Page 66 of Defenders of Jawhara

“So, if riding a camel with you comes with this perk, sign me up for the next trip. Or better yet, we skip the camel all together and just go straight to the massage.”

“After we rescue Erin, I will take you to an oasis I know of, where I will show you the many pleasurable things that we can do in the desert, including enjoying the hot springs.”

The idea of being alone with Talib in a nature-made hot tub appealed to her far more than she would have originally thought. But then, everything about the man appealed to her, and now she was finding out he had magic fingers.

A crackle over the radio reminded them that they weren’t technically alone, and PJ sat back up. Before she could settle, Talib wrapped an arm around her middle, pulling her back into his chest. “Why don’t you lean your head on my chest and try to rest?”

PJ shook her head. “No, really, I’m fine.” Her catnap in the car had provided enough energy to get her this far; surely she could hold it together for a few more hours until they stopped. Provided she didn’t have to walk very far, or worse, run anywhere anytime soon.

Talib tightened his hold on her. “You most certainly are not fine. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you coming close to falling asleep numerous times in the last hour?”

PJ covered up a yawn and then replied, “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Talib hooked a hand under her chin and turned her face up to his own. “I don’t want your promises. I want your compliance. Do you ever just follow orders, or was that only reserved for your superiors while you were still enlisted?”

PJ stared up at him, her gaze lingering on his lips and the sexy grin that he directed her way. “It’s more fun to break the rules, didn’t you know that?”

“Rules are in place for a reason, usually your safety.”

“Oh no, please don’t tell me that you’ve never broken the rules. Not even once?”

“Perhaps I’ve broken a rule or two on occasion,” he finally confessed.

Smirking up at him, she said, “Wow, how hard was it for you to admit that?” She couldn’t resist teasing him, but at his sobering look, she quieted.

Talib stared down into her eyes, and using a finger, began to trace her lips back and forth. She could feel the roughness of his skin, and she relished the sensation. Finally giving in to temptation, PJ grabbed his finger, sucking it into her mouth to give it a nip. With a growl, he pulled his finger free, leaning down to kiss her, nose to chin, upside down as they were, and they both gave in to the sexual frustration their nearness for the last few hours had caused.

“Habibti,you taste as good as you smell,” Talib told her, letting his lips trail along her jaw line and down to the sensitive area behind her ear.

PJ shivered in reaction, her pulse racing, and her mind shattered at the realization that Talib was finally kissing her. Unable and unwilling to disturb the moment with words, she moaned her pleasure as his lips once again found hers.

PJ was no stranger to men, having recently ended things with the man she’d been with for eight months—well, that was two years ago, but really, she wasn’t counting. Not since she’d met Talib. She had been on a small sabbatical from the dating scene, not liking how easily she had been suckered into Greg’s way of thinking. Greg Standiford had lived in the apartment two doors down from her and had asked her out daily for more than a month before she’d finally said yes.

Having just started working for Slade, PJ had been reluctant to involve herself in any serious relationships until she knew for sure how things were going to work out. Greg had been persistent, and she had finally given in and gone to dinner and a movie with him. He had been the perfect gentleman, and that had begun what would turn into eight months of casual friendship, with no-strings attached sex as a side benefit.

Neither of them had been looking for a long-term relationship; at least, that’s what PJ had told herself. But she hadn’t counted on the fact that she was incapable of separating her emotions from the physical side of things. She had tried to find out how Greg felt before she’d allow herself to commit emotionally. When she had realized how much she was becoming attached to him, and he did not feel the same, she had cut ties and ended the friendship, stating that she had a new boyfriend and needed to move on.

Greg had only been her third relationship, and only the second one she had slept with more than once. Towards the end, she had been unable to keep their bedroom activities as a perk of the casual friendship they had agreed to and Greg still maintained. She’d wanted more, but it wasn’t going to happen. The final straw had come when she witnessed Greg at a local dance club with anotherfriendof his. PJ had been shocked to find out that Greg had many women that he shared a friends-with-benefits relationship with, and she wasn’t any more important to him than all the others. They’d never agreed to be exclusive, she had been forced to admit, but she’d never imagined just how much of a player he was.

Cutting and running had been a self-preservation step, and Greg hadn’t seemed upset when she’d told him about the mysterious new boyfriend. He had plenty of women waiting in the wings to take her spot, and PJ had moved a month later, not wanting the constant reminder of how stupid she had been. She had willingly allowed herself to become part of his game, something that went against everything she really believed and wanted for her own life.

Truth be told, she hadn’t missed having Greg around at all. Even the lack of sex hadn’t been enough to send her back out to the bars and clubs to find his replacement. PJ had immersed herself in one case after another, choosing to keep herself busy rather than moan about how lonely she was.

Until now.

12

TALIB

Talib held still as PJ’s fingertips traced up the side of his jawline. She tipped her head to the side, inviting his lips to explore her neck. When his lips reached the point where her neck and shoulder met, he gently increased the pressure of his mouth, and PJ didn’t hold back her moan. Talib smiled against her skin and did it again.

“You’re really good at this,” she shared. “Really. Good.”

Talib felt her shiver against him and wondered if she’d known how sensitive her neck was. Hoping she didn’t, he looked forward to the opportunity to show her all the different ways he could pleasure her.

Talib knew their focus needed to be on retrieving Sheikh Kamal’s fiancée, not each other. At least, his brain knew that, but his body couldn’t resist responding to the woman who sat in front of him like an offering.

“We should stop,” PJ whispered, still tangling her fingers in his hair and playing with the curls that just touched the collar of his shirt. Her fingers danced across his skin, waking him in ways that he’d not experienced before. He didn’t think he’d ever experience them with another woman. His muscles flexed under her touch, and he was wishing they were anywhere but on the back of a camel. “Talib?”

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