Page 48 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Later in the evening, Nicole paced the floor of her suite, trying to calm herself after the emotional roller-coaster she'd been on downstairs.

Those kisses on the terrace had caused an eruption of sensation in her, triggered a confusing whirl of thoughts in her mind. What had she been thinking of, giving into Rashid like that? It had been as if some irrational force had taken hold of Nicole and pushed her into Rashid's arms. She'd been taken aback by how willing she'd been to allow Rashid to kiss her like that.

But it had felt so good, she told herself.

So good.

Nicole clasped her hands and sighed, still pacing nervously.

The memory of Rashid's body pressing against her, the taste of his lips, the sensation of his tongue probing her mouth, the sheer strength of his body, the force of his need. All of it still burned in her mind.

Down on the terrace, leaning against the balustrade, Nicole had felt something take over her will, driving her to submit to Rashid's desperate want, his obvious desire. Her own sudden desire had seemed almost as strong, almost as fervent as his.

The feel of Rashid's firmly muscled body had been exquisite, a sudden and inexplicable temptation. As she'd grasped the thickness of his hair she'd sensed an urgency, a gratifying pleasure in his reaction. When she'd traced her fingers down his back, savoring the power of those muscles, she'd wanted to claw at him, communicate her need to him. But she'd held back from doing that, restrained the impulses which had seized her.

She couldn't give herself so quickly to him, no matter what had passed between them.

When Rashid had pressed his firmness against her core, she'd felt heat there, an urgent yearning which demanded satisfaction. From the feel of him, he was obviously a man of ample proportions. That had merely added to her impatience to feel him close.

But, then something had caused him to hesitate. At first, Nicole had assumed it had been something in her own reaction which had made him pull away from her. She had searched his face for explanation, seeing the sudden cooling of his desire.

Something had caught his attention and it had been significant enough to force him to seize hold of his senses.

When Nicole had tried to see what had caused that shift in him, he had insisted on kissing her again. At first she'd been relieved, thinking that he'd chosen to sweep aside the distraction, whatever it had been.

Once again, the kiss had transported Nicole to a place she never wanted to leave, a place of pleasure and possession.

Finally though, he'd made it clear that the moment had passed. Their bodies had parted abruptly, and she'd felt every nerve tingle with frustration.

When, finally, she'd turned and looked out at the desert darkness, she'd seen the explanation for his sudden withdrawal. Lights out there had confirmed the presence of someone, an observer. At that moment Nicole had been grateful to Rashid for making the choice to take them both back inside the palace. She'd have been mortified if anything they'd done on the terrace had been witnessed by strangers.

For a short while, they'd remained in the sitting room, drinking coffee and chatting for a while. But she'd known that the memory of what had happened out in the terrace had been like a physical barrier between them, something neither of them dare speak about. The awkwardness had been noticeable. She could tell he felt it as much as her.

Eventually she'd made her excuses and returned to her room. Of course, Rashid had acted like a perfect gentleman, and had courteously accepted her choice to say goodnight to him.

But she had seen the disappointment in his eyes. There had been no hiding the frustration she'd seen in the way he'd looked at her as she'd turned away from him and headed up the stairs.

Now, she knew she had a decision to make. Something had to be done; something had to be said about what had happened. Nicole wasn't sure she'd make it through the next few days if they didn't clear things up between them. Maybe he was suffering as much as she was. Nicole guessed that was probably the case, especially when she remembered the urgency of his desire.

Nevertheless, she knew what would happen if she and Rashid didn't establish some clear ground rules for the coming days.

Nicole halted her nervous pacing and felt resolve begin to strengthen. She had to speak with Rashid. Even if that meant going to his room, with all the risk that entailed. Would she be able to resist him?

Nicole went to the door and paused, briefly running over in her mind what she was going to say to him. She would tell him that she would stay, but only if they agreed that what had happened down on the terrace couldn't be allowed to happen again. Even as she thought that, she knew it wasn't true; knew it wasn't what she really wanted. But, there was nothing else she could do. Giving in to the temptations of this sheikh would turn her world upside down. And she wasn't sure she was ready for that. Not now. Maybe not ever.

As she reached for the door handle, she started to run over in her mind just what she would say to him once she'd reached his room. She pulled the door open and shrieked in surprise when she saw Rashid standing there in the corridor.

His eyes widened. "Nicole!"

"Rashid? What are you doing there?" Nicole asked sharply, feeling her nerves tingle with the shock of seeing him. He looked more tired than earlier. His white shirt was unbuttoned half way down his chest, and she could see the tempting dark hair which matted the front of his torso.

He paused, his gaze thoughtful. "I wanted to speak to you for a moment. About what happened earlier," he said slowly.

"You did?" she asked, feeling a slight irritation that he'd stolen her thunder.

Rashid nodded. He glanced down the length of the corridor, then back to her. "Can I come in?"

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