CHAPTER SEVEN

      RAHIM STARED INTO Allegra’s face, her beauty momentarily blinding him to the reality that he needed to stop...walk away before things escalated out of control. They were already a light year from how he’d expected things to go when he’d entered his bedroom and found her here.

      Having resigned himself to seeing the last of her in his study, and having taken out the brunt of his anger at her duplicity in an hour-long pounding in his private swimming pool, finding her scantily clad and looking guilty as hell had been a shock.

      Hard on the heels of shock had been disappointment—that she was no better than any of the females he’d availed himself of in his past life who always wanted something from him—followed closely by the resurgence of anger. That he’d read her motives for coming to Dar-Aman so wrong. That she was so set on securing material assets that she was unwilling to consider offering the vital assistance he needed for his people.

      But as Rahim had stood there debating whether to throw her out or go one better and call security, other, more urgent needs had taken over. He wasn’t ashamed to admit those needs, after that kiss that threatened to blow his mind, now reigned supreme.

      However, he knew her motives weren’t as altruistic as she pretended, so he forced himself to slow down, to give her a chance to redeem herself, even as his fingers dug into her waist to hold her in place, and every cell in his body screamed at him to take what she offered, gorge on the feast she’d laid at his feet.

      ‘Are you sure?’

      She let out a laugh, probably designed to entice. Instead the clear nervousness in the sound curled around a hard kernel of his remaining resolve, melting it to nothing. Then her hand unclenched from his hair and slid along his stubbled jaw. When her shaky fingers traced his lower lip, Rahim groaned low and deep.

      ‘Before I came here, I was known for saying what I mean and meaning what I said.’ She laughed again, the sound easier, if a little hungrier than before. ‘I haven’t demonstrated it as well as I should, but yes, I’m sure.’ The last bit was whispered, her blue eyes turning several shades darker as her gaze locked on his lips.

      Knowing she wanted his kiss, and much more, lit pure fire in Rahim’s veins. He caught her roving finger into his mouth and suckled hard. Her eyes widened. For a second, he wondered about her sexual experience, then lost himself in the expression of wonder on her face as her gaze locked on what he was doing to her finger. Testing her further, he licked the tip, and she gasped.

      Desire pounded through him as the many ways he could have her flared across his senses. Reaching for the wrap hiding her from him, he ripped it away.

      Her negligee was a silk-and-lace concoction, delicate enough to tear at the slightest exertion. The temptation to do just that was strong, but Rahim exercised restraint. Anger and disappointment were no longer overriding emotions—he would triumph in finding a way out of his predicament, he always did—but they remained buried beneath more urgent, earthier needs. Needs so voracious he forced himself to pause a beat as her heaving breasts straining against her thin silk sent renewed hunger roaring through him.

      Catching her beneath her hips, he strode quickly to the fireplace set beneath the pillared elevation of his bed. Before the flickering flames dancing between the coals, he laid her down on soft cashmere rugs and sat back on his heels.

      The flames reflected off her glowing skin a few shades lighter than his own but exhibiting her Latin ancestry.

      Slowly, he traced the sweet curve of her jaw, to the pulse hammering at her throat. She shivered and squirmed, her movements innocently seductive as she stared up at him.

      For a long moment, Rahim didn’t move, arrested as he was by her.

      ‘Please...’

      ‘Shh, let me enjoy you for a moment, for you are an exquisite sight to behold.’ The clear outline of her nipples drew his touch and he circled the bud with his finger, drawing an urgent cry from her that echoed deep within him.

      Sliding the straps from her shoulders, he bared her to him. ‘Exquisite,’ he repeated.

      Bracing himself on his elbows, Rahim drew one velvety tip into his mouth. Her groan was so intoxicating he repeated the act, then again on her other breast.

      ‘Oh, Rahim,’ she choked out.

      ‘You like that?’

      Her nostrils quivered delicately as she inhaled. ‘Yes,’ she breathed.

      ‘You want more?’ he demanded, a keen desire to see her completely undone overcoming him.

      At her eager nod, he flicked his tongue against her, then caught the wet, pebbled flesh between his teeth. Her nails scored his shoulders and she arched her back.

      Rahim clawed at his fraying control, warning himself that this was just a means of sating his lust. Of taking what she was freely offering and perhaps teaching her a lesson in the process. There was no need for this to be something else, something alien that scrabbled at a place he’d sealed off a long time ago. A place that reeked of loneliness and neglect. A place that reminded him too much of his adolescent years.

      He wasn’t lonely. Or desperate for the connection that had been missing in his life for longer than he cared to recall. He’d learned to do without it. He’d found other, more fruitful ways to find the closure that had eluded him. By taking his rightful place on the throne as all Al-Hadis had done in the past, and vowing to care for his people, he’d sealed off that part of himself that wanted closure.

      He didn’t need closure if he intended to take up the mantle destiny had handed him.

      He certainly didn’t need the warm, vibrant woman beneath him, not even for one single night the way his senses were tricking him into believing. This would be a brief, if thoroughly pleasurable, coupling before he sent her on her way.

      That was all it would ever be.

      ‘Rahim?’ Her sultry voice centred his attention back on her and he happily abandoned his unsettling thoughts.

      ‘Yes, habibi? Tell me what you want.’

      Her back arched higher, seeking his attention. ‘More, please?’

      Squeezing the perfect globes, he lowered his head. ‘It’ll be my pleasure.’

      * * *

      Allegra almost cried in relief when his mouth closed over her again. For a moment, she’d feared he would stop. Certainly the bleakness that had clouded his eyes and stolen his focus had sent a cold shiver through her, the brief glimpse of pain momentarily stopping her desire in its tracks.

      Curiously, in that moment, she hadn’t felt a loss at his lack of attention. Watching emotions she recognised in herself flit over his face had evoked a surprising affinity. One she’d quickly banished because she knew in her deepest heart that Rahim wouldn’t welcome such a connection.

      Lust and sex were more acceptable to him.

      And with the touch of his lips, everything besides the feverish sensations firing up her body melted away. Including the cautionary voice that questioned what on earth she was doing.

      She was living. She was providing her soul with much-needed sustenance even she hadn’t known was missing until she’d touched Rahim. She was absolutely certain this would be a one-time thing, so she staunched the voice and gave herself over completely to the bliss rampaging through her. Dug her nails deeper into his shoulders, arched her back higher and vocalised her groans.

      He tugged on her negligee, his movements a touch rougher than they had been a moment ago. Allegra watched the firelight dance over his sculpted features as he