by Erin Snihur
Shooting Teresa a knowing wink, Tariq chuckled at her sister's words. “I don’t know if we should leave them alone. They might fall in the pool if they become too distracted.”
Blushing brightly and through the corner of her eye, Teresa scanned Amoz to gage his reaction. He was lazily smiling, but his gaze was solely on Teresa. His warm hand at her back sent tingles up her back and she glanced over her shoulder to meet his pale eyes.
Leaning in close, Amoz gave her cheek a soft peck with his lips and murmured for her ears only, “I win, ya helo.”
Shivering at his warm touch, Teresa felt her heart sink as Amoz pulled away. She yearned for his body heat to wrap around her once more, but couldn’t find it in herself to beg him for more, especially in front of her sister and Tariq.
“Don’t you think we should get these lovely ladies back to their room, Tariq?” Amoz asked his friend teasingly.
“Indeed. Wouldn’t want you to be spotted mauling an innocent guest by the paparazzi, would we?” Tariq murmured and before Teresa or Samantha could comment, a harsh look from Amoz had his cheerful friend shutting up quite quickly.
When the foursome found themselves in front of the girls’ rooms, Amoz pulled Teresa off to the side under the watchful eye of Samantha and a teasing Tariq.
“Go out with me tomorrow,” Amoz murmured softly to her.
His hands brushed aside an errant curl and his eyes stared deeply into hers. Teresa wondered if he was trying to read her thoughts. They had been consumed with him and his kiss.
Her blush must have given away the direction of her thoughts, because Amoz chuckled softly when she hesitated. “I promise not to maul you too much. I want to show you my country.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Teresa nervously bit her lip when she was met with her sister’s cheery grin and a big thumbs up, as if her sister was saying, go for it!
Decided, Teresa met Amoz’ gaze and nodded. “Okay. That would be perfect. Say nine o’clock?”
“Perfect,” Amoz whispered and leaned in close to her so much that she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead, all she felt was the heat of his lips and a slight brushing of them as he whispered, “Dream of me, ya helo.”
Impossible not to, Teresa’s inner mind whispered back as she watched Amoz and Tariq stroll away, deep in conversation.
Turning back to her sister who grinned giddily back at her, Teresa groaned, “What am I going to wear!?”
9
When Amoz said he wanted to show Teresa his country, he wasn’t talking about a simple bus tour or visiting a few tourist attractions. At one point during the course of their day, they were fully immersed in a jungle and standing atop a once active volcano. If Teresa didn’t already know that Amoz was a businessman, she would have guessed he was a historian or tour guide by the way he knew so many facts about Elish and its culture.
After returning from a local town where she and Amoz strolled through a bustling marketplace, Teresa finally admitted to her exhaustion and aching feet. Amoz had a simple solution.
Come to my suite, ya helo.
His words had sent butterflies swarming about in her stomach and she’d tried to protest, but he’d insisted. He claimed the jacuzzi hot tub and private pool in his suite would soothe her aches. He’d even sent a maid to grab her bikini from Teresa’s room. She hoped Samantha hadn’t been there when the maid had arrived. She could only imagine what her sister was thinking.
When Teresa had asked her sister if it was okay for her to go on a tour with Amoz, her sister hadn’t protested one bit and claimed she and Tariq were going to spend the day by the pool soaking up the sun and “getting to know one another”. Samantha had winked when she’d said that and Teresa rolled her eyes at her sister’s ease at spending physical alone time with a man she barely knew.
Isn’t that what you want with Amoz, a voice hissed at the back of her mind.
Now, standing in Amoz’ guest bathroom, Teresa was practically shaking with nervousness. She stood before the full-length mirror and felt as though she’d become an entirely different person in Amoz’ company.
Throughout the day, they’d flirted, teased and been close. Amoz hadn’t given up holding her hand the entire time, even while he’d been driving. He made every excuse to touch her briefly before pulling his hands or body away. It was as if he knew that every time their skin met, tingles raced through her veins and she’d lose her train of thought.
When they’d arrived at his suite, Teresa had been in shock. It was like a townhouse, rather than a hotel room, with a full-service kitchen that made Teresa’s inner baker drool. At the back of the kitchen was an attached living room and private patio that led to the private pool and hot tub.
Teresa had never seen a suit like this and almost wanted to comment on its luxury. Amoz had humbly mentioned that he and the owner of the resort were close and, therefore, he was given special privileges at the resort. From the glint in his eyes, Teresa knew there was more to the story, but she didn’t want to comment or ruin their perfect day.
How can I go out there like this?
The maid obviously hadn’t thought to check and see who’s bathing suit she was fetching before bringing the bathing suit Teresa was currently wearing. It was Samantha’s no doubt, as Teresa would have never bought such a flimsy bathing suit. The strings at her side barely held the bottoms up around her waist and the top at her neck threatened to come undone every time she shifted.
Grimacing at the way the skimpy bikini revealed the scars that littered her lower stomach, Teresa grabbed the closest towel and stepped out of the bathroom, intent on finding Amoz and asking him for a t-shirt or cover up. Her scars had always been embarrassing for her. Others would often ask about them if they ever were revealed and she never liked revealing the truth behind them. She never wanted to appear weak to others. Thus, she always wore high-waisted bathing suits.
As she emerged in the bathing suit, Teresa paused in the archway that led to the living room. Amoz stood facing the wall of sliding glass doors that looked out over the crystal beach and pool patio. He was drinking something from a clear glass. Possibly brandy or whiskey. He had admitted to enjoying the occasional drink in the evenings. He claimed he was a bit of a connoisseur when it came to those things.
Teresa had been nervous when he’d admitted it. Gerry had been an angry drunk, but Amoz wasn’t Gerry. She had to realize that. As she stared at his strong back and wide shoulders, Teresa shuddered. Amoz certainly wasn’t Gerry. She was certain Amoz wouldn’t cower away from Gerry like she had. He would most definitely tower over her ex-husband. In the market, Amoz had almost towered over everyone else. His powerful stature and warm hand encasing hers in his had made her feel safe today. Something Gerry hadn’t made her feel in a long time.
Teresa didn’t want to interrupt Amoz’ quiet contemplation as he stared out of the glass at the beautiful view of the sun setting on the horizon. He must have sensed her watching, because his body tensed and didn’t relax until he had turned completely around and his lips morphed into an easy-going smile.
“There you are. I was getting worried. Are you ready?” Amoz murmured and set his glass on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.
It was only then that Teresa noticed Amoz’ button up shirt was open, revealing a smooth, chiseled chest. Swim trunks hung on hips, drawing attention to the tantalizing v-shape that led to an area Teresa recalled feeling pressed against her the other night during their kiss.
Blushing, Teresa held the towel tightly around her and stammered out, “I think there’s been a mix up. I think the maid brought Samantha’s bathing suit instead of mine.”
“It doesn’t fit?” Amoz murmured, an eyebrow raised in question.
“Yes, I mean, no,” Teresa sighed in frustration and blew out a harsh breath. “It does fit, but it’s a bit more revealing than my other suits.”
Amoz lips morphed into a wolfish grin. “I see. Are you worried I’ll ravish you in the hot tub, ya hel
o?”
Scoffing, Teresa swayed in place and tried to stretch the towel lower so she could cover herself. “No, of course not, it’s just, I was hoping you might have a t-shirt, I could borrow, or something?”
Amoz tilted his head. “I’ve seen you in a bathing suit, Teresa, you have nothing to worry about, you are too tired for such activities tonight. I promise not to become some insatiable beast at the sight of your bikini.”
An image of she and Amoz wrapped around each other in the heat of passion in the hot tub burst forth in Teresa’s mind and she instantly blushed. Her core ached at the thought. Oh, how she wished she could be the kind of girl like her sister who was so free and willing to enjoy life that way.
“It’s not just that. I mean, you’ve only seen me in my own bathing suit,” Teresa murmured, her words trailed off as she sucked in a harsh breath. Why was this so difficult for her to explain?
Stepping closer, Amoz placed his hands on her bare shoulders. “Tell me, Teresa, take your time and breathe.”
Shuddering and eyes closed, Teresa saw flashes of the times Gerry had abused her enough to leave the very scares she wished to hide from everyone. Even this man before her would surely be disgusted by the very sight of them. Forcing her eyes open, Teresa blinked back the tears that threatened to fall and stared into Amoz’ pale brown eyes.
“I…Gerry...,” Teresa stammered a few more times before she was able to get the words out, “I already told you my ex-husband wasn’t a pleasant man and, well, I have a few scars that I always try to hide. They always lead to more questions then I care to answer.”
Amoz seemed to hesitate and Teresa’s heart sank as the silence wore on.
Good job, Teresa, you’ve disgusted him. Gerry was right. You are a disgusting…wait, what is he doing?
Teresa’s line of thought trailed off as Amoz removed his hands from her shoulders and took a step back. Teresa felt her eyes widen as she stared open mouthed while Amoz slowly removed his open shirt. His chiseled chest and rippling arms drew her eyes, but his strong hands pulled his focus as he began pointing them out.
His own scars.
A few littered his upper arms and a few more littered his lower chest area. One even appeared to be dangerously close to where his kidneys should be. Noticing her attention on that angry looking scar, Amoz smiled at her.
“If the knife had been an inch closer, I would have surely lost my life,” Amoz murmured.
Gasping, Teresa moved forward without thinking and before she could stop herself, freed a hand from holding the towel tightly around herself to touch the scarred flesh.
“How?” she merely asked.
Amoz shrugged solemnly. “Elish wasn’t always so peaceful when I was a younger man. Others I received during my self-defense training and when I was training in a special forces unit here along the Arabian Coast.”
Impressed, Teresa glanced up at him while her hand trailed from the lower scars to his arms where more scars lay, a few she suspected were bullet holes.
“You were in the army?” Teresa asked in awe. “I thought you said you were a businessman.”
“I am. The men in my family only pursue a few terms in the special forces before moving onto business. My grandfather believed it would teach us discipline and be good assets for us later in life. He was right, I suppose,” Amoz murmured and, when Teresa met his now heated gaze, she blushed at the realization she was still caressing his skin.
Pulling her hand away, Teresa bit her lip, unsure. “My scars weren’t given in the heat of battle. I don’t wear them with honor.”
Amoz nodded in understanding, but held out his hand and lightly traced the towel that was wrapped around her cleavage. “I understand, but you should. Your scars show others that you have been through hell and came out the other side stronger than before.”
Nervously chuckling, Teresa shook her head. “You shouldn’t say things like that. I’m not strong, Amoz.”
“You are, ya helo,” Amoz whispered and, when his chest was pressed against her towel covered one, he leaned in close so that his words whispered against her lips, “Let me show you.”
10
Amoz hadn’t wanted their incredible day to end. Inviting Teresa back to his suite to enjoy the jacuzzi hot tub was like placing the most tempting drink before a recovering alcoholic. Even when she’d emerged from the bathroom covered only in a towel, Amoz had wanted her.
Her words had only made him hesitate for a second before he pulled off his shirt to reveal his own scars. Inwardly, he didn’t want to frighten Teresa with the truth behind some of the scars. Yes, he had been involved in the special forces and there had been times where insurgents had tried to kill him due to his rank as heir to the Elish throne, but he’d survived. And so, had Teresa.
Now, with his hands carefully moving from her bare shoulders to where her hand carefully clung to the towel, Amoz watched Teresa’s eyes shift from wide eyed and cautious to heated and yearning in a second. A noise at the back of her throat sent pleasure coursing down his spine and straight to his hardening cock.
Damn this woman and her little noises.
Amoz carefully detached her hand that held her towel around herself. Before she could stop it, the towel fell from her body and landed in a pool at their feet. Amoz didn’t remove his eyes from hers as he slowly placed a soft peck on her cheek.
“Beautiful,” Amoz whispered against her skin.
“You haven’t seen them yet,” Teresa whispered back and Amoz grinned cheekily down at the woman who had completely enraptured him.
“They are a part of you, like your beautiful eyes, hair and soft skin. I wouldn’t ask you to change,” Amoz murmured and pulled her flush against his chest.
Running his hand down her soft hair and to her neck, Amoz wanted to stop and focus on her breasts that were lightly rising and falling with her every breath. He knew it was too soon.
Tilting his head, Amoz placed a soft kiss at the pulse of her neck. A breathless moan escaped Teresa’s lips and, before he knew it, Amoz felt his knees buckling until he knelt on the tiled floor before her.
“What are you…” Teresa began to ask, but before she could finish, Amoz clutched her hips and stared at her stomach, the place she had been so frightened about revealing to him.
Her waist was trim and had a hint of a sexy curve to them. The stringy bikini bottoms tied at her sides and a small triangle of fabric was all that stood between his lips and her core. She wasn’t ready for that either, Amoz inwardly thought.
Glancing upwards, Amoz smirked and squeezed her waist in his hands reassuringly, “Like I said, beautiful and strong.”
To get his message through to her, Amoz leaned in and pressed his lips to one scar that stretched over her hip bone. The puckered flesh seemed to burn and tingle against his lips as Amoz trailed little kisses from one scar to the next.
Finally, when Teresa’s hands moved to his shoulders and attempted to stop him, Amoz stared up at her. Teresa’s face was flushed, not from the sun, but from him. He had done that to his woman. Made her wanton and willing.
Standing to full height, Amoz took Teresa by the hand and pulled her in the direction of the sliding glass doors. “Come on, ya helo, you’ll feel much better after a few minutes in the tub.”
With the briefest nod, Teresa followed him and let out a gasp in amazement at the sight of his private patio. Beautiful hedges and flowery bushes grew everywhere around the three-level pool and in the corner, surrounded by a bar top, was the jacuzzi hot tub.
Leading Teresa over to the jacuzzi, Amoz grinned at the heated glance she slid him. Turning the jacuzzi functions on, Amoz nodded toward the bar. “Would you care for a drink, ya helo?”
“Yes,” Teresa whispered and, with a quick peck on her lips, Amoz shifted behind the bar, thankful the large structure hid his growing erection. As he poured them both flutes of white wine, Amoz nearly groaned audibly at the sight of Teresa climbing into the now bubbling hot tub.
Her per
t ass jiggled as she slipped over the jacuzzi’s edge and slipped her long legs into the steaming water. Gasping in delight, Amoz watched as Teresa’s mouth opened in the shape of a perfect ‘o’ and right then and there his fantasy grew. He ached to know what her lips felt like wrapped around him. Even just to feel them against his own lips would sate his urges. For a little while.
Inwardly shaking himself, Amoz tried to cool his erotic thoughts in the hopes that he wouldn’t embarrass himself or God forbid, scare Teresa away at the sight of his erection standing at attention.
Grasping the flutes of wine in his hand, Amoz stopped before the hot tub’s edge and smiled at the sight of Teresa fully submerged in the waters up to her neck. She was leaning back in the water against a jet seat and the look of pure pleasure was evident all over her face.
As if sensing him, she murmured without opening her eyes, “I think I’ve just died and gone to heaven.”
Amoz chuckled and set their glasses on the edge of the hot tub’s adjoining bar. “Let me join you then. We can spend the afterlife enjoying every pleasure this tub has to offer together.”
Teresa couldn’t stop laughing. She and Amoz had only been in the tub for a half hour and already she was having more fun than she could have imagined. Why had she been so worried about her scars and what Amoz would think of them?
Every time she rose out of the water to take a break from the steaming heat, Amoz’ eyes took on a darker shade as he watched her slide her pert bottom onto the hot tub’s ledge.
Now, as she languidly kicked her feet in the bubbling water, Teresa finished off her glass of wine and smiled down at Amoz who took up one half of the other side of the tub. His strong arms were out of the water, casually leaning along the edges as he lay back against the pulsating jets.
Teresa had worried this night would be awkward, but there hadn’t been any hint of an awkward lull. In fact, when it grew silent as they both watched the setting sun, it had been kind of nice to just sit and be in each other’s presence.