Page 111 of Sands of Sirocco
She barely noticed as he unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them from his own hips.He guided himself inside her effortlessly, her desire for him so intense that she gasped, then pulled him closer.“Noah, my love,” she moaned, her hips rising to meet him.
“My God,rohi …” His hands slid into hers and he pinned her hands above her head, stretching out over her as he moved within her.His mouth found hers in a breathless kiss, and she moaned against his lips.
She didn’t want the moment to end, didn’t want him to leave her.Being connected to him intimately was everything she’d needed, especially at a time like this, and an unexpected tear slid from the corner of her eye, down her temple, and pooled in her ear.
“I love you,” she murmured, pulling her lips away and kissing his jaw, then his neck.“And you’re my life now.My all.”
“I love you too, my beautiful wife.”Noah’s hands were tighter against hers.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him as they found a steady rhythm together.As he brought her closer to a climax, she moaned.
At last, she cried out, as her entire body trembled, tingling from her feet to the deepest part of her core.He groaned as he finished, and they stilled together.Then Noah rolled onto the bed at her side.
They lay beside each other, panting.She had been freezing before.Now her entire body felt flushed.She rolled over toward him and kissed his shoulder.
However reckless it might have been to take the time to make love at a moment of urgency like this, she didn’t regret it.This moment was all they had.She traced her fingers over his arm.The pruned flesh of her fingertips had faded.“I must admit I was angry with you for sending me away tonight.Not just because I wanted to stay with you.It seemed odd that you were willing to leave me vulnerable.”
Noah drew a deep breath, then rolled onto his hip, facing her.“I hired a man to follow you and keep you safe.It made it easier for me to send you away.”
How had she never seen the man?She smirked.Hewouldhave done something like that.The thought only endeared him to her more.“Why did you do that?”
“Because I feel strongly drawn to protect what’s mine.”He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.
His.She looked down at the ring on her finger.She crawled away from him and went to the trunk she’d brought with her.She opened it, squinting at the contents in the darkness.She found the pouch where she’d stored his mother’s ring.After placing it on her other hand, she came back to him.He’d watched her silently, but his eyes were warm.“I’m sorry I took it off,” she said sheepishly.“I promise I’ll never do it again.Now I have two wedding rings.”
He stood and went over to the fireplace, where he grabbed a bag and removed agalabeyah.“I have a burqa here for you and we should hurry.But there’s something I must tell you.Something only a handful of people know about me.You should know before I take you fleeing into the path of danger.”
As though he could tell me something that would make me not want to go with him.Ginger frowned and took the burqa he offered, then found a simple cotton dress in her trunk to wear under it.“What is it?”
“The Egyptian nationalist I fought with this evening.The one from the cellar.What I didn’t tell you about him yet … He’s my uncle.Khaled El-Masry.”
She gave him a confused look.“What do you mean?As in … your relation?”
Noah came closer to her and interlocked their fingers, staring at their hands together in the darkness.“My mother’s brother.My mother was an Egyptian.Her name was Fatima El-Masry.”
Egyptian?
She turned toward him, studying his profile.No trace of falsehood or teasing hinted at his features.But the corners of his eyes squinted as he awaited her reaction.
He was waiting for her to show her outrage.
She smiled.Why had the thought never occurred to her?It fit perfectly.Though no one would doubt he was English, he blended perfectly with the Arabs as well.He tanned to a glorious gold, but his striking blue eyes had prevented her mind from making the link.She felt ashamed of the fact.She’d met several Egyptians and Turks with blue eyes.
And he spoke Arabic perfectly.He was a chameleon not only because of his skills but also because of his parents.Marrying outside one’s race was scandalous.He’d likely been brought up to believe his true background was a thing to be ashamed of.She kept her voice low.“Do you really think I could ever look at you differently because of that?”
“You might.It wouldn’t be the first time.”A shadow crossed his face.
“Which is why you’d hidden the fact,” she said, her brows furrowing.She didn’t have to ask why.She knew how anyone perceived to be from another race was viewed in society.
Noah went back to dressing himself.“I’ve only told a few people.My aunt had advised against it.”
She thought of the young orphan boy he’d been, told to deny who he was and pretend the mother he’d loved had been someone else.“That can’t have been easy,” she said.She pulled the burqa over her head.“You’ll have to do a lot more than that for me to look at you differently, my love.Though, I think I finally understand why you’re so perfect for this job you’re doing.No wonder Lord Helton wouldn’t let you out of his grip for so long.There aren’t many men like you.”
“He and Victoria know of my family background.Matter of fact, Victoria is half-Egyptian herself.”
Despite everything, she felt an irrational stab of jealousy.Victoria?There she was again, making inroads into their lives.Ginger pushed the thought of her away.“You know, Jack would probably be furious if he knew I told you, but he said you always kept a photograph of your mother with you.Given what a handsome son she had, I’m certain she was beautiful.”
He searched her gaze, then placed his thumb and forefinger on her chin.He lifted his head to hers and kissed her lips with a feather-soft kiss.“She was.I’d like to think she would have liked my exquisite wife.”
