‘So why did you come here?’ she questioned. ‘And why now? Why did you seek me out, Kadir?’
His eyes narrowed with unmistakable calculation. ‘Can’t you guess?’ he said softly.
She shook her head. ‘I’m not in the mood for guessing games.’
‘I came for you because I have been fighting a war for the past two years and at times during that war, I was nearly beaten and broken and I lost... I lost much that was dear to me,’ he husked. ‘And sometimes, in the midst of the desert storms which raged around my troops, when my throat was raw and my body ached as if every bone I possessed had been snapped—I would think of you, Caitlin.’
‘Me?’ she verified, so surprised by his admission that she didn’t stop to ask what it was he had lost.
‘Yes, you.’ He paused, his voice suddenly growing smoky as he began to walk over towards where she sat. ‘I remembered how sweet and clean you had felt in my arms. I don’t know how many lovers you’d had before me, but you made me feel as if I were the only one and, somehow, I could never quite forget that feeling.’
She stared at him askance as she took in the implication of his words. How many lovers she’d had before him, he had said, and the irony was that he had been the only one and he hadn’t guessed. Not then and not now. She gave a wry smile. Maybe all that stuff about virgins being extra-tight was just the stuff of legend.
But the fact remained that he had come back because he wanted her—physically, at least. The watchfulness in his gaze had given way to a heated blaze, which Caitlin was discovering she was far from immune to, despite the shocking disclosure he had just made. Or had his bitter story made her want to offer him comfort of the most basic kind?
He was so close that she could see the pulse which flickered hectically at his temple and the way his lips had parted and it reminded her all too vividly of what she’d once had with him and still missed. No man before or since had ever made her feel the way that Kadir could and sometimes she thought that nobody ever could.
A sudden tension seemed to have descended on them, imprisoning them in a private and erotic world, and as Caitlin started to rise to her feet he reached out and pulled her into his arms. And she was so captivated by her own sense of longing that she let him. She looked up into the dark gleam of his eyes, unable to tear her hungry gaze away from them.
‘I want to kiss you,’ he murmured, his breath warm against her face. ‘And you want that, too, don’t you, Caitlin? You want it as badly as I do.’
It was a boast. A virile statement of fact, which couldn’t be denied without inviting a charge of hypocrisy. And to her eternal shame Caitlin found herself whispering, yes—such a tiny word but one which managed to convey a broken note of yearning, which seemed to spiral up from somewhere deep inside her.
He framed her face with his hands and for a long moment just stared down at her. His eyes were like jet-dark lasers but his mouth was unsmiling as he moved closer still. As he lowered his head like a bird of prey Caitlin felt as if she were in rapid free fall, and when his lips touched hers, it was like landing in paradise all over again. A willing captive to the power of that kiss, she swayed as the Sheikh’s tongue flicked into her mouth, tasting and exploring her as if he were determined to prove just how satisfying a kiss could be. And how ultimately frustrating.
Was that his intention? To kiss her for just long enough to make her respond. So that she would reach out her hands to anchor herself to him—encountering unfamiliar silk beneath her fingertips and realising how thin it was? She swallowed, rubbing at the hard flesh, his muscles so deliciously honed and powerful that she found herself longing to see him naked again. Yet despite her lack of experience, Caitlin could sense danger—only this time a much more subtle variety. She could feel her body starting to change and there was nothing she could seem to do to stop it. Her nipples were pushing urgently against the lacy scratch of her bra and that achingly familiar low coil of heat was beginning to unfurl deep inside her.
Was it the corresponding rush of desire which made her want to squirm her hips against his with unspoken invitation, as if she couldn’t wait to feel him inside her again? Was that what prompted a soft murmur which was tinged with triumph? Caitlin swallowed as he smoothed his hands down over her undulating curves, as if he were reacquainting himself with her by touch alone. In just a few minutes it would be too late, because she recognised that he would go right ahead and do it to her. Here. Now. His finger was already straying to the button of her skirt. Another second and he would be skimming it down over her hips and pulling her panties down and...and...
No matter how much she ached for that to happen—she mustn’t let it.
Because she was in jeopardy of reading too much into something which was purely carnal and she was much too vulnerable around Kadir, even after all this time. What chance would she have of standing up to him and fighting her corner if she submitted? How could she possibly safeguard her child if she was in thrall to the Sheikh and allowed him to weaken her with a single touch?
Her hands were trembling as she placed them over his powerful chest, tantalisingly aware of the thunder of his heart as she stepped away. Her own heart was racing so hard that she felt dizzy, particularly when she noticed the flare of frustration which backlit the ebony smoulder of his eyes. But she thought she could see something else, too. Was it surprise that she’d been able to resist him? She was pretty surprised herself.
Walking over to the window, she smoothed down her ruffled hair and adjusted her clothing before turning round to face him again, determined to keep her expression neutral.
‘That’s not going to happen,’ she said.
‘It very nearly did.’ His black eyes glittered. ‘You’re surely not denying you wanted to?’
She shook her head. ‘How could I? But want and need are two very different beasts, Kadir. I may have just fallen into your bed last time around, but there’s too much at stake this time. We need...’ She swallowed. ‘We need to talk about the future. About what is best for Cameron—and I don’t want any unnecessary complications.’
Her words filtered into Kadir’s mind and he allowed himself to mull them over. A complication, was that how she saw him? As an obstacle or an impediment best avoided? Hadn’t his mother thought exactly the same? He felt his blood turn cold but maybe it was easier this way. Easier to do what he needed to do. For all their sakes, but most of all for the sake of his child. Deliberately, he kept his next words casual and to most people they would have sounded like nothing more than an aside. But if any of his aides had been present they would have been instantly alerted to the anger which was simmering away inside him.
‘I agree,’ he said. ‘The future is what matters now, not the past. I no longer wish to be a stranger to the child who shares my DNA and who will one day rule Xulhabi. Which means that Cameron will obviously need to spend time there.’
‘You mean...in the holidays?’
‘Not really. There is too much to be crammed into the odd week, here and there. He needs to understand his heritage and history, and be schooled in the many arts of kingship. I want to take my son back to Xulhabi with me, to introduce him to the land he will one day inherit.’
‘Are you completely insane?’ she breathed. ‘Do you really think I’d let Cameron go anywhere with you until I’ve got to know you better?’
‘Don’t worry, Caitlin. I fully intend for you to accompany him. And before you look at me with such horror in your eyes, what possible objections could you have? You don’t have a nine-to-five job and even if you did, I could easily compensate for any time lost at work.’
She was shaking her head. ‘Well, I can tell you right now that’s not going to happen. At
least, not yet—and certainly not now. This has been a lot for a little boy to take in. Can you imagine what would happen if we flew him out to the desert? He’d be completely overwhelmed.’