'Kiss me again,' she whispered the moment he released her. She had no idea how she was torturing him or she wouldn't wind her arms around his neck like this, breathing his name so it sounded like a feather on a breath of wind, a feather that had the power to travel to his heart and pierce it like an arrow.
She pulled him back when he pulled away. 'Don't leave me,' she begged him in a way that pierced his heart a second time. But when he kissed her now, and felt her shudder of desire through every part of him, he knew it would soon be beyond his mortal powers to hold back. He tried hushing and soothing her, as he might have calmed a restless colt, but trying to hold Beth back while she in her innocence was trying to hurry him on only upped the level of torture for them both.
'Khal, I know I'm not what you need … '
As she began to excuse and explain how she felt he was so incredulous, so defensive on her behalf, that all he could think was that Beth was exactly what he needed. And so why was he holding back? With all the riches of Q'Adar at his disposal, he felt blessed that fate had brought her to him. 'You're special,' he told her. 'And don't you ever forget that, Beth Tracey Torrance.' He was staring deep into her eyes, into her soul, when she answered him with perfect logic.
'Then, if you don't care who I am, what's standing between us? Because there is something, isn't there?'
'Yes,' he admitted. 'My concern for you. I care about you, Beth. I care about you very much indeed.'
She thought about this for a moment, her face serious and intent, and he saw then that beneath all Beth's light-hearted talk she was a deep thinker who, even now after so short an acquaintance, longed for something he could never give her-a family and exclusivity. How could he do that when the very thought of it was out of his reach? And even had they known each other longer he was married to his country. They both knew that whatever happened between them now was for today, and only for today, because his life and all he was belonged to Q'Adar.
The thrust of Khal's tongue was so bold Beth felt a wild urge to tear off her clothes and offer her breasts for his approval. Her innocence prevented her doing more than imagining how that might feel, but she was aching for him so badly in secret places she hardly dared to think what it would be like to have him touch her intimately …
Some force must have taken her over, Beth reasoned. This force, as elemental as the sea and as powerful as the man lying next to her took no account that she was inexperienced. It was a power that acknowledged no master, and only one goal …
The erotic daydream came to an abrupt end. Could Khal have changed his mind? Beth wondered as he sat up suddenly. 'There isn't room for both of us on the towel … ' Uncertain of her ground, she tried to make it sound like a question.
Khal didn't reply at once, and instead brushed the sand from his thighs-which drew her attention to his powerful legs, legs she could so easily imagine wrapped around her. And then he firmed his lips as if he had made his decision.
'Don't … ' She didn't want to hear whatever it was he had to say. She couldn't bear to hear him say he didn't want her. 'Don't stop now,' she murmured self-consciously, closing her eyes against the expression on his face. 'Or I shall think you don't want me.'
Khal's answer was to sweep her into his arms so she could feel every inch of him intimately. His energy surrounded her, softening her, empowering her … This felt so right, and yet Khal must have sensed some small remaining doubt inside her and, instead of growing more passionate, he eased her down onto the ground at his side. 'Beth, if this is all too fast for you … '
'No.' She breathed the word short and fast, closing her eyes, willing him not to pull away. She couldn't bear anything to come between them-not his duty, and certainly not her fear. If this was all they had, this short time together, then she embraced it wholeheartedly. 'Kiss me … ' Kiss away my fears, she begged silently, rejoicing when she felt Khal's warm breath brush her face.
As the shadows gave way to the moon they matched their strength against each other. Khal was always careful, always tender, so that Beth's trust in him could only grow. She in turn grew bolder and more confident, learning to laugh and to relax in his arms. She enjoyed the simple pleasure of being close to him, and for now she wanted nothing more. She clutched his chest and rubbed her face against his naked skin. She loved the sure touch of his hands on her, and the hot words he was whispering to her in a language she didn't understand. She even found the courage to loosen the waistband of her chiffon skirt when the fabric became twisted round her legs. And when she arched her back this time Khal's hands slipped down to cup her buttocks, and she whispered, 'Yes … ' Smiling against his lips, she repeated, 'Oh yes … '
Beth's spirit and her growing confidence made him smile, made him realise there was a lot more to his feelings for her than he had first thought. While he was examining them, she tugged off the rest of her clothes. 'Tease,' he accused her softly, filled with happiness because she was so happy. She was so impulsive, full of life and mischief. She lifted the weight from his shoulders and made him feel young again. And how could he fail to notice that without a bra her breasts were magnificent? His first impulse was to lose himself in them, but again he drew back.
'What's wrong now?' she said, proudly displaying them.
She was so beautiful, and had no idea of the power under her command. He wanted her to discover the mystical powers a woman possessed slowly and completely. But Beth was so inquisitive and fearless. He was many things, but not a saint, and as her tiny hands closed around him, stroking insistently and persuasively, he hardened into steel.
She was fast losing focus. She couldn't hide her hunger for stimulation and release much longer, but Khal was more experienced than she knew, and he couldn't be led. He would set his own pace, Beth realised when she tried to guide him. 'What must I do?' she whimpered, half to herself. She could see him smiling.
'Be patient.'
'What do you mean?'
'Lie back and you'll find out. Look at me,' Khal instructed her softly when she finally relaxed back on the ground. 'And lie still … '
How was she supposed to relax and lie still while he was slipping one powerful thigh between her legs? She couldn't stop moving when she was so excited and aroused, but as Khal feathered strokes down her body she slipped into a delicious lethargy, and lay still to enjoy each spine-tingling sensation. He broke her trance by hooking his fingertips beneath her lacy briefs, to which she responded by wriggling furiously to help him get them down.
'Lie still; I thought I told you,' he murmured, smiling against her lips.
Still? Was he crazy? She had never felt so sensitive and aware before. Every single part of her was wired for pleasure, and with every ragged breath she took she was moving closer to desperation.
'Don't rush me,' Khal insisted wickedly against her lips.
She was telling him about tender, throbbing places waiting to be pleasured, but he wasn't going to rush, he had every intention of savouring this. Seeing her naked beneath him, palest gold against his bronze, made him want to do more than have sex with her. He wanted to taste, stroke, and watch Beth's eyes darken with pleasure when she pressed her cushioned softness against him. The sight of her made him greedy, but for the sake of her innocence he would wait.
Beth wondered at her emotions. This was all so new and dangerous to her, and the feelings inside her had far more to do with love than mere physical pleasure-and that was scary. 'I love it when you kiss me,' she told Khal softly. She was experiencing feelings so new and tender she couldn't bring herself to speak them out loud-and so instead she reached for him, arching her back and aching for release, longing for reassurance, and needing more commitment than she was sure the ruler of Q'Adar could give.