His Reluctant Bride (7 page)

“Stop what?”

“Stop saying my name like I’m one of your subjects,” she said and he frowned.

“I didn’t realise I was,” he responded and she blew out a sigh.

“Well, you do. And as you’re so fond of reminding me, I’m your wife not one of your dutiful subjects,” she told him making Tariq’s frown deepen.

“I apologise,” he offered and it was her turn to frown for she had never heard him apologise for anything before.

“Thank you,” she graciously accepted and for a moment there was an uneasy peace between them but they both knew that it wouldn’t last.

“Come and rest… please,”

Katie knew what it had cost Tariq to add the please and not just command her to do as he said so she complied with his request and silently followed him back to the main bedroom glad that he knew where he was going for the place was a maze and she didn’t think she would have found her way back alone.

When they arrived back in the bedroom Katie was suddenly very aware of the large bed and what it represented. She was also very aware of Tariq and his powerful presence. She expected him to try and enforce his conjugal rights as her husband and she eyed him nervously.

“There are night clothes in the wardrobe,” he informed her and Katie stared at him in horror at the thought of changing in front of him. He might have seen all of her but somehow it felt more intimate to change in front of him. She needn’t have worried though for by the time she had selected a nightgown he had left the room giving her some much needed privacy. Not that the nightgown provided much cover as it was made of flimsy white silk and was so short and low cut that it was a wonder it covered anything at all.

After pulling a face at the stupid garment she slid beneath the covers and closed her eyes as she realised just how exhausted she really was. She was on the verge of sleep when she jerked suddenly awake as she was totally unprepared for the sudden dip of the bed as Tariq slid in beside her and his arm curled around her waist pulling her back against him.

She tensed expecting him to try his best to seduce her in to submission but the minutes ticked by and he didn’t move. Finally after several minutes passed by she risked a glance at him and found that he was simply watching her, his eyes slumberous as they gazed down at her.

“You should be resting,” he chastised gently and she rolled her eyes.

“I can hardly rest with you staring holes in my back,” she commented unaware that she had snuggled closer until she heard his sudden indrawn breath.

“Rest,” he murmured as he ran his hand gently through her silken hair making her shiver with lust though she refused to acknowledge what his touch did to her.

Instead she closed her eyes and within seconds she was asleep and feeling surprisingly secure in her husband’s arms though she didn’t realise it as she slept. She also didn’t feel the tender kiss that Tariq placed on the top or her head or the way he held her close and simply watched her sleep for hours until sleep claimed him also and even in sleep he refused to relinquish his grip on her supple body as it moulded to his own.

Katie awoke slowly and kept her eyes closed for a few minutes unwilling to move from the warmth of her bed and face the harsh realities of day. But she knew she didn’t have a choice. Work waited for no woman.

With a sigh she snuggled deeper in to the warmth and barely held in a shriek as she realised a male body was entwined with her own. It all came rushing back in an instant and she realised that she didn’t have anything to get up for and yet surprisingly that was a depressing thought.

“Morning,” came the soft voice at her shoulder and Katie gently rolled over to find Tariq gazing down at her with a sparkle in his eyes as he watched the inner war she fought.

“Hi,” she finally said and he gave a gentle chuckle that made her eyes widen at the smooth sound that wrapped around her nerve endings and tugged a little.

“You can do better than that,” he murmured and before she could say a word he placed his lips against hers and kissed her deeply and thoroughly as he plundered the inside of her mouth, like a pirate hunting for his treasure, and made her sigh at the sheer pleasure of it. Until he pulled away and reality dawned making her jerk abruptly away.

“Catherine,” he sighed as she darted from the bed only to freeze in place at the realisation that he was getting a better view of her now than he’d had from the bed and she cursed inwardly while Tariq seemed transfixed by the sight of her creamy silken legs and the generous outline of her breasts. She was extremely aware of his gaze and a small thrill ran through her even as she crossed her arms over her breasts in instant denial.

“Come back to bed,” he said with a deep sigh and she hesitated as instinct told her to run and not look back. She hesitated too long though and before she realised he’d moved Tariq swept her up in to his arms and carried her gently back to the bed. Katie didn’t struggle and she wasn’t sure why. Surely she wasn’t actually beginning to trust him.

“You’re shivering,” Tariq whispered in her ear and she realised that she was.

“I’m cold,” she offered by way of explanation knowing that she lied for it certainly wasn’t in the least bit cold. If anything the heat was stifling and she was very aware of his close proximity and the fact that he was almost naked.

“I can warm you up,” he murmured in her ear and she shivered again as he gently kissed her and she was barely even aware of his hands skimming her waist until he had dispensed with her nightwear in a whisper of silk.

Feeling suddenly braver Katie ran her fingers lightly down his chest using her polished nails to provoke a response and she gave a satisfied smile as he sucked in a sharp breath. Taking the initiative she moved her fingers lower and slowly circled his erection surprised at the reaction she evoked in him.

“Minx,” he murmured in her ear and she gave him a cheeky smile as she became really daring and slowly lowered her head down his body licking, sucking and tasting her way down the expanse of his male frame until she reached her destination and she slowly took his treasure in to her mouth completely unprepared for the way he shuddered beneath her touch or the sudden jerk he gave and she certainly wasn’t prepared when he hauled her back up the bed.

“If you continue torturing me then we won’t last long,” he whispered as he trailed his lips down the long slender slope of her neck and down to capture one rosy nipple in his mouth as he gently rolled his tongue while his hands played havoc with another part of her anatomy making her gasp and writhe in unadulterated pleasure. He turned his attention to the other one and repeated the process until Katie couldn’t take anymore and she gazed up at him with passion filled eyes.

“Please,” she begged and he gave her a wolfish smile.

“Please what?” he asked as his hands and mouth continued their torment.

“Please Tariq!” she gasped certain that she was going to explode.

And then suddenly he was right there and he lifted himself over her pausing at her entrance as he waited for her to open her eyes and stare in to his own with her eyes glazed with passion. Slowly he filled her to the hilt and watched her reaction as he slowly rolled his hips and she gasped as waves of pleasure assailed her. Pulling back slowly he began a rhythm as old as time and watched as she spiralled higher and higher until the world exploded around both of them and they soared high on the pleasure that rolled through their joined bodies.

Slowly they came back down to earth but Katie struggled to catch her breath and she was pleased to see that she wasn’t the only one. At least she knew Tariq wasn’t unaffected by her, nobody could fake that sort of reaction.

“That was…” Tariq began and she sent him a satisfied smile.

“Amazing? Incredible?” she prompted and he smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on her soft lips.

“Good,” he finished and she stared up at him in disbelief as the rosy afterglow began to fade to be replaced by an angry red haze.

“Good,” she repeated and then before he could stop her she slid from the bed and stormed over to her wardrobe and collected fresh clothes before marching furiously from the room while Tariq stared after her wondering what the hell he had done to upset her now.

It was much later when Tariq finally tracked her down and Katie had taken the time to fill one of the bathtubs and bathe herself free of his scent, if only it were as easy to wash the memories away but she doubted she would ever be able to forget the way he made her feel. She had dressed in the simple cotton dress she had picked up and she had to admit that she loved the vibrant sapphire colour. Surprisingly even the silken underwear matched in colour and she had no doubt that all the clothes had been picked out with Tariq’s pleasure in mind. It made the clothes seem dirty somehow and she hated feeling like she was dressing purposefully to please him. It didn’t matter that she liked the clothes and would have chosen them herself.

“Catherine?”

He sounded tired, she noticed.

“Catherine?”

He didn’t shout her name like he had the right to order her around, she noticed. He just called her like he was genuinely worried about her which was ridiculous because they both knew that there was no chance of her getting in to trouble here.

“Catherine,”

He had finally found her but she didn’t turn around. She had found this opening quite by accident and she was enjoying the peacefulness of the oasis she had found. It was a small haven, a garden where someone with plenty of time on their hands had spent that time nurturing and loving it. They had even created a little spring though she had no idea how. She wouldn’t have thought that anything could grow out here but she was wrong and it made her wonder just who had lived here and where they had gone. Why would someone take all this time to build something so beautiful and then just abandon it and leave it to become overgrown and decrepit. It was already showing signs of abandonment but it still felt peaceful here and she found that she could think more clearly in these surroundings.

“Catherine?”

She heard his soft whisper and finally turned to face him with a sad smile and she noticed that he had also bathed and changed in to a dark robe.

“Hi,” she whispered back before she turned to gaze at this blissful collection of colours.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he came over to sit beside her and she gazed at him with sad eyes.

“What for?” she asked doubting whether he could answer her.

“I upset you,” he replied and she gave an inward sigh. He didn’t even realise why she was upset. He was probably used to women fawning all over him and singing his praises. He didn’t realise that she wanted to be special, not just another notch on his bedpost.

“It’s fine,” she replied not taking her eyes off the small spring that gurgled up at her.

“Catherine, tell me what I did,” he pleaded but she shook her head as she sent him a small smile.

“I told you, it’s fine,” she responded and he frowned at her as he caught hold of one of her hands relieved when she didn’t immediately pull away.

“I’m sorry I upset you,” he said quietly making her give him a genuine smile. It was clear that he actually was sorry but that didn’t mean she was ready to forgive him. As far as he was concerned she could be anyone but for her she was certain that Tariq was the only man who could make her feel this way.

“You like it out here?” he asked quietly and she smiled.

“It’s peaceful,” she informed him and he frowned as he silently watched the babbling spring and then her as though trying to figure out what she found so peaceful about it.

“My mother used to love it here too,” he commented and Katie glanced sharply at him. Before she could ask any questions though a noise sounded overhead and they both glanced up in time to see a helicopter flying low.

Tariq immediately jumped to his feet and Katie followed at a slower pace. She followed him through the maze and out to the front where the helicopter slowly landed. Holding back she watched Tariq stride over and he had a quick conversation with the pilot before he came back to where she stood.

“I have to go,” he informed her and she stared at him with her eyes widening at this revelation.

“Go where?” she asked.

“There’s an emergency at the palace that needs my attention,” he offered and she brightened at the thought of getting out of the desert for just a while.

“I’ll come with you,” she said brightly.

“No! You’ll stay here,” he commanded and she stared at him in absolute horror. She had really thought that they were finally getting to know one another. She had even foolishly thought that he was starting to trust her but he clearly didn’t care about her outside of the bedroom and he couldn’t have made it clearer if he’d tried.

“Fine,” she said bleakly and he turned an unreadable gaze on her pale face.

“There’s food and drink in the kitchens. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he told her but she simply shrugged.         

“Take your time. I’m sure I’ll be much happier on my own anyway,” Katie informed him furiously.

“I’ll be back,” he promised as he leaned in to give her a kiss but she turned her head and he caught her chin instead. Pulling back he frowned at her reaction but didn’t have time to dwell on it as she turned and stomped back in to the tent not even glancing back as he climbed in to the helicopter and took off.

Katie was at a loss as to what to do with herself once Tariq had left and suddenly she was extremely aware of how deserted the place was. There was nobody for miles and no sounds anywhere. Even the birds and insects didn’t seem to travel out here.

“There must be something to do,” she muttered to herself only to pause. “Now I’m talking to myself. Isn’t that a sign of going crazy? That man sends me crazy,”

As though realising that continuing to talk to herself didn’t make her sound any saner Katie took a deep breath and began wandering aimlessly through the tent trying to find something, anything to keep her entertained.

There wasn’t much. More of the same rooms just with different coloured curtains and beddings. Still, she continued to explore needing to do something more than just sit and think. If she didn’t find something to do soon then she really might go stark raving mad.

She eventually tracked down the kitchens, if you could call them that. It was really two large rooms storing food and small camping stoves that would suffice to make something edible.

Selecting one of the cans and some fresh bread she quickly cooked up a simple meal of beans on toast and enjoyed every bite. But then she had worked up an appetite. Helping herself to a bottle of wine she popped the cork and took a quick swig. She had no idea how much the bottle was worth but knowing Tariq it had to be worth quite a bit and she smiled grimly as she took another swig.

Taking care of the pots took only moments and with a sigh she continued her tour making sure to take the wine with her. She took a spare just in case as this one was going down far too quick.

Being drunk, she discovered, actually made things in the tents seem more interesting and she noticed things she hadn’t before. Like small pictures obviously painted by children and displaying both their brightness and their despair as the pictures slowly changed from happy deserts full of sunshine to the same boring grains of sand with hope withering away in each one until they stopped altogether.

It was as she was on her second bottle of wine and exploring one of these rooms that she heard a surprising sound and she spun round wondering where it had come from and cursing as her head spun.

“Hewwo?” she slurred then giggled.

“Help me,” someone called and then giggles sounded.

Katie put the bottle of wine down and followed the sounds, holding the walls to steady herself as the voices led her back to the desert.

“Anybod here?” she called giggling again as she tried to sound sober with little success.

“Over here,” the voice called again and Katie swore she heard children giggling.

Then suddenly a high pitched scream split the air and the giggling and voices stopped. All was silent.

Katie suddenly panicked ran out in to the desert frantically searching for the source of the scream. Tariq had said there was nobody else here but what if he was wrong? It sounded like there were children out here. What if one of them had gotten hurt?