Shadow of Love (38 page)

‘
You asked for my reasons to tell Sophie off,’ he said. ‘I would tell her that, unfortunately, I met someone else I fell in love with and apologize. I would tell her that she could tell her friends and acquaintances what kind of a horrid man I was, and that she could brag about dumping me, if she liked. That I didn’t mind her humiliating me by explaining that she was the one who got cold feet.’

His palms moved to her upper arms, his grip firmer. She still didn’t move, and he continued, his voice rushed.

‘
Then, I would wait patiently. I would wait for the woman I fell in love with to forgive me for my mistakes and allow me to start all over again. She could have all the time in the world to make up her mind, if needed. I can wait, Emily.’

He felt his calm leaving him, the exhilarating rush of adrenaline pulsing through his veins and sweeping away any remnants of caution. Maybe it was the way she felt under his fingertips, or maybe it was the way she looked at him, her sweet mouth so close to his lips.

‘
Emily, you know what I mean,’ he said urgently. ‘I have no doubts you must despise the things I made you do and, even more, the ones I was planning for you to do. But if you give me a chance, I want us to try again. I want to court you properly, not because we’re acting, but because you let me, and because this is the thing I want to do most. I want us to have a real date, with flowers, chocolates, and candles. I want you to trust me to let me hold your hand.’

‘
I think we’re past the holding hands stage, James.’ Her laugh was a bit shaky, but to him it sounded like the most beautiful music in the world. She blinked rapidly, but not fast enough for him to miss the silvery tears welling in her eyes. ‘The rest sounds very good, I have to admit, especially the chocolates.’

She didn’t get any further, because he kissed her then, unable to restrain himself any longer. She felt wonderful in his arms, he thought as he molded her to him with the newfound confidence of a man who knew that he was welcomed. Her lips parted and allowed him an even more intimate access, the first sweep of her tongue against his electrifying. She was different this time, he thought dazedly, as he felt his self-control slipping further and further away. Her kisses before had tasted just as good, but were a mere response to his rather pushy guidance. Now, she was proactive, her role switching from just responding to initiating and demanding more.

He had to stop that before it went too far, he thought desperately, wishing for nothing more than pulling her to the floor and making love to her right there and then. It would be against everything he had just claimed about him waiting for her to come around and taking his time in the courtship.

But didn’t it mean she had come around already when she let her palms glide up his chest, her fingers finding their way between the buttons of his simple flannel shirt? He felt her fingertips scraping gently against the hair on his chest, the repetitive motion driving him crazy.

He had to be stronger, he decided in a last ditch effort to get a hold of his desire. He would have to be stronger than that, he thought as he dragged his mouth away from her lips, his breath ragged.

‘
That was something I had planned for our third date, Emily,’ he smiled, his eyes glowing with joy. ‘That, plus a dinner downtown, darling. If you won’t behave now, my carefully prepared plan will definitely fall through, because I can’t fight both of us, Emily.’

She smiled back, her face radiant.

‘
It sounds like a lovely plan, James,’ she said, her voice getting serious as she thought of something not entirely pleasant. ‘We will have to take it slowly, if only to prevent everyone from thinking that I was the reason for your sudden defection. Isn’t that true?’

‘
If I have learned one thing about your sister, it’s that she won’t care one way or another, once her attention is somewhere else.’ He didn’t let her go completely, his grip on her slacking just a bit. ‘Believe me, since Peter came into the picture, she won’t be caring what happens to me next. And to be quite honest, I think she might enjoy the fact you’re getting her leftovers, so to speak.’

‘
Don’t call yourself that.’ Her little nose cringing with distaste, she smiled again, her mouth tempting him to resume where they had left off. ‘If anything, you are the main course.’

‘
Keep that thought, then,’ he said desperately, grabbing her hand and almost pulling her along, out of the protective walls of the studio into the open. If he was to survive the assault on his senses, he’d better be there, in full view. The thought of his mother watching them from the back door should have some cooling effect.

‘
I just had a brilliant idea,’ he said as they walked up the path, the garden glittering in the pale autumn sun. He looked around at the bare branches of the bushes and the dry stalks of flowers and grasses painting a rather gloomy picture. To him it was wonderful, though, better than the most beautiful sight of the garden in full bloom in spring. He had a strong suspicion that November might become his favorite month of the year. ‘I think I will drive the photographer crazy, but would you mind very much being in some of the pictures, Emily? Nothing heavy, just be present? He will think I’m mad for sure, since I rejected the previous photos of the two of us, but who cares?’

‘
But why do you need me in them? We can have plenty of our own photos. Who cares about the paper?’

‘
I do,’ he said, gathering her closer to him, disregarding the fact they were in full view. ‘It will make a great story for our family album one day, sweetheart. You can’t argue with that.’

And then he kissed her. Not the passionate, heavy kiss from the studio, of course. But just enough to make sure that the whole world knew she was his. His mother or the reporter or the housekeeper, whoever happened to be around. He didn’t care any longer.

And judging by her response, as she kissed him back, her mouth moving against his with ultimate sweetness, neither did she.

Three months later

‘
Whatever happened to taking it slow?’ Emily asked mischievously, her eyes going to James’s face, only inches from hers. They were resting in their room, the large pristine white bed big enough to house a family of six.

She moved restlessly as she felt his fingers glide up her arm, slowly but relentlessly. Soon they reached the upper hem of the large, white towel, luxuriously thick and soft. She had draped it securely around herself after stepping out of the shower.

Like everything in the Mena House Oberoy Hotel where they were staying, both the bathroom and the room were absolutely stunning, starting with the décor and ending with the services included in their stay. Oh, and there was the view, of course. One couldn’t forget the breathtaking view of the Pyramid of Cheops, she thought now, her breath catching as he hooked his index finger under the towel and teased the sensitive skin of her breasts underneath.

Right now she was forgetting everything, she thought feverishly, the beauty of the hotel and its exquisitely crafted interiors with the intricately carved paneling, murals, and mother of pearl-inlaid mosaics paling in comparison to the miracle that was about to happen.

They had been dating for three months, James’s promise of a long and slow courtship fulfilled to a degree she had problems fully appreciating. Yes, he was a perfect gentleman, she thought grudgingly on more than one occasion. Their dates were filled with delicious meals, flowers, and conversations that brought them so much closer as people.

But he also kept his promise in the other department, one that she wished he would soon forget or forgo all together. His kisses and caresses never quite reached far enough, her frustrated body rebelling after yet another session of heavy petting that ended before she managed to persuade him to go all the way. If he was looking for an award for his abstinence, he wouldn’t get it from her, she thought, her own body more than ready to take the next step. But he wanted to do it right, he said, making sure their relationship progressed slowly and in the right direction.

They were in Cairo. The trip they were taking together with Violet proved to be the tipping point, James’s admission to having booked one spacious suite for both of them giving her hope that he was finally ready to feed the persistent hunger her body suffered around him. They visited his grandmother in Alexandria first, all of them surprised as she invited Violet to stay with her for a few days. Even more surprisingly, Violet agreed, her blue eyes gentle as she talked to the old woman.

The hotel, with its extensive gardens filled with palms, bougainvillea, and jasmine, was nothing short of a royal oasis of luxury in the arid desert. The tall, symmetrical silhouettes of the pyramids loomed over it mysteriously, their dark shapes rising to the clear, blue sky. If she bothered now, she could just make them out against the rapidly darkening sky, she thought, too lazy and too preoccupied to do so. Later, she thought as she watched his dark face lean even closer, her mouth opening to the promise of his kiss.

He didn’t disappoint her, his lips as hungry and demanding as they had been many times before in the last three months. What was different, however, was the absence of his ever-present self-control, the kisses almost savage in their intensity.

She felt him pull the towel lower, her back arching to meet his hand. His fingers contracted around her breast, her nipple erect against the heat of his palm. She moaned loudly, unable to restrain herself as thousands of tiny electrical currents flowed from the tight bud to the rest of her body, heat pooling in the very core of her being. He knew what she liked, his mouth leaving her lips and trailing kisses down her neck and lower until he reached the hard tip and sucked it hard, his tongue caressing it repeatedly.

His other hand reached lower, the cool breeze of the ceiling fan on her skin telling her that he had removed the white towel completely, her naked body shivering slightly. The cool sensation didn’t last, though, his firm hand stroking her abdomen and thighs until she burned, her hands pulling him to her impatiently. She felt the slight dampness of his hair, the fresh spicy scent of his shower gel filling her nostrils.

His hard legs pressed against her, and suddenly she realized that he must have taken off his own towel. The insistent pressure of his rock-hard erection pulsated against her thigh, surging closer and closer to her honeyed wetness. She wanted more, she thought desperately, needed more to appease the hunger that was almost painful.

His fingers glided between her thighs, dragging against the satiny skin and searching until they found what they were looking for. His fingertip reached the tight little nub that grew and swelled under his ministrations. Over and over again, he teased it until she sobbed his name, her hand closing over his pulsating hardness.

He was tight and ready, she thought, her fingers flickering over the sensitive tip and reveling in the few drops of moisture that followed her caress. She rubbed it around, the silky skin of his erection warm and hard. Her fingers wrapped around his thick shaft, moving up and down with increasing speed. He liked it, she could tell, his hips rising and falling greedily to her touch as if she were the moon and he the ocean, submissive to the laws of tide and ebb.

Suddenly he raised his head, his eyes glazed with passion. He moved over her, making room between her eager thighs.

‘
I love you,’ he whispered, his voice rough but tender, before lowering himself into her with one swift motion.

It hurt, she thought, almost surprised, the fact that she hadn’t done it before forgotten in the haze of passion. She had never told him that, and he had never asked. Admitting that she had never met anyone she would want enough to actually go through with it made her feel slightly awkward. She had nothing against sex, but senseless coupling without love was not her thing.

Now it hit her, the stinging pain where their bodies joined taking away some of the glorious sensation that had her floating only seconds ago. It was coming back, though, she realized with relief, ready to pick up the steady rhythm. Only then did she realize that James had stopped moving, his body completely still as he stared down at her with incredulous eyes.

‘
Did I… did I hurt you?’ He asked, his voice strangely shy.

‘
No, don’t you dare stop now,’ she gasped, afraid that his usual chivalry would get in the way of this perfect moment. Because it was perfect, she thought, as he smiled down at her and kissed her lips.

He moved again, careful now and still hesitant. That was not what she wanted him to be, she thought mutinously, deciding to take the matter into her own hands. She moved with him, her legs wrapped around his waist now. It changed the angle of his penetration, burying him even deeper into her liquid heat.

‘
You make it impossible for me to be careful,’ he said accusingly, his face flushed with desire. Each stroke was more powerful now, his hips acquiring a life of their own.

‘
Don’t be careful.’ She kissed his mouth, suddenly brave. Small shivers of ecstasy started building in her body, her skin warming in anticipation of the glorious moment of release, elusive yet almost tangible. She arched under him, taking him in deeper with each hard stroke.

He wasn’t careful. Time after time, she felt him inside her, his mouth kissing her lips and neck with urgency that told her he also was on the verge of tumbling into the dark universe of pleasure and satisfaction. And then, suddenly, his fingers reached down between their joined bodies, pressing against the tight, hard nub at the juncture of her thighs, insistent and demanding. He caressed her swiftly, his dark eyes going to her face, feasting on the expression of utter rapture.