Sheikh’s Fiancée (12 page)

Alice’s protests quickly died away, replaced by ferocious need of her own as she clung to him. She wrapped her legs around his hips and kissed him back, fighting for the upper hand, but he refused to give in, keeping her pinned just the way she was. Eventually he gripped her bottom hard and pulled away, then tossed her onto the long mahogany meeting table and stripped off his jacket. There was no need to worry about her running away – she sat up and grabbed at his belt, dragging him close so she could yank his belt buckle off.

Still angry, he shoved her back down onto the table, the need to be in control too great to allow her any liberties. Still, the fiery spark in her eyes and the flush in her cheeks turned him on – he liked that she fought back, that she tried to dominate him, even if there was no way she could win. Baring his teeth, he yanked the loose pants beneath her
abaya
off, then plunged his cock deep inside her in one sure, swift stroke.

Alice cried out, and Karim groaned as her tight pussy clenched around his cock. She felt so good, so wet and hot, but he gritted his teeth against the words and dug his fingers into his hips, taking his frustration out on her with hard, punishing thrusts. She reached down between her legs and started massaging her clit in rough, circular strokes, taunting him with her eyes as she pleasured herself, as though his thrusts weren’t good enough for her.

Growling, he leaned forward and braced his hands on the table, angling his strokes so that he was hitting her clit. Her moans grew in earnest then, and her hands fell away from her pussy, fingers digging into his shoulders through his linen shirt and sending little pricks of pain through his skin. And when she came it was a glorious thing – she bucked hard against him and screamed his name, and he had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep others from hearing.

Her pussy walls clenched around his cock, and he groaned as his own orgasm hit him hard. The pleasure raced through him, taking every bit of his fury and energy with it, and he had to brace his hands against the table again to keep from collapsing as his muscles went lax.

They stared at each other for a long moment, breathing hard, and Karim didn’t know what to say. Alice moved first, pushing him aside so that she could hop off the table, pull her pants back and adjust her
abaya
.

“I made dinner, you know,” she said quietly over her shoulder.

Karim froze. “What?”

“The night I pushed you away.” She didn’t even look at him, simply stared off into the distance. “I called you to ask you if you would be home late, and you said no, so I ordered groceries and cooked us dinner. But you didn’t come home until late, didn’t call, text, or anything, so I ate dinner by myself and put the rest away as leftovers. It was pretty good, you know. I think you would have liked it if you’d been there.”

Without another word, she turned the lock and left the room, leaving Karim standing there feeling like the biggest fool in the world.

Chapter Twelve

Alice nearly dropped the tray of salmon she was taking out of the oven as she heard the front door open. She’d just been in the middle of making dinner for herself, and she hadn’t been expecting anyone, especially not at six o’clock.

“Hello?” she called out, knowing it could really only be one person, but wanting confirmation.

“It’s me,” Karim answered, and her heart skipped a hopeful beat. She turned around to see him hanging up his jacket on the coat rack, a smile on his face. “I see you’ve made dinner.”

“Oh.” Blushing, she set the pan of salmon on the counter. “I only made dinner for one,” she said, feeling apologetic though really she had no reason to be. “I figured you wouldn’t be home again.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it.” Karim waved a hand as he came over to sit on one of the barstools perched on the other side of the large black marble counter. “I should have let you know I was coming home early. After all, I haven’t exactly made a habit of coming around at dinner time.” He gave her a sheepish smile.

“No, you haven’t.” Alice meant to make the statement sound accusing, but it came out wearily, and she sighed. She was tired of fighting with Karim – they’d had their huge fight last night at the Gala, of all places, and it had ended with a fierce bout of angry sex unlike anything she’d ever had. Despite the fact that he’d dominated her completely, she’d still gotten in the last word at the end, hadn’t she? What else was there to do?

Karim’s eyes followed her around the kitchen as she scooped green beans and mashed potatoes onto her plate to go with the salmon. She placed her plate on the counter, then met his amber eyes, which were thoughtful as they gazed at her, holding none of the anger from last night.

Huffing, she grabbed another plate and placed it on the counter. “Here. I’ll split it with you.”

“That’s really not necessary,” Karim protested, holding up his hands. “I’m sure I can scrounge something up.”

“No, no.” Alice cut the piece of salmon in half, then put it on his plate before scooping up more mashed potatoes and green beans – she’d made extra sides anyway. “I wanted you to have dinner with me, and now here you are. It would be stupid not to feed you, too.”

Karim’s lips twitched. “Well, if we’re going to have dinner together, perhaps we should go and sit at the dining table outside?”

Warmth spread through Alice’s chest. “I would like that very much,” she said quietly.

Karim grabbed both of their plates and headed out the glass doors, and she followed behind him with a wine bottle and a set of glasses. They sat at the table that sat between the rectangular pool and the gardens and ate silently, watching as the sun set beyond the horizon, painting the ocean with gorgeous shades of pink, red and gold.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she murmured.

“Yes,” Karim agreed. “But not as beautiful as you.”

Alice warmed at the compliment, but she said nothing, simply taking another sip from her wine glass and waiting for Karim to speak. He hesitated for a long moment, but then he finally set his wine glass down.

“I was wrong to get so angry at you yesterday,” he said quietly, his amber eyes soft and sincere. “You are unaccustomed to our ways, and I realize that you might not have realized how offensive what you did was.”

Alice averted her eyes, staring into the azure depths of the pool. “No,” she disagreed. “I may not have understood the gravity of my actions in public, but I knew that man was flirting with me. I should have shut him down immediately and went back to my table. It’s just that I was angry with you, and I felt like you didn’t care, so it was nice to have another man’s attention, just for a few moments.”

“And that is my fault,” Karim acknowledged. “If I had been paying you more attention, making the effort to spend time with you, this wouldn’t have happened at all.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it tight. “I should have told you I was coming home late that night instead of making you wait up for me… no, actually I should have just come home. I stay late because I get absorbed in my work, but much of the time it’s not necessary, and I should come home to you on time if it’s not an emergency. I promise you that unless there is a tight deadline or something important keeping me at the office, that I will be home by six-thirty every day.”

Alice beamed, the knot in her chest releasing as relief swept through her. “I’m going to hold you to that, you know.”

“As long as you keep making food like this, I have no problem with you holding me to anything.” Karim grinned.

She laughed, and they finished their meal in companionable silence. Afterward, Karim helped her do the dishes, and as they worked, they told each other about their day. For the first time in weeks, Alice felt content, like she was actually achieving some sense of normality – coming home at the end of the day, talking and eating with her husband, doing the things that families normally did together.

When they were finished, Alice was about to head upstairs, but Karim stopped her. “What do you say we go for a swim in the pool? Naked?”

“Naked?” Alice arched a brow. “Wouldn’t we be breaking some pubic decency laws and get stoned or something?”

Karim laughed and pulled her in for a kiss. “Not on private property we won’t.”

They raced each other out into the warm dark of the night, pulling off their clothes as they went. Karim reached the water first, and he cannonballed into the water, his boxer briefs hanging off one ankle. Alice shrieked as she was splashed with a wave of water, still in her blouse, and the next thing she knew, Karim had jumped out of the water and caught her by the waist. The water rushed up to greet her as he fell backward into the pool, and and she went under with a huge splash.

Karim immediately released her, and by the time she came up for air, spluttering, he was already floating on his back. “You jerk!” she shouted, laughter in her voice. “You’ve ruined my blouse!” She tugged off the garment and tossed it at him, and it landed on his face with a wet slap.

“I’ll by you another,” Karim said with a chuckle, ripping the sopping wet silk off his face and tossing it aside. He righted himself in the water, and his amber eyes heated as he looked her up and down. “But in the meantime, I believe we were supposed to be naked. And you’re still in your underwear.”

He pulled her close, and electricity raced through Alice as Karim’s hard body pressed against hers. His erection slid against her thigh, already full and ready for her, and she grew warm all over, her irritation forgotten. Her breath caught as he reached around and undid the clasp on her bra, his eyes never leaving her face. The lacy garment drifted away on the current, and her breasts floated straight into Karim’s waiting hands.

“I can never get over how perfect these are,” he murmured, squeezing them gently. His eyes drifted down toward her nipples, and they tightened beneath the weight of his hot gaze. Wordlessly, he backed her up against the rough stone wall of the pool, then dipped his head to sample one of her breasts. Alice moaned as he laved at her nipple with his tongue, then wrapped her legs around his waist, rocking her core against his straining erection. Karim growled in response, biting down on her nipple, and she cried out at the pleasure-pain. He looked feral in the dark, his amber eyes glowing, the moonlight rippling over his lean, muscular body, making him look as if he’d been carved out of the silvery light. But his skin was far hotter than moonlight or marble could ever hope to be, and as he slid against her, he scorched her veins, filling her with a heady fire she’d never felt with anyone else.

He teased her until she was begging, sliding his cock against the fabric covering her pussy as he worked her nipples with his teeth and tongue, until she was a writhing mass of molten need. By the time he finally pulled her underwear off, she was surprised the water around them wasn’t boiling. And when he finally slid his cock inside her, she cried out in pleasure and relief.

“Yes,” she moaned, clinging to him, digging her nails into his broad shoulders.

He kissed her then, filling her mouth with his tongue as he began rocking into her with slow, sure strokes. Alice kissed him back just as fiercely, losing herself in him completely. The water lapped around them, a little more forcefully with each thrust, teasing her nipples with the wet warmth as he fucked her slowly but thoroughly. This wasn’t like the frenzied, angry sex from the other night, when they’d torn each other’s clothes off and fought for dominance. This was more like he was trying to claim her and brand her as his own.

“I love you,” he rasped against her mouth, and then thrust inside her so deep that he sent her over the edge. Alice clung to him as she shook with the force of her orgasm, the pleasure crashing over her in waves, and through it all his declaration echoed in her head, over and over until there was nothing else.

And when the pleasure faded, she knew that whatever else happened between them, she was certain of one thing.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, and then held him close as he found his pleasure within her.

Epilogue

Ten months later

As Karim walked into the prayer hall at the mosque, a sense of peace stole over him. Not because of the sight of the
Imams
standing up at the front, smiling warmly at him, or because the various parishioners kneeling on their rugs in prayer, or even because this was a holy place.

No, the peace stemmed from the fact that the place looked exactly the same as it had a year ago when he’d walked in here and had his life changed forever.

“Karim,” Imam Fariq said quietly as Karim approached. “You look as though marriage is agreeing with you.”

“It is, very nicely,” Karim said, embracing him. He did the same with Imam Khan. “And you both look very well.”

“Allah has blessed us indeed,” Imam Khan said, his eyes twinkling as he took in Karim. “I see you have decided to go with a less traditional outfit this time.”

Karim gave him a crooked smile as he looked down at the black suit and red tie he wore. “Alice insisted,” he said. “Since our wedding was so traditional the first time, she decided she wanted a bit of western flare the second time around.”

“Ah, yes, I do see that,” Imam Fariq said, his eyes turning toward the door. “And it appears your wife has very good taste.”

Karim turned to see Alice coming through the door, and his breath caught at the sight of her. She wore a flowing green dress with a square neckline and empire waist that drew attention to her round, pregnant belly. As usual, when he saw her belly, pride burst through him at the thought that he was going to be a father, that in a short month he would be holding a beautiful little girl in his arms.

It had been a year since they’d last spoken their wedding vows, and Alice could have chosen to leave him today, to go back to America or anywhere else in the world that she wanted. Instead she was walking down the prayer hall toward him, looking radiant in that dress, her beautiful red hair flowing around her. She’d grown it out for him, because she knew how much he loved long hair, and it cascaded down her shoulders in loose waves, catching the light streaming through the stained glass windows. Her bottle-green eyes glowed with love and health, and he felt his own affection swell within his heart.