Seduced by the Sheik (The Raminar Family #1)- Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,42

her as gently as he could as he released himself into her lovely body.

A long time later, Amit pulled her into his arms as she sighed. He reached to turn off the light, his body still throbbing with need. Control, he thought. This time, he’d control it. He’d let her sleep for a few hours, then he’d wake her up and make love to her, slowly! If it killed him, he would make love to her slowly and give her so much pleasure, she would beg him to stop.

Chapter 16

Harper hurried down the hallway, eager to avoid Amit. Actually, she was hoping to avoid everyone! She didn’t want to run into Talia or Amit’s brothers either, and Harper winced at the possibility. But mostly, she just wanted to get away from Amit as quickly as possible.

Last night in his arms had been…mind blowing! Every time he’d touched her, she’d felt as if her body was on fire. And their coming together had been almost…animalistic! She’d never been this way in the past. What was it about Amit that drove her so…wild?

As she moved down the hallway, her navy heels in her hands, her wrinkled dress, and messy hair, obvious proof of what had happened, Harper wondered what had come over her. She’d never been particularly sexual before. Her two previous lovers had been…fine. But nothing exciting. And yet, every time Amit touched her, she felt….crazed. Desperate. Almost insane with the need to touch and feel and…find that pleasure that made her head spin.

After slipping out of his bed earlier, she wasn’t sure if he would be angry that she’d left or relieved that she’d vacated his room without any morning-after awkwardness. Either way, she wasn’t eager to find out. If he was angry…okay so she wasn’t sure why he would be angry other than him maybe wanting a morning quickie. That possibility, especially after the devastating way he’d made love to her last night, made her sick to her stomach.

But the opposite was equally misery-inducing. If Amit was relieved that she’d left, that meant that their time together last night had simply been another liaison in a long line of other women traipsing through his bed.

Harper really didn’t want to know if that was the case. She hated the idea of being part of a herd, so to speak. It cheapened what they’d shared. Or at least, what she’d thought they’d shared.

Unfortunately, there had been no discussion last night about their relationship. About what their sexual encounter might mean…to each other. Yes, he’d been amazingly attentive over the past few days, but was that just part of his seduction technique? Or was it…more?

Harper shook her head as she continued walking. It wasn’t “more”, she admonished, unaware of the lush courtyards or the beautiful mosaics that covered the walls as she hurried down the palace hallway. “More” was what she wanted, and what was impossible.

Besides, it was better this way. She’d left his bed early enough that no one in the palace would know what they’d done. She was here to help his nieces and finish up a study to design a best practices report. Not to have an affair with the leader of this over-heated but beautiful country.

Still, as she turned the corner, heading towards the family suites, she shivered at the images behind her eyes from last night. The way Amit touched her was…Harper blushed and shook her head, trying to banish the memories. “Stop it,” she muttered.

She rushed to her suite and, after carefully hanging the navy dress in the closet and putting the heels back on the shelf, Harper showered, then changed into her regular clothes. Once she’d donned a pair of black slacks and a sensible, button down shirt, Harper felt better. It took her only moments to pull her hair back and add a touch of makeup, then she felt more in control.

“Better!” she repeated to her reflection in the mirror. “Much better!” Her hand slid over her stomach, ignoring the flutters of butterflies that danced inside of her. “This is better!”

She left her suite feeling much more like her former self. Last night had been an aberration. She’d never been that wild in bed before. Yesterday had just been one success after another. “Just a celebration,” she whispered, trying to explain her response to Amit’s lovemaking.

She stopped just in front of the doors to the girls’ suite, closing her eyes and trying to get her head straightened out. “This will work,” she told herself.