Page 55 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

They'd come up to the bedroom, moving upstairs slowly. Rashid had held his arm on her back as they'd made their way up the stairs. There had hardly been a moment when he'd taken his eyes off her as they made their way to the bedroom.

Finally, they were in his room. His bedroom.

The kiss downstairs had been long and passionate, confirming everything she'd suspected.

Rashid wanted to claim Nicole as his own. It was that simple.

Their kiss had contained all the pent up frustration of days of wanting. That applied as much to Nicole as to Rashid. She'd felt herself thrown into a world of sensation she'd hardly imagined could exist. Rashid had enclosed her in an embrace that told Nicole he was taking possession of her. She felt as if she belonged to him; that she had belonged to him since the moment she'd seen him walking into the encampment. That seemed like an eternity ago, now.

But, the past didn't matter. All she cared about was what was going to happen in his bedroom.

And now she was here. She stood in the middle of the room and watched him close the door behind him. His gaze was tender and ravenous all at the same time, as he advanced toward her. Nicole felt the butterflies tumble in her middle as she watched him start to unbutton his shirt.

Up close, those open buttons revealed a matted layer of dark chest hair. He paused in front of her, his brow lifting slightly with an impatient, questioning look.

Did he want her to touch him? Was that what he was asking her to do?

Nicole reached out and touched the bare chest exposed by the open shirt. His skin felt hot to the touch, the hair coarse. She moved her fingers through the hair and felt him shift, drawing in a sharp breath.

Nicole gazed at Rashid and saw the hunger flare in his eyes. The corner of his mouth creased with an appreciative smile as she curled her fingers against his chest. Nicole felt her throat tighten with desire. She inhaled his scent, suddenly strong and irresistible.

Rashid moved closer and swept his arms around Nicole's waist, drawing her near. She felt his hardness press against her, felt his heat. She grasped the muscles of his upper arms, feeling the tension in them.

Then she was really in his embrace and his head dipped, just like it had downstairs. Once again, his lips claimed hers in a tender kiss filled with barely restrained need. His lips were warm, his taste sweet.

Then his tongue probed, driving new pleasure in her and, in spite of her weakening resolve, she gasped. The soft sound of her voice seemed to trigger something in him, drive him on ever harder.

She felt his embrace tighten as if he never wanted to let her go. And, right now, she realized something shocking, but also welcoming. Nicole never wanted him to let her go. She knew it was madness, but it was the best kind of madness. Every nerve in her body had ignited with this embrace, this kiss, this possession.

Nicole pressed herself against Rashid, feeling his firmness against her soft belly. His need was obvious. He wanted her just like she wanted him. Her mind went suddenly blank, overwhelmed by the sensation, the sheer pleasure of being claimed by this powerful, yet tender man.

Then their lips parted and his body shifted. She felt his arms sweep down by her side and before she knew what had happened, he'd lifted her up in his arms. She squealed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Their eyes met and she saw equal measures of delight and hunger in his gaze.

She felt as if she was floating as he strode toward the open doors of the bedroom. She could see the huge bed in there. The sight of it made desire flame at her core, made the need become suddenly more real, completely unavoidable.

Then they were in his bedroom and he laid her down on the bed. His movement was gentle as if he was laying her down onto a bed of feathers and he didn't want to disturb any of them.

Nicole lay on her back and looked up at Rashid. He stood there looking unlike the man she'd seen during the last few days. Now, he looked defiant and dominant, as if everything he'd done before had been leading up to this moment. He gazed along the length of her body, appreciation and anticipation filling his eyes.

Then he loosened the final buttons on his shirt and shifted himself free, tossing the shirt in the floor. Nicole drew in a sharp breath. His torso was tightly muscled, shoulders broad, stomach toned and layered. It was an awesome sight, one that made her heart beat faster, caused her pulse to quicken. Need raged through her as she gazed upon his incredible body. He smiled at her, and she could see that he enjoyed her appreciative scrutiny.

Then he undid the waistband of his pants and began to ease the waist loose, curling his thumbs over the top. He tugged slowly and pulled the pants down, never for a moment taking his eyes off Nicole. He was definitely enjoying her reaction, she told herself, as she tried to hang on to what was left of her sanity. And that was proving more and more difficult with each passing moment.

Anticipation thrummed through her body as she watched him lower his pants and kick them loose, revealing the white boxers, the only thing he had left to remove.

That thought just made the tightening in her chest feel even stronger. She could see the promise that was contained inside those boxers, see the sheer fullness that was waiting to be revealed.

Nicole shifted irritably on the bed and then sat up, sitting on the edge, mere inches away from Rashid. She reached out a hand and rested it on the flatness of his stomach, feeling the tightness of his muscles.

She swallowed and glanced up at Rashid. Her touch had affected him, because she heard him draw in a sharp breath, and he lifted his head up for a moment as if to hide his reaction, to disguise the pleasure he'd felt at her touch.

Then his gaze came back to her as she traced her hand down toward his fullness. She was sure she could feel his muscles tremble slightly as her hand moved slowly down toward his firmness. Then she stopped, just before she touched him.

She looked up at him and saw a brief flare of annoyance on his features. His brows furrowed, and she could tell he knew she was playing with him, teasing him slightly, just like she'd done during these past few days. Only, this was different, she told herself. This was utterly and completely different.

Nicole's hand touched him briefly and his eyes widened. "Nicole!" he gasped.

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