Awoken by the Sheikh Read online

  The sharp pinch to her nipple brought her out of her internal reverie, and she gasped as the pain shot straight to her clit. Caught in the intensity of his amber gaze, every cell in her body sighed in submission at the wicked grin that kicked up the corners of his mouth. His cock roared to life against her belly, and desire made his voice rougher than usual.

  “Did I give you permission to move, to touch me?” he asked. The rough sandpaper quality of his deep voice made her grow even wetter, and his nostrils flared as though he could smell her. His cock jerked in response and left a wet trail against her abdomen. Astrid licked her lips, desperate to taste him, for him to shoot his seed deep down her throat, as he used her for his pleasure, but she knew better than to act on her desire.

  Instead she bowed her head.

  “No, my lord. I have been a very bad girl, I deserve your wrath. Do with me as you wish.”

  Silence and the sound of their combined breathing was the only reaction to her whispered words. Her body braced itself for the sweet pain she was sure would follow, but didn’t.

  Confusion made her look up as his hands went into her hair, and tilted her head up. The unexpected tenderness in his eyes made her blink.

  “Not today, my sweet.”

  He released her as abruptly as he’d grabbed her, his expression unreadable. She moaned her frustration when he got up instead of pouncing on her, like she’d hoped he would. She let her gaze feast on the incredible display of rippling muscles as he moved away from their resting place. His ass clenched and released with his movements, and when he turned round again, his magnificent cock jutted up toward his navel. Like a come-suck-me-beacon the thick mushroom head was slick with pre-cum, and it took all of Astrid’s willpower to not crawl along the floor toward him, run her hands up his hair roughened thighs, and fondle the heavy balls swinging between his legs.

  She wanted to curl her hand around his thick girth, run her tongue along the vein underneath his cock, and then take him deep toward the back of her throat, and swallow.

  She did none of that, of course. Instead she sat and waited as he approached the low table filled to bursting with fresh food and refreshments. Presumably the servants had restocked while they had slept. She certainly never saw them. Good grief, why am I even thinking about food at a time like this? Something is wrong. Has he gone off me already?

  Furiously she blinked back the tears of frustration at her jumbled thoughts. Of course he hadn’t. His erect cock meant he still wanted her, sexually at least, and really that was all she had signed up for here, so why was she being this pathetically needy? Damn it, she wanted to taste him so badly it hurt. Her pussy contracted in need for his touch. Her voice shook with the force of her own arousal. Was this her punishment then? Was he going to make her beg?

  “Please my lord, what’s wrong?”

  The heat in his gaze set the fire in her belly to flashpoint, and his gaze rolled over her. Like a physical caress it warmed up every bit of flesh he skimmed over from afar.

  “Don’t you want me, my lord?”

  His animalistic grunt in answer made a fresh wave of moisture seep into her already drenched cunt. A small muscle ticked in his clenched jaw, and, fists balled at his side, he closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. The Arabic words too low for her to catch, even if she’d known the language. When he finally opened those eyes the glimpse of pain made her heart ache for the man behind the mask. A mask she instinctively knew he wore.

  “Call me Rashid. I want you to scream my name when you come just for me, not the prince, not this place, just you and me. Will you do that for me? Please? Fuck, I don’t even know your name.”

  Astrid’s eyes widened further at the agitation in those grumbled words. Rashid took several steps toward her, his eyes locked with hers, and the heated intensity in his gaze took her breath away. He reached out to her. His fingers shook when they closed around the hand she offered to him with an uncertain smile, and all of her courage fled at the sudden vulnerability he showed her. This was far more dangerous to her than any of the aggression he had shown her before. This man she could fall in love with so easily that it frightened her witless. What was happening here, and why did he complicate matters now?

  A small tug at her hand, and she tumbled against his chest as his other arm lifted her effortlessly against his frame. She locked her legs round his waist automatically, bringing her wet pussy agonizingly close to his cock. His whole body jerked at the contact, and she gripped him tighter with her thighs. Both of his hands dug into her ass, and his forehead touched hers. Their breaths mingled as he just held her there, and dropped butterfly kisses along her jaw, while his stubble scraped her skin.

  “What is your name, my pretty?”

  The question, whispered in between kisses, took her by surprise. She sought his gaze, and the tenderness she could see in his eyes made her swallow.

  “Astrid. Why?”

  His warm smile undid her completely. Good God, that smile ought to be patented. She drowned in the kiss that followed. His tongue started an erotic dance with hers. The kiss turned from tender to passionate in seconds, and the arms holding her shook with need, as the sweet smell of their combined arousal grew strong in the air.

  They groaned in unison when he adjusted her position and his cock slid home right up to the hilt. He was big, so wet as she was, the move hurt as he filled her, stretched her to bursting, and her vaginal muscles struggled to accommodate him. In seconds though, pain gave way to need so intense she could barely breathe. God, she needed to move now. A slight wriggle of her hips was all his iron grip on her would allow, and his labored breathing matched hers.

  “Look at me, Astrid.”

  Suddenly shy, she shook her head into his shoulder, and she felt his smile in the kiss he dropped on her wildly beating pulse.

  “I’m going to ride you so hard that you will never forget me after you leave tomorrow. Do you hear me, Astrid?” And with one swift move she was on her back. The lush carpet cushioned the impact as he thrust deep, pounding her into the floor, as though he wanted to brand her as his. His desperation matched her own as his mouth closed over her nipple. Sensations built deep within her core, and his hands found hers and pinned her arms high above her head. The move meant her breasts stuck up into the air, and Astrid screamed when he bit first one, and the other, nipple hard enough to leave bruises. The sweet pain made her clench around his cock, as the familiar tingles started. So close, she was so damn close.

  Rashid raised his head and swore.

  “That’s it, baby, milk my cock with your greedy little cunt. Know this pussy is mine. Scream for me, Astrid.”

  Fingers interlinking, he trust faster, deeper, harder. The vehemence of those thrusts sent her halfway across the floor, and stars exploded behind her eyelids. The force of their combined orgasms shuddered between them. Rashid murmured her name over and over, until he finally collapsed on her, still buried deep within in the tight sheath of her body. Utterly owned by him at this moment, Astrid never, ever wanted to let him go.

  Their breathing slowly returned to normal, and Astrid winced at the carpet burn she could feel rise on her back. Rashid withdrew slowly with a whispered, “I’m sorry, baby, let me see.” The regret that laced those few words settled on her heart like lead. “Turn over, let me see, Astrid.”

  His sharp intake of breath soothed her stinging skin as much as the soft caress of his lips, and she couldn’t suppress her sigh.

  He immediately turned her over. The concern in his eyes was immediately replaced with that wicked grin she was fast learning to love, when she reassured him.

  "It’s okay. It only stings a little.”

  “If you say so, but I’ll have Layla massage her salve into it. It will help with the healing. Who’d have thought missionary would be dangerous, eh?”

  His soft chuckle made her smile in return. She snuggled closer into his warmth. His arms drew her into a protective cocoon, and his steady heartbeat under her ear made her
sigh in happiness.

  “Will I ever see you again, after I leave?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer, and she willed her thundering heartbeat to slow down. She was an idiot, but she couldn’t quite hold the foolish hope at bay.

  His sigh reverberated through her as his arms tightened further. “This is your fantasy, my sweet. It will always be with you.”

  Chapter Six

  She was so lost in thought she didn’t hear Lynn’s voice until her friend shook her by the shoulders.

  “Earth to Astrid, come back down, where are you? Parent evening starts in ten, and you look like hell, girl. No offense.”

  The concerned eyes of her friend swam into focus, and Astrid gave herself a mental shake. Lynn’s laughter caused the blush her daydream had evoked to deepen.

  “Clearly, sending you for some sexual enlightenment has created a monster. You’ve been back a month now, yet you still go off into dreamland every chance you get.”

  “I do not. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately, that’s all.” Make that not at all. She forced a smile she hoped was convincing enough to stop Lynn from nagging.

  True to his word, Rashid had called for Layla back on the island, but it had been him massaging the fragrant salve into her back with exquisite tenderness. When they had made love again—and it had been love, not just sex—he had worshipped her body with his mouth, tongue, and fingers. He’d coaxed her into one earth shattering orgasm after another, until she had been so sated that she had drifted into a dreamless sleep, only dimly aware of his whispered endearment. “Remember me in your dreams, my lover.”

  The next morning she’d woken up alone, back in her beach hut, with no sign of Rashid, or Layla, or the whole Arabian fantasy they had created together. Had it not been for the delicious soreness between her thighs and the sting of her back, she would have thought she had dreamed the whole thing. Anna had been pleasant but annoyingly tight lipped when questioned, and Pedro had been his usual flirty self on the boat trip back to the mainland. She had forced herself to respond to his innuendos with lighthearted flirting, an act she knew she never would have participated in before this trip, and she tried to ignore the ache in her heart. She would not allow herself to fall in love with her fantasy lover. No fucking way. For all she knew he was right now pleasuring some other desperate woman seeking her own sheikh fantasy. Yeah, remember that. It was just sex. That’s all.

  So why had she burst into tears this morning, studying her naked body in the mirror? The last of his handprints had faded completely, and the loss of that reminder on her skin ached like a physical wound deep inside her bones. Maybe Lynn was right. What she needed was to find herself another man to sate the hunger that her dream lover’s touch had created. What she needed was a good fuck, that’s all. Tonight she would hit the clubs with Lynn and ignore the little voice in her head that whispered that Rashid—the man, not the fantasy—may well have broken her for any other man.

  Right now, however, she needed to concentrate on her job. Glancing down her list, she noticed her last appointment tonight was with little Joachim’s father. Finally. She was deeply worried about the six-year-old. Since his mother’s tragic death in a car crash a year ago, he had withdrawn further and further into himself, and his schoolwork was suffering. This afternoon she had found him huddled in a corner outside the boys’ toilets with silent tears streaming down his little face. When she had scooped him up, his hazel eyes had settled on her. His arms had drawn her into a bear hug, and she’d thrown professional distance to heck and had hugged him back. Her own eyes had filled with tears at the depth of his pain.

  It was about time his mysterious father showed up. She didn’t know the full details, of course, but following Joachim’s mother’s cruel demise there had been a bitter custody battle between his grandparents and his father. Last parent evening Astrid herself had had a heated discussion with the little boy’s grandmother, and Astrid’s lips curled in disgust even now at the bigoted views the woman had expressed. Joachim’s mother and father had never married—"no daughter of mine is going to marry an Arab, businessman or not"—and it seemed their constant meddling had driven Joachim’s parents apart. The little boy was always delirious with excitement after one of his stays with his daddy, and Astrid was glad his dad had finally won custody of him.

  Her heart fluttered just a little bit faster, the closer it came to her final appointment time. Oh for pity’s sake get a grip, woman. He may be an Arab, but this is not Rashid. Joachim’s father was probably the typical fat cat Arab. The exclusive London school had many of those parents. Still, the fact the man was actually bothered to show up himself for his son’s appointment was a good sign. She had been pleasantly surprised to see his bold signature on the confirmation slip. Usually she spoke to the nannies. She hoped they could work together to help the little fellow, even if she was far too fond of him.

  “Hey, you, I’m off. You’re going to be okay on your own? I think he’s just arrived actually. The caretaker is showing him down.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Lynn smiled at Astrid’s nod of confirmation. “Good, good I’ll see you Monday then. Enjoy your weekend.”

  “You, too.”

  The school went quiet as the last few teachers left, and Astrid started to wonder what was taking the man so long. A noise—voices in the corridor where the class photos were displayed—startled her, and she got up to investigate, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. A man stood in front of Joachim’s latest picture of achievement with his back to her. Astrid’s heart jumped in her throat at the familiar broad shoulders and long black hair curling over the collar of his expensive business suit.

  It can’t be.

  One long finger traced the smiling face of his son, and Astrid could swear the caress brushed across her own jaw as his whispered words echoed in her head. “Remember me in your dreams...”

  Her sharp intake of breath made Rashid spin around to face her. His eyes widened as he slowly undressed her body with his visual inspection, and a slow smile spread across his harsh features. “I should have known it was you, my pretty.”

  Heaven help her. That voice was going to be her doom. Had she fallen asleep at her desk after all? How could he be here? They had a fantasy; this wasn’t real. It just couldn’t be him.

  “You’re Joachim’s father? But I thought—“

  She backed away from him as he moved toward her, and shook her head in denial at what she saw in his eyes. The wall stopped her rapid retreat. Rashid matched her step by step, a small smile on his face, and she swallowed nervously when his big body caged her in against the wall.

  “You thought what?”

  Heat rose in Astrid’s cheeks, and she didn’t dare meet his eyes. Her voice came out as a husky whisper, as his scent invaded her senses, and her body readied itself for his touch involuntarily.

  “I thought … I thought, you were—“

  His large hand under her chin stopped her. He gave her no choice but to look up at him, and the emotion that shimmered in those ever darkening eyes sent her heart into overdrive.

  “You thought what, my pretty? That I made my living catering to women’s fantasies?” At her embarrassed nod, his eyes darkened further, and his mouth curved into the wicked smile she remembered so well. “No, I don’t, well, not really.”

  Her eyes widened at the cryptic comment.

  “Let me explain. I’m a majority shareholder of the resort, but I never actually indulge myself. I’m not really sure what made me do so this time, other than needing an escape from real life for a while. Things with Joachim’s family on his mother’s side haven’t exactly been easy. So I guess I was looking for some light relief. A chance to play with a willing submissive without any expectations. I certainly didn’t expect to find my very own fantasy—the woman of my dreams. You’re a hard lady to track down, and all this time you have been right here under my nose.”

  Astrid gasped. The whispered words skimmed across her heated
face as he bent his head and brushed his lips along her jaw, the contact as light as a butterfly’s wings. Her heart daren’t believe what her mind was telling her.

  “When I worked out you weren’t just one of the staff, I moved heaven and earth to ascertain who you were, but to no avail. Even with my connections and holding the purse strings, the resort’s confidentiality clauses are so tight, that I couldn’t get the information I needed. Rather reassuring, really. The last thing we need is a leak somewhere. Our clients rely on that anonymity and absolute discretion we provide.”

  He paused and kissed her lightly.

  “Especially the cases we get via our charity.”

  Astrid shook her head in disbelief.

  “You mean there really is charity called services to sisterhood? I thought Lynn had made that up?”

  At his slightly confused expression, she rushed on to explain.

  “Lynn, my friend. She sent me on this trip. I did wonder how she could afford it. How does it work then—that charity I mean?”

  Rashid smiled.

  “Always so curious, my pretty. I’m not that familiar with that branch of the resort, but from what I understand there is a strict selection service, and you have to be put forward by someone else. If you fit their criteria, they fund your stay on our island.”

  “I see.” Astrid murmured the words, and Rashid tilted her head up to make her look at him.

  “So, back to you and me. I had all but given up hope of finding you. I should have known the teacher Joachim was so fond of was you. In fact, he wanted to come tonight, but I had to see you alone. He described you so well, but I dared not hope…”

  Rashid slid his other hand up her side slowly, cupped her face in both of his slightly calloused hands, and Astrid forgot to breathe.

  “You daren’t hope what, my lord?” His brilliant smile made her stomach flip-flop in delicious anticipation, and her voice broke on the whispered words, “I’ve missed you so much. I thought I would never see you again and—“

  His kiss stopped her from saying anymore, and she opened to his demanding tongue with a sigh of contentment as his hands trapped her wrists behind her back. He tightened his hold and plundered her mouth like it was his God-given right to do so. When he finally released her with a gentle bite, she would have slid to the floor had he not been holding her up against the wall.