Desert Rogues Part 2. Susan Mallery
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She swallowed.
“What was I saying?” she asked.
“You were telling me about touching.”
If he was trying to provide positive reinforcement for discussing a fantasy, he was doing a darned good job, she thought, barely able to focus. He worked magic between her legs, moving in and out as he rubbed her with his thumb. The combined attentions made her tense in anticipation of her release. She could feel the pressure building and the—
“Cleo?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m, ah, touching you with my hand, then with my mouth.”
“I like it when you do that.”
“I know.” She caught her breath as he picked up speed. In and out, over and over, mimicking the act of love that would follow.
“So how do I lose control?” he asked.
“You make me stop,” she said, barely able to complete the sentence. “You grab me by the hair and pull my head back. Then you plunge into me.”
He didn’t stop moving, but she saw the frown on his face. “Sadik, it’s a fantasy.”
“I would never grab you by your hair.”
Despite the tension building inside of her, she smiled. “That’s not the point.”
“Oh, I understand the point.”
He stopped touching her. She nearly cried out in protest, but before she could say a word, he reached for the fastenings on his trousers. He ripped open his belt and shoved down his clothing until his arousal sprang free. Something dark and animalistic entered his eyes.
“Your fantasy is that I can’t wait,” he said, pressing against her opening. “That I find you so irresistible that I forget myself and say, to hell with convention.”
He slipped his fingers between them. As he began to fill her, he moved against her most sensitive place. The combination was unbearable.
“I can’t wait,” he told her, holding her gaze. “I will have you now.”
She wasn’t sure how much of this was about her fantasy and how much it was because having her talk about it turned him on. She found she didn’t much care. She felt herself spiraling out of control. The combination of his fingers rubbing against her and his large erection filling her was more than she could stand. Pressure built until there was no way to stop the explosion.
The contractions began slowly. She arched her head back and cried out his name. The release raced through her, growing and building even as he thrust into her over and over again. The question of holding back had long been answered. It was impossible. Not while he was touching her. She felt herself opening—not just her body but her heart. When he claimed her as his, he claimed all of her, although she was determined never to let him know.
He shuddered and stilled. She felt him find his own way to paradise. What she didn’t know was what she would do when he found his way back.
Chapter Twelve
T he next morning Cleo found more than a snack waiting for her on the dining-room table in the suite. There was a Bahanian driver’s license, several credit cards in her name—all platinum, of course—a checkbook with an opening balance of $250,000 and a stack of cash. She didn’t bother to count it.
This was, she supposed, another perk of having recently married into the royal family. The problem was, it felt an awful lot like a bribe.
It was because of last night, she thought, still not fully recovered from the intense intimacy she’d shared with Sadik. While they had always experienced passion, something else had occurred the previous evening. Did being married really make that much difference? She didn’t want to think so. Her emotional connection with her husband had already gotten her into trouble, promising her the potential of a lifetime heartache. She didn’t want to make things worse by bonding even more.
At least the surprise he’d left her gave her something else to think about. She collected the driver’s license, one of the credit cards and half the cash, dropped the lot into her purse and headed out the door. Ten minutes later she entered Sadik’s office with the intent of putting the man firmly in his place. She might have been stupid enough to hand over her heart, but she wasn’t about to let him run her life. Not when his idea of the perfect wife was someone who was silent, obedient and fertile.
“Good morning,” he said, rising from his chair and coming around to greet her. He cupped her face and lightly kissed her mouth. Just the brush of his lips on hers was enough to get her all hot and bothered, although she didn’t want to admit that to anyone—not even herself.
“How are you feeling?” he asked when he released her.
“Fine.” The man had seen her less than two hours before, when he’d delivered breakfast and spent forty minutes talking to her stomach. It was unlikely anything had changed.
When he motioned for her to take a seat, she shook her head. “I’d rather stay standing. It’s easier to work up a good head of steam when I’m on my feet.”
Sadik looked genuinely confused. “Why would you want to be angry with me?”
She pulled out the wad of cash and slapped it on the desk.
“I do not understand,” he said as he frowned at her. “If you require more, you may cash a check from your account. When the balance drops below one hundred thousand dollars, an additional deposit will be made. My desire is that you want for nothing.”
“Which is a sentiment I applaud. But only in theory. You can’t buy me, Sadik. However much money you leave on the table, I’m still going to apply to the university this morning, and you can’t stop me.”
Storm clouds collected in his eyes. His dark eyebrows pulled together. “You are my wife.”
“Uh-huh, and if you didn’t want stubborn, you shouldn’t have married me.” She grabbed the cash and shoved it in her purse. “I don’t know how much textbooks cost. I might need this.”
He stiffened. “I told you last night, I forbid you to attend the university.”
“And I told you, this is about what I want. I’m willing to follow the rules and be a good wife. I’ll have your children and support your career and attend social functions, but I won’t be dictated to. Nothing about my furthering my education is going to threaten our relationship.”
“What about when we have children? You will need time to be a good mother.”
She rolled her eyes. “All over the world there are single moms doing a darned good job. They are employed, supporting their family, going back to school when able and having something resembling a life. I think that I can manage to raise a couple of kids while living in the palace and surrounded by hot-and-cold-running servants. And, golly-gee, there just might be a couple of hours left over in the day for me to attend a class or two.”
He didn’t looked convinced. “There are other considerations.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Actually, there aren’t. I wasn’t asking your permission, Sadik. I thought you’d figured that out last night. You can’t buy me off and you can’t change my mind. I have the feeling that I’m going to spend a lot of my life having to give in on other issues, but this one isn’t negotiable. I suggest you get over it.”
With that she turned on her heel and stalked from the room. The man was thick as a post and just as unmovable. But she refused to be the one to give in on this issue. It was too important to her. Not only did she want to get a college degree, but she had something to prove to both Sadik and herself. They both needed to learn that she meant what she said.
She headed for the front of the palace where her driver was already waiting. Sadik would have a heart attack if he knew that this morning she even planned to take the wheel. Driving