One Desert Night - By Maggie Cox Page 0,45

crystal blue eyes dazzling him more that the finest gemstones to be found anywhere, he jealously vowed he would never let her go again.

His heart was full and hot as he thrust deeper and harder. The emotions that flooded him were overwhelming, and so was the pleasure. There was not one other woman he had ever experienced this kind of incredible connection with...only Gina.

Her long slender legs anchored themselves round his middle, and he held back the almost overpowering temptation to just let go, to simply allow the force of his great need to overflow. As his lips fastened onto a softly rounded breast and suckled hard on the rigid nipple he knew she was close to coming again, so he waited...

Her soft moans of pleasure turned to near cries as he took her over the edge, and they filled the tent. Then and only then did Zahir let go and spill his seed...

'Gina...'

The sensuously husky whisper in her ear, followed by a warm kiss nuzzled at the side of her neck, woke her from the deliciously restful sleep she'd been having. It was joy unparalleled to wake up and find Zahir's arresting handsome face smiling down at her. The last time they'd been together intimately like this seemed like eons ago.'

'Good morning.'

There wasn't a place on her body that didn't throb from the delights and ecstatic release of their unrestrained lovemaking, but for some reason she couldn't fathom she suddenly felt self-conscious about finding herself naked in his arms.

'Are you blushing?' he teased, gently brushing her hair back from her face.

'No... What made you think that?'

The heat that seared her cheeks made a liar of her, but Zahir was staring at her throat as if hypnotised. The breaking dawn seeping through the stunning elaborate weave of the tent clearly illuminated his shock.

'That bastard really hurt you,' he breathed.

Unable to deny it, Gina sensed her heart bump a little beneath her ribs. 'Let's not talk about that right now.'

'At least he is behind bars now, with his no good brother. No more for them the comfort and hospitality of family and friends. Instead they will have to get used to the very different kind of hospitality of a high-security prison—because they will both be there for a long time!'

'I don't understand, Zahir. Who is this man's brother?' She sat up, dragging the soft wool rug that had covered them up to her chest.

His expression was formidably fierce for a second. 'He is the leader of the rebels who shot me. His brother sought to avenge his incarceration by abducting my sister when he saw her in the marketplace. Yesterday evening, in front of the captain of my security forces, he confessed everything. Because you were wearing similar clothes to Farida and had your back to him he mistook you for her. You cannot know how much I regret what happened, Gina. But the fact is my sister made a bad judgement in visiting the marketplace without adequate protection. I was speechless when I found out she'd gone there with just a servant. Especially when I had already been wounded by a crazed gunman's bullet.'

'Farida's intentions were completely good. She's slowly emerging from the pain of losing her husband and wanting to live again—to do the normal, everyday things she used to do before she lost him. Don't you think that's encouraging? She told me everything felt futile before. I thought the visit was a good idea, too, and nobody could have possibly predicted what happened.'

Concerned that if he blamed his sister for the shocking incident that had occurred it might set her recovery back even more, Gina reached out to soothingly touch Zahir's hard-muscled bicep.

'Don't be angry with her. I know how much you love her.'

'It is because I love her that I fear daily for her wellbeing and safety.' He glanced away for a moment, a muscle throbbing in his temple. 'If I were to lose her I would not—I don't think I could bear the pain.'

'I understand.' Keeping her hand on his arm, Gina yearned to reassure him. 'None of us ever want to contemplate losing the people we love. But, as hard as it is to bear, we all of us have to face loss in our lives. We can't live our lives constantly fearing it, because that's no way to live for anyone. By living in fear we only make ourselves suffer more, and we forget the tremendous privilege that life is. Don't torture yourself with