‘Don’t slip and fall into the water,’ he cautioned.
She could hear music in the distance, and its catchy rhythm only seemed to highlight the tension in the tent. ‘There’s feasting and dancing tonight,’ Tadj explained. ‘At the wish of my people, I’ll be attending, and I expect you to be there too.’
Expect, she thought. What else did the Emir of Qalala expect?
‘I’d love to come along,’ she said, determined not to be overwhelmed by Tadj’s majesty at any point.
He shrugged, stinging her with his careless attitude. She ached inside, missing the friendship that had sprung up so easily between them on that first night. She missed the camaraderie and banter they’d shared, but had no intention of grovelling to try to reclaim Tadj’s favour. He might be like a mountain, towering and inflexible, but he had to move too.
‘I’ll bathe first,’ she said, glancing in the direction of the lagoon. The chance to refresh her mind as well as her body was well overdue.
‘I’ll bathe with you,’ Tadj informed her. ‘You should have someone with you when you swim.’
‘I’m a strong swimmer,’ Lucy protested as her pulse began to race off the scale.
‘And pregnant,’ Tadj said flatly. ‘All open water holds risks.’
So much for solitude and time to think, but why antagonise him? She could shrug too, and, turning her back, she stripped down to her underwear. One good thing about growing up in gangland luxury was the unlimited use of a heated indoor pool at home, as well as a tennis court, and access to a string of ponies. When Lucy’s father had been alive, the same property had been a simple hill farm where Lucy’s parents had scratched a living. But they’d been such happy, uncomplicated times. When her father had died all that had changed. Lucy’s mother had thought it a dream come true when a handsome stranger had whisked her off her feet, but that fairy tale had soon turned into a nightmare, and the simple hill farm had been transformed into a fortress, guarded by grim-faced men with automatic weapons.
‘Lucy?’
The sharp note in Tadj’s voice jolted her back to the present. Crossing her arms over her chest, as if he didn’t know every inch of her body already, she glanced at him, wishing things could be different. Shielded by the tent, and by the towering mountain behind it, she had thought about swimming naked, but having Tadj join her in the black boxers he’d stripped down to was danger enough. She gasped when he put an arm around her waist. ‘Sharps rocks,’ he warned. ‘Lean on me.’
The water was frigid with ice-melt from the mountains, but as they swam alongside each other Tadj steered her towards the cliff face where a waterfall was crashing down. What? She turned to look at him midstroke. If this was his idea of safety, she didn’t think much of it. She should have known he’d guide her through to the other side of the pounding cascade where they were completely shielded from the outside world. Holding her in place with his hard, wet body pinning her against the smooth rock, he remarked, ‘You swim well.’
Resting his forearms above her head, he made sure she wasn’t going anywhere. ‘And so do you,’ she conceded, staring at him levelly.
She wanted this more than anything, and yet dreaded the moment when Tadj broke down the emotional barriers dividing them, because that meant laying her heart on the line for the Emir of Qalala to trample. Tadj lost no time in claiming his reward. As the freezing torrent thundered around them, he drove his mouth down on hers.
Tadj was a madness she could never refuse—never wanted to lose—and she responded with matching passion. He was as vital to her existence as air to breathe, food to eat, and the heat of his body, together with the chill of the icy water, created a force that went way beyond caution. Upping the stakes, she wrapped her legs around his waist. She gasped, knowing she would never get used to the passion between them. This might not be how she’d planned the immediate future to pan out, but if sex was all they had...
Tadj soon removed her bra and thong, and it was his turn to groan with pleasure as he mapped her naked body. ‘Yes!’ he hissed between his teeth, taking her firmly with one smooth thrust of his hips. From there it was a crazy race to the finish, while she worked with him, matching his force. They couldn’t get enough of each other, so no sooner was one violent release achieved, than they were pursuing the next. Some wild force had possessed them, and as Tadj raked his sharp black stubble against her neck, she bit his shoulder, urging him on with words she barely recognised. They were like two animals in the prime of life, mating fiercely and unaware of anything else.
‘Yes!’ she screamed, not even trying to hold back when each shattering release had her in its grip. Sometimes sensation could be enough, and this was one of those times. Tadj had always been the consummate lover, and even here in the lagoon, with water crashing around them, he made sure that he extracted every available pulse of pleasure, and when she was quiet again, he teased her into awareness, by moving steadily and carefully, until her weary little bud had sparked back to life again.
‘Oh, yes,’ Lucy crooned as Tadj maintained a dependable and steady rhythm. Nestling her head against his chest, she let him do all the work, while she rested, floating in the water, concentrating on the place that had become the centre of her universe. He knew just what to do, how to stimulate and encourage, and it wasn’t long before she was on the edge again.
‘Now,’ he instructed in a whisper against her ear.
‘Oh, yes,’ she groaned thankfully, as he pushed her over the edge into pleasure with a few firm thrusts.
‘Once more, I think,’ he said when she rested, gasping for breath.
‘No, I’m done,’ she said groggily, glad of his hands supporting her buttocks as she hung replete in his arms.
‘I don’t think so,’ Tadj argued. ‘I know you, and there’s more. Shall I prove it to you?’
‘Please,’ she begged, loving the way his big hands tightened on her buttocks.
‘You don’t have to do anything, except experience pleasure,’ he murmured in a low, husky tone.
How many lovers had used these cooling waters to sate their heated passion? She and Tadj were part of the lagoon’s history now. That was Lucy’s last thought before pleasure invaded her mind, and, for now, pleasure was enough.
They left the lagoon swimming side by side with long, leisurely strokes. Lucy’s limbs felt heavy, and she felt sated. It was almost as if neither of them was in a hurry to return to dry land, where reality ruled. That sense of reality was challenged as soon as she climbed out of the water and spotted a pile of fresh towels left ready for them on the bank. This wasn’t her usual reality, Lucy concluded as she wrapped a towel around her body, and the towels only emphasised the point that the Emir of Qalala was never completely alone; nor would his private life remain private for long.
But whatever else happened today, she had this to remember, she thought as Tadj secured a towel around his washboard waist.
Back in the tent, Lucy was surprised to find a silk tunic with matching silk trousers, in a soft shade of cerulean blue, waiting for her on the bed. It was the same style she’d noticed the Qalalan women wearing. Their fashions had intrigued her, as they were more active wear than purely decorative.
‘Do you like them?’ Tadj asked. ‘It’s a perfect outfit for the party,’ he said, skimming a glance over the outfit.
‘The party?’ Lucy queried. ‘I thought we’d get chance to talk. After all, we’ve got a lot to sort out...’
Tadj’s stare was cool. He’d switched to Emir in an instant. Well, if he thought she was a candidate for his harem, he could think again.
‘If my people organise a party to welcome me back, that takes precedence over everything else.’
Gritting