Page 67 of Mistaken

And it was all absolutely amazing — the goat cheese, the rich yellow cheese subtly flavored with herbs, the bite-sized pieces of sliced meat and the crusty baguette and the little jar of yummy fig jam. They sampled the various treats and compared notes, and interspersed bites of food with sips of wine, which was a fruity pinot just big enough to stand up to the various flavors but not so strong that it overpowered anything.

Eventually, though, they began to wind down, and Abdul quietly made the leftovers and the basket disappear. Some wine remained, though, so the bottle and the glasses stayed behind.

“You seem content,” he said, and Sarah nodded.

“I am. More than content.” She stopped there and gazed across the valley, pausing to watch the horses who munched on the green grass and didn’t seem as though they had a care in the world. A sort of peace lay over the landscape, one she didn’t think she’d ever encountered before, even though she and Abdul had been here several times over the past week or so.

Then she realized it wasn’t the world around her that had changed, but herself. The Sarah from a few days ago was a very different Sarah from the one who’d heard the worst from Abdul and knew she still loved him.

Should she be this happy when she knew the truth about him?

Some people would probably say she shouldn’t. But if she’d learned anything after the world had changed, it was that you couldn’t go back. Making herself miserable now — denying Abdul her feelings, her love — wouldn’t suddenly restore all the lives that had been lost.

“I’m happy,” she said, and his face lit up.

When he looked like that…when she could practically see the love emanating from him, a glow that would never be quenched…she could forget the scars that marred the right side of his face, could forget everything except how good it was to be with him.

He must have seen those emotions reflected in her expression, because he got up from his wooden folding chair and came over to her so he could take her hands and bring her to her feet as well, with his strong arms going around her and bringing her close, his mouth pressed against hers, tasting of wine and sweet fruit.

Even though this wasn’t the first time they had kissed, she still was almost shocked by how quickly her body responded to him, how desire flared through her, demanding, strong as a river in flood. She wanted to sink onto the ground with him, to have him take her right then and there, even with the horses munching on the grass a few feet away and absolutely nothing to protect them from the bare earth.

Abdul must have sensed the heat flaring within her, because he murmured, “I have an idea,” and just as quick as that, they were away from the valley with its shady trees and lively waterfall, and inside a room she’d never seen before but immediately knew must be his bedroom, with a large king bed in a frame of what looked like reclaimed wood, heavy and rustic. The heavy terra-cotta-hued drapes were closed to conceal the brightness of the day, and candles flickered on the bedside tables and the long dresser on the other side of the room.

“If you wish it,” he said, and she pressed a kiss against his throat, feeling his pulse beat beneath her lips.

“Oh, I wish it, Abdul,” she replied. “I wish it more than anything.”

He obviously didn’t need any more encouragement than that, because almost as soon as she was finished speaking, he caught the edge of her loose shirt and pulled it up and over her head, then fumbled with the clasp of her bra for a second before he got it unhooked and cast it aside to join her shirt. Then his mouth closed on her nipple and she gasped aloud, wondering if he was going to make her come right then and there as a wave of heat pulsed through her body.

Not quite, but after he took hold of her jeans and her underwear and pulled them down at the same time, his fingers found her, probing, and she gasped again, knowing it had been way too long since she’d been with anyone, and longer still since she’d felt like this.

No, forget that. She’d never been with anyone who made her entire body come to life in such a way, had never had anyone whose touch, whose caresses, were so in harmony with what she needed. The climax came fast, and she clamped down on his fingers as the orgasm rushed over her, all heat and tingling darkness and waves of ecstasy that continued to pulse through her even after he’d stopped so he could pull off the tunic and loose pants and boots he wore.

God, his body was magnificent, heavier with muscle than she’d thought it would be, stomach flat and shoulders broad…and he was clearly very ready for her.

A little shiver went through her as she looked at him. He was big, quite a bit bigger than any of the other men she’d been with.

It would be all right. This was Abdul, and she knew he would never do anything to hurt her.

Hoping he hadn’t noticed her hesitation, she reached out and took him in her hand, and his eyes closed as he lay against the pillows, breath coming almost in pants.

Had anyone ever touched him like this? Sarah doubted it; he’d lived his entire life alone, had never even shared a kiss before she had come here to Ghost Ranch.

Well, it was time to give him a new experience.

She bent and took him in her mouth, tasted the slightest hint of salt, marveled at the silkiness of his skin while he was so hard underneath. A moan escaped his lips, one that sounded as though it had been ripped from his throat, raw with need…and maybe a little bit of shock.

His hand touched her hair as she pleasured him, but she could tell he held back, didn’t want to put too much pressure on her for fear she might think he was compelling her to continue. No force involved — she wanted to do this, wanted to let him see just how much she loved him.

Needed him.

He came a moment later, and she tasted his seed, taking it down, her own body thrilling with desire at the same time. In the past, she’d done this because she knew her partners had expected it of her, but now, she knew this was all her, every part of her wanting him to experience the act for the first time in the very best way.

When she pushed herself up, wiping her mouth, he stared at her with wide brown eyes that held a mixture of shock and wonder.

“That was…unexpected,” he managed, and then out of nowhere, a glass of water appeared in his hand. “But I thought you might want this.”

She did, very much. After taking the glass from him, she allowed herself a couple of swallows before she set it down on the bedside table. “Thanks,” she said. “It’s amazing how you can practically read my mind.”

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