Ahh, Beauty!
by
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Sharif let himself quietly into his apartment. The outer garments were dropped on the floor and his boots beside them. His weapons he carefully placed on the table. He crossed to call for a bath but before he opened the door he heard a splash in the garden. His knife unsheathed, he moved to one side of the open doors. The area was awash in light. At the far edge of the pool he saw her. It had to be her. Hair as black as the night. She was totally nude, her body perfect against the white of the walled garden. She stood poised a moment at the edge then dived into the silver water. He held his breath as she surfaced and swam toward him. He knew she had not seen him. His heart caught in his throat and he stepped out into the garden. The perfume of blooming jasmine filled the night air. Moonlight shattered as he entered the pool. Shads of silver became sparkles as they lapped against her breasts, teasing the darker hue of her nipples into tight peaks. Sharif’s green eyes darkened with desire. His fingers tangled in the black length of her hair as he guided her against his hard thighs. Like cool satin in the warmer water, her body clung to his. "Ahh, Beauty, I’ve missed you." "And I, you, my Lord Sharif." Her heart beat so fast she was sure he could hear it. He still wanted her! Even in the water she felt his hard shaft against her. Heat swirled through her. He saw longing tempered with mischief in her eyes as slim legs curled about him. Her fingers caressed the nape of his neck as her lips parted his for a kiss. Startled by her behavior he took what was offered, his hunger dominating the planned tenderness. He had waited a year and a month - an eternity. His exhaustion forgotten, he forced entry. She was so tight, so hot and fluid. He plunged again and again, her back against the side of the pool, her buttocks cupped in his hands. His mouth took hers, then released it as his head was thrown back, the better to enter her. Ah, she was heaven. They toweled and he carried her to the bed afterward. Exhaustion took him and he fell asleep almost immediately, his head cradled on her breasts. Anna stoked his dark hair and kissed the top of his head. She thought she would burst with her love for him. At last she also slept. Toward morning, Anna stirred, awakening Sharif. "I must go. Jamie will be hungry." "And? He will be well cared for - " Anna shifted again. "I think he’s wanting me." Sharif stopped kissing her neck. "How do you know he’s wanting you? More than me?" He had not been around small babies. He leaned back on one elbow, and gazed at her, enjoying the play of lamplight and shadow. A hard to suppress smile played about her lips as she met his eyes. He followed her gaze downward where her hand cupped a breast. A white pearl of milk hung on the rose nipple. "He has a wet nurse." Sharif was sure he had told Helene to obtain one before he left. "Yes, but, sometimes I - " Her voice trailed off as his tongue flicked at the droplets. Mesmerized, he watched them reappear. He closed his eyes, his head resting between her breasts. Over a month ago he had escaped to the desert, escaped the longing, the desire, that had flooded his senses that day. He had come upon her with Jamie at her breast. The year had been almost up but still - . The peace of the scene, one that excluded him, had triggered frustration, possessiveness, maybe even jealousy. He wasn’t sure. But he was miserable and he had left her - left until he knew the oath no longer constrained him. The possessiveness flooded his senses again. Anna’s hand caressed his hair, moving to tangle in its thickness. He met her eyes and saw his need reflected there. His hand moved down her hips, splaying over her sex as he tasted of her soft lips. Trailing soft kisses, his mouth covered one nipple, suckling until the warm fluid flowed into his mouth. Anna gasped. Her body trembled as fire spread through her, settling where his fingers worked between her legs. Sharif’s arousal had hardened and throbbed against her. For all his passionate nature he had never experienced anything so erotic. The milk was warm, was part of her. He had heard of a woman’s sensitivity when nursing but had not intended - the thought wasn’t finished. Anna’s body moved against him, her nails dug into his shoulders. He released her breast and kissed her throat. "I am hurting you? You wish me to stop?" Her jumbled words were moans as she returned his kisses, her hand moving over him. He entered her and she met his thrust, forcing him deeper.
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About the Book
France, the Barbary Coast, Italy, in the early 1700’s was a man’s world. A daughter of French nobility, a bored Anna-Marie agrees to fill in for a friend, performing in Marseille as an eastern dancer. She forces herself upon the man of her dreams but finds true love and erotic passion with a Prince of another world. Kidnapped from his arms, she escapes in the crowded seaport of Naples. Desperate to elude her pursuers, she becomes a model for an Italian Duke, a painter of erotic art. Fulfilling her part of the bargain, she is promised an escort home. She is, instead, sold to a band of gypsies. Beauty is moonlight and jasmine. Beauty is a curse. The saga continues from Unbreak My Heart.
About the Author
Lucia Bruels lives with her physicist husband in South Carolina. Her loves are history, travel, writing, and all things French. Tall ships and swords have always been a fascination. If you like added spice, depth of detail, and sensual love scenes surrounded by adventure and unexpected twists, you will be addicted to the intertwined characters in her historic tales.