muscles beneath. Lifting his hand to her mouth, she sucked one finger into the moist recesses. He released his breath in a forceful hiss. One by one, she sucked each of his fingers and then repeated the hot, sweet caress on his other hand, before moving to undo the buttons on the cuffs.

  By the time she finished, Tariq’s vivid green eyes echoed the perfect clarity of shattered emerald shards. “Would you like this off?” He motioned to his shirt.

  “Yes.” Walking behind him, she helped tug it off. The skin of his shoulders was hot and smooth. Jasmine molded her hands over them, captivated by the way they tensed.

  The shirt fell to the floor. After pushing it aside with one foot, she shucked her slippers. When he would’ve turned, she wrapped her arms around his waist and plastered herself against him. “Stay. I want to touch your back.” The shudder that went through him vibrated against her sensitive nipples and reached deep within. It was as if a part of Tariq was inside her, touching her in the most intimate way.

  Pressing her palms against his chest, she drew back just far enough to appreciate the sculpted planes of his back. Muscles moved like liquid steel under his skin when he raised his hands and put them over her own.

  “You’re so strong.” She blew a warm breath onto his skin, entranced by the way he groaned and leaned backward. His reaction was the strongest of aphrodisiacs. “So beautiful.”

  His chuckle was hoarse. “It is you who are beautiful. I am a man.”

  She bit him just under his shoulder blade. “Absolutely, utterly beautiful.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “I am pleased you find me beautiful, Mina. However, you are not to tell this to anyone.”

  Jasmine laughed at the mock warning and tugged her fingers from his grasp. Once free, she began to trace the defined muscles of his back with slow deliberation. His breathing hitched, then restarted in a shallower rhythm.

  “Would it damage your reputation as a tough, macho sheik?” She began to kiss her way down his spine. Her half-exposed breasts pressed against him, exciting her as much as she hoped the contact was stimulating him.

  He took a deep breath. “I do not know this word macho.”

  She started to undo the remaining buttons of her blouse, while continuing to caress his back, pressing urgent kisses against his slightly salty skin. “Macho means you.” She grazed his ribs with sharp little teeth. “Strong, manly, very masculine.” The blouse came undone. She pulled it off her shoulders and then licked her way back up his spine with her tongue. There was a swish as the blouse fell behind her. Her mind spinning with the extravagant sensuality of the moment, she plastered herself a
gainst him once more.

  Electricity sizzled between them as skin touched skin.

  Tariq’s groan was a rumble deep in his throat. Sensing that her panther was reaching the end of his tether, she moved to stand in front of him. Her lover’s expression was devoid of disguise, his eyes so dark they were almost black, his desire etched in stark lines.

  Aroused beyond bearing, Tariq had to touch Mina. He raised one hand and cupped the warm weight of one breast. She gasped and her fingers pressed into his chest.

  “No, please.” It was a husky whisper, a sensual plea.

  “You will kill me with this exploring, Mina.” He picked her up and put her on the bed, aching to claim her. The disappointment that flickered in her eyes at having her exploration cut short fanned the flames of his passion as nothing else could have done. Keeping his eyes on her body, he kicked off his shoes and unzipped his pants.

  “Yes?” He paused, waiting for her instruction.

  Eyes wide, she nodded.

  He peeled off his underwear with his pants. Jasmine stunned him by reaching out and trailing her finger down the length of his erection. His body was racked with tremors. “Move aside, Mina, or I will be on top of you and this will end.”

  She shifted with an alacrity that made him feel like the most desired of men.

  He lay down on the bed on his back, his arms folded under his head. “I think you have about five more minutes,” he warned, his gaze skating possessively over her body. He’d thought he could manage the beast inside him, dictate what he felt for this woman, but all he’d done was starve himself. The weeks of enforced calm disintegrated, and the primitive urge to take Mina ate away at his control.

  As he watched, Jasmine straddled his thighs. Her gauzy skirts settled around them like curtains of mist.

  “In that case, I’ll get right to the crux of the matter.” Without warning, she wrapped her fingers around his erection.

  Swamped with ecstasy, Tariq growled low in his throat and pushed into her hands. Her fingers were delicate and feminine around him, her expression utterly fascinated. Seduced by her delight in his body, he surrendered and let his wife have her way with him.

  Encouraged by Tariq’s unhidden enjoyment, Jasmine increased the pressure and began to move her hand up and down. Velvet over steel. Burning fire and searing heat. A soft moan escaped her lips. She could feel herself being seduced by his reactions. Tariq’s face was a study in raw passion. His cheekbones stood out against his flushed skin and his teeth were gritted against the pleasure. Aching with the need to give him more, to give him everything, she dipped her head and replaced her hands with her mouth.

  Tariq’s thighs went as hard as rock under her. He jerked up into a sitting position and clenched his hands in her hair. When he shuddered under her inexpert caresses, Jasmine’s fear of not pleasing him evaporated. Exhilarated by his hoarse cries, she settled into the task she’d set herself.

  Mina’s attentive exploration snapped the threads of Tariq’s control. “Enough.” He pulled her up, his hands rough.

  Her heavy-lidded, passion-hot face inflamed him further. With another throaty groan, he hauled her up his body, until she was almost astride him. Then he reached under her skirt and found the lace of her panties. The sound of lace and satin ripping was drowned out by the loud panting of their breaths. Tariq threw aside the torn pieces and touched her with his fingers. Creamy heat welcomed him.

  “You’re so wet, Mina.” His voice shook with the discovery.

  Sensitized beyond bearing by their erotic play, Jasmine moved demandingly against his fingers. “Now. Now!”

  Tariq didn’t argue, sliding her onto his hard length. He was too slow for her. She gripped his sweat-slick shoulders and pushed down, surprising him. He lodged to the hilt inside her and groaned in satisfaction. She saw the look on his face and knew that this time, her lover would be coming with her on the incandescent final ride. He had, after all, ripped off her clothing. With a smile, she gave in and rode him to surrender.

  TARIQ DREW A LINE DOWN Jasmine’s breastbone with his finger. She squirmed under the light caress. Tariq let her capture his hand in her own and place it over her heart. She was almost asleep, apparently exhausted by their wild mating.

  “You were aroused just by touching me,” he commented.

  “Tariq,” she murmured, her cheeks red.

  “So shy now?”

  Opening her eyes, she made a face at him. “Tease.” But she wriggled closer and wrapped her arms around him.

  He stroked her back, as if petting a cat. “Always?” Under his hand, she was warm and smooth.

  “What?” she asked sleepily, burrowing into his chest.

  “Are you always aroused by touching me?” he persisted, even as he cuddled her close to him. The need he’d hidden deep within rebelled against being ignored any longer.

  Eyes closed and body relaxed almost totally, Jasmine muttered, “I get aroused just by looking at you. It’s because I love you. Now go to sleep.”

  “Mina, when you touch me like that, I could almost believe you.” He knew she didn’t hear him, because she’d already fallen asleep. Stroking her hair off her face, he wondered if she would remember her declaration tomorrow. It didn’t matter, because he would. The fist that had been clenched around his heart loosened. Maybe being unable to control his feelings wasn’t the disaster he’d thought. Not if this was the outcome.

  While she slept, Tariq couldn’t help but compare the woman he’d seen over the past week to the girl to whom he’d given his heart, only to have it rejected. In his arms, she was fire, unafraid of her sensuality. Yet in the desert, though her persistence had angered him, she hadn’t given up probing for the truth of the past. The autocratic part of him that expected instant obedience bristled at her audacity. But there was a bigger part of him that was awed by her feminine strength. This was a woman with whom he could rule.

  Since Paris, he’d wanted to take a chance on his wife. Tempted by the promise of the last few days, he found that the urge to let his barriers fall was almost irresistible. He wanted to give her his trust. Except the last time he’d done that, she’d almost destroyed him. Did he dare to try again, even knowing that she still hid something from him?

  SHE HAD HER PANTHER BACK.

  “You will follow my orders. You will not venture into Zulheina today.” Tariq slammed the flat of his palm on his desk, the sound as loud as a pistol shot in the quiet study.

  Jasmine put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Why not? I’ve always been able to do so before.”

  “I have given an order. I expect it to be obeyed.”

  She blew out a breath through pursed lips. And she’d wanted this fiery, hot-tempered creature to come back? “I’m not a servant to be given a command!” She lost her temper for the first time. After the powerful intimacy of the last few days, he could act with a tad more consideration. “Give me an explanation that makes sense and I’ll stay.”

  Tariq stalked around his desk and put his hands on her waist. Then he picked her up until they were eye to eye. Her feet dangled off the floor. Jasmine placed her hands on his shoulders and refused to be intimidated.

  “Has a terrorist organization infiltrated Zulheina?” she guessed wildly. “No, I’ve got it. Today is the annual Kill-the-redhead Festival. No, no wait, is it Tariq-is-going-to-act-like-a-dictator Day? Am I right? Come on, am I even close?” She pushed at his shoulders, furious at the way he was demonstrating his greater strength.

  His shoulders started to shake. She squinted at his face. “Arrgh! Let me go, you… No, I can’t call you an animal because that would insult the animal.” Tariq laughed harder, his eyes sparkling. “Stop it you…you husband!”

  “Mina.” His smile was blinding. “Mina, you’re magnificent.”

  That made her pause. It had sounded like a compliment. She looked at him suspiciously. “Are you going to tell me?”

  “It seems I have been insulted into submission.”

  “Hah
! Your hide is as thick as a rhinoceros’s. Anything I say just rolls off,” she muttered under her breath. “Put me down.” He wrapped his arms even tighter around her and walked through the door, into the corridor.

  “Tariq, what are you doing?” She glanced around, hoping against hope that no one else was around. His official study was in the main wing of the palace. “My feet are bare. My slippers fell off when you picked me up.”

  “Then it is just as well I am carrying you.” His reply was insufferably male.

  She gave up. Wrapping her arms more firmly around his neck, she hung on, realizing that he was taking them back to their rooms. “Are you planning to lock me in our suite?”

  He paused and then resumed his ground-eating stride. “I had not thought of that. It is an excellent idea.”

  Jasmine shook her head and tipped her head back, but she couldn’t catch his eye. “Bad idea. Very bad idea.” When he didn’t reply, she narrowed her eyes and tried to shake his shoulders. “You wouldn’t…would you?”

  “I must have a way to deal with the bad-tempered hellcat I’ve married.” He pushed through the doorway to their suite and headed for their bedroom.

  “Bad tempered!” She scowled. “Me? I think you’ve got your wires crossed.”

  “At least it’s not my eyes.”

  “Eyes? What…I can’t believe it. You made a joke?” She gave a theatrical gasp that turned into a cry of surprise when he dropped her onto the bed. “Be still my heart.”

  Tactile pleasure shimmered over her when he lowered his body full-length over hers. He started to stroke her with his talented hands. “Is this supposed to be a distraction?” she demanded.