Chapter Two

She locked the door and sat on the bed in Farhad’s spare bedroom with her knees tucked under her chin. She’d never spent a single night in his house before and she wasn’t quite sure what to do. Everything inside her still blazed from the passion Farhad had ignited. Didn’t he get it? She wanted no one else, and she was old enough to make her own decisions now. What was more important than choosing a man to spend the rest of her life with? The fact that they were legally married only made things easier, especially now that Farhad proved interested in her physically. But that was just it. She couldn’t let him make love to her because he felt sorry for her. She wanted him to want her as much as and more than she wanted him.

A soft knock rapped on the door. She refused to budge, but he knocked again. On the third time, she launched toward the door and swung it open. “Any final good night accusations?” she yelled.

He ran a hand through his hair. At thirty-nine, a few grays peppered his temples, but one would have to stand really close to notice. She adored his grays. She adored every line of his hard face.

“Don’t be angry with me. I’m doing what’s best for you,” he said.

“How do you know what’s best for me? When am I going to be old enough for you to see?”

He smothered the words with his mouth. His hands roamed up to torment her nipples until she had to press herself against him.

On a gasp, he tore away. “I see. I’ve seen for a long time.”

They stood motionless with an inch of space between their lips. Panicked air cut in short bursts through her nostrils before his mouth marauded down on hers again. She cried out deep in her throat as tension snapped and she gave herself over to his mercy. Let him see how desperate she was. Her arms locked around his waist, coasted down to his hard buttocks, pulling him closer.

His erection strained against the clothing that kept them apart. Her hips molded closer and rubbed against him. Her pussy swelled with an odd, tingly ache. If she didn’t squeeze her thighs together, she’d pee all over herself, and yet, the worse she swelled, the closer she needed to be to Farhad’s cock.

He pulled back, his finger at her chin, brushing her cheek. A penetrating gaze evaluated her appearance, her panting breath. Something inside her gave. She could say nothing to convince him to go on if he didn’t want to. She could hardly even move.

Taking her hand, he led down the hall. She followed in a haze so thick she barely felt the floor under her feet. Once inside his bedroom, he stopped in front of the bed and faced her. The queen four-poster loomed behind them. She swallowed a ball of air.

Farhad ran a finger down the ridge of her nose. “There is only one first time. At a certain point, there won’t be going back. You must be sure.”

Her mouth and throat suddenly dried up. “I’m sure,” she managed.

Like hell she was. She was far too young to understand how chemistry worked. It was his duty to protect her. Better she got out of control with him than with some pencil-dick who’d take advantage of her beauty and innocence. Her fixation on him signalled nothing more than her sex drive kicking into high gear. He’d take the edge off and get her back to a state where cooler heads could prevail.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said when he drew her into his embrace and nibbled her neck. She trembled. Curiosity, adrenaline, and desire. Deadly combination. She nearly drove him out of control in the stables. He couldn’t let it happen again. He would keep her safe. He vowed it while kissing the tender spot below her ear. Her tremors worsened, stoking his desire.

“Show me, precious, that you want this,” he crooned in her ear while pulling her pelvis tight against his hard-on. “Because I want this very much.”

“Oh!” She broke against him, assaulting his face and chin with kisses. He had to hold her head in place and cover her mouth with his to give her a proper target. Her innocence became transparent against the intense rush of new arousal. Farhad separated from her and put his fingers over her mouth to keep her from following.

“I want you to stay still.”

She gave a few quick nods. Farhad fitted his mouth to hers, feeling its contours. The tip of his tongue caressed the seal between her closed lips, pulled back, teased it again. The seal broke. Searing hot air brushed over his lips. Heat exploded through him while her tongue made weak attempts at matching his ardor. Her breasts tightened.

He broke apart, panting. Too fast. Too dangerous. Erani threw off her T-shirt. She wore an orange sports bra. Against her complexion, the color glowed like fire. Blush rising to her cheeks, she got hold of the bottom edge.

He held his breath when the fabric peeled away and fell on the floor.

“Oh, my god!” The sight of her breasts demolished all restraint. He lunged for one gem and sucked it in. “Oh, my god!” The little nub hardened, obeying his ministration. Erani worked his shirt buttons. His hand slipped to her crotch, cupping it. Moist heat emanated through her riding pants. An insatiable drive urged him to taste her, smell her, lick her.

While she slipped the shirt off his shoulders, he opened her pants and snuck his hand inside her panties. She cried out, grabbing a handful of his hair.

He worked two fingers between her slick pussy lips. She jerked at the new sensation, but his tight embrace kept her from pulling away.

“You’re so wet. So wet for me.”

Erani found his mouth and intruded to suck on his tongue. Hard. His cock pulsed to a near brink.

Erani’s hand wedged between their bodies and covered his cock in a hesitant touch. Soon, he’d show her what to do, but first he reached for the waistline of her pants. Her hand covered his to urge him on while their mouths clung and her nipples raked the hair on his chest. On a frustrated moan, he stopped the kiss to roll her pants down to the floor. Her big, dark bush hovered right in front of his face. A deep breath of her musk made his eyes roll back. In haste, he freed her feet of the tangled fabric.

On his knees, he looked up at Erani’s naked body for the first time. She was so beautiful that a lump formed in his throat. With both hands against her hips, he guided her to the edge of the bed, while he followed on his knees.

“Sit down.”

When she did, he slid to her thighs, parting them gently.

“Farhad? What - ”

“You smell so good. Ready to be eaten.” He kissed the soft skin of her hip bone, inching closer to the abundant black curls. With his thumbs, he stroked the silky hairs.

She jerked. “Wait. Don’t.”

He kept stroking, using each stroke to probe a little deeper, closer to the flesh, getting her used to the touch. He loved her scent. It took hold of him like a narcotic, giving him only one desire and one mission. He could not have enough of her scent and her slickness until he heard her scream.

He gazed up to find her stunned stare. With one hand, he reached up to cup her breast.

“Watch me put my tongue on your clit.”

The nub was as swollen as it could get so he dabbed it with the tip of his tongue. Her whole body shook in response.

“You’re so beautiful, so ready. I want to lick you until you go mad. Tell me you want it.”

“Yes!” she expelled through clenched teeth.

Before the permission dissipated in the air, his mouth covered her clit, his tongue rolling around it, gently at first then harder and harder, following the cues of her moans and her gyrating hips. She actually lifted up into his face. He smiled against her sex, pleased that she could let go. Some women never really could, especially if they were taught their bodies were dirty and sinful.

Fortunately, Erani surrendered with total trust, and the sweet female flesh opened up to receive him, devouring every move of his tongue. He covered her clit gently with his thumb to keep it on the edge while he shifted lower, trailing the slit, working up the pressure of his tongue.

Erani cried out with an open mouth, jerking up. He knew what she wanted, of course, even if she did not. He’d give her a taste. Letting go of her breast, he pressed two knuckles against her dripping opening.

“Ahh,” she let out, welcoming it. God, what he’d give to wedge his cockhead there instead.

Keeping the pressure, he worked the knuckles against the slick pussy gate while holding down her clit and running his tongue up and down the length of the vaginal lips.

“Farhad?” she sounded in alarm.

Heat gathered. He couldn’t stop now. He couldn’t change one detail. Even a different breath could derail the momentum.

“What is happening? I can’t...”

While eating her pussy in a steady rhythm, Farhad moved his thumb against her clip in small, precise circles. This woman was a perfectly tuned instrument of pleasure and he would show her what it took to make her sing.

The build-up snapped and she let out deep, long cries. He wasn’t prepared for it. Most women sounded out their orgasms in high-pitched bravuras. Not Erani. Such deep moans of satisfaction might tempt a man to never let her go.

Erani snuggled against Farhad’s side. What he did left her wide open. She reached over and placed her hand on his chest.

“Is it always like that?” she asked.

“Only if a man cares enough. Most men are too eager for their own release to bring a woman to climax. I wanted you to know what it feels like.”

Only she still didn’t know what making love felt like. He’d given her pleasure, but he’d denied himself. Being a woman meant knowing how to please a man.

She moved her hand over his hard abs, down his abdomen. He stopped it.

“What are you doing?”

She pushed up on her elbow and kissed his nipple. “Isn’t it my turn to do something for you?”

“It’s not necessary.”

“Please, Farhad. Show me how to touch you.”

He caressed her cheek, but a battle raged in his expression. His gaze darted toward the ceiling as he prayed for mercy before placating her with a kiss.

“I’m wound so tight, I’ll go off in a second if you touch me.”

She had no idea what he was talking about and her puzzled expression only made him more frustrated. He dropped down on the pillow and threw up his arms.

“You’re my husband. I don’t mind,” she said. Swallowing hard, she reached for his bulge and grabbed the erection. The imposing hardness almost made her gasp, but her hand worked against him of its own free will. Feeling Farhad’s manhood, even through the fabric, stoked her awakened hunger.

Farhad sat up and trapped her hand. He looked murderous. “You don’t know what you want.”

She looked right into the eyes of the storm. “I want you to be the first. I want to feel you inside me.”

He let out a few sharp breaths and tightened his jaw, staring at her like he’d never seen her before. Then, with both arms bruising against her shoulders, he tossed her down on her back and descended on her breast like a madman. He sucked, whipped, teased, even nibbled with his teeth until both of her hands were in his hair, holding him there.

Only she was powerless to hold him anywhere. Her thighs fell open at the slightest nudge of his hand, and he settled between her legs, giving her all of his weight. All the while, he kept torturing her breasts. She could only cry out his name and witness herself become a mass of nerve endings on fire.

His finger slipped into her channel like a key and began unlocking her from inside out. Everything swelled and glistened. She flailed. It was too much. Too much. She heard the echo of her wild breath as her hips arched up against Farhad’s cock. Her nipples turned so painfully raw that she pulled Farhad’s face away.

“I have to take you now,” he warned.

“Yes,” she muttered. Oh, please, yes.

His weight lifted away. Desperate, she reached for him. He opened the bedside drawer and grabbed a condom. Contraception hadn’t even crossed her mind. What would it be like to have his child? She’d have to be his bride first. Just because he was about to take her virginity didn’t mean that he would stay married to her.

In one move, his pants snapped open. The zipper rolled down and fabric was shoved out of the way. Farhad’s uncircumcised penis protruded toward her. She swallowed. Heat rushed back to her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off it. Text-book pictures could never prepare her for the shock of seeing Farhad readying himself to become a part of her.

He ripped open the package and sheeted himself with the rubber. Leaning on one arm, he grasped his shaft with the other. Amazing fullness pressed against her opening and rubbed up and down her slit. She fell back against the pillow dumbstruck. All she could do was moan.

“Last chance to change your mind,” he threatened.

Frantic, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled.

He penetrated. All the way. Her mouth locked in an open position, emitting the strangest sounds. Her eyes fixed on the ceiling, but she saw only the most brilliant blue.

“You’re not a virgin,” a voice accused.

Farhad pulled away, emptying her with such force that she cried out in pain. He sat back on his heels and stared down at her.

“You’ve done this before.”

“What?” she stammered. “No!”

“Is this why you came back? To get me into bed so I wouldn’t divorce you?”

If he had plunged a red hot blade into her and ripped the heart right out of her chest, it would not have hurt this bad. The look on his face was the worst. His lips were set, his eyes full of rage. She’d never believed him capable of looking at her like that.

“You’re the first. I swear.”

He wrapped a sheet around his waist, dragging it on the floor as he padded to the bathroom. The door slammed, making her shudder.

Erani lay on Farhad’s bed, naked and frozen. She couldn’t feel her arms and legs. Her mouth opened and closed without sound or reason. It was the only motion that made her feel alive, so she let it go on. The sound of the shower filled the room. The words he said echoed through her mind, cutting her to pieces over and over again.

Tears flooded as she forced herself out of his bed. Naked, she ran into the hall. The spare bedroom was only one door down, but it seemed miles away. How could Farhad do such a thing? He knew her better than anyone did. He’d saved her life, given her everything. She could think of no other man who could make her feel like a real woman, but that was the one thing Farhad denied her.

Farhad stood in the doorway of the guest bedroom, staring at the neatly made twin bed. She was gone. His heart clenched like a giant hand squeezed it. Something had come over him last night to make him say those words to her. Of course she was a virgin. There was not a single doubt in his mind that he was the first, but when he’d penetrated her and found no barrier, some madness had descended on him and forced him to accuse her. He’d never forget the surprise and horror on her face. Erani had looked as if she’d actually been struck. He’d seen that look on a woman before. He’d sworn with his life he’d never see it on Erani’s face, and he’d failed. Farhad shut the door to the spare bedroom. He’d finally pushed her away for good. Now, she could truly be free.

Before he reached the bottom stair, the front door swung wide open. Dorri marched in. When she spotted him, her hand went up in the air, her finger shaking at him.

“What in the name of god have you done to my girl? She wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t say a word. She just locked herself in the room and cried for an hour. And then she left.”

“It’s time for her to grow up and live her own life,” he said, passing into the kitchen. He put fresh coffee in the coffee-maker and filled it with water, but aunt Dorri reached around him and yanked the plug right out of the socket.

“You look at me right now, Farhad Rezai.”

He faced her and found holy wrath staring back at him. “Did you have sex with her?”

Suddenly feeling five years old, he looked down at the floor.

“I never thought the day would come when I’d be ashamed of you.” She jabbed him in the chest hard enough to make him jump. “Don’t show me your face until you’ve fixed this. I don’t care what you have to do.” She spun on her heel and marched out. He stared after her for a long time. She was right. What he did to Erani last night was despicable.

He went to the study. From the top drawer of his desk, he retrieved the small jewellery box. Inside it, a bed of blue velvet padding nestled two solid gold wedding bands. They proved he at least dreamed of a real marriage with her, but his actions last night could not be swept under the rug. The least he could do was to tell her truth.

He plucked the rings out of the box and shoved them in his pocket. Next, he called his receptionist at home and asked her to cancel all of his appointments for the day. Then he got in the car and drove.

He looked for her car at the stables. It wasn’t there anymore. He headed down to the General Store then up toward the large riding arena where Erani and Chrissy sometimes practiced. Another hour passed while he drove around the hill to Chrissy’s house. Coconut was there, along with the ferrier who worked on her hoof, but no sign of Erani. He finally gave up and returned to the dental building.

“Dr. Rezai, are you all right?” Heide, the receptionist, asked when he strode by the front desk without as much as a hello.

He nodded. “Thanks for taking care of everything. I’ll be in my office.”

She gave him a sad smile and turned back to the computer screen. He closed the office door behind him without noise. The small room suddenly resembled a prison cell. He would spend most of his time here from now on. Going home would only remind him of how much he’d hurt the only person he ever loved.

Voices echoed from the reception area. Footsteps approached. A soft knock sounded on his door. The knob turned. He saw a hand, and he began to tremble. He’d know those long, thin fingers anywhere. A lump formed in his throat, and he waited as long as he could before looking up into Erani’s face. He didn’t want to see the pain he’d put into her beautiful, ever excited eyes.

What he saw forced him back against the chair. This was not the innocent girl he’d brutalized in his bed but a woman with calculated determination set in her features.

“Where are all the patients?” she asked.

“What are you doing here?”

“Getting my check-up before I leave. It’s been six months.”

He nodded. She’d be out of his life soon enough. This was one last chance to have her near. It was also the perfect opportunity to spill his guts. She stepped back into the hall and waited.

“Exam 2,” he said, and she headed to the first room on the right. He followed her inside like a whipped dog. The dentist’s chair dominated the small space but instead of occupying it, Erani observed him. Her cold gaze made him sick to his stomach. He went to the sink.

The soft scent of her perfume reached him while hot water ran over his hands. Her arms stroked down his back, snaking around his waist, giving him an immediate hard-on. Snapping around, he pushed her away, but the determined look in her face turned catty. Holy hell! This wasn’t the gentle, innocent Erani he knew. Her hand roamed down his chest, over his belt, to his hard cock. She smiled in triumph.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he spat.