Page 57 of The Sheikh's Desert Princess

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

After a while, they made love again.

This time the urgency was less intense, even though the pleasures she felt were just as powerful as the first time. There was less of a hurry for either of them this time. They both seemed content to explore each other, to find out more about one another.

But the ecstasy was undiminished.

Eva felt as if she'd entered a new world. She'd never known pleasure like that could exist.

They lay in each others arms, and Eva was sure hours must have passed. Occasionally she drifted briefly off to sleep, her arms wrapped around Riaz, his around her. For his part, he seemed intent on keeping awake, his alertness keen and sharp.

She was sure Riaz didn't fall asleep in the hours after their love-making. Instead he seemed filled with energy, eager to make the most of every moment.

She could sense how much this had meant to him. His eyes were bright and he couldn't stop looking at her, as if he wanted to drain dry every moment they had together.

Was he already thinking about what would happen next? She couldn't help wondering about where all this would lead.

Eva tried not to think that this had all been some awful mistake. That she'd simply given in to Riaz's obvious attraction, his amazing sensuality, his power and persuasive authority.

What was going to happen after this? She pushed the answer to that question firmly away as she lay next to him.

She guessed it was the middle of the afternoon. She lay in Riaz's arms, her mind drifting luxuriously and lazily. All her muscles were soft as she snuggled against his warm body. She'd never felt such contentment.

Riaz hadn't left her for a moment since they'd come to the tent. Since they'd shared that incredible experience together.

Hours of ecstasy. Sensations she could hardly imagine. No man had ever made her feel the way Riaz had made her feel.

He'd been insatiable. He was a skilled lover, someone who knew just how to make a woman feel indescribable pleasure. He'd made her feel as if she was the complete center of his world, the entire focus of his being.

How was that possible? They'd only known each other a short time. But, even though their time together had been brief, there had been an intensity about their encounter which had thrown her totally off balance.

Eva thought about how close they'd actually come to each other. The ultimate closeness.

There had been a primal ferocity about some of his love-making. Every idle fantasy, every ounce of curiosity about him that she'd entertained during her moments alone, had proven to be completely true.

Riaz was every inch a sheikh, a man capable of claiming a woman in a primitive way. A man capable of making a woman feel like the most special person in the world.

Eva smiled as she played with that thought.

Riaz had made her feel like that. Her. Eva Braddon, who, until now, had considered herself beyond things like that.

Untouchable. Keeping men at a distance.

But, not any longer, it seemed. Riaz had broken down her defenses. Every last one of them.

It had been an incredible few hours and she felt utterly spent, drained of every last ounce of energy. But, at the same time, she felt more wonderful than she'd ever felt.

So why did that trouble her so much? Unease tugged at her. Had she forgotten how to simply enjoy herself, take whatever life offered up to her, without thinking too much about the consequences?

And what were the consequences of this going to be?

She wasn't completely sure. Right now, all that mattered was resting in Riaz's arms, running over in her mind the memories of what had happened during the last few hours. She still felt the remnants of those pleasures in every one of her nerves, in every one of her muscles.

If someone had told her that all of this would happen when she came to the desert days before, she would have called them crazy.

But it had happened. She was here, in the sheikh's arms, feeling the strength of his embrace, the heat of his body, inhaling his raw masculine scent. She felt delirious, as if every rational thought had left her mind.

Riaz had that effect on her. He'd had that effect on Eva even in the first moments of their encounter back at the fort. She hadn't wanted to admit it to herself, but when she'd seen him for the first time, she'd felt something shift inside her, an instant attraction. No man had ever affected Eva the way Riaz had done. Certainly, never so quickly.

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