“Are you giving me the silent treatment already?” He sounded amused. “We haven’t been married for more than a day.”
Silent treatment? She had never been accused of that before. Her problem had always been speaking her mind. “I’m nervous, Your Highness,” she replied, hating how her voice cracked.
“You may call me Nadir. And you don’t have to be nervous with me.”
Of course she did. He had the power to destroy her life or, unwittingly, help her to create a new one. She gave a tilt of her head to show that she understood him, and immediately tensed when he knelt on the mattress in front of her.
The bed suddenly felt smaller. She felt smaller as Nadir towered over her. Zoe kept her eyes firmly on her fists that rested on her lap. She watched cautiously as he reached for her hand. She jerked when she felt a hot spark between them as his skin touched hers.
Nadir’s hand was dark and large against hers. Zoe felt his latent strength as he gently uncurled her fingers. She watched as he quietly slid the stack of bangles from her wrists and over her hand. She noticed how much lighter her arms felt as the bracelets fell onto the floor.
Once he’d removed her bracelets Nadir lazily traced the henna pattern on her hand with a fingertip. Her skin tingled as the pulse skittered in her wrist. Zoe was tempted to pull away.
“Your veil looks heavy,” Nadir said softly.
He had no idea. “Yes.”
Nadir skimmed the top of her head with his hands. Zoe’s muscles tightened as she fought the urge to bolt. His gentle touch felt like a silent claim that she didn’t want to accept or obey. She wanted to retreat. Brush his hands aside. Get away from the bed. Her skin prickled, heat sizzling through her blood as she struggled to remain still.
She heard the beat of her heart mingled with her short, choppy breaths. She felt Nadir guide his hands along the jeweled edge of her veil. He located the hairpins anchoring the veil and slid them free. Tossing the pins onto the floor, he glided the veil off her head and let it fall behind her.
She immediately felt its loss. While Zoe was grateful to shed the weight, the veil had allowed her to hide. She no longer had that luxury.
She kept her head down as Nadir threaded his fingers through her long brown hair. She couldn’t tell if he was fascinated or disappointed by the unusual shade.
“Look at me, Zoe.”
Her pulse gave a hard skip. She wasn’t ready to look at him. With more courage than she’d thought she possessed, she slowly, jerkily, raised her head to meet Nadir’s gaze.
Heat bloomed inside her when she saw the desire in his eyes. He lowered his head and her eyelashes fluttered. Zoe knew she should turn away but she remained motionless. She didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed when she felt his lips brush along her forehead.
Her lips stung with anticipation as Nadir skimmed his mouth along her cheek. His warm breath wafted over her skin before he placed a trail of soft kisses on her jawline. His hands were tangled in the mass of her hair, and she felt his fingers tighten when she gave a small sigh of pleasure.
Zoe leaned in closer and immediately stopped. She’d almost given herself away. She was supposed to be a bashful virginal bride. She needed to shy away, not participate!
Why was she responding so eagerly? She shouldn’t soften from a few tender caresses. Was her body greedy for a man’s touch because it had been so long? Or did Nadir know how to touch a woman and make her forget her best intentions?
She wasn’t going to fall for this. Obviously he wanted her to become used to his touch. He wanted her to welcome his advances and not see him as a threat.
It was too late. Nadir had been a threat from the moment he touched her. She didn’t think she had ever longed for a man’s touch, hungered for a kiss, as much as she did at this moment.
Her defenses couldn’t crumble. She would not let him get too close. Her future depended on it.
Nadir cradled her face with his hands and covered her mouth with his.
Wild desire exploded inside her. It rushed through her veins and she melted against him. She had never been kissed like this before. Nadir’s kiss claimed. Dominated.
She couldn’t surrender to him. She couldn’t let him find out the truth about her. Zoe knew she shouldn’t let this seduction continue, but somehow she parted her lips and allowed him to thrust his tongue deep into her mouth. She returned the kiss and was instantly swept away.
Sensations overwhelmed her and she clung to Nadir’s shoulders. Her hands crushed the luxurious fabric of his dishdasha and she drew him closer. She wanted more, so much more.
Zoe ignored her growing sense of alarm until she heard Nadir’s groan. She couldn’t tame the instant attraction that had flared between them. Nadir was too sensual, too dangerous. She broke the kiss and turned her head away swiftly.
She felt Nadir shudder as he tried to harness his emotions and knew she was pressing her luck. The last thing she wanted to do was frustrate him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered as she looked away.
Zoe pressed her fingertips against her swollen lips. Her breasts felt heavy and there was a delicious ache low in her belly. She had to get out of this bed. Now.
As she battled back the hunger Zoe realized she had not anticipated this fatal flaw in her plan. She’d never thought she would desire the Sheikh. That he would tempt her to throw caution to the wind.
She had to be careful. This was becoming a very dangerous game. She had to hide her shameful attraction and she could not act on it. Under no circumstances could she allow him to get any closer. No more kissing!
“It’s all right,” he murmured. He slowly kissed down the length of her throat. “I want you to kiss me back.”
That was the problem: she wanted to do more than kiss. Only she had to appear untutored and modest, Zoe reminded herself as Nadir removed her necklaces one by one. And when she kissed him she felt untamed. How did he have that much power over her responses?
She felt his hands travel down her spine and her top sagged open. Zoe’s heart lurched. He had found the fasteners hidden under the beading in the back. This wedding night had gone further than she wanted and she wasn’t sure how to stop it. Nadir pushed her top down her shoulders, revealing a thin white chemise.
She felt his heated gaze on her. She shivered as a dangerous excitement swept along her body, but she knew she should be feeling exposed and uncertain. What would a virgin do? Zoe belatedly crossed her arms to hide herself, but Nadir grasped her wrists.
“Don’t,” he ordered in a gruff voice. He lowered her arms. “Never hide yourself for me. You are beautiful.”
Zoe wanted to believe that the compliment fell automatically from Nadir’s lips, that he said it to all his lovers, but she felt beautiful. Desirable. Wanted. She hadn’t felt like that for a long time. She had to be very careful and not follow her instincts, but the blood was roaring in her veins.
Nadir dipped his head and captured her mouth with his. This time he wasn’t as gentle. She fed off his aggression. His kiss was hard and hungry. He couldn’t hide how much he wanted and needed her.
Heat swirled inside her. She was caught up in the kiss as he slowly lowered her. She speared her hands into his thick hair as he laid her on the bed. She’d accept one more kiss and then she’ll pull away. One more …
She didn’t protest when Nadir stripped her heavy skirt from her hips. He tore his mouth from hers and knelt back. She watched dazedly as he yanked off his dishdasha and tossed it on the floor.
Zoe gasped when she saw his golden brown skin and muscular physique. Okay, new rule, she decided frantically. No more taking off clothes. This was as far as they could go.
Without