Never Seduce a Sheikh(50)
“I’m okay.” Her voice came out cracked and broken. Not the way it should have done at all.
He pushed a lock of hair off her forehead, a tender gesture. “You do not sound okay.”
There was something quiet and still about him, as if he’d come to some kind of peace within himself.
She stared up at him, the words crowding in her mouth, desperate to be said. But she swallowed them back. Because how could she say them? When all they had between them was a couple of nights of passion and shared secrets. That was all. Hardly enough to base a friendship on, let alone a lifetime partnership.
Isma’il frowned. “Lily?”
Her chest squeezed tight as realization nearly drowned her. This man could hurt her worse than Dan ever could. Dan only hurt her body, bruised her spirit.
But Isma’il could scar her very soul.
Abruptly, she realized that if she didn’t say anything soon, she would be in danger of giving herself away. “Yes,” she forced out. “I’m fine, honestly. I’m just . . . could you untie my hands? I’m kind of losing circulation.”
A low distraction technique, but it worked. His frown deepened, his attention transferring to the scarf around her wrists, long clever fingers moving to undo the knot. Unwinding the blue silk, he released her, rubbing gently at the marks the scarf had left on her skin.
“Thanks,” she murmured, the words dying in her throat as he bent, pressed his mouth to the sensitive underside of her wrists, kissing them. Shivers moved over her skin, her body waking into life again. But her heart felt bruised and aching.
He shifted, letting her hands go, dark brows arrowing down. “We had unprotected sex, Lily.”
Oh. So they had. Perhaps it should have felt more shocking to her, but for some reason she didn’t feel shocked. Only . . .
No. Don’t go there.
“Yes. So we did.”
“You are not worried?”
“Well, I’m not at a particularly fertile time in my cycle. So chances of anything happening are minimal.”
A strange, remote look entered his eyes. “Good. You should know though that if anything were to happen, I would support any decision you wanted to make.”
“Thank you,” she said, glancing away. Not wanting him to see the sudden longing that went through her. Children had never been part of her plans for her life, but it wouldn’t be so bad if they were his. In fact, if they were his . . .
No. No. She couldn’t do that to herself. Choose to make herself vulnerable to a man. Her body was one thing, her heart was quite another. She’d only just got over Dan. Getting over Isma’il would be impossible.
Long fingers caught her chin, turning her face back to his. “You are worried?”
“Uh no. No really. But . . . I guess a pregnancy isn’t exactly what I need right now.”
Of course, he saw through that paltry excuse. He saw everything.
“That is not what you were going to say,” he said softly.
Lily took a breath. Armored herself yet again. “No, you’re right.” She reached out and touched his mouth, traced his lower lip with her fingertip. “I was going to tell you to go get some condoms.” Another low distraction technique. That also worked.
“You want me to stay?”
“I want you to stay.”
His mouth curved, a wicked smile that made her heart beat hard and her breath catch. “Say please.”
“Please,” she whispered.
“On one condition then.”
“What?”
He let go of her chin, picked up the scarf. “Tie this over your eyes, while I go to my tent for supplies.”
“Blindfold myself? And then what?”
“Lie down on the bed and keep very, very still.”
Excitement gripped her. “What if I move?”
Isma’il’s smile became dangerous. “What do you think? I will punish you, Habibti.”
Chapter Ten
The sun woke him, a beam of hot light against the canvas of the tent, lighting up the interior.
For a second, he couldn’t remember where he was, the sleep he’d had so deep he hadn’t, for once, dreamed. Then, he felt the soft warmth of someone beside him and memory flooded back.
Lily.
He turned over and looked down at the woman curled against his side. The sheet had come down off her, exposing delicious curves and a quantity of golden skin. Bruised golden skin.
Bruises at her neck, her breast, the red mark of his hand on the curve of one buttock. She was smiling in her sleep.
His breath caught.
They had shared something intense last night. Something rare and precious. For once, he’d taken off the limits. Shed the restraints. Let go the control. Embraced the dark heart of himself and she’d gone with him every step of the way, embracing it with him.