Page 43 of Deadly Betrayal

Still refusing to look at her, he shook hishead. “Sorry, sweetheart. All your medical knowledge won’t help mewith my current problem.”

The blood drained from her head as his wordsregistered. “Are you dying?”

This time his laughter was loud anduninhibited. Clearly he was delirious with pain. She put her handon his mouth and shushed him. “Dying is hardly funny.”

His gaze met hers and then she felt it, histongue sliding between her fingers. Sensual. Wet. Warm. Reachingup, he took her wrist in his hand and kissed her palm. “I’m notdying, but you are killing me.”

“I-I don’t… how?”

“You’re beautiful, smart, and so very brave.And I really, really want to kiss you right now.”

She tried to pull back. “We mustn’t.”

“I know.”

The hoarseness of his voice sent a shiver upher spine and goose bumps covered her body. Her mouth dried up.When she licked her lips to ease them, his eyes tracked themovement until he groaned and abruptly looked away. “Azita, havemercy. Please go sit at the table.”

“Will you join me?”

“Give me a few minutes.”

“But our food will get cold.” He seemedunwell. She couldn’t leave him huddled against the door, not aftereverything he’d done for her. She tugged on his hand. “Come.”

“Oh God.” He groaned again and banged hishead on the door several times.

“Stop that,” she shouted, catching his head.“Tell me what is wrong, right now.”

Pushing his head into her hands, he sighed.“You’re really going to make me spell it out, aren’t you?”

When she nodded, he took one of her hands andslowly brought it down to his belly. Then he slid it further,stopping when her palm covered his penis. Through the thin materialof hisshalwar, she could tell it was long and hard, fullyengorged. Her cheeks flamed, but instead of pulling away, slappinghim, screaming as any proper woman should, she wrapped her fingersaround his erection. Even through the layer of cotton, she couldfeel its thickness, the blood pulsing in time with his heartbeat.Oh how she wanted to explore him further.

Would the skin there be as silken and warm asthe rest of him? What color would it be? Was he cut like Muslim menor uncut like a boy? She knew many Western men opted forcircumcision for hygiene reasons. She wanted to know. Her life wasbasically over. What did she have to lose?

When she reached under hiskameeztolower hisshalwarand expose him, he gripped her wrist. “Youdon’t want to do this.”

She looked up. A drop of sweat trickled downthe side of his face. His reaction to her touch was extraordinary.Hewas extraordinary. When she swallowed and wet her lips,his eyes glazed over.

“I really do,” she whispered, afraid to breakthe spell that held them in thrall.

Chapter 11

A smile played with the corner of his lips,his oh-so-masculine lips that drew her in like a magnet, thin ontop, plump on the bottom. Unable to resist a small taste, sheleaned over and pressed her mouth to his. A moan escaped her as histongue outlined the shape of her lips, lightly, playfully. Shewanted him to touch her, to put his hands on her waist as he’d donewhen he’d prevented her from falling in the field. She wanted toknow what it would feel like to make love to a man like him, a manwho respected women, a man who treated them as equals.

Releasing her mouth, he pushed her scarfaside and nibbled a path along her jaw to her neck, first a tinybite, then a long, slow swipe of his tongue. Her body shook asthough she had a fever, the shiver emanating from her belly. “Why?”he murmured into the curve of her shoulder.

The heat of his breath fanned over her moistskin and she moaned. “Why what?”

A soft laugh rumbled out of him and into her,the vibrations doing nothing to help her concentration. Feelinglike she’d indulged in some of the hashish her country was famousfor, she let her head fall back to give him better access to herneck. She should stop, she should move away, but she waspowerless.

“Why do you want to touch me?” he asked.

Why did he have to be so persistent? Shecould only do this if she didn’t think too much about what she wasdoing. Breathing deep, like a runner about to start a sprint, sheforced her wandering hands to settle on Kaden’s powerful shoulders.What could she tell him? That she was dying to see, to know, what ahealthy young man felt like? That she hoped to know pleasure atleast once in her life? It would be dangerous to expose herselfthat way.

Kaden scraped his teeth along the thin, verysensitive skin of her neck, then sucked gently at her suprasternalnotch. She cried out, her fingers digging into his biceps, asdesire speared her between the legs.

Since she couldn’t tell him the truth, andshe couldn’t add one more lie to the litany she’d already givenhim, she asked, “Would you believe me if I said it was in theinterests of medicine?” Her words came out in a series of startsand stops, interrupted by her need for air.

He gave her a last delicious kiss, firm,tender, devastating, then pressed back on her shoulders until shesat on her heels. His smile was genuine despite the hint of sadnessin his eyes. “In the interests of saving my life and yours, we’dbetter stop here.”