The Sheik’s Captured Princess (The Samara Royal Family Series Book 4) (8 page)

He moved closer to her.  “It is late.  I will show you to your room.”

Ciala blinked, trying to clear the fog of alcohol and the heaviness of food.  “Room?  Why would you show me to a room?  I’m flying back to Kilar tonight.”

He shook his head even as he once again tucked her hand.  “I’ve already spoken with your brother and your security guards.  They all agree that it would be safer for you to remain here tonight.” 

Ciala stared up at the ceiling of the beautiful guest room, wondering if she had the courage to do what she was planning to do.  He’d practically dared her to do it, she told herself.  Her heart accelerated with the idea of doing it. 

But could she?   What if she weren’t successful?  What if she was caught? 

She had to risk it.  He’d dared her!  She couldn’t ignore the dare!

What would her brothers do in this situation? 

Oh, they would definitely take action.  They wouldn’t wait around and wonder if they would get their property back.  Ramzi, Rais and Turk would be figuring out how to accomplish their goals and they wouldn’t get caught. 

Besides, she’d trained for something like this!  She’d worked hard with her security guards to know how to get in and out of difficult situations.  Of course, those were situations in which her self-defense was at risk and not trying to break into an extremely high-security building. 

She wouldn’t actually breaking in, would she?  Ciala considered her options.  She was being a wimp by just letting the man dictate the time and place for the release of her research.  Of course, she’d gotten into this mess.  But didn’t that just mean that she should get herself out of it?

Her brothers wouldn’t wait.  They would take action. 

She thought about Shantra but almost laughed at her baby sister doing anything other than shopping.  Shantra was loads of fun and one of the most creative people she knew, but the woman was all about clothes and shopping.  If that woman wore the same outfit more than once, Ciala hadn’t noticed it. 

Nope, Shantra would definitely wait out the obnoxious sheik.  She would wait and wonder.  So was Ciala more like her brothers who went after things when something wasn’t right?  Or was she more like Shantra who waited and hoped for the best? 

Ciala definitely wanted to be more like her brothers.  A woman of action!  A woman who took charge and figured out how to get what was rightfully hers!

But then there was that kiss.  She didn’t want to risk that kiss again.  And she definitely didn’t want him to touch her like he had back in Kilar.  The way he’d touched her had ruined her nights ever since that day! 

She slipped out of the large, comfortable bed and paced back and forth in the dark.  She’d made the decision to retrieve her camera and research.  So now she just had to come up with a plan of action.  He’d said he would take them to his private apartment to keep them safe.  Was he in his apartment?  Was he waiting for her to try something? 

He’d gone to his office to work, she reminded herself.  He’d had those phone calls to make.  He’d said so!  Her research was just sitting in her bag in his private suite.  She knew where it was, she’d seen the servant carry the bag through the doors.  It was only a couple of doors down.  She could sneak through the back garden.  She suspected there were probably only one or two walls she’d need to climb in order to get to his courtyard and there would be minimal security inside the palace.  Of course, she wasn’t very knowledgeable about what kinds of security measures would be in place, but she figured the private living quarters would be well guarded from the outside, but not so much from the inside. 

She was going to do it!  She wasn’t going to wait around and wonder!  She was going to get this over with.  And when she walked out of the palace tomorrow morning, she would smile smugly at the obnoxious man because she had her stuff in her suitcases while he thought it was still stored in his private quarters. 

Ciala was finished waiting!  She was going to do this!  Pulling on the pair of leggings and dark shirt she’d brought with her for a more comfortable flight home, she tied her hair back out of the way and mentally prepared herself for what was to come.  If she were caught, she’d be accused once again of spying.  But if she weren’t caught….

Yes, she was going to do this.  And she wasn’t going to get caught. 

Stepping out onto the patio from her room, she wandered casually through the small garden, her steps guided by the light from the moon.  It was full tonight, not necessarily a good thing.  The light would illuminate her path, but it would also help others see her as she scaled the wall.

For several minutes, she simply walked around, getting a feel for the garden. 

When she thought she understood the layout, she walked over to the wall on the side where she knew Jurar’s private suite would be.  Glancing around, she tried to determine if there were any security cameras.  She knew what to look for, both the obvious and hidden signs of a camera.  But she saw nothing. 

She looked a bit more closely, trying to find wires, cameras hidden in innocuous places, but there weren’t any cameras.  Just a beautiful garden. 

“Okay, stop procrastinating.”  With those words in her mind, she walked over to the wall, examined the layout and then sprung up.  It was a relatively short wall and her muscles flexed, easily pulling her over the side.  Staying on top of the wall, she surveyed the next courtyard.  It looked similar to the one she’d just left except it was the mirror image.  Still at the top of the wall, balancing carefully on the edge, she looked around, making sure that there weren’t any security cameras in this area. 

When she thought it was all clear, she jumped down and made her way across.  Climbing the next wall, she felt her heart rate pick up speed.  This was it, she thought nervously.  If her suspicions were correct, the next courtyard would be Jurar’s private garden. 

Something was telling her to turn around, to just go back to bed.  In the back of her mind, she knew that her brothers would move forward, but they also would have gotten more intel on what they would be facing. 

She didn’t have that.  And that arrogant man still had her research. 

So she didn’t hesitate any longer.  She pulled herself up and over the wall, carefully balancing once again. 

Still nothing.  No alarms went off to alert his security team, no flashing lights, no sirens and, best of all, no evil dogs with fangs eager to rip her to shreds. 

Down she went, dropping into the garden as silently as she could.  When she was on the other side, she crouched down, looking around for approaching guards. 

Nothing. 

Moving forward despite her nervousness, she made her way through the garden.  Even the door was open to let in the night breezes. 

The open door should have been her first clue.  Or maybe the lack of sirens. 

But it didn’t occur to her that this was too easy.  Unfortunately, she realized too late her error. 

Ciala stood there at the edge of his room, staring at the man in the bed.  He wasn’t supposed to be there!  He was supposed to still be working!  He was supposed to be in his office making phone calls!

She stared for several more minutes, but the body didn’t move.  He must be asleep, she thought!  And then her eyes caught sight of her goal.  It was right there!  Her bag was beside his bed, just sitting there, waiting for her to pick it up. 

Biting her lip, she looked around, astonished that this had been so easy. If the man really hadn’t wanted her to get her bag, he should have better security, she thought. 

Without a sound, she moved over to the side of the bed.  Reaching out, Ciala carefully started to lift her bag.  So close, she thought!  Almost there! 

She’d just lifted the strap of her bag when the hand snapped out and…

One moment she was about to grab her bag and escape, the next moment, she was on her back, a large, dark body looming over her. 

She looked up into the triumphant eyes of the man she hated.  “You were asleep!” she gasped, struggling to get her hands free from his embrace. 

His laugh was deep and sexy, sending shivers all over her body.  “I’ve been awake, waiting for you to try something like this.”

She yanked once again, then cursed under her breath when his grip only tightened on her wrists.  She couldn’t even throw him off with her hips.  She was completely trapped.  “Of course I was going to try something like this,” she snapped right back at him.  “You weren’t ever going to give me back my stuff.”

“So you were going to steal it back, right?”

She resented that question.  “It isn’t stealing if it is my property!”

Jurar laughed softly, enjoying her struggles.  Yes, he’d known exactly what she was going to try to do tonight.  In fact, he’d set it up so that he was practically encouraging her to try it. 

Why he’d done that, he wasn’t exactly sure.  Possibly just a test?  Maybe.  Maybe it was more.  At this moment, with this particular woman underneath him, he didn’t give a damn.  All he wanted was to feel more of her, to feel her body slide against his and know what it would feel like to be inside of her heat, to watch her explode with his touch. 

That need was overpowering and wasn’t helped when her breathing increased or when she shifted ever so slightly against his already painfully hard erection.  In fact, that shift only moved his body into a better position to appreciate her own. 

“What are you going to do?” she asked nervously.

His eyes dropped down to her dark-clad body, his mind coming up with several options.  “I think I’m going to make love to you.”

He felt her breathing increase another notch and panic surged inside of her.  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, but her breasts were pressing against his chest, her nipples tightening just at the thought of him touching her. 

His hands shifted, putting both of her wrists in one hand while his other moved lower.  He noticed that she wasn’t struggling any longer.  But he only registered that realization in the back of his head.  Right at this instant, his main focus was on the soft, beautiful woman in his arms.  In his mind, she’d walked into this room knowing full well what the consequences were.  She wanted this as much as he did so all of his lustful thoughts and intentions were reciprocated.  And that pushed his need higher. 

“You’re here in the lion’s den,” he commented, but before she could answer him, his mouth lowered, touching her neck and nibbling on the sensitive spot right at the base where he could feel her pulse pounding. 

“I’m only trying to get my property back,” she argued but her head turned, her chin lifted, giving him better access.  A moment later, her head shifted as she rubbed her ear against the covers behind her and shook her head as if trying to deny the feelings his touch provoked. 

Jurar smiled but she couldn’t see his expression in the darkness.  His free hand moved lower still, sliding underneath her dark sweater and gliding against her soft skin, lifting the material out of the way as it moved higher and higher, inching towards his goal but also enjoying her soft gasps of excitement as he discovered more about this incredible woman. 

“We’re not going to make love, Jurar,” she said, but then gasped when his hand searched for and found her breast. 

“Ah, I believe that your body is ready to argue with you on that point,” he said and then bent his head to take her nipple into his mouth.  She felt his teeth and the heat of his mouth even through the sweater and bra she was wearing.  It was intense and unexpected even though she’d felt his fingers on her breast the last time they were together. 

“How is this possible?” she gasped, then arched against him, trying to shift her body away from him. 

Jurar laughed softly and only pressed himself against her core, showing her what she would miss if she tried to move away from him.  “Because we want each other.  We might not like or trust one another, but our bodies don’t need respect or trust.”  He shifted again and she thought that her toes would curl.  “They need this!” and he thrust his erection against her body and she gasped.  Not moving for a long moment, she just let the feelings zing through her, shocked that something could feel so amazingly good. 

When her mouth opened up, her voice was barely a whisper.  “Don’t do that again,” she told him, her head tilting slightly so that her ear rubbed against one of the pillows stacked on the bed. 

Jurar understood and he shifted once more.  “Don’t do this?” he suggested and reveled in the way she gasped and moved with him.  Their hips were mimicking the sexual act but with clothes on.  He wanted to rip her clothes off of her delectable body and show her what it would be like naked. 

“Ah, my lovely little liar.  Tell me other things that I shouldn’t do,” he encouraged. 

Ciala gasped but she had no idea what to tell him. 

Jurar must have sensed her confusion and offered a suggestion.  “How about this?” he asked and his thumb and forefinger pressed against her nipple, right to the edge of pain but not beyond. 

Ciala couldn’t believe that her body had liked that!  “Again!” she demanded, her knee lifting higher so that her hips cradled his erection more perfectly.  When he pressed her nipples again, she made a sound in the back of her throat that could have been a scream, but she wasn’t able to classify it at the moment. 

A moment later, the sweater was whipped off over her head, tossed behind him to the floor.  “Now, what else should I not do?” he asked as his mouth moved against her skin, teasing the top swell of her breast.  He wouldn’t touch her nipples again, which was where she wanted his touch the most. 

“Jurar, this is wrong.  I’ll leave,” she gasped out, but she didn’t want to leave.  She’d said the words simply because she supposed that she shouldn’t want to be here, to stay in his arms.  She really should hate this man for the trick he’d pulled and the trap he’d set.  But never in her life had she experienced feelings like this.