The Sheik's Sensuous Trap (21 page)

“We brought a mix that we poured water into, let it boil and the dinner was made,” she explained as if that were the most logical thing in the world.  “We certainly didn’t go out and hunt for our food.”

He leaned down towards her, his face only inches from her own as he said, “My way is easier.”

Alea laughed.  “In what way?”

“I don’t have to lug all my food up hill,” he replied.  “Time for swimming,” he said. 

Alea quickly shook her head.  “No way.”  She looked at the water without any interest at all.  Leaning back on her elbows, she feigned relaxation.  “I’m not interested in swimming anymore.”

Rashid laughed.  “You’re only wary because of the fish in the water, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” 

“Why do you think I went fishing before you got into the water?” he asked, standing in her sunlight with his hands on his hips and looking down at her with amusement. 

“I don’t know but I’m grateful to you for the information.  I’d rather not swim in a place where your dinner also resides.”

“You’re being silly.  I got our dinner because if you’d gone into the water first, your splashing would have scared away all the fish.”

Alea looked
at him distrustfully.  “
Uh, huh.  Well now that I know they are in there, I’ll just stay right here.”

He looked at her for a long moment, assessing her expression with intelligent eyes.  “They don’t have any teeth, Alea.”

Alea’s eyes snapped up to his.  “Really?” she asked, her interest showing despite herself.   Then she saw his amusement and relaxed again.  “I don’t care,” she said.  “I’m not going in.”

Rashid simply shook his head.  “I can’t let you avoid the cool waters out of a ridiculous fear of fish that are more afraid of you than you are of them.”

Alea tensed when he came a little closer. “Rashid, what do you think you’re going to do?”  She scooted back a few inches, intending to get as far out of his reach as possible but he was quicker than she was.  One moment, she was sitting on the blanket, the next she was in his arms
being carried towards the water. 

“Rashid!  Put me down!” she screamed but he completely ignored her and continued to walk into the water. 

Alea, accepting that she couldn’t wiggle out of his strong arms, put her own around his neck and held on tightly, closing her arms so she didn’t have to see the fish as they swam closer to her. 

He waded into the middle which took the water up to his waist, then dropped lower, inch by slow inch, laughing the whole time as she tried to get out of his arms.  “Just enjoy the cool water, Alea,” he laughed.  “I guarantee that any fish that was around a moment ago, is long gone by now.”

Alea, completely covered in the water by now and feeling instantly refreshed, looked around.  She didn’t release her hold on Rashid’s neck but she allowed herself to feel the water.  Thankfully, there were no fish-like feelings around her legs. 

Taking a deep breath, she relaxed in his arms.  “No fish?” she asked, looking up at his handsome face. 

“No fish,” he chuckled and swirled her in the water. 

Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and relaxed, genuinely enjoying the feeling of the cool water on her heated skin.  “This does feel good,” she said and took a deep, relaxing breath.

Rashid looked down
at the stunning woman in his arms and had to grit his teeth.  Her creamy skin was bare down to her black spandex bathing suit and, because of the cool water, her nipples were evident through the thin material.  He wanted to lift her up and let his mouth cover her breasts, suckle the hard peak and run his hands along her body.  It had been so long since he’d been inside her, to feel the release only she could give him.

Pulling back, he released her body, ignoring the surprised expression on her face as she dropped her feet to the bottom of the creek.  “I’m going for a swim,” he said, grimacing at the husky tone of his voice.  He pushed away, swimming up the slight current, pushing his body hard in an effort to get his libido under control. 

Alea watched as he swam up the creek, impressed yet again with his strength.  His arms plowed through the water, pushing him farther and farther away from her.  She ducked under the water, wishing he would come back and make love to her.  Did he not want her anymore?  Was the idea of marrying her so abhorrent that he couldn’t stand the thought of touching
her? 

Alea shook her head.  She was just imagining things. Just two days ago, the man could barely keep his hands off her.  Now, simply because he’d pulled away twice, she was being silly and creating a situation that might not exist.  She had enough problems with her upcoming wedding to worry about.  She didn’t need to borrow trouble. 

Besides, wasn’t this exactly what she wanted?  Hadn’t she told him that she didn’t want to have sex with him until after the wedding?

The image of her arms and legs wrapped around his made her body heat up, despite the cool water swirling around her.  Alea quickly pushed that image aside and concentrated on the reason she was here.  Standing up, she walked quickly out of the water and laid down on the warm blanket.  Now that her skin was cool, the heat of the sun felt good upon her body.  Moving the blanket to a shady spot along the bank, she laid down on her stomach and waited for Rashid to come back.  She couldn’t see him anymore but she assured herself that he was fine.  He was a good swimmer and there weren’t any more fish around. 

After fifteen minutes, Alea stopped pretending to be asleep.  She opened her eyes and watched the creek in the direction he’d swum.  Another fifteen minutes passed as she looked.  Finally, she stood up and pulled on her shorts and shoes, intending to walk down the river bank in search of the man.  She’d only walked five minutes when she saw him floating down the water on his back, meandering slowly.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked, wishing she didn’t sound like a grating fish-wife.  But she had been terrified that something had happened to him.

Rashid rolled over onto his stomach and swam towards her.  “Were you worried?” he asked, standing up, the water instantly only reaching his upper thighs. 

“No,” she said and turned around.  “I knew you were a good swimmer.”  She turned around and started walking back to the blanket, intending to ignore him again.  She was mad and he seemed to be in a very good mood. 

Alea shrieked when she felt her legs give out from underneath her and she grabbed frantically for something to hold her upright.  Unfortunately, she was tossed over Rashid’s shoulder and pulled into the water.  “What are you doing?” Alea demanded, although she knew exactly what he was intending.  “Stop it this instant,”
she yelled. 

A moment later, she was dumped bottom first into the cold water, her mouth sputtering as she surfaced while her hands pushed her hair out of her face.  “You brute!” she yelled at him, pummeling his chest with her fists.
  “Why did you do that?
” she asked, stomping out of the water.

“Because you’re not being honest with me or yourself,” he said, following behind her.  “And you looked too cute to ignore.  So I didn’t.”  He said all that with a matter of fact tone which only increased her temper.

“You’re very annoying,” she said and flopped onto the blanket, pulling her now soaking shoes off and laying them beside the blanket. 

“Well, then tell me what you were really thinking,” he said, sitting down next to her, his eyes daring her with their
mischievous
look.

“I wasn’t thinking anything,” she claimed, turning her back on him.

“You’re lying,” he said.

Looking at him over her shoulder, she said, “Okay, genius.  What was I thinking?” she challenged.

One finger reached up to push a wet lock of black hair off her cheek.  “You were worried that some sort of animal had gotten hold of me and was chomping on me for lunch.  But in the back of your mind, you were also worried that you’d never feel the same way about another man that you feel for me,” he said softly.  “And you were wondering if I’ll ever ignore your feigned need for celibacy and take you into my arms and make love with you again.”

Alea’s mouth dropped open slightly and her throat was suddenly very dry.  She wished she could deny the truth to his words but they were so on target, she could only stare, seeing the passion glazing his eyes. 

Shaking her head and breaking the spell at the same time, she turned over onto her stomach and laid down to dry off.  “You have a vivid imagination,” she scoffed.

“That I do,” he replied and laid down on his back next to her.  Alea waited tensely for him to go on, but within thirty seconds, she heard his breathing even out.  Turning to look at him, she noted his softened features and closed eyes.  Knowing that he was now asleep, she took the time to look her fill, enjoying the freedom to look at him without being self-conscious. 

She stared at him for several long minutes, before she sighed heavily.  “What am I going to do?” she asked, then laid her head down on her arms.  Before she knew it, she was also fast asleep. 

Chapter 1
1

She woke about an hour later to a delicious smell.  Rolling over, she reached out, searching for Rashid but finding only empty space where he had been earlier.  The realization forced her eyes open and she looked around.

“Good evening, sleepy head,” Rashid winked at her and tossed her a jacket
and a clean pair of jeans
.  “Here, you’re going to need these,” he said.  “The sun is going down now and it
’
s going to start getting colder.”

Alea gratefully pulled the sweater over her head and snuggled into the warmth.  It had gotten cold fast but the fire was only about two feet away, casting a warm, cozy glow about the area.  “What’s that?” she asked, indicating the
stick with something over the fire.

“That’s our dinner,” he said and turned the meat over to the other side of the make-shift spit. 

Alea’s mouth watered.  “Really?”? she asked, surprised.  “It smells much better than it looked.”

“I’m sure you’re going to like it,” he said and handed her a chunk that was already cooked.

Alea tasted the hot meat and closed her eyes, savoring the delicious, delicate taste.  “Oh my,” she gasped.  “
This is
delicious.”

“So, I was right
?
” he asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Alea laughed, more than willing to give him credit
for his efforts
.  “Yes.  You were right,” she said.  “Is there anymore?” she asked.

He handed her a beaten, metal plate filled with already cooked fish.  “Oh, my,” she said, eagerly taking the plate from him.

“Dig in,” he encouraged.  “It
’
s back to granola for breakfast.”

Alea wrinkled her nose.  “No fish for the morning?”

“Nope.  Can’t leave fish laying around.  No refrigerator to store it.  And can’t leave it out here overnight.”

“Why not?”

“Because something else will eat it,” he said simply.

She stopped herself b
efore she asked the
question
,
knowing
she didn’t want to know the answer.  Thankfully, he didn’t go into anymore details. 

As the sun set over the horizon,
A
lea asked him about building the cabin, the other things he and his father did together and what it was like to stay out here all that time alone, knowing that he might eventually ascend to the throne.  It was a wonderful night and Alea learned more about Rashid and what m
ade him tick than all she’d learne
d over the past three weeks.  She found that he was a very interesting man with varied interests, that he would prefer to read a book about history or poetry than a report about the country’s defenses but that he rarely had the time for personal reading anymore.  He was very dedicated to his people, which she’d already known.  She just didn’t realize how dedicated.  And as she listened to him talk and answered his questions, she felt an overwhelming sadness encircle her.  She knew, without a doubt, that she was completely in love with the man.  It should have been a happy moment, but knowing why he was marrying her, and that he had someone on the side he could go to besides her, made her almost weep for their future