Chapter 25
Tara’s fingers flew over the keyboard, entering the information from the morning’s long conversations to her database. She was so focused on typing, that she didn’t notice her office door closing until she heard the snick of the latch.
For a long moment, her terror wouldn’t allow her to turn towards the door. But eventually, the dark blob in the corner of her eye warned her that she needed to look in that direction. From experience, Tara knew that it was better to be warned than to be surprised.
Slowly, Tara lifted her gaze to the person standing in the corner of her office. Whoever it was, they’d been hiding behind the door and, with the snick of the door, had locked her in here.
Was it Elijah? Or worse, had Ethan found her?
When her eyes focused on the smiling visage, she was so tense, it took her brain several moments to process the fact that it was her sister, Kaia, wearing a huge, excited smile.
“Kaia!” Tara gasped, then jumped to her feet, wrapping her sister in a tight hug. “Kaia, it’s been so long!”
Kaia laughed, bouncing slightly as the sisters hugged and laughed and cried. “You completely missed seeing me earlier in the dining room,” her sister admonished with a hearty laugh.
Tara pulled back, looking at her big sister more carefully. “Kaia, how did you get into the palace? And why are you here?”
Kaia flounced Tara’s braid then stepped back, surveying Tara’s appearance more thoroughly. “I love the dress!” she gasped with approval. “When did you start wearing flattering colors?”
Tara laughed. “Today. And I didn’t decide. I haven’t been back to my apartment since I got your message. These clothes were delivered to the room here in the palace where I stayed last night.”
Kaia’s features turned serious and she held onto Tara’s shoulders, looking deeply into her sister’s eyes “This man, your fiancé, he’s a good man? You love him?”
Tara’s jaw dropped. “You…know about Zayed?”
Kaia’s dark eyebrow flew upwards. “Seriously? You had no idea I was in the breakfast room this morning?”
Tara was stunned. “You were in the dining room?” she gasped. “For breakfast?” She blinked a moment, then continued, “That’s how you know about my possible engagement!”
“Possible? The man speaking earlier today was pretty emphatic. And that made me feel a little better. I’ve seen Elijah. His sister and mother were arrested two days ago. That’s when I saw him. They had been staying in your apartment. I saw Elijah standing on the far side of the road, hiding behind a tree, as the police led his sister and mother out of your apartment building in handcuffs.”
Tara grimaced, her shoulders tight with tension. “I know. Zayed sent the police to arrest them.”
Kaia turned contemplative, her green eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “So this Zayed man…he knows ? He understands the danger you’re in?”
Tara smiled, leaning against the corner of her desk. She folded her hands on her thighs as she nodded. “Yes. I’ve told him everything. He was pretty angry when I told him I was married but-”
“You’re NOT married!” Kaia interjected emphatically.
She smiled gently, nodding. “I know that now. Zayed explained it to me.” She sighed, her back slumping with the relief that she felt every time she remembered the fact that she truly wasn’t married to Elijah. He was such a disgusting excuse of a man!
Kaia shifted, moving to lean against the desk next to Tara. She crossed her arms over her palace wait-staff uniform. “He’s right. We didn’t discuss your marital status while you were growing up because I didn’t know myself. And then I didn’t want to traumatize you by bringing up that ridiculous ‘wedding’.” She snorted, shaking her head so her dark curls danced around her shoulders. “That community isn’t a religious organization, Tara. The elders are just a bunch of pedophiles who manipulate people with religious words in order to justify their perversions.”
Tara smiled gently, reaching out to squeeze her sister’s shoulders affectionately. “I know, Kaia.” She grabbed her sister’s hands. “We’re safe here,” she whispered, tightening her grip. “Neither Elijah nor Ethan can get to us here.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Kaia replied with a grim tone. “There is a miserable virus traveling through the palace staff. While not fatal, the victims reportedly yearn for it to be during the approximately twenty-four hours they have it. Apparently, the virus is so bad, it’s taking the staff out of commission.”
“I’ve heard something along those lines, but I thought that the palace guards were keeping the staff home if there was even a hint of a problem.”
“They are,” Kaia confirmed. “But that also means that I was able to get a job with the palace fairly easily.”
“You’re… working here?” Tara gasped, her tension instantly on high alert. “You got into the palace legally?”
Kaia grinned, but there wasn’t much amusement to her expression. “I interviewed two days ago and I was called last night and told to report for service this morning at five o’clock.”
“That’s…!”
“Not great,” Kaia said, finishing Tara’s sentence.
Tara rushed to the door, ripping it open. For a moment, she didn’t see the bodyguards that Zayed had assigned to her protection. But then he came around the corner. “The staff…” she whispered through numb lips. Then she remembered all of the times she and Kaia had been discovered and her training kicked in. “The staff are getting sick. The man who has been after me might have gotten into the palace. I don’t know for sure, but because of the stomach virus, the serving staff are too sick to report for service. The kitchen or serving division is bringing in temporary employees.”
The guards immediately understood her worry. One of the guards was already muttering into the microphone hidden on his wrist.
“You’ll need to come with me, Ms. Treon,” the other guard stated, his arm extended as if he were trying to herd her in a specific direction.
“I’m not leaving without my sister!” Tara told the man.
The man’s eyes shuttered and he shook his head. “We are ordered to protect you and…” He stopped, then realized what she’d just said. “How did your sister get into the palace?”
“That’s what I just told you!” Tara replied impatiently, her fear of Elijah nearly overwhelming her. “Kaia is here,” she said, then pointed behind her. But when Tara looked over her shoulder, Kaia wasn’t there. There were no windows in Tara’s office. Was she behind her desk?
“Ms. Treon,” the bodyguard snapped, his voice more commanding this time. “I need you to come with me.”
“But…!”
“I will carry you if you don’t cooperate, Ms. Treon.”
Tara knew the man wasn’t bluffing. Still, she hesitated, unwilling to leave Kaia behind. How could she leave her sister when there was potential danger lurking nearby?
Before she could peer under her desk, Tara was literally lifted off her feet. She wasn’t tossed over the man’s shoulder, but close enough. Her feet just touched the floor, but there was a guard on each side of her and they carried her off down the hallway towards a more secure area of the palace. They didn’t stop until they were in the living quarters of the palace and, even then, they wanted her in the private suite where she’d slept last night.
Tara didn’t argue, even though the rough treatment made her hackles rise. She doubted Zayed’s bodyguards treated him in the same manner! Then she smiled, crossing her arms over her stomach as she pictured Zayed’s guards struggling to lift the man.
“Tara?” Zayed called out a moment after he burst into the suite. He looked her over carefully, obviously looking for damage. “Are you okay? I heard that the man you’ve been running from broke into the palace.”
“ Might have broken in,” Tara clarified. “I don’t know if Elijah is inside the palace. My sister got in after being hired by the palace wait staff manager.”
Zayed looked around. “Your sister is here? I’d love to meet her.”
Tara turned, unconsciously wringing her hands. She walked over to the window, then turned back to him. “I’d like to see her again as well, but she’s gone.”
“Gone? Where did she go?”
“I don’t know. And worse, I don’t know why she hid from me again.”
“Why would she hide from you?”
Tara shook her head, closing her eyes again with a heavy sigh. When she opened them again, she explained, “Kaia wouldn’t ever hide from me unless she knew that her presence near me was dangerous.”
“Why do you say it like that?”
Tara smiled, but there was bitter sadness and resentment in her eyes. “Kaia was my savior, remember? She’s the one that snuck me out of Elijah’s bedroom on the night of the wedding ceremony. She’s the one that hid me away, hid both of us away, until she knew it was safe to move on to a new location.” She lifted her hand, shaking her head. “Don’t ask me how Kaia knew. She never told me how she did it. But I suspect that she uses technology these days to monitor Elijah and Ethan’s movements and conversations.”
“Good for her,” Zayed replied, sitting down. “So what’s next? Where will she go now that she knows you are safe?”
“I don’t know,” Tara replied, lacing her fingers together as she stood nervously in front of him. “But I…um…have a request of you.”
“Anything,” Zayed replied, leaning forward so that his elbows were braced on his knees. “Tell me and I will make it happen.”
Tara stood in front of the man that intrigued her more than any man ever had. But could she truly ask for this? Did she dare?
That’s when she remembered the card game last night. He hadn’t even tried to win. He’d wanted to kiss her just as much as she’d wanted to kiss him.
Tara straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and asked, “Would you…make love with me?”
Zayed stared at her for a long moment and she thought that he was going to reject her request. So before he could do that, she stepped forward. “It’s just that…well, if something happens and Elijah finds me, and if he discovers that I’m still a…” she swallowed, hating to have to admit this next part to Zayed, “…if he somehow finds out that I’m still a virgin,” good grief, she hated that word! It was such a ridiculous term! “He will force me back to his home and will take what he considers his rights as a husband.” She was shaking now. She needed him to understand. Zayed had to grasp what she was telling him! “He will rape me, over and over. Then he will beat me, claiming that it’s my just and righteous punishment, that his divine right commands that he discipline me with a whip or a cane, then he will rape me again.” She was violently shaking now, images of Elijah’s furious face flashing through her mind.
“He’s not going to get to you,” Zayed declared firmly, standing up and wrapping his arms around her. “I won’t allow that to happen.”
“But…if he does, I’d rather be safe from him.” She buried her face against the warmth of his chest. “He won’t rape me if I’m…no longer pure.”
Zayed looked down at her, confusion and disgust in his eyes for a brief moment. But then his handsome features cleared. His touch gentled.
“Tara, I will make love to you, but not because you need to become a sullied woman.” He tightened his arms around her when she started to pull away. “I will make love with you because I want to give you so much damn pleasure that you are wild with it. I want to make love with you so that you never think of this pedophile ever again. So that you think only of me.”
“That’s…!” she tried to speak, but the trembling was too intense.
He pulled away, but kept his hands on her waist. “You’re scared. Will you tell me why?”
She shrugged, staring at his chest. “I could give you dozens of reasons.”
“Do any of them include a fear of what might happen between us?”
Tara considered that question carefully. “Yes.” She felt him tense, but put a reassuring hand on his chest. “But not in the same way that I would be afraid of another man touching me.”
“Can you explain a bit more?”
Her fingers trembled as she pressed her hand against his chest. “You…the way you make me feel…is scary, Your…Zayed.”
“In what way?” he asked, his voice rough but his hands were gentle as they stroked her back.
Was he trying to soothe or entice her? Tara wasn’t sure, but she knew that his touch felt good. Very good!
“When you touch me…,” she whispered, resting her hands lightly on his biceps as she savored the sensation of his hands moving over her back.
“What happens when I touch you, Tara?” he whispered as if he were telling her a secret. His lips were very close to her ears and she gasped when he nipped at the too-sensitive shell of her ear.
“You make…” she couldn’t finish her explanation because his mouth had moved down to her neck. Tara moaned, leaning her head back to give him better access. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the question.
“What do you feel when I do this?” he asked, scraping his teeth against her neck, then sucking lightly on the spot.
“Good!” she hissed, tilting her head again. Unconsciously, her hands moved along his arms, exploring the ridges and bulges of his arms through his shirt.
“You like that?”
“Yes!” Her hands moved higher, wanting to feel the heat of his bare skin. She was suddenly conscious of that part of him against her stomach and she pulled back. With curiosity, she looked down at his erection pressing against the charcoal colored slacks he wore. It was intriguing, but she blushed, realizing what that erection was all about.
“You can touch it, Tara,” he groaned, waiting patiently for her to do something.
She lifted her eyes up to his, curious and horrified at the same time. “I couldn’t!” she replied, pulling back further.
Zayed laughed softly and his arms gently pulled her back. But he took one of her hands and guided her fingers towards his erection. “You can. I want you to feel free to touch all of me.”
At first, Tara kept her fingers straight out, not sure how to touch him. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she whispered, still staring down at her hand as he pressed her palm against his throbbing hardness.
“The only way this could hurt is if you stopped,” he told her, his voice rough now. They both watched as her fingers slowly explored, her palm pressing lightly. Then she allowed her fingers to wrap around the length, but his slacks stopped her from exploring properly.
Quickly, he took her hand away, but he laced his fingers with hers. “Let’s do this in private.” He led her into a large bedroom with an enormous bed. Zayed dropped her hand and stepped back, quickly stripping off his shirt.
“What are you doing?’ she gasped, but couldn’t stop from staring as every inch of skin, muscle and sinew was exposed.
“I’m letting you see all of me, Tara.” He leaned forward and gave her a kiss, a brush of his lips that lingered, gently coaxing a reaction from her. When her mouth opened just like last night, her tongue tentatively brushing against his, he groaned. But then she stepped closer, her hands touching his bare skin and he had to control himself, to stop his hands from pressing her back against the mattress.
Take it slow, he reminded himself. Slow and easy. Don’t scare her. This was her first time and he had to show her that sex could be wonderful. He knew that a woman’s first time wasn’t always magical, but for Tara, he wanted it to be as close as possible.
“Touch me anywhere that sparks your curiosity, Tara,” he encouraged, then kissed her again.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared for her delicate fingers to unzip his slacks. Her fumbling was so damn arousing that he almost roared with the lust her touch unleashed in him. Clenching his teeth, he pulled back, watching as she shoved the pants away and released his erection.
Not good enough, he thought and shoved his slacks and the boxers down, then stepped out of his clothing. When he stood up, Zayed was completely naked, standing before her and waiting for whatever interested her.
Those pretty fingers curled around his shaft, stroking, exploring, and driving him wild with her tentative brushes. Tara’s fingers had magic in them, every touch of her fingertips was intoxicating!
“Tara!” he groaned, leaning his forehead against hers. “I need to see you. Will you let me?”
She hesitated for barely a moment before nodding her head. Then she stepped back, her jaw clenching as if she were preparing herself for a firing squad.
“You’ve enjoyed everything we’ve done so far, right?” he asked, sliding his hands around her waist.
“Yes,” she admitted freely. “It’s been…better than I’d anticipated.”
“What were you preparing for a moment ago?”
“Pain,” she admitted without hesitation. “The women used to gossip about how much they hated doing…this.”
“Sex, Tara.” He lifted her fingers to his lips, nipping on the palm of her hand. “Say it.”
“No!” she blurted out, then laughed nervously.
“By the end of this night, you’re going to say the words.”
She shook her head. “Probably not.”
His lips hovered just over hers as he said, “You’ve just given me another goal.” Then he kissed her. His mouth devoured hers, enticing her to participate and, when she did, his tongue mated with hers, showing her exactly what their bodies could do for each other. All the while, his hands were pulling down the hidden zipper of her dress and letting it fall to the floor. As much as Zayed wanted to survey her soft curves in the lacy bits of nothing that he’d selected this morning, he also wanted to show her that sex and intimacy weren’t to be feared. He wanted to demonstrate that this kind of activity could be fun and passionate. And definitely not painful.
When her dress was off, he lifted her into his arms, then carefully set her down in the middle of her bed, shifting her braid out of the way. With deft fingers, he tugged on the band that held her hair back, then sifted his fingers through her silky locks. When she moaned, he continued, using the sounds from her to guide his hands.
But after several strokes of her hair, he couldn’t ignore the allure of her breasts. Looking down, he noticed that the pink lace perfectly cupped her breasts, but the nipples peeked out just over the top of that lace, making his mouth water to taste those perfect peaks.
When his mouth moved over her nipples, his tongue teasing, his teeth nipping, she arched against his mouth while her hands moved from clutching the bed covers, to tangling in his hair. Zayed enjoyed the way she tugged at his hair, adding a bit of spice to the moment. But he wasn’t ready to be pulled away from those breasts. They were perfect! The small nipples were puckered, silently begging him to suckle them. And when he did, she cried out, her legs sliding against his hips and providing a perfect space for his own hips to enjoy.
Zayed absorbed her gasp of surprise into his mouth as he shifted against her, pressing his abdomen against that sensitive nub. He could feel her reaction to the movement, so he did it again. And again. Slowly, he felt her hips move in time to his and after only moments, she cried out with surprise. While his mouth teased her nipples, he continued to shift against that nub, needing to hear that cry again.
“Zayed!” she gasped, her hips lifting with almost frantic desperation.
But that wasn’t enough. He wanted to give her more than just lust. He wanted her to experience the bliss of making love.
So he moved lower, kissing his way down her stomach, smelling her arousal. The scent was intoxicating! Honing in on that scent, he moved even lower, shifting her legs so that his shoulders fit between her thighs.
With her spread out before him like this, he could see everything. The glistening folds of her arousal was beyond enticing. Licking his way inward from her inner thigh to that pink heaven, he enjoyed her soft sighs and her growing excitement. When his mouth finally covered that nub, he slipped a finger into her body, stroking her from within while his tongue did the same to the external nub. He brought Tara closer to that pinnacle and….just when he was about to pull away, she cried out, her inner muscles clenching tightly around his finger and he felt a surge of lust so overwhelming, he could barely see straight as he felt her climax for the first time.
After soothing her back down, he reached into the pocket of his slacks to grab protection. Since Tara hadn’t ever considered having sex with a man before, he was certain that she wasn’t on contraception. Rolling the condom down over his shaft, he watched as Tara came back to the present. Her soft lips curled into a completely satisfied smile and he groaned, his erection becoming even harder at the sight.
“That was…better than expected,” Tara commented.
Zayed moved over her, bracing his hands on either side of her head. “It’s not over yet,” he warned her. With one hand, he reached down and lifted her knee up so that her hips were once again cradling his body.
“This is going to hurt, isn’t it?” she whispered, her eyes wide with fear now.
“No, it’s not going to hurt because you’re going to guide me into your body so that I know how deep to go.” He moved his hand down over her outer thigh, soothing her with soft caresses designed to ease her nervousness. “You’re in charge, Tara. Just show me what your body tells you it needs.”
He placed both of her hands on his hips. “Remember, you’re in charge. If you want to stop, we stop. Understand?” he asked, his voice a husky tone now.
“Yes.I understand.”
“Good.” He nodded, clenching his jaw tightly as he pressed just the tip of his shaft into her heat. Before she could worry, he pulled away, waiting for her hands to guide him. When he felt her pulling him closer, he eased into her slick folds again. This time, she urged him a bit deeper and he nearly lost his mind at the tight fit of her body as it clenched around his erection.
“More,” she whispered, staring dreamily into his eyes. The worry seemed to be gone, but there were still soft tremors in her legs. She lifted her hips this time, inviting him deeper still. But then her fingers pushed him out. What she didn’t realize was that she was stroking just the tip of his shaft…the most sensitive part of him.
This time, she took him deeper. It was Zayed who pulled out, then moved slowly into her sheath again, deeper this time.
It took several minutes of this before he came to the evidence of her virginity. Since he’d never been with a virgin before, he wasn’t exactly sure how to break through. And he knew that was going to hurt her. He’d give anything to stop that from happening. Cradling her as gently as possible, he looked down into her eyes. “This is it, Tara. Are you sure?”
“Yes!” she whispered, bringing her legs up higher. “Do it!”
He pressed deeper into her heat and…he was fully embedded into her body. Zayed stilled, waiting for her shock to dissipate. Her smile came faster than he would have anticipated. And it was lovelier than he could have imagined!
“That wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d been told,” she announced in an awed whisper. She wiggled her hips, completely unaware of how good that felt for him. “I like this!”
Zayed threw his head back, trying to regain a bit of control. The way she was squirming, he could climax immediately! But he wanted this to be good for her. He wanted to give her all the pleasure in the world. So he forced himself to pull back, then thrust deeply into her heat. Again and again, he thrust into her, holding back his pleasure as he watched her face light up with surprise, then excitement. Then frustration. He knew what was happening and reached down between their bodies. They were slick with sweat now. He pressed his thumb against that nub and continued to thrust into her. Within moments, Tara cried out, shuddering with another climax as she clung to him. And that was all it took for him to release his control and bury himself in her heat, roaring with the release of his orgasm as he drained into her tight, beautiful body.