"I wanted tonight to be special," he said with a smile as he helped her into the back seat. "I thought you would enjoy the change."
She'd never been in a limo before, but saying that would make her sound even more unworldly and innocent than she was. Instead she tried to smile her thanks, even though her mouth didn't seem to want to cooperate.
Her brain was a complete blank. The drive back to the hotel would be about fifteen minutes. Obviously they had to talk about something, but she couldn't come up with a subject. What exactly was one supposed to discuss before making love for the first time?
She glanced frantically around the luxurious interior. The seats were camel color, and the softest leather she had ever touched. To the left was a complicated entertainment center with dozens of dials, levers and switches, along with a small television. To the right was a full bar. A bottle of champagne sat in an ice bucket.
"Had you already planned on us … " Her voice trailed off.
Mazin followed her gaze and touched the bottle of champagne. "I had thought we might take a walk along the beach and enjoy the moonlight," he said. "But I had not hoped to have the honor of doing more than kissing you. If I had, I would have been more prepared."
More prepared? Was that possible? Didn't the limo and the champagne spell seduction? Had her invitation simply made things easier for him?
She wanted to ask Mazin, but he was no longer paying attention to her. Instead he seemed to be searching for something. He ran his hands along the back of the seat and pressed against the wood paneling on the doors.
"What are you looking for?" she asked, bewildered.
"There is a storage compartment somewhere." He shifted to the seat behind the driver and examined the leather.
"My oldest son mentioned it to me," he said, more to himself than to her. "He joked about always keeping the car stocked."
Phoebe had no idea what he was talking about. She assumed he meant the older of his four boys, the one away at college.
"Why would your son be using a limo?"
Mazin didn't answer. He pressed against the wood panel. "At last," he said as it gave way.
The paneling opened to reveal a good-sized compartment. There was a change of clothing, more champagne and a box that she couldn't quite see. Mazin reached for the box. She shrank back into the corner of the seat when she read the labeling.
Condoms.
Phoebe's romantic images of what might happen that evening crashed in around her. Reality was not a fuzzy, slow-motion dance of kissing and touching. If they were going to make love, then there were potential consequences of the act. Protection was required. The sensible part of her brain applauded Mazin's sensible nature. Her romantic heart shriveled inside.
He glanced up and saw her. She was unable to turn away before he had a chance to see the expression on her face. She didn't know what she looked like, but whatever it was, it was enough to make him swear under his breath.
He shoved several packets into his tux pocket, closed the compartment and returned to her side.
"You do not want me to be practical?" he asked, putting an arm around her and pulling her close.
"I know it's important." She stared at the crisp edge of his collar rather than at his face. "I appreciate you taking care of me by, um, you know. Making sure you had, ah, protection."
"But it has destroyed the fantasy, yes?"
She raised her gaze to his face. "How did you know what I was thinking?"
"I know you, my dove. I promise to make this night as fantastical as I know how, but I will not compromise your health or leave you with something you did not want."
A baby. He was talking about her getting pregnant. In that second, Phoebe desperately wanted to have his child. What she would give to have a little girl with his dark, flashing eyes and easy grace. Or a sturdy little boy like Dabir, who fearlessly took on the world.
He touched her chin, forcing her to raise her head, then he bent and kissed her.
The soft pressure of his lips chased away her doubts. He kept the kiss light, but just being close to him was enough to make her body tingle all over. Before she could tempt him to deepen the contact, the car stopped.
She raised her head. "Where are we?"
"A side entrance to the hotel," he said, opening the door and stepping out into the night. "I did not think you would be comfortable walking with me to the elevator. At this time of night the lobby would be crowded."
"Thank you," she said as she followed him down a flower-lined path to a glass door that led in from the garden.
Trust Mazin to be so considerate. She would have been embarrassed to have everyone know what they were going upstairs to do.
Once inside, he led her to a service elevator in the back and they arrived on her floor without being seen by anyone. She fumbled for her key until he took her small evening bag from her and removed it. Then he unlocked the door and drew her inside her room.
The balcony door stood open. A single lamp on the nightstand burned, and housekeeping had already been by to turn down the bed. Phoebe could smell the scent of the sea. She told herself to focus on that and not on her jangling nerves.
Mazin locked the door and set her purse on the table by the mirror. He crossed to stand in front of her.
"I see your tension has returned," he said lightly. "Feel it if you must. But feel this as well." He pressed his mouth to her throat.
The warm, damp kiss made her legs go weak. She had to hold on to him to keep from sliding to the floor. He kissed her neck, and licked the sensitive skin by her ear. One of his hands rested on her shoulder, his fingers rubbing her bare skin.
"Beautiful Phoebe," he breathed before taking her earlobe into his mouth and nibbling.
Goose bumps broke out on her skin as he shifted to stand behind her. Her brea**sts seemed to swell as her nipp**les tightened. Between her legs she felt a tension and an ache that made her want to press herself against him.
He moved her hair over her shoulder and kissed his way down the back of her neck, to her shoulder blades. She hadn't thought of her back as a very erotic part of her body, but when he lightly stroked her there, and followed that contact by an openmouthed kiss, she found it difficult to breathe.
As he nibbled on her shoulder, he ran his hands up and down her arms. From there he slid his fingers to her waist. Anticipation filled her as he circled slowly, climbing higher and higher. He stood behind her and kissed her neck, even as he moved his hands up to touch her breasts.
She exhaled in wonder as he cupped her small curves, holding them in his hands as if they were most precious cargo. Even through the material of the dress she felt his warmth and the tender way he moved against her sensitized flesh.
The style of the dress was such that she couldn't wear a bra-at least, not any one that she had. At first she'd been nervous about going out that way, but now, with him stroking her, she was grateful. One less layer between his fingers and her aching body.
She loved how he explored her curves. She wanted to beg him to slip off her dress so she could know what it was like to have him touch her bare skin. She wanted-
She gasped as he lightly touched her nipples. She'd known they were tight with desire, but she hadn't realized how sensitive that puckered skin could be. Fire shot through her, racing along her arms and legs before settling deep in her belly. He brushed against them again and again, making her groan and lean back against him as pleasure filled her.
She wasn't sure how long they stood there, him touching her, her savoring the contact. At last he turned her in his arms and kissed her. A deep, satisfying kiss that made her body melt and her toes curl. She wrapped her arms around him, wanting to be as close as possible. This was what she'd waited for all her life. Nothing could go wrong as long as Mazin continued to touch her.
She felt the slide of the zipper being pulled down in back. Cool evening air tingled against her bare skin. She wore panties, a garter belt and stockings under her dress. Nothing more. The ladies in the boutique had insisted on the latter when they'd seen her dress, telling her that regular panty hose would be a crime under such a beautiful gown. Phoebe hadn't been sure, but as Mazin pushed her dress off her shoulders and she thought of how she looked underneath, she was glad she had let them convince her.
The dress fell to the floor. She was close enough to him that she wasn't yet embarrassed about being practically naked. His large, warm hands moved up and down her back, touching her, soothing her, arousing her until she longed for him to do more. Then he slipped lower-to her hips and the garter belt there. And lower, to the high-cut panties, the bare skin of her thigh, then to the tops of the stockings. He froze.
Mazin broke the kiss and stared at her. Fire seemed to radiate from his dark eyes and tension pulled his mouth straight.
"I want you," he breathed.
There was nothing he could have said that was more perfect. The last of Phoebe's fears faded. She leaned forward and kissed him. It was the first time she had initiated any contact. She licked his lower lip, then nipped at the full flesh. He grabbed her and pulled her close, deepening the kiss with an intensity that convinced her he was a man in great need of a woman.