Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
S oraiya awoke to find herself alone in bed, with only a light cover spread over her. She could hear the faint sound of a shower coming from Zak’s bedroom.
Zak . She said his name out loud, listening to how it sounded. She remembered saying it differently the previous night. Then she’d cried out his name as an orgasm had surged through her body.
She groaned and rolled onto her stomach, pressing her hot cheeks into the pillow as she remembered her response to his touch, and of how he’d made her feel. She turned onto her back, keeping the pillow tight against her breasts. How on earth was she going to face him? She hardly knew him—he was a stranger still to her—but she’d been intimate with him in a way she’d never imagined. She tossed the pillow to one side, allowing the fresh morning air to cool her flushed cheeks and body. But he was a stranger who was her husband. That made it all right.
That made it definitely all right. And it made her morning and afternoon, and all the days from now on, a lot more interesting. Not to mention the nights. But, she thought, getting out of bed and flinging the curtains open wide, she had a lot of appointments during the next eight hours before she’d be alone with Zak again. And then they would be really alone. They would pay an evening visit to lands which she’d be bringing with her as part of her dowry. But, before they could leave, there was a morning of duties to perform, people to farewell and relationships to establish.
It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that Soraiya was free from her public commitments and had joined Zak at the helicopter pad. As she approached, he looked around as if sensing her arrival, and smiled warmly. She liked that, but at the same time, felt undone by his gaze, and unable to meet it. A brief smile and a blush was all she could manage before turning to her assistant to ask her a question she already knew the answer to. By the time she’d plucked up her courage to look back at him, he was discussing something with his vizier.
She took her seat in the helicopter and opened a map on her device to see exactly where they were headed. They were going to visit a place she’d only heard about from her grandmother. As a child, she’d loved to hear stories of the land which her grandmother had inherited from her mother. But it wasn’t the retreat by the sea where her grandparents used to holiday which was the land’s only attraction. On the other side of a small mountain range lay a deep-sea port, which would be a lifeline for Sirun.
The journey was brief and Soraiya kept her eyes glued to the view while Zak worked and talked with the pilot. She hadn’t seen the land before, only pored over it on the map and read about it. It would become hers on her 23rd birthday. And then they could complete all the agreements which this land would unlock for them.
Zak tapped her on the arm. “We’re passing over the border between our two countries now.”
Soraiya nodded, but her eyes were firmly on the bright blue sea. She’d missed it, and was overjoyed that now they’d have a coastline she could visit from time to time. Below them stretched the low mountain range which divided the deep-water port from the more gentle, sand-fringed stretch of coast.
“You see there.” Soraiya looked where Zak pointed. “That’s the shipping lane. They enter the port and return the same way, back into the Arabian Sea. It means the land to the right of the range can be developed with eco-tourism in mind. Building on the complex your grandparents established.”
“I’ve never been there,” Soraiya said.
“Yes, you mentioned it before. Why is that?”
She shrugged. “Who knows? I did whatever my father told me to do. Which included little time for holidays. Work and study. That was me.”
He said nothing, just took her hand and brought it to his lips. But his gesture was more telling than anything he could have said. In it, she not only felt a sympathy for what had gone before, but also a reassurance her future would not be the same.
Before heading to her grandmother’s house, they first visited the port. It was impressive in its potential but under-utilised and they both left at the end of the afternoon, buoyed by the prospect of what such a facility could mean for the future prosperity of Sirun. By the time they were in the air again, passing over the mountains, the sun was only just above the horizon and the land below them glowed in its orange rays. Far below, Soraiya could just make out the winding road which crossed the mountains before emerging into a different world.
Gone was the rugged coast of the port, and in its place was a beautiful stretch of palm-fringed sandy coast, looped into a series of bays, and framed by a curve of white-topped surf a kilometer out to sea where the coral reef lay. In the crook of one bay was an old-fashioned but well-kept building. And it was beside this the helicopter landed.
Soraiya was immediately drawn to the place. It lay long and low above the beach, with only sand dunes between it and the sea. Lights strung across its length gave it a casual, romantic appearance, vastly different to the formality of the palace.
As the sun finally slipped below the horizon, Zak slid his hand around her waist and looked up at the large house. “It’s good of your father to allow us access before it officially becomes yours.”
“His vizier arranged it. Goodness knows how. Father is still loathe to hand it all over to me. But he’ll have to in six months’ time. I can hardly believe that such a relatively small piece of land will change so much for us. For Sirun.”
He kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”
She frowned. “I’m just keeping our end of the bargain.”
“And I appreciate that. Because you’re right. It will mean we can rebuild Sirun’s fortunes.”
“I’m glad.” She was very conscious of how close he stood to her, and felt a flutter of nerves. It still felt strange to be so close to another person. She pulled away suddenly with a brief, uncertain smile. “Let’s go inside and have a look around. We’ve got about an hour, I think?”
He glanced at the sea, which was stirred up by the brisk sea breeze, and nodded. “Not much more.”
Inside the white-walled interior, with its earthy-toned furnishings and whirring ceiling fans, was the picture of casual chic. She went from one room to the other, exploring the layout of the house, noting its quiet, subtle luxury, but above all the sense of intimacy and quiet.
A quiet which was interrupted by Zak’s footfall as he followed her through the house to the bedroom at the far end. With windows and doors on three sides, it felt as if they were practically camping outside. There were no public roads on the land and the perimeters of the property were far away and secure.
She looked outside into the darkening night, listening to the rise and fall of the waves on the shore only meters away from them. The fronds of the palm trees swayed in the sea breeze, clattering on the roof.
“I’ve never been anywhere like this before,” she murmured as she heard Zak stop in the doorway. “It’s as if we’re the only people in the world,” she said, turning to him with a smile.
“It might feel like that, but there’s always someone close by. One downside of being royal,” he said. “However we are alone.” He looked around, frowned and walked around, turning off some lamps. “Hm, that’s better.”
There were no moon or stars and the darkness was soft and velvety, relieved only by the outside lights which filtered through the gauzy curtains. Seductive lighting, she thought, drawing in a sharp breath, as another wave of nerves hit her.
She cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say—anything—that would dispel the sexual tension that hung thickly in the air, threatening to destroy her control.
“I’d forgotten how much cooler it is by the coast,” she said, her voice a little high. “It’ll be nice to have this place to come to. Just as my grandparents used to. Just as?—”
“Come here,” he interrupted gruffly.
She could no more ignore his command than go running into the sea, completely naked. She had to feel her way over to him, avoiding the darker shadows of the chairs. He reached out and took her hand.
He kissed her hand first, and then brushed the back of his knuckles gently along her cheek. “Are you happy, Soraiya?”
She was startled at the question. She couldn’t remember anyone ever asking her before. She nodded. “Yes. Happier than I thought I’d be.”
He smiled. “That’s good.” He kissed her then, and she relinquished the last of her control with a sigh as his hands found their way beneath her clothes and caressed her bare skin.
“Hm,” he said, as he eventually pulled away. “I think we’ll have one more night of exploration. And this time you should tell me what you want. What you enjoy. What you desire.”
She liked the sound of that.
“Turn around,” he said.
She didn’t hesitate.
He pulled down the zip and pushed her dress from her shoulders, kissing each shoulder in turn. She shivered as he unclipped her bra. He reached around and caressed her breasts. She moaned and lay her head back against his chest as she focused on the sensations his tender touch created on her skin and deep inside of her. It was as if he’d tripped a switch, sending electrical charges through her body, readying her for him to enter her. She wondered if he would. But, for the moment, he seemed content to continue to caress her, as he’d promised.
She stepped out of her dress, and he carried her across to the bed. He lay her down and slid her panties down. He massaged her feet, trailed his fingers up her calves, behind her knees and then lightly raked his fingernails up her thighs. He climbed onto the bed and knelt before her.
She held her breath as she anticipated his caress of that part of her which ached to be touched, but it didn’t come. Instead, his hands swept up to her waist and skirted her breasts. Then he cupped her face and kissed her again. Her heart was pounding, and she moaned with desire as he deepened the kiss. Inside, she was throbbing with need.
“Please,” she said at last. “Touch me.”
He smiled. “I am touching you. Unless there’s somewhere else you’d like me to touch you. I told you I wanted you to guide me tonight. Tell me where you wish to be touched, Soraiya.”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“Take my hand and place it where you’d like it to be.”
He rolled onto his side, propped up on one elbow, while she took his other hand. His finger brushed her nipple and she inhaled sharply, as she continued the descent to the one place in which all her desires were centered.
She brought his hand over her sex and he cupped it, bringing his body closer to hers at the same time. She could feel his erection, but he still seemed to want to focus on her.
She closed her eyes as he touched her clitoris. She rolled onto her side and kissed him. She wanted his touch, but she wanted his lips on hers at the same time. She pushed against him and felt him smile.
Then he slid his fingers lower, sweeping them over her moist lips until suddenly he slid a finger inside of her. She gasped. At the same time, he cupped her clitoris harder. From one finger, he added another finger and she could feel the growing coiling and spiraling sensations overtake her until she bucked and gasped and felt the palpitations inside her as she called out his name.
He laughed softly, withdrew his hand, and kissed her.
“We, habibti , are going to have fun in the bedroom. I can tell.”
“Now?” she asked, wondering if tonight was the night when they would have full sex.
He shook his head. “Not now. We don’t have time, and I want to have a lot of time when we truly make love.”
“We really don’t have enough time?”
“No. The cloud cover means a storm is coming. The pilot said we need to leave soon. He didn’t think it was a good idea to come in the first place, but I knew you’d be disappointed.”
“I would have been. Thank you for bringing me here. I know this land has been the bargaining chip with which our marriage has been made, but coming here, seeing it, remembering my grandmother talking about it, it’s made it less of a remote entry on a balance sheet, and something tangible which can be ours together.”
He kissed her. “Unfortunately, neither of us could avoid a political marriage, but I’m hoping ours will grow to be more than that.”
“I hope so, too.”
He stroked her cheek. “What else do you hope for, my wife?”
“Aside from a genuine marriage?”
He nodded.
“I suppose I hope to continue doing the things which made me happy in my own country.”
“Like what?”
She shrugged. “I worked hard at university. I have an MBA in Business Studies, I’m fluent in three languages and helped my father with government work. I’m looking forward to continuing that.”
He frowned for a moment, and then pulled away, got off the bed, and straightened his clothes. He turned on a light. But he didn’t look at her.
She felt suddenly shy, exposed on the bed, reached over and grabbed her clothes and drew them up to cover her.
“Zak?”
“Hm?” he said, looking out the window. As if on cue the rattle of the palm fronds intensified. “The wind is increasing. We need to go. Gather your things and join me when you’re ready.”
He doesn’t like the sound of her hopes and dreams, she thought numbly, as she got dressed and went back outside to the waiting helicopter.
On the return journey, there was no more talk of hope.