by Sophia Lynn
Before she was even aware of what she was doing, Elise was bucking up into his hand, the fire that flew through her body resolving in a tension that threatened to pull her apart if it was not satiated.
"Please, please, Nadim!" she cried out, her head tossing back and forth on the bed. "I need...I need more..."
There was a ragged edge to his laugh, and she felt his free hand come up to touch her damp face.
"Reach for it, beautiful. Reach for it and let me give it to you..."
His words unlocked something in her, and she did. She strained for the pleasure he was offering, and like some kind of miracle, that tension snapped entirely, bursting through her in a series of explosions that started low in her belly but progressed throughout her frame. She couldn't stop herself from shouting, she couldn't stop herself from pounding the bed with her fists. All she could do was bear it as he stretched over her to keep her grounded.
"Nadim," she murmured when she could finally speak. "Nadim..."
Even without getting out any other words, it was as if he knew what she needed. She parted her legs when he rose up over her, letting him come to kneel between them. Instead of being too sensitive or sore for him, there was a part of her that craved this, that needed him with her just as much as it had craved the release earlier.
"Are you ready?" he murmured. "Do you want me?"
Later, it would strike her how vulnerable he had felt at that moment. In the dark, after giving her one of the most powerful climaxes she had ever felt, he still felt the need to ask her those things. Right now, however, her need and his were paramount, and all she could do was nod.
"Please, please don't deny me anymore..."
Something about the words she said in that moment made him groan, and he reached a hand down to guide himself into her.
As it turned out, she was grateful for his restraint. She was so ready for him, but it had been a while since her last lover, and her body was unused to this invasion. When he was fully pushed inside her, she gasped a little at his size, but when he made a concerned noise, she shook her head.
"Don't stop," Elise whispered, and it was as if he had been let off a chain.
He plunged into her partway, pulling back a moment, and then plunged inside her again. This time, the fullness was perfect, and she could feel her pleasure echoing through him.
He fell upon her, thrusting into her with a force that was barely restrained enough to prevent her from driving into the headboard. He was like a force at sea, or a god, come to wreck his will upon her.
The power of his passion made her cry out, and unbelievably, she could feel her body start that ascent to pleasure again. This time it happened faster, though whether it was because she was overly sensitive or because she was in tune with his pleasure, she did not know.
"Beautiful little songbird, gorgeous thing, mine, all mine..."
While it was his movements that had driven her to the edge, it was his words that tipped her over the top. She was falling again, her body lit up with fireworks and her thighs shaking with the power of her climax.
If she had had her way, she would have been as focused on his climax as he had been on hers, but with her own in the way, she could only feel his more distantly. His motions sped up, became less coordinated but more powerful. His thrusts grew sharper and shorter, and then with one sharp cry, he spilled inside her, all liquid heat and power.
His weight rested on her for a moment, just long enough for her to feel it pleasantly, and then he pulled away from her and came to lie at her side. Without Nadim's bronzed body on top of her, she felt strangely cold, and she curled up next to him immediately. It took them several long moments to find their voices again, and it was Elise that spoke first.
"So do I have to do jumping jacks or to sit with my feet propped up for half an hour or something?"
Nadim barked a surprised laugh, and when his arms went around her, she snuggled sweetly against him, startled by the perfection of the moment.
"You are an incredible woman, little songbird," he murmured, and she shook her head.
"I think the good sex has addled your brain," she said. "That wasn't even that funny."
"It wasn't. Regardless, would you like a shower? We could sluice off, perhaps try this again..."
She wondered for a moment what he would have said, but then she shook it off. It wasn't important.
In the shower, she soon realized that he wasn't just interested in getting clean. His dark hands were everywhere, trailing up and down her pale flesh, and as she relaxed into him, she found that one of her own hands had settled on her belly.
We might have succeeded already, she thought hazily in the hissing steam and water. There might be a child inside me right now...
She had no idea what she would do when the time came, but now that it was a true possibility, with a man who woke her up like no other standing behind her, soaping her back with tender care, a warmth opened up inside her, filling her with a kind of light she had never felt before.
Chapter Eight
They made love until Elise finally fell into a dead sleep, and when she woke up the next morning, she was startled to discover that she was alone in the bed. Blinking a little, she slipped on a robe, smiling a little at the feel of the lilac silk swishing around her. She belted it securely, and then she walked out of the bedroom.
Elise found Nadim sitting at the kitchen island with a tablet in front of him and a fierce scowl on his face. Even from where she stood, she could see that he was reading something in Chinese, and from the looks of it, it was quite complicated.
Before he could look up and notice her, she let herself watch him, allowing herself to truly see all of him. He was remarkably handsome in the late morning light, the gold of the sun adding a touch of gilt to his dark hair and practically making his bronze features glow. There was something perfect about him in that moment, and then he looked up at her.
"Good morning," she said, her voice quiet and still rusty, and he grinned.
"Good morning," Nadim said. "As delectable as you look in that robe, I have to work at the moment, and I'll probably be stuck for a few hours. Can we speak then?"
She wondered if he looked slightly braced for her response, which was strange, wasn't it? Everyone needed to work sometimes, and it was hardly as if she could expect him to dance on her whims.
"Of course. Don't mind me, I am just looking to get some breakfast. I'll be around."
For some reason, a cloud moved over his face briefly as he watched her put together a quick meal consisting of a bagel and some orange juice from the fridge before moving to eat them in the living room. The food, simple as it was, was ridiculously good, and she had time to think of what she was going to do.
Elise was not a woman who was used to idleness. She had been working since it was legally possible for her to so, and before that, there had been a number of babysitting jobs and paper delivery jobs that had kept her going. Once or twice, she had even loaned money to her parents when times were tight. That money was never returned, but she hardly begrudged it to them.
Now, however, as she dressed in a light blue dress that seemed to shimmer like water, she realized that she was on vacation, sort of. Elise blushed a little when she thought of what her work might be thought to be, but either way, she had to amuse herself for the moment.
She had never been someone who wanted to spend all of their time in front of a television or computer. She kept her footsteps light so that she wouldn't bother Nadim and made her way along the path to the beach.
After the rain from the night before, the day was perfect. The sky and sea were almost the same color, and there was not a cloud to be seen. Elise walked down the beach, simply feeling the pleasure in being idle, in being outside, in enjoying her time.
She soon realized that the storm from the night before had washed many things up on the beach, and to her surprise, she found a pebble of white glass, pitted and rough, with every sharp edge worn away. It felt so goo
d in her hand that she kept her eyes on the beach, walking back and forth to look for another.
The pebbles and shards of sea glass were not common, but soon enough, she had a small handful. In her hand, the white was the most common, but there were a few shards of green, several different shades of blue, and even a few in deep red.
Elise was just starting to feel pleased with herself when she realized that her neck and shoulders were itching.
For a moment, she wondered if she had somehow come in contact with something like poison oak or poison ivy, but when she felt the heat radiating from her bare skin, she made a face.
"Ah, darn it, this hasn't happened since I was a kid!"
She had been working and hustling for so long that she hadn't been outside just for pleasure in years. Apparently, in the meantime, it was possible to forget that she was pale enough to burn in just an hour or less.
With a sigh, she made her way back to the house, her sea treasures cradled carefully in her hand.
When she entered the house, Nadim was speaking in a low and intense voice on the phone in Arabic, so she tiptoed by to not bother him. She was pleased to see that the medicine cabinet was fully stocked with first aid supplies, and she pulled out a soothing aloe lotion that she knew would feel good on her sunburn.
Elise was turned around with her back to the mirror, trying to see the bright pink patches so she could tend to them, when she heard Nadim end his call and then walk towards her.
She started to call out a cheerful hello, but then he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"What in the name of God have you done to yourself?" he asked, his tone dire with shock and disbelief. "Do you need a doctor?"
Elise couldn't help herself. She burst into laughter at his concern. When she saw the faintly hurt and baffled look on his face, she reined in the laughter long enough to explain.
"No, I don't need a doctor at all. This is what happens when I'm in the sun too long without any kind of protection. It was my fault, and I was careless. I'm going to be more careful in the future, but for now, there's aloe vera lotion."
He scowled, but when he spoke again, his voice was gentler, quieter.
"Here, give me that, you are missing spots."
After a moment's pause, she gave him the tube and turned to let him apply it to her sore and sensitive skin. She hissed when he applied a glob of cool lotion against her hot skin, finding a spot she had missed entirely.
"Does that hurt?"
"Not really. I guess it's just intense," she murmured. "Just don't stop..."
Her eyes drifted closed as he continued to work. His touch was as light as a feather, but the cool relief that soaked through her was so intense that it felt like pleasure.
"There," he said finally. "It says I should reapply this again before you go to bed."
"I'll look forward to it," Elise said, turning back to him with a smile on her face. "Thank you for doing that."
"You're welcome," he said after a moment. Why did he look so surprised at being thanked? "Just try to avoid getting roasted the next time you are out on your own."
"Well, maybe next time you could come with me," she retorted merrily, and he smiled in response.
"Well, I'm done, and there's still plenty of daylight left. I was wondering if you wanted to go to town and spend a bit of time there. I know the family that runs a good taverna very well, and there's a movie theater and a few small galleries if you wish to take a look."
"Oh, that sounds charming," Elise said with a grin. "I'll bring a shawl to cover up my sunburn, and I'll be ready to go in just a moment."
Impulsively, she leaned up to kiss his cheek and whirled away towards the closet, unaware that Nadim was looking after her with a look of combined confusion and wonder.
***
In the car headed to the town, Nadim couldn't help sneaking glances at Elise. She made it remarkably easy by looking out the window, marveling at the beauty of the Greek island. She was curiosity and wonder and beauty in a light blue dress, and whenever he could on the rocky road, his eyes drank her in.
Nadim tried to remind himself that this wasn't an affair. This was something that had become a necessity. This was his duty to his country and his family, and it was something that needed to happen.
However, he had never had a duty that he was this eager for, and he had never had one that was more beautiful, either.
When she turned towards him to point out a particularly lovely tree or stone formation, she could have stopped a heart with her smile or her spring green eyes.
Nadim kept his responses short, but it was hard. It was hard to keep his thoughts on the idea of simply breeding a child with her when she laid her hand on his thigh or when she looked around her with such curiosity and pleasure. Just seeing her was enough to awaken a longing in him that he was beginning to suspect was for more than her sweet body.
They enjoyed a pleasant meal at the taverna, where she charmed his family friends. It was safe enough, he figured. This had always been an isolated little town, and these people were ones he trusted very much. There would be no gossip about the sheikh being seen with a bombshell blonde.
The sun was beginning its long descent when they wandered out, and suddenly, they were surrounded by young boys. They went to the local school, if their uniforms were any indication, but their loosened ties and carelessly held bags told Nadim that they were free and clear of authority.
He started to ignore them as they walked by, but then one of them sent their black and white football spinning towards them with an errant kick. He started to turn to scold them about keeping their play away from passersby, but he hadn't counted Elise catching the ball neatly and dropping it on the ground, resting her foot lightly on it. She wore ballet slippers, low and easy to move in, and the look on her face was challenging.
"Well, do you want your ball back or not?" she asked, and even if she didn't speak Greek and the boys didn't speak English, her intent was clear.
Before Nadim could think to protest, she was racing around with the boys, kicking the ball in front of her and defending it with an adroit grace that made his jaw drop.
Stifling his first instinct to step in, Nadim took a seat on a low wall nearby and watched.
She is so different from everyone, he thought, but deep in his heart, he knew what he meant. She was so different from Malaya.
Malaya wouldn't have been seen dead in a humble little taverna on Omorphia, and she certainly wouldn't have had a sense of humor about an accidental kick. He could imagine her throwing a fit about how a strike like that could have ruined her clothing, and how hooligans who ran around unchecked should be punished. She would never have joined in the game as Elise was doing right now.
It was a peculiar joy to watch her. Nadim had never watched a lot of football, but he had to admit that there was a grace to her motions, a poetry to the way her limbs moved. She kept the ball from the boys with a few other elegant passes, and then she shot it to the boy who had been tailing her the most closely. She laughed when he almost tripped over it and then waved a cheery goodbye. There was a chorus of pleas asking her to stay and play a little longer, just a little longer, but she turned back to Nadim.
"You mentioned that we didn't have any plans, so..."
"It is entirely all right," he said with a smile. "You do not have to ask forgiveness for wanting to play, I promise you. I did not realize that you were so good at football."
"Foot...oh, right. In the US, we call it soccer. And I'm not very good, or at least I'm not good anymore, or maybe I would have been good someday. I don't know."
She fell into step with him again as they walked towards the car. He could smell the clean scent of her, but now there was also a slight scent of dust and sweat and the smoke from the fire at the taverna, and somehow, it was even better.
"How do you mean?"
"I always had a good time playing soccer when I was a kid. Whenever I could, I would try to get
a pickup game with the other kids going, and I always wanted to play it the most in gym class. My parents tried to get me into the leagues, but well, that costs money, and I only got to do it for a few years. After that, there was no cash for it, and I had work to worry about." She shrugged, apparently unbothered by her tale, but it caused a pang to go through Nadim.
He had known in an intellectual way that he had every door in the world open to him. Most of the people he spent time with were the same way. They spoke a great deal of mitigating the effects of poverty and of reaching out, but the fact that Elise, one of the most lovely women he had ever met, had suffered from a lack of cash and opportunities made him ache.
"I'm sorry you never got to play."
"Sometimes, so am I, but it's no huge loss. There were a lot of other kids just as good as me, and I found other things I liked doing just as well..."
He started to ask her what things that might be, and then he caught the saucy look in her eyes. She squeezed his arm where she held it and then winked at him, making him burst out into laughter.
"I like your laugh," she said with a bright smile of her own.
"I like you," he retorted, and with a start, he knew how very true it was and how inadequate the words sounded.
Chapter Nine
Elise wanted nothing more than to kiss Nadim when they got back to the house, but he put her off for a few moments, picking up the bottle of aloe vera again.
'This needs to go on again, no questions," he said direly, and with a sigh, she went to sit on the couch so that he could apply the cool lotion on her again.
"It feels a lot better," she said hopefully, and he snorted.
"You're still as pink as a lobster."
She knew that it wasn't just the sunburn that was making her feel heated. Simply being close to Nadim was enough, but somehow, Elise knew that it was more than just simple lust. The lust was amazing and felt good, but there was more there, and it was beginning to concern her.