‘A honeymoon?’
Hearing the longing in her voice, he felt his body tighten. She was so close that he could feel the heat of her, see the pulse beating in her smooth throat, the conflict in her eyes.
‘I can take you anywhere. We can go back to Maui.’
She bit her lip. ‘I don’t want to do that. I want it to be about us. Not fireworks or acrobats. Just the two of us, spending time together. Both of us present, not hiding or distracted.’
Omar nodded slowly. She was right, and it sounded so easy—only he knew he was treading on eggshell-thin ground. They could go anywhere in the world. All it would take was a phone call. But why go anywhere? Why not stay, and spend time together here?
‘Then could I show you around the city? I don’t mean the malls or the fountains or the Burj. I mean my Dubai. The place where I grew up.’
Her eyes were tired, but he saw a flicker of curiosity, and he took a deep, burning breath as he realised just how scared he’d been up until that moment that she would leave him.
‘I’d like that,’ she said quietly.
‘Then that’s what will happen.’
His voice shook a little and he leaned closer, needing to touch her, to check that she was real and that she was still his.
As if sensing his thoughts, she looked up into his face. ‘This is just a trial, Omar. I can’t... I don’t want to make any more promises.’
‘I understand. All I want is a second chance.’
Their eyes met. ‘Is that all you want?’ she asked slowly.
Omar stared down at her, captivated by her question and by the rise and fall of her breasts beneath the robe. He waited a moment, and then he reached out and undid the belt around her waist. Breath bottled in his chest; he slid his hand beneath the soft linen. Her skin was hot and smooth like satin. He touched her breasts, feeling the tips harden beneath his fingers.
She moaned and tipped back her head, exposing more of her throat, and then the robe slid from her shoulders, and she was naked.
Their eyes met, and then she reached out and unhooked the towel from his waist. It joined the robe on the floor. Now they were both naked.
He sucked in a breath, and then he was nudging her backwards, and her hands were pulling him down onto the bed, shaking with eagerness, and then there was only Delphi, and the cool sheets sliding beneath them, and the pure, pulsing beat of their desire.