Her breath caught in her throat and she licked her lips, which had suddenly become very dry as the intensity of desire in his eyes surfaced. The molten bronze swirled against midnight blackness and nothing or nobody else existed. It was just the two of them.
Hesitantly, she took another sip; the bubbles fizzed in her mouth and he watched every tiny movement of her lips.
When she took the next sip heat curled around her body as if his strong arms held her against him. Then, in a slow and controlled move, he leant towards her, his lips brushing lightly over hers as if he wanted to taste the champagne on them.
She drew in a ragged breath and clutched tightly onto her almost empty flute as he drew back from her. The air around them throbbed with desire so raw she couldn’t speak. She didn’t want to say anything that might shatter the moment because right now she was desired and wanted by the man she loved.
Slowly and with intent, he took the champagne flute from her hand. Without taking his eyes from hers, he placed it on the table. ‘Come.’ The underlying sensuality in that one word was not lost on her. He took her hand, infusing her with even more heat, and stood, leaving her no option but to grab her bag and phone and go with him.
Amber was vaguely aware of heads turning and curious glances being cast their way as they left the match, but she didn’t care. His hand still held hers tightly, as if he thought at any minute she would turn and run. On one level she had no idea where they were going or why, but with some kind of instinct she’d never known before—she knew.
Once inside the hotel doorway he made straight for the wide sweeping staircase that led to the first floor and the palatial suites on each wing of the grand building. She pulled off her glasses, her breath coming so fast she couldn’t speak. Their bodies were communicating through the seductive waves of awareness darting between them like shooting stars.
They reached the door of their suite and he stopped and looked at her, his eyes so heavy with desire she caught her breath, biting down hard on her lower lip. He opened the door and took her hand, but she knew she would follow; she was well and truly under the spell of attraction that sparked in the air around them.
‘What was that display for?’ Finally she managed to get some words out. Indignation was the best form of defence, she decided, as the door to their suite closed. It was her only defence against what was happening, the only hope she had of clinging to sanity. He turned to face her. She raised her chin defiantly at him, raw desire burning in his eyes as they boldly raked over her.
‘I think you know.’ He swiftly crossed the room and, before she could move or say anything, he’d swept her feet from the floor and taken her in his arms. With intent and purpose he strode into the bedroom.
Her head became light and a dizzying sensation fluttered around her heart and she knew what he wanted. He wanted her. Passion boiled wildly between them and she no longer cared about what had happened in the past, or what might happen in the future. All she cared about was this moment.
He laid her gently on the bed as if she was the most precious thing ever then removed his jacket quickly, tossing it impatiently aside before covering her body with his. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer, and was rewarded with a deep guttural growl as his lips claimed hers in a hard, demanding kiss.
Her whole body sang, as if she’d waited forever for this moment. She had, and one thing was certain—this time it would happen. It was what she wanted. She wanted to be his—completely.
His hand slid down her side to her hip and she moved beneath him, giving into an instinct that rose up and engulfed her as she encouraged him to take more, to make her his.
He deepened the kiss and she spread her hands across his back, relishing the warmth of his skin through his shirt, feeling the power of his strength. Everything about that moment was as wild and untamed as she knew he was.
It was what she’d always dreamed it would be like, passionate and all consuming, not at all like she’d imagined it would have been on their wedding night. Then it would have been nothing more than a signature on a contract. This was so much more. This passion, this heated desire, it was what she wanted and, judging by his response, Kazim did too.
He broke the kiss and propped himself over her, his eyes heavy with desire. His breath came hard and fast and, unable to help herself, she slid the palms of her hands down each of his arms, savouring the strength and power of his muscles.
Her whole body was alive, tingling with desire for him. This was what she wanted but at the same time she knew it would only cause more problems, more heartache.
* * *
Kazim tried hard to rein in the maelstrom of emotions rushing around his body. Never had a woman driven him so crazy with desire that he’d all but dragged her back to his hotel room in the middle of the afternoon. But then never had a woman made him wait so long. He had, he decided, been ensconced in the desert far too long and now he had very little control left.
‘If this isn’t what you want...’ he heard his words come out in a low growl, saw the shocked expression cross her beautiful face, but he couldn’t stop them ‘...then I suggest you say now.’
She moved beneath him, her body pressing against his erection, and he clenched his jaw hard, hanging onto the last thread of control. She was draining the strength from him and when her hands slid down his arms he almost couldn’t bear it.
Slowly she reached her hand up to his face, her palm pressing against his cheek, and he wasn’t sure if she was trembling or if he was shaking with the effort of control.
‘I want this, Kazim,’ she whispered huskily. ‘I want you.’
He pushed aside the doubts that had made him walk out on her on their wedding night. He couldn’t think about them now; the raging throb of desire in his body needed quenching. It needed quenching now. He wanted her—completely.
He looked at her face, the colour creeping over her cheeks as his hand slid down her leg until he reached the hemline of her dress. Slowly, he slid his hand underneath the silk and upwards. The soft brown of her eyes darkened, her breathing deepened and he watched in fascination as her lips parted, a soft sigh escaping them.
‘Kazim,’ she pleaded, her gaze fixed on his, her fingernails digging into his arms.
Just his name on her lips sent him into overdrive, unable to think of anything other than making her his. He touched the lace of her panties at her hip and pulled hard, the satisfying sound of tearing making his pulse race. He lifted himself up on one arm and quickly freed himself from the constraints of his clothes. He was too impatient to remove them all—he wanted her now.
As if in encouragement, she moved her legs either side of his and he pushed her dress up, watching her face all the time.
For a fleeting moment he wondered if he should take things more slowly, but as she moved against him, sighing softly, tormenting him with the heat of her body, he knew he couldn’t.
‘Kazim,’ she sighed and he shook with hungry need, her husky whisper heightening his desire. Should he use contraception? The question floated on the periphery. No, she was his wife and he needed an heir. If this moment led to such an outcome it wouldn’t be a hardship.
‘Kazim...’ She encouraged him again, her voice almost lost to pleasure, her hands pressing him against her.
He had precious little control left now; all he wanted was to be deep inside her, feel her heat surround him. She wrapped her legs around him, moving temptingly against him. He felt her wetness and couldn’t hold back any longer. In one swift movement he thrust himself into her, the ecstasy of it making him cry out.
‘Kazim!’ Her cry of pleasure mingled with his and she lifted her hips up, meeting him, taking him deeper still, until it was as if all the stars in the desert night sky had exploded around him.
As his heart rate slowed and he regained his