Taken

CHAPTER NINE

“Dry off, and then get dressed.” Khalid handed her a clean caftan.

“What’s wrong?” she murmured, feeling him pull away from her, and leaving an odd emptiness.

Gaze averted, he stepped into his trousers. “You don’t deserve to have your virginity taken out in the open like some common tramp.”

His words hit her like a freight train. She’d acted shamelessly. Bad enough she was willing to give herself to him. Even worse out here in the open where anyone could stumble upon them. In less than a month, she’d completely abandoned all her principles. And all for a man she should despise.

Cheeks burning with resentment, all self-directed, Olivia scrambled to her feet. She quickly toweled herself dry and put on her clothes.

“I-I’ll find my own way back.” Without waiting for him, Olivia headed back to camp.

“What’s wrong?”

“What we just did?it won’t happen again.”

He stepped around her, blocking her path. “Hate to disappoint you, but we’re going to pick up where we left off when we get back to the tent.”

“Don’t count on it.”

The moonlight did nothing to soften the hard set of his jaw. Olivia didn’t care one whit if he was angry. That made two of them. When he reached for her, Olivia jerked away. Her overly dramatic measures, combined with the soft sand and flowing caftan, sent her reeling. She attempted to correct herself, wobbled, stumbled forward and then went crashing to her knees. Embarrassed, enraged and feeling more than a little sorry for herself, Olivia sniffed back tears, refusing to show any kind of weakness. Down, but not out, she pushed herself to her feet.

“Let me go, Khalid. Send me back to New York.” Met with stony silence and his back, she rushed to reassure him. “I-I won’t tell anyone, not even Harry.”

“That’s impossible,” he replied. Without giving any kind of explanation, he walked off, leaving Olivia to stare at his retreating back.

What did he mean impossible? He was filthy rich. He had the means to send her around the world—twice.

“What do you mean it’s impossible? Aren’t you a hoity-toity French industrialist?”she asked, puffing out her chest.

Lips pressed into a tight line, Khalid stared straight ahead. “I will not entertain your hysterics,” he warned.

“Or what, Khalid?” she taunted, walking beside him. “No, you just want me to entertain you on my back.”

Khalid stopped so abruptly, Olivia crashed into him. He turned around slowly, giving her enough time to step back.

“Don’t sell yourself short.”

“It’s hard not to when you…when you make feel—” Olivia almost shared her feelings with him. Disgusted by how vulnerable he made her, she stormed off.

Khalid caught ahold of her arm and Olivia lost her footing again. All the emotions she’d kept checked came flooding to the surface, and as she sank to the still sun-warmed sand, she started crying. Even worse, Khalid scooped her up and plopped her onto his lap.

“How do I make you feel, Olivia?”

Olivia pushed against him. Her attempt to escape proved futile because he simply held her tighter. Frustrated, she ground out, “You make me hate myself.”

“That’s because you’re holding onto society’s definition of a proper relationship. We’re four thousand miles away in our own world here. Stop fighting it.”

He grabbed hold of her chin and tipped her head up and back, his mouth catching her surprised gasp. Olivia had no idea how he managed it, but he made her temporarily forget all her objections so she couldn’t focus on anything except him. Especially his tongue when he did that slow, delicious glide against hers. Surrendering, Olivia arched into him, her legs splaying wide in invitation.

With one hand kneading her breast, the other snaked up between her legs. His hand covered her bare sex, his fingers delving between her lips to tease her *. Olivia place her hand over his, holding him in place. Whenever he touched her, he always made her want more.

“You want me just as much as I want you,” he murmured against her lips. He parted her folds and pushed two fingers deep. “So stop fighting it.”


“Khalid—” Olivia couldn’t finish. His fingers were turning her brain to mush. Squeezing her eyes shut, Olivia rocked her hips back and forth, riding his hand.

Despite her body’s feverish pace, his lush wet kisses remained maddeningly unhurried. How could he remain so nonchalant? She was burning up! Irritated by his reserve, Olivia reached up, slid her fingers into his hair and she pulled. “If I stop fighting this, will you make it worth it?”

“Better than you can imagine.”

“Take me back to the tent and make love to me.”

Grinning broadly, Khalid stood up, lifting her with him. At a breakneck pace, he carried her back to the encampment. Khalid skirted around the corral and behind several tents. With the campfire lit for the evening and half of the tribe already congregating around it, no one was the least bit aware of their return.

“I didn’t think I could get here fast enough.” Khalid chuckled as he set her down on the low dais in their sleeping quarters.

Too fast in her opinion, Olivia mused. Suddenly gun-shy, she tucked her legs beneath her and picked on the black stitches lining her white caftan.

The mattress dipped next to her. Wearing only his britches, Khalid leaned toward her. Their shoulders touched and a warm sensation swept down her arm. His hand wound around her neck, drawing her notice. Olivia looked into his eyes, and got lost counting the turquoise flecks that made his pale green eyes far from ordinary.

“You make me feel like a kid.”

“I-I do?” she stuttered.

He nodded. “I feel all queasy in here,” he said, rubbing his stomach. “I’m afraid I’ll say or do the wrong thing and you’ll pull away from me. And I’d hate that.”

His confession made a tight knot form in her chest, somewhere in the vicinity of her heart.

“Four thousand miles away?” she asked, referring to the world he’d ripped her from.

“Four thousand and fifty-three miles to be exact.”

Olivia’s mind ran over all her personal objections, and all of them seemed miniscule compared to how much she wanted him right now. Her decision made, she reached out for him. He met her halfway, capturing her mouth again, sealing their lips. Thank goodness she was sitting down because a head-spinning euphoria engulfed her, and she melted into him.

Hot for him, Olivia pulled the ties of his britches loose and in quick order, between mind-bending kisses, she divested him of the garment. He did the same of her dress.

Wanting to feel him skin to skin, Olivia straddled his lap.

“Are you sure you haven’t done this before?”

Olivia dipped her head to kiss the crook in his neck. He smelled heavenly, like a desert breeze. “I’m a medical professional. I’m quite familiar with the human body.”

Khalid balled his fist in her hair. A mixture of both pleasure and pain, her * throbbed excitedly.

“How many male bodies have you seen?” he growled, his pale green eyes now a deep emerald green.

“A few dozen dead, zero alive.”

Her answer must have been the correct one because his cock jumped, easing into her sex. Eyes wide, Olivia moaned.

“Take me,” Khalid urged. He could’ve easily pushed upward, ending their torment, and yet he remained motionless.

Gaze locked with his, Olivia lifted her hips. She fit the fat head of his cock against her sex. Lips pressed firmly together, and his jaw set in a hard line, Khalid looked on the brink of shattering. And she was the cause.

Olivia smiled inwardly. Liking the idea of having him under her control, bound by his desire for her, she slowly pressed downward.

“Merde! I hate that you’re taking your time, and then I love it,” he expelled on one breath.

Well, he would continue to hate it. There was no way she could rush this. He was bigger than she expected. Disengaging herself from the pain, Olivia closed her eyes and allowed her hips to rise and fall, each time, sinking lower.

Still, she couldn’t completely accommodate him. “Khalid,” she pleaded, feeling exquisitely stretched. “Help me get through this.”

Without saying a word, he slid his hands between her legs. He found her throbbing * and moved it around in delicious, methodical circles. Olivia’s core clenched, pulling him deeper.

“Yes,” she bit out. He felt so good inside her, she wanted more. Olivia pushed up on her knees and then sank back down, fighting against the burning discomfort. Her maidenhead stubbornly held and then, like a cork on a bottle of champagne it burst. A relieved cry escaped her as she slid down his long, hard length, completely sheathing him.

Olivia barely savored the moment. Khalid suddenly gripped her hips, his fingers biting into her flesh. “Wrap your arms around me,” he demanded, lifting her from his lap.

She quickly acquiesced by holding on tight.

“Mine,” he said, against her throat, his voice barely above a whisper as he carefully lowered her onto him. “Finally mine.”

So completely outside her element, Olivia didn’t mind his possessive tone. She just didn’t want him to stop.

Their temperatures rose, sweat dotted his forehead, a droplet ran down the strong column of his throat. Leaning forward, Olivia licked at the salty dewdrop, savoring it on her tongue. She didn’t stop there. She kissed a path along his chin to his mouth.

“Kiss me,” he demanded, grinding his hips upward while pressing her hips down to meet his thrusts.

Drunk with desire, Olivia covered his mouth with hers. Her fingers gripped his shoulders, holding on as he quickened his rhythm. He thrust harder, faster, deeper. She could feel him pulsating deep inside her, expanding and unbelievably inflexible.

Primitive instinct overshadowed the soreness between Olivia’s legs. All she could focus on was this insatiable need to be taken by him until the tight coil of tension unfurling in her belly released this insatiable desire for him.

“Olivia…” He leaned back, shifting the angle of his cock. With a slow steady rhythm, he thrust upward, the mushroom head rubbed a sweet spot inside her. Olivia’s eyes fluttered to half-mast, her mouth fell open, a moan sticking in the back of her throat.

He was so thick she wondered how she took him all in. But she had, every delicious inch, and still couldn’t get enough.

Thankfully, the act of sex was like riding a bike. Keeping them both upright was a challenge in itself. Khalid blinked. His head was swimming so badly he could barely focus.

Khalid bit back a moan, his balls tightening when she swiveled her hips. Olivia Bryant was deadly. He’d set out to seduce her and she’d turned the tables on him by taking every inch of him, rather lustily, after the initial breech without a whimper. Totally devoid of inhibitions, she rode him with enthusiasm, egged him on to increase his tempo, f*ck her harder.

Well versed in the art of lovemaking, Khalid wanted to make her first time unforgettable. He wanted to make her come over and over again. And yet it was all he could do to keep from coming as soon as he slid into her wet heat.

Instead of teaching her the art of lovemaking, she’d ripped the book from his hands and taught him a thing or two.

Initially, Khalid set out to brand her. Make her so addicted to him and his cock she would never want another man between her legs. She was his and it was all her fault. She’d bewitched him. Not just with her luscious body built for sin. Because of her compassion, her intelligence and, yes, even her vexing stubbornness.

“Mine.” He nipped at her shoulder. “Finally mine.”

Khalid kissed a path up her slender neck. The scent of her body, a combination of the vanilla and myrrh-scented soap, stimulated his senses, ignited his blood, and made him unbelievably hard. Needing to get closer?deeper, he wrapped her legs around his waist. With his hands cupping her supple buttocks he slid her up and down his hard length.


With each stroke, he seemed to expand and harden as if her tight little channel and its hot honey were feeding him.

The ferocity of his physical and emotional response to her was almost brutal. Khalid pumped his hips faster and faster, burying himself to the hilt. Her greedy sheath squeezed him, coaxing his seed. Not wanting to come before her, he slipped a hand between their bodies and pressed his thumb against her *. He massaged the hot button round and round, while he moved his hips like a piston in and out of her tight sheath.

He’d finally found heaven. There were no earthly words to describe the emotions coursing through him. He thought he could sate his lust with a month or two in her arms. After tasting her passion, Khalid knew he would never let her go.

He was a bastard. She would continue to despise him, resent him for hiding her away from the world. Khalid didn’t care. He would be the only one to touch her, make love to her. And that knowledge assuaged his guilt for now.

“Khalid,” she panted. Just as labored, Khalid’s breathing matched hers. His chest rising and falling, face flushed with desire.

“I’m going to come in you.”

Why he suddenly had the urge to throw precaution to wind, when he’d never done so in the past, bewildered Khalid. And yet, he didn’t back down even when she protested.

“No.” Olivia pushed at his shoulders. “You can—”

Khalid gripped her nape at the same time he slammed into her. Her body quaked violently. She was so swollen and sensitive, the pleasure so blinding, he couldn’t focus. So he stopped trying and just rode her until she climaxed, her body jerking with gratification. Pulsing with pleasure, Khalid watched her. She looked every inch the exotic princess, rivaling the likes of Bathsheba and Nefertiti.

Khalid suddenly tensed. He let out a low guttural sound, that frightened him in its ferocity, and then he felt his hot seed spew inside her. Spent, sapped of energy, he fell back onto the bed.

Olivia rolled away from him. Rising to her feet, she walked over to the wash basin. She picked up a linen rag, wet it and then proceeded to wash the blood and semen from her thighs.

“Most women want cuddling afterward.”

“I’m not like most women.” Olivia lifted her leg and winced. After the initial caution, he’d been brutal on her body. “Not all of us want to be married or bear children,” she snapped. Her mind and her emotions in a jumble. How could she have completely abandoned everything for a man?

“What’s so wrong with carrying my child?”

“What’s wrong with you?” she bit back. Exasperated, Olivia flung the soiled rag into the basin and then whirled on him. “You act like we’re on a romantic honeymoon or…or in some corny dime novel. You kidnapped me, or did you forget? I don’t love you. I don’t even like you.” Olivia averted her gaze less he see the lie. Lord, she was so confused she was going batshit crazy.

He remained quiet for so long she almost assumed he hadn’t heard her and then he muttered, “It won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” she warned, emboldened by the fact he didn’t beat her for her impertinence. “I don’t want any reminders of this place or you.”

His stricken look had been simply a figment of her imagination, Olivia mused as she walked away from him. His feelings be damned. She needed to speak her mind. Khalid held her life in his hands. He didn’t need to completely tear it asunder.

After slipping a caftan over her head, Olivia walked into the main living area. Thankfully, Khalid remained in the other room and didn’t attempt to catch up with her. She needed some space. Her guilty conscience was stifling enough.

Her mind preoccupied with guilt she didn’t notice the two men standing at the tent’s entrance until she was almost on top of them. Stumbling backward, she gaped up at them at a loss for words.

What did they want? She wondered, unsure if she should run to Khalid for protection or stand her ground.

While she deliberated, one of them removed the veil from across his face and smiled. Olivia tensed, recognizing Khalid’s cousin, Hassan. As tribal leader, his word was law. And in a way, she also belonged to him.

“Olivia,” he greeted her, but his eyes swept past her. “Khalid?”

Olivia jabbed her thumb toward the bedroom and then stepped aside. Mood soured, and refusing to be a gracious hostess, she ambled over to one of the couches.

“Hassan,” Khalid barked, drawing their attention, even Olivia’s.

She looked over her shoulder and watched him approach. Mouth set in a hard line, his disposition hadn’t improved. Join the club! If he touched her again tonight, he was going to bed with a black eye.

Khalid addressed his cousin in a lyrical, Afro-Asiatic sounding language. The two men spoke to Khalid, but they pointed at her. Uneasy, she sidled up behind the last person in the world she wanted to ask protection from.

“What do they want?”

“Hassan and his brother, Malik, have heard of your medical training,” he said, turning to her, “they would like you to look at their father. I told them you would.”

Of course, his arrogance was still a sticking point, and she would continually hold the line on an unwanted pregnancy, but Olivia couldn’t prevent the rush of giddiness washing over her. He respected her enough to allow her to practice her trade!

Tickled pink, she had to refrain from kissing him on the lips. And yet unable to forestall all the emotions bombarding her from all fronts, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him. While he stood in apparent shock, Olivia rushed back into the bedroom for a pair of slippers.