Safiyah’s pulse catapulted against her ribs, taking up a rackety, uneven beat. They’d agreed to meet tomorrow morning. Not tonight. She wasn’t prepared.
She glanced down at the silk robe of deep rose-pink. It covered her to her ankles, but abruptly Safiyah became aware that beneath it she wore nothing but an equally thin nightgown.
That hand rose to knock again, and she knew she had no choice but to answer.
She cracked the door open, keeping out of view behind it as much as possible.
‘Karim. This is a surprise.’ Despite her efforts her voice sounded husky, betraying her lack of calm.
‘Safiyah.’ He nodded and stepped forward, clearly expecting her to admit him.
She held the door firmly, not budging. ‘It’s late. I’m afraid it’s not convenient to talk now.’ Not when she was barefoot and wearing next to nothing. ‘Can this wait till the morning?’
By then she’d have some idea of what she was going to say. Hopefully. Plus she’d be dressed. Definitely. Dressed in something that didn’t make her feel appallingly feminine and vulnerable just standing close to Karim.
Was she entertaining a lover? The idea flashed into his brain, splintering thoughts of sheikhdoms and politics.
Her cheeks were pink and her hair was a messy dark cloud drifting over her shoulders, as if she’d just climbed out of bed. Her eyes shone like gems and he saw the pulse jitter at the base of her throat, drawing attention both to her elegant neck and her agitation.
Karim’s pulse revved as he propped the door open with his shoulder. He heard no noise in the room behind her but that meant nothing.
‘I’m afraid this can’t wait.’
Wide eyes looked up at him. Still she didn’t move. He watched her swallow, the movement convulsive. Karim felt a stab of hunger. He fought the urge to stroke that pale skin and discover if it was as soft as he remembered.
Such weakness only fired his annoyance. Bad enough that his every attempt to think logically about this situation and his future kept swinging back to thoughts of Safiyah. Karim chafed at his unwanted weakness for this woman.
‘Surely tomorrow—’
‘Not tomorrow. Now.’ He bent his head, bringing it closer to hers. ‘If I walk away now, Safiyah, don’t expect me ever to walk into Assara.’
He didn’t mention the sheikhdom. Even in this quiet corridor he was cautious with his words, but she understood. He saw the colour fade from her cheeks and she stepped back, allowing him to enter.
One quick, comprehensive survey revealed that she wore silk and lace. Her robe clung to an hourglass figure that would make any man stare. Especially when she swung round after shutting the door and her full breasts wobbled with the movement, clearly unrestrained by a bra. That wobble shot a dart of pure lust to his tightening groin.
Karim guessed her robe had been put on quickly. It was belted, but gaped open over a low décolletage, over creamy, fragrant flesh and more pink silk. Even the colour of the silk was flagrantly feminine.
A flicker of long-buried memory stirred…of his mother’s private courtyard, filled with the heady scent of damask roses, their petals a deep, velvety pink. It had been an oasis of femininity in his father’s austere palace. And it had been razed to bare earth when the old man had discovered her sons, at four and three respectively, were pining for her after she’d run off with her lover and had secretly sought solace in her garden.
But memories of the past faded as he took in Safiyah, looking lush and sensual. Outrageously inviting. Especially with that cloud of dark hair spilling around her shoulders, the ends curling around her breasts.
Had some lover been fondling those breasts? Was that why her hard nipples thrust against the silk?
Heat drenched Karim as he flexed his hands and made himself turn from temptation. He strode into the sitting room, giving it a cursory survey before following the light into her bedroom. The bed was still neatly made, but a pile of pillows was propped up on one side. She’d been sitting there alone.
The knowledge smacked him in the chest, stealing both his air and his sense of indignation.
‘What are you doing?’
Her voice came from just behind him. It sounded husky, and something drew tight in his groin.
‘Nice suite.’ He turned and gave her a bland look. ‘I hadn’t seen it before.’ With luck she’d think that as the hotel’s new owner he was simply curious about the accommodation.
He walked back into the sitting room and heard the bedroom door snick shut behind him.
Wise woman.
‘What is it that can’t wait?’