Page 47 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

Then Rashid slid his hands further down to the side of her hips. He lifted her up suddenly and she squealed, surprised at his sudden move. She felt light as he raised her up and sat her on the balustrade.

As if knowing what he wanted, she parted her legs and he moved in between them, pressing his need against her core. She groaned and he thrust himself forward, his head straining forward, his lips burning with the need to reclaim her mouth.

This time the kiss felt like he had come home to something familiar, something he knew he would always need. His tongue teased her mouth and she gasped. Sensation ripped through him as her hand raced up his back and onto his head again. This time she tugged at his hair. He could feel her grasping it in her fingers. When she pulled on his hair, he refused to move, determined that his lips would not be parted from hers.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he said to himself, that nothing would drag him away from this woman. The taste of her lips, the feel of her body, the heat he felt from her; he wouldn't give this up for anything. For anyone.

Rashid felt Nicole slide forward on the flat surface of the balustrade. She pressed her core against his firmness. In response he couldn't resist instinctively shifting so that he was hard against her. His pulse beat mercilessly and he could sense that Nicole's was tormenting her.

Rashid leaned into Nicole. There was nowhere else in the world he wanted to be except here. Lost in sensation, as far as Rashid was concerned, the world had ceased to exist. There was only Nicole and her heat, her desire, her need for him.

Something in his soul began to awaken, something which had been clasped in cold, unforgiving hands a long time ago. Now it was being freed. At last. Warmth spread throughout his entire being.

Rashid opened his eyes, hoping to see the desire on Nicole's face. He had to be sure that she felt as he did.

He lifted his lips away from her mouth and gazed at her. She'd closed her eyes, and her face was wonderfully bright with the color of desire. Nicole opened her eyes slowly and gazed at him. Pools of desire looked back at him and he felt determination firm within him.

Rashid felt a moment of relief sweep through him. He hadn't been wrong. She felt as he did; wanted what he did.

Inexplicably. Wonderfully.

Just as he started to open his mouth to say the words he knew would take them inside the palace and into a world they both wanted, his attention was caught by the flicker of a light. He gazed over Nicole's shoulder and into the depths of the desert night. He felt his heart stop for a moment. His body stiffened.

Light. The flickering light of a campfire out past the palace walls.

Rashid saw Nicole's brows furrow. "What is it, Rashid?" she asked, her voice slightly breathless.

He didn't want to worry her. He shook his head and looked into her eyes, forcing himself to smile. "Nothing, Nicole," murmured hesitantly.

As he said that, there was a treacherous voice in his mind that cursed the sight of the dim light out there in the desert. It could only be one thing. Hakim or some of his men were out there. Watching. Waiting.

That knowledge had poured cold ice over Rashid's desire. It was unlikely that anyone could see him and Nicole. He gritted his teeth even thinking about that.

But he wasn't prepared to take a chance that these moments had been contaminated by the scrutiny of outsiders. They were too special for him to allow that to happen.

Nicole started to turn her head to see what he had been looking at, but Rashid took her chin gently and moved her gaze back to him. He smiled at her. There was flicker of confusion in her eyes. Rashid moved his head closer and kissed her, this time more softly than before.

The taste was as sweet, but somehow the urgency of the previous need had vanished. Rashid felt a hard knot of regret twist at him as he kissed Nicole. He guessed it would probably be the last kiss of the night. The intimacy of the moment had faded as quickly as it had flared into life.

When their lips parted he stepped away from her. "Let's go back inside," he suggested quietly.

Nicole frowned slightly and then slid down off the balustrade. He could see that her own passion had faded as quickly as his. Did she feel as frustrated as he did? Judging by the tight, tense line of her jaw, he was sure she did.

She paused for a instant and peered inquiringly at Rashid.

"I'll get the staff to bring some drinks for us," he explained, his voice strained.

Nicole turned her head and gazed out into the desert. Rashid was sure she understood now. The light out there was still flickering. When she turned back to him, her expression had changed. There was recognition as well as disappointment on her face.

"Maybe you're right," she said wrapping her arms around herself and drawing in a deep breath. "It's getting a bit chilly out here," she said.

Rashid nodded. They started back toward the dinner table at the far end of the terrace.

As he walked alongside Nicole, Rashid couldn't help asking himself if that first kiss with Nicole would also be the last.

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