The Sheikh's Hesitant Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 7) (17 page)

Rachel gasped as his tongue probed her, searching for pleasure, driving her nerves crazy with instant need. His scent was intoxicating, overwhelming her senses with its rawness, its maleness.

Zarif's taste invaded her, a harsh sweetness that she remembered from previous kisses. It felt as if she had returned to that familiar, welcome place that belonged only to them.

His lips drove her to new heights of pleasure as they devoured her, seeking more, need apparently insatiable. Why had she waited so long to submit to him like this? Hadn't she known all along that this was how it was meant to be between them? Everything that had gone before had merely been a foretaste of this delight, this astonishing closeness. She'd never felt anything like this in her life; could never have guessed that sensation like this could exist.

He wrenched his mouth from hers and, for a few moments, gazed into her eyes as if searching for something. Then the gaze shifted, transformed into one of complete wonder, utter adoration. Every sense in her body quivered at that look, completely consumed by its sheer intensity, its pure sincerity.

Words invaded her mind, and this time, there was no need to push them away. She didn't want to drive them to that dark corner where thoughts like that usually resided. Now it was different. He was different from everything she had known before.

Rachel gazed into his eyes, confirming what she'd seen there.

Zarif loved her. She knew that with every fiber in her being. Felt her soul ignite with that truth.

Rachel smiled at him, and his features lit up, his gaze immoveable as if he never wanted to stop looking at her.

Then, his head dipped again, and his lips resumed their passionate, unstoppable attentions. Rachel's entire being lit up as he took possession of her, as he made it plain what his intention was, what was now utterly inevitable.

A hard knot of doubt twisted in Rachel's middle. Could she go that one last step with him? Was she truly ready?

Zarif's hand traced a line down her back while his other settled on her hip. Holding her like that, it seemed as if they were already one. Heat ignited at her core as she felt the firmness of his desire press against her. Even through the fabric of the robe, it was obvious just how strong was that need.
 

Warmth spread through her middle, and she groaned. Zarif responded to the sound of her voice by pressing against her, the urgency of his desire now even larger.

Zarif leaned away from her, causing her to briefly glare at him. The sudden loss of the moistness of his lips felt unfair, unwelcome.
 

Zarif smiled at her, and his gaze drifted down at her robe. "Take it off," he murmured.

At the sound of his words, she felt her heart race even faster, sensed a sudden tightening in her body, as if it resisted the notion completely. But, in spite of those momentary objections, her hands started to loosen the folds of her robe.
 

Zarif's eyes widened with pleasure as he watched her tug gently at the fabric, loosening it. Once or twice it caught, twisted, and she pulled at it, trying to unwind the rebellious fabric.

Zarif grinned wolfishly and reached across to her. "Let me help you with that," he murmured.

She watched as he took hold of the edges of the robe and started to pull apart the folds. In his hands, the robe seemed to open like the petals of a flower which were being teased apart to reveal the delicate beauty within. His eyes were wide with appreciation as the robe eased open.
 

Rachel knew she was utterly naked beneath, not having thought to wear any undergarments with the robe. She knew that, but she could see that Zarif hadn't yet guessed that was nude beneath the robe. There was an innocent eagerness to the way he was removing the garment from her body.
 

Gradually, there appeared on his face a dawning awareness of the prize that awaited him once he had undressed her completely.

He'd uncovered her shoulders and was about to continue, but he paused, transfixed by the sight of her bare flesh. His head dipped, and his lips eased down upon her shoulder. She felt a shiver of pleasure spasm down to her middle. His lips were moist and hungry. His tongue laved the smooth flesh of her shoulders.
 

Rachel felt as if she were being consumed and tried not to think about what was to come. If this was what it felt like to be kissed only on the shoulder, she could hardly imagine what it would feel like once he had access to the rest of her body.

Finally, his fingers curled around the edges of the robe and tugged downward. She leaned her head back and gave in to the sensation as Zarif eased the robe steadily down along the length of her body. She felt the fabric of the robe slide across her bare breasts. She heard him gasp, felt him pause, as if he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
 

Rachel snaked her fingers into Zarif's dark hair and glanced down at him. Zarif stood frozen for a moment, her gown grasped in his tight fingers, his gaze transfixed by the sight of her.

She felt a rush of sensation take hold of her body. Just having him look at her like that, with such appreciation, such hunger, made desire flame in her middle. She was only half undressed and yet she already felt aflame with hunger, her core warm with need. She felt her nipples pebble beneath his gaze.

 
Zarif's gaze drifted to Rachel's eager eyes, and then his mouth took possession of one of her nipples. Rachel gasped out loud as Zarif's tongue traced a hungry circle around her the edge of her nipple. Her legs quivered beneath her, and she grabbed hold of Zarif's arm, caught between the desire to stop him driving her crazy with sensation, and the foolish idea that she could take much more of this.

Zarif feasted on her flesh, driving her higher and higher to levels of pure delight that she had never known existed. Rachel wrapped her arms around his shoulders, curling her fingers hard against the flesh beneath his shirt.

She felt him cup her breasts in his hands, felt the gentleness with which he supported her fullness. His touch was tender, yet she could sense the barely contained need in his fingers.

After a moment he lifted his head, and she felt suddenly exposed, open to him in a shocking way, but his look calmed her, and she felt him ease the robe further down, across her belly. His touch was expert, and she briefly wondered how many times he had done this to someone wearing such a robe.

Her skin tingled as the fabric slid down her flesh, and then she knew the most secret part of herself was completely exposed, utterly open to his tender scrutiny.

Rachel stood watching him, feeling her throat tighten, the muscles across her middle suddenly and treacherously tight.

Zarif's eyes widened, and she was sure she heard him gasp. His nostril flared with primal, uncontrollable need.

Finally, Rachel felt the fabric of the robe slide down the length of her legs to tumble into a heap around her bare feet.

Zarif's hands settled on her hips, and he gazed into her eyes.
 

She was completely naked before him, and for some reason she couldn't fathom, it felt completely natural, as if she had been born for such a thing.
 

Zarif's gaze drifted slowly down the length of her body. She saw pleasure there, appreciation, hunger, but above all she saw something else. Something more wonderful than any of that.

She saw love there.

The impulse to cover herself suddenly seized her for a reason she couldn't make sense of. But then he did something which took her totally by surprise.

Zarif eased down onto his knees, grasping her hips gently, his face at her middle. Urgent thoughts raced through her mind about what he was about to do to her. Before she could object, he pressed his lips against the softness of her belly. Heat flamed at her core, and she grasped his hair in a vain effort to control him. But, she knew there was nothing she could do. There was nothing she wanted to do.
 

Rachel felt Zarif's tongue trace a line across her belly. She felt herself quiver with a delight that she didn't want to end. He kissed her belly, but went no lower than her middle. Was he teasing her? She groaned. No! He wasn't teasing her. He was trying to break her into pieces with anticipation. And he was almost succeeding.

Rachel held onto him for dear life as his tongue drove her crazy, her legs shaking, her balance uncertain. What was she going to do? She knew the answer to that pointless question. She knew where all this was leading, and she knew that this pleasure was only a foretaste of what was to come. What he was going to do to her.

She felt him pause. Rachel looked down at Zarif and saw his gaze was already on her face. No-one had ever looked at her like that, she told herself. He smiled and then moved suddenly. He scooped her naked body up in his arms, the remnants of the robe left lying in a heap on the floor.

Rachel squealed just as she had done the last time he had done the same thing back in London. But this time things were so different. She felt the same lightness as she sank into his strong arms, but this time she felt something utterly new.
 

Trust.

She knew Zarif now; knew the part of him that really mattered, the core of him that he'd revealed to her the previous night. And she felt that he knew her also, and that was why he was carrying her to the bed. She knew what he had in mind, knew that it would change her forever.

Zarif's steps were steady, and he gazed deep into her eyes with every movement closer to the bed.

He stood at the bedside for a moment and then kissed her gently, before easing her softly down onto the huge bed.

Rachel felt herself sink down into the depths of the bed, suddenly aware of her nakedness as she looked up at Zarif, still fully clothed. He gazed down at her and then started to unbutton his shirt. She felt need curl in her core as she watched him loosen the buttons and begin to open the shirt, revealing the broad expanse of his chest. She gasped when she saw the tempting spread of dark hair that covered his upper torso.

Zarif slid off his shirt. She hadn't realized until now the sheer strength contained in his muscles. Across his chest and arms, the muscles were taut, conditioned she assumed by the harshness of the desert. He liked to ride his horses across the desert and she could see the years of work in those firm muscles.
 

The corner of Zarif's mouth creased with a wolfish grin as he started to unbutton his pants. He slid them down over his hips revealing his white boxer shorts beneath. Rachel suppressed a gasp when she saw the full extent of his desire hiding beneath those shorts. There was no doubting the ferocity of Zarif's desire for her. Not anymore.

He removed his pants and hooked his thumbs into the top of his boxer shorts. He paused, looking at her. Was he teasing her again? Not again, she groaned, feeling the warmth in her core grow even more intense as his gaze burrowed into her.
 

Then, with a smooth movement he slid the shorts down, and off, and then he was standing before her, utterly naked. Her throat tightened, and it was all she could do to smile at him, hoping he could see the appreciation in her gaze.

Zarif came down onto the bed. She watched his movement, transfixed by the animal quality of the way he eased toward her. His desire was obvious, and she swallowed as she glanced at the sheer girth of it. His need was on full display now.
 

Zarif shifted his body so that it nestled against her. He enveloped her in a tender embrace. She felt the heat of his body, his naked flesh against hers. His scent was overwhelming, sheer and primal. He kissed her, hunger in his lips as before. Only now that he was pressed against her, completely naked, there was an urgency that had been missing before.

Rachel wondered how long she could hold out.

The feeling of this amazing man against her, completely exposed, his skin burning against hers, the taste of his lips so sweet, the tightness of his passion so obvious.

How long could she wait?

His head went down to her breasts, and he suckled on her nipples sending her flesh into throes of uncontrollable ecstasy. Every time she groaned, he seemed to become possessed, intensifying his feasting on her body, his enjoyment of every part of her.

Rachel felt his hand drift down to her belly, and her heart raced even faster at the promise that movement contained.

Then his gentle fingers were on her most tender place, the private place where no-one had touched her before.

Zarif paused a brief moment as if he wanted to give her one last chance to pull back from the edge. But she had no intention of stopping now.

Then his fingers traced a delicate line through her folds and onto the place of her greatest ecstasy. She cried out, every nerve in her body sent into galvanic activity. Rachel thrust out a hand and clutched the bed quilt beneath her. Her fingers curled into the quilt, desperate to control the explosion of sensation which had erupted in her body.

Zarif's fingers circled easily and expertly around her center of desire. With each small movement, her world shifted beneath her. She had never felt anything like this. The ache began to torment her, as she wanted his touch to be firmer, quicker. Anything that would relieve this tension which was twisting her body into spasms of ecstasy.
 

But, the feeling was so very welcome. It was something she had needed for so long. And she hadn't realized just how much she had needed it.

Zarif's mouth claimed one of her nipples again while at the same making the pressure on her core slightly more intense. Quicker.

He laved at her nipples and circled her need, sending her entire being into tumult. A wave was coming toward her. She could feel it, sense the tension rising inside her soul. And it cried out for release. His tongue worked in unison with his fingers, and she felt a sudden, fierce urgency take hold of her.
 

She arched her back and cried out, which only made Zarif more determined. More tender. It seemed as if all that mattered in the world right now was her pleasure. Her release.