Rachel woke with a start, looking around at the sunshine streaming in through the huge windows in her bedroom. For a long moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. The sheets were white, the curtains white, the furniture white…everything in the room was white.
Then everything came back to her and she remembered. San Francisco. The massage! Tarin tucking her into bed last night with a sweet kiss goodnight. Just thinking about that kiss made her heart glow with tenderness.
“Not love!” she gasped, then sat up, not sure where that thought had come from. Looking around, she tried to orient herself, but the sheets wrapped around her legs made extricating herself from the bed difficult. Pushing everything off, she padded into the bathroom and stared at her image in the mirror. It wasn’t too bad, she decided. The mascara looked a little panda-ish, but her hair wasn’t going off in crazy directions.
She picked up her clothes from the previous night while she waited for the water to warm up in the shower. That’s when she noticed that her favorite pink bra wasn’t amidst the other clothes. And then she remembered the pink bra dangling prettily from Tarin’s finger last night. And that he’d stuffed it into his pocket!
Good grief, how was she to get her bra back? And why had he taken it?!
The questions continued to mount and she needed coffee in order to process. Stepping into the shower, she sighed as the warm water washed over her skin. “Saturday,” she whispered as she squeezed some shower gel into her hands and started scrubbing. “It’s Saturday and…” she closed her eyes, trying to remember Tarin’s schedule. “No meetings.” With a sigh of relief, she smiled. “It’s Saturday and we don’t have anything scheduled today.” She shampooed and conditioned her hair, considering possible activities. She didn’t need to do laundry because everything she wore was magically cleaned and returned to her closet the following morning. She didn’t need to pack because there were other magical people who would do that when they left. But Tarin still had meetings in San Francisco on Monday, so they’d most likely stay here over the weekend. Would he want to review the notes she’d taken? Probably, she thought with increasing dread.
Normally, Rachel loved her job. But after the marathon meetings and traveling over the past ten days, plus being with Tarin all day long, including for every meal, plus his self-defense lessons every morning and his dancing lessons in the evening…both of which she loved and, Rachel even acknowledged to herself that she was getting better at both…but she was wiped out! She needed a break.
Oh for the opportunity to just sit on a sofa with a good book and read all day long!
“Not gonna happen,” she muttered as she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. Glancing at the time, she wondered if Tarin was even here now. It was well past nine o’clock in the morning. That was pretty late, considering that he normally rose before five o’clock to head to the hotel gym to work out every morning. She suspected that he’d already gone through his brutal workout and was showered and off to…whatever it was that royal princes do on the weekends in foreign cities.
Pulling on a pair of leggings and, because the temperature was only getting up into the mid-fifties today, a sweatshirt, she grabbed a pair of thick socks and quickly brushed her hair, then dabbed on a touch of makeup. Just in case he was still here, she told herself.
“Just to look professional,” she whispered to the mirror. “The makeup has nothing to do with my emotional stupidity.”
Stepping out of her bedroom, she walked down the hallway, not exactly sure how she was going to face Tarin this morning. If he was even here, she thought with increasing hope.
Unfortunately, her hope was dashed as soon as she stepped into the main living area of the suite. Tarin was there, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.
He was hidden behind the newspaper and, for a moment, she considered slipping away and hiding in her bedroom to wait him out. Last night’s massage and…well, everything else seemed to be a good topic to avoid. But she also knew Tarin and he wasn’t the kind who avoided problems. He confronted them head-on.
“Not gonna work, Rachel,” he called out, not even lowering the newspaper.
Darn it! How had he known she was standing here? And how had he read her mind so easily?
Scary man.
“I wasn’t…”
His paper flipped down and he folded it up, tossing it onto the low coffee table in front of him. “You were trying to avoid seeing me after last night, weren’t you?”
Yes! “No. Absolutely not.”
“Good. Then come get your coffee and let’s talk.”
Rachel was torn. The coffee was on the other side of the living room, over towards the dining room table. But safety was behind her. She’d have to walk all the way across the room with him watching her. Cowardly? You betcha! And unashamed.
“I think I’d rather…”
“We need to talk,” he told her, cutting off whatever she was going to say. “Get some coffee, Rachel,” he repeated, then stood up, resting his hands on his hips. “We need to clear up a few things.”
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, her stomach sinking with dread. Was he going to fire her? Did he realize the depth of her feelings for him? Surely he couldn’t know that she lo…liked him in that way. But he was a bit more intuitive than she was. Perhaps he’d noticed something she hadn’t even realized was happening.
Nothing to do about it other than tough it out. So instead of standing there like the coward she was, Rachel lifted her chin and walked slowly, steadily across the room. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, she picked it up, then took the porcelain cup out of the saucer since it was shaking so badly, it was rattling.
“Nervous?” he asked when she sat down across from him.
She debated lying to him, but took a deep breath and nodded. “Terrified,” she confirmed.
“About what?”
“About this conversation. Are you going to fire me?” she asked. That was probably for the best, she thought. Being fired would at least get her away from him. She didn’t need to have feelings for a man so completely out of her league.
“No! I’m not going to fire you. There’s no reason to fire you and you’re the best project manager I’ve ever worked with.”
“Oh,” she whispered, startled by his praise. She’d vaguely hoped that she’d been doing a good job over the past few weeks. But he hadn’t said anything. “Um…thank you.”
“You know that you’re outstanding. You’re excellent with details and regularly see things that I missed. So, don’t ever doubt your worth, Rachel. You’re good and you should know that by now.”
Wow! That was incredibly high praise!
Cradling her coffee, she stared across the coffee table at him. “So…what’s this conversation about?”
“It can’t have missed your attention that I want you.” He stated that so clearly, as if the statement wasn’t like a bomb that had just been dropped into the room. “Sexually.”
Woah! “Um…!” Rachel lowered her eyes, feeling her cheeks blossom with burning color. “That’s…!” Amazing! Exciting! Shocking! Oh and terrifying too! Yep, totally terrifying!
“Give me your honesty, Rachel. I need to hear how you feel about me.”
She looked up, directly into his hazel eyes. “Your…”
“Rachel, I had my hands all over your body last night and I put you to bed.” He paused, letting that image settle between the two of them. His voice deepened as he said, “I’m hoping to do the same tonight, but I’m also hoping that I’ll be in that bed with you this time. So, it’s way too late for you to use my title now. It’s past time for you to use my first name.”
Rachel looked at him, contemplating her answer. “How about this. I’ll use your first name when we’re in private, but when we’re out in public, I use your title.”
He leaned back against the sofa, stretching his arms out across the cushions as he contemplated her for a long moment. “So, you want to hide our relationship?”
She shifted slightly, shaking her head. “At the moment, we only have a professional relationship.”
Those too-knowing eyes narrowed on her. “You and I both know that’s going to change. Today.”
“I don’t know that at all,” she countered, her green eyes challenging now. “Last night, you…touched me. But that’s nothing new. We’ve been working closely together for the past…”
“Don’t,” he interrupted. “You and I both know that last night was different. And if you are going to sit over there looking lovely and tempting, then I’m going to have to head over there and prove to you that things have changed. That we’re both aware of the sexual intensity that literally throbs every time we’re in the same room.”
She nibbled her lip. Should she be honest with him? But if she did, would there be anything left? And…would he laugh at her? He’d said that he wanted her, but for how long? She wasn’t the kind of woman who held a man’s interest, especially not someone as intense and powerful as Prince Tarin!
And yet, as she watched him, debating how to respond, Rachel knew that she had to be honest with him. “Yes. I feel it. But I don’t think we should pursue a personal relationship.”
Instead of becoming offended or angry, as another man might, Tarin simply tilted his head to the side. “Why not?”
Rachel set her cup down on the coffee table. “Because I’m not made that way. I don’t do casual relationships. You might be able to do that. But with me, relationships are very personal. They have to be, otherwise, I’m not interested.”
His eyes brightened as if she’d just confirmed his suspicions.
“So, you’re saying that you already have feelings for me.” It was a statement, not a question.
Rachel swallowed, looking down at her hands folded in front of her. “I…don’t know.” That was about as honest as she could be at the moment. “You scare me…Tarin.” There! She’d said it! She’d used his name!
Wow, it felt…liberating and terrifying, both at the same time!
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” he teased.
“No!” she countered. “You are a scary man, Tarin. I don’t think I could ever fit into your world. And that doesn’t make me feel good about contemplating a relationship with you.”
He moved over to sit beside her. “Okay, so you’re scared. So am I,” he told her, taking her hand.
She snorted, shaking her head. “That’s a lie. You’ve never been scared of anything in your life. Admit it.”
He shrugged. “I’ve always been bigger than most of my peers. But my older brother used to scare me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I doubt it. What could your brother possibly do that would scare you?”
“He draws.”
Rachel heard him, but the terrifying Sheik Amit el Raminar…drawing? “No way!”
“Yep. When he’s stressed about something, he just picks up his notebook and draws anything and everything. He used to draw monsters and scary stuff, and would leave the pictures on our beds.” Tarin shook his head. “Scared the sh…I was scared,” he finished with a chuckle. “My brother has an incredible imagination. Plus, he’d convinced us that he could only draw things that he could see. And he’d tell us that he’d seen the monsters in our closets or under our beds.”
She laughed, delighted with this glimpse into Tarin’s childhood. “That sounds horrible. What did you do?”
He shrugged. “I stayed up some nights, waiting for the monsters to show themselves. Then my parents would get angry with me for falling asleep at the breakfast table. I’d tell them what Amit had done and then he’d get into trouble. He’d then make a scarier drawing and the whole process would start over.”
She giggled, slapping a hand over her mouth. “That sounds awful. You were mean siblings.”
“You have a sister. What was it like growing up with her?” he asked, taking her hand and turning it over so that he could trace pictures on her palm.
Her laughter died and she looked away. “Oh, my sister and I never really got along. She was…special.”
“And you’re not?”
She smiled, but the expression revealed a deep sadness. Not wanting to talk about this, Rachel curled her fingers into a fist so that he couldn’t tease her anymore. But he only pressed her fingers back, touching her and sliding his fingers up and down her hand and arm.
“Tell me,” he urged, continuing to tease her hand. Rachel felt his touch echo through her body. “What’s so ‘special’ about your sister?”
She sighed. “My sister is truly beautiful and very talented. Anything she tackles, she excels at. It was difficult growing up in her shadow sometimes.” Most times, she silently added.
“What did she excel at?”
She shrugged, standing up and stepping away. Wrapping her arms protectively around her waist, she looked out the window. “I don’t know. Everything.” She took a deep breath and turned back to smile at him. “Would you mind if we changed the subject?”
“Back to the two of us having sex? Absolutely!”
She laughed. “Well, maybe we could ease into that conversation.”
“I was thinking we could ease into the relationship,” he replied, standing up and walking over to her. “I loved touching you last night. Your body is beautiful, Rachel.”
She snorted. “You should see how gorgeous my sister is. She has softer hair and she really knows how to put makeup on to enhance…”
He reached out to touch her, just a palm to her cheek, but it was enough to shock her into silence. “I don’t care about your sister, Rachel. And just for the record, I think you’re beautiful.” He stepped closer and she stared at the middle of his chest, unable to meet his gaze. “I love the way your eyes are huge and expressive,” he said, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. “And your nose is pretty darn adorable.”
She smiled, wanting to shake her head to deny his comment, but she didn’t want to risk losing his touch. “You don’t understand, my sister is…”
He stopped her argument with a kiss. Rachel was so startled she couldn’t move. She even forgot to breathe. He didn’t kiss her again, but he didn’t move back either. Their lips hovered just a hair’s breadth apart. Rachel waited, wondering if he’d do it again. She wanted him to kiss her more than anything she’d ever wanted in her life. But she trembled, wondering if she should want this. Was she worthy of his kiss? Would he like the way she kissed or would he hate it? Was she completely inept at kissing?
“Rachel,” he whispered and she felt his breath wash over her face, felt the need in him as well and lifted her eyes from his mouth to his hazel eyes. That was all it took. Instead of pulling back, she leaned in and kissed him. No more waiting! No more self-condemnation! This was her moment! This was Tarin and she’d lo…wanted him for so long!
That must have been what he was waiting for because, at the first touch of her lips against his, he wrapped those massive arms around her waist and lifted her higher, holding her against his hard chest! He deepened the kiss as Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She wasn’t great at kissing, not having much experience with it. But Tarin didn’t seem to mind.
She felt one of his hands move to the back of her head, tangling in her hair and tilting her head back, deepening the kiss even more. She squeaked, unaware of how her legs wrapped around his waist as she trembled, unconsciously grinding against him and moaning with every frisson of sensation. She felt his erection against her core and was startled for a long moment, pulling away from him and looking around.
“We’re…” She realized that they were sitting on the couch and she was straddling his hips, wantonly riding him.
“Yes. We’re kissing,” he groaned, his hands sliding up and down her waist, down to her thighs then back up
Rachel told herself to get off of him, that she was smothering him. But the way his hands skimmed over her body felt too good. Staring at him, unaware of the look of need burning in her eyes, she shifted deliberately against that hardness. Just a small movement but…she gasped, her hands gripping his shoulders.
“Rachel!” Tarin groaned, his fingers tightening on her hips. But he wasn’t sure if he was holding her in order to stop her from moving like that, or…waiting for her to do it again.
She took the decision out of his hands when she leaned in to kiss him again and her hips shifted with the movement. He couldn’t hold back, not after that moment of boldness. He’d thought she’d be a shy, tentative lover. He’d anticipated encouraging her to enjoy her sexuality.
So this bold, wild woman was…stunning! He wanted to ravage her, explore every inch of her skin and…howl at how hot she was! But words wouldn’t come, so instead, he rolled them over until she was on her back and she stared up at him with those huge, green eyes of hers. The look was both humbling and igniting!
She shifted her hips again and he almost lost control. Pulling back, he moved his mouth against her neck, her shoulders but that damn sweatshirt was in the way. So, he pulled her upright so that she was straddling his hips, then pulled the shirt over her head and out of the way.
Then froze! “Every day, I’ve wondered what you were wearing underneath those prim flowered dresses of yours,” he told her, entranced by the pretty blue bra. There were yellow daisies embroidered along the edge and he lifted a finger to trace those flowers.
“It’s padded,” he noticed.
“Yes,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
She was watching him, watching his hands against her breasts. Turning his hand, he cupped her breast.
“Why do you need a padded bra?”
She rolled her hips against his erection again and he saw her eyes blur, her tongue dart out to wet her lips.
“Because…I don’t want…anything…showing through my dresses,” she finally explained.
“I want to see your nipples,” he announced, then released the catch on her bra, tossing the scrap of blue and daisies away.
She hissed in surprise when her bra was gone, but he ignored that, focusing on her pretty breasts and, especially, those beautiful nipples, so taut and pointing right at him, as if they were begging for his attention.
He reached out, cupping them again, but this time without the hindrance of her bra. As he cupped both breasts, he looked into her eyes, then slowly, as if savoring the moment, ran his thumb over those taut nipples. He smiled evilly when she hissed in reaction, so he did it again. And again. Her head fell back as he continued to tease her breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking lightly, then nipping it with his teeth before soothing it with his tongue. Every caress caused yet another, and her hips couldn’t keep still. It was possibly the most erotic moment he’d ever seen.
Unfortunately, kissing her wasn’t going to be enough.
Scooping her up, he carried her into his bedroom.
“What…?” she asked, looking around. But by that time, he was already kicking the door closed behind them.
“I don’t want the hotel staff to see you, Rachel,” he warned, then leaned down, laying her in the middle of the bed.
“Oh, right,” she breathed, looking around. “But…”
Tarin couldn’t wait. Not with her pretty breasts and tight nipples staring at him. So he kissed her, his mouth moving over hers until he felt her melt against him. Only then did he lift his mouth and resume his exploration of her breasts. With every touch, every kiss, nip, and teasing touch, Rachel gasped and hissed and ground herself against him, driving him wild with lust.
Trying very hard to go slowly, he moved his mouth lower, kissing along her stomach while pulling her leggings off. But not her panties. Oh no! He needed to see her in whatever sexy little nothing she’d pulled on this morning.
When he stood up after tossing her leggings off to the side, he stared down at the piece of blue satin with little daises. “Do you always match your bra and panties?” he asked, letting his finger trail along the edge of her daises.
She gasped and did a sexy little wiggle thing. “Yes,” she hissed. His finger slid under the elastic. “No!”
“No?” he teased, letting his finger linger there. “You don’t always match your panties to your bra?”
Her pink tongue darted out, wetting her lips and he might have smiled, but he was so turned on, he wasn’t even sure he was breathing.
“I don’t…!” She hissed when his finger slid into her body, her hips lifting as if she were offering herself to him.
“Tell me,” he growled, watching her face as he teased, thrusting his finger in and out.
Her eyes were closed. He let his thumb flick against that swollen nub and she gasped, her hand whipping out to grab his wrist. But he didn’t relent, wanting to know what turned her on, what she liked and what she didn’t. So far, everything he’d done seemed to be good.
“Don’t stop!” she moaned, pressing his hand against her.
With a muttered curse, he pulled away and literally ripped that piece of blue satin off. When he heard a muttered cry from Rachel, he moved up and kissed her. Hard! “I promise to replace all of your lingerie, love. But…” he pulled back, shaking his head to try and disperse the almost painful lust overwhelming him. “Just…trust me, honey.”
With that, he moved back down her body, kissing and exploring, finding a few more spots that made her cry out. But his ultimate goal was that beautiful, throbbing nub between her legs.
“Tarin, I…!” she cried out when he pressed her legs wider.
“I have to, Rachel,” he explained, his voice barely above a growl. “I have to give you this now, because once I get inside you, I’m not sure how long I’ll last.” And with that, he kissed his way from her knee to her inner thigh, then to that place he’d wanted to taste ever since he’d gotten her through the door to his bedroom.
Unfortunately, as soon as his mouth touched her there, she exploded and he barely got a taste before she was throbbing with her first release, her fingers tangling in his hair.
When she finally relaxed, he pulled his mouth away, kissing her stomach again before he stood up and stripped off his clothes. Grabbing a condom, he looked down at her, feeling like a king after what he’d just done to her.
With the condom rolled down over his erection, he moved back between her legs, bracing his hands on either side of her head as he kissed her, bringing her back to him.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful that was?” he asked, but didn’t give her time to answer. Instead, he pressed into her folds, closing his eyes as her body accepted his. Deeper and deeper, he pressed into her until he was fully inside of her.
He reached for her hair, his fingers tangling in those amazing curls as he began thrusting. With every movement, he heard her mewling, gasping and groaning, driving him even wilder. Faster and faster, he thrust into her until…with every fiber of his being, he held on until he felt her body tighten around his shaft. But after that, he pounded into her tight sheath as his body emptied into hers, his mind draining of everything but the intense, incredible pleasure!
The pinpricks of her nails was his first taste of reality. And it wasn’t that he felt her nails so much as he registered the absence of her fingernails as her hands slowly unclenched from his shoulders.
Her soft sigh reminded him that he was too heavy for her and he groaned, rolling over but holding her, shifting so that her replete body was draped over his. Then his hands dove right back into those amazing curls of hers.
“So soft,” he muttered.
Rachel was still a bit dazed and he smiled up at the ceiling, thinking, “I did that!”
But her hair wasn’t the only soft thing about Rachel. Her back, her waist…her whole body was soft as silk.
“Tarin,” she sighed, wiggling again.
Tarin laughed softly. Lifting up, he kissed her. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, then carefully extricated himself, heading for the bathroom. Quickly, he cleaned up, then came back…only to come to a complete stop. Rachel looked…beautiful! Her auburn curls were going every which way, and her surprisingly long legs were curved, making her butt look extraordinarily enticing. And since she still hadn’t revived after those two orgasms, there was a soft, satisfied smile to her lovely features and his body hardened, just watching her.
She yawned, blinking like a small, sexy kitten. “I should…”
“You should stay right there,” he growled, coming back to the bed and pulling her back on top of him.
“I’m pretty sure this isn’t dignified,” she grumbled, but her wiggles only turned him on all over again.
“I’m pretty sure that you should do that again,” he laughed, sliding his hands along her bottom, then higher, trailing a finger along her spine.
She gasped, arching her back, which only reminded him that he hadn’t fully explored her back.
But he was more interested in her breasts and rolled over so that she was underneath him. “Yes?” he asked, not really paying attention. He was fully focused on her breasts. On those taut, pink nipples that whispered to him.
“I need…” she stopped speaking when his mouth covered her breast.
“Coffee,” he teased. “Right. You need coffee.” But he didn’t stop. And a moment later, she didn’t care as he started the whole process over again.
About two hours later, he finally got her that coffee.