'You certainly did,' Emir agreed as he towelled down.
'It's a long time since I've done the whole sauna ritual thing. I'd forgotten-'
'What fun it was?' Emir interrupted.
'How cold you get,' she argued, picking up the ladle again.
He laughed and took it from her. 'That's enough,' he said as their hands brushed. 'Sit down.' He towered over her, blocking out the light. 'If you want to raise the temperature, just ask me.'
'Very funny.' She glanced up.
Emir shrugged and smiled faintly, making her glad she was wearing a towel. He had no inhibitions, and, in fairness, most people went naked in the sauna, but that only worked if they had no sexual interest in each other.
'How about I build a fire in the fire pit outside?' Emir suggested. 'You don't want to be cooped up in here much longer.'
She had always enjoyed sitting round a blazing fire surrounded by snow and ice, and it would be one heck of a lot safer than this intimate space. 'That's a great idea.'
'I'll call you when I'm ready.'
You do that, she thought, banking Emir's sexy smile.
Her heart thumped on cue when he rapped on the door. Sliding off the bench, she went outside to join him. Emir had built an amazing fire...roaring hot and set to last.
'Nights in the desert can be freezing,' he explained. 'And in some parts a fire is essential to keep mountain lions away. We have amazing wildlife,' he added as she sat down and stretched her feet out. 'Kareshi is a country of great contrasts. We have big modern cities as well as a wilderness where tribal traditions haven't changed in centuries.'
Why was he telling her this? Was he serious about her visiting Kareshi? They were staring at each other again, Britt realised, turning away to pretend interest in the fire. There was no point in getting any closer to Emir when their relationship, such as it was, wasn't going anywhere. Lifting his chin, he stared at her as if he were expecting her to say something. Who knew that Britt Skavanga, lately hotshot businesswoman, as her sisters liked to teasingly call her, could feel so awkward, even shy?
Maybe you should get out of the office more often.
Maybe she should, Britt thought wryly, lacking the energy for once to argue with her contrary inner voice. Emir had gone quite still, she noticed.
'Do you see them?' he said, looking past her into the trees.
'The deer? Yes,' she murmured. A doe and a fawn were watching them from the safety of the undergrowth. 'They're so beautiful,' she whispered, hardly daring to breathe. 'I always feel close to nature here,' she confided in another whisper.
'As I do in the desert,' Emir murmured back.
There was that connection thing again. It was there whether she liked it or not. And now she stiffened, remembering the warning her mother had given her when Britt was a child. Now she understood why her mother had said the things she had, but as a little girl she had thought her father loud rather than violent, and playful, rather than bullying. Now she knew he'd been a drunk who had prompted her mother to warn all her daughters that men kept you down. Her girls were going to be warriors who went out into the world and made their own way. Britt had grown up with the determination that no man would ever rule her engraved on her heart. And Emir was a forceful man...
His touch on her arm made her flinch, but then she realised he was pointing to the deer watching them. The animals were considering flight, and she wondered if it was Emir's inner stillness holding them. Their brown eyes were wide in gentle faces, and though Emir had moved closer to her he kept space between them, which made her feel relaxed. He had that sort of calming aura-which didn't mean she wasn't intensely aware of him. It was a special moment as they watched the deer watching them. It was as if humans and animals had come together briefly.
'What an amazing encounter,' she breathed as the deer turned and picked their way unhurriedly back through the maze of trees into the depth of the forest.
'Now I'm certain you'd love the desert,' Emir said, turning to smile at her. 'Many think it's just a barren space-'
'But we know better?'
He huffed a laugh, holding her gaze in a way that said he was glad she had understood.
'Maybe one day I'll make it to the desert,' she said, trying not to care too much.
'I'll make sure of it,' Emir said quietly. 'If this deal goes through I'll make sure you visit Kareshi.'
'I'd love to,' she exclaimed impulsively.
How much longer are you going to wear your heart on your sleeve? Britt wondered as Emir flashed her an amused glance and raised a brow. But she could see that a whole world of possibility was opening up, both for her and for Skavanga, and she couldn't pretend that the thought of visiting an emerging country where the vigorous young ruler had already done so much for his people didn't excited her.
'I want you to see what the money from the diamonds can accomplish,' Emir remarked.
Yes, there were benefits for both their countries. 'I will,' she said, more in hope than expectation. 'I think you miss Kareshi,' she added in an attempt to shift the spotlight onto him.
'I love my country. I love my people. I love my life in Kareshi. I love my horses-they're a real passion for me. I breed pure Arabs, though sometimes I strengthen the line of my breeding stock with Criolla ponies from the Argentine pampas.'
'You play polo?'
'Of course, and many polo players are my friends. You will have heard of the Acosta brothers, I'm sure.'
She had heard of the Acosta brothers. Who hadn't? 'I learned to ride at the local stable,' she admitted. 'Just old nags compared to the type of horses you're talking about, but I loved it all the same. I love the sense of freedom, and still ride whenever I get the chance.'
'Something we have in common,' he said.
Something else, she thought, inhaling steadily. Friendships were founded on sharing a passion for life, and there was no doubt that they were opening up to each other. So much for her mother's warning. And, yes, it was dangerous to reveal too much of yourself, but if you didn't, how could you ever get close to anyone?
She had to face facts. Once he had collected the information he needed, Emir would go home-and inviting her to Kareshi was probably just talk. Making her excuses, she stood up to go. Emir stood too.
'No birching?' he asked wryly.
She gave him a crooked smile. 'I'm warm enough, thanks to you.'
'That's right,' he called after her as she walked away. 'You probably deserve a good birching-probably even want it. But you're not getting it from me-'
Britt shook her head in wry acceptance, but Emir didn't turn around as she huffed a laugh. He didn't need to. There was a new sort of ease between them-an understanding, almost.
He caught her at the door of the hut, and, lifting a switch from the rack, he shot her a teasing look. 'Are you quite sure?'
'Certain,' she said, but there was laughter in both their eyes.
Laughter that died very quickly when Emir ran the switch of twigs very lightly down between her breasts and over her belly to the apex of her thighs. She was instantly aroused and couldn't move, even had she wanted to. She remained motionless as he increased the pressure just enough, moving the bunched twigs with exactly the right degree of delicacy. Her breath came out in a noisy shudder, and all this time Emir was holding her gaze. His eyes told her that he knew exactly what she wanted him to do. Her breathing stalled when he used the switch to ease her legs apart.
'Why deny yourself, Britt?'
'Because I need to get inside where it's warm,' she said lightly, pulling herself together.
Physically, she yearned for everything Emir could give her, Britt realised as she quickly shed her underwear, while emotionally she was a wreck. She felt such a strong connection to him, and knew she would never be able to ignore those feelings-
Better she end this now.
He joined her in the hut. That was a foregone conclusion. The stag didn't abandon the doe when it was cornered. The stag knew what the doe wanted and tracking it was part of the game. They sat opposite each other with the hot stones sizzling between them, and, leaning back, Emir gave her a look-just a slight curve at the corner of his sexy mouth.
'What?' she said, knowing he could hardly have avoided noticing that she was naked.
'Now we get really hot,' he said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
AS EMIR'S FAMILIAR warmth and scent flared in her senses and his arms gathered her in, Britt felt a new energy flooding through her. She even spared a foolish moment to wish it could always be like this-that he was really hers, and that these strong arms and this strong body would sometimes take over so she could take time out occasionally. But that was so ridiculous she had no difficulty blanking it out. She took one last look at a world where desire for a man could grow into friendship, and where that friendship could grow into love. That was just childhood fantasy. She'd settle for lust.