Pharaoh's Desire (15 page)

“Oh!” Zahra exclaimed. “What a mess I have made.”

“No, the fault lies with me,” Amonmose said. He looked around for something to wipe his wine-soaked hands.

“Let me help,” Zahra offered sweetly.

She pulled one of his hands against her mouth, and Amonmose felt her lips envelop his fingers. She started gently, her warm tongue softly licking, then began kissing. Her tongue languidly stroked each finger, thoroughly bathing each one with kisses from the fingertip to the knuckle.
 
Then she sucked each finger, removing all traces of the wine with her sultry lips. As he watched his pinky disappear into her hot mouth, he felt a heat creeping up inside of him.

“You are too brazen and audacious for your own good,” he murmured.

Zahra stepped back and disrobed, pulling her transparent garment off. It landed in a delicate puddle at her feet. “Shall I be punished?”

Kama tossed and turned in her bed, still steaming over the events at the Festival. One part of her was crushed and the other was mad as a stinging hornet. Her intent had been to speak with Amonmose after the festivities. Instead, she came back to her room and cried herself to sleep. Hours later, she awoke to find her bed linens were still wet with her tears.

She punched the bed linens in anger. How dare he flaunt his newest
conquest
in front of everyone, in front of her? All this time, he had only been toying with her, preying on her inexperience. Just when she was beginning to think there was more to him, he showed her that he was capable of a new level of cruelty.

As her tears flowed anew, Kama cradled her head in her hands. Why was he treating her like this? He’d torn her from her family and everyone she knew. He seduced her with his magic words and tender touch. Then, he abandoned her for another woman. For what purpose? Simply to see her suffer?

She wiped her tears with the back of her hands. By the darkness, Kama gauged it to be the middle of the night. She sniffled, wide awake and thinking.
 
Her thoughts spun on her humiliation, betrayal, and whipped into a fire. Amonmose could not treat her like cow dung and expect her to like it! She might be risking her life by confronting him, but she had nothing to lose. Pharaoh or not, he would regret his trespasses.

Shu was standing guard outside Kama’s door. His eyes widened in astonishment when he saw her stomping from her room, wearing only her dressing gown. Her eyes were watery and red. Her mouth was set in a grim line, and the expression on her face would make most men crumble. She acknowledged him by muttering an undignified “humph!”

He moved to follow her, not entirely sure of her destination. But she was clearly intent on unleashing her fury on someone. And at this late hour, no good could come from it.

Amonmose stared at Zahra’s naked body. It had been months since he’d been with a woman. There was no shortage of offers, but he’d been so focused on his pursuit of Kama, he had not dreamed of bedding anyone else. His head was swirled from the wine, and he was alone in his private chambers with a gorgeous temptress. Any man with an ounce of sanity would take what she offered with no hesitation. But something was wrong. Zahra was too easy, too willing.

There was a time when he would have asked no questions and just taken his pleasure. But things had changed.
He had changed
. Zahra’s body was beautiful, but she was not Kama. Kama had spoken to his mind and his body. Her sense of confidence and self-worth made him want to know her, and know her deeply – not just carnally. No other woman could serve as a substitute.

He sighed aloud.
 
“Zahra, put your clothes back on.”

Zahra stared at him a moment and then averted her eyes as she reached for her tunic. “Do I not please you, Pharaoh?” Her playful banter had been replaced with a hurtful tone.

“Yes,” he admitted. “You are very pleasing to look upon.”

“But, then why—”

“Because I wish you to go. You should not be here, and it is late. I will escort you to the door.”

Zahra pulled her clothes on. She gave him curious, cautious looks, but held her tongue. Amonmose’s tone did not invite further questioning. He was, after all, the Pharaoh, and no matter what intimacies they shared, his command was law.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. “Zahra, someday you will make a fine nobleman’s wife. You are very desirable, very alluring, and obviously very smart. Any man would consider himself fortunate to find these qualities in a woman. But my heart is elsewhere,” he said.

“Be careful,” she replied, smiling. “Hearts can be broken.”

He returned her smile as he opened the door to his chambers. “If that happens, I know the perfect woman to mend it.”

In response, Zahra put her arms around his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

A loud gasp sounded from the hallway, and Amonmose turned to see Kama, staring. She and Zahra eyed each other like two cats ready to scratch each other’s eyes out.

Amonmose cleared his throat. “Shu, please escort Zahra out of the palace.”

Without hesitation, Shu motioned for Zahra to follow him. As she walked past, Kama gave her a fierce glare, which was returned with a haughty look. Their eyes remained locked until Zahra disappeared down a hall. Rage clouded Kama’s face, and she turned on Amonmose, her dark eyes blazing with contempt. Her gaze roamed the length of his long kilt, stained with wine. Her voice dripped with venom.

“I see archery is not the only sport in which you excel, Pharaoh.”

Amonmose watched her, drinking in the sight of her so close, so long denied. She wore only her dressing robe, which appeared to be hastily belted at the waist. Her hair was loose, her long braids cascading down her back. The mere sight of her made his body react instantly.

“There are some sports I have not yet mastered, Kama.”

She fearlessly pushed past him and entered his room. “I hardly consider it a sport to see how fast you can spread your seed.”

Her tone bordered on insolence. He would have had any other person executed for such treason. Baal discretely closed the doors to give them privacy.

Amonmose grabbed her by both arms. “I see my absence has done nothing to soften your sharp tongue, woman.” She tried to wiggle from his grasp, but his grip was like steel. “Zahra came here of her own free will. Nothing happened between us, despite her efforts. I was escorting her out when you arrived.”

She glared at him. “Escorting her out? To the garden, perhaps, where you serve your best seductions?”

“Never, because I do not want her.”

“Liar! Your lips say one thing but your actions speak another! If I had arrived a moment later, you would have been showing her your royal
treasures!
”

Amonmose pulled her into his arms and gazed into her eyes, his hands at her back pressing their bodies close. “I told you there is no other for me. You are the woman I desire. You are the woman who fills my dreams at night and dominates my thoughts through the day. I am consumed by you. Only you.” His tone softened. “Please, listen to reason, Kama. She came here to offer herself to me, but I refused. I want you and no one else.” He moved his hands tenderly up her back. “I have been miserable without you.”

As Kama listened, the heat of Amonmose’s arms burning around her, she felt her bottom lip tremble, her defiance crack. How she had longed for him to hold her like this again. She missed his touch, his smell, his gaze. “Why didn’t you come to see me?” she asked. “Where were you all those days?”

He lifted a hand and softly caressed her cheek. “In the garden that day, I behaved insensitively. When you ran off, I thought I had lost you forever. I wanted to give you some time before coming to you.” He closed his eyes momentarily, then looked at her with a sadness she’d never seen before. “I was afraid that you would reject me again, and I simply could not bear that. Especially not after what we shared. But it was a mistake to wait. I should have come to you immediately.”

A lone tear fell from her watery eyes. “I thought it was
you
who no longer wanted
me
. I had been willing to give myself, and then when you… I thought… Then I saw you with that woman…”

He wiped the tear from her cheek. “Zahra cannot compare to you, Kama. No woman can.” He kissed her, softly at first, his lips gently nibbling the corners of hers, coaxing her to open up to him. When his tongue tasted the sweetness of her mouth, his kiss became deeper, as if he could not get enough of her.

Kama returned his kisses with a fervor of her own. She held him tightly, afraid this would all be a dream. She felt a familiar warmth spread across her body, the warmth that only he could inspire. She’d gone her entire life not knowing this feeling of bliss, and now she had a longing that only he could satisfy. Her touch was bold as she let her hands roam over his chest, his back, and his buttocks. His thick, corded muscles felt smooth and powerful, and she couldn’t resist touching him everywhere.

Amonmose threaded his fingers through the thick mass of braids crowning her head. She responded with deep, urgent kisses, letting his mouth take command of hers.

With no words spoken, they communicated only by touch. The urgency of their passion reflected in their hurried kisses. Amonmose tugged at the belt on her robe before yanking it off in one swift movement. The finely spun garment spilled open, revealing her smooth dark skin. Kama watched as Amunrose stared at her naked body, his gaze traveling from the dark nipples of her full breasts down to the dark curls of her womanhood. He pushed her garment from her shoulders and pulled her to his chest, claiming her lips with a passionate kiss.

Kama pressed her body against his, desperate to be as close as possible. She trembled with nervous anticipation as he swept her into his arms and carried her to his massive bed. She whimpered in protest as he laid her amongst the soft bed linens and left her briefly.

“Be patient, my love,” he said, amused.

Through her passion-filled gaze, Kama watched as he untied his kilt. She had already seen his well-muscled chest, his sculpted arms, and his brawny legs, but she was unprepared for what lay beneath his garment. His body was like a work of art, chiseled by a master craftsman. With his sinewy muscles and rugged build, he had a body any athlete would envy and any woman would desire. Every inch of his bronzed skin was sun-kissed.

Her eyes roamed from the hard lines of his chest to the firm planes of his abdomen. Her breath caught. As her eyes dropped lower, she tensed with alarm. He reminded her of the stallions running wild in the pastures back home. She wondered how something so large would fit inside her.

Amonmose eased himself back to her side, softly kissing her lips. “I promise you will feel nothing but pleasure,” he told her.

Kama returned his kiss, still fearful but also curious and excited. Her tension eased as he placed butterfly kisses along the hollow of her throat. She closed her eyes and draped her arms around his neck, the tips of her fingers brushing against the carved muscles of his shoulders. She lost all reservations as he gently trailed kisses from her neck down to her chest, murmuring in delight as his lips touched each one of her breasts, teasing the delicate flesh with skillful strokes of his mouth.

She moaned deeply when he cupped both breasts and pressed them together so he could lovingly suckle each nipple. His tongue relentlessly flickered over each of the dark buds until they were hard pebbles in his warm mouth. Kama stroked his back with the palms of her hands, grounding herself to him. She weightless, her body wafting among the clouds. She savored every touch and kiss. She didn’t want it to end, ever.