The Sheikh’s Royal Seduction: Desert Sheikhs Book One Read online

“Follow me.” The guard clomped off down the hallway, and as he led her deeper into the palace through previously forbidden territory, a little ping of nervousness sounded inside her.

  She wasn’t sure what was off. It didn’t seem like Zatar would send a guard when his own bedroom was just two doors down, but then again, she didn’t really know what was normal and what wasn’t around here. She took in all the opulent sights as she followed her guide: rich mauve carpets with golden tassels, marble side tables with potted ferns on top, greenery spilling over the sides and all the way down to the floor. That’s what she liked about this place; it looked and smelled fresh. Even in the arid climes.

  The guard pushed open a set of double doors and gestured for her to pass through. Alex stepped inside the enormous library, gasping softy as she took in the two-story tall wall of books to her left. A ladder on rollers was propped against the bookshelves. It was way too tall for her to ever consider climbing. That’s what the servants are for, I guess.

  “Hello.”

  A thickly accented voice startled her. She turned, finding a pudgy, gruff man in a flowing white robe approaching from a cluster of sofas. She blinked, knowing immediately who this must be. The king.

  “Hi.” She swallowed a burst of anxiety and tucked her hair behind her ears. “You must be…”

  “King Patar.” He didn’t offer his hand or even fake a smile. His dark eyes seared through her as he spat, “What do you think you’re doing here with my son?”

  His tone was so fierce she wasn’t sure how to respond at first. A million retorts and justifications sprang to life and then withered under the man’s fierce stare. “Uh…I…I was called here.”

  The king’s sneer was worthy of a drama award. “For what?”

  “The…the…Sala.” She tried to recover her cool, but the man’s power and his displeasure made it hard to think straight.

  “Who on earth is Sala?”

  She blinked rapidly. Now this really didn’t make sense. “The lioness, sir. Um, your highness.” While she watched him meekly, the truth hit her. He was so disconnected from this place, from his son, he had no idea who his beloved pet was.

  The king scoffed. “Oh, that’s right. I should have had that zoo closed years ago.” He narrowed his eyes. “So what are you, some sort of helper?”

  “A veterinarian. Sala is sick so I—”

  “Enough. I don’t actually care.” The king waved his hand in the air, stunning her into silence. Zatar’s father was so much worse than she’d thought. “You need to leave.”

  She searched his face for understanding. “The library? Or—”

  “The palace. My home. You were never welcome here, and now that I’ve discovered you here, you must go. We do not tolerate foreigners, much less from your part of the world. Furthermore, I know exactly what you seek. My son attracts gold diggers from all parts of the world. But you needn’t open your legs for him. Don’t spoil his purity with your disgusting lack of morals and breeding.”

  Alex’s mouth fell open in shock. There was no way he’d actually said that to her…it would have been laughable, if he wasn’t also kicking her out. Before she could even sputter a response, the king called for the guards.

  “Take her away.” The king flicked his hand toward the door, turning away from her without even a second glance. The guard who’d accompanied her grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the library.

  “Stop it. Let me go.” She yanked her arm out of his grip with an exasperated huff. “I’m not going to run. Christ. Just let me walk without feeling like a convict.”

  The guard eyed her as they walked back to her bedroom. With each step, more tears and frustration built inside her. This was ridiculous. This whole visit had been fucked from the start. And now she was being banned from an entire country simply because the king was xenophobic and a misogynist. Fucking awesome.

  “Okay. I’m fine. You can go now.” She tried to shoo the guard away when they reached her room, but he insisted on standing outside her door. When she tried to shut the door, he placed his hand against the dark wood, stilling it.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake!” She was at her wit’s end. All of the carefree sexiness of the afternoon had completely evaporated under the unwelcome glare of the king and his guards. Just as she was about to throw her hands up and burst into tears on the spot, Zatar’s voice pierced the air.

  She didn’t know what he said, only that he sounded angry and was shouting Arabic. Outside her door, he and the guard exchanged words. A lot of words. Zatar gestured angrily behind him, stated something with deep confidence and command. If she were the guard, she’d be more quailed by that firm, steady voice than the earlier shouting.

  Alex sank onto the bed, watching the exchange, desperate to get clued in. The guard turned, and then Zatar stormed inside her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

  When he turned to face her, there was fire in his eyes. “Well, the guards won’t be a problem anymore. And I just got rid of the harem too.”

  * * *

  Alex looked small and scared on the bed. He rushed to her, his anger diminishing next to the urge to wipe that look off her face. Make her feel better. Make her feel welcome.

  “Alex—” he began.

  “Don’t.” She held up a hand, shaking her head. Her voice trembled. “Your father made things really clear. I should go.”

  His throat tightened, and he took a moment before speaking again. The guard had told him that the king had ordered Alex gone. The guard had also told him the king was soon to be en route to Monaco once more—giving Zatar his chance to care for the country properly. Alex wasn’t going anywhere, and Zatar didn’t give a fuck what his father thought about it.

  “I can only imagine what my father said to you,” he said, hoping at least that the man’s words hadn’t been too hurtful, “But I want you to know that he is the only one who thinks the way he does.”

  She sighed wearily. “It doesn’t matter, really. I’m just going to cause trouble if I stay here. I helped Sala, so my work here is done. I’ll check on her again before I leave, but I really should go.”

  “No.” The word came out more forcefully than he’d intended. He was surprised by his conviction. This went beyond Sala now. He wanted her to stay for purely selfish reasons. Reasons he wasn’t sure he should admit to. “I promise my father is not an issue. He’s leaving the country as we speak. He’ll be gone for…a long time, I hope. A few more days at least, and he left me in charge while he’s gone. He only meant it as a threat, but I intend to use this time wisely.”

  “And then what?”

  “I’ll take care of this, Alex.” He eased onto the bed beside her, taking her hands in his. “Let’s enjoy the next few days free of him.”

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead, the scent of her washing over him, calming him. No, he didn’t want her to leave, not now, not in a few days, and possibly not ever. He told himself it was ridiculous to feel this way after so little time. But it didn’t matter. He just wanted to have her with him, for as long as possible.

  “He basically insinuated that I was scum for being American,” she said in a low voice a moment later.

  Zatar sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course his father would have said that. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to even hear the sound of his voice. If it makes you feel better, he dislikes basically anyone not from this region. It’s not just Americans.”

  “Yeah, makes me feel great.” She sent him a wry half smile. "

  Zatar pressed another kiss to her forehead, and then grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger. Brushing his nose against hers, he inhaled her scent before coaxing a soft, sweet kiss from her lips.

  She grinned a little in response, but he could still sense the tension in her. He placed small kisses over her cheeks, then brought his mouth back to meet hers.

  With his lips hovering just above her mouth, he said, “So. Let me make everything better.”

  10
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  Alex couldn’t fight the wave of relief that coursed through her as Zatar lowered her slowly onto the bed. His kisses were like a balm she desperately needed. His warm hands crept inside her shirt, and every touch felt as reassuring as a hug. What was it with this man and his presence? He was practically a drug. One she was more than willing to take.

  Some of her spunkiness returned now that Zatar had partially soothed her with his mind-numbing kisses. “You think you can just kiss the pain away, huh?”

  He nodded through a kiss, mumbling “Mm-hmm.”

  “Well.” She scoffed. “I’ll have you know, it’ll take a lot more than some kisses to make up for the horrible things your dad said.”

  He pulled back, a knowing smirk on his face. “Oh really?”

  “Definitely.” She returned the grin that blossomed on his face. Things were fun with Zatar, fun in a way that felt like they were two old friends finding each other again after a long absence. Everything felt new but somehow familiar.

  “I’ll try my best.” His voice came out a sultry whisper before he kissed a path down her neck, over the valley of her breasts. He bunched up the fabric of her shirt, exposing her lacy bra, kissing the lines of her ribcage before nuzzling a breast.

  “This is helping slightly,” she said, fidgeting as he eased on top of her, nudging her legs open with a knee.

  “Good.” He pushed his hands under her bra, massaging each breast while watching her intensely. The eye contact alone made her pussy clench, and suddenly she was so desperate for another Zatar-induced orgasm she wanted to scream. She bucked her hips, which made him smile.

  “Careful now.” His voice had a chiding tone. “I’ll get there. I promise.”

  She laughed in spite of herself, covering her face with her hands. “Sorry. You just…have a lot to make up for. So it better be good.” She giggled into her palms as his hot breath bushed her belly. Moist kisses at her panty line. And then he was tugging her shorts off, tossing them aside, gobbling her up with a gaze so sexy she thought she’d burst.

  As Zatar sat up to remove his robe and shimmy out of his pants, her mind went back to the horrible reaming in the library. Sure, the guy was xenophobic. But he had a point. She didn’t belong here. Not in the palace, where she stuck out like a sore thumb. Not in Zatar’s life, where she would be at best an accessory, something fun to pass the time. So was it really smart to hook up with the guy who could never be anything other than a hot romp in Kattahar?

  Part of her was screaming “YES!” But the other, rational, sensitive side of her knew that if they had sex, it would change everything. Sex always changed everything for her. Zatar would be no different.

  Don’t fall for him. You can’t fall for him.

  Even thinking those words was a clue that maybe it was too late. But it also seemed impossible not to ride this train to the end of the line. Racist father be damned.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  She snapped to attention, finding Zatar’s gaze heavy on her. He was naked except for his boxer briefs, his face above hers as he propped himself up on all fours.

  “Nothing.” She sounded guilty even to her own ears. Zatar cocked a brow.

  “Tell me. You were very distant.” He pressed an encouraging kiss to her collarbone and she melted.

  “I don’t know how to say it.” She hooked her hands behind his neck, loving the heat of him as he sealed his body to hers. He was warm and real and terribly handsome. Was it so wrong to enjoy this? She had so few moments of romance and sexiness in her life. Zatar was just an outlying blip on the radar, but one she should enjoy, dammit. She offered him a smile. “Just ignore it. I want you to ravish me.”

  There. That, at least, was how she should be talking. How she should be enjoying this. Because who knew when in life she’d find someone like him? Or enjoy something like this in surroundings like these?

  Zatar grinned and lowered his lips to hers. After desperate, gulping kisses, tongues tangled and frantic, Zatar pressed his forehead to hers.

  “I want to be inside you.”

  His words made her pussy clench again. She hooked a leg around his waist, grinding her hips against him. “Please. Get inside me.”

  Zatar pushed off her, scrambling to retrieve something from inside his robe. He returned a moment later with a condom. He tore it open with his teeth and then pushed his briefs down. That glorious, caramel cock sprang free again. She sucked in a breath and held it, unable to rip her gaze from him as he rolled the condom down.

  “I want you to come all around me,” he whispered, easing back on top of her. “I want to hear you scream my name as I make you come again…and again…” His smile was devilish as he dropped his head to her breast, taking a nipple in his mouth. She arched her back, knotting her hand in his hair. He rubbed the tip of his cock up and down the folds of her pussy.

  “Yeah…okay.” She pinched her eyes shut as he nudged his cockhead at her entrance and then pulled away. Her pussy tightened in anticipation, her entire body rigid and desperate for him. “Sounds like a plan.”

  He swiped his tongue along her jawline, something both feline and sexy, and then snagged her earlobe between his teeth. He took fistful of her hair, angling her head back to look at him.

  And then he sank into her. Slowly, as she accommodated his thickness and girth, and then forcefully, drilling himself all the way in until there wasn’t anything left to fill. She gasped, loving how full he made her feel, how every cell inside her body seemed to sing with joy. He ground against her, his hazel eyes rimmed with fire as he studied her.

  “That’s right.” He wet his bottom lip, never breaking his gaze. He pulled back slightly and then eased himself back inside. A shudder passed through him, causing a shiver to move up her spine. Sex had never felt like this before. Like he was a piece she’d been missing all along without ever realizing it.

  Soft grunts escaped her as he drilled into her, slowly at first but then more forcefully as she opened up and needed more. More of him. More of the crackling passion between them. She locked her ankles behind his back, digging fingernails into his sides as the pace escalated to fervent and animalistic. Sweat beaded on Zatar’s brow, his abs flexing with the effort of fucking her. Her head lolled back, but he tightened his grip on her hair, snapping her gaze back to him.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said, his voice edged with rawness. “I could come right now.”

  Her eyes drifted shut for a moment. “Me too.” The heat churning inside her was getting hard to ignore. She couldn’t keep it at bay for much longer. “Ohhhh, God. I’m close.”

  Zatar grunted, picking up the pace, pounding into her so hard her breasts jiggled and little squeaks escaped her without meaning to. She hung on to his biceps, pinching her eyes closed. “Oh God. Oh God.”

  “Nnngh. Say my name, Alex.” His jaw flexed as he took her in, his gaze sweeping appreciatively up and down the both of them. “Let me hear you say it when you come.”

  Her mouth parted. Zatar’s rhythm, the way he filled her, the magnetic heart of him, it all combined and exploded and suddenly she was falling over the edge, falling so fast and hard that all she could do was squeal.

  But that squeal turned into a moan, and she was moaning his name without even realizing it. Zatar didn’t let up, not even for a second. He pounded into her until she was a gooey mess and her pussy was throbbing with too much pleasure. Then he slowed and moaned low, cock pulsing inside her, his body jerking violently as he came.

  When he stilled finally, his chest heaved and his entire torso glistened with sweat. He looked down at her with a knowing smile.

  “Alex,” he whispered, a tiny dimple emerging at the corner of his grin. And looking up at him, she knew that it was over.

  She’d fallen for him. It had happened without her even realizing it, and maybe she’d always been doomed.

  Despair crept into the bliss. She’d fallen for him, even though she knew better. Knew what usually happened when wome
n fell for the rich men, the royals, the playboys.

  She’d have to hope and pray like hell that this, right here, could be enough.

  * * *

  Zatar awoke the next morning with the first rays of sunlight. He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth as he yawned, assessing the surroundings. Alex’s room. She slept peacefully beside him, the sheets tangled and messy around them. They’d had sex more times than he could remember. Did it count as one or two times if he’d gone from soft to hard while still inside her? He smiled lazily, scooting closer to her, forming his body against hers. Maybe that was a math problem they could work out together.

  His body ached from all the sex. He wasn’t sure that had ever happened before, not even in his wild younger days. He nuzzled into the hollow of her back, eyes drifting shut as her scent enveloped him. This was something he could get used to. Waking up with her beside him seemed like a delicacy. Something to be savored, a true luxury in life.

  He yawned again but ripped himself away from her. He needed to check on Sala. After their marathon sex session the night before, he hadn’t returned to the zoo as he’d meant to. Timak was always around and vigilant, but a visit was overdue. He dressed slowly, his body protesting the movement.

  Zatar slipped quietly out of the room, his bare feet whispering over the smooth marble floors of the palace as he headed for the zoo. It was early—birds twittered in the still-cool morning, not yet driven to hiding by the scorching midday sun. He inhaled deep breaths of the fresh air. When he came upon Sala’s enclosure, Timak was just coming out.

  “Good morning, Timak.” He clapped a hand on the zookeeper’s shoulder. “How is everything?”

  “Very well. Sala appears to be slightly better. It seems the medicine is working.” Timak offered a warm smile. “And you, sir?”

  Zatar laughed despite himself. There weren’t words to describe how well he was doing. “Better than ever. Did you hear that my father has left for Monaco again?”