Desert Orchid: The Desert Princes: Book 1 (33 page)

"He wasn’t finished. I was bent over the arm of a chair and he used a horse whip on my buttocks. He didn’t stop until blood was pouring down between my legs..."

She couldn’t tell him the part where her father had tried to have sex with her. She just couldn’t do it.

"And then I passed out. When I awoke I was so cold and starving and thirsty and didn’t know where I was. But I think I was on a boat. Then one of the men, a stranger, came into the room with a syringe and gave me a shot. Amir believed it was heroin. I don’t know how long they held me. Everything’s a blur."

It was hard, but she took a couple of deep breaths that hurt her chest.

"Then I came to Amir. At first I refused to eat or drink because I was scared they might drug me. But eventually Yasmin got through to me. Every day she bathed me, brushed my hair and sang to me."

Tipping back her head, her eyes met Khalid's and she read nothing but an unwavering support and unconditional love. No matter what had happened to her, those events had brought him into her life. And for that she'd be forever grateful.

“Wounds - whether emotional or physical - and how we come by them never truly heal. Each touch triggers the memory of how those marks on my skin were made," she admitted now.

His lips whispered over hers. "Then together we will make new memories, good memories, when I touch you."

With a nod, she rested her head on his chest, and listened to the solid beat of his strong heart. She was safe with him.

Khalid turned his head, brushed a kiss over her hair. A silent message of understanding, of comfort.

And then Charisse continued her story,

"I used to have terrible nightmares. Amir helped me talk through the dreams. To help me heal, he brought in the psychologist Laurel Ashford."

"
The
Laurel Ashford?"

"Yep. She is an amazing woman. It took three years before I slept through the night." She paused, rubbed her cheek on his strong chest. "You know what that feels like."

"I do."

"She taught me that shutting bad things away in our mind doesn't work - it only makes the burden weigh heavier and heavier, until we can no longer carry it. We need to talk out what happened to us. Accept it. Face it. Deal with it. And let it go. You know all about that."

"I do."

"Amir gave my life a structure, and most important of all, a purpose. He gave me puppies to care for, Boris and Rufus. They were twelve weeks old and my responsibility. After Mia died, I never had anything, didn’t want anything, that was mine because I knew my father would use it against me, to control me. Until the dogs... I made them mine."

Now she sat bolt upright.

"Oh God. The dogs."

"They’re safe, baby. And they’re going to be fine," Khalid assured her as he brought her back to the safety of his strong arms. "Your father's dick deserves to be dipped in oil and set alight. And while he burns, the people will cheer. Maybe I’ll content myself with killing him with my bare hands."

"I want you with me for the rest of my life, Khalid. I don’t want to visit you in prison."

"I’m the king. I can kill the son-of-a-bitch if I want to."

"You’re just trying to make feel better."

"Is it working?"

The hot lump in her throat made it difficult to speak as her eyes met his and she saw the unconditional love and support.

"No matter how hard I try, I don’t know what I did to make him hate me so much."

His brows winged into his hairline. "Didn't you tell me not to take responsibility for another person’s actions?" She nodded. "Then take your own advice. Trying to use logic for behaviour that defies logic is crazy stupid."

She blinked.

"Crazy stupid?"

He
was
trying to make her feel better.

She managed a small smile as her heart rate steadied.

And she took up her story.

"Amir gave me Diablo and we worked with a trainer all the way from Ireland. And then Amir... he became so very sick."

Her voice broke.

Khalid nuzzled her hair. "And in the meantime, you studied hard. Developed educational programmes?"

She nodded and snuggled into his chest. His heart beating against her cheek and the scent of him calmed her bruised heart.

"'Literacy For All'. Especially girls. Our women need all the help they can get. If the man of the house leaves or dies it is always the women and children who suffer. If they can read they have a chance to learn new skills, to succeed in life.

"One of the greatest gifts Amir gave me was the gift of self-esteem.
‘Choose you,’
he used to say.
‘You look after you for me and I’ll look after me for you.’
I loved him so much. He was the father I never had." She tipped back her head to look into his eyes. "Can you understand? He made me believe I was worth something. And made me realise I would find joy in the service of my people. He was right.

"And he also believed in you, too, Rock Star. Let me show you his letter."

She jumped out of bed.

On long legs she padded over to her bureau, opened a slim drawer and plucked out the thick envelope. She returned and handed it to him and knelt on the bed while he read it.

Khalid shook his head as he read the letter twice before handing it back to her.

And tried to make light of the feelings whirling around in his chest.

"I can't have concubines? Hell, that's a deal breaker." Then he found his emotions were locked in a tight fist in his throat. His eyes stayed on hers. "You've taken away the darkness and brought the light back into my life. When you hurt, I hurt. I love you, Charisse. And I promise I will do my best never to let you down."

Her amazingly blue eyes shone, filled to the brim with emotions that tipped over and ran down her soft cheek.

Khalid’s hand rose and his finger smoothed away the tear.

She smiled.

"When you hurt, I hurt, too, Rock Star. That’s what love is all about, sharing the burden of hurt and finding the light in the darkness. You are the light of my life," she whispered.

He opened his heart and let the light of her love for him expose his deepest fear.

"Know what scares me? Screwing this... us... up," he admitted.

She shook her head, nuzzled the warm spot under his ear.

"We won’t. You won’t. We got lucky in love."

He grinned. "Can’t argue with that."

Turning her to face him, they lay body to body and simply settled in for a long cuddle.

She looked up at him; everything inside Khalid ached for her, for everything she'd been through.

"Kiss me," she murmured.

He then placed his lips on hers.

Her response was instant. "I love kissing you."

Since he couldn't resist the plea in her voice for more, he deepened the kiss. And gave himself permission to simply fall into the moment with her warm body pressed tight against his, with the heady scent of soap and something that was pure Charisse clinging to her skin.

They didn't speak; they'd both had enough of words. Enough of tempests and dramas. Now was the time to soothe, time to love. She was wrapped around him in her bed, binding him tight, so tight, while her lips explored his face. And he was lost, in her. So stirred, by her. He slid his hands over her warm skin. He tried to go slow with her, but his hands were too quick. Too quick to take care as his fingers pushed aside her panties and plunged into her and took her up, up, up, felt her body arch back, felt her shudder. Felt her surrender.

He needed this. She needed this, he thought, as he stripped her. Just for a moment, they'd escape, while the vile events and the bloodstains of the day would be washed away.

Maybe joy and love would crush some of life's hurts.

His heart beat a hard tattoo against hers. The feel of it gave Charisse such an electric charge, that strong, wild beat vibrated through her body. She brought that excitement to him and revelled in it. But more, she felt renewed.
This
was their lives now. And nothing and no-one could change that, no nightmare, no shame, no guilt. By finding each other, loving each other, they'd brought themselves out of the dark and into the light.

Now he was inside her, stretching her, taking her to that place only they could find. And the light exploded behind her eyes as he took her higher, to a climax that made her back arch.

She screamed, and Khalid heard the joy and the piercing edge of triumph in her voice. And he empathized. No matter what had been done to her, what had been taken from her, she would survive victorious. More, she would live and thrive and love. She wanted him. She
needed
him.

And that fact alone would always weaken him. Delight him.

Then she rolled on top of him. The scent of her slippery hair, and aroused woman, his woman, stirred him. And just like that he was hard as a rock again. Christ, how did she do this to him? All long limbs and smooth skin as her body was sliding over his, her mouth hungry as it feasted on his until he was crazy stupid for her. When he hauled her up, she took him into her, so tight, so hot, so wet, so deep he gasped. And then she took him on the wildest ride of his life. Her thighs, slim and strong, gripped him as she rode him like Diablo.

Even as his vision clouded with an orgasm that was going to be fucking
outstanding
, he watched the expressions on her face, joy and a fierce determination, took her up as her mouth went wide in an O shape. Then their climaxes went critical when she arched back and he roared his release.

Charisse was sprawled on top of him, boneless, breathless.

"What on earth was that?" she asked in a voice full of wonder.

"God, God, God," he gasped.

His heart was thundering under hers.

They were slick with sweat and she didn't give a damn as she kept her face buried in his neck. His big hand stroked her backside, over her scars, in lazy circles, in a way that made her smile.

"I think we've just made a good start on making new memories. What a perfect end to a perfectly horrible day," she said.

They lay quietly for a moment, and all the while his hands stroked her back, her buttocks.

"All I'd planned to do to you was to hold you. But I can't help myself but make wild, passionate love to you."

"I love it when you can't help yourself. I don't know if I can sleep yet," she admitted.

"We could watch a movie. One of those French movies with lots of sex and subtitles."

She laughed. "I thought you liked action movies, with lots of explosions and special effects."

He rolled and she was caught under him, his big body pressing her into the mattress and she loved it. He kissed her.

"We don't need special effects," he growled and pretended to bite her neck.

God, she smelled fantastic.

Then his teeth nibbled on her pouty bottom lip.

Khalid lifted his head and big blue eyes stared into his.

Her eyes were clearer, less haunted, less sad.

"How about
'Pretty Woman'
- the story of a hooker with a heart?" she suggested.

Not one of his favourites, but for her he'd watch anything, even
Disney
.

His heartfelt groan made her smile.

"All right."

Once the movie was playing on the huge flat screen that rose from a cleverly designed cabinet at the bottom of her bed, he drew the comforter over them.

She lasted until the bath scene.

And Khalid wondered how she'd managed to hold out that long.

He slid out of bed.

Turning the light low in case she woke, he turned off the TV.

Watching her carefully, he dressed and padded out of her bedroom.

And found Yasmin on a sofa stroking the dogs dozing at her feet.

Bruce Monroe and Arabella were also waiting for him in the dining area of the suite. They were studying architectural plans of the palace spread out on the table.

They stood as he approached.

"We've got him. Chanteluelle is under close guard," Arabella said.

Khalid kept a firm grip on a fury that roared through his system like a tornado. On the one hand, he felt relief that at last he'd meet the son-of-a-bitch and make him pay, and on the other he knew he'd be dealing with a clever and manipulative bastard who liked to play mind-games. No way was he going to let Charisse anywhere near the animal who had almost destroyed her.

He turned to Yasmin and held out his arms for her embrace. The elderly woman hugged him tight even though she was trembling.

"Was she hurt?" Yasmin whispered.

"Pretty shaken-up," Khalid told her. Then he leaned back to look into her eyes so that she could read the truth. "But she's already bouncing back. She's asleep. Will you stay with her while we deal with...?"