Because it was up to her.
She knew that Rashid had a will of steel—and, much as she suspected that he wanted her, the first move must come from her. Her bitter words could not just be unsaid; she must show him that she was willing to be a wife to him in every sense of the word.
They h
ad finished their coffee and the fire was very low when he lifted his dark head and fixed her with a glittering stare.
‘And now, Jenna?’ he questioned softly.
This definitely was a loaded question. Her lips felt like parchment as she stared into his dark chiselled face.
‘I think it is time for bed,’ she managed.
He needed to be crystal-clear about her expectations of him. Or her lack of them. ‘Alone?’
She shook her head. She would die if he left her alone tonight.
‘Not alone, Rashid,’ she murmured quietly. ‘Together.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
HER heart was pounding as he closed the bedroom door, and she thanked heaven that the room was lit only with the soft light of the lamps. She wanted to see him, but not in too much detail, for she was terrified that she would disappoint him and prove as hopeless a lover as she had done before.
He stood in front of her, surveying her with an unmoving face, the ebony glitter of his eyes and the rapid beat of the pulse at his temple the only outward sign of life.
Her lips parted. ‘Rashid,’ she breathed threadily, hoping that he would not want more than this to signal her assent. He had told her that he would not beg—well, neither would she!
He saw her raise her chin in defiance and he almost smiled at her gesture of pride. But the moment was far too intense for humour or for battles of will. Because the look in her eyes and the way she had whispered his name told him everything he needed to know.
‘Come to me, sweet Jenna,’ he commanded softly. ‘Come to your Sheikh.’
It was only a few steps, but her legs felt so weak that she feared they would not carry her that short distance. And only the fact that he was standing there, his eyes inviting her into his embrace, ensured that she found herself where she most wanted to be.
She gave a little moan as he pulled her against him, and, catching her face between his hands, bent his head to kiss her in a kiss which was sweet and as potent as strong wine. She felt so dizzy with the sensation of his mouth against her mouth, his tongue flicking an erotic little entry inside, that she barely registered time passing, barely even registered the moment when he slid the zip of her dress down and gently removed it from her body.
The white embroidered dress pooled in a luxurious heap by her feet and she was left in nothing but the extravagant white lace of her lingerie. He made a fierce imprecation beneath his breath as his eyes observed the provocative swell of her breasts, before lifting her into his arms and carrying her across the room like a victor with his trophy, to where the divan awaited them.
‘Rashid,’ she half protested, but it was a wonderful sensation to be locked in the powerful arms of such a man.
It wasn’t until he had lain her down that he looked at her with an expression as close to tenderness as she had ever seen, and her heart came close to melting. Because in that moment she recognised that her love for him burned as strong as it ever had.
‘Shall I undress for you now, my sweet Jenna?’ he questioned quietly. ‘Would you like that?’
The blood thundered in her ears as she nodded, knowing that she would be far too shy to undress him herself. ‘Y-yes. Yes, I would.’
With a fluid movement he swept the silken tunic over his head, dropping it carelessly on the floor, enjoying the way the tip of her tongue flicked its way along her lips as his muscular torso was laid bare.
And then he untied the sash of his trousers and heard her tiny gasp as he kicked them away from him.
He saw the startled direction of her eyes, and he looked down at himself and then shrugged. ‘You see the effect you have on me, my sweet Jenna?’ he mused, but then his voice gentled. ‘It will not be as before. I will make you taste pleasure tonight, my sweet desert flower,’ he promised softly. ‘I will satisfy your each and every need, and when the sun rises in the morning you will have known the rapture and the joy that your beauty and your virtue merits.’
She didn’t doubt a word of it, and something in the velvet caress of his voice allayed her fears, so that when he came to join her on the divan she wrapped her arms around him tightly, with greedy possession.
He laughed softly as she pressed her breasts so eagerly against his hair-roughened chest, and he kissed the top of her head before gently pressing her back against the bed.
‘Stay still,’ he commanded, and then his eyes glittered with irresistible challenge. ‘If you are able.’
She stared at him in confusion, but by then he had taken her bra off, was bending his mouth to her nipple, and she felt such intense pleasure flooding through her as his lips closed around it that she moaned his name aloud.