Nikki tried to pull back, but she wasn’t able to with his hand holding her like this. “Pretty determined,” she asserted, feeling her heart rate increase once again. “Don’t you have work to do?”
He smiled down at her. “Who says I’m not doing state business now?” he asked, his voice husky and low.
“You’re not. You’re just standing here trying to intimidate me.”
His hands moved down to her waist. “Am I intimidating you?”
She took a breath, trying to step away but he only maneuvered her against the wooden door of the stall. “No. I won’t let you intimidate me.”
“Good,” he replied, dipping his head and taking her earlobe between his teeth and nipping ever so slightly. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to send streaks of need throughout her whole body.
“What are you doing?” she gasped, trying to pull back, but her body had other ideas. “Don’t you have work to do?” Was that her voice? It sounded breathy and…wrong!
“I like this better than anything waiting for me in my office,” he countered. “Stop wiggling. It’s turning me on even more and I’m trying to kiss you.”
“I don’t want you to kiss me!” she squeaked and moved again, trying to get away from him but the friction of their bodies was doing things to her as well. Things she didn’t want to define. “Oh!” She jumped when she felt his hands move up higher along her waist. “What are you doing now?”
“You won’t let me kiss you. So I’m doing all the other things I want to do to you.”
She grabbed his wrists and looked up into his eyes. And that was the end of her resistance. His mouth swooped down, covering hers and Nikki couldn’t even complain because it felt so perfect. So wonderful to finally know. To finally feel what his lips would be like. She couldn’t believe that she’d waited this long to feel something so…powerful! So perfect.
Her hands moved from his wrists upwards, sliding along his arms, exploring the muscles there before wrapping around his neck so she could pull herself higher, wanting to feel him against her.
She whimpered, but wasn’t aware that it was her voice that made the sound. “Nazar,” she sighed when she felt his hands move against her skin. She wasn’t even cognizant that his hand had slipped underneath the shirt she was wearing and didn’t care. All she knew was that this man was touching her and if he stopped, she might just fall over in a puddle of need.
“Come back to my room,” he groaned, his hands gripping her hips and pulling them against his own.
She looked up at him, fully aware of the hardness pressing against her stomach and aware of what it meant. “I can’t do that,” she sighed and even those words came out with frustration. “I can’t!” And then she realized the position they were in and pulled out of his arms, relieved when he let her go.
Her eyes looked back at him. All of him. And she swallowed…hard.
Looking away, she tried to control the shivering in her body, not sure how to deal with what had almost happened. “I have to go,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around her stomach, feeling like she wanted to burst into tears but not sure exactly why. Was it because of what they’d done? Or because they’d stopped? She suspected she knew the answer but was hiding from it pretty well. She was pretty much an expert at avoiding controversial subjects and sex with Nazar topped her list of scary and controversial issues.
Nazar took several deep breaths, trying to get his need under control. He’d meant only to kiss her, sensing something about her that he couldn’t quite define. She was different in so many ways from the women he was used to, and he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about dealing with her. His need to possess her, to imprint himself on her so completely was a sensation that was driving him hard. And also a need that he had to hold back on. She was scared of what was going on and he had to be patient.
When he had himself back under control, he looked up, prepared to walk her back into the palace. But she was gone!
“Where did she go?” Nazar demanded of one of his guards.
Yousef stood up straighter and bowed slightly. “She went inside the palace, Your Highness.”
“Is she okay?” he couldn’t believe he’d been so focused on getting his lust back under control that he hadn’t even noticed the woman leaving the stables. What was she doing to him?
Ah, but it would only be that much stronger when she actually relaxed her guard and they could be together. The little lady was his, he knew that. But how long could she hold out? Perhaps that was the question he needed to whittle down.
“She is heading towards her rooms, Your Highness,” Yousef said after asking the question in his microphone.
Nazar nodded his head, accepting that she was safe. “Be sure she doesn’t get lost,” he told his body guard. “She needs to be protected from herself as much as the outsiders who might try to harm her. See to it,” he told him.
Yousef completely understood the message and lifted the hidden microphone to relay the message. The palace guards would be rearranging several schedules with that one command, but they were also relieved to have the decision made, even if they were still smarting from the woman in question getting past their defenses.
Nikki hurried through the beautiful, elaborate halls, finally finding her way back to the room she’d been in last night. She wasn’t sure why she went there, but as soon as she closed the door, all she wanted was a shower. She smelled like horse and, although it wasn’t a horrible smell, she needed to wash it off quickly.
Stepping into the shower, the hot water melted away the tension she’d been feeling after her latest encounter with Nazar. She closed her eyes, wishing his hands were back on her body. When she started to get out of control again, she ruthlessly turned the water to cold, thinking a cold shower might calm her down. But when the freezing water splashed onto her body, she yelped and jumped out. Okay, cold showers were not the answer! Why would anyone do that?
She grabbed a fluffy white towel and dried herself off, then wrapped it around her, not sure what she could wear. But as soon as she opened the closet, she saw all the other clothes. There were beautiful slacks and bright shirts and sweaters, lovely suits and skirts…and evening gowns! She’d never had a reason to wear an evening gown, not even in high school because she, Brianna and Rachel had pooled all their money for Rachel to invest so they hadn’t wanted to pull it out to buy prom dresses. The evening of their prom night, they’d hidden out at Rachel’s house, going down to the creek and talking about how much happier they were not going to the prom, lying through their teeth.