[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
impregnate her with his heir, just in case she wasn t pregnant already. He could envision a son
with dark, copper-colored skin and a head of jet-black curls and eyes the color of dark
chocolate.
His hand reached up and cupped her cheek, bringing her lips to his; lips he now hungered for
all the time; lips he would tease into submission. They were also lips whose touch could
arouse him to no end, drive him literally insane; lips belonging to a mouth he had branded.
He then gave his attention to her breasts as they thrust firmly and proudly from her body,
taunting him to taste, which he did. He loved the feel of them against his tongue, wished he
could love her this way forever and never have to stop. Around her he always felt primal,
needy, lusty.
So he continued to make love to her, holding her tightly in his arms and whispering his words
of love.
Thousands of miles away Delaney was in bed having that same dream.
Her body felt stretched, filled and hot. Her breasts felt soul-stirringly tender from Jamal s
caress, and she could feel him loving her in a way she had become used to: determined,
forceful. And very thorough.
His touch felt so right, and she felt a simmering sense that relief was near. She moaned a low,
needy sound when a shiver passed through her body, and she gloried in the feel of being made
love to this way. Then she exploded into tiny pieces.
Sometime later she opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness. Rejoining reality she
found that she was in bed alone. She curled her body into a ball as the waves of passion
subsided, sending tremors through her.
She lay there, too shaken to move. Her dream had seemed so real. It had been as if Jamal had
actually been with her, inside of her, making love to her. Taking a deep breath she swung her
legs down to the floor and eased out of bed.
Going into the bathroom she washed her face in cool water, still feeling the heat of her dream.
She inhaled deeply, glad she had returned to her apartment and not done as her brothers had
suggested and gone to her parents home.
She needed time alone time to deal with everything. Her brothers had relented and had
given in to her request for privacy. But she knew their placidness wouldn t last long. For the
moment they were humoring her.
Glancing up at the mirror, she studied her red, swollen eyes. After her brothers had left,
indicating they would be back to check on her within a few weeks, she had lain across the bed
and cried.
She knew she couldn t continue on this way. Jamal was gone and wasn t coming back. She
had to get on with her life, and the best way to do that was to go to work. She was not
supposed to report to the hospital for another two weeks, but she wanted to go to work now.
She would call the chief of staff to see if she could start earlier than planned.
The best thing to do was to keep her mind occupied. She had to stop thinking about Jamal.
Jamal got out of bed drenched in sweat as chills from the night air touched his body, making
him tremble. His dream had seemed so real. He inhaled deeply. There wasn t the lingering
aroma of sex, that special scent that he and Delaney s mated bodies generated.
He momentarily closed his eyes, memorizing her scent and visualizing in his mind the nights
he had been pleasured by her body in reality and not in a dream. He could never forget the
sight of her lying on her back& waiting for him. Her legs were shapely, long and sleek, and
her breasts, there for him to touch and taste, and he had thoroughly enjoyed doing both. But
what took his breath away to just think about it was her rear, perfectly rounded and curvy,
making him hard each time he saw it.
The memories were making his body hard, and his breath was ragged. A part of him cursed
the fate that had taken him away from Delaney. He acknowledged he would have left
eventually, anyway. But knowing that had made every moment with her precious as time had
clicked away. The time they had spent together had not been nearly long enough.
He reached for his robe from a nearby chair and put it on, then walked across the room to the
door leading to the balcony. Stars dotted the midnight sky and softly lit the courtyard below.
With its numerous lush plants, beautiful flowers and exotic shrubs, the courtyard had always
been his favorite place to hide out as a child. But no matter how well he thought he could
hide, Asalum would always find him. He smiled at the memory, breathing in the scent of
gardenias and jasmine.
He then smiled at the thought of what Delaney would think if she ever saw the palace. A part
of him could see her feeling right at home here. There was no doubt in his mind that with her
Western views she would be a breath of fresh air. Her liberal way of thinking would no doubt
scandalize some, but her caring would capture the hearts of others. The same way she had
captured his.
Just thinking about her was torment. He straightened slowly and sighed. After he met with his
father in the morning he would leave for Kuwait to meet with the other members of the
coalition to reach another agreement with the Sheikh of Caron.
Then he would travel to Ranyaa, his estates in northern Africa. And there he would stay until
the marriage arrangements had been worked out. He didn t want to be around anyone any
more than necessary. He wanted to be left alone& to drown in his misery.
Twelve
D elaney returned the squiggling baby to its mother. She seems to be doing a whole lot
better, Mrs. Ford. Her fever has broken, and her ears no longer look infected.
The woman shook her head smiling. Thanks, Dr. Westmoreland. You have been so nice to
my Victoria. She likes you.
Delaney grinned. I like her, too. And to be on the safe side, I d like to see her again in a few
weeks to recheck her ears.
All right.
Delaney watched as the woman placed the baby in the stroller and left, waving goodbye
before getting on the elevator. She sighed deeply. During the three weeks she had started
working she was getting used to being called Dr. Westmoreland. Her heart caught in her chest
each time she heard it. All of her hard work and dedication to her studies had paid off. She
was doing something she loved and that was providing medical care to children.
Someone behind her chuckled, and she half turned and saw it was Tara Matthews. Tara was a
fellow resident pediatrician whom she had met when she began working at the hospital. They
had quickly become good friends.
Okay, what s so funny? she asked Tara, smiling.
You are, Tara said, shaking her head grinning. You really like babies, don t you?
Managing a chuckle, Delaney said, Of course I do. I m a pediatrician, for heaven s sake. So
are you, and I have to assume you like babies, too.
Tara took the stethoscope from around her neck and placed it in the pocket of her doctor s
scrubs. But not as much as you do. I wished I had a camera for the look of awe on your face
when you were holding Victoria Ford. You were in hog heaven. And that s with every baby
you care for.
Delaney chuckled, knowing that was true. I already told you that I m the only girl with five
brothers and I was also the youngest. By the time I came along there weren t any babies in my
family. And my brothers have declared themselves bachelors for life which means I won t be
getting any nieces or nephews anytime soon.
Tara folded her arms under her breasts and nodded. And for me it was the complete opposite.
I m the oldest of four and I had to take care of my younger sister and brothers, so I can hold
off having any children of my own for years to come.
Delaney laughed. She really liked Tara and appreciated their friendship. Like her, Tara had
moved to Bowling Green without knowing a soul, and the two of them had hit it off. They
lived in the same apartment building and carpooled to work occasionally, and on the
weekends they would go shopping and to the video store, then stay up late for hours talking
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]