Awoken by the Sheikh (6 page)

“
What
is
your name, my pretty?”

The
question, whispered in between kisses, took her by surprise. She sought his
gaze, and the tenderness she could see in his eyes made her swallow.

“
Astrid. Why?”

His warm
smile undid her completely.
Good God, that smile ought to be patented.
She
drowned in the kiss that followed. His tongue started an erotic dance with
hers. The kiss turned from tender to passionate in seconds, and the arms
holding her shook with need, as the sweet smell of their combined arousal grew
strong in the air.

They
groaned in unison when he adjusted her position and his cock slid home right up
to the hilt. He was big, so wet as she was, the move hurt as he filled her,
stretched her to bursting, and her vaginal muscles struggled to accommodate
him. In seconds though, pain gave way to need so intense she could barely
breathe.
God,
she needed to move
now
. A slight wriggle of her
hips was all his iron grip on her would allow, and his labored breathing
matched hers.

 
“
Look at
me, Astrid.”

Suddenly
shy, she shook her head into his shoulder, and she felt his smile in the kiss
he dropped on her wildly beating pulse.

“
I’m going to ride you so hard that you will never
forget me after you leave tomorrow. Do you hear me, Astrid?” And with one swift
move she was on her back. The lush carpet cushioned the impact as he thrust
deep, pounding her into the floor, as though he wanted to brand her as his. His
desperation matched her own as his mouth closed over her nipple. Sensations
built deep within her core, and his hands found hers and pinned her arms high
above her head. The move meant her breasts stuck up into the air, and Astrid
screamed when he bit first one, and the other, nipple hard enough to leave
bruises. The sweet pain made her clench around his cock, as the familiar
tingles started. So close, she was so damn close.

Rashid
raised his head and swore.

“
That’s it, baby, milk my cock with your greedy little
cunt. Know this pussy is mine. Scream for me, Astrid.”

Fingers
interlinking, he trust faster, deeper, harder. The vehemence of those thrusts
sent her halfway across the floor, and stars exploded behind her eyelids. The
force of their combined orgasms shuddered between them. Rashid murmured her
name over and over, until he finally collapsed on her, still buried deep within
in the tight sheath of her body. Utterly owned by him at this moment, Astrid
never, ever wanted to let him go.

Their
breathing slowly returned to normal, and Astrid winced at the carpet burn she
could feel rise on her back. Rashid withdrew slowly with a whispered, “I’m
sorry, baby, let me see.” The regret that laced those few words settled on her
heart like lead. “Turn over, let me see, Astrid.”

His sharp
intake of breath soothed her stinging skin as much as the soft caress of his
lips, and she couldn’t suppress her sigh.

He
immediately turned her over. The concern in his eyes was immediately replaced
with that wicked grin she was fast learning to love, when she reassured him.

"It’s
okay. It only stings a little.”

“
If you say so, but I’ll have Layla massage her salve
into it. It will help with the healing. Who’d have thought missionary would be
dangerous, eh?”

His soft
chuckle made her smile in return. She snuggled closer into his warmth. His arms
drew her into a protective cocoon, and his steady heartbeat under her ear made
her sigh in happiness.

“
Will I ever see you again, after I leave?” She held
her breath, waiting for his answer, and she willed her thundering heartbeat to
slow down. She was an idiot, but she couldn’t quite hold the foolish hope at
bay.

His sigh
reverberated through her as his arms tightened further. “This is your fantasy,
my sweet. It will always be with you.”

Chapter Six

She was
so lost in thought she didn’t hear Lynn’s voice until her friend shook her by
the shoulders.

“
Earth to Astrid, come back down, where are you? Parent
evening starts in
ten,
and you look like hell, girl.
No offense.”

The
concerned eyes of her friend swam into focus, and Astrid gave herself a mental
shake. Lynn’s laughter caused the blush her daydream had evoked to deepen.

“
Clearly, sending you for some sexual enlightenment has
created a monster. You’ve been back a month now, yet you still go off into
dreamland every chance you get.”

“
I do not. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately,
that’s all.”
Make that not at all
. She forced a smile she hoped was
convincing enough to stop Lynn from nagging.

True to
his word, Rashid had called for Layla back on the island, but it had been him
massaging the fragrant salve into her back with exquisite tenderness. When they
had made love again—and it had been love, not just sex—he had worshipped her
body with his mouth, tongue, and fingers. He’d coaxed her into one earth
shattering orgasm after another, until she had been so sated that she had
drifted into a dreamless sleep, only dimly aware of his whispered endearment.
“Remember me in your dreams, my lover.”

The next
morning she’d woken up alone, back in her beach hut, with no sign of Rashid, or
Layla, or the whole Arabian fantasy they had created together. Had it not been
for the delicious soreness between her thighs and the sting of her back, she
would have thought she
had
dreamed the whole thing. Anna had been
pleasant but annoyingly tight lipped when questioned, and Pedro had been his
usual flirty self on the boat trip back to the mainland. She had forced herself
to respond to his innuendos with lighthearted flirting, an act she knew she
never would have participated in before this trip, and she tried to ignore the
ache in her heart. She would not allow herself to fall in love with her fantasy
lover.
No fucking way.
For all she knew he was right now pleasuring some
other desperate woman seeking her own sheikh fantasy.
Yeah, remember that.
It was just sex. That’s all.

So why
had she burst into tears this morning, studying her naked body in the mirror?
The last of his handprints had faded completely, and the loss of that reminder
on her skin ached like a physical wound deep inside her bones. Maybe Lynn was
right. What she needed was to find herself another man to sate the hunger that
her dream lover’s touch had created. What she needed was a good fuck, that’s
all. Tonight she would hit the clubs with Lynn and ignore the little voice in
her head that whispered that Rashid—the man, not the fantasy—may well have
broken her for any other man.

Right
now, however, she needed to concentrate on her job. Glancing down her list, she
noticed her last appointment tonight was with little Joachim’s father.
Finally.
She was deeply worried about the six-year-old.
Since his mother’s tragic death in a car crash a year ago, he had withdrawn
further and further into himself, and his schoolwork was suffering. This
afternoon she had found him huddled in a corner outside the boys’ toilets with
silent tears streaming down his little face. When she had scooped him up, his
hazel eyes had settled on her. His arms had drawn her into a bear hug, and
she’d thrown professional distance to heck and had hugged him back. Her own
eyes had filled with tears at the depth of his pain.

It was
about time his mysterious father showed up. She didn’t know the full details,
of course, but following Joachim’s mother’s cruel demise there had been a
bitter custody battle between his grandparents and his father. Last parent
evening Astrid herself had had a heated discussion with the little boy’s
grandmother, and Astrid’s lips curled in disgust even now at the bigoted views
the woman had expressed. Joachim’s mother and father had never married—"no
daughter of mine is going to marry an Arab, businessman or not"—and it
seemed their constant meddling had driven Joachim’s parents apart. The little
boy was always delirious with excitement after one of his stays with his daddy,
and Astrid was glad his dad had finally won custody of him.

Her heart
fluttered just a little bit faster, the closer it came to her final appointment
time.
Oh for pity’s sake get a grip, woman. He may be an Arab, but this is
not
Rashid.
Joachim’s father was probably the typical fat cat Arab. The
exclusive London school had many of those parents. Still, the fact the man was
actually bothered to show up himself for his son’s appointment was a good sign.
She had been pleasantly surprised to see his bold signature on the confirmation
slip. Usually she spoke to the nannies. She hoped they could work together to
help the little fellow, even if she was far too fond of him.

“
Hey, you, I’m off. You’re going to be okay on your
own? I think he’s just arrived actually. The caretaker is showing him down.”

“
I’ll be fine.”

 
Lynn
smiled at Astrid’s nod of confirmation. “Good, good I’ll see you Monday then.
Enjoy your weekend.”

“
You, too.”

The
school went quiet as the last few teachers left, and Astrid started to wonder
what was taking the man so long. A noise—voices in the corridor where the class
photos were displayed—startled her, and she got up to investigate, her heels
clicking on the wooden floor. A man stood in front of Joachim’s latest picture
of achievement with his back to her. Astrid’s heart jumped in her throat at the
familiar broad shoulders and long black hair curling over the collar of his
expensive business suit.

It can’t
be.

One long
finger traced the smiling face of his son, and Astrid could swear the caress
brushed across her own jaw as his whispered words echoed in her head. “Remember
me in your dreams...”

Her sharp
intake of breath made Rashid spin around to face her. His eyes widened as he
slowly undressed her body with his visual inspection, and a slow smile spread
across his harsh features. “I should have known it was you, my pretty.”

Heaven
help her. That voice was going to be her doom.
 
Had she fallen asleep at her desk after all? How could he be here? They
had a fantasy; this wasn’t real. It just couldn’t be him.

“
You’re
Joachim’s father? But I thought—“

She
backed away from him as he moved toward her, and shook her head in denial at
what she saw in his eyes. The wall stopped her rapid retreat. Rashid matched
her step by step, a small smile on his face, and she swallowed nervously when
his big body caged her in against the wall.

“
You thought what?”

Heat rose
in Astrid’s cheeks, and she didn’t dare meet his eyes. Her voice came out as a
husky whisper, as his scent invaded her senses, and her body readied itself for
his touch involuntarily.

“
I thought … I thought, you were—“

His large
hand under her chin stopped her. He gave her no choice but to look up at
him,
and the emotion that shimmered in those ever darkening
eyes sent her heart into overdrive.

“
You thought what, my pretty? That I made my living
catering to women’s fantasies?” At her
embarrassed
nod, his eyes darkened further, and his mouth curved into the wicked smile she
remembered so well. “No, I don’t, well, not really.”

Her eyes
widened at the cryptic comment.

“
Let me explain. I’m a majority shareholder of the resort,
but I never actually indulge myself. I’m not really sure what made me do so
this time, other than needing an escape from real life for a while. Things with
Joachim’s family on his mother’s side haven’t exactly been easy. So I guess I
was looking for some light relief.
A chance to play with a
willing submissive without any expectations.
I certainly didn’t expect
to find my very own fantasy—the woman of my dreams. You’re a hard lady to track
down, and all this time you have been right here under my nose.”

Astrid
gasped. The whispered words skimmed across her heated face as he bent his head
and brushed his lips along her jaw, the contact as light as a butterfly’s
wings. Her heart daren’t believe what her mind was telling her.

“
When I worked out you weren’t just one of the staff, I
moved heaven and earth to ascertain who you were, but to no avail. Even with my
connections and holding the purse strings, the resort’s confidentiality clauses
are so tight, that I couldn’t get the information I needed. Rather reassuring,
really. The last thing we need is a leak somewhere. Our clients rely on that
anonymity and absolute discretion we provide.”

He paused
and kissed her lightly.

“
Especially the cases we get via our charity.”

Astrid
shook her head in disbelief.