Pharaoh's Desire (7 page)

“Yes,” she admitted. “I have been tutored extensively. In Nubia, women are allowed to speak freely at court. And we do not bow to our captors.”

He walked slowly around her, circling like a bird of prey. Then, he paused and crossed his arms over his chest, his disapproval evident. ”You realize such insolence could get you killed?”

Her reply was low and raspy. “Alas, I am not dead.”

A dark shadow crossed Amonmose’s face. “I’ve given strict orders that you are not to be harmed in any way. If someone has given insult to you, I shall have the perpetrator’s head.”

Kama bravely marched on. “It is you who has offered me the greatest insult. I would gladly face death a hundred times than be cursed with the fate you have in mind for me.”

He
frowned, his full lips quickly becoming a grim line. “And what fate is that?”

“That of your concubine.”

“Who fills your head with such thoughts?”

Kama did not answer. How dare he play games and pretend that was not her intended purpose here?
 

“Find your tongue, woman,” Amonmose said dangerously.

When she remained silent, he grabbed her arms, pulling her against him.

Her heart slammed against her ribcage in fear. She had not realized his strength until that very moment. Her original plan had been to insist he release her immediately, but now she realized that was foolish. He’d taken her as one of his war prizes, and she had no influence over him. She could not simply make demands upon a mighty ruler like him. She had to be smart about this.
 
She must use diplomacy to demand her freedom.

“Pharaoh Tehutimes, please grant me my leave. I have nothing to do with the wars you wage. I am no threat to you. I am but one helpless woman.”

Amonmose stared at her, his amber eyes smoldering. “No. You are mine now.”

Kama chose her words carefully, struggling to keep her anger at bay. “Sire,” she proceeded cautiously, “I am not for you.” Her thick eyelashes fluttered against her face, embarrassed. “You do not … please me. I could never willingly lay with you. So, if you want me, you must force me.”

“I do not please you?” he asked incredulously and then tightened his grip on her arms. “I have provided you with food and shelter and taken care of your wounds. I have kept you from harm and provided servants for you! You have lived like royalty instead of a foreigner in a strange land! Yet,
I
do not please
you
?” He loosened his hold on her and pushed her away. “To think, I have arranged for your every comfort, while all this time, the very thought of being my concubine has made you relish death instead!”

Kama looked away, refusing to meet his hard gaze.

But he placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face toward him, forcing her to look him directly in the eyes. “It matters little to me that you do not want me. All that matters is that I want you.”

Kama felt her rage rising again, slowly simmering like a pot on a fire. She had tried to appeal to his sense of fairness, but he’d brushed her away like an insect. She wanted to scream in frustration.
  
How dare he treat her like chattel?
 
“Do what you will then, Pharaoh. If you want me, you must force yourself upon me. But always know that you would be with a woman who is repulsed by your touch.”

Their eyes locked, and he stared at her with such intensity that she thought he would strike her. But his rebuttal took a different form. Before she could protest, he pulled her into his arms and crushed his mouth against hers. His tongue swept inside, and he took possession, stunning her with the force of his deep kiss.

Caught off guard, she did what came most naturally to her. She kissed him back, curiously exploring the soft folds of his mouth. She responded to his demanding strokes, her tongue battling his with an erotic dance. All sense of time seemed to leave her.

As Amonmose tightened his embrace, Kama felt her body yield to the hard planes of his muscular form. His velvety tongue met hers thrust for thrust as she tasted everything he had to offer. Her flesh tingled in response to his touch, and she felt an intense heat building inside her. In her mind, she fought him, called him the foulest of names, and denounced his possession of her. But her body succumbed easily.

Abruptly, Amonmose withdrew from her mouth and sneered wickedly. “Kama, you lie. Your words say I do not please you. Yet, your tongue says otherwise.”

Dazed, she fingered her swollen lips and watched the smug look on his face. “You do not understand.”

“No, I understand completely. You wanted me, and you proved it. There is no need for me to force you when you give yourself to me so willingly.”

She shook her head, pulling herself from his embrace. She’d never been kissed before. He’d clearly taken advantage of her, somehow. “Y-You deceived me!” She accused, backing away.

He gazed at her, his eyes burning like lava. “I did nothing except what you wanted me to do.”

His kiss had left her teetering like a newborn lamb. What had he done to her? What kind of sorcery had he used to make her body betray her? She touched a dainty hand to her forehead.

Amonmose frowned. “If you faint again, I will no doubt be forced to kiss you repeatedly until you regain consciousness.”

Kama turned on her heels and fled. Hours later, she could still hear his cruel laughter ringing in her ears.

Chapter Four

Kama managed to avoid Amonmose for the next several days. She didn’t think she could ever face him again without dying of humiliation. She still remembered every second of the kiss they’d shared—the most intimate act she’d ever experienced. She recalled the taste and texture of his mouth. The warmth of his tongue touching hers. She thought of that kiss at least a dozen times a day. Visions of him began to haunt her dreams, and she soon found herself wishing for the bitter tranquilizer the old doctor had brought her days earlier. Even if she did escape the powerful Pharaoh, she would never be able to get him out of her mind.

She was angry with herself for not putting up more resistance.
 
If only he were an ordinary man, she would have slapped him or hit him with one of her many verbal barbs. But the Pharaoh was no ordinary man.
 
He was all smooth words and brutal kisses—a charmer and a viper. Perhaps a sorcerer as well! Why else had her body responded so wantonly? Perhaps, she thought, she would have responded that way to any man’s kiss, not just the Pharaoh’s. But there was no way for her to know. Amonmose had branded her as his property, and she knew in her heart that it would not be long before he sought her out again.

A few days later, a royal page appeared at her door with a missive. Dyzet was there to answer, and she read the note excitedly. “Oh, Kama! Our presence is requested at the royal hunt tomorrow. The Pharaoh sent a personal invitation for you”—she waived the pale parchment in the air—“and I’m to come as well!”

Kama stared at the paper as if it were dipped in poison.
 
So, Amunmose would not give up so easily?
 
Of course not.
 
He was Pharaoh, used to having all of commands obeyed.
 

“Let us find something for you to wear.” Dyzet rushed to one of the reed chests and rifled through its contents. “By the gods, all you have are these white tunics.”

“I will not go,” Kama declared.

Dyzet gasped. “Have you gone mad? You cannot refuse a royal summons!”

“I can if I am sick. In fact…” She touched her forehead. “I feel ill this very moment.”

Dyzet stood slowly and eyed Kama evenly. “You know you are simply delaying the inevitable.”

“So be it.”

“You cannot avoid him.”

“I have been successful up to this point.”

“You cannot outsmart him.”

“That remains to be seen.”

The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Dyzet’s small fists rested firmly on her hips. Her legs were spread in a defiant stance. “I do not think you realize the seriousness of your situation,” she warned Kama.

“And I do not think you realize the extent of my determination,” Kama retorted.

“Stubbornness is more like it.”

“I prefer to call it endurance.”

“Your
endurance
could be your undoing.”

“It has not failed me yet.”

“The Pharaoh will not be happy.”

Kama crossed her arms. “That is one thing we shall both have in common.”

“Your beauty and intellect have brought you this far, Kama. But his patience will wear thin.” Dyzet opened the door and prepared to leave. “The Pharaoh will have you sooner or later.

The entire palace was alive with excitement on the day of the hunt. Amonmose sat comfortably inside his litter and admired the view. He was suspended above the shoulders of forty men who carried him effortlessly to any destination he chose. The top of the litter was equipped with a hard canopy that shielded him from the merciless sun and the The dark red interior was roomy, comfortably seating four people if necessary.

He inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. This was what he lived for. He was an accomplished hunter, and as a member of the royal lineage, he enjoyed the privilege of this sport. He could easily conquer any animal on his own; his bodyguard and royal entourage only slowed him down. He was not afraid of man or beast, and he had the trophies to prove it.

Amonmose pulled aside the curtain that protected him from the harsh rays of the sun and surveyed his surroundings with a nod of satisfaction. His servants were making final preparations for the hunt. There would be a feast upon his return. And then, he supposed, all his soldiers would get drunk and horny before the day was over.

He watched as the last of the hunting party arrived. From his where he sat, he had a clear view of Kama walking with her usual grace:her head held high, her shoulders squared. She was dazzling in her customary white, long dress. Her waist-length hair was straight, plaited in tiny braids, and pulled back from her face with a leather bandeau. Amonmose had an urge to yank that cord off and thread his fingers through the mass of hair. No woman had ever made his body respond the way she did. He tried not to concentrate on her sumptuous figure, uncertain whether he would be able to control his reaction.

His inner voice nagged at him.
You are lord and ruler. You do not need to contain yourself. Everything is yours to be taken.
He shrugged off the thought. He did not have to force himself on anyone. Plenty of women threw themselves at his feet every day!

But there is only one that you want.

As he watched Kama, he noticed some of the other men openly staring at her. She obviously had no idea the effect she had on the male species. Amonmose’s lips lifted at the corners to form a rare smile, and it was at that moment their eyes met. He saw a flicker of anger in her dark eyes, and then they softened, and a nonchalant gaze replaced the spark. She narrowed her eyes and turned away. His heartbeat quickened. She would be no easy conquest, but he’d felt the erotic promise of her kiss.
 
When she finally gave herself to him, it would be well worth the wait.

Kama turned her attention to Dyzet, but she could still feel the Pharaoh’s eyes upon her. The nerve of him, ogling her like a piece of cattle! She knew her fate was sealed here, but she could not bear the lustful way he looked at her. She chanced another surreptitious glance at him, but he never took his eyes off her, staring at her with that lecherous grin. She knew he was thinking of the kiss in his chambers; she burned with embarrassment. At least she would not have to ride with him.

Kama had turned to whisper to Dyzet when she noticed a burly man out of the corner of her eye. He stepped close, intruding on their space, and his formidable presence could not be ignored. “Why is that behemoth lurking around?” Kama whispered. “Making sure I have no chance to flee?”

Dyzet smiled. “His name is Shu. He will stand guard over you,” she said. “The Pharaoh wants you protected at all times.”