The Sheik's Beautiful Intruder (The Friendship Series) (10 page)

Nikki was nervous for a moment when he released the reins on Nella but then she saw him striding over to the larger horse and her mind was completely distracted.  She watched with fascination as Nazar took the reins and lifted himself onto the horse as if he’d actually flown up into the saddle.  A moment later, he was walking the horse over to where she and Nella were waiting.  “Watch me,” he commanded.  With a flick of his heels, the stallion leapt forward. 

She couldn’t believe how amazing the man looked as he rode through the sunshine. She’d thought he looked sexy when he walked, but that wasn’t even close to how he looked as he rode the amazing horse.  They were like one, riding together and she could barely see him giving the animal directions but the two of them turned to the right and the left.  And she saw the rhythm and her face flamed as images of the man in another…completely different scenario popped into her head. 

And then he was right back next to her and she looked up at him, unaware that her mouth was open in awe and a clawing need that she didn’t completely understand.  “That was….” She swallowed, not sure what to say. 

Nazar saw the flush on her cheeks and his body hardened even more.  Gritting his teeth, he tamped down the surge of lust and focused on helping her learn to ride.  He suspected she would really enjoy it once she got the hang of it.  “Your turn.  Don’t try and go fast.  Just put your heels to her belly and ask her walk.”

Nikki took the reins in her hand and said, “Walk,” to the horse, touching her heels delicately to Nella’s belly.  The horse just stood there. 

She heard the chuckle but refused to look at him.  “A little harder.  She needs to really make sure you want her to go.”

Nikki glared at him and then turned her head forward.  “Walk,” she said with a firmer voice and nudged the horse in her belly once again.

Nazar grinned, but kept his amusement silent.  “By nudging her in the belly, you’re telling her to move forward.  You don’t really need to say the words, but some horses can be trained to listen to voice commands.”

For the next hour, Nikki listened to his instructions, determined to do everything perfectly so she could get this trotting stuff out of the way.  Heels down, nudge to the right, nudge to the left, stop, go, sit up straight, heels down, right, left…..over and over again he called out commands.  And poor Nella just went around in circles, probably bored out of her mind. 

Nikki could feel the muscles in her inner thighs starting to burn but she didn’t say anything, ignoring the pain so she could learn the next step.  She was determined to learn it all, and now it wasn’t just because of Brianna.  She was just as determined to show that obnoxious man that she could do this, that she wasn’t an imbecile.  And there was a small part of her that wanted to prove to herself that she could overcome her fear of the horse.  She had to admit, Nella really was a kind animal.  She just continued to follow Nikki’s instructions, never once showing any sign of impatience. 

“Okay, I think that’s enough for now,” Nazar called out, riding over to her and pulling on Nella’s reins. 

Nella apparently didn’t like Midas being so close and tried to step away, but Nazar pulled on her bit, settling the horse down.  “You look tired.  Why don’t we go back inside and cool down?”

Nikki shook her head.  “No.  I can do more.  We haven’t trotted yet.  You said I had to trot.”

“You can’t do this all in one day, Nicole,” he cautioned.  “You’re using muscles that you aren’t used to using.  You’ll be painfully sore by tomorrow just from today’s lesson.”

Nikki didn’t care, especially when he implied she would be here for several days.  “How long is this going to take me?” she demanded even while one of the stable hands rushed over to grab the reins and take the horses, leading them back to the stables. 

“It depends on how quickly you pick things up.”  He pulled her into the darkness of the stables and Nikki looked around, worried that they were in a quiet, obviously unoccupied area.  “How determined are you to get away from me?”

Nikki tried to pull back, but she wasn’t able to with his hand holding her like this.  “Pretty determined,” she asserted, feeling her heart rate increase once again.  “Don’t you have work to do?”

He smiled down at her.  “Who says I’m not doing state business now?” he asked, his voice husky and low. 

“You’re not.  You’re just standing here trying to intimidate me.”

His hands moved down to her waist.  “Am I intimidating you?”

She took a breath, trying to step away but he only maneuvered her against the wooden door of the stall.  “No.  I won’t let you intimidate me.”

“Good,” he replied, dipping his head and taking her earlobe between his teeth and nipping ever so slightly.  Not enough to cause pain, but enough to send streaks of need throughout her whole body. 

“What are you doing?” she gasped, trying to pull back, but her body had other ideas.  “Don’t you have work to do?”  Was that her voice?  It sounded breathy and…wrong!

“I like this better than anything waiting for me in my office,” he countered.  “Stop wiggling.  It’s turning me on even more and I’m trying to kiss you.”

“I don’t want you to kiss me!” she squeaked and moved again, trying to get away from him but the friction of their bodies was doing things to her as well.  Things she didn’t want to define.  “Oh!”  She jumped when she felt his hands move up higher along her waist.  “What are you doing now?”

“You won’t let me kiss you.  So I’m doing all the other things I want to do to you.”

She grabbed his wrists and looked up into his eyes.  And that was the end of her resistance.  His mouth swooped down, covering hers and Nikki couldn’t even complain because it felt so perfect.  So wonderful to finally know.  To finally feel what his lips would be like.  She couldn’t believe that she’d waited this long to feel something so…powerful!  So perfect. 

Her hands moved from his wrists upwards, sliding along his arms, exploring the muscles there before wrapping around his neck so she could pull herself higher, wanting to feel him against her. 

She whimpered, but wasn’t aware that it was her voice that made the sound.  “Nazar,” she sighed when she felt his hands move against her skin.  She wasn’t even cognizant that his hand had slipped underneath the shirt she was wearing and didn’t care.  All she knew was that this man was touching her and if he stopped, she might just fall over in a puddle of need. 

“Come back to my room,” he groaned, his hands gripping her hips and pulling them against his own. 

She looked up at him, fully aware of the hardness pressing against her stomach and aware of what it meant.  “I can’t do that,” she sighed and even those words came out with frustration.  “I can’t!”  And then she realized the position they were in and pulled out of his arms, relieved when he let her go.

Her eyes looked back at him.  All of him. And she swallowed…hard. 

Looking away, she tried to control the shivering in her body, not sure how to deal with what had almost happened.  “I have to go,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around her stomach, feeling like she wanted to burst into tears but not sure exactly why.  Was it because of what they’d done?  Or because they’d stopped?  She suspected she knew the answer but was hiding from it pretty well.  She was pretty much an expert at avoiding controversial subjects and sex with Nazar topped her list of scary and controversial issues.   

Nazar took several deep breaths, trying to get his need under control.  He’d meant only to kiss her, sensing something about her that he couldn’t quite define.  She was different in so many ways from the women he was used to, and he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about dealing with her.  His need to possess her, to imprint himself on her so completely was a sensation that was driving him hard.  And also a need that he had to hold back on.  She was scared of what was going on and he had to be patient. 

When he had himself back under control, he looked up, prepared to walk her back into the palace.  But she was gone! 

“Where did she go?” Nazar demanded of one of his guards. 

Yousef stood up straighter and bowed slightly.  “She went inside the palace, Your Highness.”

“Is she okay?” he couldn’t believe he’d been so focused on getting his lust back under control that he hadn’t even noticed the woman leaving the stables.  What was she doing to him? 

Ah, but it would only be that much stronger when she actually relaxed her guard and they could be together.  The little lady was his, he knew that.  But how long could she hold out?  Perhaps that was the question he needed to whittle down. 

“She is heading towards her rooms, Your Highness,” Yousef said after asking the question in his microphone. 

Nazar nodded his head, accepting that she was safe.  “Be sure she doesn’t get lost,” he told his body guard.  “She needs to be protected from herself as much as the outsiders who might try to harm her.  See to it,” he told him.

Yousef completely understood the message and lifted the hidden microphone to relay the message.  The palace guards would be rearranging several schedules with that one command, but they were also relieved to have the decision made, even if they were still smarting from the woman in question getting past their defenses. 

Nikki hurried through the beautiful, elaborate halls, finally finding her way back to the room she’d been in last night.  She wasn’t sure why she went there, but as soon as she closed the door, all she wanted was a shower.  She smelled like horse and, although it wasn’t a horrible smell, she needed to wash it off quickly. 

Stepping into the shower, the hot water melted away the tension she’d been feeling after her latest encounter with Nazar.  She closed her eyes, wishing his hands were back on her body.  When she started to get out of control again, she ruthlessly turned the water to cold, thinking a cold shower might calm her down.  But when the freezing water splashed onto her body, she yelped and jumped out.  Okay, cold showers were not the answer!  Why would anyone do that? 

She grabbed a fluffy white towel and dried herself off, then wrapped it around her, not sure what she could wear.  But as soon as she opened the closet, she saw all the other clothes.  There were beautiful slacks and bright shirts and sweaters, lovely suits and skirts…and evening gowns!  She’d never had a reason to wear an evening gown, not even in high school because she, Brianna and Rachel had pooled all their money for Rachel to invest so they hadn’t wanted to pull it out to buy prom dresses.  The evening of their prom night, they’d hidden out at Rachel’s house, going down to the creek and talking about how much happier they were not going to the prom, lying through their teeth.

Looking at all of the lovely colors, her fingers slid over the dresses, feeling the exquisite fabrics and loving all of them.  She couldn’t believe all the colors and creative designs, thinking she might have died and gone to heaven. 

And then reality hit her.  There was no way these clothes were meant for her.  They were lovely, but she wouldn’t be here long enough to wear any of them.  She found a pair of slacks that didn’t look too expensive, as well as a plain shirt that fit her perfectly.  She glanced longingly at the other outfits, but firmly closed the closet door on the beautiful clothes.  She was here for only a few days.  The owner of these clothes would want them back as soon as Nikki vacated the room. 

Which brought another issue to mind.  Whose room was this?  It was amazingly lovely, but obviously someone lived here, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many clothes in the closet. 

She shrugged her shoulders and moved to the door, wondering what she could do while she waited for…well, for whatever was going to happen next.  Maybe she could find Nazar and ask him…Ugh!  She had no idea what to ask him!  She couldn’t figure out what was going on here.  This was crazy!  Why was she in the palace?  Why was she stashed in someone’s room?  And what was going on with Brianna? 

For some bizarre reason, she believed Nazar when he’d told her that Bri was okay.  Why Nikki believed him now, she had no idea.  There was just something in his eyes that radiated his honesty. 

She thought about the press conference and his reaction to her question.  Could the market manipulations and Bri’s disappearance be completely unrelated?  It was such a huge coincidence.  And how could Nazar have found her friend so quickly?  What did he know?  What wasn’t he telling her?

Her head fell onto her hands as the entire situation really started to overwhelm her. She couldn’t believe what a mess her life had become.  Just a few days ago, she’d been working at school, teaching classes and running tedious errands like a normal person.  Now she was trapped in a palace in a foreign country, avoiding the relentless, aching need one tall, strong man created within her and trying to figure out how to ride a horse.

A horse! 

Goodness, Rachel and Brianna would laugh themselves silly if they could see her on a horse! 

Oh, what had she gotten into?! 

Chapter 6

“Relax more!” Nazar called out from the opposite side of the ring.

Nikki gripped the reins and refused to glare at him.  “I am relaxed,” she mumbled, trying to convince Nella to turn to the right.  This was only her second lesson but her legs made it feel like it was her tenth. 

A whistle behind her caused the horse to turn and Nikki wanted to scream out because Nella was following Nazar’s orders and not her commands!  “Darn it!” she mumbled, furious with him.  She just couldn’t look at him, not able to face the smirk in his eyes.

“Nicole, why are you so tense?” he asked, taking Nella’s reins under the horse’s chin.  “You have to move with the horse.  You’re so stiff, she’s not sure what you’re telling her.

Nikki had a few things she wanted to tell him, but she kept her mouth shut. 

“Take her back through the barrels,” he commanded.

With a groan of resignation, she turned Nella around, bracing herself for another round through the barrels.  The horse was still walking because Nazar wouldn’t let her go any faster.  Not that Nikki knew how to get the horse to go faster!  Nella simply plodded away while Nikki struggled to get the enormous animal to turn right or left.  Maybe it was better that Nella remained at a walk, but that didn’t help her with her goal of a stupid posting trot.